Firestorm - 3. FS Chapter 3

For the next ten weeks, I studied hard, spent my lunch breaks with Ryan, and I was spending Tuesday and Thursday evenings each week, doing night classes, to improve my language skills in Spanish and French, where both lecturers where impressed with how fluent I was when I commenced the classes. On a Saturday in early March, I celebrated my 17^th birthday, and a few days later, after completing the required hours of driving practice under supervision, I completed and passed the hazard perception test and the driving test, and I now hold a provisional driver’s license.

Meanwhile at work, I was kept busy each day I was there, as my boss scheduled the training sessions to fit with the days and times that I was available. When the first term Autumn holidays arrived, my boss decided to keep the work hours the same, so I could have some time to rest, with three whole days off, which I was pleased about, and on the Saturday morning on the first day of the holidays, I slept in till it, 9am, and when I approached the kitchen, I could hear Aunty Jean talking to someone, and I stopped to listen, before coming into view of whoever it was there.

I was a little shocked and surprised when I heard my mum and dad’s voices, and I took the final steps forward to let them know that I was up. Mum jumped out of the chair and rushed to me, giving me a tight hug, and I could hear her sobbing quietly. “I am so sorry that we didn’t support and back you up” Mum said to me quietly, eventually pulling away from me, and I noticed my father standing next to me, and he stepped forward and also gave me a hug, “That goes for me too son, we love you and we are proud of you” my dad said to me.

Over the next hour we talked while I ate breakfast, and during that time, I was informed that life on the farm was not going very well, so a decision had been made to sell most of the farm, with just 180 acres that they will keep, where the small cottage is situated, which will be my parent’s new home. I was also told that a number of people had approached my parents, in support of me, and that not everyone are homophobe bigots in my home town.

Which I was pleased to hear, and I spent the day with my family going for a picnic out in the country, the happiest I had been in some time. Mum and dad stayed the night with us at Aunty Jean’s before heading back home. When I arrived at work the following day, I entered the office and sat down. “Hello Mitchell, you look like you have something serious to day” my boss said to me.

“As much as I enjoy the work here, I want to let you know that when I finish my studies at the end of the year, I would like to do something else before I am eligible to apply for the FESA Academy” I announced to my boss. “Ok I appreciate the advance warning, and I am a little disappointed that you won’t be staying longer, what is it that you want to do” my boss replied.

“I would like to try the Army, I was thinking they will help me get super fit, before I enter the academy, I may be able to work part time, so I can still work for you, I will have to wait and see once I have applied to join” I replied, “well that is something, very different, and I understand why you are doing this, now do you know yet what your timetable is for next semester yet?” my boss said. “No sorry, I won’t know till the first week of the winter holidays in early July” I responded.

After a two-week break from college, I just relaxed for the last weekend, before it gets busy once again. I had completed the 8-week part time course in Intermediate Spanish and French, and received the certificates in the mail, and I was planning to enrol to do the advanced languages, so that I can get very fluent in both languages.

Arriving at the college near the end of the lunch break, I went straight to the administration building, so I could enrol into the next two language classes, and I was pleased that they were on the same night’s and times as the previous term. Once the enrolments were completed, and with my 2^nd term timetable that was exactly the same, and a list of new books that I needed, I headed to the bookshop to buy the books, where I saw Ryan.

“Welcome back to college, did you have a good break?” Ryan said to me with a big smile, “I did thanks mate, I still had to work, but I managed to have some time with my family, which was good, and I will be just as busy this term as I was with the last. How was your two-week break?” I replied, “It wasn’t too bad I guess, I didn’t do much, it was fairly boring really” Ryan replied in a sad tone.

I could tell that Ryan wanted a lot more than being just friends, but I remained friendly and gave no indications that I wanted anything more, and I noticed that some days he appeared to frustrated, annoyed or upset, but I didn’t ask him why, as I knew what it was, and I just hoped that he would get the message that I just wanted to be friends.

