Ten Day War

A broken thumb, an infected spider bite, lots of missions, little sleep, and mud like you wouldn't believe.

That about sums up the Gauntlet. The steak dinner at the end was nice, except that the steak came from mermites (food containers that keep hot food hot ... and date back to Vietnam), but at the dinner we had four less officers than we started with, weeded out for retraining or reassignment based on leadership ability or other traits.

Having never drove a tank, I can give some hearsay advice as to what to avoid: When in the driver's hatch, beware puddles, unless you like being submerged in mud.

Trees you can knock over.

Mounds of mud you can't.

Don't get stuck, especially at a steep cant.

It's easier to crack a sprocket than you think.

It's true: throwing track sucks.

And whatever they say, riding back to the pad in an M88 (a recovery vehicle) is NOT a smooth ride, especially when it's towing your tank behind it.