Unsurprisingly, there isn't much written about BOLC from a student's perspective available on the internet, so I'll do my best to outline the things that are relevant. This first post will cover the first three weeks of the course, known as Alpha Module. Here are a few considerations for my overview of this course:
-I am here to learn a very specific set of skills that contain "trade secrets" vital to the success of the US Army on the battlefield. I will not discuss those things.
-The atmosphere for each class is very different and driven by the cadre mentors assigned to each class. The cadre for my class have been more relaxed and allowed this to be more of a "gentlemen's course." Friends of mine in adjacent classes have not had that experience.
Packing List
My welcome packet had two different packing lists that were similar but not identical. When in doubt, pack to the more rigorous requirement. There is a military clothing store on post (closed Mondays) that should help you close any gaps you have. If you arrive at FLW early I recommend knocking this out. There is no formal equipment layout- it's on you as an officer to ensure you have the equipment that's required of you when you arrive. I can't stress attention to detail enough here, bring what's on the list.
You'll need your federal oath of office (not state if you're Reserve or National Guard) almost as frequently as your orders. Have at least 10 on hand.
Only bring original documents (birth certificates, marriage license, etc...) if the data hasn't been entered into DEERS already. If your DEERS is up to date just bring copies.
You can bring your own TA-50 but you'll get issued everything you need here. For some reason they still rock the woodland LBE from before Desert Storm here at FLW, so none of your high speed MOLLE equipment will work here.
Make sure your boots are in compliance with the new AR 670-1. Since the new revision rolled out recently for our class, a lot of people had to go buy new boots that were in compliance.
The list also says to limit your civilian clothes. That's bad advice. You'll want a good supply of clothes to wear after duty hours every day and on the weekends. PT is light in this module so you'll be working out a lot on your own, bring several sets of civilian workout clothes. You'll have a large wardrobe for all your clothes, so storage shouldn't be an issue. Don't go overboard, but a weeks worth of civies and workout clothes should be sufficient.
Throughout the course you'll have plenty of time on the weekends/evenings for movies and video games so if you have a console I'd recommend bringing it; life as a BOLC student can get pretty boring some weeks.
Arrival
The welcome letter says that showing up at 0600 the Monday morning of the week your class starts is optional. It's not. I recommend arriving Sunday by noon to get moved in and finish up any shopping you may need to do before class starts. Arriving any sooner than that is unnecessary unless you have a lot to get done.
The very first building you'll go to is BLDG 470, STE 1201 (140 Replacement, Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473 enter on Replacement Rd side). Check in with them to get your room assignment and keys. Make sure to join the rewards program to start earning free nights at hotels in the Holiday Inn, Staybridge, and Candlewood chains.
It wouldn't hurt to call a couple of months ahead once you have orders to request a room in Morelli Heights. It's a convenient location that puts classes and a DFAC within walking distance of your room. Call 573-596-8331.
Find the main PX. You'll need to know where the parking lot is prior to the start of Day 2 and for all your Wal-Mart type needs.
It's advisable to get a PO box while you're here. If not, expect all mail to be delayed by at least a week as it gets an added steps of going to your company and building for sorting. A six month rental costs $33. The post office is across the street from the main PX.
Accommodations
As mentioned above, I'm staying in Morelli Heights. Recently, the Army privatized lodging and from everything I can tell it was a good move. Daily room service includes fresh towels, they make your bed, vacuum, and mop. It doesn't feel like the Army. It's just like a normal hotel. (Don't take the housekeeping for granted. If your room looks like a college dorm when they come in to clean they'll text pictures to the Battalion Commander and you'll end up on the powerpoint slides of how to get dismissed from the course.)
I got lucky and scored a room that has a detached bedroom so it feels more like a one bedroom apartment. Most of the rooms here have a kitchen area, bathroom, and a combined living room and bedroom.
The kitchen has a microwave, toaster, stove top, coffee pot, refrigerator and sink (no oven). It's good for making meals on the weekend when the DFAC is closed or for having a quick breakfast. Silverware, plates, cups and bowls are also provided but bring your own cooking utensils/pots/pans, those are not provided.
There is free wifi and wired internet in the hotel, but both are very slow. I typically clock an unimpressive 0.25 mbps. You might be able to stream Netflix if no one else is online and the picture quality settings are as low as they'll go. I think the internet is faster in Afghanistan. Same goes for cell signal. Verizon seems to work slightly better, but my phone never lasts the whole day on one charge because it's always looking for signal.
The room does come with a 30" flat screen TV with basic cable and HDMI hookups so you can plug your computer in. I use a desktop in my room and take a tablet to class. It works well. You'll be issued a government netbook you can use in class for taking notes and storing Army manuals as well.
In-Processing
If you thought BCT reception was bad, this is a whole new level. Your average day will start with you waking up around 0400 to make it to a 0500 accountability formation. You'll get a break for breakfast and then start that day's tasks around 0700 or 0800. During these two and a half weeks you'll get several SHARP (Anti-sexual harassment/abuse) presentations, introductions from all the bigwigs on post, medical inprocessing, finance briefings, and you'll sign hundreds of documents. Your day will end and you'll be on your own after 1700-1800 typically.
Why it robs two and a half weeks of your life is a question I still don't know the answer to.
To speed things along make sure you have all the documents and certificates on the packing list prior to arrival.
Weekends
Weekend Passes are largely up to cadre. Don't expect any in Alpha Module unless there is a federal holiday. That means you're limited to within 30 miles of FLW (which doesn't get you much). But there is plenty to do around here- especially if you like the outdoors. The "Fort Lost in the Woods" nickname is accurate to some degree, but I find it's a really nice post with plenty of things to do to keep you out of trouble. If you're a city boy it's a perfect time to learn some new hobbies.
Pay
As you'd expect with the Army, the pay comes slowly at first. I got into a bit of a bind because of how long it took for BAH to kick in. Don't worry, they'll back pay all the late payments but just expect kinks in the system. I recommend coming to BOLC with $1000 saved up to cover all the stuff you end up needing to buy plus one month's living expenses for your financial obligations back home. If that's not feasible, just do the best you can to have savings before you get to school (and check out the USAA career starter loan if you haven't already).
APFT
Pretty straight forward, you'll have a diagnostic APFT the second Monday of the course. Failure in any event (or scoring less than a 70 if your cadre choose) means you'll be entered into a remedial PT program and you'll be restricted from taking any passes off post until you pass. Retests for failures will be done with each new incoming class until the test is passed (every 2-3 weeks).
PT
PT in Alpha Module is extremely light. You may do three sessions in the three weeks. And those sessions will be taught by NCO cadre as an introduction to Army PRT.
I highly recommend getting used to running hills prior to arrival. This area of Missouri is not flat and you'll be better of if you're prepared for that.
Right outside Morelli Heights there is a 2.5 mile wooded running trail called the Engineer Trail. It's very nice for running, rucking, and working out (there are different exercise stations around the trail). If you're not conditioned for hills this trail will help.
Class Composition
Each class has a different demographic but will be composed of roughly 60 2LT's.
Here's our class breakdown:
Active Duty: 50%
National Guard: 25%
Reserve: 25%
OCS: 25%
ROTC: 75%*
West Point: 0% (Most West Point grads will attend courses in the summer starting in late June.)
Male: 90%
Female: 10%
Also expect 2-3 foreign national students in each class. These students will come from "friendly" nations and are essentially auditing the course. They won't learn any of our secret squirrel stuff and they're not expected to do much.
*Coming from an OCS background I was highly disappointed by the caliber of the ROTC students. The program I graduated from washed out over 70% of the candidates. If the cadet gets a degree, well then slap a butter bar on him. There are a few quality officers in the bunch but most are fresh out of college with zero relevant life experiences, a penchant for getting wasted on cheap beer, and many completely lack command presence. [End rant.]
When to Go
If you have any choice in the matter, picking the time to go can have a big impact on how miserable your time is at Fort Leonard Wood. I highly recommend getting a slot in the classes starting in May-June. By this time the weather has warmed up so the mornings aren't freezing cold, and by the time you're done with the "outdoors" learning you're in classrooms during the heat of the summer and the weather cools off for the last FTX and Sapper Stakes (more on those later). Best of all you're out of there before snow comes.
FTX 1
The last few days of the module are devoted to a three day field training exercise. Leadership should request a packing list early and do a gear layout to ensure everyone has everything. My class did that. Others before us failed to do that and had some smoke sessions to correct deficiencies.
We rucked out to the training area, which was about 6 miles away. Be ready to carry 60-70 lbs at a 15 minute/mile pace. Boots should be broken in well before the FTX. Once we were in the field we zeroed our M-4's with iron sights and CCO's. Qualification was done the last day on a pop up range. After range ops were completed we would ruck about 2 miles back to the FOB. The first afternoon we did land nav with DAGR's (Army GPS units). After dark we went back out with NVG's and the DAGR's.
