[groans] Instructor: Good job.
Narrator: This ...
is day zero,
a physically and mentally grueling test.
It's the first challenge that students
at the Sabalauski Air Assault School must overcome.
Student: Air Assault!
Narrator: Before beginning what's known
as the Army's 10 toughest days.
Ben Torgersen: Day zero is kind of the gut-check day.
That's the first moment where we filter out
who is prepared to be here and who wants to be here.
[yelling]
Narrator: Students at the Air Assault School,
located inside the Fort Campbell Army installation,
train to insert themselves and equipment
into combat using helicopters.
Torgersen: An Air Assault graduate is prepared
to fight and win on any future battlefield.
Narrator: But if students don't pass day zero,
their time at Air Assault School is over
before it officially begins.
Roster four, Staff Sgt. Cobb,
Second Brigade.
Six zero, Sgt. Quintos.
Narrator: The day starts before sunrise
when students form up to receive their roster numbers.
Instructor: Let's go, let's go, let's go!
Narrator: About 9,500 students enroll
in Air Assault School every year,
but only a little more than half
end up graduating from the course.
Insider followed two students to find out
if they have what it takes to survive day zero
and move on to day one of Air Assault School.
My name is Megan Anderson Miller.
I'm a military police officer.
It's a requirement for us here at Fort Campbell
to have Air Assault wings
before we can take command of a platoon.
But not only that, I'm motivated,
and I like the physical endurance.
I'm CW4 R.J. McCurdy. I'm the brigade master gunner
for the aviation brigade here.
So, I'm 40, and I'm venturing to say,
looking at the ranks of everyone around here,
I'm probably the oldest one here.
I wanted to come out to the Air Assault course
to improve my skill set as a helicopter pilot.
Instructor: All right, Air Assault, next items.
One 1-quart canteen with stencil tape affixed.
Narrator: The students' first test
is an early-morning inspection of their gear.
Instructor: Headlamp with fresh batteries installed.
Execute.
Narrator: They're given a list of 37 items
they're expected to have in their rucksacks.
Instructor: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Good.
Narrator: If one single item is missing,
they're automatically dropped.
Torgersen: It relates directly
to what soldiers do in combat.
If you're assigned a certain item of equipment
that you need to carry and you don't have it,
that's an operational failure for the entire unit.
Narrator: 17 students from this group
were missing at least one item from their packing list
and were dropped.
The next test is a 2-mile run
with an 18-minute time limit.
Instructor: 17 minutes! You got one minute!
Hurry up!
59, 18 minutes!
Narrator: Eight students from this group
failed to cross the finish line on time.
Those who passed moved on without them.
But they don't have much time to rest
before their next event:
the obstacle course,
with nine events designed to test
students' strength, agility, and confidence.
Instructor: When it comes to this obstacle,
the only thing that can touch these beams is your hands.
Narrator: Instructors demonstrate
how to negotiate each obstacle.
Instructor: You cannot use any of the
vertical beams to assist you.
Narrator: And show students what they can
and cannot do on the course.
Instructor: Air Assault, we know it's warm.
Stay loose, stay hydrated, be smart, be aware.
Everyone's a safety. Look out for each other.
Narrator: Two of these obstacles are major obstacles,
and students must pass both in order to complete day zero.
First up is the aptly named Tough One.
Instructor: Air Assault on the left, go ahead.
Narrator: It starts with a 3-meter rope climb
and then tests balance
along with upper- and lower-body strength
at a height of over 30 feet.
Students wait in line with their backs to the obstacle,
so they don't get a chance to observe
other students' attempts.
Scyler Chromy: I don't think a lot of people
can climb the rope, so I would say
that one would be their toughest one.
McCurdy: So, over the past two months, if there was a rope,
I'd go find it and I'd practice on it.
I felt good going up it, but it was also a little bit of
dumb luck that it was my very first thing,
where I had all my strength on my side.
Miller: I would promote others to work on their
upper-body strength to kind of
be able to do that one to its fullest.
Narrator: The second major obstacle
is the 35-foot-tall Confidence Climb.
Students must climb up 10 wooden beams.
As they ascend, the distance between each beam
subtly increases before they climb over
and begin their descent down the other side.
Chromy: Use that black beam, and then try to
get that leg to swing over the top.
They have those vertical beams on the side to hang on to,
and it makes it very easy to actually
just climb onto the next one, but a lot of people,
you could even see taller people,
that think you could just reach up, grab it,
and pull themselves to the next one,
but they're scared of the height,
and they let it get to them mentally.
There you go.
Narrator: At this point in the day,
the heat index had risen to 105 degrees,
and it started to affect some of the students.
Student: He's teetering that line.
