If I recollect correctly, there is a certain type of middle-aged man that pays a company an exceptional amount of money for a one-week "vacation" during which he is immersed in quasi-realistic military scenarios, complete with live ammunition, vast desert landscapes, indigenous wildlife, exotic insect encounters, and spartan accommodations. What a fool...he needn't pay anybody a single cent. In fact, if he would only join the US Army, he could actually get PAID to participate in such experiences! This is exactly what my dear colleagues and I were able to experience this past week...this and so much more!
I have no intention of complaining about any of the above-mentioned activities or conditions, especially considering each one was designed to teach us some facet of Army doctrine. Each one was developed because of past experiences or current conditions faced by our comrades. Many, many soldiers, airmen, Marines, and sailors are dealing with the real-life repercussions of these lessons learned. So please do not think this post is a rant on the "sacrifices" we have to make during our field training. Rather, this is just a tongue-in-cheek retrospective of a rather adventurous week.
On Monday evening at 5:30pm, the entire company (including 110 additional short-course reservists, for a total of 501 personnel) boarded "air conditioned" buses (ha!) and rode out to the site of our field training exercises (FTXs), Camp Bullis. For the duration of our three week-long FTXs, we would be housed on the FOB (Forward Operating Base). We were very fortunate to be housed in "hooches" with air conditioning (with the caveat that it could not be turned on until the training day was over at 5:00pm). MREs were usually the order of the day for our lunches, with a hot breakfast and dinner shipped in from the dining facility 5 miles away. Admittedly, I was more excited about the MREs than te hot meals for two reasons: one, they tasted better, and two, they all were made by the Wornick Co. in Cincinnati. I made sure everyone on the FOB knew that these were not true representations of Cincinnati cuisine, but I'm not sure they really cared at that point!
The main activities for the week consisted of learning several of the skills which will be tested in the FTX beginning tomorrow morning. These included land navigation, medevac requests, movement training, and weapons familiarization and qualification. I am happy to report that I was able to successfully zero my M-16 and qualifiy as a Marksman with a score of 23 out of 40 targets hit (this doesn't sound terribly impressive, but I assure you it was not as easy as it sounds! We can discuss at another time...)
A word on the M-16: you never, ever, ever go anywhere without it! On the grounds of a major safety violation, your M-16 goes with you everywhere: to the rifle range, to the chow line, to class, to bed, even to the latrine (which, in the case of the FOB consists of 40 Port-o-Potties for 501 people for 1 week...smells great in the Texas sun!!). When we finally locked up our weapons for the weekend and returned to Ft. Sam, I had a moment of panic when I used the toilet in my room and didn't have my M-16 next to me! Even worse, I forgot to flush the can...at least for a moment! Taking an armed dump in a honeypot for a week really messes up your sense of personal decency!!
The week went pretty well, and except for an almost exclusive sense of isolation (due to very poor cell phone reception), was pretty enjoyable. I consumed, on average, 1.5 to 2 gallons of water and Gatorade per day, and usually only peed twice. I was able to text the ladies for a few minutes in the evening, and even got in a few workouts in the extemporary gym on the FOB. I haven't weighed myself yet, but I'm certain there was some serious weight loss that took place last week...more on the when I'm able to post again next weekend.
Well my dear friends, I bid you all adieu for now. I have to repack my duffle and ruck sack for our 0500 departure back to the FOB tomorrow morning. I look forward to posting again next weekend. In the meantime, keep my girlies in your thoughts, plans, and prayers, and know that I'm doing the same for all of you. Take care, God Bless, and as always...
Peace.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The highs and the Lows...
Man, oh man, oh man...what a spectacular several days it's been!
As many of you know, my beloved Kate, Meredith, and Lauren braved the wilds of the TSA and several airports to make the arduous journey down to San Antonio to visit me! What an absolute joy to have them in my world for a few precious days. More than even I realized at the time, I needed a shot of family to pick me back up for the second half of this course. The simple pleasure of having them within arm's length has been a blessing, and I am truly grateful for having had this time with them. But, as the days pass, it comes time for me to send them back home to Cincinnati. It was a tearful goodbye this evening (even though we were all enjoying our favorite dinner of Rudy's BBQ), knowing that it would be another extended period of time before we would be together again. But, this isn't anything out of the ordinary for the Army; no choice but to suck it up and get down to business.
One note on the Army Wife: she is an exceptional woman. She takes up the slack of the father when he's gone, does double duty as a single parent, maintains a household with as much grace and continuity as possible, and still finds time to make her husband feel like he is doing the right thing...and that he is truly loved, no exceptions. I am grateful for my Army Wife (...and my Army Girls, who make me feel just as on-top-of-the-world!), and I wish her and my whole family safe travels back home. I'll see you all again very soon; know that you're always in my heart.
I wish happiness to all who have taken the time to read this. I'll be off-the-grid until next Friday, as we will begin the field exercise portion of our course tomorrow evening. Be good, look in on the ladies, take good care of yourselves, and, as always...
