in Defense

2007-06-08T19:14:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Hating life here at 1/506 HHC. We (me and the one other guy who came with) just pretty much get humiliated and smoked all day long. I sort of expected this sort of reception, but I also hoped for something better, since everyone said the "real" army was going to be way better than basic and AIT. This hazing crap is worse than basic, even. At least at basic they never made it personal. Here it's very personal. On Wednesday I even had to let the evac section NCOIC choke me out for the amusement of the other guys. It was awesome. Yes, that's sarcasm.

I'm depressed right now, and kind of pissed. This is the only time in my army career, including Basic, that I ever even seriously considered going AWOL. I won't, of course, it'd basically ruin my life, but I think about it a lot here. I want to talk to the commander about getting moved to another unit, even inside this brigade, but I doubt he'd listen or care. Well, he'd probably listen and then I'd get MORE shit for even having brought it up. I love those Catch-22s. It makes me even want to get out of the Army, it's so bad sometimes.

Not to say everyone is a dick. My team leader is fair and so is one of the other E-5s in the aid station. The other SGT (the only guy in the aid station besides my team leader who seems interested in training us at all) is a great guy, though. He's the only one so far who's let us do anything medical. Otherwise all we do is take out trash and vacuum and do push-ups and flutterkicks on the whims of the E-5s in the aid station. And not for doing anything wrong, either. He doesn't do anything to stop the humiliation me and the other guy get put through, but he never participates either.

The bitch about it is that I'm a very loyal, motivated guy... I will do whatever you order me to and I will do it to the best of my ability. That has been proven through my training. I won an AAM at basic and I was an honor grad at AIT and I 99% of the time do the right thing. And that other 1% is usually unintentionally doing the wrong thing. I've done maybe one thing knowingly against the rules in my time in the Army. I've liked the Army so far and intended on being the best soldier I could be at all times.

But shit this stuff wears on you. My arms are so sore right now I can't bend them and I'm hating life. I talked to my friends who went to other bases--Ft. Lewis, Ft. Hood, the Old Guard in DC-- and they all say they don't get fucked with at all, even though they're PV2s as well.

I hope this hell passes in a week or two. I don't know how much more I can take.

2007-06-02T23:45:00.000-04:00

Trying to assemble this MOLLE II rucksack is like solving a rubix cube...

Done processing now, just waiting to go to my unit on monday morning. I got all my CIF crap to include my IBA, rucksack and other TA-50. The IBA here comes with axillary and deltoid protectors as well, never seen them on an IBA before (my limited experience with the IBA anyway) so I don't know how to assemble them. :P Same goes for the rucksack. I think I may be missing some straps, too, as part of it was already assembled but it doesn't look right... I guess my squad or team leader will square me away at my unit.

Still kind of nervous about all that.

2007-05-29T14:02:00.000-04:00

I'm here at Ft. Campbell, still in processing. I'll be done processing this Friday but I'll spend the weekend here and then go to my unit on Monday. I'm hoping to get a support unit or maybe HHC... from what I hear the infantry units fuck with you, even if you're not 11B. :P That wouldn't be so bad, I guess, being in an infantry unit has its bonuses I'm sure... but I'd rather start off a little easier. Adjusting to a whole new base is hard enough already.

Tomorrow I get to receive about 1,000,000 vaccinations, including smallpox, so that should be a party. :| I have no clue what battalion or company I'm headed to, so I can't even look anything up on the topic. Just sitting here, idle, exploring the biggest PX in the Army.

More later.

101 Screaming Chickens

2007-05-24T23:54:00.001-04:00

101 Screaming Chickens
Originally uploaded by meta474.

Well, I'm here. Old Abe sits on my shoulder. Currahee stands alone on my beret. I'm not done processing until june 4th though. the post/division commander (he's both) briefed us today. Everything here sounds pretty intense, including PT and some of the shooting we'll be doing. My unit is going to Afghanistan, not Iraq, so that's good news.

Expect more later.

From my trip to Colorado

2007-05-21T18:51:00.001-04:00

IMG_0433
Originally uploaded by meta474.

This photo is from my trip to Colorado. The Falls at the Alluvial Plain trailheads. Mostly just posting this to test the flickr blog-post functionality. More photos like this at my flickr, link is at the bottom of the left sidebar.

How do you guys like the new look? Oh, and don't miss the post with actual information, about two posts down from this. :P

2007-05-21T18:20:00.001-04:00

Changing the layout a bit. My links are bound to get fucked, so as not to lose any of the links to the other basic training journals, here's the original link list:

My Favorite News Sites

IGN PC

IGN 360

Ars Technica

Slashdot

Infinite Loop

Blogs of Interest

Blackfive

Adventures of a Detailed Recruiter

Recruiting Tirade

Citizen Smash

Jack Army

Guidons, Guidons, Guidons

Greyhawk

the Jake Silver Show

Army Basic Training Journals

Dana Paynter's Army Basic Journal

armybct.blogspot.com

http://rhybon.blogspot.com

http://going2serve.blogspot.com

http://www.xanga.com/macrossunc

basictrainingblog.com

Medic Simon (See old entries for BCT)

Basic, Benning and Me

BCT Journal

us-army-info.com BCT Journal

BCT Diary

Anjviola's BCT Journal

Letters from Chris

Marck's Boot Camp Diary

2007-05-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

Well gang, my leave is coming to an end. :'(

On Wednesday I fly from Philadelphia to Nashville and then take an hour ride to Ft. Campbell. I'm reporting to the 4th BCT replacement company late wednesday night. I'm a little nervous about that flight -- I didn't want it, because it left and arrived far too late (I don't want to give exact times) but the lady at SATO at Ft. Sam couldn't get me anything better on the 23rd. My report date isn't until the 24th, though, even though my leave ends on the 23rd, so I shouldn't get in trouble (I don't think) if something happens (late plane? car trouble?) and I arrive at the replacement company after midnight. I may get charged another day of leave, but oh well. If anyone knows more specifics on that, let me know.

My time at home was awesome. HRAP turned out all right, although it was a pain in the ass. I managed to dig up two leads a day for most of it, only missing the last three days worth of leads, since I had run out of willing friends and friends-of-friends, but the sergeant signed off on all of it anyway. I've heard from several people that he couldn't mandate leads anyway, so I think I was all right anyway, as long as I made an effort. Get HRAP, active duty guys, because it's extra leave and no matter what happens you can't beat that, but be aware depending on your station commander is may be gay.

Other than that, though, leave was great. Enjoyed being in a relaxed, civilian setting for awhile, enjoyed my friends and my house and my bed. Makes me wish I was still a civilian, but I know if that were the case I'd be miserable still, so I'm definitely better off in the Army.

Time to report to the real Army, though. I'm all full of questions and wonders but I guess I'll get all my answers soon. Will my unit deploy quiickly, or not for awhile? Is Ft. Campbell gay like Ft. Sam? Will they treat me human? What will I be doing in garrison as a medic? How will the other guys in my unit be? A million questions just like that.

On another topic, they've laid the smackdown on blogging lately, in the Army. I may not be able to continue this blog once I get to my unit. I don't want to violate any orders and get in UCMJ trouble. Know that I want to continue but if I had to stop, it was for the best.

Wish me luck.

2007-05-01T13:19:00.000-04:00

Wow, HRAP kind of sucks.

home on leave, currently serving my 14 days of HRAP... got my brief from the recruiter today -- apparently I have to generate a minimum of 2 leads per day, five days a week and sometimes saturdays or else he won't sign off on my leave form and I'll get charged for the TDY as regular leave.

Makes me nervous since anyone who knows me knows that I am not a people person. I'm hoping my resources of friends and friends-of-friends holds out long enough...

I always expected to be a "visual aid" for the recruiter more than anything. Tag along to presentations or be around while he was conducting interviews and share my experiences, not really be a mini-recruiter. Oh well, hope I meet the standard.

2007-04-28T19:22:00.000-04:00

I'm back and MOS qualified.

FTX was pretty badass. We got there on Wednesday around 1000. Got off the bus, got our brief (during which, as with every piece of training, some NCOs try and intimidate you about how they're more badass than any NCOs youve seen before in the course) and grabbed a flak vest each (not an IBA, an actual stinking, wet, dirty flak vest). We spent the rest of that day moving in and drawing weapons and such. The tents are 30-man tents and everyone gets a canvass fold-out cot to lay their sleeping bag on. Not a bad set-up, actually.

The next day was spent at the range. We did some bullshit grouping and zeroing (really, did neither since the guy wouldn't adjust your sights since yes, it was bullshit) and then fired some close-combat rounds at about 15m from a target with different colors and shapes. Basically a waste of time, although I enjoy shooting so it wasn't too bad.

Our schedule got changed around a bit because of rumored heavy thunderstorms/tornadoes later int he week and our "culminating event" that was supposed to be the last day we actually did the day after the range, before the four days of medic training ("war days"). Basically you go out on a patrol, but in reality it's lighter and easier than the STX and FTX patrol lanes... it's basically a pump-you-up event. You start out doing some intense front leaning rest for 8 or 9 minutes on the CTA there while they go down the line one by one and you do 15 push-ups, then the next guy, then the next and you hold the front leaning rest. But they play music and the commander and first sergeant run around encouraging you. It's okay, I guess. Kind of fort-sam-gay but not too bad. Then you disassemble your rifle and reassemble it (retard-simple) then you go out on the "patrol" and carry a guy around after he gets wounded then you go back. Nothing much to worry about.

The following day started "war days." That's the four days, four stations part of FTX that is actually fun/hard. Day one for me was "patrol" and it was much like the STX patrol lane but a little bit harder because you did two patrols in one day. Wake-up on war days is 0320 and first formation is 0415. Then you eat and must be ready to hand over to the STX sergeants by 0500. For patrol we moved out right around 0520 to the hilltop where we'd get our OP order. Slightly less than a one mile ruck march up a hill, not hard but they book it and if you have short legs, you'll probably fall out/back a bit. But like everything else at fort sam, it's not really hard it just requires a little heart. At the top you get your op order and move out. The terrain at Camp Bullis is hilldy and try, vegetated with short scrub trees and cacti so it's not too bad to travel on, although the hills break you off when you get 4, 5 patients with 20ish people to carry and pull security.

The lanes at FTX are not supposed to be "training" per se, since they basically test your knowledge. The NCOs don't tell you much, just give you the op orders and such you need to execute whatever they want to see you do. It's surprising how much you know if you take a step back and look at what a group of 20-40 privates can do on their own, although if you listen to the NCOs we're all idiots who fell asleep in class. :P

The next station for us was moulage, where you're just a patient for the other lanes -- a good break to have after patrol, because I was broke the hell off after carrying the radio (I was RTO for our squad for both patrols) and litter patients all the previous morning. Moulage is pretty cool because you get a glimpse of the other lanes but without having pressure put on you.

The third day we did MOUT - Military Operations in Urban Terrain. It's the same old room-clearing, casualty-evac stuff as the STX MOUT but the site was much more built up, they actually had houses to clear with multiple floors and trap doors and stuff. Pretty sweet. We set up a CCP inside a building, too, and all the squads clearing houses brought their casualties there. They were more concerned at MOUT about our medical care and the execution of our CCP (casualty collection point) than our actual room-clearing skills, and for good reason.

Fourth and final day, thank God, was BAS/FAS. I did FAS first (forward aid staton). This is an aid station that is very close to the actual battle so it's set up in 20 minutes total and you've a very limited time to treat and package the patients before you have to move out. The FAS is an extension of the BAS and designed to provide quicker forward medical care to increase the survivabiliy of wounds. FAS is all about expeditious treatment and it's run mostly by medics.

BAS, the second half of the fourth day, is Battalion Aid Staton, same as the STX one we did. the BAS is a more rearward treatment area and assumes the site is secure, so you have more time to provide treatment and have a greater level of care. Again, privates basically ran this thing with minimal guidance from the cadre at FTX.

And that was it, pretty much. Camp Bullis is pretty cool... guys found scorpions in their boots in the morning, girls found out they can smell worse than men and everyone got pretty tired. But you know what? It's over.

The last day of FTX was spent turning in weapons (yes, they actually have to be clean, so don't be a shithead and never clean your rifle. Mostly worry about the star chamber and any carbon in the barrel) and cleaning up the site. We moved out around 1pm back to Ft. Sam.

So that's it, I'm now a 68W in the US Army. After we got back from Camp Bullis we got cut our orders on paper and we signed some leave forms and such. I'm going to Infantry Brigade 04, 4th UA, 101st Division, Fort Campbell, KY. I've also got some HRAP and charged leave coming, so I'll be home for awhile. We turned in our gear on Friday to CIF and did some graduation practice. I'm an honor grad with the fourth or fifth highest GPA (not sure if that fifth person is higher than me or if they just sit ahead of me in the order because they're also part of the foreign natonal delegation). I graduate on Monday at 0900 and then I go home.

2007-04-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Week 14 or 15 here at Ft. Sam 68W10. All I have left is one day of STX, a day of FTX prep and the FTX. And then I outprocess, graduate and go home on leave. Following which, of course, I proceed to fort campbell and then probably iraq a few weeks/months later.

Anyway, training this week was a blast. Monday and Tuesday I did some trauma lanes. That is some high-speed shit, let me tell you. That's the kind of training we need here, not the psuedo-simulated manikin bullcrap we get for the rest of the course. We need darkness and noise and pressure and realistic simulation (not the verbalized crap we do otherwise). I got a first-time go on the trauma lanes no problem, but I'd say half of the people didn't. Everyone got it eventually, but that 50% initial no-go rate shows me that we're lacking in realistic training. Anyway. Trauma lanes you basically executed the three phases of Tactical Combat Casualty Care -- Care under Fire, Tactical Field Care and evacuation all with one NCO 68W instructor watching over you, spraying you with blood to signify bleeding while you tried to treat, hassling the shit out of you and evaluating your every move while loud music played. Good stuff. Both at night (darkness) and during the day (with the lights on). It's not hard to get a first time go if you know your stuff, but they dfinitely fuck with you and if you don't have confidence they will get you to freeze up.

Wednesday and Thursday was patrol and MOUT. Both were awesome. Patrol can break you the fuck off if your team sucks, but even if you have a good, communicating, working-together team it's still damn tiring. It's basically more Tactical Combat Casualty Care but with the whole set-up of going on a patrol, getting a patrol base, getting a call to rescue downed pilots and then moving out, setting a CCP and going in to save the pilots, then litter-carrying them 2 or so miles back to the pickup location. The field spot for it has some serious hilly, swampy, muddy terrain, too. Think the worst vietnam terrain you've ever seen in a movie. MOUT was room-clearing 101 again, this time with casualty treatment and evac worked into it so you know your space as a medic. More good training.

Friday we did Blood Lab which is the mass casualty scenarios you may have heard of, the embassy bombing and the marketplace suicide bomber. you go in with a team of medics after marines or army have secured the scene adn start treating the mass cal incident. Really intense stuff. Loud music is playing, fog machines are going, the lights are mostly out and strobe lights are firing. It's intense. Definitely my favorite out of all the STX training and the one where I learned the most. They don't train you too well on mass cal stuff until this. It's hard as hell to coordinate if you're the team leader, but the focus is getting everyone tourniquets and worrying about airway only if they need it, but basically not doing anything other than airway/breathing and hemmorhage control.

Monday I've got Battalion Aid Station which is supposed to be more good training on how to coordiante your patrol medics and Combat Life Savers (CLS) with tactical field care with being evac'd to a battalion aid station and then how to handle casualties at the aid station. All this STX training covers stuff badly needed which I guess is why they do it.

Tuesday we do FTX prep and then Wednesday bright and early (as I understand it -- it may actually be tuesday night) we head to teh FTX site up the road a ways at Camp Bullis. I'll be there for a week doing some range stuff, more patrol and MOUT stuff, trauma lanes again, etc. -- basically even more realistic versions of everything I already did at STX -- for a week and then I'll be back in time to out process and graduate.

So close, reader(s), so close! wish me luck!

2007-04-08T10:43:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Another week is over, thank God.

This past week we started STX. We spent Monday finishing some cleanup for whiskey-side and then on Monday afternoon we drew weapons for STX. I've got another M16A2 to carry around. Weapons immersion is gay. Tuesday we started STX and my team (Team 1) had clinical rotations at BAMC.

Clinical rotations are the best thing in STX by far. You get to go to BAMC and eat good food for two meals, you don't have to do PT and you get to work in a real environment with real NCOs and civilian workers but without all the BS the instructors and drill sergeants bring. It was awesome to deal with real patients in a hospital setting, give IVs, check vitals and watch operations. I was put in the PACU (Post Anathaesia Care Unit, where everyone comes post-op until they have a post-op void) and I did IVs on a few guys and did a patient assessment (SOAP note) on a couple, too. I got to watch a hand surgery and a deviated septum repair. The Operating room is surprisingly laid back -- they even listened to music while they worked. The whole hospital experience really encouraged me to further my medical training ASAP.

That was Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday we did "battle drills" which basically means it was a cover for the two days during STX that you can get away with missing instruction time. We did a little BS training and then sat on the CTA. Same for Friday, except this time less BS training (we did the EST2000 -- indoor shooting range, the video game thing that I did in basic) and more sitting on the CTA.

So now I've got the fun/easy stuff out of the way for STX, all I have left is the hard stuff. Trauma lanes, blood lab, patrol, MOUT, etc. etc. -- some of it is fun, like blood lab and some of it is stressful, like trauma lanes and patrol. Patrol, I hear, is the worst because it just physically kicks your ass. guess I'll find out.

Only three weeks until graduation now, something like 15 or 16 training days and then some outprocessing.

Can't wait to get out of here.

2007-04-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Another week of training over and I'm officially validated on the whiskey side of the 68W course. Validation was easy... they kind of push you through it. They're not so much looking to fail you but to make sure you know your info. I got out there and did my care under fire, dragged my patient to cover, then started tactical field care and they didn't mind too much a loose interpretation of the patient assessment routine (I do it pretty strict but the guy next to be was loose and they didn't say anything) but they constantly ask you questions and pressure you to see if you have doubt. They asked me about what to do if I encountered Jugular Vein distention and I told him I'd do a needle decompression, he asked me all about the gauge of needle, the location, etc. and then he asked me what side. I told him the injured side. He asked again, adn again, and again and I kept telling him I was 100% sure. As long as you don't show doubt, they know you really know it. His last time really had me a tiny bit worried, though, even though I was sure. "If you get this wrong, you get a no go. Are you sure it's the injured side?" -- "Yes." -- "why?" -- "That's where the damn air bubble is." And he left me alone after that. They really do push the pressure on you, but you get more than enough chances to try again if you mess up the first time. It's not like all-skills where it's heavily regulated and serious. This is more of "see how you operate under pressure" test than a real test of textbook knowledge.

That was friday. Earlier in the week we continued the same field rotations as last week. Here's a video:

Of us eating lunch. :P On Monday now we get our weapons for STX. One week of STX combat scenario training in light, dark, urban, etc. etc. and then a week of clinical rotations to the different areas of the base doing hands-on with real patients. Then it's FTX and we do a bunch of different field training (including a multi-mile litter carry) and I'm graduated.

Post any questions. The guy from Foxtrot 03-06 or whichever class that was, thanks for reading. I do read your comments, even if I don't respond. :P

2007-03-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Another week of training is over at Ft. Sam. The weeks here go by pretty quick anyway. We've got, as of today, 35 days and a wakeup left. Only about 11 or 12 days of training left and the rest is all different kinds of validation and testing. In two weeks I'll have all the skills of a combat medic.

This week we had two days of classes, monday and tuesday, the last two days of class. On wednesday we took our last test (I got a 96) and went outside. We're done classroom instruction now, it's all hands-on instruction and validation from here out.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday we all did hands-on instruction on patient assessment, TC3 (Tactical Combat Casualty Care, that's the actual combat medic integrated treatment stuff.), bandaging, splinting, tourniquets, combitubes, more IV training, etc. All rotating to different stations. We're wearing our "full battle rattle" (pretty crappy compared to ft. knox battle gear. No IBA, no LBV--we have the old vietnam-era LBEs here, and the old-style kevlar that you have to wear the pad inside to keep the ropes from giving you a headache. It's pretty cool, anyway.

Next week we're doing a bit more instruction and then we validate. Basically the same as all the all-skills testing we did for EMT, demonstrating the practical side of the skills we were taught in class. We're supposed to do some pretty intense stuff. IVs in the dark, strobe lights, loud noises, all that good stuff. We'll see.

Took a bunch of pictures of the field training this week. Posted them all at http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474. Still trying to coordinate with Southard to get the damn IV video off him, but at least there's a picture of one in those photos there.

Enjoy.

2007-03-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

HAY GUYS.

