Hey, Sarge!

I don't know what it's like 100% in the American army, but here in Tzahal, a chayyal will get promoted in ranks just out of how long he has been in the army. Nothing like doing something really good, promotion, or being up against a board who decides, nothing like that, just if you've been in the army for x amount of time, then you are x rank. So usually, after a year and 4 months, one will get to the rank sergeant, but because hesder guys get discharged at that point, so we get promoted to sergeant a little sooner, after a year and 3 months. I didn't know this, but one of my friends went to the doctor, and on his papers it says, "Sergeant Binyamin...." I was like, wow, cool, I'm a sergeant. Thing is though, no one really cares about rank in the army, probably because one gets a rank after a certain amount of time.

I wonder if I'm going to get the stripes to put on my uniform...

Home Stretch

Well, I'm almost done. I'm getting out on July 22, and before that I have about 2 weeks of discharge-vacation, namely, vacation before my discharge.

So we're in training, as I said last time. We've done some training in shetach patu'ach -- in the field. We had a whole-unit exercise last Thursday. We finished at about 830 in the morning, but woke up at 145, 200. Slept only an hour that night. And walked not a lot at all, not even 2 kilometers I think. The actually exercise took around an hour -- but then there was the obligatory walk with the wounded guy on the stretcher, namely me. So at the end, while everyone was exhausted and tired and so sweaty, I was chillin' on the stretcher. That was cool.

We had urban warfare training. That's actually kind of fun, cool exercises. we have around 2 more weeks of this at Tze'elim, at the arab village the army built to train in. Impressive I have to say. And then the last week of training is shavu'a milchama, war week. *sigh* I have to say, If I wasn't getting out of the army right after the training was over, I wouldn't mind so much. I am however, so I mind and "ein li ko'ach." I don't want to walk 80 km in war week. Doesn't interest me right now, not something I want to do. And if they don't allow us to take cell phones and stuff like in basic training, I'll bring it anyway, I won't care. Like I'll go a week without talking to Tzivia? Sure...at least I'm not the only married guy.

I went to Aish HaTorah today to check it out for next year. Not bad, I like it. Good shiur, good guys. Zsh is there, and Ovadya is also there, although next they won't be, but still. That also means I can get a pistol license easier. Don't think that I'm going to this yeshiva JUST so I can get a gun, that is NOT true. Just a cool positive that comes with it. Expensive though....we'll see.

I also love being in the Old City, absolutely love it. There's nothing like learning Torah that close to the Holiest Place On Earth, the Center Of The World. I love it.


Anyway, have a great shabbos everybody.