Pool

Today we entered into the last and most challenging week of our VBSS training. I knew today would be a difficult one for me in particular because we went to the pool for water survival training. I remember when I was a kid I loved to be in the water, and I used to be a really good swimmer. As I have grown up though, I have lost my familiarity with the water and I have come to give it a healthy dose of respect, some would call it fear. I still enjoy swimming, however when you jump in fully clothed and with an extra 50 lbs of gear on, one gets a little nervous. Luckily for me that 50 lbs of gear is designed to keep you afloat with your head out of the water.

It turned out that the training while challenging was not that bad and no one failed. I actually wasn't even the closest to having problems. We had to do a ladder climb from an inflatable boat in the pool with a bunch of water spraying on us. It was very slick and there was no boat to lean against while climbing. This made the ladder spin which added to the difficulty. It was a piece of cake though. On top of the healthy respect I have for water, I also have a healthy respect for heights. So when we had to do a Controlled High Survival Drop, I was feeling pretty good.

When all that was done, we returned to the class room for a test and some Defensive Tactics. We ended the day learning about Biometrics and the technology we have to record and store information on the subjects we run across. It was a very long day and the rest of the week promises to be just as long and harder. We will be moving into the box with the instructors playing the bad guys and then moving to an actual boarding of a ship in the basin. Bruises and headaches to follow. I'll keep you posted.

Training

I am enrolled in a school right now for the VBSS team. I was apprehensive to start it because I had heard from a lot of people that it was very hands-on and extremely physical. Apparently the instructors, who are all jacked ex-Navy SEALs and combat Marines, love to beat the crap out of the students. They do so to make sure that when we actually get out there and board suspect vessels we will be ready to encounter real danger and handle it accordingly. The first few days have been very challenging, but very rewarding. We have learned hand to hand combat, ground work, climbing, and rappelling. As many know, I am scared of heights, so the rappelling was a total andrenaline rush. Being parrallel with the ground 3 stories up suspended by a line and a piece of climbing gear made me very uncomfortable, but I got used to it after a minute and had a real good time walking down a wall 3o feet. Today we started our hand to hand combat training as well as ground fighting training. Being one of the bigger guys in the class, I got paired with another big guy. He beat me up pretty good. I had little to no training and he had enough to take me out. Needless to say, my body is very sore, and I know it will be worse tomorrow. It is really cool though to be doing training that I have always wanted to do and will help beat people up. Haha. Just kidding. But it is very cool, and I am really have a good time. More to follow.