‘Ten Weeks’ Episode 3: The injury count rises and teamwork is challenged

The United States Army gave We Are The Mighty unprecedented access to Army Basic Training. Fondly known as “boot camp” to those who have survived, basic training is the first thing recruits will experience when they enlist. The ten-week program carries recruits through three increasingly difficult phases and covers everything from dress and appearance, physical fitness, Chemical Radioactive Biological and Nuclear (CBRN) readiness, to weapons training.

Week Three is all about teamwork. Recruits will simulate battle in the Teamwork Development Course (TDC) where the recruits must work together to solve complex problems.

“Basic Training is really one big melting pot,” observed Drill Sgt Launder. “They have to get used to working together with people from different backgrounds. It’s a lot of different personalities and they now have to work together and figure out how to help the team.”

The TDC includes scenarios where leaders have to step up and recruits have to act as a team. One of the obstacles is a “broken bridge” — it’s designed to bring out personalities. Even failure can result in important lessons learned. After the exercise, the recruits gather to debrief what went wrong. 

Next up, a 24-hour exercise that starts with a five mile road march. Recruits learn hand signals, battlefield tactics, camouflage, high crawls, low crawls and more. 

“It’s the first time I’m realizing that it’s life or death,” shared Stormy Gideons. If one person makes a mistake in a mine-field, it could kill the entire unit. These training scenarios are deadly serious for soldiers.

By now, the recruits are bonding with their battle buddies and leaders are beginning to rise as the recruits curl up in their sleeping bags — with only their weapons to cuddle. 

Injuries are starting to pile up and one recruit may have to go home.

“Ten Weeks” premiered on Thursday, November 11th on The Roku Channel. The series can be viewed on The Roku Channel, which is available on Roku devices, the Web, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung TVs and can be accessed in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.