2nd PT Test

Saturday February 16, 2013- Today we had the 2nd PT test. We were weighed last night and I officially gained 21 pounds because of the old scale they used the first time. This time they used a new digital scale and it was correct. I lost 8 pounds since I got here and I suspect that I've actually shed more than that but have added muscle mass. About the PT test though...

Our wake up time was 0400 with formation at 0430 and the first push ups starting at 0500. As we lined up to begin the push up portion of the test, I felt a slight twinge of nervousness, but I squashed it and reminded myself that with preparation, hard work and confidence comes success. The line moved up and it was my turn next as out 1st sergeant said "Ready... Begin!" and I got to pushing. I did pretty good for most of the two minute time period and then found out at the end that I DID pass the mark to score the minimum of a 50% score but was ONE push up short of the 60% score that I was hoping for! Next was the sit ups component which I passed pretty easily. I've always been better at sit ups, so I wasn't too concerned with that part of the test. I did score over 60% on the sit ups too, which was great. Then came the hardest part, for me specifically. I've always been a poor runner since I was a child and seeing how people run here, I think a lot of it was due to poor form. So, the two mile run has been the hardest adjustment for me to make. It has been interesting to see my endurance slowly increase. When we did the first PT test here, I scored a poor 19:47 on the two mile. This time, I pushed myself and actually shaved more than two minutes off of my previous time! I finished the eighth lap with a time of 17:44, which wasn't a 60% score, but it was over the 50% which means I passed the overall PT test! I was so happy when I got my scores. I know I might run slower than most of the young guys here and sure, some of them can do twice as many push ups. But understand that, for me, coming in with less than a month to train, and having been so sedentary in the past, this was a big accomplishment. At one point, during the fourth or fifth lap of the run, my knee was hurting so bad it felt like a twig about to snap. Three things kept me going at that point. One was thinking of my wife and kids and how they are the reason I'm here. It doesn't matter that my knees had been hurting for a week or that I couldn't catch my breath or that I had a cramp in my side. I was still here for them, and I imagined them at every corner of the track, watching me run. I can't fail them. I won't fail them. Failure just wasn't on option.

The second thing that kept me going was the fact that I was running with someone. PVT Intel is a couple of years younger than I am but still in the same group for PT requirements. Intel is also from Texas, coming out of the Houston area. There's a couple other guys here in my platoon from my hometown of San Antonio, but they're all young and fresh out of high school. Intel and I can hold a mature conversation about home and what we miss. Somewhere along the way, we found out we're both on about the same physical fitness level and decided to start running together when possible because we push each other to try harder. His nickname, by the way, comes from the fact that he's somehow always knowing what's going on and letting us know some kind of info about which rumors are true or false around the company. It's hard to get reliable info with so many kids puffing up their chests and exaggerating things around here, but I generally trust it's true if Intel says it. Regarding the run, Intel and I pushed our way through it, encouraging each other and finishing a second apart. He was just recovered from torn ankle ligaments a few weeks ago, so I really had no excise to fall off his pace. Lol.

The third thing that kept running through my mind were the recently spoken words of one of the other drill sergeants from our company. I'll call him DS Poker Face because he has the absolute best blank stare/ poker face I have ever seen. You just can't guess what he's thinking or what he'll say next. But about two weeks ago, when we were messing up as a company and acting dumb at hydration formation, he said to us "99 times out of 100, your mind will quit before your body does. You need to build mental toughness." For some reason, those words stuck fast in my mind. So, when I was about to slow down, start walking and tell Intel to go on without me, I remembered those words and forced the spirit of failure out of my thoughts and mind. I pushed through it and actually began running a bit faster once I had regained my mental focus. I finished out the run feeling proud of myself for not giving up. It was a great and defining moment for me personally. For everyone else, it might have just been a test, but for me, it was a victory! :)

The rest of the day, we did training in combatives, learning how to defend ourselves more on a hand to hand level. We were specifically instructed by our drill sergeants to stay down on our knees during the exercises and not to rise to our feet, but two females did not listen to instructions and when they came down to the mat, one of them landed on the tops of the other one's head and neck and she had to be taken to the hospital because she couldn't  recognize how many fingers the drill sergeant was holding up in front of her face. It seemed like a concussion, but I'm no doctor. It was good to see the drill sergeants take it seriously and ensure quick medical care was given, but I couldn't stop thinking that the whole thing could have been prevented by them simply paying attention to detail and following the instructions given to them.

So then, as we're getting ready for hydration formation, it started snowing! Not anything heavy, but still snow flurries are snow flurries. We have a couple of guys from Hawaii in our company and they were all looking around like kids because some of them had never seen snow before. It was fun. Merry PT test day, boys.

BUSTED!

Friday, February 15, 2013- Today we wore our full "battle rattle" which consists of our I.B.A. (bulletproof armor vest), A.C.H. (combat helmet) and FLIC (which is kind of like an ammo vest worn on top of the I.B.A.) It was the first time we had worn it all day and everyone was tired and cranky it seemed, because of the newly endured burden. The rifle simulator training was fine and we were back at the barracks by 1700 and sitting down just beginning to eat MREs for dinner, Then, the most interesting part of the day happened. Our battalion commander came walking right into the breezeway under our barracks and past two platoons who didn't  call the company to attention. That's a huge no- no here. Because they did not pay attention to detail, everyone had to throw away their MREs. The WHOLE company. I found out the reason for his visit right before that happened though. He was there to speak with me.

