I've been blessed with a wife that has supported me from day one on this adventure and before I go I'm going to do my best to make this transition as smooth as possible on her. I've attached a link with a checklist from the Navy that covers almost all the basics to make sure your family has what they need to function when you're called up.
http://www.jag.navy.mil/legal_services/documents/Pre-deployment%20Checklist.pdf
(If for some reason this link doesn't work just google "pre-deployment checklist AND family")
Some of the big things to make sure are ready before I leave are to have some extra cash on hand in the savings account to cover anything unexpected, set her up with a General Power of Attorney (doubt she'll need it, but better safe than sorry), and find the contact information for the Family Readiness Group (FRG) that's connected to my unit so she can use them as a resource if she has any questions that pop up while I'm gone. I also need to teach her how to use the lawn mower. She's never had the joy of running one before, but if this intolerable heat and lack of rain keep up whatever is left of the lawn will spontaneously combust and she'll get off the hook.
Since we don't have family close by I'm really glad our friends are willing and able to be there for her while I'm training. It puts my mind at ease knowing she can call them for anything and that they'll be there to help keep her busy and support her emotionally.
I'm sure we'll learn a lot in terms of what to do before and during my active duty orders so be on the lookout later for any wisdom under the "Family" tag. We're also open to suggestions if you have any experience in this area- leave me a comment.
Special thanks in advance to my small group, other church friends, and my wife's work buddies- y'all rock and we're glad to have you in our lives. And thanks to my wife for your love and support- you're beautiful and I couldn't do this without you.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
RSP- White Phase (Part II)
Here's what went down at Sunday drill:
Morning PT consisted of running in four man teams with a stretcher and a 250 lb. dummy for about 350 yards, once we got to point B the "MedEvac" changed landing points back to where we were originally. So back we went. Then we did log PT wich consisted of lifting a pole with a buddy until your arms fell off and then some. After we were sufficiently drenched in our own sweat, we set up an ultimate frisbee course and played that with the sergeants for over an hour. That was actually quite fun- it also showed how people instinctively give and take respect based on someone's athletic ability. After my performance in the game the other enlisted guys wanted me on their team to help them out with things and the opposite was true for the soldiers who didn't play well. I'll leave the application of that lesson for the sociologists out there.
After much welcomed showers we got down to the warrior training we prepped for the day before. We spent what was left of our morning assaulting the armory until we got to the point where most of us were visibly frustrated with how it was going. It wasn't like the movies where we just instinctively knew what we were doing- that's the work of hours and hours of training with your unit. What we were doing was amateurish at best. The sergeant wisely brought us all back into our classroom so we could talk through the issues we were having and appointed me as squad leader (SL). From there we talked through our frustrations and we got everyone on the same page as we tweaked our battle strategy. It was great experience for me and several times I had to remind myself I'm not actually a 2nd Lieutenant and this was still the sergeant's training exercise. He was gracious though and let me act like a SL would need to- even including running the operation I planned. It was reaffirming to me that this is where God wants me to be right now. I was in my element and enjoying every second of it.
On the administrative side of things I found out my best shot at OCS is going to be in March of 2012. That'll give me about 3.5 months after basic to keep getting in shape and learn what I need to. The way it will work is that I'll compete against other candidates on an Order of Merit List (OML) that takes into consideration previous service and PT scores (probably some other things as well). Based on where I rank on the OML I'll get to pick either accelerated (8 weeks, 23% pass rate) or traditional (18 months one weekend a month). My goal is to get into accelerated. If I fail out I'll just get rolled into the traditional class. I'm sure I'll talk more about that after basic, but as of now this is the plan.
One more drill weekend next month and then it's off to Fort Jackson, SC for basic!
Morning PT consisted of running in four man teams with a stretcher and a 250 lb. dummy for about 350 yards, once we got to point B the "MedEvac" changed landing points back to where we were originally. So back we went. Then we did log PT wich consisted of lifting a pole with a buddy until your arms fell off and then some. After we were sufficiently drenched in our own sweat, we set up an ultimate frisbee course and played that with the sergeants for over an hour. That was actually quite fun- it also showed how people instinctively give and take respect based on someone's athletic ability. After my performance in the game the other enlisted guys wanted me on their team to help them out with things and the opposite was true for the soldiers who didn't play well. I'll leave the application of that lesson for the sociologists out there.
After much welcomed showers we got down to the warrior training we prepped for the day before. We spent what was left of our morning assaulting the armory until we got to the point where most of us were visibly frustrated with how it was going. It wasn't like the movies where we just instinctively knew what we were doing- that's the work of hours and hours of training with your unit. What we were doing was amateurish at best. The sergeant wisely brought us all back into our classroom so we could talk through the issues we were having and appointed me as squad leader (SL). From there we talked through our frustrations and we got everyone on the same page as we tweaked our battle strategy. It was great experience for me and several times I had to remind myself I'm not actually a 2nd Lieutenant and this was still the sergeant's training exercise. He was gracious though and let me act like a SL would need to- even including running the operation I planned. It was reaffirming to me that this is where God wants me to be right now. I was in my element and enjoying every second of it.
On the administrative side of things I found out my best shot at OCS is going to be in March of 2012. That'll give me about 3.5 months after basic to keep getting in shape and learn what I need to. The way it will work is that I'll compete against other candidates on an Order of Merit List (OML) that takes into consideration previous service and PT scores (probably some other things as well). Based on where I rank on the OML I'll get to pick either accelerated (8 weeks, 23% pass rate) or traditional (18 months one weekend a month). My goal is to get into accelerated. If I fail out I'll just get rolled into the traditional class. I'm sure I'll talk more about that after basic, but as of now this is the plan.