This week was pretty cool. We did needle sticks and IVs/blood-draws. Fun stuff, especially when you end up with 3 or 4 18-gauge needle holes in your veins. I'll try and post some photos of that stuff soon. A friend of mine brought his camera to class and video-taped the IV procedure. I'll try and get that up on youtube or something. It didn't really hurt, for those of you wondering, but the 18 gauge was definitely felt. Once you push the catheter in after you get the flash on the needle, though, it goes from a kind of sharp needle pain (not a bad pain, really) to a dull ache and after the catheter is secured with a tegaderm it doesn't really feel at all.

Needle sticks were the easiest thing we've done so far. I didn't feel them at all, they were only 21-25 gauge anyway, real small. We injected each other with 0.9% saline, 2ml IM, SQ and 0.2ml ID (ID is the method they use for the TB sensitivity test). giving shots is easy, way easier than giving anything IV. Even IV stuff isn't too hard, though. Once you get a feel for where the veins are it's pretty easy. Hardest part is getting a good solid hit on the initial needle. Once you get that catheter in there and screw a saline lock onto the end of it, it's cake.

We also learned about battlefield meds. Morphine, Phenergen, Narcan, Cetotefen (or however you spell that IV antibiotic) and battlefield administration of them. Morphine, 5cc IV diluted in 5cc of NS, slow push 4-5 minutes. Wooo.

We've got combat evac stuff coming up this week, and the record APFT on monday and tuesday. Last PT test in AIT! we're rapidly approaching STX and weapons immersion. Only six weeks left to go for me, thank god. Then it's to the 101st! Wish me luck, and expect some photos or videos sometime this week.

2007-03-11T19:55:00.001-04:00

Oh yeah, and SFC Nichols pumps me up continually. Yes, you're only a blog on interest on my sidebar, but you'll notice there're only a few of you on there. I maintain a high standard and you know you meet it if you're up on that list. :P

It's nice to hear from a senior NCO on topics that I deal with on a daily basis. As a PV2 in AIT, we don't have much one on one contact with anyone over a SSG and even that is rare and only in class. So definitely go visit Jack Army and pay him his due respect. But don't tell him his bootlace is untucked so everyone can laugh at a senior NCO for not meeting the standard. :D (I swear we've never done that)

Jack Army

2007-03-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Been busy here lately. We've transitioned into whiskey side now (the actual combat medic part) and how training has gotten a lot better. You feel more important on the whiskey side since all these skills are pretty damn awesome. We've just covered simple stuff so far but tomorrow we do needle sticks. All this week is invasive techniques (IVs, injections, etc.).

On Friday we got out combat aidbags. there're pictures of it posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474. It's basically a nice big zippered backpack filled with bandages and needles and IV fluid and splints and crap. All sorts of medical gear. It's what we're going to carry around now, too, instead of the rucksack. No more booklearnin, really.

We had a command inspection wednesday, too, on the day we transitioned to whiskey side. I got my class As inspected by senior Drill Sergeant Payne and got a go. There's photos of the class A jacket at http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474 too. I'm highly decorated. That's right, four on my rack. Oh yeah. Four. That's one more than everyone else here.

We've covered latine and sanitation handling in a combat unit, heat injuries, cold injuries, bites and stings up 'til now. That's the easy stuff. We start the complicated stuff this week and it only gets harder. Oh boy. Can't wait for STX (Situation Training Exercises) when we're in a dark room giving IVs or with strobe lights and loud noises trying to find a vein. It should be a party.

Well, guess I'll wrap it up early. Sorry it's been so long since an entry, I've had a lot going on. I'll go into more detail about my status here in a few days. It's kind of sucked lately since our company got 120 new people from another "company" and now they're kind of treating us like we're Phase IV privates again. It sucks but what can you do. :P

2007-03-03T19:13:00.000-05:00

I continue to slow-burn in this training hell. :P Man, I can't wait to get to the operational army.

I passed the NREMT, although that's all I know for now (no score). Passed another PT test this previous Monday, too. that's three in a row, woo. Record APFT is in week more or so, then no more PT tests until I get to my unit.

So being an EMT-B feels no different from being a joe-schmo private. :P A bunch of people didn't pass the NREMT, of course (as usual, someone fails to meet the standard) and they've got about 10-12 hours of study hall a week absorbing their personal time until they can pass it. You get three chances and then you get reclasses. They don't recycle anymore. They give you that extra chance with your current company and then it's bye-bye 68W hello 88M (honk honk).

this week we covered Limited Primary Care (sick call documentation and some basic ortho, Head/eyes/ears/nose/throat, chest, etc. exams) and this coming week we're covering CBERNE (chemical, biological, nuclear, decon stuff) and then we transition to "whiskey" side which means NCOs are now our instructors and we're covering the stuff the military allows us to do, not just the NREMT. IVs, Injections, pharmacology, etc. Should be a party.

We're about two weeks out from Phase V+ -- I have no idea what V+ entails, since they took away most of the crap we used to get on Phase V+... Guess I'll find out. My friend Sean is here and goes into Phase V this friday. Woo. It'll be nice to hang out with someone from home again.

We're now entering new territory in my training. In EMT land I kind of knew what to expect next... now, though, I don't have any info on training or how things work. First few days will probably suck, but hopefully they won't fuck with us too hard. The idiots here constantly make that difficult, though.

Wish me luck.

2007-02-25T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hey loyal readers (yes, I can pluralize if it's more than one person!). I'm sitting in a Borders at the Quarry Market in San Antonio watching Black Sheep and drinking a coffee. The weekends here are the best and you pretty much live monday to friday for saturday and sunday. After I'm done here me and a bunch of guys are going to see Hannibal Rising at the movie theater then rush back for our 1800 formation.

This past week was hectic. We did a "warrior tasks" set of drills for half of monday and relaxed for the second half. The warrior tasks stuff was basically Remedial Basic Training for the Jackson and Leonard Wood guys who didn't learn react to direct fire, indirect fire, etc. etc.

Tuesday was NREMT Practical Skills Exam. We covered Trauma Patient Assessment, AED and BVM that first day. All of them were quite easy for me because those are core skills that we practiced often. Trauma PA is one of the hardest skills, length-wise, but we covered it so well it was second nature by the time of the exam. Basically it's assessing a victim of trauma from initial (first-glance) assessment to detailed touch-based assessment for broken bones or tenderness, etc. etc. and getting basic vitals. AED is Automated External Defibrilator. Basically it's an automatic version of the paddles you see doctors using on ER ("CLEAR!"). BVM is Bag Valve Mask, a ventilation device for apneic (not-breathing) patients. It's mechanical mouth-to-mouth, essentially. Also allows for delivery of 90%+ oxygen.

Wedneday was Medical Patient Assessment, Long Spine Board immobilization, and our random skill. Med PA is much like trauma but for illnesses instead of trauma. Chest pain, respiratory distress, diabetes attacks, etc. The Long spine board is just a long board and you need to know how to strap a patient into it without compromising spinal integrity. The random skills could be anything from oxygen administration to splinting to bleeding and shock control -- that's what I got. Basically you apply direct pressure with a gauze pad, then use a pressure point to stop bleeding and then bandage, lay the patient supine, elevate feet and give high-flow oxygen.

Thursday was NREMT review day. We basically just slept all day, (or at least I did) since if you didn't know the material already one day wasn't going to do much good.

Friday was the NREMT Exam. It was computerized and it's a relatively new auto-adapting version. Holy shit was it hard, but our instructors said no matter what it was going to be hard. Either you know the material well and it gives you very hard questions and that's why they're hard or it gives you easy ones and you don't know the material, so it's still hard. :P It also adapts the number of questions. You can get anywhere from, I think, 70 to 120 questions. Basically, if you know it solid it'll cut you off at 70 (or you don't know it at ALL, a total bomb) but if you're borderline it keeps testing you until it's clear you either meet the standard or don't. Most people got cut at 70 or 80 but a fair amount went all the way to 120.

We'll get our results from the NREMT monday or tuesday of this week. At that time we'll be EMT-Bs or... not. :P

Monday we start chemical/bio/radiological training and limited primary care (sick call stuff, etc.). We're rapidly approaching the whiskey side (the actual good stuff) and our training should get a lot better now.

Anyway, almost time to watch the movie. Wish me luck this coming week.

2007-02-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. It's another Sunday at Ft. Sam. We ate a big breakfast up at the nice DFAC, Rocco's and have been just hanging around all day so far. It's a four day weekend for the rest of the Army, but Foxtrot 232 trains on holidays apparently. We had class on Friday and Monday we have some crap squad tactics training that'll be like remedial basic training. Most of the guys and girls here who went to jackson and FLW didn't really cover that stuff, so it should be shitty.

Tuesday and Wednesday are all-skills testing days. It's the practical exams for the NREMT. And this Friday we have NREMT written (well, computerized) examinations. So after I pass the written on Friday, I'll be an EMT-B. Six weeks of classroom instruction to receive a certification that teaches stuff we will IMMEDIATELY ignore once we get to the combat medic part of training. Gotta love the Army.

Well, I was checking out my AKO and I discovered my next duty station. I'm currently projected to the 101st Air Assault Divison, 4th UA at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. That's right, I'm going back to Kentucky. I hate Kentucky. It definitely is true what they say, then, they completely ignore that wishlist you fill out. It must mean absolutely nothing, because a BUNCH of guys here got Ft. Lewis, like I requested, even though they didn't want it. But I request it and I get Ft. Campbell in the shittiest state in the union. I'm not even Air Assault, nor do I intend to be! So there's that bit of news, anyway.

I took the DCMT final on Thursday and got a 90. Scored an 89 on the mod 6/7 (OB/GYN and pediatrics test). My lowest grades so far but my GPA is now a 92 and I haven't gotten below an 86 on any test, so I'm still good to go for honor grad. And mod 6/7 and the final are the hardest DCMT tests of the cycle, so I shouldn't score anywhere near that low in the future. As long as I don't forget something simple on the all-skills and get a no-go, I should be able to be an honor grad come the end of April.

Took more pictures of the 232nd's area. the DFAC, my barracks, etc. over at http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474

2007-02-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Another lazy sunday at Foxtrot 232. Yesterday I went out and got a thai massage (negative on hand to penis contact, you filthy minds!) and then hung out at a starbucks on some high-speed wifi for awhile. Got back early and relaxed until bedcheck.

Heard from my friend Sean who joined shortly after me that he's on Ft Sam now. As of today he should be at Bravo 232 starting his beautiful medic journey (HA HA). I wonder if pickup day for them will be as basic-training-like as it was for us. I should stop by their CTA and see if they're getting the shit smoked out of them. :P

Tuesday we have our mod 6/7 test, which is OB/GYN (baby delivery woo), geriatrics, pediatric emergencies, pediatric assessment, etc. -- all incredibly boring stuff. going to have to FORCE myself to study for that one. And then Thursday is our DCMT (Department of Combat Medic Training) final on the EMT section. Then we've got a bunch of days for the NREMT All Skills prep (practicing the practical skills for EMT-B -- traction splinting, AED, trauma and medical patient assessment, etc, long spine board securing, etc.) then we take the all skills and then after that hurdle we take the written (well, computerized) NREMT exam. I'll then be a fully certified EMT-B. Then we cover one last chapter, C-Burn (chemical and biological crap) and then we're on to the whiskey side (the combat medic part). time flies here and the four weeks so far have gone pretty quick once I adjusted to the environment.

Second PT test was easy, passed it as usual. Thank god, because I love to sleep in on saturdays and if you fail a PT test, you have to get up early to go to remedial PT on saturdays and fuck that shit. :P We don't do nearly enough running here, though, and I'm probably going to have to take up running on my own to stay up to standard. In Reception people always talked about how hard the PT was here, but that's definitely an exaggeration because PT here is 1/10th what it was at Ft Knox. I think maybe the Jackson and leonard wood privates have a skewed sense of PT. :P

Hmm, what else. We had a random drug test on Thursday -- they really give you no warning. They called about forty people out of formation for combatives PT (yes, every thursday at Fort Sam we have combatives training for PT) and told them to get ready to piss. Which sucks because with no warning, you almost always piss when you wake up so most everyone was running dry. that's the worst, when you can't piss for a urinalysis.

Well, me and some guys are heading off post to get some mexican food and then study. Wish me luck.

took a bunch of photos of the BN area, classroom, DFAC, etc. and posted them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474

2007-02-04T20:16:00.001-05:00

In case you were wondering, here's a photo of my barracks:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/379971975/

2007-02-04T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hey kids. Greetings from F232.

Been an easy weekend. On Friday we phased to gold phase, phase V. Thank god, because formations were driving me crazy. We had an off-post pass this weekend and I hit up all kinds of stores and restaurants. Me and a battle saw Babel, a pretty good movie. A lot like Magnolia, if you've seen it, but without Tom "Darth Vader" Cruise. We saw it down at the Quarry cinema, a movie theater in some kind of... art deco factory shopping center. Weird. Here's a picture of one of the stores there, the "Whole Earth Provision Co." or some shit, check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/379957091/

Wonder what training is going to be like now that we're released at five thirty to do whatever we want until bedcheck. It should be a lot nicer since you can always just go upstairs and sleep right away if that's your thing. I know I'll probably be doing that tomorrow since I've got a terrible fireguard shift tonight (0200 to 0430 with a 0530 wakeup).

Tuesday is our DAPFT #2, the second diagnostic PT test. I passed the first one fine and should do even better on this one, but you never really know until it's done. :P

Mod 5 test is Thursday. Supposedly test scores go way down on this one because of our phasing privileges overtaking studying, but I know I'll be fine. Mod 5 is trauma-related. Kinematics, Facial + throat injuries, bleeding, shock, soft tissue injuries, etc. The slideshow lecture on that was a blast.

Man, I'm tired. Time for a nap.

2007-01-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, on-post pass. It's shitty compared to an off-post, but it's a hell of a lot better than last sunday where we had eight formations and ninety different things to do. Me and some friends went over to the big PX to get haircuts and buy supplies. Bought some new PT sneakers, boot blousers, tan undershirts, a notebook, michael crichton's new book (impulse buy, wanted something new to read. :P) and some other junk. Ate some shitty pizza at anthony's in the food court. I miss NJ pizza.

I said I'd cover training a bit more, so I guess I owe you guys that. We're taking the patient assessment exam on Monday, mod 3, and we started the mod 4 lectures (respiratory, cardiac emergencies, general pharmacology, etc.). So we've covered airway management (airway adjuncts, oropharyngeal airways, nasophargyngeal airways, etc.), anatomy, basic law of being an EMT, patient assessment, the basic medicines EMTs can dispense or assist with (pharmacology), cardiac and respiratory emergencies. We're atually getting into what an EMT is about this week, finally, and doing some hands on stuff (patient assessment and vitals, mostly). It's starting to come at a pretty fast pace now. I don't have any problems with it, but you can see the weaker students starting to struggle with mod 4. The instructors said mod 5 is a killer because the test is after we've phased so a lot of people fail to study.

The DS/Army side of the equation is normalizing, too. We're finally kind of finding our balance on where our boundaries are and such. Cleanliness, formations, etc. etc. -- it's still a bunch of bullshit to worry about, but at least we're getting the hang of it. We phase on the second so this will recede a bit soon, which is a blessing, but for now it's still there.

Still homesick at times, but the whole situation has reached a comfort point by this time. I'm here, I'm going to graduate and be a medic. As much as sometimes I wish I had never joined the Army, I'm still glad to be here and motivated to train. Bottom line, though, I want to train, be a medic and get to the real army.

You'll hear from me again soon.

Here I am, by the way, currently: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/372525564/

2007-01-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

Relaxing in the barracks again. Rare that we get any down time here. Time is definitely utilized to the max. Tomorrow, though, we have an on post pass! So I'll probably run around like an idiot to the PX, clothing sales and etc. getting all the stuff I need to restock, and then eat somewhere human (fuck the DFAC!).

I really need to call my mom, too. I haven't spoken with anyone in my family for like two weeks. :P

We enter phase V (gold phase) on friday february second, with a phase run of a few miles. It'll be damn nice to have nights and weekends off, and off post passes. We've had a few exams so far, and as of now (third exam) my GPA is 95. 95 on the CPR test (one stupid mistake on question 20), 94 on the mod 1 exam, 96 on mod 2. I've got the third highest in my team... I'll be number one before long, because right now this stuff is easy and they have to study to keep their GPAs up but I don't. :P

Our Diagnostic APFT was this past thursday. I scored a 210, which is lower than I expected. My run went way down. I ran just under a 16:00 2-mile, which is way slower than my 14:55 from basic, but this was run on a sand/dirt resistance track so that's mmost of the reason. I was also damn sick. But 56 push-ups, 57 sit-ups and 15:55 is pretty okay. Passing and then some to army standards.

Well, I'll try and get another post tomorrow, maybe with some photos.

Out.

2007-01-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Relaxing on a sunday here at Ft Sam. Most of the week, as you may guess, there isn't much free time. Between forming up to go places, going places, and forming up when we're back from places there isn't any time to get on the internet or do anything much besides study, clean and try and get more than six hours of sleep. Only on the weekends do I get enough free time to finish my homework, study, and still get on the internet.

Classes so far are pretty easy. It's hardcore to go eight+ hours a day in classes on one topic, though, and I can't wait until we hit Phase V and can eat snacks and coffee on the 10 minute breaks we get every hour.

Here's a photo of the last bunk in my row from where I'm sitting now... :P

We're entering the seventh chapter of the EMT book (the big orange book!) and have two exams next week and two the following week. By the time we phase we should be on chapter 14 or so. Shit!

Anyway, time to go.

2007-01-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Mmm, high and tight.

2007-01-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Relaxing in the barracks. They're taking it pretty easy on us today.

Average day here is mostly taking our classes (815ish until 1300ish, then 1415ish until 1700) and eating chow (inbetween). Wakeup is usually 0400 on a weekday, with bedcheck at 2100 but usually actually lights out at 2130. After chow on a class day (1815?) we usually get smoked a little (it's pussy shit, really. Some of the girls actually start to cry, but shit. Jackson and leonard wood must've been so fucking easy) for some shit we did. Then we get released to our drill sergeants, who basically mediate any issues we might have (DXing gear, handling issues with missing luggage or person problems, etc.) and then they release us to the bay. We then are on personal time to study or do whatever.

It's a very full day, usually, so it's nice that today they gave us some free time. We're still in phase IV, which is basically a slightly looser version of red phase from basic training. so we get marched to and from chow, have frequent formations and aren't allowed to do much on our own. The overall system, though, is pretty different from basic training in the way it's organized. I think it's because there're much more people (500ish in the class, 120 of which are prior service (and thus not handled the same as us IET soldiers) and much less drill sergeants (5 or 6 drill sergeants and 3 senior drill sergeants for 6 platoons of IET and two platoons of prior service).

Anyway. My company, foxtrot (232nd med BN) is the hardest company in the BN. I think it's mostly because we're treated much more like basic training soldiers than in the other companies, because obviously the coursework isn't any harder. But fuck it. It gets tiring at times but it's not really that bad. We even have to get strict haircuts, although we're allowed a close-cut high and tight.

Anyway, better go.

2007-01-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

Hey guys. Typing this out on my blackberry 8100 at foxtrot company 232 med bn.

It sucks here pretty much. It's pretty much like basic so far. I'm tired and second guessing my mos choice (thinking of trying to reclass if I can't handle the gore) and etc but it'll get better. Hopefully you'll hear from me soon.

Later.
Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless

2007-01-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

Reception barracks, courtesy of my macbook pro's camera.

2007-01-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. I'm here in Reception at Ft Sam Houston. Yup, it sucks here, the barracks are shitty and overcrowded and I'm pretty homesick, but it'll get better. We're supposed to ship to our AIT company on Sunday (foxtrot 232nd Med BN), but they're saying if you're regular army with no follow-on school (M6 (nurse), airborne school, etc.) you don't have a very high chance of shipping, and that's me exactly. 68W plain, regular army. We are last shipping priority. So, we'll see. We're allowed to read and use electronics here, though, so being a holdover here wouldn't be the nightmare it was at Knox.

So besides being homesick and footsore, nothing much is going on. I hear Foxtrot is a hardcore company. Lots of PT, real strict on cleaning, less free time than the other companies... so I expect they'll take our electronics, at least for the first four weeks or so. You may not hear from me again for awhile, I'll try to get letters to Ally but I don't know what the deal is with that, either.

Well, wish me luck. I should be able to post at least one more time before we ship (or don't ship, as the case may be).

2007-01-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I leave for the airport at 4am tomorrow. Reporting to Ft. Sam for my AIT. I've heard rumors that we're allowed to use cell phones and music players immediately, but it depends on your company. We'll see, I suppose. Ally has agreed to keep posting my letters to the best of her ability.

I don't know if there'll be.... limitations on what I can describe, but know I intend to observe any limits on info I can give out (sort of like OPSEC I guess). So if the info is sparse, it's because I'm not allowed to tell you anything else.

Well, wish me luck.

2006-12-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

This was too good not to share.

http://www.pistolwimp.com/media/55184/

SNL has been sucking these last few years, but that one is too good.

Enjoy your Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. Try not to get drunk and burn some shit down. Or trip and fall down a flight of stairs. Or let the stereo fall into your bubblebath. Or whatever, you know.

every holiday, a dick in a box.

