The MESA was a test to see what marching for four days felt like.
De Vierdaagse was a whole different ball game.
We got on the bus for Nijmegen with just about all of our normal military kit, shy of our weapons and utility belts. The bus ride took about 7 hours and the party got started as soon as we got on the highway. At 10am we all had cracked open a beer and were having a good time.
We arrived Saturday evening at around 1800 at the International Military Camp of Heumensoord, on the outskirts of Nijmegen. We then began the process of unloading and sorting out all of everyone's gear and kit, and getting ourselves settled in to what would be our home for the next week. The accommodation is very spartan, but considering Heumensoord plays host to around 4000 military personnel every year, it almost has to be. Heumensoord is a tent city. These tents are about 150m long by 50m wide. There are divider walls than then make a bunch of rooms. Each room is filled with a bunch of bunk beds. It took a bit of getting used to, especially getting all of our "stuff" situated. Once all was said and done, and more or less settled in, we changed into our dress uniforms and went to explore Nijmegen. Of the Marschgruppe Aare, there were 18 of us, myself included. We also had one guy who was our designated road side support.
On Sunday, we attended the annual de Vierdaagse Church service at Stevenskerk, roamed around Nijmegen and took in the sights. Nijmegen completely transforms itself for one week in July for de Vierdaagse. The entire city becomes one big street fair, with music, food stands, vendors and spectators. Monday was spent in preparation for starting off on Tuesday morning. the main attraction within Camp Heumensoord is the beer tent. This is where we military folk unwind after a long day of marching. There is a constant supply of beer and food (for a certain price of course) but both are cheap and in abundance. We went to bed early on Monday night to be ready for an early start on Tuesday.
Tuesday began much earlier than anyone would have liked. In Heumensoord they have a special Vierdaagse wake up song, that is played at around 0400 into our area of accommodation. We were scheduled to begin the day's journey at 0500. The first day i had the honor and burden of carrying our group's "Feldzeichen" (Field Colors, a fancy, official military Swiss flag). I made the mistake of not emptying my backpack of all other items whilst entrusted with our Field Colors. I suffered through the extra weight 3/4 of the way through, until the group leader insisted I swap my backpack with the guy next to me. It took us around 8 hours to get the first stage done. The beer back in camp was one of the best I ever had. After some dinner and a good night's sleep, I was ready to get back to it.
Wednesday morning: Before we leave camp, we hear the day's announcements and salute a tribune of higher ups as we leave. On Wednesday morning, I was surprised to hear my name in the announcements. The fact of the matter is, generally, the older generation takes the younger to de Vierdaagse, and then so gets them involved. In my case however, its the other way around, because I dragged my 60 year old father along to de Vierdaagse. I originally meant the invite as a joke, but he took me seriously, and then put the training in to come along!
One thing that is worth mention on the Vierdaagse is that the terrain is all paved, and flat as a pancake, which can get rather tiresome for the legs as it uses only the same muscle groups all the time.
Thursday is a special day for the Swiss delegation (there were about 200 Swiss there this year, including all support staff) as the route we march goes past the Canadian cemetery in Groesbeek. The goal was to arrive at the cemetery by 1045, so that the whole Swiss delegation can partake in the Swiss Field Mass for the fallen. We all then took a rose and laid it down upon one of the headstones there. That was a very emotional moment for me. I was reminded of my friend and brother I lost during boot camp. The march up to the Canadian cemetery was also quite quick. We walked significantly faster than we had previously, but the cemetery is about 7/9 of the way through the route, so after the ceremony, we took our time getting back to Heumensoord and had a more relaxed pace.
Friday morning was somber. It was hard to believe when we read the bulletins posted all across camp and in our tent. The downing of flight MH17 was a national tragedy for the Netherlands. Out of respect and mourning, no songs were sung and no flags were flown. Friday also happened to be the hottest day of the summer. Due to the heat the Vierdaagse organizational committee therefore allowed a change in the rules, so that we were not require to take with us the mandatory weight of 10 kilograms. I took my 3 liter Camelbak and my small Med-kit with me and in the days heat I was glad I didn't have a single ounce more. The official end of the 4th day is Charlemagne field where we were awarded the Vierdaagsekruis. The worst part of the day was the ceremonial march into down town Nijmegen from Charlemange field. Its around 6 kilometers along the Via Gladiola in which the entirety of the Swiss Delegation marches in time to the music of the accompanying musicians (this year it was the Zürcher Kantonspolizei Muzikkorps). The Swiss Guard were dressed in their ceremonial blue and orange parade uniforms. The pavements was incredibly hot in the late afternoon. The sense of relief and success once we arrived back in Heumensoord was enormous. The rest of the evening was spent in recovering, packing up and partying!
In the normal Vierdaagse fashion we got up at around 0430 in to board the bus back to Switzerland. The drive back was quiet. Most people slept. The entire departure process was very surreal in that it happened so quickly and suddenly we were home and all the comradery, dust, beer and friends were gone. All in all I enjoyed the Vierdaagse more than I expected and am very much looking forward to the next edition in 2015!
P.S. The Title is the Dutch Translation of "The things they carried" (Tim O'Brien) which is one of my favorite books and gives interesting first hand account of the day to day life of a platoon of American soldiers in Vietnam.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Friday, October 24, 2014
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)
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
FU OS 30-2 13/14 (The First Week)
On the 2nd of December, after a week of vacation in Malta, I began Officer's School in Bülach. Up until this point the Führungsunterstützungs Offiziersschule 30 (FU OS 30) had been in Frauenfeld. In a way, we were guinea pigs, as much of the logistical details, facilities and exercises were being done for the first time here.
After the Korpsvisite (the introduction of all the officers and class teachers at the beginning of a course or school), we got settled as best we could in our rooms (6 guys to a room, the smallest room I've ever been in during my time in the army). We also met for the first time our class teacher and his aide: Major F. and Lieutenant H. The Major is an old school bunker artillery gunner (a function they no longer train in the SAF) he has a very sarcastic humor and straightforward practical way of doing things. It took some time to come to appreciate it, in the long run however his opinion is one I learned to respect and heed (not only because he was my superior, but because there was no bureaucratic non-sense involved and he gave practical, real world advice) The Lieutenant began his service as an infantry grenadier (a detail we only learned of at the very end of Officer school) but after and accident in the 5th week of boot camp and some surgery had to change functions and ended up with the Transmission and Communication Corps as a "Richtstrahlpionier" (Lit.:Direction Beam Pioneer, they are responsible for line of sight communications in alpine areas) He then choose to become an officer and is now on track to become a professional Officer.
After settling into our rooms, in the evening before dinner we had an intro test about the basics of the Army, Swiss history, the geography of Switzerland and other stuff along that line. Thereafter we had the 5km "Waffenlauf" (Gun Run) in which you put your assault rifle in your otherwise empty combat backpack and go for a run. The time limit was 31 minutes and I finished somewhere between 26 and 27 minutes. The following day we received our personal Officers material including the Pistol 75, the Officer's Box and a third set of Combat Boots. Having a new side arm was, and still is very exciting.
Early on Thursday morning, Exercise "DARKSIDE" began. The exercise was "Band of Brothers" themed and was very exciting. I had the opportunity to be our class' platoon leader for most of the exercise. Despite being a rather taxing job, being platoon leader was an exciting and valuable experience. The exercise lasted until Friday afternoon and saw us set up a bivouac area, get dropped off (like WW2 paratroopers) without any maps or any other direction aid or locating device aside from a compass, and need to find our way back to the rendez-vous point in Frauenfeld, as well as fire our pistols for the first time.
All in all, it was a good first week. There were 14 of us in our class, the Army Translation Officer class. We are now part of the Transmissions and Communications Corps, which belongs to the Air Force, and not the Army. The objective of an officer school is to train and prepare individuals to become platoon leaders and officers. in the FU OS, there is only one Translation Officer class once every two years. Some of the training and exercises are geared towards platoon leaders. Us Translation Officers will never be platoon leaders, or have our own recruits. Because the officer school is not geared towards us (which is fine and good) the previous Translation Officer class created a bad reputation that we would have to face at every turn. Instead of just manning up and getting it over with, many of the previous Translation Officers (or so I was told) complained and made a fuss about needing to accomplish tasks geared toward leadership and leading a platoon. Because of this reputation, any of the class teachers were loath to take responsibility of and lead our class. We really lucked out with our Major, who proved to be the best of the three throughout the course of officer school.
After the Korpsvisite (the introduction of all the officers and class teachers at the beginning of a course or school), we got settled as best we could in our rooms (6 guys to a room, the smallest room I've ever been in during my time in the army). We also met for the first time our class teacher and his aide: Major F. and Lieutenant H. The Major is an old school bunker artillery gunner (a function they no longer train in the SAF) he has a very sarcastic humor and straightforward practical way of doing things. It took some time to come to appreciate it, in the long run however his opinion is one I learned to respect and heed (not only because he was my superior, but because there was no bureaucratic non-sense involved and he gave practical, real world advice) The Lieutenant began his service as an infantry grenadier (a detail we only learned of at the very end of Officer school) but after and accident in the 5th week of boot camp and some surgery had to change functions and ended up with the Transmission and Communication Corps as a "Richtstrahlpionier" (Lit.:Direction Beam Pioneer, they are responsible for line of sight communications in alpine areas) He then choose to become an officer and is now on track to become a professional Officer.
