Hooah!! Welcome back for your Week 12 update. Your Soldier is over the halfway point of graduating from the U.S. Army’s Infantry OSUT. They also only have one more phase after they complete the current Black Phase. Graduation will be her before you know it. It won’t be long before they have earned the prestigious Blue Infantry Cord!
Week 12 Expectations – Black Phase
This week will be a continuation of last week’s land navigation instruction and they will also draw from their week 7 experience when they go back to the range for Fire Team Live Fire. The focus is slowly becoming more important on their individual abilities to work within a group.
Land Navigation
This week your Soldiers will be continuing their land navigation training. Last week they completed courses working together as a four man team to find their points. Their next courses will be completed as two Soldier buddy teams and eventually all by themselves for their final assessment. During Land Navigation they will travel over 30 plus miles this week on foot while finding their points.
The reason Soldiers begin land navigation training as a group and gradually work their way down to individuals is to maximize their learning and safety. When they first begin land navigation, they are very unsure of themselves and are likely to become lost or incorrectly plot their points. By having a group of Soldiers to check each other’s work and keep each other on course, they all benefit from the group’s success and build confidence.
The only way to fairly evaluate each Soldier’s ability, however, is to send them through the course alone. After two days of practice and multiple courses completed, they should be well prepared to find all of their points and be successful.
Fire Team Live Fires
After they are finished with their land navigation, the Soldiers will go to the range and conduct fire team live fires. Inversely to the land navigation training model, which starts with large groups and works down to the individual, live fire exercises start with small groups and build up to large groups.
In week 7 the Soldiers completed their buddy team live fire in two person teams. With their buddy, they alternated between bounding from cover to cover and firing at targets down range. This week, the Soldiers will be firing and maneuvering in four person teams. The execution is almost the same as a buddy team live fire, except now two Soldiers will be bound at a time while two are firing downrange. Despite this training event being similar to one they have already done, it will still be quite stressful as it is essential to remain safe and aware while they maneuver with live rounds. The Cadre and Soldiers will all be performing to the highest standard to ensure that both safety and training value is maintained.
Letters From Home = Morale
We will be back in a few days to discuss your Soldier’s activities for week 13. Be sure to write them and keep them motivated. Next week, they will spend a lot of time in the classroom.
Remember, Sandboxx Letters arrive the next day with return stationery, a pre-addressed envelope, the return postage paid, photos, and an option to add a gift card. But if you don’t have the time to write as often as you’d like, consider selecting the Daily Drive as a letter add-on, this way your recruit will receive daily mail to encourage them throughout their journey.
The Making of Your Soldier
Stay tuned for more insights into Week 13 and beyond. Follow us on social media for the latest updates, letter ideas, and more.
That’s a brief look at the intense but rewarding journey your Soldier is on. Let’s keep supporting them every step of the way!
You can always find me via chat in the Sandboxx app or happiness@sandboxx.us — just ask for Kris, and myself or another teammate will get back to you as soon as we can.
Hooah!
SGM Kris Broadus, U.S. Army (Ret)