I remembered the first day we had spent here when he came through and was introduced to each platoon by their Drill Sergeants. DS Pain Bringer had actually said "You don't want him to know your name" because it usually means you're in trouble. And here he was, standing next to DS Amazon, asking me about my blog. You see, apparently, my wife had found our Company's Facebook page and had been conversing with family members of other people in company, and wanting to let them know what kind of experience their loved one was having, she gladly shared the link to this blog with the aforementioned soldier's relatives. The next day, DS Action Man came up to me and said he had read every page. Apparently, ALL the drill sergeants had and somehow word got up to the battalion commander and he read it as well. So one misplaced link took me from kinda blending in with everyone else to all the drill sergeants and the battalion CO knowing who I am. Well, I don't really mind who knows about it, I didn't start the blog to badmouth the Army. I simply wanted to let people know my experience. That it's different for everyone, and that it's hard sometimes (and for good reason, not just ANYBODY can join the Army.) That it can definitely change a person, can instill discipline and a sense of duty and responsibility to those that may not quite have that yet. And to those that already do, it can make them leaders of men. I knew my experience would be unique, due to my age and um... activity level, lol, but I wanted the world to see what the Army could do with someone like me, as a piece of clay in their potter's wheel and kiln.  In the short time being involved with the military, I've grown to love this environment and would never intentionally do anything to cast a bad light on it.

The battalion CO was very gracious during our conversation and definitely was aware of my freedom of speech rights. I think he just wanted me to be aware that certain things are of a sensitive nature and to be cautious. And I surely will be.

Valentine's Day

Thursday February 14, 2013- Today we took a trip back to the 120th Reception Battalion for our clothing issue for our Army dress uniforms. There was such a feeling of pride wearing it for the first time. I almost teared up a bit thinking how I was wearing the same uniform my father wore in his Army graduation photo. It's times like these that I miss him so much and feel so close to him at the same time somehow. It was also very interesting seeing the place we were before we knew a thing about being soldiers. After receiving our uniforms, I was placed on uniform issue detail because I was part of the first group of soldiers done. It was actually a great time 'cause there was no stress, no standing at attention  and oh yeah, I got to hear music for like a whole hour! Journey never sounded so good. Maybe it's 'cause I didn't stop believin'. Lol.

Range Fail

Tuesday February 12, 2013- Today was a stressful day. It was a range day, Pre-Qualification for BRM and we got bussed out to the range at around 0730. It was about 0900 by the time we started firing and it was perfect shooting weather. No wind, overcast sky, not too hot and not too cold were the conditions we were in for the first of two days that would determine whether we qualified for BRM and continue on to the next part of our training. Having just received a few white phase restarts (people who actually got further than us in BCT but can't shoot the broad side of a barn) we were are a little nervous and everyone wanted to qualify today in case the weather returns to being crappy tomorrow. It was drilled into our heads lately: Remember your fundamentals of shooting. We had been instructed by some of the best shooters in all of Fort Jackson on the technique and now, it was up to us to implement that instruction.  I went up in the first firing group confident after the previous day's shooting and ready to qualify. And then I promptly blew it. Lol. The qualifying score was 23 targets hit out of 40. My first time, I shot 17 and the next time I shot 15. I was so upset with myself that I didn't get it done the first time and tired my best not to stress out, which was difficult considering the importance of the task at hand to my future as a soldier.

At first, I thought that maybe my rifle had not been zeroed correctly. Zeroing is the process of adjusting the rifle's sights to the shooter and the particular way they hold the weapon. It is vitally important to have a proper zero in order to maintain accuracy and precision. When I went to the drill sergeant in charge of zeroing, he got upset because he said I was changing the way I shoot. After a LOT of him swearing at me and then making me wait an hour (to "think about how much I've wasted everyone's time being there as well as the Army's ammo") I finally got another chance to zero. During the wait, I had studied my shooter's manual to find out what had changed since the first couple days of firing and realized that I had definitely changed my aim. Once I moved back to my original position, I got into the very last group of shooters for the day. Keeping my breathing under control, I went up and laid down 26 targets. I passed! I walked off the range with the biggest smile I've had since we arrived here at BCT and it didn't go away for about ten or fifteen minutes. I was so relieved. And it's a good thing I passed on pre-qual day because the forecast for tomorrow is rainy and cold! One more hurdle surpassed.

Rain on the Range

Monday, February 11, 2013- Such. A. Long. Day! Wake up this morning was at 0430 and we got down into formation with our rucksacks packed and loaded up with a third of our respective body weights! It was for Foot March 2, but our company killed two birds with one stone and had us fulfill the requirement on our way to the range for a day. So we're downstairs and ready to get going when DS Action Man had us all get down on the wet and cold concrete and bust out a whole PT session while we laid there and soaked up the rain. We set out for the range and we did pretty good as a platoon as far as staying with the rest of the company for the duration of the march and not falling out. We got to the range and it was cold and still raining. We even ate breakfast in the rain! That really sucked. Around 1700, we got bussed back to the barracks (Yay! No more marching!) and tumbled out of the bus with our rucks front loaded. With our rucks on our bellies we all looked like pregnant women, waddling from the bus stop to the barracks. Lol. Then we cleaned our weapons for a while and got mail. I got a letter from my wife with pictures of her and the kids in it! I was so happy! A long, grueling day came to an end with a big smile on my face after a hot shower, while holding pictures of my favorite people. :)

Church and Chocolate

Sunday February 10, 2013- Today was a great day so far. This morning we had church, and while there, we were able to buy candy bars for $1! I got to eat one and a half bars. It was heavenly (no pun intended!), but the best part was that I got to borrow a phone from a guy in AIT and talk to my wife for like five whole minutes! It was so good to hear her voice. I was so happy, but what's even better is that we're getting our phones tonight to call home and from what I've heard we'll have them for upwards of 20 minutes! Gotta go, gotta mail this!