“So, what are you going to do after you graduate at the end of this semester?” I asked Ryan one lunch time, a few weeks into the second half of the semester, I was thinking of finding another course to do, so I could spend more time with you” Ryan replied with a smile, and I decided not to respond to that comment.

I felt Ryan was a little too clingy for my liking, and I was glad that I had not given him my mobile or email address, and I hoped that he didn’t know where I work or live, and I decided on that day, that I would take more care when I am leaving college for work or home. On the days that I was only at college for just in the morning, the afternoon, I left the college straight after class or arrived just before the start of class, so there was just the one day that I would have to deal with Ryan.

On the Wednesday, that I was at college all day, Ryan found me sitting in the cafeteria at the start of the lunch break, and he didn’t look to happy. “Don’t you like me anymore?” Ryan said sadly as he sat down next to me, “Yes mate I do, but I do have other commitments, so I can’t be hanging around college any more than I have to because of work” I explained. “Oh, I see, what is it that you do for work” Ryan said.

“Just a storeman and assistant for a warehouse, nothing exciting, but I have to do the work, to pay for my college expenses, and living costs” I replied with a little smile, “Oh, ok” Ryan responded looking a little rejected. “It is nothing to do with you, I have concentrate of my future, I like you man, but we can only be friends and nothing more, I hope you understand this” I said to Ryan.

I was pleased that we had that talk, as he became less clingy from that point on, and i enjoyed the time that we had at lunch times at college. For the second half of the semester, I was kept busy with my studies, as well as being busy at work, and I had been given a half day off when I had arranged an appointment to apply to join the Army, which entailed filling in a lot of forms, an interview, a full medical and a psychological test, all which I passed with flying colours.

The recruitment officer who interviewed me, said that my skills could be useful with the army and with me passing all of the requirements, I was informed that a physical fitness assessment would happen next week, and that the next round of basic training would be in mid-July, which is 80 days of full time training, and that once I had graduated from training, I could be posted to the Royal Australian Engineers Corps.

I informed the administration at the college that I would not be going ahead with the work health & safety course, and I also informed my boss that I would be joining the Australian Army once I have completed the first course at TAFE College, and he was not happy with me leaving, but understood that I needed to concentrate on my future.

When the time came for the physical fitness assessment arrived, I found it quite difficult, but I managed to pass it only just, which I was pleased about, and I decided that in the last five weeks before I start basic training, that I would do some regular fitness training. Firstly, I joined a fitness gym, so I could do some intensive training, as well as the regular daily jogging that I began, the day after the fitness assessment.

By the end of the semester, I had completed the advanced classes in languages, and the certificate 4 course in emergency health care, and the week before travelling to Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, to start my basic training, I attended an appointment with the recruitment office, for the pre-basic training session, and I was given all the details of my flight to Sydney and transport to the Army’s training base.

By now I was fairly fit, thanks to the daily fitness programme that I had been keeping, and I had Aunty Jean give me a short back and sides haircut, a few days after my last day at college. When the time came for my departure, Aunty Jean drove me to the airport, and with a small suitcase with just five days’ worth of casual clothes, shoes and personal grooming items.

When I arrived at the Army base after an overnight stay in Sydney, I went straight into Army training, with the first week being induction week, which involved a number of lectures, as well as been issued my uniforms, boots etc, and shown where I would be living for the next 11 ½ weeks, being taught how to look after ourselves, our uniforms and the barracks where we live.

The first few weeks were very gruelling, starting at 5.30am and we went to bed at 10.30 on most nights, and it wasn’t until the start of the third week, that I started to feel comfortable with the army routine, the lack of privacy was one that I found hard to get accustomed to, and took a lot of self-control. Already there are had three recruits who had dropped out of the training in the past three-week, and I was determined not to be one of those. Endurance marching became a lot easier as the weeks passed, and although not keen on guns, the rifle training was one area that I excelled.