2006-12-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

Relaxing at home is nice, but there's something missing. After all those weeks of forced activity, it feels weird to just sit here and do nothing. In a way I can't wait to continue on to AIT, but on the other hand I want to continue sleeping in until 0700 (that's right, sleeping in) and hanging out with my friends. I know which one I REALLY want (definitely the continuing on to AIT part) but I still think about the other choice.

What I really can't wait for, however, is getting to my unit. Then I get the best of both worlds -- a bit of sitting on my ass and a bit of being a real soldier. Hopefully my preferred duty station that I put down during processing at reception will work out and I'll get stationed at Ft. Lewis -- I realize it's needs of the Army, pretty much, but a man can hope.

A few people from Basic that I've talked to talk about a big change they notice in themselves when they get home. Myself, I don't notice too much of a change, but I think it's indicative of how much you needed to change in Basic. If you needed to change yourself a lot, become more disciplined or grow up emotionally, then you'll notice a change. If you were already in a state where completing Basic was possible, less of a change happened. But who knows, maybe I just forgot what I was like before. Either way, home still feels like home and my friends still feel like my friends. The only difference I notice is in the waistline. :P

Although really, Basic was pretty easy physically -- I didn't lose nearly as much weight as I thought I would. I went in about 22% body fat and 212 pounds, and I'm now about 17 or 18% body fat and 200 pounds. I figured I'd be at least 190, but I was expecting a lot more PT, too. Hell, to ensure that I passed the blue phase PT test I had to make sure to do PT on my personal time in the barracks.

Anyway, just some thoughts that've been running through my head lately. I've got an appointment at the Coast Guard base's clinic tomorrow to have someone look at my foot, which is all messed up. I don't even know what's wrong with it. There's a sort of... callous all over the bottom, but it's like no callous I've ever had before, and walking on it is excrutiating. It looks like a cross between a callous, poison ivy and blisters. It's hard on the outside but it looks like there're little bubbles under the skin... I can't figure out what it is and I've never encountered it before. hopefully the doctors at the coast guard base know what to do for it, because I can barely walk in this condition, let alone run. I've been keeping up on my push-ups and sit-ups while on exodus, but not my run -- I don't want to fall behind Army standards. I should be okay, though, the run was my strongest event and I could easily gain a minute and a half on my run time and still pass with a 60. Not that I want that to happen, though, so I hope I can get this problem fixed.

2006-12-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

I thought I might add a list of my favorite phrases and sayings from basic training and the associated story.

"Fuck it, let's do Bryant Riders until we throw up." -- this one has a long story. One of the other privates in my platoon (Bryant) was a total fuck-up. Yes, he was my assigned battle buddy. If you've read the entries, you know which one I'm talking about. Anyway, he couldn't do a fuckin' thing right. Couldn't dress himself, couldn't shave himself, couldn't do the fucking bend and reach. You get the idea.

So we're at the bayonet assault course. We're running through the various motions ("butt stroke to the face, go!" "Thrust, slash, smash to the face series, go!" "Buttstroke to the groin, go!") and Bryant kept dropping his rifle. And, of course, he's front row and centered on the instructor's platform where all the Drill Sergeants were standing. The DSs start picking on him for being a fucking idiot (can't blame them) and they start asking him how stupid he is, etc. They ask him if he knows the serial number on his rifle, and he doesn't say anything, so they tell him to say the serial number or do mountain climbers. Mountain climbers are a popular basic training exercise where you get down in the front leaning rest, then kick your left leg forward so the knee is in your chest and the right leg back so it's fully extended, then switch. Like you're running with your hands on the ground, but you don't move. Anyway, he doesn't know the serial number. So he gets down in the front leaning rest and starts throwing his legs around like he was breakdancing. The Drill Sergeants crack the fuck up, "What the fuck are you doing, Private? Mountain climbers, go!" so Bryant starts kicking his legs around even crazier and faster. "Private, do MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS, what the fuck is that?" so he goes FASTER. Finally, Drill Sergeant Q and B (I think Ally just used initials when she did this thing up, so I'll do the same) start laughing, "He says fuck that, Battle. He's gonna do the Bryant Rider," and then DS Q started singing to the beat of "Low Rider" -- "all my friends do bryant riders, dun dun dun dun dun, all. my. friends. do. bryant riders." -- classic. And then they say, "Private, do Bryant Riders until you throw up." He did them for another minute or two and they told him to recover, but that went down in history as one of the funniest moments of basic training.

so whenever we were confused as to what to do, for the rest of the cycle, someone would always yell out, "fuck it, let's just do Bryant Riders until we throw up."

---

"Squad, get into ACUs, put your IBA in your left cargo pocket, wear your wall locker on your back and make sure you have your military ID in your right hand and move down to formation. Yeeeeeesss?"

This one's hard to explain. It's really more of an audio one, you need to hear the voice. But anyway. One of the fun parts of basic training is trying to make sure you're in the right fucking uniform when you go down for formation. and of course, the "right uniform" is a fluid concept. If you went down too early you wouldn't hear changes to the uniform, or the Drill Sergeant wouldn't say something but certain privates would claim he would, etc. etc. etc. etc.

When we got down to formation the Drill Sergeant would usually have to tell us to go the fuck back upstairs and unfuck ourselves. Fun times. So Pvt Alvarez, one of the few good friends I made in Basic (I made lots of friends, sure, but few good ones that I could see myself hanging out with outside of basic training) would occasionally yell out in the bay, "SQUAD! Get down to formation. Make sure your IBA is in your left cargo pocket. Put your rucksack in your left hand and make sure your patrol cap is on your foot. You have two ranger minutes to execute, go!" or stuff like that. fun times.

----

This one is the best and most accurately portrays our attitude in basic training.

"Fuck it."

You have to hear the pronunciation on that one, too. The voice is a big part of the value of the phrase. But you can get the idea by reading it. :P Whenever we would be so fucked as to piss everyone off, (Having to go back upstairs to change uniforms because someone told us the wrong shit, having five seconds to get our IBA, LBV and ACH on in formation, having two minutes to eat in the DFAC, whatever), we would all just yell fuck it. It's hard to explain, but you would just look at the man next to you and sigh, then say "Fuck it." sometimes including, "Fuck it, let's do bryant riders until we throw up," because you knew that you'd be getting screamed at or smoked in a few minutes, regardless of how hard you personally tried to get it right, because some people never could. Fuckit got me through a lot of hard times.

Fuckit got me through my graduation speech
Fuckit helped me win the Abrams Award
Fuckit helped me surive basic training.

so next time you're stressed, just say fuck it. And then do bryant riders until you throw up.

2006-12-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well, they're terrible pictures and you can blame my mom for that... how the hell she failed to get a sharp picture in a well-lit, indoor, stationary environment is beyond me, but they're blurry as hell. Well, you can get the gist of the ceremony, anyway...

2006-12-18T21:47:00.000-05:00

Well, that's all of it. I guess the only part missing is a bit of graduation, so let me fill that in now.

We practiced graduation for the last few days, after we finished cleaning our TA-50 (issue battlegear, etc.). turning in TA-50 is not the crazy precise inspection the drill sergeants tell you it is, but they do make sure it's clean. If your gear is dirty when you go to turn it in, they will kick you out of line and make you clean it, and if you can't get it clean in time you don't get family day. so clean your fucking gear, but don't stress too hard about it. If you think it's clean and the drill sergeants don't give you TOO hard a time, you'll be fine.

Anyway, we turned in our TA-50 and then cleaned the barracks a bit, ate chow a lot and did graduation practices. As the Abrams award winner I had some extra practices to attend, since I was part of the colorguard detachment. The detachment was two ranks, one rank with the colors and rifle-bearing colorguard, then the awardees (high pt, high brm, abrams, drill sergeant of the cycle, small unit tactics awardee drill sergeant and civilian of the cycle).

On graduation day the platoons were formed up to the rear and we marched out from behind them, did some column lefts and column rights as a file, then did two separate left flanks to form our two ranks, then halted on line with the company formation. Then we did some ceremonial junk (can't remember it, I was too nervous thinking about my marching movements and speech and stuff), then we marched out to take the center of the room. the awardees filed around to the front of the color guard and received our awards, then I followed the commander and guest speaker (a german guy from the wermacht, lohrman or some such. nice guy, bad accent. :P) up to the podium. Guest speaker gave his little ditty and so did the company commander, then I gave my speech. It was basically a pat-on-the-back deal, about five or so minutes long. Individuals to a team, intense training, good job, see you later, yadda yadda. Returned to the line of awardees, did a nice little about-face (most stressful fucking moment I've ever had. I didn't fuck up the about face, though, hit it nice and sharp) and finished out the graduation. Afterwards the brigade commander, colonel utley, and CSM morris and CSM padilla and the chaplain shook our hands and congradulated us. Colonel utley gave us a coin (has a big CSM rank on it and says something about excellence on the other side.) and CSM Padilla gave us some motivation regarding being above everyone else now and keeping it that way.

After graduation we went back to the barracks to out process for christmas exodus. thank god graduation was over. It would've been a lot more fun if I didn't have to stress about my somewhat major part. :P

So now I'm home on exodus. my feet hurt and are all fucked up. Some kind of... callous-coated blisters or something, all over my right foot. they scream in pain whenever I walk anywhere. Sucks hardcore. I really need to be PTing, but I can't walk, let alone run, like this. Soaking them in saltwater now, hoping I can get it to clear up in the next few days, or at least be less painful.

I leave for AIT from Philadelphia Int'l on the morning of 2Jan07.

A few thoughts on Basic Training, overall. It's fucking easy. I don't know if that's because they've changed it to make it easy, but it's a lot easier than I expected. I guess there's still a degree of challenge (there must be, because only like 53/60 graduated in my platoon), but it wasn't what I expected. I expected yelling, I expected inspections of my locker and such, I expected more PT, I expected more smokings... basically what hollywood portrays basic training as. It's not like that. It's just... training in basic military matters. If you do what you're told, exercise a little common sense and hard work and do PT on your own personal time in the barracks, you will definitely graduate, no matter what. It's that simple, men.

Actually, by the end it kind of grows on you. By blue phase the drill sergeants by and large treat you like soldiers, as long as you behave like a soldier. They start to joke around and stop fucking with you. It's not bad at all. I know a few DSs that I'll actually miss.

But, as third platoon says, fuck it. Time for AIT. Let's hope that goat doesn't bite the dust for me.

2006-12-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

12-10-06
This will be my last letter to you from Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Five days from this writing, I'll be marching the parade grounds in my class A uniform. 12 or so hours after that I'll be rolling up on my doorstep. But enough about that, let's cover what happened over the last week.
We left for the FOB (Forward Operating Base) around 4 am on Saturday the 2nd. We ruck marched about 6.4 miles (10K) to the FOB site (FOB Steele). The route we take on the 10k is mostly like a roller coaster ride. Up one giant hill, down another. Repeat fire. But they don't much bother me, since I do this kind of stuff for leisure (some trails in Colorado and Washington were uphill for 2 or more MILES!). Upon arrival at the FOB we were already getting that good FTX training. Two native civilians set on us outside the gate, but they were non-hostile. We were supposed to have them keep their distance but not assault or kill them. A few people (okay, more than a few) killed them outright and still more arrested them for no reason. Training of this sort went on during the entire FTX.
Once inside the walled and gated FOB compound we set up our gear and cots inside the platoon sized tents and received a class on vehicle rollover. Most of Saturday was spent setting up. We had some ongoing training in the style of the first encounter (two "civilians" approach and and we react, e tc). Mostly on the gates (at all times we had gate and tower guards on the walls), but otherwise it was quiet.
Did I mention this last week (the week of the FTX) was the coldest goddamn weather I've experianced in about a decade? Most nights, with windchill, it was below 0F. BELOW ZERO! And guess what? While we were supposed to have heaters, only 6/8 tents did. And I was in a tent with no heater. We spent the first two nights like that. Dressing in a tent that's colder than my freezer is NO FUN. Eating outside in this weather (Roger, we always hand to eat outside, even at 4 am breakfast when it was below zero) also sucked.
Sunday was another slow day at the FOB. We continued pulling guard on the tower and gates and reacting to any situations the drill sergeants dreamt up (artillery attack, gate attack, insurgents spotted outside the gate, etc) and sitting around inside our tents. We had the MOPPX on this day (MOPP=NBC gear, bio gear, whatever). We wore our chemical suits for six hours. In the summer this would've sucked, but since the days high was only 25F or so, it was actually GOOD to wear the whole suit.
Monday resumed normal training, or at least I think we did. All I remember is being cold and hungry. For lunch we ate MREs every day, and they're so much better than field chow, lunch became th e highlight of our day.
Tuesday we had convoy ops live fire. We went to a cold-ass range that was about an hour from the FOB, sat in the back of an open, uncovered cold-ass deuce and a half, fired hot-ass live 5.56 rounds at targets while the truck did 30 or 40 down the range (cold-ass wind!), then stood around and froze while everyone else did the same. It was in my opinion, shitty training, since that's not how convoys operate in Iraq. But, fuck it.
Tuesday night came with a surprise however. Because we didn't have enough heaters to go around, we alternated nights with foxtrot company. They would stay one night at the FOB while would stay one night at the barracks, etc. So when the buses pulled up in front of our barracks instead of the FOB, we flipped out. It felt so good to be warm.
Wednesday was prep day for the "warrior challenge". The warrior challenge is basically a "everything comes together" test on our Basic Training Knowledge. React to contact, movement to contact, react to incoming indirect fire, 9-line medevac, treat a casuality, room-clearing with stacks, etc. We all did okay, although some squads better than ours.
Thursday was the actual warrior challenge. A Drill Sergeant went with each squad and the company XO (1st LT) did the grading. My squad did well (far from the best, though) and the company did well as a whole, so we were a-ok on that front. Future basic trainees, don't stress the warrior challenge.
Later that day we had the 15K. 9.6 miles of FUN. We did it with a full ruck, too. About 50 or 60 pounds at least with another 10 or so if you count the M16. We went up Misery and a few other big (DAMN BIG) hills, but as always, it was easy for me.
We marched to the Night Infiltration course. Not as fun, scary, or tiring as I expected. Actually pretty easy, stupid and boring. You only crawled maybe 75 yards, and the bullets were at least 8 or 9 feet above your head. The demolitions pits with C4 were surrounded by big thick wood walls. Not at all frightening.
Friday was the last day of training. We did the urban assault course in weather that made paintball impossible. More room clearing crap. Easy, dumbed-down and boring. Our squad then went to police up the FOB (trash, sandbags, etc.)
And now we clean our TA-50 (issued items, we have to return). Today is Sunday and I'm done cleaning my stuff. It's a lot of gear and a lot of dirt and way too many privates trying to use too few places to clean our gear. But you get it done quickly if you're not lazy. We have a TA-50 inspection at 1300 (by our drill sergeants), so later today I may have to do some touchups. Turn-in is Wednesday.
This week we also got issued our field jackets, do a graduation rehearsal, and clean the SHIT out of the barracks. 4 days until Family Day!
One more piece of good news, while on the FTX we had the Abrahms Award inspection board. My platoon chose me to try for the award. The other platoons put forth a guy each and the four of us went to the TALK. We one by one reported to the board and they tested us on Drill and Ceremony, command structure, ranks, NBC knowledge, medic knowledge, rifle knowledge, land nav knowledge, etc. Basically a sampling of everything we learned at Basic Training. When it was my turn, I rattled off my answers and left. I didn't have any trouble with the questions they asked me.
I talked to the other guys afterwards to try and get a feel for who may have won, and they all made MAJOR mistakes except me. B. said the commander of the brigade was ComSgt Major P. A CSM as the commander? WTF?
So anyways, yes, I won the Abrahms Award. I should be recognized at graduation but as of now that's all I know.
Well time to get back to work. If anyone has questions, tell them I'll be there to answer them on Saturday. Thanks again, Ally.

2006-12-16T05:56:00.000-05:00

Still in Kentucky, but graduated now. Ally said she didn't receive the letters yet, so whenever she gets mail you'll see the last bit of my experience.

Heading home today via POV. Expect to arrive late tonight.

I won the Abrams award for my company. That's a plaque, a coin from Colonel Utley, an Army Achievement Medal and I gave a speech at graduation.

My mom took pictures but they seem blurry. I'll find out when I get home if they're passable. I'll post them then.

I'll make a longer entry when I'm finally home.

2006-12-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. I'm at the PX right now, at Fort Knox. It's family day and I just dropped a few hundred dollars on christmas gifts.

I graduate tomorrow and roll out with my family sometime around noon. We're sleeping in Louisville tonight and leaving for home in the morning. I'll be back sometime tomorrow evening, most likely.

There're a few more entries (2?) that don't seem to have been transcribed (I keep Ally busy. :P) so there's still more to follow. Anyway, talk to you guys soon, first-hand.

Lead to victory!

2006-12-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

11-28-06

The BCT experience continues. Monday we had a 10K march to the hand grenade course. The 10K ascended some nine hills, but nothing as bad as was rumored (at least for me). I haven’t had a problem with ruck marches, though, and don’t expect to.

The hand grenade course was all right. Pretty simple. Practiced throwing grenades from various positions and in various situations (bunker, prone behind cover, kneeling, etc) with little training grenades. Full weight but only a pop (about a .22 round). Practiced cooking them off too (waiting a second or two after pulling the pin).

We then went a few hundred yards to the live grenade course to qualify. Let me tell you, M67 grenades pack a damn punch. You throw them from a cement “bay” or half bunker, and everyone else waits behind a thick ass wall with a thick metal roof. The explosion was loud and you could see a big blast wave, but there wasn’t much light. Nice. Throwing two was cool but kind of boring since you toss them and cover so you can’t see shit. From the waiting area, though, they had thick ass windows and you could watch.

Tuesday, we went by bus to Hackett range to shoot the M203, AT-4 and MK-19. All the grenade or rocket launching stuff. Saw an AT-4 live launch. Loud and awesome M205,too, was surprisingly cool. MK19 we only saw flash rounds, but damn it has some range. We then shot training rounds from all three ourselves. The MK19 (automatic grenade machine gun) was the best.

Tomorrow we start Urban Ops Training.

11-29-06

Today we actually did PT in the morning, a simple CD1 (conditioning drill 1) and 2 mile run. It was weird doing PT again. We were rusty, believe it or not. I’ve done less PT at basic than at home.

Later we had a class on Urban Operations, focusing mainly on breaching and clearing rooms. It’s hard to explain on paper, but we covered stacking, fire team movement, etc. Later we went to the “shoot house” –an indoor room clearing practice building. It was intense. I got killed because my second fire team member didn’t clear his sector properly, but did good afternoon.

You would enter the building and clear the entry room, which was usually empty. Then, move down the hallway and clear the rooms. Some rooms would have hostages, some IEDS, some with OPFOR. You had to react appropriately to stay alive. Good training. We’ll be spending more time on that during MOUT phase of the FTX.

Tomorrow we DX (exchange) TA-50 (issue) at CIF (issue facility. Basically, tomorrow we do nothing of consequence. Actually, we don’t have much to do until the FTX on Saturday. Regarding the FTX, some people are saying we’ll be out for a full 7 days, some are saying 4, some as little as 2. It’s supposed to be freezing cold, HIGHS around 32F. I think this won’t affect anything, but then again Basic has been easier than I expected, so who knows. It’s also supposed to snow and Privates think this will cause the Commander to cancel the 15K. Another bullshit rumor I don’t believe. Anyway, we’ll see what the situation is on Saturday. Personally, it doesn’t matter (to me!). After the FTX we’re done, so it’ll be easy to stay focused. This Friday morning, we have our final PT test, too. That’s another obstacle between me and graduation, but I’m not too worried. I’m 99% sure of graduation at this point. The 1% is some random accident or fuck up. Oh man, the pressure is on. So, you may not hear from me for a week or so, since there is no mail in the field. Also, if anyone wants to write me a letter tell them to post it no later than Friday or Saturday (the 8^th and 9^th of December)-even that’s pushing it. Just tell them to post it ASAP because time is running out.

You may receive another letter from me before the FTX, or you may not. If you don’t know I’m kicking in doors and getting gassed in my sleep. Expect a letter not later than December 10^th or 11^th, worst case, with info on the final FTX and 15K.

Wish me luck, talk to you on the flip side!

11-30-06

Today we had a surprise. After spending the morning learning “scroll the road” (a road crossing technique) and going over “react to contact” we had some practical exercises on it. Drill Sergeant P. has shown us react to contact before so it was somewhat of a review. Afterwards, we went to chow.

Upon our return from chow came the surprise. The PT test for blue phase (the final, this ones for real PT test) was moved from tomorrow morning (Dec 1) to today (Nov 30) due to upcoming inclement weather (supposedly. I think they planned it like this). Unfortunately, I had eaten until actually full at lunch, so this made me nervous about the run. Plus, the importance of this PT test, overall, made me nervous.