Shooting Fails and Personal Time

Saturday February 9, 2013- So, we're here at the range with our first attempts at shooting multiple targets with live ammo. It's been interesting. Almost everyone who shot failed the first time, including myself. Whoever thought to take a mound of dark red clay, place it 300 meters out, and then place a black target in front of it, while having us shoot at tit at the time of day when the sun casts a shadow over the whole target and the surrounding area is a freakin' idiot!! My first time, with 40 rounds, I only hit three! Some people only hit ONE! We shot again, and a lot of people improved but didn't receive the 20 out of 40 that were required. My second time I shot, I got 8. DS Amazon came over and I thought she was gonna yell at our group fro not passing but she said she simply wanted to see some improvement and that we were okay. Whew!

After that, we marched back from the range to the barracks which was about 5 miles. THen we had about an hour of personal time before hydration formation (which I'll just call HyFo for brevity's sake.) There are plenty of ways to use your personal time some of the guys crack me up with how they use it. One soldier who I'll call PVT Seducer (because he's always talking like a player to the females with a little gleam in his eyes) stands in front of the only full-length mirror we have and does curls with the only dumbbell we have. Another guy who always says it's too cold, just puts on like three or more layers of clothes and cocoons himself under his blanket. Another guy is like a one man radio, always singing like 15 or 30 seconds of a given song. I told him it's like Pandora with A.D.D., lol. I think I'll call him PVT Jukebox. He sounds like Jackie Wilson or Otis Redding and is always making us laugh. The funny moments here are what keep us sane.

The Next Chapter

Friday February 8, 2013- Today we went to the EST virtual shooting simulator again. I like to call it the Duck Hunt Chamber. It really is like a life sized video game except with real M-16s as air rifle controllers for it. I did well on the BRM qualifying test simulator. My score put me in the sharpshooter category! The rest of the day was pretty boring though. There was some news about people washing out though.

The first wave, including PVT Quitter, got sent home a few days ago. There area few reasons that people get sent home. One is injuries, which if legitimate, are perfectly understandable. The other is the Non-Trainers. These are people like PVT Quitter who gave up once things got too hard. Our platoon has about eight non-trainers and personally, I can't wait for them to leave. They suck away all the platoon's morale and all they do is slow us down and complain about the Army. Today, four more privates got called in to speak with our battalion commander, the Lt. Col., who informed them that they were being chaptered out. This is the end of their military careers. One of them was PVT Boricua, my Puerto Rican buddy, who just lost all motivation and desire to be here about a week ago upon receiving news of his grandfather's death. The other was a private who was a really nice guy and had told me that he looked up to me. This guy's big problem is that he can't get anything right. Whether it be a horribly lumpy and messy bunk, a shirt untucked, not being in the right place at the right time, being late everywhere, or being socially awkward, this guy could just not conform to the Army's way of doing things. It's too bad, 'cause he's a good kid with good manners and a good heart.

We also had a guy who got caught with his iPod on him and failed his PT test that got chaptered out. Most of the chapters are due to people failing their PT tests, so I was a little nervous because I found out recently that I failed the PT test also. I was a couple sit ups shy, about ten push ups short (because I forgot you can't drop a knee to the ground when you get tired) but amazingly, I passed the run which was my biggest  concern going into it. Today we had another AGR (Ability Group Run) and I actually improved a bit, finishing about two thirds of the way through the C group formation, instead of being one of the last few people. I've been doing like 200 push ups and sit ups a day. I crank out 25 of both before every meal and lately, every time we're not busy, me and a couple other guys will try to do 60 or mo in an hour's time every hour. Today it felt like I did 300 after that run! Lol.

I feel myself getting slowly stronger, just a little more every day. And two people in the last three days told me I look skinnier in the face since Reception! I'd wager to say I've lost 8 to 10 pounds but it could be more. I'm glad to be getting healthier, but right now, I could give my big toe for an Oreo! Lol.

We also recently got student leadership privileges, which consists of a Platoon Guide, Assistant Platoon Guide and Squad Leaders and Team Leaders. I'm pretty sure I would have been considered for the P.G. position if I hadn't failed my PT test as one of the qualifications is a passing score. These kids have so much to learn about discipline. DS Amazon came out to our formation a couple days ago and appointed the youngest female in our platoon as the Asst Platoon Guide which I found funny but she is actually pretty sharp. Then she appointed PVT Tactics to be our Platoon Guide. I'm glad she chose him as I feel he has the potential to do a great job. Or, he could get fired tomorrow for all I know. Lol. I think I would do a good job of leading them and inspiring them to be better. But hey, maybe I'll be made a Team Leader which is just a step below squad leader with four soldiers underneath the team leader. We'll see. A bunch of guys already ask me how to do stuff already anyways.

No Money, No Mail

Thursday February 7, 2013- So today, it was a different kind of day. We woke up at 0500 and went out for PT, which was a nice dose of muscle failure. They worked us out really hard, which was fine by me. I need to lose as much weight as I possibly can by the next PT test which is scheduled for 16 Feb. I need to pass it! And I will, dammit. I've been doing 25 push ups and 25 sit ups before I eat and at random times throughout the day. I'll just drop and start pushing. I'm not afraid of sweating or doing the work. We'll see how it goes.

