Still alive!

If I made BLD sound hard, it was a Sunday picnic compared with ACE! I now have an extreme phobia of green berets as we were 'beasted', to use the naval parlance, for every minute of the four days. Horizontal hail and snow made things "only slightly more challenging" in the words of the Royal Marines Captain. On Thursday morning, at about 3.30am, I found that in the hour or so I'd been asleep (or the semi-conscious stupor that passes for sleep in the numbing cold) a small pile of snow had formed on the windward side of my bivvy bag, and I was lying in about three inches of water! When we'd moved to that site a couple of hours before, with everyone shouting and thunder flashes and flares going off all around (to simulate a mortar attack apparently), we hadn't realised in the darkness and confusion that we were in a small hollow where all the water would collect. Ramming my battered feet into my soaking wet boots, stuffing my bag etc into the Bergen and yomping away in the pitch black through the bogs and over the hills in the relentless wind and hail required much gritting of teeth. By this stage though I was too tired to care really. A couple of hours sleep every night, mile after mile of hard hillwalking from when it was dark until it was dark again with a Bergen containing everything I needed to survive, in atrocious conditions, while under constant assessment, was definitely "slightly challenging". In case I'm coming across as a bit over dramatic or sound like a bit of a cry baby; one of the other teams had a former Commando as part of their 8 (who has transferred to the RN to get promotion), and was hard as nails, but even he said it was tough. Quite a few people went down with various injuries and hypothermia (but somewhat surprisingly only one was hospitalised). The general format was the same as BLD with each team of 8 making it's way around different 'stances', and each member taking a turn to be leader. Over the four days we had to complete three tasks each as leader, using the particular format and style of leadership we've been taught during the past few weeks. One of my tasks as leader was at the summit of a hill, in the howling wind, with the light fading, at the end of our third day living in the wild with virtually no sleep, after the team had already completed seven previous tasks that day and had been up and hiking for @12 hours. Needless to say, someone's ability as a leader and their determination to achieve the aim are severely tested in these circumstances, and I shudder to imagine what the real thing "in theatre" must be like. The team spirit of the other 7 guys you have to motivate in those conditions can't be under-estimated either. One young guy in our team hurt his back and was in tears more than once but kept going. Unfortunately he was failed (because a leader should not be crying in front of his team) and will have to repeat the whole of the last 7 weeks. Rather strangely though, the rest of us still had respect for him. I think it was because he didn't give up. Thankfully I passed and can now proceed to the next phase of training. Of those who failed some will have to repeat the whole phase again, while others will be given a second chance and allowed to move into the next phase but will be required to repeat ACE in @7 weeks time as they were not able to display the correct qualities of leadership under pressure.
When we arrived back at the College at @ 1700 on Thursday, we were made to bivvy up again in the grounds and told we'd be there for the night (despite expecting to be finished and allowed back inside). Luckily it was only a final part of the game and we were eventually finished at @ 1800. This however only gave us around an hour to get back to our mess, scrape off 4 days worth of crud from ourselves, get into our No.1 uniform and help host a Rear Admiral on the Quarterdeck at 19.15, and attend the Squadron Dinner he was guest of honour at in the Senior Gunroom at 19.45! What a phenomenal contrast; within 2 hours I went from lying shivering in the dirt, to a 5 course silver service at the same table as a Rear Admiral with a Royal Marines Band playing in the background. Who said Navy life was dull!?
From Monday we are permitted out of the College in the evenings until 23.59, and we have our Passing In Parade on Thursday (with the Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Adrian Johns as guest of honour). After this I get to go home for 3 days!! Can't wait to see everyone. Feels like I've been away for years.