So we formed up in PTs and commence the test. All right guys here’s how I did:

35 push ups 54 score

54 sit ups 65 score

14:56 2 Mile 79 score

So yes, ladies and gentleman, that means for sure I’m graduating Basic Training for sure. Actually the only hurdles left lie on the FTX and they’re not of the qualification type. As long as you’re present, you soldier on and don’t quit, you pass. So I’ll be seeing my parents on family day and using the internet by the 16^th of December.

I could’ve done more push-ups, up to and beyond AIT standard, but the DS counting gave me no-goes on 6 or 7 repetitions because I wasn't going low enough (even though my twig and berries was scraping the mat). And I also was sandbagging to make sure I had enough ab strength left to pass the sit ups. Excuses I know, but hey. I’ll do better at AIT.

12-1-06

Today we had our graduation Class A refit. It was uplifting to try on the Class A’s again, especially while they fit properly. I still have not received a beret, though, and that makes me nervous since we’re supposed to bring them on the FTX. I assume after the end of the 15K we get to put them on. But what if we don’t have one? Hopefully, I can find one to borrow or something.

Anyway, other than a missing beret I have all my class As. I can’t wait until it’s time to put them on and walk that field.

We leave early tomorrow morning for the FTX. Well, that’s the current plan. We’ve got all kinds of rumors flying around about delays and canceled foot marches and shortened FTXs, so much so that I have no idea what’s really going to happen. I, personally, don’t care if we march the 10K, 15K, or nothing. I also don’t care if we stay in the field 4 or 5 or 7 days. Everyone else is very concerned about the duration of the FTX . I mean, it’s going to suck in unheated platoon tents in 32F high weather (wind chill 15-20F) but shit, after it’s over, it’s over. We just have to clean and get ready for graduation.

Supposedly on the FTX we’ll have MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain), night infiltration, and a 15K road march back to the barracks, possibly more. But I’ve got my ruck packed, IBA and extra clothes in my duffel and I’m ready to go. The next paragraph will be whatever I learn about my situation in the next six or seven hours. After this letter the next one you’ll get will be after the FTX and 15K.

Seems we’re going as I assumed. Rolling out on the 10K now. See you on the flip side. Holy shit, it’s cold.

2006-11-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

11-19-06

It’s Monday and this morning we finally did PT again. Sixty one twenties. Easy stuff. Sprint for 60 seconds, jog for 120.

11-21-06

Been a very busy few days. Today we wrapped up US Weapons (pretty much just grenades and AT4 left, and we do them after the FTX). On Monday we shot on a live fire range with the M68 CCO (red dot sight). Easy stuff. This is the kind of shooting you see in video games like rainbow six or ghost recon, rapid fire, close combat stuff. Later that night we shot the M16 with an infared laser sight while wearing NOD (night observation devices). We were rushed through it since it was cold as hell and we wanted to get back to the barracks before too long. I didn’t even look through the NOD, although I wanted to. I just cranked off my 20 rounds and got off lane.

Tuesday we fired the M2 .50 CAL and SAWS and M240B. Heavy weapons. It was pretty damn fun to burn off the link fed ammo. The .50 cal was the best by far. Seeing those huge bass rounds ripping up turf downrange with the tracers zipping along behind was almost too much. It was a shame we only got to fire 25 rounds. The 240B and SAWs were fun too, but not nearly as much. As before, after dark we night fired. This time it was with a PAQ-9 night vision scope on top of the 240B. Again, rushed, didn’t actually see it, just cranked off the rounds and got off lane.

While at the heavy weapons range, we failed to recognize the company commander. Oh man did we get fucking smoked. We ran up and own a muddy, slippery ass hill in full combat gear. For 20 minutes. Holy Shit. Still wasn’t that bad, though.

Today we did buddy live fire movement. Basically it’s the “cover me while I move” stuff from the other day, but with live rounds. Not as dangerous as it sounds, though , kind of fun, kind of pointless.

Just got back from what I thought was chow formation. Turns out it was the phase change ceremony. Delta Company 2-46 Inf is now officially in Blue Phase! The first sergeant (First Sergeant B.) inducted us all simultaneously. It was pretty awesome. Basically it means now, the Drill Sergeants get to go home early. That’s pretty much it. But that means less supervision, which is just fine by me! Also we can Battle Buddy back from chow, PG can march us places, too. Also, the squad leaders and PG now have a lot more power. They can have Article 15s given out (with DS oversight, obviously. This is a last resort thing.), etc., etc.

For instance, it’s now 1916 and we’ve been on personal time for over 40 minutes!

I also found out that on top of the obstacle course, pugil match and high BRM we also won the competition for barracks maintenance. That means our areas were the cleanest out of all four platoons. Damn surprising considering the shit we get from DS P. regarding our detail work. Oh well, it’s hard being the best. At this point Honor Platoon is pretty much locked in for us. 3^rd Platoon leads the way!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. The company commander (Maj. T) and the First Sergeant will be serving our dinner chow, or so I hear. Tonight we had field chow because the DFAC was being prepped for the holiday. Field chow is all right but the portions are small, so it always leaves you hungry. So I really, really hope the DFAC is open for Breakfast tomorrow. First squad eats first for breakfast tomorrow, too, and it’s a holiday. So if we eat in the DFAC I’M STUFFING MY FACE.

We’re doing basically nothing besides basic PT this whole weekend, except watching movies, cleaning, hanging out and doing “the right thing.” So expect me to expand on the overall basic training experience shortly.

11-23-06

Thanksgiving Day! The board says nothing but chow and “holidays.” The Drill Sergeants said that today we’ll be watching movies all day. Fine by me, especially since we’re in blue phase. We just ate breakfast chow in the fifth bay. That’s right, no DFAC. L but lunch will be the big Turkey Feast, so I’ll be alright until then. It’s funny how much the day revolves around chow around here.

As we get closer and closer to graduation, the DS start to treat us more and more like humans, or maybe soldiers. It’s nice to get that feeling of self-worth back. I have a feeling, though, that this weekend will get me down again. As with every slow weekend, it will give me way too much to think about home. Then again, we’re so close to graduating (probably around 19 days by the time you get this) that maybe I’ll think about that instead. We’ll see.

I got a letter from Lou a few days ago. He said Sean left for Basic Training on the 14^th. Anyone know about his status? What BCT base he went to? His address? Drop a line in the comments section and Ally will forward it to me. Lou also talked a little bit about the various games that have come out in the last few months. It was awesome to hear about that. Any little piece of information about a subject I’m interested in is priceless. It boosts spirits immensely. Remember that if you’re going to BCT, get someone to mail you news printouts from the internets. It’s damn good stuff.

Only three weeks left, now. We’re 2/3 finished! Actually more than 2/3 because the last 5 or so days is sent cleaning and out processing. So if you think about it Monday means 14 more days of training left. Hell YEAH!

There’s three things I can’t stop doing lately. One is planning my first meal once I get out of here. All of us do that. I know, because there’s usually a big group of us standing in a circle discussing it. I’d have to say the biggest one is pizza. They don’t serve any kind of Italian food in the DFAC, except the occasional spaghetti with meat sauce from a can, so that’s part of the reason for our Italian food craving. But we also all crave candy and cookies. I’d put uncooked chocolate chip cookie dough as the second most craved food. I know that I defiantly want to buy a big sleeve of the pre-mixed dough from the supermarket and just eat it like a candy bar. You really can’t understand our craving for sweets unless you’ve been in our position. The environment and the chow create a synergy to make desire COOKIES.

The next thing is video games. As you can probably tell from all the requests for video game news. I miss my hobby. Reading about it slacks the desire somewhat, but it’s still there. I’m excited for any news about Oblivion expansions, any news about Splinter Cell, any news about Rainbow Six Vegas, etc etc. First thing I’m doing when I get home is powering on my 360 and hosting a game of Halo 2 on XBConnect. I think this desire for entertainment is mostly because of the monotony of Basic Training. The last thing should be easy to guess. Let’s just say I can’t wait to get home.

1400 11-23-06

Just got back from lunch chow on Thanksgiving Day. Holy shit, best experience of Basic. First, it was all you can eat. Turkey, roast beef, yams, corn, ham, stuffing, all kinds of salad, fruit, egg nog, and ice cream and all kinds of cake. I had a plate full of turkey, roast beef, stuffing, yams, corn, cranberry sauce with egg nog. Damn, so good. I then had three pieces of pie for dessert. I was so full I almost threw up. I heard we’re doing that same thing for dinner. I’m excited but too full to really look forward to it yet. I’m skipping dessert and getting double turkey and yams. Yessss. Also, we’ll be watching movies in a little bit. So far, holidays in blue phase in basic training are awesome.

Looking forward to graduation a lot more lately. Whenever we get down time that’s one more thing on my mind. It sucks, though, because the more you think about it the slower it comes.

1900 11-23-06

The Day of Relaxed Discipline continues. I’m getting a reputation around here as a smart guy, which I wanted to avoid. DS. Q. pointed me out as a candidate for the Abrahms Award, an award for the most disciplined, knowledgeable soldier in the company. I don’t know if I want that level of attention on me, though. It is nice, though, to have people seek me out to ask me all sorts of questions. Nice to be recognized. Hope it doesn’t backfire on me. I’m going to turn in super early tonight, though, so I guess this is goodnight.

11-24-06

We basically sat around all day. We woke up at 0430 (later than usual). Didn’t have PT, ate breakfast in the DFAC (mmm) and watched movies from 0745 until 1215, ate again, watched movies from 1300 until now (1900). Slack as hell. This is starting to bring back memories of reception.

Tomorrow we have “Operation Appreciation” which is that church led off-post e vent where we eat free food and probably get preached at.

I feel bad for the other companies around us. They’re almost all in red phase still, and we witness them getting smoked all the time. They don’t seem to get to watch movies like us, either. Damn, red phase sucks.

11-26-06

Damn, some amazing days. Long story, so here we go. On some earlier date (I’m thinking Thursday the 23^rd or Friday the 24^th) someone from 4^th platoon had a brilliant idea. Let’s break into the storage room where they keep the personal bags and get our cell phones! I mean, hell, we’re only three weeks from graduation , let’s go get ourselves kicked out of Blue Phase! Yup, there it is.

Now, if it was just 4^th Platoon it wouldn’t be so bad. However, we couldn’t manage to stay clean of it. One Private, Pvt. W., got mixed up in all that bullshit and now third platoon is disgraced, too. Pvt. W got an article 15 and may be recycled shortly. Our platoon’s punishment, however, is still up in the air. We’re all confused about it. None of our Drill Sergeants have said anything to us yet, but our phase banner is not on the pedestal in the hall where it should be. Then again, we heard second platoon may have stolen it. So we may be going to red phase, we may be getting our blue banner rolled up, or we might get nothing as a platoon. All I know is that one idiot private can fuck the whole platoon.

After the MP’s left from sweating the thieves out, we had formation for “Operation Appreciation!”

Operation Appreciation turned out all right. It was nice of them and everyone appreciated it, defiantly. We had an hour of mild entertainment (a cross company eating contest, Fox vs Delta) (a juggler, etc)., an hour of church and then they gave us swiss rolls, tortilla chips and hot dogs. A weird combination but the swiss rolls were good and they gave us a can of Coke to drink. Felt weird to drink soda (it burns!) but it was nice.

We rode the busses the 45 minutes back to Ft Knox and turned in for sleep around 2315. The operation lasted from about 1700 until 2230 or so. I’d say t he only two downsides to it were, first, we got back two hours after the usual lights out and second, it made me start thinking hard about home again, which makes time crawl.

Tomorrow we have the 10K march. We put our IBAs in our rucks for it, so it might be easier. We’ll see. Get up nice and early to march 6.4 miles with 60lbs, throw a grenade, then bus back. I’ll fill in the rest on that, the phase banner crap and anything else for my next letter.

2006-11-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

11-17-06

Another day in Basic Training, another day closer to graduation. As you know, today we were fitted for our Class A uniforms at CIP (Clothing Issue Point). Man, putting on that green jacket and pants made me feel good; made all of us feel good. And, of course, whenever you do anything regarding graduation from Basic Training, the Drill Sergeants like to find a way to scare you back down to a BCT mindset. It’s all a big game and you can’t let it get to you down.

Drill Sergeant Q. is back as of today it’s like he never left. He’s tolerable if you don’t stand out, but he likes to single people out and in that way he can be very cruel. He singled me out at the fitting for high speed PTs (windbreaker set). He asked about my PT and I told him I do 40 pushups and 53 sit-ups. He told me I better do 42 pushups and 53 sit-ups tomorrow or he was going to get me. I’m nervous now, since last test. I only did 35 and we haven’t had much PT since. I do some on my own and can do 42 in the barracks, but as I learned last test, I do way less on that PT mat. I think I’ll be fine to graduate (33 req) but I don’t know if I’ll make his standard. Oh boy. Here’s hoping he forgets, but I doubt he will.

Later today we have “tactical team mvmts.” Which is bounding (sp) and such I assume. I heard it’s a live fire exercise, but that sounds more dangerous than they usually allow. Basic Training Administrators are way more safety conscious—no, safety paranoid than you would expect. I’ll report more on that later.

11-18-06

The tactical deal was indeed a live fire exercise, although with blanks. First, though, we high and low crawled (low-no kidding) through deep mud. Man, what an experience. It was borderline low SWIMMING. The live fire exercise was on buddy movement (“cover me while I move.” “I’ve got you covered.”) and such. Even though I was covered in mud and wetness, it was kind of fun.

Today we had ARM 1-3 (Advanced Rifle Marksmanship). That consisted of training in various fire positions (Kneeling, low ready, high ready, etc) and reflexive fire. Reflexive fire was the best. We practiced reflexive fire with ironsights and the close combat optic (red dot sight). Reflexive fire is just basically a quick, fairly accurate method of fighting in close quarters. You aim really quick by basically putting the sight post on the target and double-tapping the target. Tactical shit like you see in Black Hawk Down or tv shows with SWAT. Today we practiced in the simulator and Monday we hit the live range.

This upcoming week is going to be all squad tactics and US weapons. Then its prep for the final FTX, the blue phase PT test and then it’s Family Day! We ain’ t got much left. 25 days left!

On Thanksgiving we get served by the Commander and the XO. Should be exciting.

11-19-06

It’s Sunday now and we’re cleaning and exchanging linens, etc. I went to Protestant service and fell asleep for most of it. I felt bad, but I couldn’t help it. Most Sundays are like that. Spent doing laundry and trying not to fall asleep. The DS caught a few guys napping and they now have 3 guard shifts tonight. Sucks to be them but at least they didn’t punish the whole platoon again.

I may add more later, but for now I just wanted to wish you and my readers a happy Thanksgiving. If I send a letter mid-week like usual I’m not sure when you’ll get it, being as the holidays mess up everything on this base, including mail. So enjoy your turkey and I’ll be back with you guys in time for Christmas ham.

Check out the card enclosed. Got it at the PX. Thank God we’ve only got just over 3 weeks left! I’ll write again soon. Hope it gets to you before Thanksgiving.

Pat

2006-11-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

11-16-06

Wow, been a busy few days. I’ve got some good news, though. I’m qualified with my M16A2 Assault Rifle! Today was qualification day for our company and I nailed me a marksman rating. I think if I did it again I could get sharpshooter or better, since most of my misses were due to aiming to high. I was aiming where they told us for each target but my sights were off, too high by far. I had to aim well below the bottom of the target. For anyone coming through Basic, worried about BRM, just know the fundamentals—your 4 basics, sturdy position/aiming/breath control/trigger squeeze-and remember to find the right aiming point for each target (50m, 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, 300m).

That’s the bulk of the news. Tuesday was spent at WOOD II in practice for BRM. Same for Wednesday. Wood II was an interesting range. Very wooded, funny enough, even though it was named after SSG Wood, not after wood as in woodland, the range is pretty damn hard. Best I shot on that range was 19/40. It’s very hilly and the targets blend into the terrain. Also, day 2 it was raining hard and I couldn’t see for shit.

Every day after a range, we have bass and ammo shakedown, funny enough we always get lucky and get a break in the rain when we strip off all our gear and empty our pockets. Lucky. The DSs then give us the POW Chop and we get re-dressed. It’s kind of stupid, since if you wanted to steal ammo you’d have no problem (put it in your boot!). But it’s funny and the DSs do everything in good humor.

Qualification was stressful for everyone. After you get that Marksman Badge , though, it was pure relief. All that’s standing between me and graduation, now, is the final PT test and I’ve already got passing scores. So my graduation is mostly answered.

Tomorrow we get fitted for our class A’s. Those are the green dress uniforms we’ll be wearing to graduation. It’s yet another step towards graduation and I’m glad to take it. After today we have 4 weeks until graduation! One week of which is in the field and another of which is clean and preparing for graduation.

Also tomorrow, after our CIF (central issue facility) stuff, we’re covering tactical movement. That’s 3-5 second rushes, bounding, covering fire, etc. All that good squad combat tactics. I’ll repeat more on that in my next letter.

Saturday is our white phase PT test, the next to last one. The blue phase PT test, due to FTX, will be only one week later. So I need to pass this white phase test to insure a pass on the blue phase. I’m confident, however, so we’ll see.

I guess that’s all for now. Wish me luck.

2006-11-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

11-11-06
Nothing much going on right now, so I'd thought I'd start Monday's letter a little early. We haven't done anything since the last letter, but there are always little things to talk about.
We're a full week into white phase now, and Basic is pretty much routine. Every night the S1 (paperwork guy, a Private, the DS picks) gets the next day's uniform and training schedule from the CQ's (change of quarters) board and copies it onto our whiteboard in the Hall. We then are expected to be prepared to exercise anything inillegible on the board when the time arrives. Our usual day goes like so!
0500-Wakeup-A lie. 0500 is toes on the line 0400 or 0345 is really wakeup.
0530-PT Formation
0630-PT Over
0700-Chow Formation
0800-Various Training
1200-Chow Formation
1300-More Training
1700-Chow
1800- Optional Training, depends on DS. "DS Time"
1900- Weapons accountability and mail call
2000-Usually start of personal time. Sometimes, depending on training may be pushed to 2100
2100-lights out
2200- Lights out if personal time started on 2100

We do a lot less PT than I expected. Hell, after week 3 or so, we don't even get smoked much. To ensure a PT pass you pretty much have to work out extra during personal time. Also, showers are nothing like I expected. I foresaw rushed, 1 minute showers, moving through naked assembly line fashion with 60 other guys. Fortunatly, there's nothing like that. We are expected to shower on personal time adn the duration of our shower is not regulated.
Actually, on that note I have more info. We have a lot of responsibility as a platoon, much more than I expected. A lot of the time they give us a task and a time limit and we have to make it happen on our own. We usually fuck it up, but it seems to me a better way to do it than the way I expected. Better training as related to the real Army.
Overall, and maybe I'm speaking too soon, Basic is much easier than I expected. All the little worries I had before I left proved exaggerated or unfounded. Of course I can't speak for all DSs, or all Basic Training locations, but if you're DEP and worrying, don't. Anyone, just about, can complete Basic with just a little heart and a little discipline. It's easy.
On that note, though, I have to add that I'll be glad as hell to get out of here. The environment is no one's idea of fun. At times, it can be (rappelling, shooting, going to the field [when not raining]) but the overall conditions just suck. All the control, lack of entertainment or communications, the people you have no possibility of avoiding, etc. I understand the purpose of it all, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to go home and then move on to the actual Army. Oh, and I want a damn PIZZA and some WAWA. Most of us spend our free moments dreaming of our first meal on the "outside". The food is okay here and they feed us three full meals a day , but you find yourself missing certain things. Pizza, ice cream, candy, Italian food in general, etc. etc--WAWA oh my God.
One last tip in this section of the letter--to stay awake in class, just think of home and imagine yourself doing fun things. I spend a lot of time in boring situations thinking of all the times my friends and I got together to play Halo, or thinking about Oblivion or other video games. I also think about all the trips I took this yearand all the ones I'll take in the future. It really works.
I suppose I could discuss the Drill Sergeants again, an extended view, perhaps. After working with them for these four weeks and change, we all have a much better understanding of their personalities and methods.
(senior) Drill Sergeant P. is the senior drill sergeant of the three we have assigned. He's black and somewhat soft spoken (for a drill sergeant). He's my favorite of the three because he's fair and reasonable, but not lax in his duties. He'll punish or smoke us if it's needed, without being an asshole or losing his cool. I think he's exactly the way a drill sergeant should be. He seems to enjoy his job and has a firm understanding of his responsibilites. He was an 88M (truck driver) and went to Iraq.
Drill Sergeant P. is kind of crazy. He's a solid drill sergeant, but he keeps you on your toes. He does crazy little things like burst out into cadence for no reason (just sitting at his desk or walking around outside) or ask us crazy questions about random things. It's his last cycle and I think that explains a lot of it. He sometimes gets unneccesarily angry over little fuckups on our part, but I think he's just sick of being a drill sergeant. I can tolerate DS. P., but extended exposure gets all our spirits low. He was an 11B(Infantry) and has also been to Iraq.
Our last drill sergeant is DS Q. He seemed all right when we got him about 2 1/4 weeks in, but 3 weeks in, he went on emergency leave or something and hasn't been seen since. I heard something about a death in his family. He seemed very into training us. Always testing us on Battle Drills (contact with enemy, incoming fire, grenade react, etc). But he also seemed very impersonal and unsympathetic. He was a 74D (chemical operations) and was also in Iraq.
All the Drill Sergeants have mannerisms and sayings too. And we all pick up on them and start imitating them. Drill Sergeant P's crazy cadence yelling, Senior Drill Sergeant P's method of answering questions ("Roy on, Roy on") or completing explaining things ("There it is") all get stuck in my head. We all walk around saying that stuff. When I get home my family will not understand me. :P
I guess that's that for this section of the letter. I'll fill in the second part Monday night, with some news about shooting at the range.

