After all the planning, all the Zooms and calls and WhatsApp messages, it is finally the day to put the green uniform on.
Waking up and putting the dog tags on gives you a sense of pride and purpose that is hard to describe. You realize you are defending your homeland during a state of war, with the fighting against Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran ready to renew at any moment. The week is busy on a personal level, but everything stops and revolves around the army schedule. That schedule is extremely tight, and like everything else, all of it is subject to change.
The officers start with a full day of meetings. The state of the war. Warnings and issues around the base we are heading to near Gaza and inside Gaza. Benefits for reservists and their families. Getting our weapons. Going over the rules and procedures for our unit. It was a lot of information, but it was productive.
As a first time Rasap, this first week is one of the hardest. I learned on the fly.
So what does a Rasap actually do in the first week? There are two days for officers and then a jam packed three days for the soldiers. On day one, the soldiers need to sign for all of their gear and weapons. It is my job to make sure all of that equipment is ready and prepared before they arrive to sign for it. I am the one who signs for the gear. I take the responsibility for it.
While checking the gear, I noticed the helmets were still from the 1970s. The vests are not even vests. They are a small strap with pouches for the magazines. We fought for more and better gear, and we ran into the same wall every time. Budgets were cut. There was no way to buy modern, proper equipment through the army. I will cover this in another post, because it deserves its own.
The rest of the job is constant. Every session and every meeting has to have the equipment it needs. Food and meals have to be scheduled throughout the day. Then at night, we pack up all the gear for the next two days at the shooting range, which is on another base, in extreme heat, with a plan to be there 15 hours and finish with night shooting. Water. Ammo. Sunshades. Anything else I can think of before we leave.
As a first timer doing this myself, it is a lot. It is overwhelming. But with the help of my team, I am able to swim quickly instead of sink. There are bumps along the way and there will be more. The best way to learn is trial by fire.