Resiste et Mords!

Back in Officer's school, there was a small poster on one of the notice boards for the Four Days Marches in Nijmegen, NL.

The first time I saw it, and read it, I thought anyone who would attend such an event must be completely mad. Its four days of marching, 40km a day (around 25 miles) with 10kg of marching kit.

As time passed, and the more I thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. My motivation was twofold. Primarily, it was a challenge no one I knew had ever completed before (that is, none of my friends or acquaintances) and secondly, having started off in the armored corps, and having a few friends who went through the rigors of the Pz/Art OS, I felt the need to up the ante a little.

So back in March I began marching training with the Marschgruppe Aare. I quickly discovered that there is a profound difference between marching in the Army and marching in civilian clothes with civilians. Marching becomes a journey upon which you embark wherein you get to know the people around you, tell stories, enjoy the scenery and generally have a good time.

In May I attended the Bernese two day march. That was the first real test as it was in military attire, with a military backpack and the required 10kg of weight. At the end of the first day, I was completely exhausted and enjoyed a much needed night's sleep. The second day I was surprised to find myself fit and ready to go for another 40km. I met some great people along with way, including a few members of the French Foreign Legion.

My first international march was not Nijmegen, but the MESA, (Marche Europenne de Souvenir et de l'Amitie, European March of Remembrance and Friendship) in the Ardennes in Belgium. The MESA is one of two four day marches sponsored by the Belgian Armed Forces. We marched 4x32km, in Bastogne, Marche en Famenne, La Roche en Ardenne and finally Houffalize, where we were lodged.
The Ardennes were impressive. The paths upon which we walked were mostly just dirt paths, which led through forests, valleys and fields. It was humbling to see the war memorials from the Battle of the Bulge during the 2nd World War.
As far as the marching went, day three was the most interesting because I began to feel the fatigue and weariness of walking for three days. Day four felt the same, however, the final day has the motivational factor of being finally done at the end.
I made some great friends there in the Ardennes, not only Belgians, but a delegation of "Les Chevrons Neutchatelois", a Swiss military group who has sent a delegation to the MESA for 25 years now.
Finally, at the end, we were awarded the ribbon and medal for the MESA. It bears the head of a wild boar, which is the insignia of the "Chasseurs Ardennais" the Belgian Infantry unit that is the Patron of the MESA.

Their Motto is: Resiste et Mords!

This means nothing short of "Resist and bite back" (bite like a boar would)

                                                                          

Left: Bernese 2 Day March with 1st time Military Pariticipation
Right: International Marching League Medal

 

MESA Medal w. WWI Remembrance pin

The Practical Service

After a week of Vacation at the End of Officer School, 19 Aspiring Translation Officers from all over Switzerland, arrived at the Barracks in Kloten to begin 15 weeks of training in the art and finesse of being a Translation Officer.

At first I was unaccustomed to the amount of paper/office work this required. I made some great friends while there however. On base were also a few of my friends from officer's school who were leading their platoons there for the next 14 weeks before they went on for 7 weeks of service in the field.

We were training in a host of things from effective communication and the presentation of plans and ideas, to 3 weeks of intensive language courses as well as planing trips around Switzerland for fictional visiting dignitaries, consecutive and simultaneous interpretation, Swiss History, Swiss Politics and the Political System, Etiquette and fine dining/manners. All of which was interesting and gave a nice and constant change in pace and topic.

Towards the end of our Service, at the beginning of June we were all promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. (Leutnant in German). The Promotion ceremony was held in a 12th century church in Dübendorf. Not only our class teacher Major Fäs from Officer School, but the Colonel and our Brigadier General were in attendance. The ceremony itself was well done, a timely and eloquently put piece by the Military Chaplain of the Brigade as well as a funny and inspiring speech by the former head of the Military Intelligence Service (a close friend of our commanding Officer during the Practical Service).
What made the ceremony quite special for me was the attendance of my former XO (Executive Officer) from boot camp who originally gave me the recommendation to become a Translation Officer.

Shortly after our promotion, a few of us attended our Officer's Ball, which was held at the Victoria Jungfrau Hotel in Interlaken. I had the honor of being accompanied by the lovely Teal S. I had such a great time seeing many of my friends from officer school as well as a few from central officer training in Bern.