One more drill weekend next month and then it's off to Fort Jackson, SC for basic!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
RSP- White Phase (Part I)
Here's a breakdown of drill today:
Morning formation was at 0700- an hour earlier than normal because of this great heat we're experiencing. I believe today was the 22nd straight day over 100. There's a reason I exercise before the sun comes up... Word quickly spread that I was an OCS candidate- seems like I was the only one (either that or the others kept it quiet). This earned me the attention of all the sergeants and my battalion commander during PT. Awesome. It also meant my name was changed to OCS whenever the cat calls of "encouragement" were intended for me.
Not that I'm in the second phase of RSP we do the full 2-2-2 APFT test. That's max push ups in two minutes, max sit ups in two minutes and a two mile run. I've maintained a fairly strict workout routine since last drill and saw improvements over all my exercises. I still have a long way to go but you have to start somewhere. Here were my scores:
Push-ups: 40 (60 points-Pass)
Sit-up: 80 (100 points-Pass)
2 mile: 0:16:27 (61 points-Pass)
Total Score: 221 of the required 180
So I passed! Thanks to those who prayed for my run time- that was a bit of a small miracle as I hadn't completed the 2 mile in anything less than 0:17:04 in my personal workouts. Running with others definitely helped motivate me (as did wanting to make a good impression on my battalion commander who I was meeting for the first time). The goal is to take 3.5 minutes off that time by the end of BCT. Leading from the front is expected from officers- especially infantry ones. My counter didn't count about 30% of the push ups I did because they weren't "OCS push ups" (chest to the ground). Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I still passed.
We spent the rest of the morning going over first aid in a combat setting. I'd been a lifeguard for 7 years but it adds a whole new level of intensity when "You! Go call 911!" isn't an option and checking to make sure the scene is safe means eliminating enemy combatants and searching for possible IED ambushes. Medics on the battle field aren't a guarantee and sometimes saving a fellow soldier (or even an enemy combatant) is left up to you. We learned how to put on the Army's new tourniquet. Apparently the one from WWII with a handkerchief and stick (or some variation thereof) was still standard issue through the early 2000's. Its really easy to use, carried by every soldier, and can be self-applied.
For some of the hands on part they dressed me up in Arab clothes and I ran into the room and blew up some explosive simulator. That woke everybody up- you should've seen their faces...
The end of the day we prepped for our mission tomorrow, which was creating a perimeter and securing a building. Should be fun. We get to run around with replica M4 carbines and take down bad guys. Oh- and get paid for it :) Glad to be doing work I enjoy.
[Oh, and no uniform yet except for the RSP track suit they issued me... yeah its about as awesome as it sounds. They ordered my ACU about 3 weeks ago so it should be in for next drill where I'll get to wear it for the weekend, then turn it back in since I'll be getting new uniforms at BCT in September. Sometimes it's better to not ask questions.]
Morning formation was at 0700- an hour earlier than normal because of this great heat we're experiencing. I believe today was the 22nd straight day over 100. There's a reason I exercise before the sun comes up... Word quickly spread that I was an OCS candidate- seems like I was the only one (either that or the others kept it quiet). This earned me the attention of all the sergeants and my battalion commander during PT. Awesome. It also meant my name was changed to OCS whenever the cat calls of "encouragement" were intended for me.
Not that I'm in the second phase of RSP we do the full 2-2-2 APFT test. That's max push ups in two minutes, max sit ups in two minutes and a two mile run. I've maintained a fairly strict workout routine since last drill and saw improvements over all my exercises. I still have a long way to go but you have to start somewhere. Here were my scores:
Push-ups: 40 (60 points-Pass)
Sit-up: 80 (100 points-Pass)
2 mile: 0:16:27 (61 points-Pass)
Total Score: 221 of the required 180
So I passed! Thanks to those who prayed for my run time- that was a bit of a small miracle as I hadn't completed the 2 mile in anything less than 0:17:04 in my personal workouts. Running with others definitely helped motivate me (as did wanting to make a good impression on my battalion commander who I was meeting for the first time). The goal is to take 3.5 minutes off that time by the end of BCT. Leading from the front is expected from officers- especially infantry ones. My counter didn't count about 30% of the push ups I did because they weren't "OCS push ups" (chest to the ground). Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I still passed.
We spent the rest of the morning going over first aid in a combat setting. I'd been a lifeguard for 7 years but it adds a whole new level of intensity when "You! Go call 911!" isn't an option and checking to make sure the scene is safe means eliminating enemy combatants and searching for possible IED ambushes. Medics on the battle field aren't a guarantee and sometimes saving a fellow soldier (or even an enemy combatant) is left up to you. We learned how to put on the Army's new tourniquet. Apparently the one from WWII with a handkerchief and stick (or some variation thereof) was still standard issue through the early 2000's. Its really easy to use, carried by every soldier, and can be self-applied.
For some of the hands on part they dressed me up in Arab clothes and I ran into the room and blew up some explosive simulator. That woke everybody up- you should've seen their faces...
The end of the day we prepped for our mission tomorrow, which was creating a perimeter and securing a building. Should be fun. We get to run around with replica M4 carbines and take down bad guys. Oh- and get paid for it :) Glad to be doing work I enjoy.
[Oh, and no uniform yet except for the RSP track suit they issued me... yeah its about as awesome as it sounds. They ordered my ACU about 3 weeks ago so it should be in for next drill where I'll get to wear it for the weekend, then turn it back in since I'll be getting new uniforms at BCT in September. Sometimes it's better to not ask questions.]
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