Peace.
As many of you know, my beloved Kate, Meredith, and Lauren braved the wilds of the TSA and several airports to make the arduous journey down to San Antonio to visit me! What an absolute joy to have them in my world for a few precious days. More than even I realized at the time, I needed a shot of family to pick me back up for the second half of this course. The simple pleasure of having them within arm's length has been a blessing, and I am truly grateful for having had this time with them. But, as the days pass, it comes time for me to send them back home to Cincinnati. It was a tearful goodbye this evening (even though we were all enjoying our favorite dinner of Rudy's BBQ), knowing that it would be another extended period of time before we would be together again. But, this isn't anything out of the ordinary for the Army; no choice but to suck it up and get down to business.
One note on the Army Wife: she is an exceptional woman. She takes up the slack of the father when he's gone, does double duty as a single parent, maintains a household with as much grace and continuity as possible, and still finds time to make her husband feel like he is doing the right thing...and that he is truly loved, no exceptions. I am grateful for my Army Wife (...and my Army Girls, who make me feel just as on-top-of-the-world!), and I wish her and my whole family safe travels back home. I'll see you all again very soon; know that you're always in my heart.
I wish happiness to all who have taken the time to read this. I'll be off-the-grid until next Friday, as we will begin the field exercise portion of our course tomorrow evening. Be good, look in on the ladies, take good care of yourselves, and, as always...
Peace.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Defecation occurs...
My oh my, what a week it' s been!
Sinatra said it best in, "That's Life,": You're riding high in April, shot down in May.
The week started off on a pretty high note. My muscle strain was relatively pain-free, classes were running smoothly, and I earned a 94% on my midterm exam (not bad for a musician taking a test on medical issues, if I do say so myself!). The friendships we've been forming down here get stronger with each passing day, primarily fueled by our collective griping and complaining and utter confusion regarding some of the ins and outs of Army life...more on that shortly. Of particular note this past week was that the countdown to my girlies' visit to San Antonio reached single-digit status! This has been a great motivator for me to keep on track, stay ahead of the learning curve, and do my job as well as possible. I simply can't wait to greet them when they arrive on Wednesday.
But, oh how things do change rapidly. Friday dawned (very early at 0345) bright and beautiful; even the expected temperature of 110 degrees wasn't dampening my spirits. I should have known something was up when the usually fluid schedule began to jump off-track. We took another exam (this one covered our CBRNE training) Friday morning; not only was it open-note, it was also open-computer. Too easy, to be sure. Unfortunately, this bogged down some peoples' test-taking pace to a crawl. This started a chain reaction of lateness that essentially dorked-up the remainder of the day. We thought there would get some reprieve when, after our 1:00pm class, we were officially dismissed for the weekend! We headed back to the hotel, some people making it as far as their shower, when our cell phones started to go ballistic with messages. We were to return to the auditorium for two more 1-hour class sessions! ARGH!
The real issue, however, came a few hours later. As I was having dinner with some colleagues, I noticed a missed call from Kate. When I finally made contact with her, she calmly informed me that she was on the way to the hospital with my Aunt Kay; she fell from our front porch and sprained, potentially broke, her ankle. Four weeks in an air cast and on crutches...all while playing single mom while daddy plays soldier-boy. Dear, sweet heaven, can't anything ever come easily? She will be going to the doctor's office Monday morning for a more in-depth exam, and hopefully the recovery will move along more quickly than my CBRNE test. Please keep the family in your throughts and prayers, and please drop by the house (if you are willing and able) to spend some time with the ladies. Meredith is already getting pretty bored, since mommy can't drive the family anywhere! Play dates are always encouraged!
To all of my dear friends and family, I thank you for all you've done for us. I wish you all happiness, safety, and, most importantly...
Peace.
Sinatra said it best in, "That's Life,": You're riding high in April, shot down in May.
The week started off on a pretty high note. My muscle strain was relatively pain-free, classes were running smoothly, and I earned a 94% on my midterm exam (not bad for a musician taking a test on medical issues, if I do say so myself!). The friendships we've been forming down here get stronger with each passing day, primarily fueled by our collective griping and complaining and utter confusion regarding some of the ins and outs of Army life...more on that shortly. Of particular note this past week was that the countdown to my girlies' visit to San Antonio reached single-digit status! This has been a great motivator for me to keep on track, stay ahead of the learning curve, and do my job as well as possible. I simply can't wait to greet them when they arrive on Wednesday.
But, oh how things do change rapidly. Friday dawned (very early at 0345) bright and beautiful; even the expected temperature of 110 degrees wasn't dampening my spirits. I should have known something was up when the usually fluid schedule began to jump off-track. We took another exam (this one covered our CBRNE training) Friday morning; not only was it open-note, it was also open-computer. Too easy, to be sure. Unfortunately, this bogged down some peoples' test-taking pace to a crawl. This started a chain reaction of lateness that essentially dorked-up the remainder of the day. We thought there would get some reprieve when, after our 1:00pm class, we were officially dismissed for the weekend! We headed back to the hotel, some people making it as far as their shower, when our cell phones started to go ballistic with messages. We were to return to the auditorium for two more 1-hour class sessions! ARGH!