Swimming was another thing that we did regularly in training, as we as continuing marksmanship with the rifles, which I was now top of the class in. On the Saturday of week four, we were given a days’ local leave at Wagga Wagga, and it was the first chance that I had to contact Aunty Jean. I booked into a motel room for the day, spent about two hours on the telephone talking to Aunty Jean, and the rest of the day just relaxing and watching movies on television, until it was time to return to base, later that afternoon.

Although I had not been very religious before, I had made a point of attending chapel every Sunday morning, and I would also spend half an hour with the Army chaplain, just to talk about my feelings regarding to adjusting to Army life. Week five involved training in other weapons, for physical training, and a trip to the national war memorial in Canberra, and a day of leave after chapel on Sunday, where I once again spent an hour talking to Aunty Jean on the telephone, before going to the cinemas to watch a couple of movies.

Now halfway through basic training, I was fitter and healthier than I had ever been, and I was now beginning to enjoy Army life. First aid training, the use of Kevlar protective equipment and navigation with maps and compass, as well as more pool training were part of training for week six, plus learning about explosives and how the handle them, More navigation, pool training, plus rope climbing, marching drills, and endurance marching, followed, with a recruitment fitness assessment given, which I passed easily, as well as practical navigation and bayonet fighting.

Every week, we seemed to be learning a heap of new things, as well as going over other things that we had learnt previously, and on the Saturday of week 9 we once again had day leave, and once again I spent this time either in the motel or at the cinemas, as I was not interested in the antics that go on with the other cadets.

For week nine, we had a physical employment stands assessment, followed by field training, where we had to show team work and leadership, which I once again I excelled in. The following week we put all that training to practice with a full-on field challenge, split into small sections or platoons, we had a series of events that we had to carry out throughout the day, followed by two days of revision, and equipment cleaning and maintenance.

When March-out parade arrived on the Friday of our last week, we were down to 2/3’s of the number that started the training, and I was happy that I was one that had completed the training successfully and although it was too far for Aunty Jean to come and watch me graduate from basic training, I knew that she would be very proud of me. The last time that we spoke last week, she said that she had spoken to my parents, and they had also expressed how proud they were of me, and wished me luck in my new career.

On the Monday morning, as we were issued our full army uniforms and kits, we lined up for our corps assignments, and I was expecting to join the Royal Australian Engineers Corps, since I already have qualifications in Emergency Health Care, Industrial First Aid, Advanced CPR, Risk Assessment Training and Fire training courses. When it was my turn to speak to the assignments officer, he looked at me and smiled, “Well Private Benning, you have done very well during your basic training, considering that you were the youngest member in your platoon. Top or near top in all assessments, with very outstanding skills in marksmanship, first aid, navigation and weapons handling. I believe you are wanting to be a fire fighter and first responder in the Engineers Corps?” the officer said to me.

“Sir, yes sir” I snapped in reply to the Major” and gave a small smile, “Well I see no problems in giving you that assignment, but I have one slight problem with that” the major said and my smile quickly disappeared on hearing this, as I saw the Major turn and indicate to another officer to approach, who had a crown and one pip on his shoulder, indicating he was a Lieutenant Colonel, and I stood and snapped to attention, and gave the appropriate salute. It was then that I noticed the badge on his arm.

“Sit please Sapper, I see from your expression, you know what that badge means?” the Colonel said to me, “Sir, yes sir, it is the badge of the SOC sir, and the patch is the Engineers Regiment Sir” I responded quietly after taking my seat, “Good to see that you responded quietly, that is good thinking, private I would like you to join my regiment, it is based in your home state of WA, and after some more training, you will be given a rapid promotion to Corporal, to match with the skills and training that you already have” the Colonel said to me.

“Sir I would be honoured to join your regiment, and I thank you for the opportunity” I responded, “Very well, the Major has all the paperwork for you there, I will see you at PTS near Nowra on tomorrow at 0700 hours, see you then” the Colonel said and he left the building. I was a little stunned at what had happened, and I asked what PTS was, I was a little more shocked at the answer. After completing the paperwork, and been given my travel details, I headed back to the barracks.