Training is now complete. Our tribe is formed and we are ready to perform our mission. Over these first few months of active duty, I have received specialized training on how to perform my specific job, as well as more 'general' training that allows me to work with the rest of the team when we are outside the wire. Now I'm itching to get to work.
I can best describe that training time as building an airplane while we flew it. Seemed like every week, new people joined the team from somewhere else, and had to integrate with the rest of the group. Of course, the group was already running at a fast pace, so the noobs had to work hard to catch up! This is where we learned what to do and what NOT to do. Or in Rumsey-speak, we learned a little about the 'known unknowns'.
From previous posts, it should be obvious that I've become very fond of my team. It's a special group, with people from various commands, different parts of the US (and some parts not in the USA too!), active and reserve military services, even different cultures. We got it together quickly and rocked this training from start to finish. I LIKE these people. We work hard, we play hard and when the times comes, we'll fight hard. These are the kind of people, when thrown together by random circumstance, become lifelong friends. That doesn't always happen. I'm glad it happened here.
We can't finish our mission until we start. Fortunately, we've got the right people, in the right place, with the right gear and the right attitude, to make it a great start.