After settling into our rooms, in the evening before dinner we had an intro test about the basics of the Army, Swiss history, the geography of Switzerland and other stuff along that line. Thereafter we had the 5km "Waffenlauf" (Gun Run) in which you put your assault rifle in your otherwise empty combat backpack and go for a run. The time limit was 31 minutes and I finished somewhere between 26 and 27 minutes. The following day we received our personal Officers material including the Pistol 75, the Officer's Box and a third set of Combat Boots. Having a new side arm was, and still is very exciting.
Early on Thursday morning, Exercise "DARKSIDE" began. The exercise was "Band of Brothers" themed and was very exciting. I had the opportunity to be our class' platoon leader for most of the exercise. Despite being a rather taxing job, being platoon leader was an exciting and valuable experience. The exercise lasted until Friday afternoon and saw us set up a bivouac area, get dropped off (like WW2 paratroopers) without any maps or any other direction aid or locating device aside from a compass, and need to find our way back to the rendez-vous point in Frauenfeld, as well as fire our pistols for the first time.
All in all, it was a good first week. There were 14 of us in our class, the Army Translation Officer class. We are now part of the Transmissions and Communications Corps, which belongs to the Air Force, and not the Army. The objective of an officer school is to train and prepare individuals to become platoon leaders and officers. in the FU OS, there is only one Translation Officer class once every two years. Some of the training and exercises are geared towards platoon leaders. Us Translation Officers will never be platoon leaders, or have our own recruits. Because the officer school is not geared towards us (which is fine and good) the previous Translation Officer class created a bad reputation that we would have to face at every turn. Instead of just manning up and getting it over with, many of the previous Translation Officers (or so I was told) complained and made a fuss about needing to accomplish tasks geared toward leadership and leading a platoon. Because of this reputation, any of the class teachers were loath to take responsibility of and lead our class. We really lucked out with our Major, who proved to be the best of the three throughout the course of officer school.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Last Days in Thun/ Bern: The Central Officer's Course
After the UOS I attended the first week of the Panzer/Artillerie Offiziersschule. This first week of any new school or course is known as the KVK, the Kader Vorkurs. That is when all the officers and under officers spend a week together, getting to know each other and prepping for the up coming period of service together.
Though I wouldn't be attending the Pz/Art OS, I was still obliged to attend. While there, we learned some of the basic skills required of an officer: Learning how to read a map, the basic geography of Switzerland, the Tactical signs used on maps and the entire theory block and test on being a military sports instructor (which would come to my aid at a later point). At the end of this all, I was required to return all of the Corps Material (Material that belongs to the army and needs to stay on base) that I acquired during my first week in Thun as a recruit.
The following week, I arrived in Bern at the Mannschaftskaserne in the middle of the city. I was to spent the following four weeks in Bern with all of the aspiring officers from all of the branches of service.
We were divided into three companies, each named after one of the Swiss Generals. (Switzerland has had only four full fledged Generals as they need to be elected and confirmed by the Swiss Parliament) I had the honor of being in the best company: WILLE (Named after Ulrich Wille, General of the Swiss Army during the first World War).
While there I was able to make new friends, see old ones like Suresh G. (who I've know for close to 8 years from the church we both attended in Zurich) Within WILLE we were divided into six classes, each headed up by a Major. Over the course of four weeks, we learned the basic thought processes an officer and platoon leader needs to master, we looked at the various elements of the SAF from the Armoured Corps and Artillery to the Air Force, Special Operations Command and SWISSINT (the Peace Support branch of the SAF). We played Five games of Ultimate Football, not soccer, but American Football. It was interesting. I quickly realized that it was a team building exercise. Our class won out in the end and as the best team from WILLE competed against the best teams from HERZOG and GUISAN (the other two companies). We won against GUISAN and tied against HERZOG. Unfortunately, HERZOG won against GUISAN with a better Goal difference and was declared the victor of the competition.
The best experience out of this all however was the contact I had with people from the different branches of the SAF. Our class, as well as all the other classes were a healthy mix of everything from infantry and engineers to tankers and medics. It was great to be able to swap stories and see how the other half lives. At the end of it all we were a close knit group. We then said our good byes and went our separate ways, off to a week of vacation and then to our respective Officer schools.
Though I wouldn't be attending the Pz/Art OS, I was still obliged to attend. While there, we learned some of the basic skills required of an officer: Learning how to read a map, the basic geography of Switzerland, the Tactical signs used on maps and the entire theory block and test on being a military sports instructor (which would come to my aid at a later point). At the end of this all, I was required to return all of the Corps Material (Material that belongs to the army and needs to stay on base) that I acquired during my first week in Thun as a recruit.
The following week, I arrived in Bern at the Mannschaftskaserne in the middle of the city. I was to spent the following four weeks in Bern with all of the aspiring officers from all of the branches of service.
We were divided into three companies, each named after one of the Swiss Generals. (Switzerland has had only four full fledged Generals as they need to be elected and confirmed by the Swiss Parliament) I had the honor of being in the best company: WILLE (Named after Ulrich Wille, General of the Swiss Army during the first World War).
While there I was able to make new friends, see old ones like Suresh G. (who I've know for close to 8 years from the church we both attended in Zurich) Within WILLE we were divided into six classes, each headed up by a Major. Over the course of four weeks, we learned the basic thought processes an officer and platoon leader needs to master, we looked at the various elements of the SAF from the Armoured Corps and Artillery to the Air Force, Special Operations Command and SWISSINT (the Peace Support branch of the SAF). We played Five games of Ultimate Football, not soccer, but American Football. It was interesting. I quickly realized that it was a team building exercise. Our class won out in the end and as the best team from WILLE competed against the best teams from HERZOG and GUISAN (the other two companies). We won against GUISAN and tied against HERZOG. Unfortunately, HERZOG won against GUISAN with a better Goal difference and was declared the victor of the competition.
The best experience out of this all however was the contact I had with people from the different branches of the SAF. Our class, as well as all the other classes were a healthy mix of everything from infantry and engineers to tankers and medics. It was great to be able to swap stories and see how the other half lives. At the end of it all we were a close knit group. We then said our good byes and went our separate ways, off to a week of vacation and then to our respective Officer schools.
 |
| L: the badge we had made as a souvenir from our time in Bern R: The WILLE Co. Badge, comprising the Wille family coat of Arms, the Officer's Dagger and a scroll representing Instruction/Teaching |
Monday, March 3, 2014
Unteroffizierschule (NCO School)
The "Unteroffizierschule" was a whole different type of difficult. We began to look at the various aspects of our training not as recipients or students (e.g. recruits) but as teachers and instructors. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the second week of training, I began having trouble with my left knee which hindered my participation in the better part of the field exercises we had.
Our Class teacher was a grizzled veteran, Stabsadjudant R. (Staff Warrant Officer) whose voice never sank below 90dB. He was stubborn and liked to have things done his way, and his way only. He was assisted by three Adjudant Unteroffiziere (Warrant Officers) [Addressed simply as "Adjudant"]. Adjudant V. who was trained as a crewman (at that level as both Gunner and Driver) Adjudant W. who specialized in the Urban Combat practiced by the mechanized infantry. Finally, there was Adjudant J. who was originally one of the combatants and then re-trained as a crewman. Our Stabsadjudant himself is a combatant. There was a rumour that made its way through our class during the first week of the UOS (Unteroffizierschule) that our class teacher had served in the Foreign Legion. Whether there is any truth to that rumour, I will never know.
The instruction and training we received was fantastic. We finally received answers about all the finer details of our trade as well as the basics of being a soldier: First Aid, Means of Coercion, NBC defense and the basic manipulations and practical use of our assault rifles.
As previously mentioned as of the start of the second week of the UOS, I was having trouble with my left knee. The military med station being what it is, I was given anti-inflammatory creme and pain killers and sent back on my way. At the beginning of the last week, I was sent to the local radiological institute to have an MRI done: Low and behold, there is something missing around or near my meniscus, which allows the tendons to slide in a way they shouldn't. (I'm not exactly clear on the finer points of it) In any case the deficiency in my knee was the cause of the pain, especially if strained over long periods of time.
Another highlight of the UOS was the combined arms exercise during the final days of the UOS. We began preparing our tanks the evening before so that we could get up the next morning and make the final checks and prep before heading out to the firing range. That evening, it was also decided who was to man the four tanks the next day. I had the great good fortune to be the gunner in Uno (Tanks in a platoon are numbered in Italian). The commander of Uno was Adjudant V. whom I got along with quite well. So, In the morning we rode out to the firing range and after going over the exercise on the small miniature of the firing range as well as one dry run, we opened fire. We ran the exercise three times through, making the appropriate breaks for lunch and reloading the machine guns and smoke screen grenades. During our final run through the Chief of Staff of the Austrian Army as well as Korpskommandant A. Blattmann of the Swiss Armed Forces. I was afforded the opportunity to exchange a few words with the Austrian General, a great honor to be sure. An honor I will never forget.
A few days later the UOS drew to a close with the final inspection via the Colonel and his assessment team as well as the age old tradition of the final exercise. We had no idea what to expect, though being grenadiers, we expected the worst. We were in for a quite a treat. We were flown with a Super Puma from Thun to Grauholz (just outside of Bern) to learn about the battle that happened there on March 4th 1798 and afterward being driven to Neuenegg (also just out side of Bern) to hear of the skirmish there on March 5th. How the Swiss forces won the battle, but lost the war due to political blunders and cowardice in Bern.
Thus the two mottos engraved in the memorials: Seid Einig (Be unified) & Den Kampf Gewonnen, Das Vaterland Verloren (The battle won, the homeland lost). Due to the disputes and political indecision in Bern (thus: Be unified) the Swiss government surrendered to the French and French rule until 1803.