The second afternoon we did the first two "Warrior 2020" tasks. These tasks are meant to provide a uniform standard for male and female soldiers as the Army moves to integrate females into the combat roles. Right now the program is still in a trial phase so our class is part of the data collection process. The first two tasks included throwing a grenade 25m so that it lands within a 5m radius of the intended target (if you can throw a baseball from home plate to 1st base you're good to go). The second task was filling 26 sand bags in 52 minutes and then building a fighting position in 20 minutes or something like that. Nobody in the class took more than 15 minutes to do the whole thing. Both of those tasks are done in "full battle rattle" meaning your helmet, body armor, load carrying equipment and gloves. It's definitely tiring, but not difficult. My squad had the fastest average time so we won freshly grilled brats.
We caught trans back to the company area, cleaned weapons, and like that Alpha Module was done. Three weeks down, 17 to go.
Showing posts with label APFT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label APFT. Show all posts
Friday, October 24, 2014
Monday, May 21, 2012
Pre-OCS Phase 0 (Weekend 3 of 3)
Lies your recruiter tells you: "One weekend a month, two weeks a year." Hardly. For the last eight weeks I've been working out six days a week at 0500 (okay later on Saturday...), then there's all the time spent coordinating with your home unit for supplies, paperwork, signatures, pay, etc... On top of that add the stress of just anticipating next drill and the challenges ahead of you. And I still need to spend more time studying than I have been, so this isn't a part time job, this is a lifestyle. It's a good thing I'm not doing it for the money because it's not worth the paycheck.
The last drill in Phase 0 is focused on completing your packet, the record APFT, and land nav. Friday night was as usual, we turned in any missing items from our application packet and set up our lockers and bunks to meet our unit standard operating procedures (SOP). It felt good to finally have all the puzzle pieces in my packet- one less thing to worry about. We didn't get smoked as we had the PT test in the morning, so at least we knew we were "safe."
Saturday morning lights came on at 0430 and we took the PT test. I was pretty intimidated going into the test because OCS cadre are much more strict on counting push-ups than anyone else, and it's my worst event (see previous blog entries). I've been working hard and praying hard and the Lord blessed me with the strength to get 47 (counted) push-ups. Nothing to brag about, but it qualifies. I really don't see a strong correlation between troop leadership ability and the ability to push oneself off the ground repeatedly in two minutes. My two mile time was a minute faster than what I'd been running at home and what I got two months ago at the diagnostic PT test- the course I run at home is hilly and a little longer than two miles so that helps. All glory to God for that- he is the one that gives me the strength to make it through the things he has called me to do.
The day continued on the land nav course. We broke into buddy teams and received new coordinates to find that were different than the ones we had last month. All of ours were deep in the woods with no good terrain markers to help us identify where our points were. We had a good plan and were on course to get 4 out of 5 of our points until point 3 wasn't anywhere we thought it would be. We spent too much time looking for it and had to scramble to get out of the woods. Well we made a mistake. Rather than just trudging our way through a few hundred meters of brush to get to the road so we could haul back to the start point, we thought it'd be easier to travel through the clearings in the general direction we needed to go to get back to the start point. Well we got all turned around, had no idea where on the map we were and I started running low on water. I started to get heat cramps and knew I needed to be careful. We finally found the road seven minutes before the time was up, and to our surprise we were just a few hundred meters from the finish point- how that happened, I have no idea. We finished in time but failed to get enough points to receive a "go" for the course. Not a big deal, it's just practice and honestly I learned more by getting disoriented than I did last month when we got all five points. (Side note on gear: the protractor they issue you for plotting points absolutely sucks. Buy this one instead.)
As soon as we got back the TAC sergeants started smoking everybody for some leadership failure. That was rough. The cadre could tell something was wrong with me and sent me to the medic. Turns out it was just heat cramps and they gave me some electrolytes and we ate dinner and I started feeling better.
We did a night land nav course after dinner and we failed that one miserably. As did everyone else I'm pretty sure. I got a go on the night course at Fort Jackson at basic but it was a cake walk compared to the course we had. The biggest problem is trusting your equipment, your pace count, and your training. The darkness freaks a lot of inexperienced people out and you kind of feel like the thick woods are just going to eat you alive. Before we went to bed at 0100 we got smoked again for failure to work like a team. The senior TAC sergeant gave us a lecture on how we needed to spend more time preparing for this during the month and that we needed to look out for each other better. He was right. It just took a little sweat and blood and palms full of splinters to see his point. Long day.
Sunday the cadre had their PT test so we woke up at 0530 to clean the barracks. Since Saturday was such a long hard day we didn't have a ton to do Sunday besides cleaning. We worked on D&C, did a few administrative things to make sure our travel pay was working, got smoked every once and a while and got briefed on Phase I.
It feels good to be done with Phase 0. It's a mental victory. We're officially Texas OCS Class 56 now and while it may get harder in Phase I and it's till a long haul to the end of Phase III, we're in. 250 applicants wanted a spot in the class this year. It's an honor and a privilege to be among the 40-something that will be given a chance and I don't take that lightly.
A few of the candidates from the area near where I live all met up for dinner at Texas Roadhouse before continuing home. I really like the guys and I'm glad to be going through the course with them. I can't explain what it feels like to eat dinner with a bunch of men that would lay down their lives for you and their country. It's humbling and I feel like even though I've only spent a few months with them they know what makes me tick- because they're the same way.
Not sure what the course Kansas is going to be like. I've heard everything from "it's a cake walk compared to Phase 0 and you get to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter to the land nav course" to "it was the hardest two weeks of my life." The internet is surprisingly quiet on the topic- its sad when you Google "OCS Phase I" and your own blog is one of the top results. I guess I'm going blind on this one. Sorry for the long post, if you're reading this to help you better understand what the course will be like hopefully you find this helpful.
The last drill in Phase 0 is focused on completing your packet, the record APFT, and land nav. Friday night was as usual, we turned in any missing items from our application packet and set up our lockers and bunks to meet our unit standard operating procedures (SOP). It felt good to finally have all the puzzle pieces in my packet- one less thing to worry about. We didn't get smoked as we had the PT test in the morning, so at least we knew we were "safe."
Saturday morning lights came on at 0430 and we took the PT test. I was pretty intimidated going into the test because OCS cadre are much more strict on counting push-ups than anyone else, and it's my worst event (see previous blog entries). I've been working hard and praying hard and the Lord blessed me with the strength to get 47 (counted) push-ups. Nothing to brag about, but it qualifies. I really don't see a strong correlation between troop leadership ability and the ability to push oneself off the ground repeatedly in two minutes. My two mile time was a minute faster than what I'd been running at home and what I got two months ago at the diagnostic PT test- the course I run at home is hilly and a little longer than two miles so that helps. All glory to God for that- he is the one that gives me the strength to make it through the things he has called me to do.
The day continued on the land nav course. We broke into buddy teams and received new coordinates to find that were different than the ones we had last month. All of ours were deep in the woods with no good terrain markers to help us identify where our points were. We had a good plan and were on course to get 4 out of 5 of our points until point 3 wasn't anywhere we thought it would be. We spent too much time looking for it and had to scramble to get out of the woods. Well we made a mistake. Rather than just trudging our way through a few hundred meters of brush to get to the road so we could haul back to the start point, we thought it'd be easier to travel through the clearings in the general direction we needed to go to get back to the start point. Well we got all turned around, had no idea where on the map we were and I started running low on water. I started to get heat cramps and knew I needed to be careful. We finally found the road seven minutes before the time was up, and to our surprise we were just a few hundred meters from the finish point- how that happened, I have no idea. We finished in time but failed to get enough points to receive a "go" for the course. Not a big deal, it's just practice and honestly I learned more by getting disoriented than I did last month when we got all five points. (Side note on gear: the protractor they issue you for plotting points absolutely sucks. Buy this one instead.)
As soon as we got back the TAC sergeants started smoking everybody for some leadership failure. That was rough. The cadre could tell something was wrong with me and sent me to the medic. Turns out it was just heat cramps and they gave me some electrolytes and we ate dinner and I started feeling better.
We did a night land nav course after dinner and we failed that one miserably. As did everyone else I'm pretty sure. I got a go on the night course at Fort Jackson at basic but it was a cake walk compared to the course we had. The biggest problem is trusting your equipment, your pace count, and your training. The darkness freaks a lot of inexperienced people out and you kind of feel like the thick woods are just going to eat you alive. Before we went to bed at 0100 we got smoked again for failure to work like a team. The senior TAC sergeant gave us a lecture on how we needed to spend more time preparing for this during the month and that we needed to look out for each other better. He was right. It just took a little sweat and blood and palms full of splinters to see his point. Long day.
