RCC 04/06 - A Corporal's Last Days (Part 2)
Friday, 9th November 2006 to Thursday, 4th January 2007 // 57 days
The course began with what was an extremely dull week of lectures and fast marches. This was soon followed by combat swims, river-crossing ops and outfield drills.
At the same time, our mental abilities were put to the test with the Target Reconnaissance Test and Combat Intelligence Test.
It would be nearly impossible for me to list down everything we learned in those few weeks, but besides what is mentioned above, we also mastered using the various equipment that we were entitled to in our missions.
These equipment, while "cool" to a certain degree for some of us, simply meant more weight for us to carry on our missions.
The dreaded second part of the course consisted of a series of missions, which were minimally three days outfield, as well as Combat Survival Training (CST). These missions not only trained our teamwork, but individual endurance as well.
CST was not easy either, requiring a lot of mental toughness. We will not devulge any details of this as it is classified, but it's fair to say it was one of the worst days of the course.
After getting through CST, we were finally awarded our Jungle Hats, the mark of what we were soon to be.
The last two weeks of the course was extremely slack and mainly lecture-based. We learnt Directing Artillery Fire and Terminal Air Guidance, two important skills necessary for our many roles as a Scout.
After we passed the final Summary Test, we were finally awarded our ranks, and together with it a new sense of responsibility.
That marked the end of our days as a Corporal, and the start of life as a Recce Commander.
With our newfound skills and abilities, paired with a tougher mindset, we were ready to serve at the frontline of our Battalion.
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