Very Basic Training

As you might have guessed from my experience at the Bakum, my basic training was not the most serious experience in the world. It lasted only 4 days and was comprised of approximately 100 kids representing a wide range of health disorders. In addition to the group of deaf soldiers that I referenced in my last post, there were also people suffering from diabetes, motor deficiencies, and a surprisingly large number of people with Crohns/Colitis. Because the basic training serviced the "health impaired" there was neither physical exertion nor discipline. Instead the day was filled with lectures and classes about basic army topics such as the values of the army, how the army is built, and the ranks of the army. There were also several classes designed specifically for us as volunteers, such as a question and answer sessions with an officer from the volunteer bureau (through which all of our paperwork is filed), an army doctor, and a panel of current volunteers. Each one of these classes was highlighted by ridiculous comments by obnoxious Israeli kids who still thought they were in high school. If it had been the US army, they just would have taken these out back behind the woodshed and beat some discipline into them (just like my old pappy used to do to me when I wasn't walking to school barefoot through 18 feet of snow). At about 5:00 each night - that's 17:00 in army time - most of the kids would go home leaving only those of us who lived to far away to commute. At night they clearly had no idea what to do with us as we participated in engaging programming such as sit and watch a movie, and sit and watch as another group of soldiers has a program. Finally the last night they just gave up and gave us 5 hours of free time. All in all it was pretty much like gadna, only not nearly as serious, and oh yeah, no guns. So you don't have to be too scared. Yet.