Sunday the cadre had their PT test so we woke up at 0530 to clean the barracks. Since Saturday was such a long hard day we didn't have a ton to do Sunday besides cleaning. We worked on D&C, did a few administrative things to make sure our travel pay was working, got smoked every once and a while and got briefed on Phase I.
It feels good to be done with Phase 0. It's a mental victory. We're officially Texas OCS Class 56 now and while it may get harder in Phase I and it's till a long haul to the end of Phase III, we're in. 250 applicants wanted a spot in the class this year. It's an honor and a privilege to be among the 40-something that will be given a chance and I don't take that lightly.
A few of the candidates from the area near where I live all met up for dinner at Texas Roadhouse before continuing home. I really like the guys and I'm glad to be going through the course with them. I can't explain what it feels like to eat dinner with a bunch of men that would lay down their lives for you and their country. It's humbling and I feel like even though I've only spent a few months with them they know what makes me tick- because they're the same way.
Not sure what the course Kansas is going to be like. I've heard everything from "it's a cake walk compared to Phase 0 and you get to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter to the land nav course" to "it was the hardest two weeks of my life." The internet is surprisingly quiet on the topic- its sad when you Google "OCS Phase I" and your own blog is one of the top results. I guess I'm going blind on this one. Sorry for the long post, if you're reading this to help you better understand what the course will be like hopefully you find this helpful.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Pre-OCS Phase 0 (Weekend 1 of 3)
There is a sign on the entrance to Ranger school at Fort Benning that reads: "Not for the weak or faint-hearted." Well that about sums up the first weekend of Pre-OCS for Class 56. The course ran Friday night through Sunday night in a high stress atmosphere. Meaning, a lot of attention from the TAC Officers/NCO's and a lot of yelling and smoke sessions. TACs have replaced drill sergeants and are the cadre for the OCS course. Whenever speaking we had to address them with, "Sir/Sergeant, Officer Candidate [last name] (insert question comment, etc...)" They wear black patrol caps to distinguish themselves from us- as if they needed any help. All of our TACs are solid instructors. They're tough but they're also clearly there to teach you and help you learn- granted that doesn't mean they'll teach you nicely, but the knowledge you need eventually gets to you.
We did a diagnostic APFT test the first thing Saturday morning- and as expected the standards were strict. The difference between a diagnostic and a record APFT is that the diagnostic doesn't go on your record. If people failed by more than 10% in any event they were sent home at the end of the weekend (scoring lower than a 50 in any event). For the Phase 0 record APFT in May the minimum passing score is 60 but to be competitive you need scores in the 70-80 range for each event. Starting phase 1 is all based on an OML. Think of Phase 0 as tryouts. Contrary to what my recruiter made it sound like, when you enlist as a 09S or officer candidate, your contract will get you into Phase 0 if you meet all the requirements. You aren't at any point guaranteed a commission. The odds of commissioning are actually very low. The class a year ahead of us (Class 55) had about 90 people in the start of Phase 0 and as of this weekend they're down to 15 in Phase 2 with five months to go. 09S candidates are looked down upon by the TACs as we have no experience whatsoever leading troops. No deployments, nothing. So we definitely have to prove ourselves. 17 candidates were sent home and requested not to come back. More will self-withdraw by next month. Class 56 started out with 83 candidates and slowly but surely that number is shrinking.
When we weren't getting smoked, we were in the classroom taking refresher courses on land nav[igation]. Next month we'll take a written exam and do a field exercise on a night and day land nav course. They generally didn't let us stay in the classroom for more than 45 minutes at a time without finding some reason to get us outside for a little exercise. We went to bed between 2200 and were up by 0500 both days, and we had fireguard shifts for an hour at some point during the night. The facilities including the bays were top notch. I was expecting run down- typical military condition buildings, but everything was new and in really nice shape. Texas has gotten awards for their OCS program and consistently ranks in the very top programs in all the states.
It's all a game. The TACs know its a game. And if I play their game for the next 17 months as hard as I can I'll have my butter bar.
We did a diagnostic APFT test the first thing Saturday morning- and as expected the standards were strict. The difference between a diagnostic and a record APFT is that the diagnostic doesn't go on your record. If people failed by more than 10% in any event they were sent home at the end of the weekend (scoring lower than a 50 in any event). For the Phase 0 record APFT in May the minimum passing score is 60 but to be competitive you need scores in the 70-80 range for each event. Starting phase 1 is all based on an OML. Think of Phase 0 as tryouts. Contrary to what my recruiter made it sound like, when you enlist as a 09S or officer candidate, your contract will get you into Phase 0 if you meet all the requirements. You aren't at any point guaranteed a commission. The odds of commissioning are actually very low. The class a year ahead of us (Class 55) had about 90 people in the start of Phase 0 and as of this weekend they're down to 15 in Phase 2 with five months to go. 09S candidates are looked down upon by the TACs as we have no experience whatsoever leading troops. No deployments, nothing. So we definitely have to prove ourselves. 17 candidates were sent home and requested not to come back. More will self-withdraw by next month. Class 56 started out with 83 candidates and slowly but surely that number is shrinking.
When we weren't getting smoked, we were in the classroom taking refresher courses on land nav[igation]. Next month we'll take a written exam and do a field exercise on a night and day land nav course. They generally didn't let us stay in the classroom for more than 45 minutes at a time without finding some reason to get us outside for a little exercise. We went to bed between 2200 and were up by 0500 both days, and we had fireguard shifts for an hour at some point during the night. The facilities including the bays were top notch. I was expecting run down- typical military condition buildings, but everything was new and in really nice shape. Texas has gotten awards for their OCS program and consistently ranks in the very top programs in all the states.
It's all a game. The TACs know its a game. And if I play their game for the next 17 months as hard as I can I'll have my butter bar.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Green Light to Pre-OCS
I retook my APFT this weekend and passed without any trouble. My LT made us all pass with a minimum of 70 points in each event (something he informed us of three days prior to the test...) not the Army standard of 60 in each event. I scored personal bests in both push ups and sit ups, so that was cool. Now I just need to repeat that performance for the next three months of Pre-OCS so I can move on to Phase 1 of OCS.
I submitted my application packet for OCS today as well, so I'm on track and ready to go down to Austin in a few weeks.
I submitted my application packet for OCS today as well, so I'm on track and ready to go down to Austin in a few weeks.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
OCS Symposium
This last weekend was the OCS Symposium for Class 56 at Camp Mabry in Austin. Essentially it was just a workshop set up to help candidates complete their packets for admission to OCS. I was skeptical at first and thought it would be a waste of time, but it was actually helpful in getting the packet together. A lot of the time was typical "hurry up and wait" but it's all part of the game. I found out I've had my security clearance for several months already- apparently it's been sitting on someone's desk for the whole time. We also found out Texas has funding for 30 to go to accelerated OCS- that's a huge difference compared to "Texas isn't sending anyone." With those kind of numbers half the class could go accelerated. It is all dependent on where the instructors rank you in the OML during Pre-OCS to determine if you get a slot or not.
Sunday morning we did an APFT, you need a passing score to move on to Pre-OCS that starts in March. My grader shorted me on at least 20 push-ups that I know I was doing correctly- so I only was given credit for 35, not enough to pass. At that point it didn't really matter what I did from there, if you fail one event you fail the whole thing. I maxed the sit-ups and got a decent run score considering I was too cold to feel my feet for the first 1/2 mile. We should have another chance to take the test next month at drill, that will be my only shot at getting into this class for OCS. I'm frustrated because I preformed well enough to exceed the standards, but I guess sometimes you have to be willing to prove that more than once.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Sunday morning we did an APFT, you need a passing score to move on to Pre-OCS that starts in March. My grader shorted me on at least 20 push-ups that I know I was doing correctly- so I only was given credit for 35, not enough to pass. At that point it didn't really matter what I did from there, if you fail one event you fail the whole thing. I maxed the sit-ups and got a decent run score considering I was too cold to feel my feet for the first 1/2 mile. We should have another chance to take the test next month at drill, that will be my only shot at getting into this class for OCS. I'm frustrated because I preformed well enough to exceed the standards, but I guess sometimes you have to be willing to prove that more than once.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Soldier Leader of the Cycle/ US Weapons
10/31-11/4
It's been another blur of a week. This is my first chance to sit down and write. The week started off with a day at the Convoy Ops range. We got to ride around in Humvee's on patrol and learned how to react to enemy fire and IED's while mounted in a vehicle. I actually fit once I got in, but getting in and out with full gear and my long legs is going to take some practice. After mounted patrols, we took a class on IED's and did a foot patrol to see it we could spot them. Our platoon got blown up 7/10 times because we failed to see the device. The point of the class was to show you how closely you need to watch for the signs.