It rained heavily today and we got to wear our Gortex jackets for the first time. Those things are really warm but it was still really cold out as we headed down to the troop store, which is like a mini-PX. Unfortunately, because I haven't gotten my first paycheck, I had to borrow ten bucks from on of the other guys to buy some essentials. It seems it's only the Active Duty people that haven't gotten paid, while the Reserve and National Guard guys did. Every time we got to the troop store, we have to get haircuts, which wouldn't matter except that the barbers miss patches of hair pretty much all the time and I feel like I wasted six dollars on a shitty cut. They also seem to cut me like, every time.

After getting back to the company HQ, we ate MREs and they actually let us eat the candy in them and chew the gum that comes with them! I totally got to eat M&Ms! They also let us chew gum, provided that when we stood up to leave the formation, we threw it away. So, PVT Rip (named so because he seems to constantly be ripping farts left and right) walks up to DS Amazon after the MRE formation to ask her something. DS Amazon (nicknamed that because she is kinda tall but crazy muscular and fit too) saw him still chewing gum and flipped out. She said that we lost any candy and gum privileges going forward period. We were all really bummed out. And then I got no mail at mail call. Now that I think about it, the evening pretty much sucked! Lol.

White Phase!

Wednesday February 6, 2013- Today was a tiring day. First we woke up at for personal hygiene followed by PT. Today they said that because we are transitioning into White Phase, that instead of 30/60 drills (running for 30 seconds then walking for ) we are bumping it up to 60/120s. They also said there will be no more walking for the latter portion, only jogging. :( We also did shuttle sprints before and after the 60/120s. To my surprise, I kept up with the group pretty much the whole time. Then we went out to the range for most of the day. I got to be an operator for the computer that tracks the speed and angle of the round after firing. It was a pretty cool system they had to track where people hit or missed the target, but after a while, it got kind of boring to watch people mostly missing targets. I almost fell asleep a couple times which I'm pretty sure wouldn't have gone over very well with the drill sergeant assigned to us for safety.

No Phone Call for You!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013- Yesterday, we went to the range. But most of us didn't shoot because the trip was only for those who hadn't grouped or zeroed yet. It was a pretty laid back day overall with a lot of sitting around and talking about home, and showing ID pictures from when we all still had hair. They said I looked like a hairdresser with my gelled up hair and trimmed beard in my drivers license pic, lol. We marched back around 1830, ate hot A's for dinner, then had mail call. I was hoping for a letter but no such luck. Then someone mentioned to DS Pain Bringer that  all the other platoons had gotten phone calls home, so shes aid we'd get to call home the next day! So today, everyone was on their best behavior  all day so we wouldn't get the phone call taken away. We went back to the range in the morning but this time it was a different range with targets that popped up. I did okay on the closer target that was about 175 meters away but  on the 300 meter target, I had some trouble hitting consistently. It wasn't 'till I was on my last five rounds that the DS overseeing us told me that the sand bags under my rifle needed to be higher all along. All of a sudden, I was shootin' right! The best part about the whole day was that we got to ride a bus over to the new range because it's so far from company HQ. And on the way back the bus driver had the radio on and we got to hear actual music! It was like some kind of 90's R&B rush hour megamix, but we didn't care. We were jammin' out. We got back to barracks, ate hot A's and were excitedly waiting for DS Pain Bringer to come back and let us have our phone calls. Then our new replacement Drill Sergeant (the one who replaced DS Hood who was sent to Charlie company) came up to us and told us we would have nearly an hour and a half of personal time (woohoo!) But when someone asked her about the promised phone calls, she said there wouldn't be any! I was sooo depressed. I would have rather not been given the hope of getting to call home  the n be promised it and have it taken away. Just hearing my wife's voice would have recharged my batteries for weeks, I'm sure. I nearly cried in the middle of formation 'cause I was so mad, sad and upset. It was a real morale drain. It's amazing how much something like a letter can make up for a bunch of pain and stress. I don't care how many push ups they make us do for each letter (right now it's between 10 and 30) I just want the emotional support. But I'll figure out a way to not let it bum me out when they don't call my name at mail call.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention! We had our second Ability Group Run yesterday morning. I was in C group, the slowest one. And we ran about  to 3 miles. They said whoever fell out would get a counseling statement or worse. So I pushed myself hard and even though I felt like I was gonna die right at the end, I actually made it and was genuinely surprised  because I had never run nonstop for that far. 39 people fell out. But not me. :)

Who ARE These Guys??

Sunday- February 3, 2013- So, it's been a couple of weeks and more personalities are starting to show up in the platoon, the bay, and the company. In our bay, there are all the makes from 1st and 2nd platoons. We've got PVT Sick Call who has spent more time at the clinic or in med quarters than he has in training. He broke his collarbone yesterday when 1st and 2nd platoons wrestled in combatives training or possibly the day before when firing his rifle for the first time on the range. This guy's immune system breaks when someone farts too hard next to him, it seems. PVT Grumpy is my bunkmate, who is always sour and complaining about people with not a positive thing to say ever. He has no clue what teamwork is and I feel sorry for him because it seems a life like that would have no hope or purpose it in. There is also PVT Goober who is a young kid from Oregon who is mostly clueless without much life experience. Then there's PVT Really, who sleeps in the bunk next to mine. He is very young, 18 I think, and ALWAYS losing his things because he's disorganized. What makes it worse is that he's always blaming people for stealing his stuff and I always tell him to look harder for it and inevitably, about 5 or 10 minutes later, he will come back around with a sheepish look on his face holding whatever item he claimed was stolen. We also have PVT Quitter, who gave up on the 2nd or 3rd day we were here and made up some BS excuse to try and go home. Now that he sees us doing all the fun and cool stuff, he regrets quitting but no one really feels sorry for him because he was bragging about going home and drinking or eating Burger King. He screwed it up and now he's gotta live with it. I personally can't stand the guy. He reeks of failure and laziness, both of which I'm trying my best to leave in my past. We also have one guy who is a Jehovah's Witness which is interesting. They can't accommodate his religious needs because he can only go to his own church. Anyways, I gotta go or else I won't get a chance to mail this!

