FORT SILL Okla_ Some Oklahoma business leaders got a Fort Sill
experience Friday.
They learned
firsthand what it's like to be a soldier at Fort Sill.
The Leadership Oklahoma group arrived on post Thursday, and they've been
getting the new recruit treatment, including physical training, right beside
new soldiers.
Firing
simulated M4's, eating MRE's and physical training were among the many things
the Oklahoma Leadership class got to experience. Friday morning, they got a
rude awakening; drill sergeants yelled to wake them up at 5:30AM. The Fort Sill
basic trainee treatment started Thursday, though.
"They ran
us out of the dinner hall with drill sergeants yelling in our face," Leadership
Oklahoma Member Joe Abshere said. "They were getting us on the buses, giving us
the experience of what the basic training soldiers go through when they get
here."
After being
awakened at 5:30AM Friday, they went through physical training alongside soldiers
that have only been on Fort
Sill for three days.
Abshere said
the best part of his day was eating breakfast with the soldiers.
"We got to
visit with them, talk with them and understand what they go through, why they
joined the army, why they want to continue to serve our country and just be
thankful for those people that are protecting our freedoms," Abshere said.
They got hands-on
training on how to fire an M4 and shot them at a simulated firing range, just
like the one soldiers train on. Then, it was off to observe live fire at the
range.
"To
actually know what the boom is and where it's coming from, I think has been a
cool experience," Leadership Oklahoma Member Jennifer Holland said.
Holland said even
though she's from Lawton,
she's never gotten to experience what she did Friday.
"Mind you,
we know we are getting the plush easy experience, but it's been a lot of fun,"
Holland said.
They spent Thursday night sleeping just like the soldiers do: in the
barracks on bunk beds. Friday morning, they learned how to make their beds just
like a basic trainee.
