Jane Wayne Day: Be a Soldier for a Day

Jane Wayne Day was a success! There were different physical parts to the day, but not as many as I had anticipated. I forgot to post my Day 4 preparation, but all I did was run 2 miles. I didn't want to do anything that would make my muscles sore before the big day. I will give you a break down of what we did. It was super fun and if you ever get the chance to participate in an activity like this, I highly suggest giving it a try.

Jane Wayne Day:
It consisted of 6 stations and an MRE for lunch. If you aren't sure what an MRE is, it stands for meals-ready-to-eat and the come in packages with ways to heat them up. You won't believe how creative these things gets! They have sloppy joes, enchiladas, chicken tortellini, and so on. I definitely did not eat one because of my food allergies, but brought my own lunch instead.
Station 1:
  We got to ride in the humvees in full gear! Unfortunately, we did not get to drive them :(

My friend Lauren and I...this was at the beginning of the day

Station 2:
Into the gun simulator we went and got to practice reloading and shooting different guns at a video game type big screen. Did not get a picture of this one because it was too loud for Joe to bring the baby in so he could take a picture

Station 3:
Assembling/ Disassembling an M-4: I actually got the best time!! I was pretty proud of myself

I loved the guns!

Station 4:
The Litter Carry: We had to carry a "casualty" through a medical obstacle course. Our guy only weighed 160 pounds, but add on the weight of the stretcher and running, lifting, and crawling through the dirt and this was the best workout of the day! We also got to learn the basics of a tourniquet.

before

Afterwards!

Station 5:
Combatives: I think this was my favorite. Basically, they taught us how to grapple and assume the dominate position if we ever get attacked. It was fun to learn different techniques and roll in the dirt with my friend. The wind was blowing the dirt everywhere. I even managed to get some in my teeth. YUCK!

Tussling

Station 6:
Physical Readiness Training: By this point I was exhausted, but still managed to pull it together for the push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, and box jumps. Yes, they put us through 30 mins of PRT, but by this time I was so tired it felt like an hour. This was our last station.

Yes, my legs burn from these squats!

Afterwards, they gave us a certificate of completion and I went home and took the best shower of my life. I was dirty, sweaty, and itchy from rolling around in the grass. Despite a few scratches, a grass rash (I'm allergic), and being sore, I had an amazing time!