Narrator: A medic gave this student
a packet of powdered electrolytes to mix with
the water inside his canteen to increase hydration.
Miller: Air Assault!
I like heights, I like being up high,
so just being able to look beyond.
I just kind of suppress the fear, I guess.
I don't really fear it, though. I enjoy it.
Air Assault!
McCurdy: My height definitely helped.
Like I said, I'm 6-foot-3.
Up that high, it was challenging.
Which is funny,
'cause I'm scared of heights, being a pilot.
But once you got over that top rung,
on the way down it felt good.
Air Assault!
Narrator: Obstacles like the Confidence Climb
and Tough One prepare students
for what comes later in Air Assault training.
It builds their confidence at a high elevation,
so when it comes to phase three,
it's easier for them to rappel off of the tower
as well as, when we get aircraft,
they're a lot less scared and they're more confident
in their ability to hold on to something if they need to
or climb down something if they need to.
Student: Air Assault!
Narrator: With the two major obstacles out of the way,
seven minor obstacles are all that stand
between these students and the end of day zero.
But if they fail two of these obstacles,
they're out.
Upper-body strength is key
when it comes to navigating the Incline Wall,
which can be challenging for some students,
but Miller conquered it with ease,
as did McCurdy.
In the Low Crawl, students keep a low profile
to avoid touching the barbed wire above them.
Miller: Air Assault!
Narrator: Flexibility is put to the test
with the High Step Over,
where they swing their legs over 10 horizontal beams
of varying heights off the ground.
Miller: Air Assault!
Narrator: On the Six Vault,
students can only use their hands
to vault themselves over the wooden beams.
But for some students,
it's not so easy.
Miller: I feel like I have really good upper-body strength,
and it kind of compensates for other things.
Only thing that is a challenge for me, the Belly Over.
That's the only thing.
Narrator: The Low Belly Over requires students
to jump onto a horizontal beam,
use their stomachs to catch themselves,
and swing their legs forward onto the other side.
Chromy: For people who are vertically challenged,
I would say the Low Belly Over
is one of the biggest ones for them.
You're looking at it, and it's already at their eye level,
and you've got to jump high enough
to where it reaches under your ribcage
to be able to flip over.
Narrator: Miller was struggling.
I think it's just not pushing myself hard enough.
Like, I think I could push myself harder.
I've seen people smaller than me go over it.
Narrator: Students who fail
their first attempt at an obstacle
are given one more chance to complete it.
Chromy: All right, Air Assault, you just can't
miss another minor, all right?
Narrator: This was Miller's first failed obstacle,
which means she'll have no room for error
on the rest of the course.
McCurdy was also having trouble
with a minor obstacle.
On the Swing, Stop, Jump, students must
swing from a rope onto a wooden beam,
using their core and upper-body strength
to establish balance.
McCurdy: [grunts]
Certainly would have helped to have a little bit
more upper-body strength
to get up that rope a little bit more.
I would say at that point on the obstacle course
that I was not necessarily burned out,
but I was feeling it.
Especially with that older age.
I actually passed it multiple times in my practice sessions,
and I couldn't get up on that rung.
Narrator: This was McCurdy's first failure,
which meant that both he and Miller
could not afford to fail the final obstacle,
known as the Weaver.
McCurdy: After the rope swing,
my spirit was hurt because I knew
I was going to be climbing up Mt. Everest
looking up at that Weaver.
Narrator: As its name implies,
students navigate the Weaver
by dipping over and under
a series of ascending and descending wooden beams.
It's pretty physically exhausting,
and it'll leave some bruises if done properly.
Narrator: But Miller handled it with ease.
Miller: I don't know what it is. I just tell myself,
"OK, just like when I was a kid,
let's go play on the playground."
And I get it done. It just happens.
Air Assault!
Narrator: McCurdy, on the other hand ...
McCurdy: Leading into this obstacle course,
the only one that I didn't want to do was the Weaver.
Something that everyone has told me about,
that it does take a lot of strength, a lot of technique,
and you're going to get bruised.
I was unsure as to whether or not I could do it,
but I kept pushing, pushing, pushing.
Air Assault!
It was a really good feeling getting off that damn thing.
Narrator: By completing the Weaver,
both McCurdy and Miller conquered the obstacle course
and could finally catch their breath.
McCurdy: Overall, I thought it was a fun course.
It was very challenging.
I'm happy that I don't have to do it again, though.
Miller: It feels good. It feels like a refresher.
It's good to see everybody smiling and kind of
build that comradery between all of us.
Narrator: 250 of the 292 students
who arrived at the Sabalauski Air Assault School
survived day zero.
They're given the rest of the day to refuel and rest,
because they'll need their strength
before the Army's 10 toughest days officially begin.