Back from the ashes

Mon 190606

I'd packed all my stuff, I had a list going on but in the end I still managed to forget to bring the most important supply of all - my cigarettes!

I was so pissed off with myself.

Dinner was a still-beating hunk of chicken with rice. It was bloody and all so I dumped it, went to the shop and got myself junk food instead. I tell ya, not even the army can stop yours truly from his right to eat.

I mean, we can be ruthless and all but we like our chicken dead, thanks.

Tue 200606

For the first time in the history of Calamity Man, I failed my fitness test. My fitness level hasn't been that great of late but I'd always managed to at least pass but this time I couldn't go pass 27 sit ups in one of the tests because I either sprained my back, slipped a disc or both.

I had twenty seconds to make it 28 and I was struggling like a fish outta water till the countdown timer hit zero seconds.

According to the rule, once one of the tests is failed, the entire test is failed but I still went on to complete all the other tests.

I still went ahead with the grenade-throwing practice in the afternoon thinking that the pain would go away but it didn't. It became worse.

Wed 210606

I had to skip our Fighting in Built Up Areas (FIBUA) practice as well as our company mission exercise (CME) over the next two days and see the Medical Officer at the advice of my Platoon Commander (PC).

I'm a proud, proud man. I hate to see the doctor. To me, it only proves that I'm weak but I tried to sleep on the back injury problem and it didn't go away.

But I regained some of my pride when the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) selected me to overlook some matters on the Battalion's behalf over the two days. I felt proud because there were other sergeants available and he chose me. I might have been injured but I was still useful.

Thu 220606

The guys who went for the FIBUA and CME the day before came back before lunch. I promptly made myself available to ease the load of the rest of the commanders who were involved. I knew they were exhausted. In contrast, I had a grand total of 15 whopping hours of sleep!

We played some games as a Battalion in the afternoon. Participation was understandbly lacklustre. My Alpha Company got beaten by the fat guys from HQ Company in tug-of-war, we drew with Support Company in this game called water bomb and we lost to Bravo Company, our nemesis, at soccer.

Notice the trend here?

In the games that I didn't play; tug-of-war and soccer, because of my injury, we lost.

And in the games that I played; water bomb, which was non-physical, we managed to fight it out to a stalemate. Imagine if I had been fully fit. Heh heh.

Fri 230606

It was time for us to leave but as usual hours were wasted waiting for things to happen. We finally managed to leave at 1545hrs, almost two hours late all because of some internal politics which was so unnecessary.

I need to rest a bit now.