A DAY IN THE TRENCHES

FORT LEONARD WOOD -- It figures. After weeks of unseasonably nice weather, the day I go play soldier it rains. And rains. And rains.

But as our Army hosts said over and over, and with considerable glee: "If it ain't rainin', we ain't trainin'."

Each time I heard that phrase, I wondered how many times on a nice day some green private with more mouth than sense has asked his drill instructor if they would be excused from training because of the lack of precipitation. Probably once -- and only once -- per group, I imagine.

While it may have been cold and wet Thursday when I and 11 other members of the press went through a crash course in military training, it provided my colleagues and I with a perspective we would have missed had the day been nothing but sunshine and blue skies.

The Army does not -- and cannot -- be deterred by the weather. Soldiers have tasks to perform and they must do them regardless of the conditions. If they can't adapt to inclement weather, how can they be expected to succeed while under attack.

The purpose of our being at Foot Leonard Wood, located in Southwest Missouri between Rolla and Springfield, was to get a first-hand glimpse of what goes on at the rapidly growing base. The fort has a diverse set of missions, which include basic training as well as instruction in more specialized areas such as engineering, chemical defense and military law enforcement.

Our 12 hours of training started at 6:30 a.m. -- or 0630 in military parlance -- at the 43rd Adjutant General Reception Battalion. Last year more than 25,000 civilians came through the battalion, which is charged with providing new recruits with four days of initial training to prepare them for military life.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the Army's second largest basic training facility. Next year nearly 32,000 new recruits will go through nine weeks of basic here.

While at the reception battalion, recruits are screened for medical problems, issued equipment and receive orientation.

"What we try to do in four short days is start the soldierization process and to leave a favorable impression," said Maj. Bob Kubler.

Recruits are also given a last chance to disclose any legal problems they may have in the civilian world. Since it costs nearly $8,000 to bring each recruit to the base, the Army does everything it can to help recruits straighten out problems so they can stay. Only about 4 percent of recruits are discharged during the initial orientation period, mainly for medical reasons.

After our introduction to the base, we went off to train with the engineers.

On a man-made lake, we learned how to build a five-section transport raft. The raft is capable of moving even the heaviest vehicle or piece of equipment across a body of water.

Using high-powered boats that can stop on a dime, the raft crew maneuvers each section into place and locks them together. A good crew can completely build the raft -- under fire -- in six to eight minutes.

We took longer.

Our next stop was the new, $28 million Chemical Defense Training Facility.

The CDTF was completed in February and received its first students in October. It provides realistic training to promote chemical defense readiness and is the military's only chemical training facility that exposes trainees to actual nerve agent. About 6,000 students will train at the facility annually.

While much training is done with simulated nerve agent, it is important for soldiers to know for certain through experience in a controlled environment that what they are taught will work in a combat situation where they come under chemical attack, said Maj. George Heib of the CDTF.

"The chemical specialist needs to know the equipment works and have confidence in it," Maj. Heib said.

Service members from all branches of the U.S. military and from America's allies train there.

"This is the only place in the free world where chemical training is done like this," said Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elmer. "It's a controlled, safe environment but still provides a baptism by fire."

The facility is highly secure and numerous steps are in place to protect trainees from exposure and to prevent contamination from "hot" areas. Redundant filter systems ensure that air released from the facility is actually cleaner than the air that comes in.

For protection in a chemical environment, soldiers wear several layers of protective gear. The equipment -- which we suited up in -- is bulky and hot, but as Sgt. Elmer put it: "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war."

After getting out of our chemical gear we enjoyed a quick lunch of MREs -- meals ready to eat. My vacuum-sealed package of chicken and noodles in sauce wasn't really that bad. I did note, however, that every MRE, regardless of the entree, comes with a small vial of Tabasco sauce to add flavor.

While in the CDTF the rain had stopped. As soon as we headed outside for the bayonet course, it started again with vigor.

"Today is just another great day to train in the United States Army," said Lt. Col. Joe Schweitzer, battalion commander of training support, with obvious delight.

Schweitzer said outdoor training proceeds as normal in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets colder than that, training is modified, but never canceled.

"A soldier learns it is only miserable if you let your mind think it is miserable," Schweitzer said.

Throughout the day the trainers treated us as guests rather than as privates, so they didn't yell at us or make us do PT. However, on the bayonet course, I could sense one drill instructor wanted to throttle me.

I was holding my M-16 improperly and he corrected me. I did it wrong again, and he again corrected me. I did it wrong a third time, and I could see in his eyes that if I were a private, he would have yanked the weapon out of my hands and loudly and colorfully berated me for my denseness. Instead, he just corrected me. I got it right after that.

Following the bayonet course, we went through another aspect of basic training that all soldiers experience -- the grenade range.

We used practice grenades that contain a small charge to make a pop, but no real explosives. This was good, as one of my colleagues made a bad throw and her grenade landed about two feet away. With a kill radius of 5 meters and a casualty radius of 15 meters, a live grenade would have proved messy indeed.

After completing grenade training -- I hit my two targets -- we were given the opportunity to drive HUMVEE's.

The all-terrain vehicle, which replaced the jeep, is extremely durable and will drive over or through just about anything. Somehow, though, we still managed to break ours.

The final training stop of the day took us to the Military Police shoot-don't shoot simulator. Like a big video game, except that it has a real Beretta 9 millimeter pistol equipped with a laser, the simulator plays different situations that test your judgment in determining whether use of deadly force is justified.

I did pretty well, hitting most of my targets and not tagging any civilians. As for some of my colleagues, well, let's just say you probably wouldn't want them to have a gun and a badge.

While many of the basics are the same, Master Sgt. Michael McPhee said there are a number of differences between civilian and military law enforcement.

"Our focus in military police training is on combat situations," McPhee said, noting that law enforcement and tactical training is mixed together.

While MPs are trained to enforce order in the field and manage prisoners of war, on a base like Fort Leonard Wood they also have standard police duties such as responding to domestic disturbances and patrolling for drunken drivers.

With training complete, we headed to the mess hall for some good old Army chow.

As Mjr. Derik Crotts, the base's public affairs director and our guide for the day, noted, Army chow isn't what it used to be. In today's military, food service is usually contracted out to civilian catering companies. This frees up soldiers for more important tasks. If the meal I had was any indication, Army chow is actually pretty good.

While my day at Foot Leonard Wood didn't inspire me to quit my job and enlist, it did provide me with a new understanding and appreciation of what military personnel do and the hardships they are trained to endure. As citizens, we should admire and respect them for their dedication.