[Bechorg]

"You don't want too just be good at rucking, you want too be able stand out above everyone else. When you've got unimaginable amounts of weight on your back you want too be strong enough too let the weaker guy have that break first. Your team should be able too think back about you and remember how you more than pulled your weight durning team week. Be able too accept pain you didn't know you could possibly endure and continue on for miles with that pain. "

Good advice hernando. I will add that we just did a mass casualty medical exercise with 5 casualties (mascal criteria only has to overwhelm a medical units capabilities which 5 casualties does to an ODA). Guess what we had to do? Fireman's carries with dead weight! I have had 2 real world mass casualty events and guess what we had to do? CARRY HEAVY STUFF! It isn't just preparing you for selection, it is real world that we are dealing with.

Some musings....Train, train, train, until your wheels are about to fall off. When those wheels fall off you better know how to lash together a contraption to get your ass over that hump. Once you prove you are worthy to carry that ruck, your ODA will then channel your rough monkey grip abilities and turn you into a refined machine that will be able to sustain your physical abilities for a 20+ year career. We are not looking for guys who can move that 100 pound ruck to the top of the hill one time, we are looking for the guy who is smart enough to convince others to carry the weight and do it every single day for as long as it takes to complete the mission.

Are you going to be the chosen ones of your generation that do not accept mediocrity, learn from the thousands of lessons paid for in blood, maintain and even establish a new mental and physical standard, and take this Regiment to the next level?

If you are, then I am right along with you.

Tighten your laces, ruck up, get your azimuth, and step off. Shut your mouth and open your ears while doing all of that and I will find you on my ODA.

My last point, let us kill the Gray man today. Do not be the gray man. Gray men do not finish first and don't really have an issue with being last. You try to blend in on my ODA and sneak by without taking care of what needs to be done and you won't make it long. Gray men do the minimum and do not prepare for the worst. Gray men are too scared to treat you when you've been shot in the chest. Gray man will not grab the hand mic when the 18A has gone down. Today the Gray Man dies. Fall in line trying to be the gray man in selection and so will your career before it began.