That night I lost the fight to fever, the flu, and feeling terrible. I'd been sick for 3 days prior and wasn't getting better, so I went to the acute care center after dinner Monday and was admitted with a fever of 101 degrees. They gave me two shots in the butt, Motrin, and sent me to spend the night in the hospital sleep quarters. For dinner I had an MRE and got to keep the peanut M&M's, so I got my Halloween candy. :) I woke up the next morning without a fever, so I got out as quickly as possible. Missing training this late in the game could easily make you miss your graduation date and restart the phase with another company. Speaking of phases, when I got back our flags were switched over to Blue Phase, the last phase of BCT.
We took a vote in each platoon for Soldier of the Cycle and Soldier Leader of the Cycle. Each PLT chooses a representative to compete at the company level, and ultimately, from the 6 nominees, one will win from each of the categories. I was voted by my platoon as Soldier Leader of the Cycle, which made me really proud. Before I left home, my unit commander told me I'd better not come home without the award, so I was one step closer to satisfying that requirement. The DS's gave us a HUGE packet to study and it covered topics we've learned about at BCT, but in far more detail that we learned. We had 2.5 days to cram for our review board while still maintaining our roles as PG's and such. The day of the board came and I was about as prepared as I was going to get. The board consisted of the head DS from each of our companies' 3 platoons and the company 1st Sergeant. We gave a short bio and then the grilling started. Non-stop questions until they were satisfied. If you got an answer wrong, they turned up the pressure by diving deeper into the topic and making you look like an idiot. After about 25 minutes, I was dismissed. I felt semi-confident when I left, just hoping the mistakes I made were overlooked for the most part. When we got back from lunch, the 6 nominees gathered in the 1st Sergeant's office to have the winners announced. To my surprise, they called out my name for Soldier Leader of the Cycle and my buddy from my platoon won Soldier of the Cycle, our platoon's DS's were quite pleased with us. I got promoted from Platoon Guide to Student 1st Sergeant, so I'm the student leader responsible for the whole company now. Any information the DS's want passed along, I'm responsible for. So if I mess up, they promised to make me pay for it. Awesome.
We took our end of cycle APFT and I did well. My overall score was 260/300. I did 52 push-ups, 74 sit-ups, and ran a 13:35 2-mile. 10 points shy of my goal, but it's still a decent score.
The week ended with a US weapons course. Since I'm the Soldier Leader of the Cycle, I got to shoot the AT-4. It's a $10,000 anti-tank, shoulder-fired rocket. It was the coolest thing I've done here at basic. I sank the round straight into the side of an armored personnel carrier and was rewarded with a huge explosion and shrapnel flying in the air... And I thought the grenades were cool... So thank you US tax payers for allowing me the amazing opportunity to demonstrate that weapon system for the soldiers I'm training with. Then we got 150 rounds of ammo for the machine guns... 50 for the M249 and 100 for the M240B, and after that we shot 2 dummy rounds from the M203 (The Noob Tube for all the Call of Duty players.) (Wifey note: Really? Call of Duty?) Talk about a good day. It's days like this I'm so glad I signed the contract.
The weather is getting cold and lousy. Just in time for our field training exercise all next week. One more week of training, a few admin days, Family Day, graduation, and a flight home. Almost there.
It's been another blur of a week. This is my first chance to sit down and write. The week started off with a day at the Convoy Ops range. We got to ride around in Humvee's on patrol and learned how to react to enemy fire and IED's while mounted in a vehicle. I actually fit once I got in, but getting in and out with full gear and my long legs is going to take some practice. After mounted patrols, we took a class on IED's and did a foot patrol to see it we could spot them. Our platoon got blown up 7/10 times because we failed to see the device. The point of the class was to show you how closely you need to watch for the signs.
That night I lost the fight to fever, the flu, and feeling terrible. I'd been sick for 3 days prior and wasn't getting better, so I went to the acute care center after dinner Monday and was admitted with a fever of 101 degrees. They gave me two shots in the butt, Motrin, and sent me to spend the night in the hospital sleep quarters. For dinner I had an MRE and got to keep the peanut M&M's, so I got my Halloween candy. :) I woke up the next morning without a fever, so I got out as quickly as possible. Missing training this late in the game could easily make you miss your graduation date and restart the phase with another company. Speaking of phases, when I got back our flags were switched over to Blue Phase, the last phase of BCT.
We took a vote in each platoon for Soldier of the Cycle and Soldier Leader of the Cycle. Each PLT chooses a representative to compete at the company level, and ultimately, from the 6 nominees, one will win from each of the categories. I was voted by my platoon as Soldier Leader of the Cycle, which made me really proud. Before I left home, my unit commander told me I'd better not come home without the award, so I was one step closer to satisfying that requirement. The DS's gave us a HUGE packet to study and it covered topics we've learned about at BCT, but in far more detail that we learned. We had 2.5 days to cram for our review board while still maintaining our roles as PG's and such. The day of the board came and I was about as prepared as I was going to get. The board consisted of the head DS from each of our companies' 3 platoons and the company 1st Sergeant. We gave a short bio and then the grilling started. Non-stop questions until they were satisfied. If you got an answer wrong, they turned up the pressure by diving deeper into the topic and making you look like an idiot. After about 25 minutes, I was dismissed. I felt semi-confident when I left, just hoping the mistakes I made were overlooked for the most part. When we got back from lunch, the 6 nominees gathered in the 1st Sergeant's office to have the winners announced. To my surprise, they called out my name for Soldier Leader of the Cycle and my buddy from my platoon won Soldier of the Cycle, our platoon's DS's were quite pleased with us. I got promoted from Platoon Guide to Student 1st Sergeant, so I'm the student leader responsible for the whole company now. Any information the DS's want passed along, I'm responsible for. So if I mess up, they promised to make me pay for it. Awesome.
We took our end of cycle APFT and I did well. My overall score was 260/300. I did 52 push-ups, 74 sit-ups, and ran a 13:35 2-mile. 10 points shy of my goal, but it's still a decent score.
The week ended with a US weapons course. Since I'm the Soldier Leader of the Cycle, I got to shoot the AT-4. It's a $10,000 anti-tank, shoulder-fired rocket. It was the coolest thing I've done here at basic. I sank the round straight into the side of an armored personnel carrier and was rewarded with a huge explosion and shrapnel flying in the air... And I thought the grenades were cool... So thank you US tax payers for allowing me the amazing opportunity to demonstrate that weapon system for the soldiers I'm training with. Then we got 150 rounds of ammo for the machine guns... 50 for the M249 and 100 for the M240B, and after that we shot 2 dummy rounds from the M203 (The Noob Tube for all the Call of Duty players.) (Wifey note: Really? Call of Duty?) Talk about a good day. It's days like this I'm so glad I signed the contract.
The weather is getting cold and lousy. Just in time for our field training exercise all next week. One more week of training, a few admin days, Family Day, graduation, and a flight home. Almost there.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Fun Stuff
Wednesday 10/12
Sorry about the entires this week - I'd like to go into more detail, but apparently the DS's figured we got enough personal time Monday, so we don't get any the rest of the week. Thus I'm writing when we have 5 or so minutes of down time.
Today was probably the most fun we've had at Basic so far. We had our first all day FTX (Field Training Exercise). We spend the whole day in our armor learning the basics of what will build into a full 4 day - 3 night FTX at the end of our training that incorporates all we've learned at BCT.
We covered setting up a camp, and each got to set up our one-man tents. They also extensively covered personal hygiene in the field. Apparently, it has been a problem in past cycles.
Next we learned how to turn the tide of an ambush to gain superiority over enemy forces. That is the type of training I've been wanting to cover - high speed soldier skills.
After that we laid a foundation for MOUT training (Kicking in doors and taking down bad guys). We practiced checking for booby traps and entering rooms quickly and effectively. It was just like what we did in White Phase at RSP again - more fun.
Lastly, we covered radio communications: radio etiquette, how to call in a MedEvac, and how to report spotting enemy troops. Definitely important information to know, but most people botched it up. Hopefully, we'll get more practice.
We didn't spend the night - that will be next week. It was a good day and we learned a lot. I'm glad the pace has picked up a bit.
Thursday 10/13
We had our 2nd APFT this morning. The DS grading me was super strict, so I lost a few points from my first test on push-ups and sit-ups. I did drop over 2 minutes of my 2-mile time adn ran a 13:38. 13:00 is a perfect score and I hope to drop another 60 seconds off my time by the last test of the cycle. I'm happy with my time. It's the fastest I've ever run a 2 mile. A drastic change since May when I started running again.
The rest of the day was pretty light. We had a class on night vision goggles, M-4 carbines, and the optics and lasers used with them.
I got 2 great letters from friends that caught me up on current events and some articles from artofmanliness.com - I can't thank you all enough for those. Anything to make life here seem more "normal" is worth its weight in gold. I've gotten a few letters with pictures and those are great too! About 3 weeks of training and 4 til I get home, so I'm zoned in on getting Basic Training behind me.