I Will Not Submit!

Saturday February 2, 2013-
So, it's the end of week 3 pretty much. We've done so much this week I can't even remember it all. On Monday and Tuesday we did red phase testing. We had out first FTX (Field Training Exercise) on Wednesday. We left at like 0400 and got to the FTX site about 2 hours later. The whole time we marched, we had on our rucksacks with a lot of gear in them. And the march itself was about 5K! Once we got to the FTX site, they had us spread out and post security in teams of two in the prone position. The, once we had eaten our MREs (still laying in the prone position and taking turns watching security) we moved to the part of the forest that would be our platoon's patrol base for the duration of the overnight exercise. We were shown how to build hasties and then ordered to make one in teams of two around the perimeter of our triangular patrol base. A quick explanation: A hasty is a trench that is about the depth of two helmets stacked on top of eachother. It lies flush in the ground and the better versions have branches, logs and plant material to essentially conceal a V-shaped placement of two soldiers. For the field exercise, I buddied up with SPC Maestro. Maestro is a white guy from Maryland who is 29 also. I call him Maestro because he is well educated in the arts, holding a doctorate in Music. Maestro is married as well and has a precious baby girl that he showed me pictures of. With mutual love of music and both being older guys, we hit it off instantly. Unfortunately, our hasty wasn't finished in time so we were going to have a pretty crappy night pulling patrol every other hour. We were learning how to tie our ponchos and setting them up like tents for us to sleep in. And then the rain came in.  It had been relayed to us earlier that there was a big storm about 50 miles out. Then it was 25 miles out and the wind started to pick up a lot. Then, it was 10 miles out with trees bending, wind howling, and whipping and a torrential downpour. At that point, according to regulation, we had to be evacuated to a lightning protection area. So we pretty much ran as fast as we could to the entrance to the FTX site and into a trailer that looked abandoned. The doors were hanging off and with 60 people crammed in it, the floor boards were creaking and straining. There was office equipment and furniture lining the walls and a broken window, Oh yeah, and it was pitch black in there when we got in because no one had time to pull out their flashlights prior to our sprint there. We had been performing night ops training, meaning no flashlights, and moonlight only, so everyone's L-shaped flashlights were still packed in their rucksacks. Well... everyone except for yours truly and a couple other soldiers who had the presence of mind to grab theirs as soon as the evacuation order was given. So we're standing in the trailer and DS Pain Bringer comes in and lets us know that there is a Tornado Watch in effect for our location. At that point, everyone started to get pretty nervous and the rain started falling even harder! Then, all the Drill Sergeants came in to their perspective platoons, took us on another sprint through the woods to grab out rucksacks and then double time it out of there.  Then we marched as fast as our legs could carry us back to the barracks. On the way back, we were taking and alternate route that was quicker, but we cut through the woods, down a HUGE hill, over a tiny bridge over what had become a swollen creek and through swampy wet sand. Right when we were almost done with the sand, I said "How many shitty types of terrain can we go through?!?!?" then we hit a gravel bed going uphill at a steep incline. It was raining so hard, it felt like we were standing in the shower! We made it back to the barracks finally and got out of our sopping wet ACUs and everyone was glad to hit a warm bed. :) FTX One was done and over with.

On Thursday, we went to the EST, which is like a giant simulator that looks like a big game of Duck Hunt and then Friday we got out to the range and fired live ammo for the first time. We had 30 rounds to group and zero with, and I grouped within the first 10 rounds and zeroed in around 20 or 25 rounds. Some people have been trying for the last two days and still haven't grouped or zeroed. I'm so glad I got that out of the way. On Saturday, we went back to the range, but didn't shoot because the two other platoons who hadn't shot before were now up and ready to shoot. So instead we had a class on Combative, which is the Army's hand to hand  fighting style, extremely similar to MMA fighting, and got to square off against 2nd platoon in one on one grappling matches. I faced up against a young guy who had plenty of wrestling experience in high school, and kept blocking all my attempts to get him in a hold. But I weighed more and was stronger, so he couldn't get me into either. We came to a draw at the end of 3 minutes and I felt good, if not a little gassed. Our platoon won all but 2 of the 20 or so matches 'cause 2nd platoon is a bunch of prissy girl weaklings, lol. After all the one on ones, the drill sergeant overseeing it all put us into a 12 on 12 royal rumble style battle royale. Males were choking out females, I saw a female putting a male into a double arm bar and there was just general pandemonium. Our platoon won the first match and in the 2nd one, I was part of our team. We got beat, but I was the last man standing (well laying really) from my team with EIGHT people on top of me and I still didn't submit. One of the guys even had me in an arm bar and asked if I quit or not. I told him "no" emphatically, so he wrenched the arm and applied significantly more pressure. At that point, and after looking up and seeing about 8 or 10 blotting out the blue sky above me, I decided to reconsider his offer and tapped out, lol.
Well... I tried to, but every limb was being held by a couple of people, so I had to shout it out. Unfortunately, someone was already a front cross-grip choke hold on me, so it came out like Chewbacca gargling. Thankfully, the DS running everything noticed my predicament and pulled everyone off of the pile and put a stop to the whole affair. When I got up, my whole platoon was giving me props. I think it helped this old, chubby Texan earn some respect from the kids, lol! I know now what it would feel like if I was attacked by a zombie horde, with all the arms that were coming at me toward the end there. All in all, it was a great day. At one point, we even got a class from the battalion fitness instructor on how to stretch correctly. It was not the average day, and to top it off, I got like, SEVEN uninterrupted of sleep. SEVEN!! It was 'cause church was the next day, and I didn't have Fire Guard duty. Gotta go!

