Originally Posted by bobsmith123
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE
Commit Not to Quit – I was 100% committed to completing SFAS and getting selected before I got there. However, as soon as I arrived, I started feeling overwhelmed with questions: is this for me, will I just embarrass myself, do I even want to go to the Q Course. Those voices were suddenly louder than the ones telling me that this is what I wanted. However, I was experienced enough to know that these were just nerves talking. If you get there and you feel the same way, then that just means you’re a normal human being at SFAS! Further, if you actually decide you don’t want to be in SF anymore, make that decision AFTER SELECTION when you can think clearly. There is no way anyone is capable of making a fully-rational life-decision at SFAS. It’s a school designed to stress you and to test you with stress. You’re under pressure, you’re sleep deprived, you’re in a new environment, etc. Even if you “know” SF is not for you, you deserve to at least finish SFAS and then make a clear, conscious decision when you get home. Then you can at least be proud that you are one of the few who gave it their best shot at Selection and even got selected. If you make an impulsive, emotions-based decision at SFAS, you will only regret it as there is zero benefit to quitting.
Be Social – Take every opportunity to meet and get to know someone new. Get your first name out there so people remember you; a good nickname is even better. You don’t want to be the gray man to/for your peers. If you are, they won’t know you come Team Week.
Treat your Weapon like it’s Real – Losing your fake M16/rubber duck is often an instant drop from the course. To prevent this, I saw some guys write the word “WEAPON” on the backs of their hands as a reminder to always have their weapons in their hands. Likewise, throwing a rubber duck to the ground, treating it like it’s a hammer or doing any other thing that you would not do if it was real will get you negative attention. To help with never losing a weapon, I did a couple things. First, I NEVER leaned it up against anything but my leg. Lots of candidates would lean their weapons up against trees to check their maps, and then walked off without them. Most recovered weapons were found like that. Also, to make things easier, I created a little resting area for my rifle by tying the end of the elastic cord of the cargo pocket to the nearest button of my back pocket. This created a little space between my leg and the cord where the barrel could easily rest if I needed to use both hands. If I ever forgot the weapon was there and walked off, I would feel and hear it fall away.
Practice Self-Healing Techniques – I used meditation and breathing techniques at SFAS to relax and perform better and I found that even just basic techniques worked amazingly well. Once when I was lost during LandNav and had just spent a frantic twenty minutes trying to find myself on the map, I decided to sit down and meditate. It felt contradictory to what I needed to be doing: “I am running out of time; is now the best time to sit down and relax?” However, almost as soon as I sat down and started calming myself with some deep breaths, a wave of relaxation came over me and I started to think clearly once again. When I looked at my map again two minutes later, I recognized where I was almost immediately. Another technique I used was whenever I was nervous about speaking in front of a group of other candidates, I would look away from everyone and smile the biggest smile I could and hold it for seventeen seconds. Smiling, even when it’s forced, releases a flood of endorphins which boosts your happiness and self-confidence. I was then able to speak in front of anyone without any problems.
Be Proactive about Chaffing From your Ruck – There are several things you can try that will help or even eliminate chaffing on your back from your ruck:
1. Put 100 mph tape on the areas you know there will be friction
2. Use suspenders with no belt to keep you pants high. Suspenders can be better than a belt as often it’s the interaction of the belt with the back pad that can cause the injuries. It also allows you to keep the waist of your pants loose.
3. Don’t wear a belt at all or only loop the belt through the front four belt loops. I saw several guys to this with a shortened belt. This will keep you pants tight while eliminating the need for the belt to go across the back.
LandNav Tips
1. PUT YOUR SCORE SHEET IN A ZIPLOC BAG AND PUT IT IN A SECURE POCKET. I saw many, many unnecessary LandNav drops from Soldiers that put their score sheet in their map case. Either their score sheet fell out, got hopelessly damaged, or was lost when the entire map case was lost. AVOID THIS TRAGEDY BY PUTTING THE SCORE SHEET IN AN MRE ZIPLOC BAG AND PUTTING IT IN A SECURE POCKET THAT YOU KEEP NOTHING ELSE IN. For me, the best pocket was the chest pocket: it was secure, covered by the FLC, and high up so out of the way of the water.
2. Tie a small loop of gutted 550 cord to your best compass and hang it off the sternum strap of your FLC. It makes getting a quick and accurate compass reading fast and efficient.
3. Modify your protractor
a. Carefully shave away the excess plastic from around the 1:50,000 triangle
b. Run a loop of 550 cord gut through the hole in the middle to get a quick and accurate azimuth
c. Take a permanent marker and create a 5k ruler across the top of the protractor. I marked out each kilometer with a long tick mark, and then every 200m’s in between with short tick marks. I found it very accurate.
4. Carefully write the grid-to-magnetic / magnetic-to-grid conversion numbers of the declination diagram on your map so that they are always visible, even when the map if folded.
5. When you get your compass, thoroughly check it and DX it if you need to. You may not be able to DX it for several days, but they will give you a chance to.
6. Mark your map up any way you need to. I highlighted stuff, wrote notes in the margins, and even put an inspirational quote in it.
7. Cut out a square of the hard MRE box cardboard to make a map table and keep it in your pocket.
8. ALWAYS replot your azimuth if you stumble across a “Happy Stake”. Happy Stakes have the exact grid coordinate on them and, even if you are super sure you know where you are, it’s always better to go to the stake you see and replot your azimuth. Too many times I was over confident and walked right by a Happy Stake, thinking I knew where I was and I was wrong.
Role your Ponchos in your Sleep Mat – This saves a lot of space in your ruck.
Bring PT Shorts to Field – Great for sleeping in.
Woobie - I found that my woobie was more than enough to stay warm at night and never used my sleep system.
Highlight Your Weapon – It’s up to you, but lots of Candidates put reflective and glow-in-the-dark tape on the weapons, presumably to help them find it during the day and night in case they lost it.
Monitor your Personality – SFAS isn’t always the best place to show off the uniqueness of your personality. It’s kinda like you want to stand out for your ability to fit in…so work to fit in.
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