Friday 10/14
Highlights of the day:
2.5 mile AGR this morning for PT
Familiarization on M-4 with red-dot optics. We show 30 rounds moving in our gear at pop up targets. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Night fire. FUN. FUN. FUN. Shooting pop up targets using night vision goggles (NVG), IR lasers (that you can only see with the goggles), and the M-4. I've never shot at night before or used night vision. I'm a fan of both. Let's put it this way: If Francis Scott Key had NVG's, the National Anthem would've sounded more like the theme song from Top Gun.
My shoulders are about to fall off from spending the whole day in my gear.
Saturday and Sunday 10/15-16
Saturday was pretty chill. We started a course on hand to hand combat and practiced for a few hours. Then we got word another soldier from another company contracted a deadly strain of meningitis, so we all went up to our sleep bays to bleach everything. (We got news at church that the soldier will make a full recovery, so we were thankful for answered prayers.) I got a rocking MRE for dinner that had cookies and a Poptart. It's the small things here you have to look for... It has become blatantly obvious that we're going to be one of the companies that never gets to call home. Some people I've talked to are getting the full "relaxin' Jackson" experience, but not us. We'll be better off, I guess.
The weather here has been great the last few days - it'd be perfect for camping.
Sunday morning I went to church with my buddies and we did laundry before lunch. We went to the PX and did yard work the rest of the day. Another week down and closer to Family Day.
Sorry about the entires this week - I'd like to go into more detail, but apparently the DS's figured we got enough personal time Monday, so we don't get any the rest of the week. Thus I'm writing when we have 5 or so minutes of down time.
Today was probably the most fun we've had at Basic so far. We had our first all day FTX (Field Training Exercise). We spend the whole day in our armor learning the basics of what will build into a full 4 day - 3 night FTX at the end of our training that incorporates all we've learned at BCT.
We covered setting up a camp, and each got to set up our one-man tents. They also extensively covered personal hygiene in the field. Apparently, it has been a problem in past cycles.
 |
| Setting up our 1-man tents |
Next we learned how to turn the tide of an ambush to gain superiority over enemy forces. That is the type of training I've been wanting to cover - high speed soldier skills.
After that we laid a foundation for MOUT training (Kicking in doors and taking down bad guys). We practiced checking for booby traps and entering rooms quickly and effectively. It was just like what we did in White Phase at RSP again - more fun.
 |
| Stacking on the house |
 |
| Calling in the MedEvac |
We didn't spend the night - that will be next week. It was a good day and we learned a lot. I'm glad the pace has picked up a bit.
Thursday 10/13
We had our 2nd APFT this morning. The DS grading me was super strict, so I lost a few points from my first test on push-ups and sit-ups. I did drop over 2 minutes of my 2-mile time adn ran a 13:38. 13:00 is a perfect score and I hope to drop another 60 seconds off my time by the last test of the cycle. I'm happy with my time. It's the fastest I've ever run a 2 mile. A drastic change since May when I started running again.
The rest of the day was pretty light. We had a class on night vision goggles, M-4 carbines, and the optics and lasers used with them.
I got 2 great letters from friends that caught me up on current events and some articles from artofmanliness.com - I can't thank you all enough for those. Anything to make life here seem more "normal" is worth its weight in gold. I've gotten a few letters with pictures and those are great too! About 3 weeks of training and 4 til I get home, so I'm zoned in on getting Basic Training behind me.
Friday 10/14
Highlights of the day:
2.5 mile AGR this morning for PT
Familiarization on M-4 with red-dot optics. We show 30 rounds moving in our gear at pop up targets. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Night fire. FUN. FUN. FUN. Shooting pop up targets using night vision goggles (NVG), IR lasers (that you can only see with the goggles), and the M-4. I've never shot at night before or used night vision. I'm a fan of both. Let's put it this way: If Francis Scott Key had NVG's, the National Anthem would've sounded more like the theme song from Top Gun.
My shoulders are about to fall off from spending the whole day in my gear.
Saturday and Sunday 10/15-16
Saturday was pretty chill. We started a course on hand to hand combat and practiced for a few hours. Then we got word another soldier from another company contracted a deadly strain of meningitis, so we all went up to our sleep bays to bleach everything. (We got news at church that the soldier will make a full recovery, so we were thankful for answered prayers.) I got a rocking MRE for dinner that had cookies and a Poptart. It's the small things here you have to look for... It has become blatantly obvious that we're going to be one of the companies that never gets to call home. Some people I've talked to are getting the full "relaxin' Jackson" experience, but not us. We'll be better off, I guess.
The weather here has been great the last few days - it'd be perfect for camping.
Sunday morning I went to church with my buddies and we did laundry before lunch. We went to the PX and did yard work the rest of the day. Another week down and closer to Family Day.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Personal Time Ban Lifted
Friday 9/30
We've had our free time taken away for most of the week, so I couldn't write, and I can't remember what I covered in my last letter. It looks like we will make it to White Phase this weekend. The DS's haven't been as upset with the company the last few days. We started doing Ability Group Runs (AGR) during morning PT. We run every other day during PT, and our run days alternate between sprinting drills and AGR's. I made it into B group, the 2nd fastest run group. I missed A by 15 seconds on my qualification run.
Our days have settled into a fairly regular schedule. It's just the training activity that changes:
04:20 I wake up to get ready, shower, shave, make my bed to Army standards, and figure out which uniform is the least dirty that day.
05:30 1st Formation, overview of the day, personnel count, reciting The Soldier's Creed, more practice at standing at attention.
06:00 PT, running, stretching, pull ups, push ups, sit ups/core building exercises
07:30 Shower again and hand up sweat-soaked PT uniform (Note from the wifey: Am I the only one who thinks its totally gross that they just get hung up and not washed? I think they only do laundry like once a week...)
07:50 Breakfast chow. French toast/pancakes, "eggs," hash browns, breakfast meat, grits/oatmeal/cream o' wheat, fruit, and sometimes yogurt. It's always the same thing pretty much, but it's a solid meal and most people like it best.
08:30 Training starts
12:30 Lunch chow
13:00 Continue training
17:20 Dinner chow
18:00 Clean weapons
19:00 Personal time or "corrective training"
20:30 Final count
21:00 Lights out
This week was all shooting - all day, every day at the range. This is what I was waiting for. In the first two days, we zeroed our rifle to our eyesight. today we practiced on the 25m range shooting silhouettes of varying sizes, simulating targets at ranges from 50m-300m. Fun times. I shot pretty well all week considering they had to "fix" some of my civilian shooting habits. It's definitely easiest for people who've never shot before, oddly enough.
Saturday 10/1
We redid the APFT since it was rained out last time. I rocked sit ups with 3 shy of the max score. I showed an improvement of 14 push ups more than the test last week and my 2-mile time was 15:45. That needs some work, but we haven't run much since we got here - that's changing though.
In the afternoon, we did Pugils (hand-to-hand combat vs. each other). I was one of the first to go. You get to call out any soldier to fight, so the fights are usually heated and fun to watch. The DS asked one soldier who they wanted to fight and they responded, "You pick, I don't care." Next thing I heard was my DS screaming "You're up!" So I was instructed to fight with no mercy until they called the fight. I followed orders and the fight didn't last long. The soldier I fought learned they should probably pick on their own if given the chance so they don't have to fight the biggest guy in the company. (Wifey note: I'm so proud!) Everyone (save one) was entertained and in the end no one sustained any serious injuries. We all wore a lot [read: too much] padding. It was a fun day, but I got really sun burned.
We've had our free time taken away for most of the week, so I couldn't write, and I can't remember what I covered in my last letter. It looks like we will make it to White Phase this weekend. The DS's haven't been as upset with the company the last few days. We started doing Ability Group Runs (AGR) during morning PT. We run every other day during PT, and our run days alternate between sprinting drills and AGR's. I made it into B group, the 2nd fastest run group. I missed A by 15 seconds on my qualification run.
Our days have settled into a fairly regular schedule. It's just the training activity that changes:
04:20 I wake up to get ready, shower, shave, make my bed to Army standards, and figure out which uniform is the least dirty that day.
05:30 1st Formation, overview of the day, personnel count, reciting The Soldier's Creed, more practice at standing at attention.
06:00 PT, running, stretching, pull ups, push ups, sit ups/core building exercises
07:30 Shower again and hand up sweat-soaked PT uniform (Note from the wifey: Am I the only one who thinks its totally gross that they just get hung up and not washed? I think they only do laundry like once a week...)
07:50 Breakfast chow. French toast/pancakes, "eggs," hash browns, breakfast meat, grits/oatmeal/cream o' wheat, fruit, and sometimes yogurt. It's always the same thing pretty much, but it's a solid meal and most people like it best.