BRM

Yesterday, we had our first day of BRM, or Basic Rifle Marksmanship. BRM is pretty important as it's one of the requirements to graduate. We first practiced in a big room that has a giant simulator with air soft rifles. It was like playing a giant game of Dunk Hunt!! :) Today we are going to use live ammo for the first time, I'm excited! Gotta, go, we're heading out to the range soon but I'll update on my progress again soon.

Gas Chamber

January 31, 2013- So many things have been happening here. We went to the NBC Chamber (or gas chamber) two days ago. Everyone was so nervous! It actually ended up not being so bad after all. Someone said the drill sergeants were complaining that they don't use as much gas as they used to. Hell, it still made me cry and my nose started running like a Jamaican sprinter. I don't think anyone threw up in our platoon either. Lol. It's so difficult to find time to write because everything seems to have ramped up here in the last week. As we finish our third week, we just had our red phase testing on Monday, I think. It's hard to remember what day it is, most of the time. We had to know our chain of command, all the ranks, and we went to an obstacle course where we first performed our whole regular PT workout and then got to the obstacle course. In between each of the events, we had to do things like, say the Soldier's Creed and disassemble our weapons. Most everyone passed I believe and I feel pretty confident about my results. We will get moved up to white phase as soon as they see that we can be a little more disciplined. Hopefully, the kids can get their shit together soon.

A Day to Relax?

January 27, 2013- Sunday was great with a small amount of cleaning duties to be passed out. I decided to go to the gospel service this week, which was pretty great! Then we were formed up in the evening and they told us that the next day we would be going to the gas chamber!
we were issued our gas masks and told to go up to the bay and get our gear ready for the next day events. We were also warned by another  drill sergeant about how horrible it would be. I'll tell more about it later but I gotta go. we're leaving for a field exercise overnight  and it's already so hard to have time to write!

Land Navigation and Basic Training Hookups

January 26, 2013- So today was busy damn day! Wake up was at 0230, formation by 0300 and we were marching out to the Corregidor Land Navigation Training Course. We marched about 2.5 to 3 miles out there, then waited a bit for another company to finish up. By the time we got on the course, it was just before 0500 and it was pitch black in the forest. We were equipped with our flashlights (using the muted red lens only for plotting courses), our maps, protractors, and gloves. It was about 30 degrees when DS Action Man dropped us off at our start points in groups of two. Oh, and my battle buddy barely spoke English 'cause he's going into the Puerto Rican National Guard. He's a good guy, but it was basically all up to me to find our points. And you didn't get to eat breakfast until you found all five nav points. When we started, I had no idea what I was doing, but after wandering aimlessly for like an hour or so in sub freezing temperatures, I started to figure things out and we cam back around two and a half hours after setting out.  Everyone got a hot breakfast from the mobile catering containers that the Army calls "Hot A's" or "mermites." The new went back out to daytime land nav. This time, I was on top of it and we got done about an hour and a half into the three hour time period allotted, so me and PVT Boricua (called him that since he's from Puerto Rico) found a nice spot to lay down in the woods and took a nap for like 30 to 45 minutes at least. The sun came out and it was entirely bearable to be laying down out there with a log for a pillow. It was actually peaceful out there, just to be surrounded by quiet and lost in the woods. When we got back, we weren't even the last team to come back. That was the honor that went to the really hopelessly lost and those unable to use a compass or those who were going to make out or mess around in the woods. Yes, even though there are strict policies about fraternization with recruits of the opposite gender, some idiots still feel the need to try and get some action in the cold ass forest, behind the dining facility or the dumpsters, even holding hands on the sly in the back of crowded instructional formations. Those people can get chaptered out of the Army for this but they still try to push it. A guy in the bunk next to me has a "basic training girlfriend" which is more stupid than I can even explain. I'm so glad I have my wife and don't need to be concerned with any of that stuff. :)

No Sleep for the Weary

January 24, 2013- The days are crazy here. So many things to do and not enough time to do them in. I was laughing earlier today thinking about how grateful we are for little things like getting 10 minutes to eat chow instead of six or seven. And not having to take minute and a half long showers any more is pretty awesome. We had our Combat Life Saver test this morning. I got a 95!! Then we learned the basics of land navigation. Tomorrow night, we're doing late night nav in the woods up until the next morning. Tonight we got our assault pack ready and made sure our body armor fit correctly and that our ammo vests (called Flicks) were sized for our personal fits.  And in two weeks we start our rifle marksmanship training. I can't wait! 