Our Class teacher was a grizzled veteran, Stabsadjudant R. (Staff Warrant Officer) whose voice never sank below 90dB. He was stubborn and liked to have things done his way, and his way only. He was assisted by three Adjudant Unteroffiziere (Warrant Officers) [Addressed simply as "Adjudant"]. Adjudant V. who was trained as a crewman (at that level as both Gunner and Driver) Adjudant W. who specialized in the Urban Combat practiced by the mechanized infantry. Finally, there was Adjudant J. who was originally one of the combatants and then re-trained as a crewman. Our Stabsadjudant himself is a combatant. There was a rumour that made its way through our class during the first week of the UOS (Unteroffizierschule) that our class teacher had served in the Foreign Legion. Whether there is any truth to that rumour, I will never know.
The instruction and training we received was fantastic. We finally received answers about all the finer details of our trade as well as the basics of being a soldier: First Aid, Means of Coercion, NBC defense and the basic manipulations and practical use of our assault rifles.
As previously mentioned as of the start of the second week of the UOS, I was having trouble with my left knee. The military med station being what it is, I was given anti-inflammatory creme and pain killers and sent back on my way. At the beginning of the last week, I was sent to the local radiological institute to have an MRI done: Low and behold, there is something missing around or near my meniscus, which allows the tendons to slide in a way they shouldn't. (I'm not exactly clear on the finer points of it) In any case the deficiency in my knee was the cause of the pain, especially if strained over long periods of time.
Another highlight of the UOS was the combined arms exercise during the final days of the UOS. We began preparing our tanks the evening before so that we could get up the next morning and make the final checks and prep before heading out to the firing range. That evening, it was also decided who was to man the four tanks the next day. I had the great good fortune to be the gunner in Uno (Tanks in a platoon are numbered in Italian). The commander of Uno was Adjudant V. whom I got along with quite well. So, In the morning we rode out to the firing range and after going over the exercise on the small miniature of the firing range as well as one dry run, we opened fire. We ran the exercise three times through, making the appropriate breaks for lunch and reloading the machine guns and smoke screen grenades. During our final run through the Chief of Staff of the Austrian Army as well as Korpskommandant A. Blattmann of the Swiss Armed Forces. I was afforded the opportunity to exchange a few words with the Austrian General, a great honor to be sure. An honor I will never forget.
A few days later the UOS drew to a close with the final inspection via the Colonel and his assessment team as well as the age old tradition of the final exercise. We had no idea what to expect, though being grenadiers, we expected the worst. We were in for a quite a treat. We were flown with a Super Puma from Thun to Grauholz (just outside of Bern) to learn about the battle that happened there on March 4th 1798 and afterward being driven to Neuenegg (also just out side of Bern) to hear of the skirmish there on March 5th. How the Swiss forces won the battle, but lost the war due to political blunders and cowardice in Bern.
Thus the two mottos engraved in the memorials: Seid Einig (Be unified) & Den Kampf Gewonnen, Das Vaterland Verloren (The battle won, the homeland lost). Due to the disputes and political indecision in Bern (thus: Be unified) the Swiss government surrendered to the French and French rule until 1803.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Blood, Sweat and Tears
Our platoon has shed all three within the past 12 weeks.
I've sweat more during my time in the army than I have in the rest of my entire life thus far. Not that that is a bad thing. Its a sign that we are working hard, doing our best. Its a testament to reaching towards, arriving at and going beyond one's physical limits. In the words of one of my company's Staff warrant officers after the entire company had just run 5km within 23 minutes: "You really feel alive after a run like that." Not only was the run exhausting, but the outside temperature was averaging 27 degrees Celsius. In the end though, no matter how hot and sweaty one is, the shower afterward feels fantastic. After one has recovered there's a certain pride and sense of accomplishment that comes from having endured.
Blood, we've all shed it, some more than others but there isn't a week that goes by that we don't come home nursing bruises, cuts and other wounds. We give it our all and more often than not that results in cuts and bruises. We bear them with pride however, a peculiar badge of honor.
On the first of September, we unexpectedly lost one of our own. We mourned. We attended the funeral. There wasn't a dry eye in my entire platoon. The death of a friend and comrade puts life into a unique perspective. There's little that can be said to ease the pain and loss. One needs to work it out and come to terms with it and never forget his memory and the good times shared as well as the hardships endured together.
Tomorrow I return to Thun for Junior Officer School (Unteroffiziersschule). One thought that as continuously crossed my mind during the past 11 weeks is the concept of the guardians as outlined by Plato in his work "The Republic". I've seen some interesting comparisons between Plato's guardians and Switzerland's Militia system. Which brings be to another point of interest: I'm pleased to report that Switzerland has decided against changing with structure of the Armed Forces from a Militia system to a Voluntary/Professional system.
I've sweat more during my time in the army than I have in the rest of my entire life thus far. Not that that is a bad thing. Its a sign that we are working hard, doing our best. Its a testament to reaching towards, arriving at and going beyond one's physical limits. In the words of one of my company's Staff warrant officers after the entire company had just run 5km within 23 minutes: "You really feel alive after a run like that." Not only was the run exhausting, but the outside temperature was averaging 27 degrees Celsius. In the end though, no matter how hot and sweaty one is, the shower afterward feels fantastic. After one has recovered there's a certain pride and sense of accomplishment that comes from having endured.
Blood, we've all shed it, some more than others but there isn't a week that goes by that we don't come home nursing bruises, cuts and other wounds. We give it our all and more often than not that results in cuts and bruises. We bear them with pride however, a peculiar badge of honor.
On the first of September, we unexpectedly lost one of our own. We mourned. We attended the funeral. There wasn't a dry eye in my entire platoon. The death of a friend and comrade puts life into a unique perspective. There's little that can be said to ease the pain and loss. One needs to work it out and come to terms with it and never forget his memory and the good times shared as well as the hardships endured together.
Tomorrow I return to Thun for Junior Officer School (Unteroffiziersschule). One thought that as continuously crossed my mind during the past 11 weeks is the concept of the guardians as outlined by Plato in his work "The Republic". I've seen some interesting comparisons between Plato's guardians and Switzerland's Militia system. Which brings be to another point of interest: I'm pleased to report that Switzerland has decided against changing with structure of the Armed Forces from a Militia system to a Voluntary/Professional system.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
From Recruit to Tank Grenadier
Week 5 was the first time we were allowed to even touch the tanks that sit in the hall we work in. As I have previously mentioned, I am a Tank grenadier crewman. Our company has five platoons: Ambos, Bivio, Canale, Dimitri and Emil. Ambos through Canale are combatants while Dimitri and Emil are crewman. The two jobs are vastly different. The combatants are in essence highly specialized infantry that sit in the back of the tank (eight per tank) and are deployed to fight other armored vehicles, clear buildings and neighborhoods. The crewman operate the tank. There are three of us to a tank: the driver, the gunner and the commander. I am a gunner.
The amount of technology that goes into a modern tank continues to amaze me. The training I've received as a gunner is extensive to say the least. We've learned the ins and outs of the tanks weapon systems. We've disassembled and reassembled the main cannon in under 15 minutes. We've disassembled and reassembled the machine gun so many times that we can all do it blind folded. We've spent countless hours in the simulator learning the finesses of the controls as well as developing the second nature of reacting to different targets and understanding how to combat them.
I've volunteered to be a NCO as well as a candidate for officer, I was promoted to soldier at the beginning of week 8. On that Friday, the aspiring NCO and officer candidates had the honor of partaking in exercise "Grenatieri" at the end of which we earned the grenade insignia for our uniforms. Grenatieri was fun, the first station was to run through a 12 by 2 yard mud/water obstacle, on the other side we had to take off all of our gear and then neatly place it on the ground and then run back through the mud to the side where we began. We then had to select two stones from a large pile, (there weren't any small ones) and then crawl back through the mud to our gear. The next step was to put all of our gear back on (this includes combat backpack, utility belt and assault rifle, in total weighing 20 kilograms) and then run down to the next set of obstacles which were 4 tank stairs (which are used by the repairmen if and when the tanks need to be fixed) the fun part about that was we had to climb up the side that didn't have stairs, then run down the stairs to the next set. After helping our comrades over the last set of stairs my patrol (group of 11) set off to the next obstacle which was moving as quickly as we could up a hill through the trees and undergrowth. At the top was my staff sergeant who sent us to the next station. Now I failed to mention a few important details about all of this. First off this took place at dusk, in the rocky, rugged, uneven terrain of the off road tank track, next we had to carry the stones with us through every obstacle of the first station (we deposited them at the end in a pile that was arranged into the grenadier's grenade), furthermore we were split into patrols of 11 people who started at different times (to avoid chaos and enable closer supervision) finally all of this was done under time pressure, with officers and under officers yelling at us to pick up the pace.
The next station was under the supervision of the staff sergeant from Bivio. He instructed us to get in to push-up position, which we then held for close to two minutes. After that we had to take all of our gear off and pick up a tree trunk and carry it a good 750 meters with a PFC sitting on it. The last stretch the PFC got off as we carried the tree trunk up a 50 degree incline. After depositing the tree trunk where we found it, he had to to get a quick sip of water before we had to run down the hill to the next station run by the staff sergeant of Ambos.
