Page 78 - Wish Stream 2023 CREST

CCS 231
OCdt McCullough
Commissioning Course Short is intense, cov- ering a vast amount in a short space of time, but this accurately resembles reserve life;
balancing army and civilian careers. Day 1 was a whirlwind, turning up and being instantly thrown in, meeting new people and adapting to Sand- hurst life. A slight change in the course this term meant there were more PT sessions which I really enjoyed as it gave me the opportunity to test my limits and develop my strength. It also helped the platoon bond together in the early days and begin to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team, a challenge on the CCS
3 days in the field, where we established a harbour before working up to section attacks and platoon level hasty attacks, learning, improving and grow- ing as a platoon throughout. We cycled through
a variety of command appointments which enabled us to fully understand the role of each person on the battle- field, the leadership style required in different appointments, and the overall learning points of working to our 1 up, ensuring everyone was playing their part. I was initially appointed Platoon
Sgt, which I thoroughly enjoyed, checking in with everyone and, making sure the platoon was at the correct standard, not letting anything I wasn’t happy with slip by. This appointment enabled me
with people coming and going
every 2 weeks. Mod B was focused
on progressing our individual battle
skills and leadership ability, through
model building, section and platoon
tactics and the combat estimate
and orders, all in preparation for
exercise. The combat estimate was a challenge for everyone, but having done it in OTC, I had a good base to develop and refine my skills. Ex BROWN- ING’S STORM was our first real exercise, spending
It gave me the opportunity to test my limits and develop my strength
76 SANDHURST