08:30 Training starts
12:30 Lunch chow
13:00 Continue training
17:20 Dinner chow
18:00 Clean weapons
19:00 Personal time or "corrective training"
20:30 Final count
21:00 Lights out
This week was all shooting - all day, every day at the range. This is what I was waiting for. In the first two days, we zeroed our rifle to our eyesight. today we practiced on the 25m range shooting silhouettes of varying sizes, simulating targets at ranges from 50m-300m. Fun times. I shot pretty well all week considering they had to "fix" some of my civilian shooting habits. It's definitely easiest for people who've never shot before, oddly enough.
Saturday 10/1
We redid the APFT since it was rained out last time. I rocked sit ups with 3 shy of the max score. I showed an improvement of 14 push ups more than the test last week and my 2-mile time was 15:45. That needs some work, but we haven't run much since we got here - that's changing though.
In the afternoon, we did Pugils (hand-to-hand combat vs. each other). I was one of the first to go. You get to call out any soldier to fight, so the fights are usually heated and fun to watch. The DS asked one soldier who they wanted to fight and they responded, "You pick, I don't care." Next thing I heard was my DS screaming "You're up!" So I was instructed to fight with no mercy until they called the fight. I followed orders and the fight didn't last long. The soldier I fought learned they should probably pick on their own if given the chance so they don't have to fight the biggest guy in the company. (Wifey note: I'm so proud!) Everyone (save one) was entertained and in the end no one sustained any serious injuries. We all wore a lot [read: too much] padding. It was a fun day, but I got really sun burned.
 |
| Me, dominating the fight |
Friday, September 30, 2011
Gas Chamber and More
Note: I got 3 letters all at the same time, so instead of doing separate posts, I will write them all into this one and separate them by date.
Tuesday 9/20
The day started on a lousy note. We had our first road march towards our graduation requirements and it was pouring rain. I ate a light breakfast since we were going to the gas chamber. We put on our uniforms, assault gear, helmets, and lots of water [read: weight] and set off in the rain. We only hiked 2 miles, but we were soaked from head to toe. About 10 people from our company fell out - it's sad how completely out of shape some people are.
Our destination was the gas chamber. The range cadre checked our masks to make sure they sealed properly, showed us how to clear them (very similar to clearing a diving mask). We filed into the chamber filled with CS Gas and did drills to gain confidence in our equipment. The we lifted our mask slightly and had to seal and re-clear it. That didn't go so well. I didn't get all the gas out and started hacking for a few seconds until the gas filtered out. My eyes and exposed skin also started burning - like a really bad sunburn. Then we had to take our mask off and hold it over our heads while saying the soldier's creed. I got about 2 lines out before I started coughing, dry heaving, and dripping mucus from my face. It was the most unpleasant thing I've ever done. After 30 seconds without masks, they let us out. We stumbled out flapping our arms (per the instructions) and tried to regain composure. I couldn't see very well and almost blacked out. After about 3 minutes we could report our names clearly enough to have them checked off. A few tissues and a few more minutes later and we were back to normal.
I wasn't scared or apprehensive the entire time through, so I think that helped. It was very unpleasant, but if I was forced to do it again, I would. Another graduation requirement done.
We had hot-A's (Army catering in the field), which are better than MRE's, but worse than the DFAC. (Actually, MRE's are pretty good. Saturday night is MRE night and we can actually talk quietly and eat at a reasonable pace. We can't keep or eat the candy in the pouch though.) Then we marched back to our barracks. It stopped raining for the afternoon hike and all the sand was packed from the rain, so it was easier on the way back. We spent the next 5 hours going over CLS for our test tomorrow. Long day but we knocked out 2 graduation requirements.
Wednesday 9/21
We had a PT session in the morning followed by chow and death by Powerpoint. The weather has been rainy recently and apparently we can't do our next training cycle in the rain. We don't have classrooms (no idea if that is intentional or not), so we sit on the bay floor with a projector for the slides. Not really a fan. (Wifey note: he hates sitting on the floor for any length of time. Period.)
We took our CLS test and I thought I got a 100%, but I missed a few questions apparently. They didn't show us the graded test. Only 2 people in the whole company got 100's and they got to make a 5 minute phone call home. I got a 90% so I got 2 days off fire guard so I can sleep through the whole night! (Fire guard is where you and your bunk mate guard the bay and clean for an hour shift at night. Usually you get it every other night.)
After dinner we were each told to grab a sand bag and report to our sleep bay. Then we had to push our bunks to the walls and open all 60 sand bags on the floor. The DS dumped water on it and the fun started. After getting smoked for about 45 minutes he told us to clean up our mess. When the DS walked out a huge yelling match ensued with all the hot headed males stating their grievances with each other. Eventually we level-headed "old guys" brought the situation under control before the fists started flying... And a few hours later our beach was nowhere to be seen. I got to bed around 23:30 only to be woken up at 00:15 to get smoked because our fire guard wasn't wearing his uniform correctly. It was a short night.
Thursday 9/22
It rained all day today so we were stuck in the classroom all day. We went over sexual harassment policies, Army law, rules of engagement, and the basics of shooting a rifle. We go to the range for the first time next Tuesday so we're all excited about that.
I can tell I'm getting stronger - I'm doing better at pushing through the smoke sessions without getting to muscle failure as soon. We haven't run as much as I expected so I'm kind of worried about my 2 mile time on our next APFT. Apparently, we run more in the next two phases.
I got 5 letters at mail call tonight and that was a huge boost to morale - so thanks to all of you who wrote! Overall, I'm in good spirits. The first 2 weeks were hard to adapt to, but I'm starting to get used to the pace. I still don't have a lot of time to read my Bible, but there's plenty of time standing at the position of attention to pray. Friendships are starting to form and there are about 3 guys I talk with most.
I suppose I should say a little about my DS's. First off, NCO's submit applications or are selected to serve as DS's for 2 year terms. All of mine have had extensive combat experience and they range in age from 27-36. Our lead DS was in the 160th Aviation Regiment - a special forces unit that takes the aviation missions too dangerous for regular units. He's been shot down 3 times, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Our platoon is named the "Night Stalkers" after the 160th. He's cool with us when we do things right and is everyone's favorite. One has an infantry background and has one volume: Loud. He's Irish/Puero Rican and grew up in Miami so understanding his colorful, limited vocabulary is often difficult. He's the most quoted DS in the bay at night. The other two are pretty stereotypical - one has an MP background (our only female DS) and the other has an infantry background.
Everyone is getting sick. Long days, short nights, limited hygiene, and cramming 60 people into bays are a recipe for mass sickness. I've got a bad cough and constant nasal drainage. I usually can't talk until about noon. We can't have medicine and wasting a day at sick call could mean you'll miss important training and restart with the next cycle at Day 1.
That's all I got for today. Happy birthday to my favorite brother!
Friday 9/23
More rain this morning. (Is there a hurricane on the East Coast? If someone wants to highlight some current events in a letter, that'd be cool! We're totally cut off from what's happening outside our company.) (Wifey note: Would someone please do this for him? I, um, don't keep up with world events well enough to know a) what's happening, b) what's important - I did see that Michelle Obama was shopping incognito at Target, but I'm pretty sure that's not the kind of news he's looking for...) So, today is "Admin Day" so we're doing the same things we did yesterday. We keep geting bogus writing assignments that keep us up at night, so we can't use our personal time or get to sleep at a decent hour. We try to write during some of our classes, but if we get caught, the consequences aren't fun, so we try to be sneaky. They only collect about 1/2 of what they assign, but if you don't have what they asked for, they double or triple the original amount. For examply, they made us write "The Soldier's Creed (the whole thing, not just the title) 60 times. It took 10 hours to finish and they never collected it. Needless to say, this will be a short entry. When rain stops, I'll have more to write and when I finish my assignments, I'll write the people back that have sent letters. (Wifey note: If you wrote him and you don't EVER get a reply, please, please, please don't be upset. He just may never have the time - it's not personal. Just know that your writing to and thinking of him is an encouragement.)
Friday 9/23 Afternoon/Evening
Since it was an Admin Day, some people went to exchange bad boots and glasses. So we sat in a classroom for about 2.5 hours while people took care of getting replacements. It was the most "free time" we'd had since we got here. The DS's left one of the NCO's going through BCT with us (He's transferring from the Air Force, and the Army made him go through Basic again even though he is an E-5 with 6 years prior service.) He let us talk so I got a chance to learn more about some of the guys I'm with. We actually got to "rest" for a few hours.
The pendulum has started swinging the other direction on our way to dinner when our platoon was corrected by 2 different DS's from other companies. Then people wouldn't stop talking when the DS was trying to explain something, so the head DS flipped out. Only when he gets angry with us he gets quiet. Well, this was the most upset he's been with us. Our 2 hour smoke session involved sand in the barracks (again), running, and our winter PT uniforms. It wasn't fun. At all.
I got about 5 letters at mail call and they were all extremely encouraging with great Scripture to lift me up.