This station was by far the hardest as we had to carry the heaviest man in our patrol (he weighs roughly 88 kg) for about a kilometer without having him ever tough the ground. This required someone to grab all of his gear, two other people to carry him and a fourth person to lay down on the ground so the "injured" comrade could stand on the back of the man laying on the ground while one or two replacements jumped in to continue carrying the "injured" comrade. The last 250 meters we were put under time pressure to reach the finish line (which was pre-determined before the entire exercise began). We made it in time and crossed the finish line with our battle cry. We were then instructed to put all of our gear in a neat row about 150 meters off to the side and wait for the other two patrols to finish.
We then had a small ceremony in which a ceramic grenadier grenade with cardboard flames was lit on fire and then smashed by our company CO. Within the grenade was a satchel wrapped in aluminum foil which contained our insignias. We were each called by our staff sergeants and each staff sergeant distributed the insignias one by one. Now there is a special tradition within the grenadiers, that upon receiving the grenade insignia, all of one's officers congratulate you, and then punch you as hard as they choose in the chest where the grenade is on your uniform. So it was with us. One by one my staff sergeant and all four of our PFCs congratulated me and punched me in the chest. Looking back its a night I will never forget.
The moment a recruit has both the rank of soldier and the grenade over his heart (on his uniform), we are no longer allowed to announce ourselves as recruits or soldiers or anything else, but as Panzergrenadiers.
GREN CHARS! QUEL EST VOTRE METIER?!? AOUH! AOUH! AOUH!
The amount of technology that goes into a modern tank continues to amaze me. The training I've received as a gunner is extensive to say the least. We've learned the ins and outs of the tanks weapon systems. We've disassembled and reassembled the main cannon in under 15 minutes. We've disassembled and reassembled the machine gun so many times that we can all do it blind folded. We've spent countless hours in the simulator learning the finesses of the controls as well as developing the second nature of reacting to different targets and understanding how to combat them.
I've volunteered to be a NCO as well as a candidate for officer, I was promoted to soldier at the beginning of week 8. On that Friday, the aspiring NCO and officer candidates had the honor of partaking in exercise "Grenatieri" at the end of which we earned the grenade insignia for our uniforms. Grenatieri was fun, the first station was to run through a 12 by 2 yard mud/water obstacle, on the other side we had to take off all of our gear and then neatly place it on the ground and then run back through the mud to the side where we began. We then had to select two stones from a large pile, (there weren't any small ones) and then crawl back through the mud to our gear. The next step was to put all of our gear back on (this includes combat backpack, utility belt and assault rifle, in total weighing 20 kilograms) and then run down to the next set of obstacles which were 4 tank stairs (which are used by the repairmen if and when the tanks need to be fixed) the fun part about that was we had to climb up the side that didn't have stairs, then run down the stairs to the next set. After helping our comrades over the last set of stairs my patrol (group of 11) set off to the next obstacle which was moving as quickly as we could up a hill through the trees and undergrowth. At the top was my staff sergeant who sent us to the next station. Now I failed to mention a few important details about all of this. First off this took place at dusk, in the rocky, rugged, uneven terrain of the off road tank track, next we had to carry the stones with us through every obstacle of the first station (we deposited them at the end in a pile that was arranged into the grenadier's grenade), furthermore we were split into patrols of 11 people who started at different times (to avoid chaos and enable closer supervision) finally all of this was done under time pressure, with officers and under officers yelling at us to pick up the pace.
The next station was under the supervision of the staff sergeant from Bivio. He instructed us to get in to push-up position, which we then held for close to two minutes. After that we had to take all of our gear off and pick up a tree trunk and carry it a good 750 meters with a PFC sitting on it. The last stretch the PFC got off as we carried the tree trunk up a 50 degree incline. After depositing the tree trunk where we found it, he had to to get a quick sip of water before we had to run down the hill to the next station run by the staff sergeant of Ambos.
This station was by far the hardest as we had to carry the heaviest man in our patrol (he weighs roughly 88 kg) for about a kilometer without having him ever tough the ground. This required someone to grab all of his gear, two other people to carry him and a fourth person to lay down on the ground so the "injured" comrade could stand on the back of the man laying on the ground while one or two replacements jumped in to continue carrying the "injured" comrade. The last 250 meters we were put under time pressure to reach the finish line (which was pre-determined before the entire exercise began). We made it in time and crossed the finish line with our battle cry. We were then instructed to put all of our gear in a neat row about 150 meters off to the side and wait for the other two patrols to finish.
We then had a small ceremony in which a ceramic grenadier grenade with cardboard flames was lit on fire and then smashed by our company CO. Within the grenade was a satchel wrapped in aluminum foil which contained our insignias. We were each called by our staff sergeants and each staff sergeant distributed the insignias one by one. Now there is a special tradition within the grenadiers, that upon receiving the grenade insignia, all of one's officers congratulate you, and then punch you as hard as they choose in the chest where the grenade is on your uniform. So it was with us. One by one my staff sergeant and all four of our PFCs congratulated me and punched me in the chest. Looking back its a night I will never forget.
The moment a recruit has both the rank of soldier and the grenade over his heart (on his uniform), we are no longer allowed to announce ourselves as recruits or soldiers or anything else, but as Panzergrenadiers.
 |
| The Grenade of the Grenadiers |
GREN CHARS! QUEL EST VOTRE METIER?!? AOUH! AOUH! AOUH!
Brothers in Arms (Weeks 2 through 7)
In my opinion, the Summer of 2013 was one of the hottest in recent memory. The army is hard, there's no doubt about it. The sleep deprivation is what really gets to you in the long run. the days are long and one week feels like a month. The entire tank corps of Switzerland wears black berets with our dress uniforms. Each Corps has a different color beret indicating what corps they are. Every other corps wears a camouflaged cap while they work and are in their camo fatigues. We have the distinction of wearing black berets with our camouflage fatigues. Needless to say black berets don't offer much in the way of staying cool during the dog days of summer.
I am a Panzergrenadier Besatzer, that is, I'm a Tank grenadier crewman. As a crewman I wear a one piece jumpsuit instead of the normal two piece uniform worn by most other ground forces.
The first seven weeks of recruit's army service are spent learning the basics or being in the army. That is, how to shoot, how to correctly announce ones' self to a superior and comrade, the 5 basic firing positions, the ins and outs of our assault rifles, the basics of camouflage and tactics during night operations, how to properly align all your gear when placing it in a straight line, how to properly clean and grease our boots, what a properly cleaned and tidied room looks like and so on and so forth. On top of all that is the serious amount of physical exercise that we do on a daily basis. Unfortunately for me, I did little in the way of exercise before the army. In the beginning I felt I had bitten off more than I could chew. Fortunately I have my brothers in arms to encourage me, push me and keep me going on a day to day basis. We are a family, we rely on each other daily, and together we are strong. There were a few days that were real tough. I pulled through however and I'm sure glad I did.We pull each other through. All of the above mentioned sounds far simpler than it really is. It takes an awful lot of attention to detail, coordination and practice to get it all right, and after a few hard lessons in one or the other subject, you make sure it gets done right and after a while it becomes second nature.
Despite being some of the hardest weeks of my entire life, some good came out of basic training. In week 3, while at the 300 yard shooting range, the Company XO calls me over and informs me that I'd be attending an "Information & Recruiting" day for the Translation Officer Company. The following day I went to Bülach along with 35 other recruits from all across Switzerland. Out of these 35, myself and four others were selected to be aspiring Translation Officers. Prior to that point in time, I had been interested in pursuing a position as Feldweibel (Sergeant Major). The Sergeant Major of a company is responsible for the day to day workings of the company, from making sure the rooms have been cleaned properly (which can have disastrous consequences if they aren't), making sure equipment and gear is sent off for repairs in a timely fashion along with all sorts of other tasks. At the end of the Recruitment day, I had to weigh the pros and cons of both, and found Translation Officer to be far more beneficial to my life plans as well as something I would enjoy more throughout the rest of my army service. I am now among the those who will continue on to become NCO (Unteroffizier) or Officers. Instead of finishing off 21 weeks of RS (Rekrutenschule) I will go further and serve longer. And though the first few weeks were rough, I'm glad to be serving and glad to be able to capitalize upon this once in a life time opportunity.
I am a Panzergrenadier Besatzer, that is, I'm a Tank grenadier crewman. As a crewman I wear a one piece jumpsuit instead of the normal two piece uniform worn by most other ground forces.
The first seven weeks of recruit's army service are spent learning the basics or being in the army. That is, how to shoot, how to correctly announce ones' self to a superior and comrade, the 5 basic firing positions, the ins and outs of our assault rifles, the basics of camouflage and tactics during night operations, how to properly align all your gear when placing it in a straight line, how to properly clean and grease our boots, what a properly cleaned and tidied room looks like and so on and so forth. On top of all that is the serious amount of physical exercise that we do on a daily basis. Unfortunately for me, I did little in the way of exercise before the army. In the beginning I felt I had bitten off more than I could chew. Fortunately I have my brothers in arms to encourage me, push me and keep me going on a day to day basis. We are a family, we rely on each other daily, and together we are strong. There were a few days that were real tough. I pulled through however and I'm sure glad I did.We pull each other through. All of the above mentioned sounds far simpler than it really is. It takes an awful lot of attention to detail, coordination and practice to get it all right, and after a few hard lessons in one or the other subject, you make sure it gets done right and after a while it becomes second nature.
