I am Musn Thompson and I am now in my third year of training at The Royal
Marines School of Music.
Monday
I started the New Year by being issued a black bin liner full of military combats
and a rifle. No, the School haven't been drafted to the Gulf ... yet ... We
were about to begin two weeks of Pre-Joining Training, which we have to do before
we leave the School. The afternoon was spent doing rifle drills. Many of us
were a bit rusty but it didn't take long for it to slowly make its way out of
the cracks in our brains. By the end of the afternoon we were once again proficient
in holding, taking apart and doing safety drills with the 5.56mm rifle.
Tuesday
Today was spent revising our NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) drills.
During the morning we were reminded how to live in our suits and respirators
before being taken to Longmoor to go in the gas chamber. With only one exception,
everyone completed the drills and we were able to finish early for the day.
Wednesday
The morning was spent at the school taking our weapons handling tests. This
showed who had really remembered everything. Some people passed first time where
others took a few more attempts. After a quick lunch we went back to Longmoor
to cover sentry duties, harbouring and camouflage and concealment. Due to the
snow, camouflage and concealment was a bit of a problem, so the afternoon ended
with a few snow games and of course, a snowball fight.
Thursday
We picked up our rifles again and once again were going back to Longmoor to
spend the day on the ranges. The morning was spent zeroing our rifles before
firing our rifles. Many of us found that we were a better shot than we were
in basics. After we had all become comfortable with the rifle we had an automatic
shoot.
Friday
We went back to Longmoor today to finish firing. We all took part in a small
firing assessment, firing from different positions and distances. Most people
passed and the people who didn't were only out by a few so we were all happy,
especially as we finished at lunchtime.
I really enjoyed the week away from music, especially as it was more relaxed
than in basics. We were not quite as scared at hearing the word 'Longmoor'.
Next week we are doing our first aid course.