11-12-06

Well, it's Sunday and I've got free time again (this holiday weekend allowed for a lot of writing), so I thought I'd add more. I could talk about chow, I could talk about church, I could talk about anything, but mostly, I want to talk about getting home for exodus. Man, especially lately, all I can think about is getting home for Christmas. Video games, my family, some freedom, I think about all of it constantly.
I imagine that's the way of it while in Basic. All you can think about is getting out, but once out you spend a lot of time looking back. All the strict scheduling, discipline, corrective training and such probably grows on you. We'll see,anyway. For now, though, all I know is I want to hurry up and graduate Basic Training.
I've exhausted all the topics in my mnd regarding Basic Training. Tomorrow and Tuesday we're firing practice at the range and then possibly this coming Friday we're qualifying. I will have no trouble making my 23 and I expect to shoot in the high 30s out of 40. Who knows, maybe I'll qualify expert!
Well, I'll tell you about the range tomorrow.
Just kidding. Apparently I have more to say. Sundays here are the worst day for me. I go to church here (but not at home). But while it's nice to get a break from the Army it's also bad because it gets me thinking about home. So on Sundays, by 10am I'm as homesick as I've ever been. Everyone else must be similiar because Everyone talks about home on Sunday. Which, of course, makes it even worse (for me at least) because I spend even MORE time thinking about home. And aside from linen exchange and weapons draw we have nothing to do on Sunday so time goes slow. So, if anyone thinks of me, do so extra hard on Sunday.
Ally, by the way, I really appreciate all the letters you send me, and all the typing you do on my behalf (this letter alone will give you carpel tunnel). I can't thank you enough. You write me three times as much as anyone else.

11-13-06
Well, it's Monday now. Today we had our 8K ruck march as well as BRM 9 and 10, timed single and multiple targets. Basically, it's an introduction to the pop up targets.
The ruck march was easy. The ruck was no more than 35 or 40 pounds and we wore our IBA (vest), CBV (cargo vest), and kevlar helmet. All together it's maybe 80 punds, but at this point in Basic I'm so used to wearing the IBA, CBV, and helmet that I don't even feel it unless I'm running.
After we ruck marched to the range, we had the shitty (but hot) field chow and got to shooting. This range sucked. The targets were so shot up that if you hit it center mass, the hole worn into it was big your round passed through without knocking it down. Because of that my hits were low, but the DSs said score didn't matter, we were getting used to timed targets. They knew (and told us) the deficiencies of the range.
I have to admit, though, "missing" all those targets had me worried until the DSs explained. I thought my shooting had gone bad. Not graduating definatly entered my head.
Around 1530 we bussed (yeah!) back to the barracks and are now performing weapons maintenance. And Basic continues. I'll write again soon (but less).

2006-11-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Still here at Basic. (Surprise!) Yesterday we went back to Kelly EST to shoot single and multiple timed targets on a virtual range. The Kelly simulator is cool (I'd love to hook a 360 up to it and Play Ghost Recon: AW) but it's always way easier for me to shoot there than at the real range. The rifle has less recoil and while the targets seem smaller, it's easier to hit them (no wind, etc). I shot 41/44 on the scored portion. I would have nailed 44 or 43/44 if my glasses hadn't fogged on the last scored kneeling set. Oh well.
After that we went back to the barracks cleaned and ate chow. Later we made phonecalls to arrange transport for Christmas exodus. I'm driving home with my parents (Hey Mom!) and flying to AIT on 02 Jan 07. Today we got tickets if we needed them from some travel agency on base. So no rifle training today. :(
Chow here is the best part of the day. It gets me up in the morning, motivates me through the day and ends my day on a happy note. If you, dear reader, are coming to Basic, you too will understand.
My Battle Buddy, btw, is a subject I'd like to bring up. I haven't spoke much about the "Battle Buddy" system the Army employs. Basically, your bunkmate is your assigned Battle Buddy. You have to accompany him almost anywhere (everywhere) and keep a lookout for their uniform appearance, making sure they're good to go, etc. Basically, it's another method to teach teamwork.
I won the Battle Buddy Lottery. I have the stupidest, most fucked up, ass-backwards, soup-sandwich Battle Buddy EVER. He's a simpleton from South Carolina with terrible acne, bad personal hygiene, no personality and no common sense. It's a worst case scenario Realized. It makes me want to scream sometimes, but it's just another test. If any reader is going to Basic be prepared for the worst Battle Buddy EVER. And if you get a good one you'll be presently surprised.
Another thing is my feet. Holy shit are they all fucked up. Not that bad, I guess, but my left foot has a huge, blood filled blister or callous extending from the big toe to almost mid foot. It's white on the outside and translucent so you can see all the blood inside. Never seen anything like it before. I think its from wearing boots all day and running everywhere at doubletime.
Well, guess that's all for now. I'll write again soon.

2006-11-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Back from 3 day FTX. Everything so far has been kind of out of order from what I expected. I thought the white phase FTX was going to be at the END of the white phase, but oh well. We seem to do a lot out of order.
We slept out at the grouping and zeroing range, in the nearby woodline in our 2 man poncho-made hooches. Of COURSE it rained and was cold, muddy and miserable. We spent day one grouping , then set up our hooches in the dark (sucked). Grouping is easy, but there were still some people whou just couldn't do it, as usual. Day two, after a cold wet night on a slope, was spent zeroing. Very slighty more involved (harder) that grouping, but still easy. I zeroed in three five round magazines. Again, some people (more this time) just couldn't do it. Grouping, btw, is getting five consecutive rounds in a tight 4cm group at a 25 meter target. Zeroing is then using trial and error to move that tight shot group to the center mass of a 300 meter target. You always, aim the same, the Drill Sergeants just adjust your sights. After zeroing (took me 15 minutes but took some people 6+ hours) we spent another cold, damp night in the woodline.
The worst part about the field (which I like when it's not goddamn raining[which in Kentucky is NEVER]) is the chow. We get hot food trucked to us , but they are cheap with the servings because they're worried about overserving and running out. So we get tiny portions of lukewarm, shitty food. It sucks and I'd rather eat MREs.
The third day was at a 300m range, testing our zeroes. I shot 36 out of 40 rounds. You shoot 20 prone supported (laying down with sandbags) and 20 prone unsupported(laying down no sandbags). It was easy and I'm confident I'll pass BRM phase easily. So that was the FTX, Basic Rifle Marksmanship.
In other news, wearing boots 16 hours a day is fucking up my feet. I lost feeling in most of my footand I have some kind of huge, blood filled callous on my left big toe. It really doesn't hurt much, (it can ache at times) but it feels VERY weird to walk barefoot, since I can't feel the floor much. Be ready to wear boots 24/7 when you come to Basic, boys, you'll be doing it for sure.
I guess that's all for now. We're in white phase, now, officially so we get a little more freedom and it may be my imagination but I think Drill Sergeant P. is treating us more like humans. hmm...
I'll write again soon.

2006-11-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

11-05-06

You'll probably get this letter at the same time as another from Thursday or Friday, but that's all right. Found out we may be going on the FTX tomorrow and getting back on the 8th, so I thought I would write my pre-FTX letter, as promised.
On Friday we had our phase validation, as I said. We received all go's on the test, also as I said. However, we're still in red phase. 1st and 4th Platoons made white, though. That actually makes it worse, IMO, but oh well. I'm hoping to make white this coming week, maybe right after the FTX. It's depressing to see the other platoons marching themselves back from chow in squads while we still have to wait for a drill sergeant to release us. All stuff like that.
Haven't heard what exactly we'll exactly be doing on the FTX, but I bet we don't get as good a sleep as last time. I foresee some kind of simulated attack keeping us on 50% security or similar. We'll see, I'll tell you about it after I return.
On Saturday we went to "kelly st" which turned out to be a simulated firing range to group. I and most of the platoon grouped on the first try. It was a quick 5 mag of 5 rounds each event. The simulator was cool. The rifles used compressed air to simulate blowback and a big projector screen displayed simulated range targets. Easy stuff.
We're now 2 days into our 4th week and it's coming along nicely. I miss pizza and video games, the most, though, aside from my family (obviously). I can't wait to fly out of here on the 15th and relax at home. Well, time to go. Write me, Ally, include some printouts!

Pat

2006-11-06T14:47:00.000-05:00

11-02-06

Back from land nav and Red FTX. It wasn't bad, besides the temperature (below 32 F at night) and we did all right on day and night land nav. Actually, we did better on Night land nav, getting 2/2 points. Day nav we got 3/4 but we messed up the order and 0/4 was our final score.
We rode buses to the field site at about 0830 on Tuesday, got to the site and got our land nav brief. We were given 3 hours to find 4 points in a 1 sq km grid square. We found the first (we thought) but the second eluded us. Then we stumbled on the third (we thought) etc. etc. Spent 3 hours running around like crazies in the mud and rain (yes, cold and rainy was the weather). It wasn't bad, though, and was kind of fun. We then went back to set up our "hooches"--a makeshift tent made from two ponchos snapped together and some string-where we would sleep that night. That only took an hour or so, including chow, but then we get to just stand around all the way until almost 6pm, when we had dinner chow (even in the field we eat chow trucked from the DFAC. I have yet to eat an MRE.) Immediatly following dinner we got our night land nav brief. WE had an hour to find two points in the same 1 km square. We actually managed it, this time, and fairly easily. It was fun to tromp through the forest at night, especially since, while still muddy, it had stopped raining.
Sleeping outside was all right, too. It got COLD but our army issue sleeping bag kit kept us warm (goretex!). Getting up and packing all the gear back into our rucks and having it fit was the hardest part of the exercise. We even got a lot of sleep (2030-0500). Cake.
Today we have Army Combatives Training. From the previews we've seen, it should be pretty damn sweet, although I bet I get my ass kicked. I'll tell you later.

11-03-06

As continued from before we had Army Combatives Training yesterday, it was easy. It consisted of several simple wrestling/MMA moves and some basic explanation of how to use them. Nothing particularly hardcore or impressive.
After that we basically cleaned the barracks and lounged around. Today (Friday) we had the Red Phase PT test so we wanted to be rested.
This morning for the PT test we gathered as a company and tested. I scored okay, not as well as I expected but well within standards to graduate. 55pts on the pushup, 50pts on the situp and 61pts on the run. By the time of the next PT test (2 or 3 weeks) I should, at a very minimum, crank out 60, 60, and 70, but we'll see.
Today we also had "red phase evaluation" which consisted of basic tests of our retained knowledge so far. This is part of the phase change process (from red to white). We scored all "Go's" and are on track for white phase sometime soon (Sat? Mon?). We have to move to white as a company, however, so we have to hope the other 3 platoons did well too.
We also arranged our travel for Christmas exodus (woo Christmas! Home on December 15.)
Tomorrow we have something called "kell ST". Don't know what it is but I know it includes a 5K (easy) road march. We're also doing some BRM (Basic Rifle Markmanship) stuff tomorrow. Next week (prolly around the time you get this letter) We've got a three day field exercise (white FTX). It's early, for whatever reason, but I don't care, they're fun.
I find myself adjusting to life here. I still have a constant hunger for pizza and video games, and a constant annoyance at all the idiots here (holding firm at about 75-80%), but I'm not bothered by the drill sergeants craziness or the frantic pace of Basic. You really do adjust pretty quick.
Well, I'm going to close this multi-day letter so I can mail it. Mail on the Base doesn't run on Saturdays , though, so you won't get this until Tues/Wed, but post it up and write back!
Expect another letter Wed/Thursday pre-field exercise, then another next Tues or Wed post-FTX.

2006-11-03T16:23:00.000-05:00

10-31-06

We hit the PX (store) on Sunday so I have some nice new stationary set again. Hope you're doing well. I got your letters from 10-27 and 10-30 and the article. It's most appreciated. I hope your back feels better and yes $23 is better than -$23.

Saturday we ran another obstacle course, this one included "the skyscraper" or "victory tower". It's the Basic Training event where four people pass each other up a Jacob's ladder style series of platforms. It's kind of frightening but pretty easy. A simple exercise in teamwork. You can find info on Victory Tower anywhere so I'll leave out details.

Sunday was church and chilling. We basically hang around and clean on Sunday, exchange linens, etc, etc. It's an easy day. Of course, my platoon is filled with lazy children, so we didn't buff or anything as we should have and got put on squad, and a half per hour fireguard. That's 22 people over 1/3 of a platoon. Means we all get 2-3 shifts a night, over six hours. That's about six hours of sleep a night. It sucks. We got released from it tonight, since tomorrow is Land Nave and Red Phase FTX (field training exercise), and we need to rest. We'll fuck it up again, though, since people are lazy. We're supposed to go to white phase this Friday/Saturday, but it's not looking good. We'll see.

Monday we had land nav classes, in prep for the land nav event and red FTX.

Today we did the rappel towers. It was a lot of fun, actually. I was nervous about crossing the three big rope bridges on the tower complex (see if you can find a photo of "Thunderbolt Tower" at Ft Knox), since rope events usually make me look stupid (I can't climb a goddamn rope at ALL), but they were fun and easy, especially the single rope bridge ("commando bridge") Rappelling can be a little scary at first but just trust the rope and it's easy.

Tomorrow we go into the field. I'll write all about that after we get back on Thursday. I know we're doing land-nav and sleeping out, but nothing otherwise.

Anyway. Sorry I couldn't write a better letter but I'm rushed. I'll fill in the blanks on Thursday.

Wish me luck.

2006-10-30T14:11:00.000-05:00

10-27-06

How's life? Glad to hear you're already building a "reputation" at your new job. :P

Got that letter from the Frenchman (Alain). Tell him thanks for me, and I'll try and write him back, but not sure how overseas mail works from here.

Also, tell Jason "Roger that." And send him my address, so he can write direct. Jason I think he really really wants you to write so just email me @ ally.smith@gmail.com and I'll forward you the address.

Right now it looks like I'll be home on the 15th of December. They're letting us go early for exodus because we graduate right then. (If you're interested in coming Ally and Renee, write my mom for info, as she receives the packet.)

In other news we did the gas chamber today. It was hardcore and yes, it hurt and sucked, but no, not that bad.

We went in masked, cracked the seal with eyes closed and breath held. then cleared and resealed it without breathing any gas. Then came the fun part. We were told to remove our masks and move to the door across the room, after taking a deep CS gas breathe, and tell the DS our name, rank and platoon motto. Man, it sucked. It burns, , you pretty much can't breathe and your eyes are tearing. Some people said it was the worst pain they'd ever experianced, but I definatly disagree. It sucked, it hurt, and would NOT do it again, but its NOT THAT BAD. I've experianced worse pain and such. For those future basic trainees, dont stress it. A few people threw up but I ate a medium-small lunch of chicken cordon-bleu, rice and gatorade and didn't ever feel like throwing up.

Yesterday was spent in classes preparing for today. Life is getting into a routine here, and soon (1 week) we'll be in white phase. If anyone has info on white phase privileges, please forward them.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll write again this weekend and mail it on Monday..

Pat

2006-10-27T13:55:00.000-04:00

10-25-2006

Basic continues. Yesterday we had the second of two days of classes on first aid. We covered splinting, tourniquets, pressure bandages, blah blah. The classes can actually be interesting but you spend the whole time trying not to fall asleep. I'm only really tired here when we sit and do nothing for awhile, ever with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep.
Today we had a bunch of different miscellanous classes. One on Sedition, Espionage, etc. One on Army troop movements and leadership, one on on convoy movements and IEDS. Very boring, even the ones I would normally find interesting, because of sleepiness. The one class on troop movements was given by DS F. , who's a very highspeed infantry guy. He's that stereotypical "KILL!" DS. It was interesting hearing his stories from Iraq, IEDs, and killing Hajji.
Other than that it's cold as hell here, in the 30s in the morning (for me that means 4 am) and not much warmer during the day. Getting up so early sucks, but you don't even notice it because you're worried about fucking up for the DS.
At times it can suck here. It's not the smokings--actually, they don't really bother you after the first few days-it's the way no one other than the other privates (and not even all of them) treat you like a regular person. If I had to name the worst part of Basic Training, that would be it. But overall, it's not that bad. I just want to get to white phase so we can get all those extra privileges.
Time goes by pretty quickly here, most of the time. You have so much to do that there's no time to think about much. Hell, I have to make time to write letters. We're already almost 2 weeks in (about 22% complete!) and it hasn't dragged at all. Got a second to talk to a white phase soldier and he said once you start shooting (white phase) it gets A LOT BETTER, but in time sense but also in enjoyability.
I guess I'll wrap it up for now. Tell people to write me! I need correspondence.
Also, please print out some video game news stories from IGN or somewhere , for XBOX 360 or PC, to give me some info on the holiday games. Look for a review of the new splinter cell or gears of war, please.
Forward me any questions from the blog, too, and send, Jason my address if he wants it. I'm a little homesick and I want a pizza.
Pat

2006-10-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

22 October 2006
Greetings from Knox, the weirdest Fort on God's Green Earth. It's been a stressful few days, since we've been fucking up bigtime and therefore receiving "the indecipherable or whatever it is Ds P. rants about.
On Thurs...I can't remember. On Friday we had pugil match. Oh, wait, Thurs. was bayonet course. I'm hoarse as hell from yelling "Die Hajji Die!" and "Kill!" and responding to "What makes the grass grow green?" -(Blood, blood, bright and red blood apparently). We ran a short (1/2 mile or less) course with some low crawl, high step/high wall obstacles and stabbed stuff with our real bayonets. Tiring, since it was all mud, but cool.
Friday we had pugil stick fights. Our platoon, 3rd, faced off against each other first. Pugil sticks seem like a bad training tool to me because they're so far removed in shape, size, etc from a real rifle. Anyway I had my bout with one Pvt. L. It was close but I managed to win with a groin hit. Mostly he tried to clock me in the head over and over again.
Then the exciting part-intracompany competition. Winner of the majority of the weight classes gets the company belt. There were five classes and we have four platoons. It was an utter, crushing, terrible defeat--for the other platoons. Overall we had smaller guys but we were ferocious. We won every weight class except for super-heavy weight. 4/5 and the company belt. One notch on our belt for honor platoon.
The next day we had a 3K (laughable distance but some people still had trouble) road march, just rifle, helmet and IBV for equipment. We marched to the Bedouin Obstacle Course. This was to be the site of the next competition between the platoons. We ran it once slowly for a test. It was fairly short and simple. A low crawl under wires (touch wires and restart), rope climb (I got halfway up and no further). Don't worry prospective trainees, if you can't do it, you just do push-ups and move on. Then a high wall jump-fairly easy. Then you walk a log. No problem, the high steppers,then a low tunnel crawl then a cargo net the monkey bars. The bars were the hardest, actually half the platoon did push-ups instead. Next was timed for a count towards honor platoon. 1st was 14 min, outstanding. 2nd platoon had a measly 17 minutes, 4th had 22 minutes. 3rd platoon 12:02. We kicked ass. That's 2/2 so far for honor platoon.
Today was mostly personal time, although because we didn't properly clean the barracks on Friday morning we had a GI Party on Saturday night. We were up until 12am (0000 hours) cleaning. Then because we couldn't clean ALSO we're on 1 squad per hour for fireguard (instead of 4 men it's 1 squad). We had duty each. I got two hours of sleep. I'm so tired.
The Drill Sergeants are hard to get used to because they can from nice, reasonable, to mocking and cruel. It's not so bad, though, and I imagine in two weeks or so we'll be done with major fucking up and it'll be easier.
Also there's a DS R. here, I remember the name. Maybe you could google it? Better go.
Pat

2006-10-20T12:52:00.000-04:00

18 Oct 2006

Basic Training still basically sucks, but it's getting a lot better. We got smoked like six times today, BAD, on top of regular PT. We must've ran 4 or 5 miles, did so many minutes of front leaning rest I lost count. My arms are so numb right now.
On Sunday night we were issued our rifles. M16A2. We take it everywhere except PT (scheduled) and use it to get smoked otherwise. We practice clearing it everytime we enter a building and must always be aware of angles and muzzle and such. Other than that for the first 2/3 or a week we mostly had classes on various bullshit. As usual, if you try to sleep or even doze off you get taken to the back to wake you up. I had to fight sleep so hard I missed most of the presentations. Crazy, I know.
Besides getting our rifles and getting smoked and doing PT, we don't do much but clean, eat, and fuck up. They're not as big on wall lockers as "the movies" would leave you to believe but they still stress it. Basically, our DSs seem to be trying to get us to manage ourselves. They tell us things to do, never repeat themselves and punish us when we fuck up.
I'll try and cover more stuff when something interesting happens. All I have now is mundane shit like how we start to become familiar with our DS and do impressions of him. He's an easy guy to impersonate. He has some catch phrases. "Don't worry about it, Private. They'll wait. Half right, face, front leaning, rest, move." And then he makes us thank the retard that fucked up,
"Thank you Battle Buddy." And then he makes the fuck-up say, "You're welcome." Good shit.
Tell Jason they used his catch phrase, "Who are "they"?" When Privates tell Drill Sergeants "they" told them something, the DSs say "Who's they?"
I guess that's all for now. Forward me any comments from Jason, etc.