Despite being some of the hardest weeks of my entire life, some good came out of basic training. In week 3, while at the 300 yard shooting range, the Company XO calls me over and informs me that I'd be attending an "Information & Recruiting" day for the Translation Officer Company. The following day I went to Bülach along with 35 other recruits from all across Switzerland. Out of these 35, myself and four others were selected to be aspiring Translation Officers. Prior to that point in time, I had been interested in pursuing a position as Feldweibel (Sergeant Major). The Sergeant Major of a company is responsible for the day to day workings of the company, from making sure the rooms have been cleaned properly (which can have disastrous consequences if they aren't), making sure equipment and gear is sent off for repairs in a timely fashion along with all sorts of other tasks. At the end of the Recruitment day, I had to weigh the pros and cons of both, and found Translation Officer to be far more beneficial to my life plans as well as something I would enjoy more throughout the rest of my army service. I am now among the those who will continue on to become NCO (Unteroffizier) or Officers. Instead of finishing off 21 weeks of RS (Rekrutenschule) I will go further and serve longer. And though the first few weeks were rough, I'm glad to be serving and glad to be able to capitalize upon this once in a life time opportunity.
Becoming a Recruit: the first week of Bootcamp
On the first of July 2013, I entered service with the Swiss Armed Forces in Thun. Thun is the oldest and biggest of the Swiss army bases. Thun has always been the home of the cavalry in the Swiss army. As technology progressed and cavalry units were replaced by armored vehicles and eventually tanks, Thun became the home of all of Switzerland's armored units.
In January of 2012, I was recruited by the Swiss Armed Forces (SAF) as a Panzergrenadier at the Recruiting Depot in Windish. The Panzergrenadiers (Tank grenadier) are considered some of the toughest soldiers in the SAF, right behind the Infantry Grenadiers, the Parascouts and the Military Police Grenadiers. I was more or less oblivious to all of this at the time of my recruitment.
I took the train from Zurich to Thun on Monday the first of July. More than half of the train was full of young men much like myself. I don't think any of us knew what to expect, much less what awaited us when we arrived. I arrived at the Thun train station at 12:26. We poured out of the train on the the platform and followed the signs out to the street. For many of us, myself included, this was our first time in Thun. This horde of civilians made its way towards the specially arranged bus stop a ways down the street. The buses brought us to the the gates of the army base and from there, we made our way to our respective Halls depending on our assignment as either Command Echelon Soldiers, Reconnaissance and Anti-tank Soldiers, Tank Soldiers and Armored Sappers, or Tank Grenadiers.
We arrived, got checked in (they check to make sure everyone who is required to start their service actually shows up) and were sent to our respective platoon areas to begin to grab our gear and announce our arrival to our staff sergeant. Our company has 5 platoons: Ambos, Bivio, Canale, Dimitri and Emil. I was assigned to Dimitri. After announcing myself to my staff sergeant, I was ordered to grab a sleeping bag, put my name on it and place it along with my personal bag at the end of the row with the rest of the other sleeping bags and personal belongings of the other recruits in my platoon. Immediately there after we were ordered to shave our head. All but 2 out of 31 complied. Little did we know, but shaving our heads is not mandatory. The peer pressure to do so eventually persuaded the two to do so about two or three weeks down the line.
After the haircut, we began with platoon school, in which the staff sergeant or one of our PFCs (Private First Class) gives us orders to run around and eventually line up and practice marching in different formations. It takes a while to get right, though once it does work right it looks really cool.
The rest of the day was spent with receiving more of our gear and uniforms, getting to know each other and our officers as well as going to the barracks for the first time. It was all very exciting but also exhausting. Our first day drew to a close with the event known as ABV, which is short for Abendsverlesen. ABV is the practice of making sure everyone is in their rooms, present and accounted for at 23:00 as well as distributing important information for the next day. Because we were new to all this and there is a specific process in which ABV has to go down, the first couple of weeks it took anywhere between 30 and 40 minutes. Now this is fine if you are allowed to lay in bed and pretend to sleep. We were not. We want to be grenadiers therefore we had to stand at ease next to our beds. For anyone who isn't particularly in shape or used to standing at ease, 35 minutes is an awfully long time.
The first week felt very long and was stressful. Tuesday we received our personal weapon from our company CO. Through out the course of the week we received the rest of our gear and material. The last thing we received was our dress uniforms. It wasn't until weeks later I realized just how much we received and just how much it all weighed.
During the first week I averaged about 4 to 4.5 hours of sleep every night. Its quite a shock going from 7 to 9 hours of sleep to 4 or 5 hours a night. As with many things in the army, especially as a grenadier, you grit your teeth, put your head down and rough it out. After a while you get used to it.
On Saturday morning at 0630, the entire company clad in our dress uniforms, stood in a half circles around our staff sergeants. After standing in formation and then at attention for the company CO, we were released on leave for the weekend. I needed to be back on base for ABV at 2300 on Sunday night. We made our way to the train station, bade each other a pleasant and restful weekend, and took the respective trains back home.
I survived the first week. I was officially no longer a civilian, but a Tank grenadier recruit in the SAF. Though the hard part was yet to come.
In January of 2012, I was recruited by the Swiss Armed Forces (SAF) as a Panzergrenadier at the Recruiting Depot in Windish. The Panzergrenadiers (Tank grenadier) are considered some of the toughest soldiers in the SAF, right behind the Infantry Grenadiers, the Parascouts and the Military Police Grenadiers. I was more or less oblivious to all of this at the time of my recruitment.
I took the train from Zurich to Thun on Monday the first of July. More than half of the train was full of young men much like myself. I don't think any of us knew what to expect, much less what awaited us when we arrived. I arrived at the Thun train station at 12:26. We poured out of the train on the the platform and followed the signs out to the street. For many of us, myself included, this was our first time in Thun. This horde of civilians made its way towards the specially arranged bus stop a ways down the street. The buses brought us to the the gates of the army base and from there, we made our way to our respective Halls depending on our assignment as either Command Echelon Soldiers, Reconnaissance and Anti-tank Soldiers, Tank Soldiers and Armored Sappers, or Tank Grenadiers.
We arrived, got checked in (they check to make sure everyone who is required to start their service actually shows up) and were sent to our respective platoon areas to begin to grab our gear and announce our arrival to our staff sergeant. Our company has 5 platoons: Ambos, Bivio, Canale, Dimitri and Emil. I was assigned to Dimitri. After announcing myself to my staff sergeant, I was ordered to grab a sleeping bag, put my name on it and place it along with my personal bag at the end of the row with the rest of the other sleeping bags and personal belongings of the other recruits in my platoon. Immediately there after we were ordered to shave our head. All but 2 out of 31 complied. Little did we know, but shaving our heads is not mandatory. The peer pressure to do so eventually persuaded the two to do so about two or three weeks down the line.
After the haircut, we began with platoon school, in which the staff sergeant or one of our PFCs (Private First Class) gives us orders to run around and eventually line up and practice marching in different formations. It takes a while to get right, though once it does work right it looks really cool.
The rest of the day was spent with receiving more of our gear and uniforms, getting to know each other and our officers as well as going to the barracks for the first time. It was all very exciting but also exhausting. Our first day drew to a close with the event known as ABV, which is short for Abendsverlesen. ABV is the practice of making sure everyone is in their rooms, present and accounted for at 23:00 as well as distributing important information for the next day. Because we were new to all this and there is a specific process in which ABV has to go down, the first couple of weeks it took anywhere between 30 and 40 minutes. Now this is fine if you are allowed to lay in bed and pretend to sleep. We were not. We want to be grenadiers therefore we had to stand at ease next to our beds. For anyone who isn't particularly in shape or used to standing at ease, 35 minutes is an awfully long time.
The first week felt very long and was stressful. Tuesday we received our personal weapon from our company CO. Through out the course of the week we received the rest of our gear and material. The last thing we received was our dress uniforms. It wasn't until weeks later I realized just how much we received and just how much it all weighed.
During the first week I averaged about 4 to 4.5 hours of sleep every night. Its quite a shock going from 7 to 9 hours of sleep to 4 or 5 hours a night. As with many things in the army, especially as a grenadier, you grit your teeth, put your head down and rough it out. After a while you get used to it.
On Saturday morning at 0630, the entire company clad in our dress uniforms, stood in a half circles around our staff sergeants. After standing in formation and then at attention for the company CO, we were released on leave for the weekend. I needed to be back on base for ABV at 2300 on Sunday night. We made our way to the train station, bade each other a pleasant and restful weekend, and took the respective trains back home.
I survived the first week. I was officially no longer a civilian, but a Tank grenadier recruit in the SAF. Though the hard part was yet to come.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Just What I Needed
It happened again. I didn't make a point to update my blog and before you know it, 5 months have passed. Though, to be fair, I have had a pretty busy five months.
I am now back in Switzerland and have been for a little more than a month. I've spent the month of June preparing for the next big adventure ahead of me, but more on that later.
My last semester at Moorpark College went well. It has hard though, there were a few moments that were touch and go. Overall I ended with three B's and three A's. I was able to walk out of Macroeconomics (the class that was the most trouble) with a solid B. Moreover, not being a math person I also got a strong B in Statistics, which peculiarly has rekindled my interest and appreciation for mathematics. I've suddenly understood just how valuable mathematics, especially Statistics can be.
