None of the volunteers training in Bolesławiec expected that the nearly two-week training period would pass so quickly. Shortened preparatory service is intensive training that will enable the current trainees to acquire, at a basic level, the essential knowledge of military craft.
During Wednesday’s classes at the garrison firing range, the young trainees took part in firearms training, tactics and SERE sessions. Among other things, they carried out preparatory exercises with small arms and fired at a stationary target, as well as reconnoitering and occupying the designated starting area and practically carrying out procedures for stopping and checking civilians.
As part of their SERE training, they were also introduced to the organization and operation of the Isolated Personnel Recovery System, thereby learning methods that increase the chances of survival in extreme natural-environment conditions.
“Shortened preparatory service is not an easy time for the trainees, because in a short, albeit very fast, period they have had to switch from civilian life to military life. The pace of the classes and morning physical training are a major challenge for many of the volunteers. However, these trainees know the price of all these difficulties—professional military service. That is why they do not complain; on the contrary, they show great commitment and a desire to deepen their knowledge,” says platoon commander Second Lieutenant Artur Ratkiewicz. “And we, the OSSP instructors, are doing everything in our power and conducting the training in such a way that the exams awaiting them become, so to speak, the icing on the cake for the trainees.”