Before I knew it, the 15 weeks of service were up on the 20th of June and so too came to an end almost a years worth of consecutive Service in the Army. I was glad it was over, but the transition back to civilian life would definitely take some getting used to.

My Life In The Army

Dear Reader,

Please forgive my absence from updating this blog. I've had a very busy summer with army service and other activities. I will hence forth make a consolidated effort to update regularly. Now without further ado: The rest of my army service!

Officer's school progressed well. There were a few night time exercises which included more office/paperwork and planning than anything else. It took me a while to learn how to deal with sleep deprivation. But this, like many other things, you learn how to deal with and overcome.

Week 4 of Officer's school found us in Magglingen for a week of Sports Teacher Training. The VBS (Dept. of Defense) buildings in Magglingen are as close to a 5-Star Hotel as you'll find in the Army and considered the High Seat of Sports in Switzerland. We had toe opportunity to do many fun things and team sports as well as prepare our own sport lessons. The best food I've ever eaten in the army was by far in Magglingen as we had the choice of three different menus for lunch and dinner. Breakfast consisted of a bounty of options from bread, meats and cheese to cereals, pastries and a host of juices, teas and coffee. I now understand why assignments in Magglingen are so relished in the Translation Officer's Company.

The Fifth Week of OS was shooting week. We learned how to properly prepare and carry out a shooting program/lesson, including all the paper work and bureaucracy involved. It was fun, as I not only enjoy shooting but enjoy the responsibilities and difficulties of leading a shooting session. I also improved my skills with the Pistol, though I was unable to earn the Pistol Marksman Ribbon.

Weeks 6 and 7 were spent in Bülach with the commander of the Translation Officer's Practical Service. Whilst our comrades had multiple exercises out in the sticks somewhere, setting up antennas and sleeping in barns, our class was acquainted with the basic responsibilities and capabilities of what Translation Officers do. This includes having good manners, not being a slob, understanding Swiss History and Culture and being able to present it in such a way that foreign delegations. A Basic understanding of good conversation, what not to talk about, etc. There was also a fair deal of paperwork and bureaucracy involved as well as learning how to make a good first impression. At the end of week 6, we had a 40km march from Bülach, up to the Rhine, over to Weiach, and then back to Bülach. Our class proved again that we aren't as bad as the reputation that we inherited in that we arrived a full 30 minutes before the last of the three classes and only a mere 10 minutes after the first class.

Week 8 was spent in Andermatt, high up in the mountains, where we received instruction in basic mountaineering know-how, snow-shoeing, making a Snow Bivouac, as well as the intricacies of sleeping and eating outside in the mountains. I very much enjoyed all of it, especially the mountaineering and knot tie-ing.

Week 9 was endurance week. Its touted as the hardest thing about an Officer's School. It was one of the best weeks of my life. On Sunday night we began preparing for the week. The whole Officer's School was mixed and put into three "combat platoons" I only got around an hour and a half to two and a half hours of sleep a night and yet was well rested and ready to go every time I woke up to a new day. We did many things aimed at testing our resolve, willpower and personal strength. It was imperative to work as a team. I luckily had a great group in my platoon to work with. We had a few bad apples and some friction within our platoon. I credit Platoon Bravo's (my platoon) success in the strong leadership that came from one of the four women aspiring to officer in our OS. Lara did a great job of keeping our platoon in line. She took over command of the platoon late Monday night and was in command until Wednesday afternoon. The moment Lara was in charge, we started winning, and we wound up being the best of the three platoons in all the sports and other challenges.
On whole, Endurance week was one of the greatest weeks of my life. I was not only relieved, but also sad when it drew to a close with the 60km March from Weinfelden to Bülach. We finished the march to steaks, beers and cigars in around 12h33m.

Week 10 held the final inspection, our promotion to Sergeant First Class and the logistics of returning all the corps material and preparing to exit out of Officer's School. The Final Roll Call on the parade square of the Barracks, in the low February sun, was a very odd experience. I had grown so close to these aspiring officer's all around me, especially in the last week and a half. Now we would go off to our separate bases and continue with our practical service. For some that would mean commanding a platoon. For others, specifically us Translation Specialists, it meant 15 weeks of training and learning in a host of subjects. After a final salute and the best wishes from the Colonel, we took our full kit and made our way home, wishing each other a good weekend and good luck at our new postings.