The fun

The first thing I did as a flight sergeant was begin a new course. Advanced Field Training was created at out squadron to promote and refine leadership and teamwork skills through fitness, drill and fieldcraft. The idea was to bring future NCOs forward and prepare the rest of us for the Junior Leader course or military basic training.

It was hard. 20 stared the course, 4 passed and 1 made it through to the end but had to retake it in the second year. We began with solid fitness sessions that pushed us to our limits, and a good kicking if we didn't push hard enough. Eventually those of us that made it through started further field training (laced with more fitness). We were taught tactics, battle drills, building clearances, everything and anything we could possibly need in the field but that the corps would never really teach us.

Phase 3 included the biggest naughty. We used 'airsoft' to furthur our training. Being able to engage in semi-realistic scenarios and get used to moving with and looking after a weapon in the field was a major part of what we'd aimed for. The final part was a night exercise on a local farm using all of our skills to recce an enemy and later attack them. 4 of us vs 9 of them. Whilst not technically a complete success, we did complete out main objective and survive so we won. After that was a simple fitness test and written exam and the 4 of us had passed the first AFT course.

Matt and Sait ended up as my Sergeants and together we ran the squadron well. We brought the Wing Field Day and Drill teams up and reached 4th in the year before I left. The band began to move back up to where it was years before and we became more and more recognised for our squadrons abilities. Sadly neither of us ever went on the JL course (we never got paperwork in time) but we did run the AFT course for another 2 years. It was never quite the same as the first one though.

I could go on all day with stories of Matt, Sait and I on exercise or during the course but I won't bore anyone wIth all of it. Though if anyones that interested I might start a whole other blog about it.

Then at 19 I left the corps to go to uni. I'd reached as far as I probably could go without getting CWO (which I'd been told I wouldn't get because the Wing Co pretty much didn't like me) so there was nothing really left for me to acheive. I'd got staff cadet, a gliding scholarship, heaps of band, drill and fieldcraft stuff and I decided to take some time off from it all to concentrate on my studies.

That's enough for today, more next week.