Tomorrow is our first official PT test. I'm nervous 'cause I'm still not in good enough shape yet, but I'll do my best to pass. So much to do and not enough time. The crappy thing is the sleep. They interrupt sleep with things like Fire Guard and CQ Duty. CQ is pretty much standing guard outside the Drill Sergeant's office and performing any mundane task they can think of. I just finished and hour of CQ where aside from standing watch, my battle buddy and I were tasked with throwing away boxes and contraband candy. It was long and cold and boring and now I'm going to bed, I'm tired!

The Candy Gate Conspiracy

January 22, 2013- Today was eventful and boring at the same time. We started early waking up for PT at 0500. It was a good workout and then we went to chow. We're starting to get more than five minutes to eat, but not much more. We've been doing our Combat Life Saver training, which sounds exciting but most definitely is NOT. Everyone refers to it at "Death by Powerpoint" because tons of people are falling asleep during the class. When you fall asleep and they catch you, you gotta go to the back of the room and hold your rifle in the air at shoulder level for what seems like forever. 7.8 pounds weighs a ton after you've been holding it stationary in front of you for 20 minutes or so. Sometimes they make you do squats while holding the weapon too.

So, the morning was classroom time, followed by MREs for lunch. It was after that the great Candy Gate conspiracy was uncovered. You see, MREs come with candy inside them most of the time, but we're supposed to turn all the candy in to the Drill Sergeants when we open them. Well, a bunch of the females and a few males got the bright idea to offer to throw out the platoon's used MRE packaging and eat a bunch of it by the dumpster and pocket the rest for later. What these idiots forgot was that they were doing all this RIGHT BEHIND our Battalion Headquaters! The Command Sergeant Major simply had to turn his head and look out a window to witness a cluster of dumbass privates breaking multiple rules. The worst offense was taking food and trying to get it back in the bay to eat it later. They had us sign a paper when we first got here that said we wouldn't keep any contraband items in the barracks and it even mentioned MREs. I tried to warn them that they would be in big time trouble if they got caught, but they didn't listen. And I gladly steered clear from being involved and less than an hour later, I was proven right. They pulled our whole platoon out of the classroom training we were doing and performed on on the spot shakedown of every pocket on our ACUs. They even searched the pockets inside our PCs (the caps we wear with our ACUs.)  We were lucky they didn't make us empty our entire lockers because we had JUST organized our lockers to military standard. It's funny how much this place can feel like prison. We got guys walking around and asking how much for someone to wash their clothes for them. Cough drops are like freakin' currency here, lol. This week we had duty week which means that when the company goes out for special functions, we serve the food and bag up all the trash afterwards. The upside to duty week is you get extra food and as much punch as you can stand, lol.

It's been really crazy weather here. When we got in last Monday, it was nice and warm with highs in the 70's. We were told that was unusual for this time of year here, but we didn't expect for it ot change so rapidly. Last Wednesday or Thursday, we did this awesome obstacle course, and just as we finished running it, the sky just started dumping rain. I don't think, with the possibility of one hilarious exception from my first trip to Pennsylvania, that i have EVER been that soaked in my life. We had to wait in the rain for the rest of the company to finish, and that meant just standing there while you watched the guy in front of you have his ACUs plastered onto his body by hoe soaked they were getting. And of course, the same thing was happening to you simultaneously, Then, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped like 20 degrees in about and hour or two. So we did about a two mile march to get back to barracks and then stood in formation fro like another half hour or longer getting flash frozen by the wind. After that, the weather has been a high of mid-50's in the afternoons but lows around 30 degrees in the early mornings when we're out doing PT!

I'm a little nervous about passing the first APFT test on Friday 'cause I know I'm still not in great shape. But I also know I'm getting a little stronger and my endurance a little better as each day passes. We started our Combat Life Saver course on Monday and test on it Thursday. I hope I pass the first time (you only get two tries total.) We also found out from DS Pain Bringer that DS Hood will be transferring to another company on Monday. That sucks 'cause she was the most laid back and helpful out of all the DS's. She felt like an older sister or momma type figure becasue she always tried to keep us out of trouble ahead of the fact. I'm just hoping her replacement isn't too harsh on us compared to Hood. Also, rumor from a very reliable source that DS Pain Bringer is getting a promotion and DS Action Man will be our Platoon Sergeant. That's cool, 'cause he's already everyone's favorite.

So, I should also mention that I hate my bunkmate, He's a dude from Mississippi that is the worst ghetto and disrespectful type of person. He always has a bad attitude and complains about everyone yet can't admit when he's wrong himself. He is the opposite of a team player and the other day, he and I almost got in a fight because he was whining about stuff and wouldn't let me speak to him while we were on Fire Guard duty, which could've gotten us into big trouble for not following orders correctly. I usually just ignore him as I know I'm not his favorite person.

We've had about five or six people in our company quit and one guy get pneumonia and got quarantined in the last week or so. It's crazy how weak I feel in comparison to all these young guys in the prime of their lives. But I'll catch up soon. Gotta get some sleep. Wake up is in 5 hours!

It's Cold! (Don't tell the DS I said that!)