The real issue, however, came a few hours later. As I was having dinner with some colleagues, I noticed a missed call from Kate. When I finally made contact with her, she calmly informed me that she was on the way to the hospital with my Aunt Kay; she fell from our front porch and sprained, potentially broke, her ankle. Four weeks in an air cast and on crutches...all while playing single mom while daddy plays soldier-boy. Dear, sweet heaven, can't anything ever come easily? She will be going to the doctor's office Monday morning for a more in-depth exam, and hopefully the recovery will move along more quickly than my CBRNE test. Please keep the family in your throughts and prayers, and please drop by the house (if you are willing and able) to spend some time with the ladies. Meredith is already getting pretty bored, since mommy can't drive the family anywhere! Play dates are always encouraged!
To all of my dear friends and family, I thank you for all you've done for us. I wish you all happiness, safety, and, most importantly...
Peace.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
So, we actually do get PAID for this!
Hola everyone (that's how you say "hi," in Sapnglish).
It is an oddly and uniquely quiet day here at Ft. Sam. Over the next two days, the entire company must go through the SRP (Soldier Readiness Program). This is the Army's equivalent of a periodic health exam. The best part for all of us: only half the company is assigned to each day, so the other half gets the day off! Woo Hoo! Nothing like an unexpected free day. My only complaint: free days on a Tuesday are a quasi-letdown. You are already one day removed from the weekend, so you couldn't stay up late on Sunday night. And you haven't made it to the meat of the week, because there are 3 work days until next weeend. Regardless, it's great to have a day to yourself. I still woke up at 0345 this morning to do voluntary PT...the only problem was that our instructor wasn't there! Another let-down, but a minor one at that. So I took advantage of the early start, worked out a bit (nothing as intense as other mornings), took a shower, changed clothes...and promptly fell back asleep for three more hours! Have I mentioned that I love having Tuesdays off? No? Well, I do!
The next best thing to happen to me was that my first chunk of pay finally came through yesterday. So, on behalf of every officer and soldier on this post, I thank you, the American taxpayer, for suppling me/us with employment and income! Although, ironically, Uncle Sam took a big chunk out of my own paycheck, too, so I guess I'm paying myself as well...that's just bass-ackwards. But I guess someone has to feed the Congress during their exhausting debt debates...they're hard-working Government employees too, you know. It feels great to be earning a good paycheck again; most of my off-duty time during the week is spent trying to find a permanent full-time place in the Army to make sure the opportunity to serve and work and earn continues. Thanks for the chance to be here and serve you; it's an honor to do so.
As always, my thoughts and prayers are with you all, especially my beautiful ladies on the homefront. One week from tomorrow...can't hardly wait to hold you in my arms! I wish everyone happy days, quiet nights, and, as always...
Peace.
It is an oddly and uniquely quiet day here at Ft. Sam. Over the next two days, the entire company must go through the SRP (Soldier Readiness Program). This is the Army's equivalent of a periodic health exam. The best part for all of us: only half the company is assigned to each day, so the other half gets the day off! Woo Hoo! Nothing like an unexpected free day. My only complaint: free days on a Tuesday are a quasi-letdown. You are already one day removed from the weekend, so you couldn't stay up late on Sunday night. And you haven't made it to the meat of the week, because there are 3 work days until next weeend. Regardless, it's great to have a day to yourself. I still woke up at 0345 this morning to do voluntary PT...the only problem was that our instructor wasn't there! Another let-down, but a minor one at that. So I took advantage of the early start, worked out a bit (nothing as intense as other mornings), took a shower, changed clothes...and promptly fell back asleep for three more hours! Have I mentioned that I love having Tuesdays off? No? Well, I do!
The next best thing to happen to me was that my first chunk of pay finally came through yesterday. So, on behalf of every officer and soldier on this post, I thank you, the American taxpayer, for suppling me/us with employment and income! Although, ironically, Uncle Sam took a big chunk out of my own paycheck, too, so I guess I'm paying myself as well...that's just bass-ackwards. But I guess someone has to feed the Congress during their exhausting debt debates...they're hard-working Government employees too, you know. It feels great to be earning a good paycheck again; most of my off-duty time during the week is spent trying to find a permanent full-time place in the Army to make sure the opportunity to serve and work and earn continues. Thanks for the chance to be here and serve you; it's an honor to do so.
As always, my thoughts and prayers are with you all, especially my beautiful ladies on the homefront. One week from tomorrow...can't hardly wait to hold you in my arms! I wish everyone happy days, quiet nights, and, as always...
Peace.
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