[As a side note for inclined towards literature, Ian Ayres' book "Super Crunchers" is a mind blowing look at how statistics effect day to day life. Now a book about statistics sounds boring, but Ayres does his best to make it straightforward and tangible in such a way that anyone would understand and appreciate it]
Around Christmas time I began a serious search for the next step in higher education. Despite the possibility of studying at a university in Switzerland, after making a few very disappointing calls to some of the local universities and putting some serious thought into studying here, I decided to apply to a university in the United Kingdom. The application process is different from that in the US. In the UK you apply through a central service(University & College Application Service, UCAS for short), who then relays your application to the universities of your choice. After getting all of the requisite information together I sent off my application to 5 Universities: Aberystwyth, Durham, Edinburgh, Sheffield and St. Andrews. It took about a month and a half but I heard back from every one of them. As it currently stands, I have a conditional offer from the Welsh university to study International Politics & Intelligence Studies.
In other news, I decided to get my GED in April as a sort of safety net, and it cant possibly hurt to have it. The greatest academic accolade I achieved this year was my Associates Degree from Moorpark College. I graduated on the 23rd of May with an Associates in Arts with an emphasis on Social and Behavioral Sciences, and a GPA of 3.46. I glad to have graduated and been able to bring to a close that chapter of my life.
Between graduating and flying back to Switzerland I was afforded the opportunity to drive up to northern California with my father (who flew out to California to see me graduate and help me move back to Switzerland). We spent a day in Sacramento which was very fun. I had never been to the State's capitol before and Old Town Sacramento is really a blast. I was able to see a few of my GBT friends who I hadn't seen since the GBT V graduation the previous summer.
All in all, I will and do miss California and all the adventures I had there. The time has come for me to move on however and I look forward to the next adventure that lies before me: Boot camp in the Swiss Army!
The past month has been spent in getting adjusted to a different time zone, cleaning up and out my room and meeting up and reconnecting with friends. This weekend we had the whole ratpack (katlyn included) over for a great of pizza and a host of Wii games! Otherwise I have been mentally preparing myself for the army as well as breaking in my combat boots.
Tomorrow morning, the first of July, I will get on a train and make my way to the barracks and Army base in Thun. It will be my home for the best part of the next 5 months give or take. I'm not only excited but a little bit nervous. I am looking forward to the change of scenery, pace and life style. I plan on keeping a journal as best I can while there and will try to provide an occasional update on my life in the army.
I am now back in Switzerland and have been for a little more than a month. I've spent the month of June preparing for the next big adventure ahead of me, but more on that later.
My last semester at Moorpark College went well. It has hard though, there were a few moments that were touch and go. Overall I ended with three B's and three A's. I was able to walk out of Macroeconomics (the class that was the most trouble) with a solid B. Moreover, not being a math person I also got a strong B in Statistics, which peculiarly has rekindled my interest and appreciation for mathematics. I've suddenly understood just how valuable mathematics, especially Statistics can be.
[As a side note for inclined towards literature, Ian Ayres' book "Super Crunchers" is a mind blowing look at how statistics effect day to day life. Now a book about statistics sounds boring, but Ayres does his best to make it straightforward and tangible in such a way that anyone would understand and appreciate it]
Around Christmas time I began a serious search for the next step in higher education. Despite the possibility of studying at a university in Switzerland, after making a few very disappointing calls to some of the local universities and putting some serious thought into studying here, I decided to apply to a university in the United Kingdom. The application process is different from that in the US. In the UK you apply through a central service(University & College Application Service, UCAS for short), who then relays your application to the universities of your choice. After getting all of the requisite information together I sent off my application to 5 Universities: Aberystwyth, Durham, Edinburgh, Sheffield and St. Andrews. It took about a month and a half but I heard back from every one of them. As it currently stands, I have a conditional offer from the Welsh university to study International Politics & Intelligence Studies.
In other news, I decided to get my GED in April as a sort of safety net, and it cant possibly hurt to have it. The greatest academic accolade I achieved this year was my Associates Degree from Moorpark College. I graduated on the 23rd of May with an Associates in Arts with an emphasis on Social and Behavioral Sciences, and a GPA of 3.46. I glad to have graduated and been able to bring to a close that chapter of my life.
Between graduating and flying back to Switzerland I was afforded the opportunity to drive up to northern California with my father (who flew out to California to see me graduate and help me move back to Switzerland). We spent a day in Sacramento which was very fun. I had never been to the State's capitol before and Old Town Sacramento is really a blast. I was able to see a few of my GBT friends who I hadn't seen since the GBT V graduation the previous summer.
All in all, I will and do miss California and all the adventures I had there. The time has come for me to move on however and I look forward to the next adventure that lies before me: Boot camp in the Swiss Army!
The past month has been spent in getting adjusted to a different time zone, cleaning up and out my room and meeting up and reconnecting with friends. This weekend we had the whole ratpack (katlyn included) over for a great of pizza and a host of Wii games! Otherwise I have been mentally preparing myself for the army as well as breaking in my combat boots.
Tomorrow morning, the first of July, I will get on a train and make my way to the barracks and Army base in Thun. It will be my home for the best part of the next 5 months give or take. I'm not only excited but a little bit nervous. I am looking forward to the change of scenery, pace and life style. I plan on keeping a journal as best I can while there and will try to provide an occasional update on my life in the army.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Babel
The first week of a new semester is always disorienting, no matter how long you've been in school. A host people hopelessly lost, trying to find the right class room. There's a general confusion in regards to classes, class rooms, teachers, time schedules and everything in between.
I've survived the first week of school fairly well. I'm feeling pretty good about my classes this semester. I'm taking Statistics, Macro Economics, English Composition, Critical Thinking, Meteorology and Western Civilization 2.
On Saturday the 18th I took a day trip up to Ventura with my friend Samantha from school. Not only was I searching for a change of scenery, but also one of the cultural highlights of Ventura county: Salzer's Records. Salzer's is an old school record shop right off Victoria boulevard in Ventura. Walking in felt like walking back in time to the mid 1980's. Salzer's has a little bit of everything, vintage vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, Incense sticks, Stickers and lots of other miscellaneous items. Our mission was to pick up the latest Mumford & Sons album "Babel" which I found on vinyl!
Looking forward to a great final semester! One week down, 17 left!
I've survived the first week of school fairly well. I'm feeling pretty good about my classes this semester. I'm taking Statistics, Macro Economics, English Composition, Critical Thinking, Meteorology and Western Civilization 2.
On Saturday the 18th I took a day trip up to Ventura with my friend Samantha from school. Not only was I searching for a change of scenery, but also one of the cultural highlights of Ventura county: Salzer's Records. Salzer's is an old school record shop right off Victoria boulevard in Ventura. Walking in felt like walking back in time to the mid 1980's. Salzer's has a little bit of everything, vintage vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, Incense sticks, Stickers and lots of other miscellaneous items. Our mission was to pick up the latest Mumford & Sons album "Babel" which I found on vinyl!
Looking forward to a great final semester! One week down, 17 left!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Holiday oh Holiday, and the best one of the year...
From the 22nd of December to the 11th of January I was in Switzerland visiting family and friends.
The weather was unseasonably warm right around Christmas and the following week.
I arrived on the afternoon of the 23rd at Zurich International airport with two extremely heavy bags. After dinner my mother insisted on opening one of our presents early, which she ordered and had sent to California for me to bring.
The gift was Days of Wonder's "Ticket to Ride" board game. Its a high risk, high strategy board game revolving around the premise that you (the player) are one of up to five railroad barons on one of several maps (depending on which version of the game you buy, or which expansion maps you invest in) ranging from the best part of North America, all of Central and parts of Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, India and Switzerland. Having played at least five games with a host of different competitors, I am as of yet undefeated.
Our family's Christmas celebration was very low key. Fondue for dinner and then we opened presents. I'm not sure when this part of the tradition crept into the position of annual recurrence, however the rest of my family assures me we've been doing this for years (I have little recollection of this) After the gift exchange we all went to our separate corners of the house.
Now as I was attempting to adjust to the local time zone, I made the fatal mistake of staying up late a few nights in a row resulting in the desired adjustment to be perfectly normal to stay up until 02:00 and sleep until 11 or 12. (I don't normally sleep that late, I'm very much a morning person) So this adjustment to my body clock proceeded to mess me up the rest of my time in Switzerland. This however, was the accidental first experiment in jetlag, its effects, and how to best conquer and control it. I now intend to experiment with every chance I get
On Christmas Day we had Joshua (of the Ratpack), his mom and sister over for Brunch, which was very tasty! We had Eggs, French Toast, Dim Sum and Noodles. I'm not a big fan of Dim Sum I'm afraid.
In the evening my sister, father and I drove up to my Aunt's house (My father's sister) to have dinner with all of his side of the family. It was good to see them all again. My second cousin Samuel is currently completing his first 21 weeks of Boot camp and Army Service. My aunt, uncle and the rest of the family are all doing well. A tradition I look forward to every year is going out after dinner with Samuel and his younger brother Simon to smoke a cigar and catch up on life, the universe and everything.
Between Christmas and New Years I hung out with Charlie T and Joshua L. They both came over and spent the night on New Years Eve. We had Black & Tans, played both Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. and had a great time. We sorely missed our brother Caleb who is currently in South East Asia doing missions work.
On the 2nd of January at around 12:00 my father and I picked up my friend Kaitlin S. from the main train station in Zurich. I met Kaitlin on a missions trip to Ireland in the Summer of 2011. She's from Perth Australia and was in Europe traveling for a month and a half or so during her summer vacation. We walked around Baden, went sightseeing in Zurich and visited the medieval town of Gruyere and the thermal baths at Charmey. She left on the morning of the 5th to fly to Berlin to continue her travels. We very much enjoyed having her at our house and hope to see her next time she travels through Europe!
