Today we got to play in the woods. Oh, yeah, and we also learned how to read
a map, shoot an azimuth with a compass, and how to figure out a pace count.
As an MSII, I have done all of this before when I was an MSI. But it never
hurts to get a refresher. I know next year this information will be very
important to know before the MSIII's get shipped off to Advanced
Camp. Land Navigation is a major part of Advanced Camp. Just a little info,
1/3rd of the UCF Cadets at Advanced Camp this past summer failed
the Land Nav course the first time. They were lucky enough to do it all over
again until they passed.
Reading a map is fairly easy. But, there are a few things that you have to know.
You will need to know the scale of the map, what the GM angle is for the map that
you are using, what each of the symbols in the legend stand for, and the interval
between the contour lines. Don't forget to have a military protractor with all
the degrees and angles marked on it. (HINT: Poke a small hole in the middle of
the protractor and run a piece of string through the hole and tape it to the back.
This makes it easy to find out your angle of degrees). When reading a map, it
helps to know what the 5 main terrain features are. And they are: Ridge, Saddle,
Hill Top, Valley, and Depression. The easy way to remember them is to make a fist.
The top of a knuckle is a Hill Top. The space between two knuckles is a Saddle.
The space between your closed fingers is a valley. The group of 4 knuckles is
known as a Ridge. And the area between your Thumb and Index finger is known
as a Depression. Of course just knowing what these items are, doesn't exactly
mean that you will be able to read the map. But it will give you a head
start.
Shooting an Azimuth with a compass is not that hard. Open up your compass and hold it out in front of you by your waist. Wait until the compass stops moving and find the Magnetic North. Now simply find a land mark and look at the dial of the compass and see what the Numbers say for the direction that you want to shoot. These numbers are represented by 360o (degrees). These numbers are what you will use on a map to plot a course.
Learning how to figure out a pace count is very easy. It is always a good
idea to know how many steps it takes you to walk 100 meters. This is known
as a pace count. This will help you navigate your way through a jungle or
across the street. To figure out your pace count simply measure out 100
meters and then see how many steps it takes you to walk the 100 meters. Note,
you only count when you make a step with your left foot. My count was 63.
Which means that for every 63 steps that I take, I walk 100 meters. The average
is between 50 and 70 steps per 100 meters.
After we learned the fundamentals, We got to run around in the woods looking for
little green signs. I made the mistake of wearing shorts today and my legs got
torn up. I have quite a few cuts on them. Nothing too serious, mainly just
surface scratches. Well, that's it until next time, take care.
