How do you flunk Land Nav at Fort Carson? It is a desert with terrain features. And, Norad is ALWAYS in view. During the day, Norad is that big mountain with antennas suck all over it. At night, it is that big mountain that has a bunch of lights on top.
During a training exercise at Fort Bliss, I made a mistake on the location of "Franklin's nose." Damn that was embarrassing.
I was great with land navigation in Germany. So many landmarks to get one reoriented. When all else failed, I simply headed for the Mosel River and a bottle of wine...lol.
My last 18 months, I was Battalion S-4, and I knew our area of operations like the back of my hand, even though it was at least 1200 square miles (air base defense, 3 air bases, Bitburg, Hahn, Spangdahlem). As I was a bachelor, I spent what little free time I had driving around. Came in handy during ARTEPs, the evaluators knew I was an expert on the best gasthauses, backereis, and vineyards. We didn't stop at the wineries, I just gave them name and location.
Over my last 18 months, every Hail & Farewell was within a 10 minute drive of my apartment. No surprise, there...there were dozens of restaurants with a view of the Mosel, very few that were stationed at Hahn & Spangdahlem knew about these places, while I drove by them on my way to and from work every day.
My last ARTEP was hilarious. The "old man" demanded imagination, and I gave it to him. I used my knowledge of logistics and the local area to put together alternate "supply points" for all of our units. As I was giving my briefing, the chief evaluator, an LTC, is getting very agitated...my battalion commander was laughing his a$$ off, he thought it was great.
When asked by the evaluator, "where the hell did you get this $hit?", I simply replied that, in the event of an actual conflict, we would have to be imaginative and flexible regarding resupply. I explained to him that over the course of my four years in the battalion, I had developed relationships with dozens of local merchants, to the point where I had been invited to sit at the stammtisch of my neighborhood gasthaus.
The LTC said "bull$shit", I've never heard of an American being allowed at a stammtisch, whereupon the Headquarters Battery Commander, said "Colonel, that's true, I've seen it." When he joined me, we spoke nothing but German. He was fluent, and I was conversational. He fell in love with a German girl shortly upon arriving (they're still married, 35 years later), while I was the character from Warren Zevon's song, Lawyers, Guns, & Money).
Game...set...match. Shortly after, a couple of the supply evaluators and I went to an "alternate supply point" for dinner. lol
I'd like to think I did my share to help turn that battalion from a C-3 to a C-1. Nothing but fond memories from that time in Germany, even for the bad times. I may not die a rich man, but I was blessed to have had the experiences I had during that tour. I could bore people for hours with my stories, and have done so...lol.