January 25, 2013- So, a couple days ago, the weather here went from cold to absolutely freaking frigid!! I'm talking about, it was like, 20 degrees this morning. It was so cold, they conducted the APFT Test 1 push ups and sit ups sections inside in our bay this morning. And as soon as the 2 mile run was finished (with me wheezing in last in my group at 19+ minutes) they had us hustle upstairs and put out ACUs on with thermals underneath (yay!) Normally, they refer to these as "waffles" because of the textured grid pattern on them similar to the appearance of Eggos. We also have, in addition to the "waffles" Gortex fabric, some Under Armour-like long- john style thermal wear that we call "silkies." What kind of cracks me up is how they call these undergarments "snivel gear" and belittle those who wear them, but then when it gets cold enough to actually see the DSs shaking and shivering, all of a sudden it's okay to wear 'em. They said it warms up here in late February. Hopefully, that holds true this year.

BCT Week Two

January 21, 2013- So the last week has been pretty tiring, to say the least. Learning the Army way to make a bunk or sit in a classroom or even stand in the chow line is an interesting process. I'm starting to adjust more and more, but to be honest, I can't even remember what day it is. I think it's Monday. We do so much and go so many places that all the days just sort of run together. We did an obstacle course about three days ago, then disassembled and reassembled them. Yesterday, we learned alot about marching and formation stuff and DS Action Man showed us a really cool cadence where we stomp our feet on certain counts while he sings to James Brown. We liked it so much, it got stuck in everyone's heads and we were singing it in the barracks. Then the guys pretty much turned into a karaoke jukebox for the next 30 minutes or so, singing like every popular song, from Motown to Vanessa Carlton. When the one private started singing "A 1000 Miles" a bunch of us called "Gay!" and he stopped singing. Lol. The characters are starting to come out more and more. We called one guy Pvt. Pillow because he was doing a Fire Guard shift and our company 1st Sgt walked in while he was sleeping at his post. When he stood up to Attention (instead of the required position of Parade Rest), he was missing his ACU jacket and boots, and was wearing tennis shoes! There's also Pvt. Whiny because all he ever does is whine and complain. There's Pvt. Razorback who is from, of course, Arkansas. And we have Pvt. Tactics, who is a white guy from Rhode Island who has some serious lyrical abilities. Tactics is his rap name.

I made fast friends at reception with a guy whose name starts with Rose, so I call him Rosie. He's from California and a really intelligent guy. Sometimes, I think he's too intellectual for the Army, but then, maybe that's just how I feel from time to time. Regardless, he's an older guy like me (I think he's 33) and we crack up laughing at all the stupid things some of the younger recruits say.

Today, we had an Ability Group Run which is where we run with others of a similar speed and endurance. Unfortunately, I missed it because I woke up with splitting migraines the last two days. I was at the clinic and waiting to be seen by the doctor when he came out and switched on the TV! I got to watch Obama get re-inaugurated and got to find out who made it to the Super Bowl this year! The doc gave me some high dose Aleve and said that I could be allergic to something in our bay at the barracks. I had been waking up with a bad cough, nasal craziness, and having a very hard time breathing. With new medication in hand, I felt much better by the next morning. :) I almost forgot to mention, but we got a late night wake up call early, around 1 am this morning. The DS on duty and a female DS from another company came in and, because the Fire Guards on duty couldn't get counting people sleeping in their bunks right, we all got woken up and smoked royally.
Right before that though, one guy was still sleeping in his bunk (the top one) and the female DS went ballistic when she noticed him. She came charging from halfway across the room. Because this kid's bunk was right next to mine and also, the angle of her attack, I thought she was coming for me, and cringed in anticipation of the holy shit storm that was seemingly about to descend down on me. Instead, she hit the guy's bunk so hard that he flipped over the side and fell onto the bay floor out of surprise of being woken up by one of Satan's minions, lol. I swear, the female DS's scare me WAY more than the male ones.

Funny moments:
"Male, why are you in my female formation?!?!?"- DS Action Man right before he realized he was in fact, talking to a female the whole time. He turned pretty red after that.

"My junk is like, the fastest healing part of my body." -One of the guys saying how he bounces back after a long night of "activities" with his girlfriend.

In It

January 15, 2013- Today was a crazy damn day!! Starting off with my morning PT test (there are 3 throughout the course of BCT and this one was kind of an evaluation of where we're at.) I did terribly 'cause my lazy ass didn't do enough working out prior to shipping out. I know that after the first couple of weeks I'll be doing a lot better though. But until then... it'll be hell! Lol. After the PT test, we changed into ACUs and were issued our camelbacks and our M16s! Hooahhh!! Then after learning how to carry them and march with them, we were told we would have to carry them with us everywhere we went for the next ten weeks! Crap. After that, we had some MREs and went off to the Victory Tower complex for the rest of the day. There were sweet obstacles there like giant rope swings and a 40 ft cargo net to climb down. There was the commando crawl which is a big giant rope you lay down on and crawl across. I got about two thirds of the way across and then lost my balance, flipping around to where I was hanging upside down from the rope by my hands with my legs wrapped around it. It was all leading up to the finale, a 60 foot rappel down Victory Tower in a rope harness. I made it down in only like four or five hops! :) We were entirely exhausted by the time we got back to our gear which had been staged in a field next to Victory Tower. I was in one of the last groups to finish and because I was in a rush to get back in formation and ready to march, I asked a few of my battle buddies to help me put everything back into my pockets on my ACU coat and name patches back onto my uniform (we had been told to take anything loose or in our pockets out for the events at Victory Tower.) The help and teamwork to get me tracking with everyone else was awesome, but unfortunately, one of the privates that helped me dropped my dog tags and I didn't notice I didn't have them until an hour after we had gotten back into the barracks. And at that point, we got to take showers (we got a minute and forty seconds!) After that, I unpacked most of my duffel and laundry bags in my wall locker and got to bed. Long day!