Born to Fight
Trained to Kill
Prepared to Die
But Never Will
Pitbulls

Pat

2006-10-19T12:21:00.000-04:00

I'm at Basic now. Hope you're well. Write Me! I sent a postcard with my address, but here it is again.
If you would like to send Pat a letter email me at ally.smith@gmail.com. Call me paranoid but I don't like the idea of handing out an address here. :) Just put something relevant in the Subject line.
Things are all right. Better than Reception anyway. We get smoked (pt'd) all day long until we're drained, then we get smoked some more. Our DS are Senior DS P. and DS P. sorry folks i'm not putting in their full names but using intials and unfortunatly they both are "P". I'll be sure and clarify when between Senior DS and just DS. Surprisingly, they don't scream much , but they've promised us, and us them, that we will be the best.
They're kind of assholes, especially DS. P, but they do teach us before they smoke us for fucking up. Basic so far for these last 36 hours, is hard but far from impossible. We did Victory Trace today, a series of team building events including an EXTREMELY LONG low crawl, twice, combined with sets of two 100 yard 3-5 second rushes.
This shit pushed me to and past the limit. We also ran ammo boxes around like madmen, then 10 gal water jugs, etc. All kinds of incredibly hard shit. Afterwards we got smoked for more stupid shit, then covered Basic Drill and Ceremony. Tomorrow is Sunday so it should be easier but who knows.
Well, my time is up. I'll write more soon. Disseminate my address and write me. No Packages!

2006-10-14T11:06:00.000-04:00

10-10-06

Glad to hear from you. I received your letters today (10/10), Tuesday, and was very boosted by reading something from the outside world. I'm glad to hear you got the position with Bath and Body. Sometimes interviews don't go as bad as you perceive. Congrats.
As regards to the blog, my life is as follows: As I write this the Basic Training platoons are outside my window forming for chow. They have a whole ritual they perform. They shout something like, "LAST MAN GET THE DOOR, WHAT THE HELL YOU WAITIN' FOR?" until the last man in the formation gets over to the DFAC door to hold it open. They then shout the order of ranks to file out of the formation. Usually "3,2,4,1," and then they say something meaning basically "That's the way we eat our chow."-can't remember the exact words. Everything seems to have a ritual.

I ship out to Basic this Friday. Yes, that's Friday the 13th. I'm nervous but excited. Very much ready to get the fuck out of reception. I wonder how that first day will be?
Perhaps Station Commando can give me an insight into the first day of Basic. The good thing is we don't get bussed or cattle trucked over, so we don't have to deal with that stress. The Basic Training companies are right next door to the reception Alpha Co.
Tell Station Commando, too, that it's hard to understand reception Hell until you're actually here. I'm pretty much over my intial frustration regarding being stuck here, at least, but it still sucks hardcore.
And tell Jason that "Reception" is a bad name. It's far too warm sounding. They should rename it "You're here, sucks, now shut up and clean"-tion
Well, you'll next hear from me in Basic. As a holdover I have shipping priority so I'm definatly gone this time. If anyone has anything to say about the first two or three weeks advice or otherwise, now's the time. I leave you with a cadence.

I'm a steamroller baby-repeat
And I'm rollin' down the line-repeat
-repeat 60th
So you better get out of my way-repeat
or I'll roll right over you-repeat

Pat

2006-10-06T10:53:00.000-04:00

Bored again here at Ft. Knox County Prison. We're not allowed to do anything, really, except write letters. So here we are. The weekends are worst if you're not processing. Back when we had stuff to do during the day, Sunday was a nice respite. However, with nothing to do during the day except clean, Sunday is just another day in the routine.
I miss my family, too, but I expected that. I realize how whiney this sounds, but it's not that it's too hard or too challenging, it's that it's goddamn BORING. We just all want to go to Basic so we can get on with our journey to the real Army.
I have an address for here now, but I don't think you should post it. You can write me yourself, but do so ASAP to make sure I get it before I ship. Forward me any interesting comments or advice from the blog.
Write quick.
Pat

Note: At approximately 3:30 EST a letter will leave a local drop box to begin its journey to Ft. Knox County Prison to save our friend Patrick from certain death by boredom

A Brief Idea of the Day of Someone Stuck in Reception:
0400 Wake Up
0430 Formation
0500 Chow Line
0600 Chow
0730 Formation
0800 Duty
0900 Detail
1130 Chow Line
1230 Chow
2pm Detail
5pm Chow Line
6pm Chow
7pm Formation
2100 Lights Out

2006-10-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

Bad, Bad news. Apparently the company was overbooked. They shipped two companies downrage, both max full, and had to cut a few people. And, of course, even though my series (263) was here the longest of the big series, and even though I had no problems with processing, and even though I hate, hate reception, I was cut from the shipping company (246 Alpha). So, I get to stay here in 46^th AG Minimum security prison for TWO MORE GODDAMN WEEKS!

Only four people from my company were cut. I just had the bad luck to be at the end of the shipping order.(my line number is 192, which is in the middle, but the way they split the series I got put at the end of Alpha.) The other companies (A company is about 240 soldiers) all cut 4 or 5, too. With the other holdovers, there’s about 50-60 of us left.

Hearing the Drill Sergeant tell us we couldn’t ship was the worst thing I’ve heard in quite a few years. It seriously made me regret joining the Army. Reception is the worst experience I’ve had since I was 13. It’s mostly because we’re not allowed to do ANYTHING. No TV, No movies (occasionally on Sunday), No Books, No magazines, No PT. Absolutely nothing and if the drill sergeant comes up and you’re sleeping between formations, he flips out. It’s not hard, it’s not challenging, it’s just boring. It’s JUST like prison, if, not worse.

I’m depressed right now, but I’m not quitting. I wanted to get to basic so goddamn bad. This two weeks , at least, counts towards my four year commitment. :( I’ll try and get an address for now hold off on the letters.

2006-09-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

09-25-06

Today is Day 3 of processing. We got to finish out anything we missed, get a few last shots, make sure we have our ID cards, etc.
We have one more day of processing and then we're done. I think that last day of processing consists entirely of a PT Test, but there may be more. We have not done a single sit-up, push-up or run since we arrived and this makes me worried. I'll blow right through the sit-ups, push-ups, etc. but after over a week of no exercise, I hope my run hasn't weakened. If I get stuck here at reception or put into "fat camp" I think I would die.
I know I can do it, though, simply because I must. If I have to, I will do it through sheer effort of will.
Besides that , not much going on here. Reception is a lot like a minimum security prison, in a way. I don't mind the level of control, but as I said before, 75% of the people here are stupid or very immature. I think once they meet ole Mr. Drill Sergeant they'll finally be made to account for their behavior and things will improve. Let's just say this reservation has a greater Chief:Indian ratio than usual. That feeling is mutual amongst the other 25%
Well I got to wrap it up, wish me luck on my PT test, of course you'll know the results already.

09-25-06

Had more time than I thought. Another thing I might discuss would be fireguard. Basically, every night four people must have duty every hour, all night long. Two guard the entrance to our barracks and two roam the hallways getting a headcount and such. I suppose this some exercise to teach us about guard duty in a war zone, but mostly it just makes me pissed and sleepy. Thankfully we finally got our shit together and made a roster so I won't have to do it two nights in a row again.
At night is when this place feels most alien. I lay in my bed and listen to the fireguards roam the halls and I realize that I ain't in Kansas anymore. You know when you're asleep, how you feel relaxed and at home in your bed? That feeling isn't here. I can only hope that in time I can feel relaxed and secure in my bunk That, really, is the worst so far, which isn't bad. Overall the experiance is fine so far, and most of my problems will be rectified when we get to t he real basic training.
One thing I'm having trouble adjusting to is the nuances of calling "At ease!" or "Attention!" You're supposed to go to at ease when an NCO enters the room, but it's hard to spot their rank insignia for me and no one else can do it either. I hope I can figure that out before I get to basic. That seems to be our biggest problem here-clarity. We know a few of the basics but the finer points of everything keep eluding us. It's hard to know, for example, exactly when to say "At Ease" or "Attention" Do, we say it always? It's rank dependant, for ex if a Sgt. is in the room already, but a SFC walks in, we go to parade rest, but is it activity dependant? If we're supposed to be reading and not moving, do we acknowledge an NCO in the room? It's all stuff that comes with practice, but no one tells us these things so how can we practice? That's the essence of Reception: Brand new, untrained soldiers neck-deep in military tradition and duty, and no one is telling them anything. Well, that's it for now.

09-26-06
Today is our last day of processing. As I said in the supplement, today we took a PT test. I don't know if we have anything else planned, but I believe we are done.
The PT test was easy. It was 1 mile, 1 minute of push-ups, 1 minute of sit-ups. Surprisingly, probably about 15% of the unit did not pass even the push-ups (a whopping 13). About 19 or 20% failed the run. It was a lot harder than most people expected.
You're probably wondering how I did at this point. Well I have some good news: I passed all three events. Actually, I did considerably better than half, including a bunch of guys who were bragging about how well they could run. It wasn't hard at all really, after I built it up in my mind like I did. This means I get to ship downrange with everyone else on Friday.
I do have one funny story to relate regarding the PT test. I got up at 3:55 so I could make sure to get a sink to shave in. I did the usual morning routine: shaving, teeth brushing, defecating-it was this last one that concerned me. I had some issues with, well, my shit. Diarrhea had struck. So I dropped my ballast and headed out for formation. After standing there for 10 or 15 minutes I was struck by the sudden urge to go again. Uh-oh. Drill Sgt. is outside. No shitting for me.
We head over to the track and form up. Let me tell you, after marching to the track and standing in formation for 20 minutes, I was not in happy land. First event was the push-up. Banged them right out. Next event: the sit-up. Oh no. Oh not good. I get up there, sure I was going to shit all over the guy holding my feet, but then it just fades away. It was like a miracle. I got them sit-ups done and ran the mile in about 7:50. All that's left now is Basic. You'll hear from me (with address) then. Wish me luck.

2006-09-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

9-24-2006

What's up? Relaxing here at reception, 2-46th Infantry, Ft Knox, KY. It's pretty stupid here so far, but this is anything but basic. We do a lot of 0400 formations and a lot of sitting or standing in formation or line, trying to stay awake. Even so it's a shock to finally be here. We get yelled at a lot, but at times it can be cool. It's hard to explain the duality of suck and good.
We finish processing on Monday. I cannot wait to ship downrange. 75% of the people here are insubordinate and stupid but the other 25% are outstanding. There's not a lot else to mention. There are two types of drill sergeants here. The screamers and the ones who only yell when they have to. The second kind always seem to have a better handle on things.
Anyway, I'll try to write another letter before I ship downrange (Friday).

Pvt. Beggan

2006-09-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

Well, this is my last self-posted update until probably December at the earliest, if not later. Don't know if AIT has christmas exodus like basic does, we'll see.

Packed and ready to go. Gonna grab one last taste of delicious Wawa before I go, because that's the only thing I'll miss about south Jersey. :P

As for my letters, I don't know when you should expect the first one, but I imagine not longer than two weeks at the outside, probably more like 9 or 10 days. Ally will type them up here as soon as she receives them, I'm sure. If anyone wants to ask me a question while I'm there, write a comment here and if it merits a reply, Ally will forward it to me.

Also, she'll most likely be posting my address at basic up here once she gets it, so feel free to write me yourself. However, please don't send any packages, since that will draw unwanted attention to me in basic. Just letters, please. Use your judgement. :P

Well... Bye.

UPDATE:

As I went to pack up my laptop, I thought I'd check for last minute comments -- Ally seems to feel it'd be better if she gave the address out on request, rather than just posting it. That's fine by me, so the new procedure is to ask Ally (in comments, I assume, or e-mail her direct if that's possible) for my address if you want it. I expect she'll have it in 9 to 10 days.

Anyway, seriously gone now. :P

2006-09-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

52 hours or so until I head up to MEPS. Oh boy.

Got a friend to transcribe my letters, and she lives in Kentucky so it'll be a nice quick turnout. This journal may end up being only 4 or 5 days behind, we'll see. :P

Getting nervous/excited now. Here's hoping I don't get my ass kicked too hard.

Anyone have any questions before I leave?

2006-09-14T19:07:00.000-04:00

Back from my trip. Less than a week until I leave now.

Here're a couple of the photos I took while out there... there're more on my flickr ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/ ):

Anyway. Checked in at the recruiter's office, and it struck me: I've been working through that office to join the Army longer than most of the recruiters in there have been recruiting. Man, that says something about how long I've been jumping through hoops. About a year and a half, now, and the time has finally come to ship.

I don't want to tempt fate here, but fuck it. I'm 2.5% under the body fat, and even if they tape me over, the ARMS test has my back (I'm fit, I run, push and sit-up every night for about an hour), so I'll say it: This is the time. I can even feel it, really. There's no doubt in my mind that come next thursday morning I'll be at Ft. Knox, KY getting stuck in the left asscheek by a needle full of peanut butter.

I'm going to try and arrange for someone to post my letters on here so you guys can get near-real-time updates of my progress, but my previous deal kind of fell through (time passes and the schemes of mice and men go awry), so that's up in the air. However, I can guarantee I'll be recounting my expererience once I get some computer time, probably towards the end of AIT.

Wish me luck. Only one or two more updates before I head to that great big MEPS in the sky.

2006-08-31T08:47:00.000-04:00

Doing nothing much lately -- waiting for time to pass. Going to the Coast Guard base later today with the recruiter to work out.

I'm done with my (civilian) job in a week, thank God. I'm so burned out on seafood and restaurants. :P Taking a week to go on a (third) vacation to Olympic National Park, near Seattle, WA, with some friends. The Olympic Peninsula and Washington in general are the most beautiful areas I've ever seen, that's one of the major reasons why I want to get posted to Ft. Lewis, which is only about an hour from Olympic NP.

Photos from my first trip to Olympic, back in May, are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/tags/olympic/

Photos from my second trip, to Rocky Mountain National Park, are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meta474/tags/rmnp/

Gonna take more pictures on this one, too!

After I get back, I've got about six or seven nights until it's time to ship out to Ft. Knox.

Oh man, it's getting close. Anyone have any advice for me?

2006-08-24T11:59:00.000-04:00

Did my somewhat regular check-in with the recruiters. Everything's still good, with a nice margin. Just waiting around, really, like last time. Even already did some reading, so I can't even do that.

Everyone still thinks I'm crazy but it seems most enlist... ees.. enlistees get that, so I consider it normal.

Actually, I was on a plane flying back from Denver about three weeks ago and one of the passengers was having some kind of problem. I didn't catch what, but it was health related because they paged the plane with a request for any medical personnel on board, and there was no one. I'd really like to be able to raise my hand the next time that happens. So add that to my list of reasons for being a medic.

26 days and counting. If anyone has any info about selecting a post after AIT, I'd appreciate it. If it's merit based (say the top ten in the graduating class get to choose their post and everyone else is assigned) I'd like to know that, or if there's something I can do to influence which post I'm assigned to, I'd like to know about that, too. Hoping to get somewhere in the west, Washington preferably or Oregon, Colorado, etc. -- someplace not on the east coast and not in any southern state, preferably.

2006-08-16T18:10:00.000-04:00

Hey again, guys. Just filling in an update.

I've been wondering what changed with the Health Care Specialist MOS from 91W to 68W. Was it a simple reclassification? I know they were switching the different field numbers around, but I thought the 91s were good to go already, but I see now they've all been changed to 68. I wonder if any of the training has changed.

Also, I'm kind of disappointed my DEP card isn't somewhat more official -- the local coast guard base doesn't allow it as a form of ID to use the gym and such there. I can see why, though, since the DEP card is essentially laminated paper and could be easily forged. It'd be nice to receive some free gym, though, since the nearest Army base is two hours from here.

And if anyone has any questions regarding MEPS, feel free to ask. I must've been there six or seven times so far and have encountered a lot of problems relating to body fat. I'm very knowledgeable. :P

2006-08-14T17:41:00.000-04:00

I think this story is too long to tell. You can probably guess most of it, by reading the previous entries. I was turned down on body fat again, even though I had lost more weight. (My chart at MEPS is a joke. My body fat percentage is all over but my weight is something like, 232, then 229, then 226, then 220, etc.)

ANYWAY, the important part: I took a fucking break from it all. I told Sgt. Mal that I was done for awhile. The stress was killing me. I told him I'd check back with him in about a month.

Well, we connected back around mid-March. Sorted everything out, started going to the gym again (I didn't stop going myself, but I started going to a local gym instead of the coast guard base) and then weighed up. I was 217, down from my previous disqualifying weight of 220. Sgt. Mal said we'd take a trip up to MEPS to try and enlist again without even measuring. It was kind of strange to go up there "blind", so to speak. However, when the tech taped me in at 39.5 waist and 16.25 neck, putting my body fat about a percent under the max, it was a relief. Of course, I was worried about their NEXT measurement, again on ship day, but what can you do.

At that time, I believe this was the end of April (I'd have to check my paperwork at this point) I enlisted again as a medic (This is much more satisfying to me than the other kind of "second choice" jobs I had been given on the renos after my ship-day disqualifcations. Medic has been my first choice for a long time). Which, through the months of my hoop-jumping circus performance of an enlistment adventure, had been changed to designation 68W. I told them I now, however, had to work through the summer before I could leave, and secured a September ship date.

So my current status is enlisted, 68W (health care specialist/medic), Shipping to Ft. Knox, KY for Basic Training on September 20th, 2006.

I have to say this has been the most ridiculous year of my life. Actually, a year and three months, now. I knew, however, that this is what I wanted and I stuck with it, regardless of the bullshit I had to deal with.

I recently went for a DEP weigh-in at the office and I'm down to 212 and 38.75 waist (this is probably low. I'm betting MEPS gets me at 39 or 39.25) and a 17" neck (high, MEPS will prolly bat 16.5 or so), putting me about 2.5 percent under the requirement. Of course, we'll see about all this on ship day. I feel confident, however, that this time will be a go. By the time september 20th rolls around, I'll be 205, 208lbs and probably 38, 38.25 waist.

I'll try and post regularly in here again, but I don't know if I have much to talk about anymore. :P My home life sucks, my job sucks and I want to join the GODDAMN ARMY. :)

2006-08-13T21:26:00.000-04:00

I have news.

More to follow.

Soon.

Prolly tomorrow.

No one will read this. :P

2006-02-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

I head up to MEPS again today. Taking these last few hours to get my stuff together (re-packing sucks). I'm considerably under the body fat percentage this time, so there's nothing that could conceivably screw me over (ha. we'll see about that, I guess).

Leaving here at around 5pm. Expect an update in here in about a week, maybe 10 days. ASAP, at any rate. I should be able to put a post or two in here myself in about four or five months. That's the earliest I could conceivably have access to a computer. Until then Melissa will be transcribing my letters.

I'll try and be upbeat, but there's a very good chance the letters wil be kind of glum for the first two weeks. Anyone that's been through bootcamp will probably know why. ;) But who knows--I don't let a lot of things really kill my optimism... so I might be able to take it all in stride. Guess you'll find out in the next update.

Thanks for reading, guys. Again, you know the drill--make a particularly interesting or useful comment and Melissa will forward it to me. I'll also have my address posted on here ASAP, so anyone with enough time on their hands can drop me a line. Please note, of course -- no contraband! No packages, etc. I know a few of my friends had to be warned explicity. :P

Wish me luck.

2006-02-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

Okay. I heard a few things about 25F.

They're not network operators in as much as telephone operators. That is, not the kind of "press 0" operators... more like phone networks, I suppose. Now, I've heard conflicting information regarding this: A few people in have told me different things, but both agree its regarding phone networks -- some say there is heavy cross-training into satellites and computer networks, since these are all related to the systems you have to work with as a 25F. Others say the training is on antiquated equipment and is largley useless in the civilian world. I don't know what the case will be by the time I get to Fort Gordon... I guess I'll find out.

Less than a week, now. Going to the gym a lot and just trying to pass the time.

