An Cosantóir

39 I'd say it's a poem rather than a quote, the last few lines of it in particular, it's from 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling. The last few lines are: 'If you can fill the unforgiving minute, with sixty seconds worth of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that's in it. And which is more, you'll be a man my son.' Basically, a man giving fatherly advice to his son, that time doesn't care what you do with it, it won't hang around waiting for you, it'll just keep on passing by regardless. It's probably the Infantry Platoon Sergeants course. It was five consecutive weeks on the ground carrying 35lbs weight, or more, with you pretty much everywhere you went and without much sleep each week. Particularly patrol week and finishing a week of platoon in attacks by marching 30km back to the Curragh carrying 55lbs of gear and weapons. There have been quite a few.... but probably finally getting promoted to Sergeant. When we came in as recruits and we were standing looking at our Platoon Sgt, it seemed like such a long haul to get to that point. And it was. I had to wait 3 years after completing the Infantry Platoon Sgt course to finally get promoted. I never really got into podcasts. I have listened to a couple on 'Life on the line', Australian military veterans from WW2-Vietnam-Afghanistan telling their stories. I've watched/ listened to a lot of excellent webinars on Strength Coach Network also. In physical terms, you're going to need a decent level of muscular and cardiovascular endurance if you want to literally hit the ground running. So, get into running and circuit training (bodyweight is ideal) for a few weeks beforehand to get your body ready. It will be physically and mentally tough at times so come in with a positive attitude (want to be there), be a team player (everyone there is in the same boat and you will become lifelong friends with people you train with) and give it your all. If instructors can see that you are trying your best, even if you're struggling, it will make training more enjoyable (relatively) in the long run. 'An Unsung hero - Tom Crean - Antarctic survivor' by Michael Smith. 'Black Sails'. It combines real pirates, from the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, with characters from Treasure Island like Flint and Long John Silver - class. v An outdoor circuit as Platoon Sgt with a recruit platoon v On top of Devil's Mother, Leenane. On a navigation tutorial as Platoon Sgt on a 3* course What's your favourite quote? What's the toughest thing you done in your career to date? What has been your proudest moment in the job so far? What is your favourite podcast? Finally, can you give some advice to someone about to embark on a career in the military? What is your favourite book? What is your favourite TV series? Follow @military_pti on Instagram for quality information and fitness training advice with a military spin. PEOPLE OF THE DEFENCE FORCES

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