There are lots of monetary incentives while you are deployed to a combat zone. Although I'm technically not in a combat zone, we get many of the same perks. We get hazardous duty pay and family separation pay just like the Soldiers in Afghanistan do. But the only way we qualify to for a tax free paycheck, like combat deployed Soldiers, is to do Combat Water Survival Training (CWST) every month in the Red Sea.
This has been coined Splash For Cash.
So every month all the American Soldiers who are stationed at North Camp take a trip to South Camp so we can earn our tax free status. (South Camp is like paradise and has a private beach right on the Red Sea.) And this is how CWST works: you swim out to a buoy about 50 meters into the sea in your ACUs and boots and tread water for 5 minutes and then float on your back for 5 minutes. Then you swim back to shore. And you're done. It's like making $25 a minute. Who else can say they have a job that pays so well!?
I had an absolute blast! I had forgotten how much I love swimming in the ocean since its been years since I moved away from San Diego. I love swimming with the waves, and it was super easy to stay afloat in the Red Sea because it's so salty. There were jellyfish all over the place, but I wasn't stung. I wish I could have stayed out in the water all afternoon.
Life vests are provided to wear under your ACU top if you are interested, but I didn't use one. I'm too cool for that. It's a good thing a lot of people did use them; most had never swam in the ocean before and the waves were kind of choppy today. Poor swimmers galore. And I looked like a badass swimming around like it wasn't a big deal.
So I splashed for cash today and it was awesome. I can't wait to come back down to South Camp to do this again next month.
I did water survival training in ALC (after successfully ducking it in BCT). It was in a pool.
ReplyDeleteI would not be too cool to wear a life jacket.