Got escorted off the Coast Guard base (Cape May, NJ) today because of a "miscommunication". Sgt. Malinowski usually takes me and maybe another guy or two over to the coast guard base to use the gym (free, uncrowded). However, today he called and said John (one of the DEP enlistees) would go with me over there, if I wanted. I agreed, dressed, etc. He spins by at about 9:30AM and we drive over there. I've been thinking, of course... how is he going to get onto the coast guard base without a military ID? (the coast guard base doesn't accept the DEP future soldier card, which neither I nor he had anyway) I ask him and he says something about how he "does it all the time" and some such. This kid isn't... the sharpest kid I've ever met... but most of the other Army DEPpers aren't, so I figure its just me.

We get to the gate and the guard asks to see ID. John shows him his driver's license and says he's meeting "his recruiter in the gym" and the guard says, "how do I know your recruiter is over there? You're supposed to come with him so I can see his ID." John says something about how he had "two other guys in the car" and the guard kind of lets up and says, "Go see about ti at the security office." It's right next to the gate.

We park there and John runs in by himself, saying he'll be right out. He's in there for a few minutes. I figured he was getting a visitor pass (as he said he has before). He comes out after a few minutes with no pass. I ask him what they said and he says, "Nothing." which I find pretty weird. But he turns out of the lot looking like we're going onto the base. I ask again, "They said we can use the gym," and he mumbles something sounding like "yeah"

We park by the gym... and the whole goddamn time he keeps looking over his shoulder like he expects to see something -- at this time I pretty much knew something was up. Who the hell looks like that unless they're doing something wrong? But I didn't feel comfortable telling him, "You're full of shit. Let's get the fuck off the base before we get in trouble," because I didn't really have any evidence... and Sgt. Malinowski did say he was going to get us to use the gym...

so I go to work on the treadmill to run my 3 miles. And sure as shit, two uniformed MPs come into the gym and talk to the guy on watch. They don't say anything to me, but I saw them over there and figured that John, the dumb asshole, had indeed done something very fucking stupid. John sees them as well and says, "Oh shit," and goddamn walks hurriedly out of the gym. What the hell do I do now -- he's my ride and he's the only reason I'm even on the base... but as far as regulations are concerned, I suppose, I'm equally guilty when it comes down to it. I stop running. The MPs have left the gym as far as I can tell. I kind of stand around for a few minutes and they come back in and over to talk to me. I get to be taken out into the hall to be questioned (oh boy. That's not embarassing). They ask me who I came with, I told them a guy "from the Army recruiting station," and they ask me where he is. I don't know, but I check around. They get a call on their radio that he's over at the security office. The asshole just left me in the gym and took off to the security office to try and cover his ass. I get to be escorted out of the gym and over to the security office.

They call the recruiter -- we didn't actually do anything that wrong -- we didn't get in any real trouble, anyway. I was pretty pissed and embarassed, though. Sgt. Malinowski came and talked to the MPs (we had to wait in the security office) and it was cleared up. We can only come with Sgt. Malinowski (which I had no intention of not doing, even before the MPs told us... seemed like that was the deal anyway, to me).

But man, I wanted to strangle John. That dumb hick got me pulled out of a gym on a military base because he decided he was going to do what he wanted after the security office told him he couldn't use the gym. He gave me a bunch of explanations about why he bolted when the MPs showed up... all of them ridiculous. And he kept changing his story about what they initially told him in the security office, when we first got on the base. I think the kid is some kind of idiot and I wonder how he's going to make it in the Army if he thinks he can do whatever he wants.

Anyway. that was my adventure for the day.

If anyone knows anything more about 25F that I haven't already heard, comment on this entry with an email or a link or something and I will get ahold of you.

Thanks.

2006-01-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Sorry for my two-week hiatus, been trying to get a lot of things straightened out (I still don't think everyone knows I didn't leave for basic training yet. :P). It's frustrating to have to have to do this waiting all over again... but a few things happened after I returned that makes the ship-day postponement seem more like fate. A few family issues and a couple other small things. Almost spooky.

So as you may know, February 8th is my new ship date.. meaning I'll be leaving home on February 7th. It seems really lame (and yet somehow totally fitting) that it should happen like this. As I said last post and as you may know from reading this blog, none of my MEPS adventures have been easy -- everything seemed to take 2, 3, 4 times to get right. And I don't even need any waivers! I can't imagine what someone would go through who needed actual waivers. http://tracygosnow.blogspot.com/ for instance.

So that's that. 25F is my new MOS (I know a bunch of people who were only reading this for an insight into 91W training -- sorry I can't help you with that any longer). It's interesting to switch from the medical corps to the signal corps. On one hand the job seems less important but on the other I know it's still very important. I still wish it had worked out as it did initially, 91W and shipping on january 11th... but I don't deeply regret the change or despise the "cruel fate" that may've changed things for me. I've found every time a door shuts another one opens... so perhaps things will be better now. Not worth bitching TOO much about things you can't change (a little is okay. :P)

25F is, for those of you in the dark, Network Switching Systems Operator/Maintainer. I'll be a network IT worker with a rank, essentially. You can work with the Army to get a lot of certifications for that job -- including the Cisco network certifications and a bunch of other ones as well. A job like this means I'll be a rear-echelon motherfucker.. so I should have a lot more time to work on getting certifications and a degree. I hear Fort Gordon, the location of 25F AIT, sucks... but who knows. Georgia can't be that bad, right? :P

I'll try and dig up some information on 25F, 25F AIT and the modern Signal Corps if I can. Thanks for sticking with me, guys... those of you that don't stop reading, anyway. ;)

2006-01-11T21:28:00.000-05:00

Bullshit. As you are reading this, I'm sure you've figured out that something went wrong.

I had a feeling that they'd fuck something up... I knew it couldn't be that easy as to simply go there and ship. My MEPS experiences have been ANYTHING but a first-time-go. They were down a civilian medstaff, so during weigh-in they had the NCOIC of the med section helping out with weighing, taping. If you read my post about my MEPS experience, you know how I feel about this guy.

He got my height, ONCE AGAIN, half an inch shorter than actuality. 69.75in instead of 70.25in -- Furthermore, he got my neck 16.5 instead of 16.75 like the rest of the staff, or 17 from my recruiter. That put me at 26.63 bodyfat -- 0.63% BF over the standard. I could tell, from this time and the last, that A: he pulls the tape too hard when measuring the neck. You're not supposed to actually squish anything in, it's just supposed to measure surface circumfrence. And the height is another idiotic error -- where the level meets the slide on the walll tape, it's three prong. A high, a mid and a low. The high and low are just for stablity, you read the height where the translucent middle prong lays. He, however, reads it from the top of the bottom prong. That's the half-inch difference from his measurements and the rest of the staffs'.

Words cannot describe how pissed off I am right now. This forced me to renegotiate my contract.

A: They didn't have any 91W schools open for the next 45 days. B: Even if I took the first available, my bonus went from 16,000 to 5000 for a 4-year enlistment.
B: If I wanted to ship anytime soon, 9/10ths of the available jobs were absolutely nothing I was interested in. He was pushing me to select Artillery crew member and water purification technician and stuff like that. -- I am absolutely not interested in those things. He even tried to get me to take an 88M--Truck driver! Today is the day before the end of the recruiting month and I suppose that affected him.

After wrangling it for a bit, I took 25F - Network Switching Systems Operator/Maintainer. I didn't pick it for the bonus -- I wanted to make sure the job I selected both had civilian cross-over and would also be interesting. I don't want my four years in the Army to be worse than college. The bonus was a measly $4000, $2000 because this time around I selected the Army College Fund (I figure if I want to use the cross-over for these skills in the civilian world, I'm going to end up wanting a degree, too). It kind of pisses me off to lose $14,000... but at the same time, it doesn't bother me so much because I know I selected a job that won't bore me to death or leave me with very little in the way of civilian certifications (as, say, artilleryman would).

The only thing I'm really pissed about is the fact that now I have to wait four weeks. I don't ship out until February 8th. I was so set to do this thing, to get this done. I had everything in order. My belongings were boxed up and my issues settled--I was ready for basic training. Now I have to unpack everything and wait four more goddamn weeks.

SON OF A BITCH. GURRGGH! I hate that Sgt. Padilla. 69.75 my ass!

I guess expect another more coherent post in the near future. Sorry to fake you guys out like that. :'(

2006-01-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

Ship day!

Leaving later today, around 5pm. A little nervous but mostly optimistic and excited. Can't wait to start getting yelled at. :P

Boxed up most of the stuff in my room and packed a light bag. Hoping that the futuresoldiers.com packing list isn't going to leave me short on anything essential. It seems the new recommended packing list is essentially nothing. Just enough stuff to get you through until they take you to the PX in reception.

You probably won't hear from me personally again. Posts for the next few months will be by Melissa. I'm not sure when my first letter will get up here... but if I send one in reception, I imagine sometime early next week. We'll see, I suppose. After that, expect at least one letter a week, possibly two (depends on how much time I can squeeze out). I'll try and get all the details I can, but some letters (especially in the beginning) may be kind of brief. Again, I don't have much certainty of spare time. ;) When the letters are posted, feel free to comment on them. I imagine Melissa will be kind enough to forward any particularly uplifting or insightful comments to me. I'll also try and get my address posted up here ASAP, once I know my unit and roster numbers.

Tonight I stay at the Radisson near Fort Dix, NJ. Wake-up is 4am or so, out of there by 5am. MEPS physicals and swear-in until 10 or 11am, then lunch, then the shuttle to the airport leaves around 1-2pm. As I understand it the planes that leave are usually red-eye flights so I'll probably leave the PHL airport later at night. Then its Fort Leonard Wood!

Wish me luck.

2006-01-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Five days, now!

Pretty much done getting all my stuff in order. Have all my bills set to auto-debit from my checking account, have all my documents in order (almost all, anyway). Just gotta start boxing up my belongings, now, so they can be stored. And packing, of course, but the list of things to take these days is very small. Barely a duffel bag.

Was sick on Sunday and still semi-sick monday to wednesday. I feel a lot better now. It was a weird sick... sort of like a stomach flu or mild food poisoning -- no stuffy nose, sore throat, etc. Just feverish and sick to my stomach. Had trouble getting up, too. Glad I got that out of my system before it got too close to leaving. Wouldn't want to have to go up to MEPS sick. !!

If you guys have any advice for me, nows the time to lay it on me! It's almost time.

2005-12-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

Some people recently asked me why I felt forced into joining the Army and why I blamed it on my failures at college.

That is all wrong. First of all, I didn't get forced into enlisting. It was a choice made entirely without feeling pressured or trapped. I didn't decide to enlist because a judge told me to. I didn't decide to enlist to avoid homelessness. I didn't decide to enlist because I had no job. I decided to enlist because I felt it was the BEST CHOICE. I find it ridiculous that people continually view military service as a last resort. In fact, I think it should be considered FIRST, for several reasons, the least of which is it's a fast track to a career. If you enlist as a technical specialty, you'll get training and hardcore job experience. I know that enlisting as a 91W was good both for my immediate future and my long term future -- in or out of the military. But most importantly it should be considered first because it lets you do something that matters. This is the most important feature to me.

If you go to college, what are you doing that matters? Does going to class affect anything directly in the world? Sure, maybe your family is proud -- and rightly so, If you're going there to learn and because you want to do well. But I hardly think that's the case for at least two thirds of the people who go to college. They go to college because its an automatic. You attend high school, you take college-bound classes, you do pretty well... so you go to college. Or maybe your family feels its what you should do. Or maybe you do it because you want to escape your parents and that's the quickest way. I know several people who were at Wentworth (my college, www.wit.edu) because their parents promised to buy them a car if they tried it for a year.

Lastly, I didn't fail at college. I maintained a solid 3.5GPA as of my finish. Furthermore, I didn't have trouble grasping the subject material (my SAT combined was a 1420: 800 verbal, 620 math). I didn't quit because I couldn't handle it, I quit both because I couldn't keep piling up debt and because I couldn't see the point of it all. In fact, I quit because I couldn't keep piling up debt WHEN I didn't see the point of it all.

This society needs to make clear the benefits of military service more than it does now. It was almost never mentioned in my high school -- all you ever heard of the military route was a booth at a career fair or the recruiters outside the lunch room, both of which happened only once or twice a year. The teachers never mentioned it, there were never assemblies dealing with military service, as there were for college-related things. I think if it was suggested more in high school, I may have enlisted once I graduated.

And for those of you who might suggest military service is a death sentence -- There're two arguments against that. First of all, there're the largely (currently) non-combat services: Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard (obviously, not absolutely noncombat. But if you select the right MOS you can easily avoid seeing combat). Although really, joining the military without a resolution to support and defend (with force) the constitution is a bit ignorant, so I'd have to say my main argument against such naysayers is this: Life without risk is not life at all. That is simplified, of course, but if you don't consider standing on the wall with the other defenders of civilization, what kind of life can you live? I understand some people would not fit into a military lifestyle. Military service is not for everyone. But to keep people from considering it is a damn tradgedy. Because some people who go to college blindly would be much better off in the military with eyes wide open.

This may come off as advocating some kind of draft--definitely not. As I said, some people are not a fit for the military -- the world needs men and women in the armed services just as it needs men and women in the universities, in the labs, in the classroom and everywhere else. But why not give them that choice, instead of viewing college as success and military service as failure absolutely?

___

Anyway, that's my rant for the day, I guess. :P Gotta get this all out of my system while I still have the ability to rant to someone (or someblog). Less than 11 days!

Also, Sgt. Lori suggested I ask this question on here:

Does anyone know how hard it would be to get assigned to a Stryker unit out of AIT/training? I'd definitely prefer orders to a unit that used Strykers. I've heard they're death traps, etc. etc. -- but I'd rather be in a vehicle like that than a humvee unit. I've had my eyes on Fort Lewis for awhile. I really like the outdoors and Fort Lewis is right near Olympic National Park in Washington -- one of my dream vacation spots. Granted I probably wouldn't spend much time at Fort Lewis itself... :P But if anyone knows how getting assigned to a unit works, could you drop me a line?

Thanks.

2005-12-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, few things to cover today. Maybe I'll enumerate them! I memorized the phonetic alphabet for my pre-basic task list, so maybe I'll put that to use...

Alpha: I had no idea I had to approve comments... It must have some sort of moderation system in place by default. I'm sorry I didn't respond to anyone's comments; I had no idea they were there! Thanks for commenting, though, I'll search the options for a way for you guys to comment on here without me having to approve it. Obviously for quite a few months I won't be able to approve any comments. :P Thanks a bunch for letting me know what you think and whatnot. I didn't even know more than a few friends were looking at this blog. :)

Bravo: Tomorrow (Tuesday) will mark 2 weeks exactly until I head up to the Radisson to stay overnight before getting my ship day physical at the MEPS. 14 days, man. Feels like just yesterday I had 34 to go. I haven't even been doing anything to make time go by, really. I go to the gym to run and crank out a few miles on the elliptical every other day or so but besides that all I accomplish is deepening the assprint on this chair.

Charlie: I've been hearing rumors (from the forums at armybasic.org and a few other second-hand/first-hand mixed sources that they've changed BCT for non-infantry, made it lower stress. I, personally, believe these are just rumors. Everyone who goes through basic thinks people who go through it after them has it easier. But then again, the sources do seem reputable. If its true, I think I'll be more disappointed in the long run. I don't want basic to be easy--It'll hardly be an accomplishment if it is. Then again, maybe I shouldn't say that. Anyway, I guess you guys will hear first hand about BCT in 2006. The newest journals I've found were 2004 so mine is almost two years newer. At least you'll get to hear how I feel about being issued the ACUs instead of BDUs and the boots you don't have to polish. :P A few people ( Jack Army included ) have been telling me not too worry too hard about basic, and how at worst its only 9 weeks even if it sucks. Thanks for the encourgement and don't worry -- I'm not much of a worrier. I like to research things, though, which may work against me if I build expectations... but I've overcome many bad things in my life (My childhood was hardly a cakewalk. :P) and wether basic is good or bad doesn't much matter -- I know I've got to complete it and learn its lessons well before moving on with my life and I fully expect to do just that.

Delta: This is my final topic and its a doozy! Two or three people in an IRC (Internet Relay Chat -- its kind of an inside thing. Don't think AOL chat room-type stuff. I frequent technical/Information Technology IRC networks (arstechnica.com's IRC, for one) so it's a bit less nerdy than one would think. ;) Man, I sound self conscious there. Anyway, I digress. Two or three people in an IRC room I frequent have asked me what the hell I'm doing. One called me stupid, another called me cazy and the third just honestly wanted to know what my reasons are for joining the Army. (It's not all negative. Quite a few people in there are ex-military and a few more are current military -- so there's definitely a sizeable pro-military crowd)

I'd have to say my reasons are many andd not easily written down. I'm joining for myself and for others. I'm joining for personal gain of the material kind and personal gain of the metaphysical kind. Materially, the skills I will learn and the lessons I'll come away with are largely invaluable. Allow me to explain.

(This is a very long, rambling explanation and doesn't entirely nail everything as a bullet-point list. you're going to have to read it and come away with whatever you can. If you want to skip it, scroll down and look for the end of story notifier. :P)

As some of you know, I went to college for a time and found it extremely wanting. It seemed as if they'd cranked down the experience to cater to the lowest common denominator. The whole year I spent there was largely a replay of my senior year of high school. I didn't learn a single new thing. The classes were too easy and I felt like I was wasting my time. Life is short and no matter how I rationalized it I couldn't see a reason to stay at that college. So I left. People told me that leaving was the worst thing to do, that I should stick with it at least until I got my Associate's and then I could get a basic job and try and figure things out from there. I didn't think so and although I have a history of hardheadedness I thought I was doing the right thing. Why waste my money, get neck-deep in debt just to get some certificate which means MUCH less these days than in my parent's generation? Who says that degree would even get me a job worth having?

So I went back to live with my parents working the only job I've ever had on the books -- at the Lobster House in Cape May, NJ. I made pretty good money, even though it was seasonal, and collected unemployment in the winter. I figured a year of that and I'd have my ducks in a row and my shit straight and all the other ways of saying that.

Well, a year went by and nothing much had been solved. I decided, under pressure from myself (my parents pretty much have always let me make my own decisions), to apply to a less expensive state college and get back on the road to getting my degree. I thought, for a time, my path was clear and I could finally say with confidence that I knew what I was doing with my life.

I spent the next few months sifting through the reams of paperwork necessary to get college paid for. As I did this, I started to think again (oh noes!). What the hell was I doing? I was returning to college WHY? I couldn't think of a single damn reason to go back to something I did not enjoy and didn't feel was really going to turn out well. Sure, maybe I could con myself into sticking with it for 3 more years, getting my degree and trying to find a job somewhere. But what if after I got that degree I couldn't find a job? What if after that degree I was 30, 40 thousand dollars in debt and I had to move back with my parents and pick up the reigns of my trusty Lobster House job? Jesus Christ I think I'd kill myself!

That was when I started toying with the idea of military service. As a kid I had always dreamed of being a jet pilot. What kid doesn't see the movie Top Gun and immediately go wild for that idea? Hell, as... weird as it sounds, I owned a set of Operation Desert Storm trading cards from 1991 to 1994. (They had all the military equipment on them and a description of their capabilties, you get the idea) My sub-par eyesight, however, effectively squashed that idea (My physical profile from MEPS is 111121 -- the only thing holding me back from a perfect is my eyesight). So I sent out for information from all the service recruiters except the Marines (Fuck the Marines!) and started doing some research about possible jobs, benefits, basic training, etc. etc. etc. -- all the details.

It just so happened that the Navy recruiter was the first to get back to me and he did so by stopping by my house. I have a family history in the Navy, so I was already pretty interested in what they had to offer. We spoke and he told me that he could arrange for me to take the ASVAB so we could see what kind if jobs I was elligible for. I went up to the National Guard station near Northfield and scored a 99 with a high GT. He said with that score I could get just about any job I wanted. He had some brochures on the Nuclear Engineering field which interested me highly. I needed to lose a few percent body fat, of course, but nothing else stood in my way -- I have had no law violations, no family in other countries, I'm a citizen by birth, etc. etc.

Well, it turned out the situation was a bit more complicated than that. I won't blame it on anyone else--it was entirely my fault. Their recruiting office was in Northfield, NJ -- about an hour from Cape May. My motivation at the time was low, very low. I wanted to secure my future through the military, but I was also intensely lazy. Needless to say I didn't lose that few percent body fat. I basically sat around and accomplished nothing. The recruiter would call once a month or so to check up on me and I always kind of waved him off -- I know this is an annoying thing to do, but at the time I was fooling myself nicely so its not as if I was waffling on purpose. :P

After awhile he kind of gave up. I guess no recruiter likes losing a mostly pristine candidate like myself (not to be arrogant) but he stopped calling and I stopped fooling myself. Summer was here by then and I went back to work. All through the summer I kept telling myself I had to get on the ball, I had to work for some sort of goal -- but I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't want to go back to college, I couldn't motivate myself to start an exercise program. I just kind of let time pass me by. Before I knew it, it was winter and I was unemployed again. I spend most of the winter doing nothing, as usual, mentally screaming at myself to get motivated but physically doing nothing.

