Repetition is... Repetitive

So why the hell does the military as a whole feel that it constantly needs to repeat itself? We spent the entire day today inside one classroom or the other, and only the first half an hour or so of it was stuff that I'd never heard before, and that's because it was heavy weapons training.

We go to fire tomorrow, and I'm not particularly looking forward to it, but then I am, because it's the last day we have to worry about firing weapons of any sort. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed firing the M16, and shooting a grenade launcher should be fun... I guess... but I just don't want to do any of this anymore. I want to get this deployment started as soon as I can to get it finished as soon as I can.

Oh, and by the way, Chief, I found out that I can't get my FMF pin, because I'd need to actually be attached to a Marine battallion, which I've been told is pretty rare for us IT's. It could be another misinformed opinion, but that's just what I've been told.

But anyway, after the heavy weapons training, we all poured outside onto the grinder to be dispersed for a quick break, and then it was back into the classroom for some training on cultural awareness.

To be honest, before this started, I was worried that we were gonna be in for the same ol' CMEO crap, and I was dreading it from the very beginning.

But when the instructor, Sergeant Hage (pronounced Hawzsh) came up and started talking with a very Arabic accent, I knew this was something different.

And it was the first and only thing we'd been taught in the past two weeks that I was completely attentive and awake for the entire time. I listened with all the attention I could muster as he went to explain the subtle differences between Islam and Muslim, and how not all Arabs are Muslim, not all Muslims are Islam, and so forth. He went into detail about the Islam faith, and how Bin Laden isn't Islam, nor is he a man, but is in fact, "just a person with a lot of money and time on his hands".

He even went so far as to explain his own beliefs, and said, what I believe, is probably one of the coolest religious statements I'd ever heard:

"If I wanted to convert to Christianity, I'd go and read a bible. I wouldn't go and as ask a Christian to explain their faith to me, because maybe they wouldn't be a good Christian."

He then went on to say that he doesn't care one way or another what other people believe, because we're free to believe what we will.

I've never had anyone talk about religion in such an indifferent sounding manner.

And with that classroom experience, I gained some respect for the Islam religion. I'll never become Islam, myself, because I'd sooner be polytheist than to believe in a single almighty entity, but that's neither here nor there.

Once that was over, we were cut loose for lunch. What sucked about this was that once again, CDR Burgess thought that he'd go ahead and take charge of the platoon, and told us to be back in the classroom by 12:30 PM, which gave us a little over half an hour to eat lunch, or do what we had to do.

I went back to the barracks and reorganized my locker, and then headed out.

And once I got there, it turns out the actual muster wasn't until 1:00 PM.

I could've taken a nap, but because Burgess had to be top dawg, I missed out on that opportunity.

And unfortunately, personnel recovery was the next block of instruction. For four hours.

Three breaks in between: five, ten, and five minutes, respectively

I'm gonna do a data dump of everything I learned in that class just to spite every instructor who's ever taught me about the Codes of Conduct.

If I'm ever captured, short of treason, I'll do what I have to to survive and get rescued. I'll be damned if I follow some stupid rules that sound like some childish cops and robbers variant.

The laws of conflict state that before capture, you're a legal combatant, and can use force to accomplish your goals, but once you've been captured and have been escaped, you can no longer use force. Self defense is still authorized, however.

I lol'd.