For the rest of my holidays I hung out with a plethora of my Swiss friends including: Jonas S. who's studying veterinary medicine at the University of Zurich, Nadine K who lives in Austria, but is from Switzerland and usually visits family and friends over Christmas in Switzerland, Scotty W. the Pastor at the church my family attends and Simone M who having graduated the local trade school is now studying to become a nurse and working at the local hospital.
Another highlight and tradition is sitting out in my garden, in the middle of winter, with Silvan W, a few beers, some bread and sausages around a fire. I've known Silvan for around 4 years now and consider him one of my closest Swiss friends. I also was able to see Darja K another close friend from my school years in Switzerland!
So, before I knew it, the time had come for me to fly back to California and bid all my friends good bye until I return to the Alpine Confederacy in May
I also finished reading Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) and the V for Vendetta Graphic Novel (David Lloyd & Alan Moore)
I saw in both "Anna Karenina" and "The Hobbit" in the cinema. Both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
With the past month I also saw "Lincoln", "Wreck it Ralph", "Rock of Ages", "Total Recall", "The Expendables 2", "Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter" (Which wasn't as bad as I expected it to be) and had the fortune to be able to watch a pre-screening of "Dead Man Down" which is scheduled to be releases in March of 2013. I enjoyed all of them, but also had few expectations for each. I highly recommend Lincoln however. I found it to be very witty, well written and excellent cinematography!
That pretty much sums up my Holiday!
The weather was unseasonably warm right around Christmas and the following week.
I arrived on the afternoon of the 23rd at Zurich International airport with two extremely heavy bags. After dinner my mother insisted on opening one of our presents early, which she ordered and had sent to California for me to bring.
The gift was Days of Wonder's "Ticket to Ride" board game. Its a high risk, high strategy board game revolving around the premise that you (the player) are one of up to five railroad barons on one of several maps (depending on which version of the game you buy, or which expansion maps you invest in) ranging from the best part of North America, all of Central and parts of Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, India and Switzerland. Having played at least five games with a host of different competitors, I am as of yet undefeated.
Our family's Christmas celebration was very low key. Fondue for dinner and then we opened presents. I'm not sure when this part of the tradition crept into the position of annual recurrence, however the rest of my family assures me we've been doing this for years (I have little recollection of this) After the gift exchange we all went to our separate corners of the house.
Now as I was attempting to adjust to the local time zone, I made the fatal mistake of staying up late a few nights in a row resulting in the desired adjustment to be perfectly normal to stay up until 02:00 and sleep until 11 or 12. (I don't normally sleep that late, I'm very much a morning person) So this adjustment to my body clock proceeded to mess me up the rest of my time in Switzerland. This however, was the accidental first experiment in jetlag, its effects, and how to best conquer and control it. I now intend to experiment with every chance I get
On Christmas Day we had Joshua (of the Ratpack), his mom and sister over for Brunch, which was very tasty! We had Eggs, French Toast, Dim Sum and Noodles. I'm not a big fan of Dim Sum I'm afraid.
In the evening my sister, father and I drove up to my Aunt's house (My father's sister) to have dinner with all of his side of the family. It was good to see them all again. My second cousin Samuel is currently completing his first 21 weeks of Boot camp and Army Service. My aunt, uncle and the rest of the family are all doing well. A tradition I look forward to every year is going out after dinner with Samuel and his younger brother Simon to smoke a cigar and catch up on life, the universe and everything.
Between Christmas and New Years I hung out with Charlie T and Joshua L. They both came over and spent the night on New Years Eve. We had Black & Tans, played both Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. and had a great time. We sorely missed our brother Caleb who is currently in South East Asia doing missions work.
On the 2nd of January at around 12:00 my father and I picked up my friend Kaitlin S. from the main train station in Zurich. I met Kaitlin on a missions trip to Ireland in the Summer of 2011. She's from Perth Australia and was in Europe traveling for a month and a half or so during her summer vacation. We walked around Baden, went sightseeing in Zurich and visited the medieval town of Gruyere and the thermal baths at Charmey. She left on the morning of the 5th to fly to Berlin to continue her travels. We very much enjoyed having her at our house and hope to see her next time she travels through Europe!
For the rest of my holidays I hung out with a plethora of my Swiss friends including: Jonas S. who's studying veterinary medicine at the University of Zurich, Nadine K who lives in Austria, but is from Switzerland and usually visits family and friends over Christmas in Switzerland, Scotty W. the Pastor at the church my family attends and Simone M who having graduated the local trade school is now studying to become a nurse and working at the local hospital.
Another highlight and tradition is sitting out in my garden, in the middle of winter, with Silvan W, a few beers, some bread and sausages around a fire. I've known Silvan for around 4 years now and consider him one of my closest Swiss friends. I also was able to see Darja K another close friend from my school years in Switzerland!
So, before I knew it, the time had come for me to fly back to California and bid all my friends good bye until I return to the Alpine Confederacy in May
I also finished reading Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) and the V for Vendetta Graphic Novel (David Lloyd & Alan Moore)
I saw in both "Anna Karenina" and "The Hobbit" in the cinema. Both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
With the past month I also saw "Lincoln", "Wreck it Ralph", "Rock of Ages", "Total Recall", "The Expendables 2", "Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter" (Which wasn't as bad as I expected it to be) and had the fortune to be able to watch a pre-screening of "Dead Man Down" which is scheduled to be releases in March of 2013. I enjoyed all of them, but also had few expectations for each. I highly recommend Lincoln however. I found it to be very witty, well written and excellent cinematography!
That pretty much sums up my Holiday!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Traaaaditiooooooon!
Traditions... every family has them: Some good, some bad, some intentional, some habitual. Nonetheless everyone has them, including my family.
The best Thanksgiving ever.
This year was the best thanksgiving ever. All the hard work that was put into decorating, baking, cooking and everything else that transformed my grandparent's house into the Thanksgiving feast I remember from my childhood. The whole family came over and we had turkey and all the fixings. This was without doubt the best thanksgiving ever. Great food, good conversation. Just taking an afternoon to enjoy family, and be thankful for everything we have, from health, to employment, to education and almost countless others. As I sat reflecting on the day's events, all the fine food and my extended family. I realized that this was not the best thanksgiving ever, not in the slightest. There is no one best thanksgiving. Thinking back to all the thanksgivings I've celebrated with my family... I've come to see that each one was and is the best thanksgiving, practicing the old traditions and incorporating the new ones.
The ghost of Christmas past.
I'm not sure when this tradition started, but this one's been around for a while too. Our family will collectively trek out to Glendale to the Glendale Central Theater to see a performance of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". It's a great production, very well done every year. Every year there's a new cast with exception of the actor portraying Ebeneezer Scrooge, who has been there for as long as I can remember. Afterward we all go out to dinner, either in Glendale or once we've returned home. This time we went out to Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, one of the best local restaurants around, especially for quality Mexican food.
And that's the latest from this fiddler on the roof!
The best Thanksgiving ever.
This year was the best thanksgiving ever. All the hard work that was put into decorating, baking, cooking and everything else that transformed my grandparent's house into the Thanksgiving feast I remember from my childhood. The whole family came over and we had turkey and all the fixings. This was without doubt the best thanksgiving ever. Great food, good conversation. Just taking an afternoon to enjoy family, and be thankful for everything we have, from health, to employment, to education and almost countless others. As I sat reflecting on the day's events, all the fine food and my extended family. I realized that this was not the best thanksgiving ever, not in the slightest. There is no one best thanksgiving. Thinking back to all the thanksgivings I've celebrated with my family... I've come to see that each one was and is the best thanksgiving, practicing the old traditions and incorporating the new ones.
The ghost of Christmas past.
I'm not sure when this tradition started, but this one's been around for a while too. Our family will collectively trek out to Glendale to the Glendale Central Theater to see a performance of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". It's a great production, very well done every year. Every year there's a new cast with exception of the actor portraying Ebeneezer Scrooge, who has been there for as long as I can remember. Afterward we all go out to dinner, either in Glendale or once we've returned home. This time we went out to Lupe's Mexican Restaurant, one of the best local restaurants around, especially for quality Mexican food.
And that's the latest from this fiddler on the roof!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
More Than A Feeling
Well, this week has been great! It's definitely more than a feeling!
My new job is fantastic, my boss is of Indian descent, and accordingly we drink tea at four every day!
There's always something new every day: new customers, new orders, new tasks! I truly am blessed to have been hired at this humble Copy/Print shop!
School is progressing normally. Got some great grades in Art Appreciation the other day, not that that's saying much. But I'll take every "A" I can get. Math was cancelled Tuesday and Thursday, which was a nice bonus. On monday night, I registered for my classes next semester and I'm all signed up to take: Intro to Macro Econ, English Comp, Western Civ II, Statistics and last but not least Natural Disasters.
Sunday night,(12th) the youth group at church had an all nighter! we went to Sky High to bounce around on trampolines (in the process of which I terribly bruised the smallest toe on my right foot). We then invaded Denny's (the Loaded Chorizo Burrito is very tasty!) We returned to church to watch "MegaMind" which I found to be very entertaining after a few rounds of "silent chair ball". Most everyone had fallen asleep by 2:30 ish when the film concluded. Those of us still remaining awake played Yahtzee. I tossed in the towel and got some sleep at 04:00.
On Saturday night (11th) I had the great good fortune of seeing Mumford & Sons Live at the Hollywood Bowl with some dear friends! It was cold as Valley Forge, but the entire bowl was belting out every song at the top of our lungs! it was so so great!