Then I guess I hit a sort of turning point. I don't really know what caused it... Maybe it was waking up for the 100th day in a row without doing one GODDAMN constructive thing. Maybe it was being unable to find a reason to get up in the morning for months. Maybe it was seeing a good friend of mine, Troy, who I had convinced to join the Navy, getting along great in his new life. Maybe it was telling a friend of mine, Mike, that he needed to stop delivering pizza for a living and do something with his life while I did basically the same boring dead-end work at another place, although making more money. I have no idea what it was and I still to this day don't know. I've reflected back on that week where I suddenly found it inside of me to get on the shit rolling downhill (you know, like a snowball. But far more disgusting, I guess. I don't know where I'm going with this metaphor). I started to take runs at night, try and crank out push-ups and do sit-ups. I invested the services again and this time decided against the Navy -- I don't know why I didn't see it before, but I think I would really hate being in a big ass tin can with 5,000 other guys. Plus, their jobs are cool in some ways but really boring in others. What the hell do I want to play with nuclear reactors for? Sure, it'd be cool to tell people I do that... but then again, It'd be cool to tell people I was in militay intelligence or that I was a combat medic.

I was pitiful at first. I told myself there was no way I was going to contact a recruiter until I was down to enlistment standards. I started out running half a mile in maybe 6 minutes and being totally and completely winded at the end of it. Doing 10 push-ups and being unable to lift my arms the next day. I thought I was in pretty good shape, too. I worked a job with a lot of lifting and carrying and standing without complaint. After a month of this I was up to running a mile in 10 minutes and not being completely destroyed at the end. Doing 2 sets of 15 push-ups without feeling it much at all the next day. Doing 40 sit-ups and not being sore for a few days.

I still had a ways to go on the weight loss (I had lost some but had not made my goal) when I decided on the Army. It seemed to be the best choice in the long run. I wasn't much for the Chair Force (It seemed somewhat cruel for me to serve in a branch of the military that essentially circled around a guy who had my unattainable dream job), I had already considered and denied the Navy, didn't want anything to do with the Marines (more family history and not entirely positive. Plus, I knew a few marines and didn't much like what I saw. Sure, they were nice guys and I'm sure they did a great job when they were on duty -- you can't argue much with the Marines as a fighting force -- but it didn't seem to be my service) and the Coast Guard was out because basically the same reasons as the Navy. Hell, they didn't even GO anywhere cool. So I was left with the Army.

Now don't take it that way. I wasn't STUCK with the Army. After research and reading first-hand accounts and talking about it with people I knew, it was the only one that survived my nitpicking. The jobs seemed interesting. It had a mix of hardcore (Airborne, Air Assault. Rangers, Green Berets, Delta Force even!) and not so hardcore (Hell, I could always be a REMF if I thought on it for awhile and got cold feet about going into combat. Not to talk down to the support types -- everyone has a needed job). It appealed to me in a general way, as well.

Ironically, I had asked for information and for a recruiter to contact me but had gotten no reply. I figured that was odd... last time I had asked for information, I had gotten four phone calls in the span of two days. So I kept working out, kept at it. After another few weeks I decided to call the recruiter myself. Turns out they had thought I was already in the Navy from the response I had given them the last time they called. We set up a time for an interview.

I'll tell you -- my original plan had been to wait until I made enlistment standards before I called a recruiter, but I'm glad I went ahead and talked to one. I got myself some free gym time down at the coast guard base (the base in Cape May is actually the national training base -- coast guard boot camp) and a motivator. The Army recruiting station is actually right down the road so I had easy weekly access to the gym. I had enough of my own motivation this time but having the recruiter right nearby was a real help. I think that if the Navy had an office in that complex I would've probably ended up enlisting.

Anyway. My journey from fatass to somewhat less of a fatass (well, enough of not a fatass to get into the Army, anyway. :P) is basically covered in previous entries of the journal here, so I'll skip over that.

I think I've gotten a bit off topic, but what I was getting at with that story is this: After all that time of fumbling with my future, with all the thinking and all the research and all the confusion I've come to two conclusions. I want to take control of my life and I want to take control of my life right now. You can't do that in college. I'm sure everyone could argue against me here and say that college is some magical key to opportunity. That by going to college the fairy god dragon of jobs and money and women will pop into your life in a cloud of some dusty, smoky substance, club you with his baton of good fortune and take off, forever bestowing you with good luck and a great job. I think college as it is now is a joke -- the majority of college students attend for usually two reasons: parties and freedom from the parents and because its what everyone says to do. Because of that--because college students aren't there because they truly want to be, college as a whole has suffered. What does a Bachelor's Degree even DO for you these days? Sure, you can't get a lot of good jobs without one... but in that same vein, having one does not guarantee you anything but a lot of debt. I can't see myself spending four years of my life going to class, taking out loans, doing nothing that directly affects ANYTHING just to get a degree that may or may not do ANYTHING for me.

The bottom line is that I felt helpless with my life as it was before. Helpless at college. Helpless working my fairly well paying, dead-end job. Helpless in the darkness of confusion. I spent over two years having absolutely no fucking clue what the hell I could do to grab the reigns. I was tired of being led around, I was tired of prepring for life and I wanted to just get down there and LIVE IT. If I kept preparing for life, I'd be past my youth before anyone even deemed me ready to meet the challenge!

So, after that story, that's it. That's the reason I joined. I want to take control of my life. I want to get out there and do something that AFFECTS THE WORLD. I don't want to sit in classes for four years learning about the liberal arts. I want to grab life by the horns and do whatever it is you to do life. Shake it? Rub it down with vinegar? Give it a mud facial?! I don't even know what the hell I'm talking about! Wow, I really lost it there. I think I've written too much. I hope after all that you've come away feeling something other than confused.

_____ END OF STORY ____

Anyway, guys, thanks for reading this. If you know anyone interested in joining the Army -- or really, any military branch. Or if you know someone who is wondering about what basic is like these days, give them this address. I expect to be having updates on here at least once a week, probably two or more times a week (it mostly depends on how much time I have to write. Most of the other guys who wrote journals wrote their letters after lights out).

If anyone has any questions for me while I'm at basic, questions about an entry or words of encouragement, I'll have Melissa post an address so you can mail me.

2005-12-21T20:32:00.000-05:00

19 days, 19 hours. Been spending most of my time the past few days getting my financial stuff in order.

Now THAT'S something you don't consider when you enlist. Taking care of your... household (?) while you're away at basic training. That's three months that I have to make sure payments are paid, memberships renewed, services shut off or put on hold, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

That's not to even mention my vital documents and asorted other crap I need to bring. Man! This is a lot of work.

On other fronts, I am glad I made this decision in my life more and more every day. I can't WAIT until the next time an excited leftist tells me if I feel "so strongly about that, why don't /I/ go join the military?!" :P

Anyway. Time is going by pretty damn quick!

2005-12-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

Been doing some reading on the 91W MOS and am greatly impressed with what I've been reading. Apparently there were two MOSs pre-2001 (91B combat medic and 91C Licensed Practical Nurse) that were merged to form the more far-reaching 91W Health Care Specialist. Training was increased from 10 weeks for 91B to 16 weeks for 91W. Training was also broadened in scope from acute trauama training to intravenous medication distribution, limited primary care, etc. The modern medic is much better trained that ever before and is capable of handling a variety of medical situations, both in wartime and peace.

I'm even more glad to have selected this MOS after all this additional reading. To be honest, I hope I don't end up in a rearward or stateside hospital posting -- I think (at least right now) that I'd want first a front-line medic position. We'll see what they assign me, though.

One of the articles I was reading: Military Medicine: Medic for the Millenium

Also plan on sorting through this xanga blog-ring to find good first-hand experiences of 91Ws: US Army Medics (91W)

Also, in case you missed it in the sidebar, MedicSimon's Xanga blog is filled with his experiences from basic training and 91W AIT and experiences from his first deployment and FTX. Click the link over on the sidebar.

Guess that's all for now. Just waiting around. 29 days, 4 hours until I leave for MEPS to ship out.

2005-12-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

So, for starters, my name is Melissa. I'll be handling the postings of Patricks letters while he's away at BCT so that you all can read about his misadventures and well, everything in between, I'm sure.

2005-12-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

Weeeeeellll. It's been quite awhile since I posted in here. My slackness can be attributed to several factors:

Work. At the time of my last post I was working heavily. I was hovering near the body fat requirement for entry but just couldn't quite get there. I continued working full time with a little overtime until the middle of October, when I finally got serious about getting rid of that last percent body fat.

I'll tell you, the last percent is the fucking hardest! I'd lose on my waist and lo and behold, I'd lose on my neck, meaning zero net loss, or near zero. October turned to November before I made my goal. I measured up and the final count was 25.96% -- 26% beind the max.

I went up to MEPS on Saturday Nov. 5th -- took the excrutiating physical. Well, not painful in the physical sense. But jesus, they strip you of your dignity just like they strip you of your clothes! Anyone who's been to MEPS knows what I'm talking about. :P I'm exaggerating a little, but "bend over and spread your cheeks" has got to give any MEPS veteran the shakes.

Anyway. Got to height and weight and I weighed in at 229 and my height was 69.75 -- That was the problem. My recruiter got me at just barely shy of 71, with shoes off. I was 71" my senior year of high school for that height measurement as well. Hell, I was 5'10" in 8th grade! So with that height, I was over body fat by nearly a percent. I went downstairs and was told I'd have to come back in two weeks to re-tape.

My recruiter and the Army liaison had a different idea. A bureaucratic fight ensued. I was sent upstairs to the med area to be retaped and reheighted three or four times. Different measurements every time. Second time, 70.25 inches tall, third time 69.75 again, fourth time 70.00 inches. I was annoyed to no end and really just wanted to go home. Unless they got me at 71 I wasn't going to make it that day. After 2 or 3 hours of this crap, I finally got to go home.

Went back THAT MONDAY because my recruiter's first sergeant thought I could get retaped by the Master Sergeant at that location. Unfortunately he was wrong so I got to drive up to Ft. Dix (a 1.5 hour drive minimum) for nothing. I was told to come back the following Monday.

I go back on the 14th or whatever the date of that Monday was, they get my waist smaller but my height is still between 70.25 and 69.75 -- the NCOIC of the medical department gets it at 69.75 every time, but any one of the other civilian technicians there get it at 70.25. At any rate, still over.

My recruiter wanted me to go back the following Tuesday, which was both the Xbox 360 release date (I'm a video game nerd. :P) and the day before the thanksgiving holiday started. I got out of that, both because I don't think I was where I needed to be on the waist measurement when you consider the height they were getting me at and because I didn't feel like going up there to jump through hoops when I could've been enjoying my brand-new xbox 360 (I was one of the lucky ones who got his on launch day).

So I meet up with my recruiter after Thanksgiving passes. We cut the crap out and get down to business -- at the 69.75 lowest height they got me at, I need a 41 inch waist and a 17" neck -- at that time my waist was 41.50 to 41.75, depending on the time of day (believe me, time of day DOES affect it. :P) -- so basically, I needed to lose around 3/4ths of an inch.

Worked by face off all that week. 2 to 3 hours a day a the gym doing cardio and sauna 4 days straight, a break, and then another day. I was scheduled to go up December 5th

I measure in Monday December 4th with a 41" waist and a 17" neck -- exactly where I need to be.

I go up on Tuesday and take the physical
40.75 inch waist, 16.75 inch neck, 70.25 inch height. Comes out to 25.6% body fat. I'M FINALLY IN JESUS CHRIST.

I was all jazzed up for the rest of the day. FINALLY, my six months+ of hard work payed off and I got an enlistment. I jumped through so many hoops, I lost count. I've been to MEPS 4 times total, 3 times officially and 1 time by mistake. Man, I know MEPS like its the back of my hand.

so anyway, after passing the physical I go down to chose my MOS (job) with a counselor. I wanted originally, as some of you may know, 97B -- Counterintelligence Agent. Unfortunately at this time it has been converted to some other designation and made a non entry-level MOS. So I flip through the other intelligence MOSs and don't really like any of them. I fall back on one of my other choices, a 91W -- "Health Care Specialist" aka Combat Medic. They pronounce it 91-Whiskey which takes me a little to get used to. Everyone who asks me my MOS I tell "91-Dubbleyou" and they go, "91-Whiskey?" Amusing.

Anyway. After this its all kinds of running around. Gotta take my pre-contract over to some other office and get a finalized contract drawn up and signed. Then fingerprinting, then I gotta take my final contract over to the counselor again and then I take my swear-in sheet up to the control desk and they queue me for swear-in. About an hour later I swear in as a United States Soldier. I thought it'd be kind of corny, but it was pretty awesome. The LT who swore us in seemed very excited to do it and the SFC who did the swear-in briefing and whatnot kept telling us how he was grateful for all of us signing up. He was a funny guy, so it really made the whole experience worthwhile. I'm sure they're instructed to tell us how awesome we are for volunteering, but I couldn't detect any forced enthusiasm -- they really seemed happy to swear us in. After swear-in I went downstairs to get my copy of my contract and such and receive my welcome package... which I had no idea I was going to get. It was this pretty nice backpack filled with informational booklets about the Delayed Entry Program (the program they have for recruits who've signed up but haven't left for basic) and some bumper stickers and car window stickers for my parents ("Proud Parent of a U.S. Soldier" etc.) and a T-shirt and some other odds and ends. I was hoping for the steak knife set or the DVD player, but guess I'll settle for this. :| Ha, :P

So anyway. I leave 20060111 which is some sort of new encoding system I'll have to learn (year,month,day). January 11th, 2006.

I'll still try and find someone to transcribe my letters here when I leave. I originally had several candidates but as I was such a huge slacker we'll see if someone is still able to do it. It'd be cool to keep the outside world updated on the status of my training. And this way, you guys won't see the tear-stains on the letters because I'm such a pussy and am missing my mommy. :P (That was a joke. I'm not a pussy. I swear. :P)

I got a photo of my job reservation sheet I'd like to post on here (with my SSN blacked out, obviously) once I find some reliable hosting.

UPDATE: Image of my job reservation sheet (it's attached to your contract): http://www.flickr.com/photos/71362142@N00/71196417/

wish me luck.

2005-07-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

Time crawls slower than usual. I'm getting much more sick of the Rawbar than I have ever been before. I don't know what it is, really but one reason must surely be the suckiness of this summer. The quality of employee at the Rawbar has decreased significantly from last year to this, so much so that it makes me want to tear my hair out a handful at a time. The schedule is touchy at best... usually by this time of year, it has been finalized for weeks. The eight hours I'm required to be there creep by twice as slow as last year, or so it feels. Maybe it's because of the Army and the presence of a palpable future for myself, or maybe not. All I know is that this summer cannot be over soon enough.

This is the first time I've ever contemplated quitting mid-season. Many times after a long, sweaty day at work I've mulled over the idea of leaving ASAP, probably the first or second week of August, though I said I would work until after Labor Day. I've refrained from committing myself to this course simply because I respect my boss and appreciate how he's treated my the five summers I've worked with him. Sometimes, though, I wish he was an asshole. How sweet that would be, "Fuck you! I quit!" right in the middle of a rush while the humid air makes me sweat like a pig at a barbeque. Sometimes its that thought alone that gets me through the day.

But anyway. I'm about 1.9% over the body fat requirement, and losing about .4 percent a week, +/- 0.1% -- I should be at MEPS by the first week of August, second week at the latest. I actually enjoy working out, now. My run at night is sometimes dreaded, depending on how tired I am, but afterwards I always appreciate it. My pushups and such are usually done without trepidation, since I can see the goal I work for. As much as I know boot camp will probably suck (at least the first three or four weeks), I'm looking forward to it. I need a challenge. I find myself performing much better under pressure and I imagine that the degree of pressure applied at basic training will be such as to let me achieve great things.

Anyway. The hands of the clock move almost in reverse and I continue to stand waiting.

2005-06-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

Been awhile since I tendered an entry. Been working a lot at the ole Rawbar and working out at ye olde Gymnasium.

I'm 2.89% over the body fat requirement. Since I began, I've lost 3% bodyfat. so that means I'm over the half way mark. I expect to leave in early September (regardless of if I lose the points before then--I promised my boss I'd work the summer). Everything is starting to come together now, and enlisting is now on the horizon. I'm sure it'll be here before I know it.

On the emotional side of things, I couldn't be better. I'm fairly bored of living here and working here. I'm ready to leave, I'm not much feeling like I'll be losing anything. I'll miss my friends but most of them are at college or working a lot of the time, none of us have much time to hang out together anymore. I'm just glad I finally found my way out of the fog of doubt and uncertainty that was the last two years of my life. It's really heartening to have a goal ahead of me, to have a way to make something of myself. I think even if I get nothing else from the Army, that will be enough.

Expect another entry in a few weeks, as it comes closer to crunch time.

2005-05-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

Made an appointment with the recruiter today, for 12:30. He showed up on time and gave me the brochures and whatnot (largely useless to me. :P I've read just about everything ever written, already). We discussed losing a few body fat percentage points so that I could go to MEPS and enlist.

This is where it becomes... strange. :P He said we could go to the coast guard base (I live in Cape May, so it's actually the place where everyone in the coast guard comes for boot camp) and work out (that is obviously not the weird part). He suggested I wrap my midsection with seran wrap and bengay to help lose inches on my waist at a more rapid pace.

Now I had seen a few people who joined the army talk about this, on the sites I've browsed, but I always thought it was a more obscure practice, perhaps from a few more gung-ho recruiters who liked to hussle people through to basic. But then there it is.

I suppose if it works, I don't have a problem with it. I'll do whatever I have to, really. I'm not going to falter in the rush to enlist.

But damn. It sounds nasty. seran wrap? guh.

He asked if I had questions, but I really don't. At least, nothing that needs to be answered at this stage. He asked what fields I might be interested in and I listed a few, primarily military intelligence (see my post with the list). He said with the asvab score I had, I could get just about any job I wanted. Good.

Anyway. Wish me luck with my seran wrap adventure. :|

2005-05-17T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. Not much happening, still running and whatnot. As you may have seen, I updated the links in the sidebar -- News sites, my favorite milblogs and a few basic training journals. I've read those BCT journals (It took me awhile to find all of them) and my two favorites are MedicSimon's and basictrainingblog.com -- the other two are educational and well done, but not as upbeat as I'd like. Every experience is different and a lot of it is up to chance, though, so it's good to read as much as you can and to expect the worst. I recommend anyone considering the army to read both the BCT journals and browse through the archives of the milbloggers. It really helps paint an accurate picture of REAL army day-to-day life.

I sent for some more specific MOS info from the army site. This has a two-fold purpose. Pretty picturebooks will be sent to me ( :D ) and a recruiter will most likely call me (this saves me the difficulty of arranging for an appointment myself. I'm not lazy in so much as... awkward on the phone).

Things are picking up in pace. Expect more entries soon.

2005-05-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

Things are continuing well. I've been running and doing push-ups and sit-ups daily, getting myself in shape. I'd visit a recruiter now, but since I already went through all that for the Navy, I know I'll need to lose 15 pounds or so before I can visit MEPS, and I'd prefer to be on the ball right from the bat than seeing the recruiter and then not doing anything for 3 or 4 weeks while I lose the weight. I figure I'll be good to go around june 1st. I'm hoping to hit meps by mid-june at the latest, with a ship date no earlier than september 2nd and no later than september 28th or so. I mean, I'll do what I have to -- take whatever date I need to get the MOS I want -- but that is the ideal range.

For those of your interested, at this time I have a few MOSs in mind:

97B: Counterintelligence Agent -- This is currently my number one choice pending confirmation that it is not solely a desk job.

96B: Intelligence Analyst -- this is my fallback if CA turns out to somehow be incredibly boring or if I fail to qualify for whatever reason.

91W: Medic -- It'd be an interesting position. Lots of civilian skill carryover, lots of medical training (I have in the past considering being a doctor), and it's usually needed.

31B - Military Police -- This is the least desirable of my final choices. good civilian skills carryover, but I hear they take the heaviest casualties in iraq. If I'm going to be in extreme danger of dying, I might as well join 11b (infantry) and get right to the point.

While these are my narrowed-down choices, I'm not at all ruling out the other MOSs. I'm going to make a solid, concrete choice after I see all the data through the recruiter -- bonuses, more detailed descriptions, etc.

Anyway. Life goes on. Expect another post after I visit the recruiter.

2005-04-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

I'll be using this weblog to recount my experiences involving enlistment in the Army. Once I report for basic training, expect this to be updated daily/weekly with the letters that I send to the poster, my good friend Lacey.

Until then, I'll continue with my regular, "civilian" blog at http://www.livejournal.com/users/metaseraph/ -- you can also check the latest entry there for an explanation of my decision to enlist.

Anyway. until I begin to update this journal, feel free to add me to your friends list, link me, etc.