More fun started when the DS's found 8 people doing laundry outside the bay after lights out. Apparently, the 2 people on fire guard didn't even try to stop them. So we were all woken up at midnight and had to have 12 man fireguard teams wearing full battle gear pulling 2 hour shifts. We'll do this until the DS lets us go back to normal 2 man, 1 hour shifts. I got about 2 hours of sleep that night.
I hope my overall tone hasn't come across as whiny or overly dramatic. What we have to do here is challenging and stressful at times, but nothing a reasonable person can't handle. Red Phase especially is designed to be taxing, but if we get our act together, Red Phase will be done in a week and I'll have more fun and positive stories to share about White Phase.
Keep my health in your prayers. My cold has made a turn for the worse and now I have some kind of infection. Also, pray that the weather will cooperate with our training schedule. The rain this week put us significantly behind. Thanks to everyone who is taking care of my bride while I'm gone - I can't tell you how much that means to me. (Wifey note: I can't tell you how much it means to me either. I tell him in my letters about all the things people have reached out and done. I do not know if I will ever be able to thank you enough.)
Saturday 9/24
We woke up at 04:00 after our long night in body armor for our first full APFT. We started off doing our push ups and sit ups and I passed both. My form still isn't 100% correct. All the repetitions I do actually get counted. While I was standing in line, I was so tired I actually fell asleep standing up. Fortunately, I woke up before I fell over. I can't say I've ever done that before.
We were then broken off into groups of 8-10 to head out to the track to run the 2 mile. About 2 groups finished before a cold, driving rain started. By the time my group started it was an all-out down pour that flooded the track. When the lightning and thunder picked up, they finally called it off, so I'll have to re-do that event sometime.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We went over more BRM basics, got a long lecture on how we needed to shape up/how we're "pathetic human beings" and our Saturday night MRE dinner. Mine came with spaghetti, blueberry cobbler, Skittles (that I couldn't eat), crackers, and some other random goodies. At least 4/5 people like what they get. I've got CQ "tonight" from 03:00-05:00" which is essentially a 2 hour fire guard in the DS office with the overnight DS. It's usually pretty chill and they let you write letters and do laundry. One more week is done.
Tuesday 9/20
The day started on a lousy note. We had our first road march towards our graduation requirements and it was pouring rain. I ate a light breakfast since we were going to the gas chamber. We put on our uniforms, assault gear, helmets, and lots of water [read: weight] and set off in the rain. We only hiked 2 miles, but we were soaked from head to toe. About 10 people from our company fell out - it's sad how completely out of shape some people are.
Our destination was the gas chamber. The range cadre checked our masks to make sure they sealed properly, showed us how to clear them (very similar to clearing a diving mask). We filed into the chamber filled with CS Gas and did drills to gain confidence in our equipment. The we lifted our mask slightly and had to seal and re-clear it. That didn't go so well. I didn't get all the gas out and started hacking for a few seconds until the gas filtered out. My eyes and exposed skin also started burning - like a really bad sunburn. Then we had to take our mask off and hold it over our heads while saying the soldier's creed. I got about 2 lines out before I started coughing, dry heaving, and dripping mucus from my face. It was the most unpleasant thing I've ever done. After 30 seconds without masks, they let us out. We stumbled out flapping our arms (per the instructions) and tried to regain composure. I couldn't see very well and almost blacked out. After about 3 minutes we could report our names clearly enough to have them checked off. A few tissues and a few more minutes later and we were back to normal.
I wasn't scared or apprehensive the entire time through, so I think that helped. It was very unpleasant, but if I was forced to do it again, I would. Another graduation requirement done.
We had hot-A's (Army catering in the field), which are better than MRE's, but worse than the DFAC. (Actually, MRE's are pretty good. Saturday night is MRE night and we can actually talk quietly and eat at a reasonable pace. We can't keep or eat the candy in the pouch though.) Then we marched back to our barracks. It stopped raining for the afternoon hike and all the sand was packed from the rain, so it was easier on the way back. We spent the next 5 hours going over CLS for our test tomorrow. Long day but we knocked out 2 graduation requirements.
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| Before |
 |
| After |
Wednesday 9/21
We had a PT session in the morning followed by chow and death by Powerpoint. The weather has been rainy recently and apparently we can't do our next training cycle in the rain. We don't have classrooms (no idea if that is intentional or not), so we sit on the bay floor with a projector for the slides. Not really a fan. (Wifey note: he hates sitting on the floor for any length of time. Period.)
We took our CLS test and I thought I got a 100%, but I missed a few questions apparently. They didn't show us the graded test. Only 2 people in the whole company got 100's and they got to make a 5 minute phone call home. I got a 90% so I got 2 days off fire guard so I can sleep through the whole night! (Fire guard is where you and your bunk mate guard the bay and clean for an hour shift at night. Usually you get it every other night.)
After dinner we were each told to grab a sand bag and report to our sleep bay. Then we had to push our bunks to the walls and open all 60 sand bags on the floor. The DS dumped water on it and the fun started. After getting smoked for about 45 minutes he told us to clean up our mess. When the DS walked out a huge yelling match ensued with all the hot headed males stating their grievances with each other. Eventually we level-headed "old guys" brought the situation under control before the fists started flying... And a few hours later our beach was nowhere to be seen. I got to bed around 23:30 only to be woken up at 00:15 to get smoked because our fire guard wasn't wearing his uniform correctly. It was a short night.
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| In the classroom |
Thursday 9/22
It rained all day today so we were stuck in the classroom all day. We went over sexual harassment policies, Army law, rules of engagement, and the basics of shooting a rifle. We go to the range for the first time next Tuesday so we're all excited about that.
I can tell I'm getting stronger - I'm doing better at pushing through the smoke sessions without getting to muscle failure as soon. We haven't run as much as I expected so I'm kind of worried about my 2 mile time on our next APFT. Apparently, we run more in the next two phases.
I got 5 letters at mail call tonight and that was a huge boost to morale - so thanks to all of you who wrote! Overall, I'm in good spirits. The first 2 weeks were hard to adapt to, but I'm starting to get used to the pace. I still don't have a lot of time to read my Bible, but there's plenty of time standing at the position of attention to pray. Friendships are starting to form and there are about 3 guys I talk with most.
I suppose I should say a little about my DS's. First off, NCO's submit applications or are selected to serve as DS's for 2 year terms. All of mine have had extensive combat experience and they range in age from 27-36. Our lead DS was in the 160th Aviation Regiment - a special forces unit that takes the aviation missions too dangerous for regular units. He's been shot down 3 times, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Our platoon is named the "Night Stalkers" after the 160th. He's cool with us when we do things right and is everyone's favorite. One has an infantry background and has one volume: Loud. He's Irish/Puero Rican and grew up in Miami so understanding his colorful, limited vocabulary is often difficult. He's the most quoted DS in the bay at night. The other two are pretty stereotypical - one has an MP background (our only female DS) and the other has an infantry background.
Everyone is getting sick. Long days, short nights, limited hygiene, and cramming 60 people into bays are a recipe for mass sickness. I've got a bad cough and constant nasal drainage. I usually can't talk until about noon. We can't have medicine and wasting a day at sick call could mean you'll miss important training and restart with the next cycle at Day 1.
That's all I got for today. Happy birthday to my favorite brother!
Friday 9/23
More rain this morning. (Is there a hurricane on the East Coast? If someone wants to highlight some current events in a letter, that'd be cool! We're totally cut off from what's happening outside our company.) (Wifey note: Would someone please do this for him? I, um, don't keep up with world events well enough to know a) what's happening, b) what's important - I did see that Michelle Obama was shopping incognito at Target, but I'm pretty sure that's not the kind of news he's looking for...) So, today is "Admin Day" so we're doing the same things we did yesterday. We keep geting bogus writing assignments that keep us up at night, so we can't use our personal time or get to sleep at a decent hour. We try to write during some of our classes, but if we get caught, the consequences aren't fun, so we try to be sneaky. They only collect about 1/2 of what they assign, but if you don't have what they asked for, they double or triple the original amount. For examply, they made us write "The Soldier's Creed (the whole thing, not just the title) 60 times. It took 10 hours to finish and they never collected it. Needless to say, this will be a short entry. When rain stops, I'll have more to write and when I finish my assignments, I'll write the people back that have sent letters. (Wifey note: If you wrote him and you don't EVER get a reply, please, please, please don't be upset. He just may never have the time - it's not personal. Just know that your writing to and thinking of him is an encouragement.)
Friday 9/23 Afternoon/Evening
Since it was an Admin Day, some people went to exchange bad boots and glasses. So we sat in a classroom for about 2.5 hours while people took care of getting replacements. It was the most "free time" we'd had since we got here. The DS's left one of the NCO's going through BCT with us (He's transferring from the Air Force, and the Army made him go through Basic again even though he is an E-5 with 6 years prior service.) He let us talk so I got a chance to learn more about some of the guys I'm with. We actually got to "rest" for a few hours.
