Map Reading

Why was Map Reading so hard?

It just was. We had a lot of in class instruction but then our test was actually going out and finding certain grid points. You’d get grid coordinates then have to go out and find them and there would be a number marked on a tree or something, you’d write that number down on your test sheet then take it in to get scored.

If that sounds confusing it’s because even back then I barely understood what I was doing and imagine now, over 20 years later, how much of that I retained. You were given three tries to go out and find your points. After the third try you failed the course and had to go back to your unit.

By this time I had become pretty good friends with my classmates. They looked out of me but like any good big brother would, they’d also tease me about girly things (like the sound of my voice calling cadence) but for the most part, we all got along quite well. Because of what transpired with the Sergeant and the statement I signed, I was less inclined to talk to any males that weren’t in my class or platoon and even at that, I tried to communicate through the Squad Leaders and not directly to the guys.

For those soldiers that worked in the field in the Army, they aced map reading –they do it every day. So those guys went out, found their points, passed and they were done. The rest of us struggled. I struggled.
I struggled for more than one reason. We were in full gear when we went out –train like you fight. How many times have I heard that? You have to train exactly how it would be in a real field experience. So for map reading, I was fully equipped with my TA-50 gear, weapon, helmet –all of it. And all of it weighed as much, if not more, than I did so that alone was a challenge to me –walking around in full gear, keeping up with my weapon, trying to find the points, walking in the woods –all the things I despised.

Our instructors were around the course mostly to make sure we didn’t cheat and give each other answers. We were not allowed to talk to anyone while out on the course. Some of the instructors walked around, others had little golf-cart type vehicles they sped around in.

I found most of my points right away –some just accidentally as I’d stumble on one while looking for another. So I was able to knock out quite a few right from the get go. Then it got tricky. You could not talk to any of the instructors out in the field but you could go back in and speak to any instructors if you needed clarification on how to do something, etc. but they were not allowed to give you specific points, etc. I was down to finding two points and try as I did, I couldn’t get it. At first I wasn’t worried but then I saw fewer and fewer soldiers around and it would soon be dusk –I didn’t want to get stuck out here in the dark. I began to get concerned and knowing I had three changes to get it right, I decided I’d take a stab in the dark and put down the last two points and turn it in.

The first sheet I turned I FAIL – I got the last two wrong but I wasn’t worried (too much) –I still had two more chances and at least I now could narrow down the choices. I went back out for my second try and by this time, there were only a handful of us left. I walked in circles. I saw the same trees over and over again. I walked, I looked, I hunted, I oriented my map, I used my compass ---- I tried, I tried and I tried. I put down two more points and went to turn them in.

When I got to the check in point I couldn’t believe what I saw.