On Friday night (the 10th), I slept over at my friend Mikey R.'s house. Its funny, he and I have lived in practically the same neighborhood our entire lives, and even went to the same elementary school! He's been a great friend to me this semester!
That's the Latest and Greatest!
My new job is fantastic, my boss is of Indian descent, and accordingly we drink tea at four every day!
There's always something new every day: new customers, new orders, new tasks! I truly am blessed to have been hired at this humble Copy/Print shop!
School is progressing normally. Got some great grades in Art Appreciation the other day, not that that's saying much. But I'll take every "A" I can get. Math was cancelled Tuesday and Thursday, which was a nice bonus. On monday night, I registered for my classes next semester and I'm all signed up to take: Intro to Macro Econ, English Comp, Western Civ II, Statistics and last but not least Natural Disasters.
Sunday night,(12th) the youth group at church had an all nighter! we went to Sky High to bounce around on trampolines (in the process of which I terribly bruised the smallest toe on my right foot). We then invaded Denny's (the Loaded Chorizo Burrito is very tasty!) We returned to church to watch "MegaMind" which I found to be very entertaining after a few rounds of "silent chair ball". Most everyone had fallen asleep by 2:30 ish when the film concluded. Those of us still remaining awake played Yahtzee. I tossed in the towel and got some sleep at 04:00.
On Saturday night (11th) I had the great good fortune of seeing Mumford & Sons Live at the Hollywood Bowl with some dear friends! It was cold as Valley Forge, but the entire bowl was belting out every song at the top of our lungs! it was so so great!
On Friday night (the 10th), I slept over at my friend Mikey R.'s house. Its funny, he and I have lived in practically the same neighborhood our entire lives, and even went to the same elementary school! He's been a great friend to me this semester!
That's the Latest and Greatest!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Feeling The Change Of The Guard
Amazing, the first full week of November has already come and past.
This week was good, all in all. I had my last day at the Mall on Friday the 2nd. I'm so glad to be out of there. Not that I don't value the friends I've made and the experience gained but it was definitely high time for me to move on. The 3rd found me and Luke in Lancaster painting for the R. family, which was good fun! Luke and I both bought straight razors this week and I just used mine for the first time this morning.
I started at my new job on Wednesday, which was fantastic! Not only is my new boss a nice guy, but easy to get along with and we have a similar sense of humor which makes work very enjoyable! I really look forward to work next week!
Last thursday, by random chance I met a fellow Political Science major at school and we got into talking about graduating and transferring to other schools. He mentioned University of California Davis (UC Davis), which I had previously never considered. I failed to realize that UC Davis and California State University Sacramento (CSUS) were so close to each other. Cal State Sac had been my hypothetical first choice. As it stands I am scheduled to return to Switzerland in May of 2013 to complete my 5 months of boot camp and basic training. The plan so far thereafter consisted of me attending the University of Zurich for three years and achieving my Bachelors degree in Political Science. UC Davis on the other hand offers a Bachelors program in International Relations. University in Europe would be cheaper however.... Current plan, write a book that pays for University!
This week was good, all in all. I had my last day at the Mall on Friday the 2nd. I'm so glad to be out of there. Not that I don't value the friends I've made and the experience gained but it was definitely high time for me to move on. The 3rd found me and Luke in Lancaster painting for the R. family, which was good fun! Luke and I both bought straight razors this week and I just used mine for the first time this morning.
I started at my new job on Wednesday, which was fantastic! Not only is my new boss a nice guy, but easy to get along with and we have a similar sense of humor which makes work very enjoyable! I really look forward to work next week!
Last thursday, by random chance I met a fellow Political Science major at school and we got into talking about graduating and transferring to other schools. He mentioned University of California Davis (UC Davis), which I had previously never considered. I failed to realize that UC Davis and California State University Sacramento (CSUS) were so close to each other. Cal State Sac had been my hypothetical first choice. As it stands I am scheduled to return to Switzerland in May of 2013 to complete my 5 months of boot camp and basic training. The plan so far thereafter consisted of me attending the University of Zurich for three years and achieving my Bachelors degree in Political Science. UC Davis on the other hand offers a Bachelors program in International Relations. University in Europe would be cheaper however.... Current plan, write a book that pays for University!
Rocktober Fest
The title of this post is a synthesis of two of my favorite things, Rock n Roll, and Beer!
Also a not so subtle reference to my favorite Radio station.
In any case October was just as busy as September.
-There was an interesting bout of friend drama, which I'm not so sure is entirely resolved.
-Made some more progress with the world-building.
-I wrote a poem: A Voyage Darkly
-I had to serve jury duty, which is just about the most pointless and mind-numbing experience I have ever had to endure.
-I got more of my future planned out, specifically what classes I still need to take to graduate with my associates degree in May.
-Started a daily Music Blog: The Eagle's Music
-Made new friends at school (side not:, I love the friends I have there, couldn't say why, maybe its the sensation of "communitas" we have due to a common experience, e.g. Community College)
-Heard for the first time the fantastic song "Whisper" by Rhyal Knight and Siler Thomas Head.
-Put in my two weeks notice at the Mall (where I work)
-Finally having the sensation of having some influence over the direction my life is going (which stems more from having to deal with an inordinate number of extraneous circumstances and influences over a prolonged period of time)
-Getting some of the best grades in my entire academic career
In other news, I can recommend:
-the TV shows: "Hell on Wheels", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Last Resort"
-The Book: "City of Thieves" (David Benioff)
I also read "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (Bradbury) it was alright, hard to get into, though I attribute most of that to not being familiar with Bradbury's style.
Also a not so subtle reference to my favorite Radio station.
In any case October was just as busy as September.
-There was an interesting bout of friend drama, which I'm not so sure is entirely resolved.
-Made some more progress with the world-building.
-I wrote a poem: A Voyage Darkly
-I had to serve jury duty, which is just about the most pointless and mind-numbing experience I have ever had to endure.
-I got more of my future planned out, specifically what classes I still need to take to graduate with my associates degree in May.
-Started a daily Music Blog: The Eagle's Music
-Made new friends at school (side not:, I love the friends I have there, couldn't say why, maybe its the sensation of "communitas" we have due to a common experience, e.g. Community College)
-Heard for the first time the fantastic song "Whisper" by Rhyal Knight and Siler Thomas Head.
-Put in my two weeks notice at the Mall (where I work)
-Finally having the sensation of having some influence over the direction my life is going (which stems more from having to deal with an inordinate number of extraneous circumstances and influences over a prolonged period of time)
-Getting some of the best grades in my entire academic career
In other news, I can recommend:
-the TV shows: "Hell on Wheels", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Last Resort"
-The Book: "City of Thieves" (David Benioff)
I also read "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (Bradbury) it was alright, hard to get into, though I attribute most of that to not being familiar with Bradbury's style.
Wake Me Up When September Ends
AH! The end of August and all of September seemed to have flown by at break neck speed.
In September:
-I got all of my classes and school stuff squared away. I'm taking 18 units at the local Community College, working towards my Associate's Degree.
-I celebrated my 20th Birthday.
-We (the whole family) celebrated one of my uncle's 50th Birthday.
-I designed a tattoo I might get.
-I head some progress world-building for the book series I'm working on writing
-I met Brendan Constantine and heard him speak
-I read one of my short stories for the first time to an audience at an Open Mic event
-We got a new manager at work
-I'm not getting promoted after all...
-I rediscovered my love for the public Library
I think that mostly sums up all the important bits...
In September:
-I got all of my classes and school stuff squared away. I'm taking 18 units at the local Community College, working towards my Associate's Degree.
-I celebrated my 20th Birthday.
-We (the whole family) celebrated one of my uncle's 50th Birthday.
-I designed a tattoo I might get.
-I head some progress world-building for the book series I'm working on writing
-I met Brendan Constantine and heard him speak
-I read one of my short stories for the first time to an audience at an Open Mic event
-We got a new manager at work
-I'm not getting promoted after all...
-I rediscovered my love for the public Library
I think that mostly sums up all the important bits...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Getting the Heck out of Dodge
After spending the night at Kathleen's. We got breakfast together in the early morning light. It was calm. There was an unfamiliar tranquility in the air. It was nice to just sit and muse about time long gone and the impending future. In my musings it occurred to me how much I value her friendship and hospitality. After we had both finished our breakfast, we said our goodbyes and parted ways.
From Temecula I made my way north. Up I-15 till old 395. My constant companion 95.5 KLOS (Southern California's Best Rock) around the middle of Inyo County the signal strength of my favorite radio station finally gave out and I then was entertained by the other great work of George Orwell: 1984
I arrived at the house of my friend Heidi K and her family! How blessed I was by their hospitality the 5 days I spent there. We laughed, played cards, sang, danced and just hung out! My words can only describe a quantum of my gratitude as well as how good it was for my soul and psyche to have a change of scenery and be among friends. Of friends I might add, I made a few new ones.
I returned on Wednesday, the 15th of August... School begins the 16th...
From Temecula I made my way north. Up I-15 till old 395. My constant companion 95.5 KLOS (Southern California's Best Rock) around the middle of Inyo County the signal strength of my favorite radio station finally gave out and I then was entertained by the other great work of George Orwell: 1984
I arrived at the house of my friend Heidi K and her family! How blessed I was by their hospitality the 5 days I spent there. We laughed, played cards, sang, danced and just hung out! My words can only describe a quantum of my gratitude as well as how good it was for my soul and psyche to have a change of scenery and be among friends. Of friends I might add, I made a few new ones.
I returned on Wednesday, the 15th of August... School begins the 16th...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)