The pendulum has started swinging the other direction on our way to dinner when our platoon was corrected by 2 different DS's from other companies. Then people wouldn't stop talking when the DS was trying to explain something, so the head DS flipped out. Only when he gets angry with us he gets quiet. Well, this was the most upset he's been with us. Our 2 hour smoke session involved sand in the barracks (again), running, and our winter PT uniforms. It wasn't fun. At all.
I got about 5 letters at mail call and they were all extremely encouraging with great Scripture to lift me up.
More fun started when the DS's found 8 people doing laundry outside the bay after lights out. Apparently, the 2 people on fire guard didn't even try to stop them. So we were all woken up at midnight and had to have 12 man fireguard teams wearing full battle gear pulling 2 hour shifts. We'll do this until the DS lets us go back to normal 2 man, 1 hour shifts. I got about 2 hours of sleep that night.
I hope my overall tone hasn't come across as whiny or overly dramatic. What we have to do here is challenging and stressful at times, but nothing a reasonable person can't handle. Red Phase especially is designed to be taxing, but if we get our act together, Red Phase will be done in a week and I'll have more fun and positive stories to share about White Phase.
Keep my health in your prayers. My cold has made a turn for the worse and now I have some kind of infection. Also, pray that the weather will cooperate with our training schedule. The rain this week put us significantly behind. Thanks to everyone who is taking care of my bride while I'm gone - I can't tell you how much that means to me. (Wifey note: I can't tell you how much it means to me either. I tell him in my letters about all the things people have reached out and done. I do not know if I will ever be able to thank you enough.)
Saturday 9/24
We woke up at 04:00 after our long night in body armor for our first full APFT. We started off doing our push ups and sit ups and I passed both. My form still isn't 100% correct. All the repetitions I do actually get counted. While I was standing in line, I was so tired I actually fell asleep standing up. Fortunately, I woke up before I fell over. I can't say I've ever done that before.
We were then broken off into groups of 8-10 to head out to the track to run the 2 mile. About 2 groups finished before a cold, driving rain started. By the time my group started it was an all-out down pour that flooded the track. When the lightning and thunder picked up, they finally called it off, so I'll have to re-do that event sometime.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We went over more BRM basics, got a long lecture on how we needed to shape up/how we're "pathetic human beings" and our Saturday night MRE dinner. Mine came with spaghetti, blueberry cobbler, Skittles (that I couldn't eat), crackers, and some other random goodies. At least 4/5 people like what they get. I've got CQ "tonight" from 03:00-05:00" which is essentially a 2 hour fire guard in the DS office with the overnight DS. It's usually pretty chill and they let you write letters and do laundry. One more week is done.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
RSP- Blue Phase
First was Red Phase, then White Phase, now- you guessed it: Blue Phase. Clever. It's the last phase of RSP before you ship to BCT. Essentially I was paid to do paperwork for the weekend. The cadre make sure you've got all your paperwork in order and scare you one more time about fraudulent enlistment and all the ways you can get kicked out for withholding information. For example- if you leave for basic with unpaid parking tickets- you're on the first flight home with a dishonorable discharge. They even said if you've got a ticket from a red light camera that hasn't been mailed to you yet you could still get discharged. So I'll be calling the city tomorrow to make sure I'm squared away on that... it's enough to make anyone paranoid. There was also a lengthy time of Q&A for anyone with lingering questions about anything really. Surprisingly, people asked good questions so it was a constructive use of time.
The unit commander came in to talk to a few of us about OCS. I didn't really learn anything new but he told me when I got back from basic he'd look into sending me to Federal OCS at Fort Benning. That sounds like the ideal pace for me- not too fast, but quick enough to get my commission before the war is over.
PT at drill was the same as last month, I ran the 2 mile about 40 seconds faster this time, so felt good about that. It also rained here Saturday morning for the first time in months, so it was "cool" (below 90 degrees) and running in the rain felt tremendous. Sunday morning we did a 3-ish mile obstacle run that included bounding over seven foot chain link fences, running up stairs, weaving between poles, etc. One soldier puked twice, and about 5 out of the 30 fell out of the run.
I pulled my packet-o-information and noticed my ship date is a week later than what I thought it was. So I've got another few days at home and I'll get to enjoy Labor Day weekend.
The unit commander came in to talk to a few of us about OCS. I didn't really learn anything new but he told me when I got back from basic he'd look into sending me to Federal OCS at Fort Benning. That sounds like the ideal pace for me- not too fast, but quick enough to get my commission before the war is over.
PT at drill was the same as last month, I ran the 2 mile about 40 seconds faster this time, so felt good about that. It also rained here Saturday morning for the first time in months, so it was "cool" (below 90 degrees) and running in the rain felt tremendous. Sunday morning we did a 3-ish mile obstacle run that included bounding over seven foot chain link fences, running up stairs, weaving between poles, etc. One soldier puked twice, and about 5 out of the 30 fell out of the run.
I pulled my packet-o-information and noticed my ship date is a week later than what I thought it was. So I've got another few days at home and I'll get to enjoy Labor Day weekend.
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.]
Monday, June 13, 2011
RSP- Red Phase
This weekend was my first drill with the National Guard. It was a bit unusual as Saturday's normal drill was replaced by a trip to an Indy race. My recruiter got my wife and I vouchers to go on a pit tour, hang out at the NG Racing hospitality tent, race tickets, and best of all- we got passes to take 3 laps in the back seat of a modified Indy car. Unfortunately, I was too tall to fit and was unable to ride. But my wife got to experience the track at 180 mph. When she got out she asked who her driver was- Mario Andretti. It was an unforgettable experience and probably the most fun I've been paid to have.
Sunday I met up with the recruits doing the normal drill. The NG has a program unlike any other service that prepares you for basic training. RSP or Recruit Sustainment Program helps you get one step ahead by exposing you to elements of basic training that tend to hang up new recruits. Its a low pressure environment that allows you to fail without getting chewed out for it- in other words you're still treated like a human being while you're learning.
Red Phase is the first phase of the program. We were issued track suits, notebooks, an Army policy book, and a book that most people don't get until basic to start studying. I missed day one so I don't know exactly what the rest of my class did, but it sounded like mostly paperwork, customs and courtesies, and drill and ceremony. Sunday morning we stared out with a 1-1-1 or half of a regular APFT (1 min. max push-ups, 1 min. max sit-ups, 1 mile run). I well exceeded the requirements for push-ups and sit-ups but was just a tad too slow on the mile run. Each event has a maximum score of 100 points and to pass basic training you need to score at least 50 points in each event. However, in the RSP program you need to be able to score 60 points in each before they'll let you attend BCT. Next month I'll do the full test and I know where I need to push myself.
The rest of the day we did drill and ceremony (marching, formations, saluting, etc...), took a group test, filled out paperwork, and the guys who didn't have an AKO account (army email and such) were signed up for one. Even after one weekend, it's neat to see how a rag-tag group of civilians are starting to be transformed into members of the greatest military force on the planet. We were dismissed around 1400 and I was home 15 minutes after that. Not a bad weekend.
Sunday I met up with the recruits doing the normal drill. The NG has a program unlike any other service that prepares you for basic training. RSP or Recruit Sustainment Program helps you get one step ahead by exposing you to elements of basic training that tend to hang up new recruits. Its a low pressure environment that allows you to fail without getting chewed out for it- in other words you're still treated like a human being while you're learning.
Red Phase is the first phase of the program. We were issued track suits, notebooks, an Army policy book, and a book that most people don't get until basic to start studying. I missed day one so I don't know exactly what the rest of my class did, but it sounded like mostly paperwork, customs and courtesies, and drill and ceremony. Sunday morning we stared out with a 1-1-1 or half of a regular APFT (1 min. max push-ups, 1 min. max sit-ups, 1 mile run). I well exceeded the requirements for push-ups and sit-ups but was just a tad too slow on the mile run. Each event has a maximum score of 100 points and to pass basic training you need to score at least 50 points in each event. However, in the RSP program you need to be able to score 60 points in each before they'll let you attend BCT. Next month I'll do the full test and I know where I need to push myself.
The rest of the day we did drill and ceremony (marching, formations, saluting, etc...), took a group test, filled out paperwork, and the guys who didn't have an AKO account (army email and such) were signed up for one. Even after one weekend, it's neat to see how a rag-tag group of civilians are starting to be transformed into members of the greatest military force on the planet. We were dismissed around 1400 and I was home 15 minutes after that. Not a bad weekend.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Eight Week Mark
Even though my basic is currently set for September, my goal is to be ready in the next 8 weeks so I can leave sooner if a spot opens up. I am following the workout plan outlined in The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook by Michael Volkin. Since I have difficulty adjusting to new sleeping patterns I'm also waking up at 0500 to get used to the change. I'll bump it up to 0430 in a few weeks once the daily PT takes more time.
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