Friday, June 20, 2008

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...

Thursday, June 12, 2008

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.