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Day 15

Church was nice today. The high councilman and is wife spoke to us. They both gave really good talks about "letting our light shine". There were about 50 people there again and about 10-15 of those were visitors (non-members). Afterward we had dough nuts again! Definitely a tradition that should be carried out in all wards!

After church I came home and ate lunch. Then I went to the library (where we had church) and read out of the Joseph Smith lesson manual and the scriptures. I was there for about 3 hours. When I got home Ruth called and I talked to Clark for a little bit and then we read scriptures... well, I read to them as they drove home from church.

All I have left to put in my bags are my toiletries and my pillow, both of which I don't really want to pack until tomorrow morning at 2:00am when we are supposed to load up.

I'm hungry now, but it's only 4:00 so I better hold off for another hour before I eat dinner. Hopefully I can go to sleep early since I have to get up so early.

This will be my last entry until Friday the 29th of August at which time I'll try and do a summary of what my field training was like. It is suppose to rain the next couple of days so hopefully that cools us down and little without getting us too wet.

Day 14

This morning all the O.D.'s in OBLC and the captain's career course (O.D.'s that have 3-5 years in the Army under their belts and are now attending courses hoping to be promoted to Majors) met in front of our building.

We drove north for about 30-40 minutes to a town called New Brunsfel. There is a river there that is popular to float down. It's actually right next to Schlitterbahn (one of the largest, if not the largest water park in the country). We rented tubes and had a good time floating down and avoiding any major rapids (which were few and far between). I did flip over once, in the same place most of us flipped over. I lost both my flip-flops, but not my sunglasses (luckily). When I got my feet under me and my tube under control I looked down stream and somebody had grabbed my flip-flops and was holding them up so that their owner (me) could see them. Not long after I got them from him I was able to do the same thing for next victim.

When we got done we went to Rudy's, which is a big BBQ place here in TX. It's fun. You order either a 1/2lb or full pound of either brisket, pork, chicken, or ribs. You can also order sides and what not. They just "dump" your meat in a big tray and give you some normal white bread. At the table there are a bunch of BBQ sauces. It was yummy!

When we got home I did some stuff on the internet, worked a little on my packing, and talked to Ruth on the phone. Around 5:00 or so Darin, Jess, and I went bowling. It was super cheap! Three guys, two games, and shoes for all of us: $9.00!

After that I came home and talked to Ruth, and ate a little dinner. Now we're getting ready to watch Phelps race. It's his chance to beat the world record for the number of gold metals won in a single Olympiad (8).

Day 13

There have been some miscommunications in the chain of command which has lead to confusion and frustration for both us students and the teachers/cadre. Whatever. Just say "Yes Sir" and move on.

Our teacher today was more concerned with getting done than he was with actually teaching the material. I admit the material is dry and a majority of the class are already familiar with the material. Oh well, that gave us two hours for lunch so I went and got my hair cut. It was hard for me to pay for a haircut! I've been cutting my own since I got home from my mission. At least it was only $7.00.

I decided to go back early from lunch and just talk to Ruth on the phone and when I got there I saw that our group was standing outside getting ready to get into formation! Good thing I went back. Apparently they didn't tell our platoon, but somehow most of us got there before it was too late.

Tonight I've been packing and getting my things ready for our field training next week. We're supposed to meet outside at 3:00am Monday morning. Should be fun. I'll take a notebook with me so that I can take notes on what we do.

Tomorrow us O.D.'s are off to float down the river. I'll tell you how it went tomorrow.


This is a not-so-random picture of Clark. Look like anybody you know...?
Ok, maybe it's not that obvious, but I think Shanna looks a lot like Clark did at this age.

Day 12

Today we had some good classes. We spent all morning learning about land navigation. Thank you Boy Scouts and thank you Dad for showing me how to read and use a topographical map.

For lunch I went with a fellow O.D. (CPT Osmanski) to Clothing and Sales to pick up my Dress Blues and my patrol cap. I also saw several things there that I needed for our field training next week. We also ordered dog tags so that after class we could go and picked them up.

I ate dinner with the other LDS O.D.'s. All the O.D.'s in OBLC and those stationed at and near Ft. Sam Houston are getting together on Saturday. We'll be floating down a river and going out to Rudy's for some BBQ afterwards. I'm excited to meet everybody in a more casual setting, but I also need to get some things done before our field training so that will make it a really busy day.

Tomorrow we have PT at 5:15. Basically we have it Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Those that didn't pass their APFT have PT everyday.

Day 11

We worked out pretty hard this morning for PT. We had classes the rest of the day and a briefing on our field training (FDX) coming up next week.

After lunch I (and about 150 others in my class) had to go to the eye doctor to get field glasses and inserts for all our protective eye wear. I didn't get to see a doctor since they just made a copy of the glasses I'm currently wearing.

Last night our S1 told me that finance had lost my paperwork! Today she told me to call Ms. Edwards. I couldn't get a hold of her so I looked up her email. She emailed me back and told me that she isn't even in finance and to call a different number. I told my S1 that and she didn't know what to say. Anyway, it's definitely something I need to pursue.

I may have to fill out all the paper work again...or it may be that I need to talk to personnel and not finance. We'll see.

I already called Ruth and the kids and we were able to read scriptures and have family prayer. Clark has been telling me lately that he "likes me". I hope so!

Day 10

I got to the mail room soon after it opened this morning. The guy there let me put my bike together in his office! I got it together and the box was in really good condition. I was worried that it would be too smashed up to use again. I didn't have enough time to take my bike stuff home and get my books though. The mail room employee said I could keep the box there as long as I needed. Very nice since I didn't know what I was going to do with it.

The first time I got to ride my bike was at lunch and it was raining (for the first time since I've been here). We just had classes today and we got done a little early for lunch and at the end of the day. It was nice to come home for lunch and before dinner. Before dinner I was able to call Ruth and read scriptures with her and the kids. Usually we don't get a chance to do that until after the kids are supposed to be in bed, so that will be nice for Ruth to have that done with when it's time for the kids to sleep.

Day 9

This morning we met for PT. It was our first official early morning PT. The other two times were the APFT and a batallion run. Our leader just had us get in formation and he told us about PT and what we'll be doing. He spent the whole time telling us all this so we never actually did anything. Maybe next time. It seems I need to be working out on my own.

After that I took a very quick shower and ate an even faster breakfast so that I could be on time to our next meeting. This morning we received all our gear for our field training next week. We did it alphabetically so us "R's" were standing in line for 2-3 hours.

They gave us a big pile of bags, belts, straps, clips, connectors, and whatchamacallits that with the proper instruction could be put together into a backpack/utility belt. It was all really heavy (and the canteens and ammunition bags are empty, and we don't even have any of our clothes in them yet)!

We're no longer all together in a big auditorium for our classes. We've split up into our platoons and we're meeting in smaller classrooms.

I think tomorrow we'll just be having classes. Wednesday all those who need glasses get to go to the eye clinic.

Also, my bike came in the mail today. It's up at the mail room so I'm still trying to decide what the best way to get it home is. I may just put it together right there by the building the mail room is in and carry the box home later. I don't know. I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Day 8

Last night Darin and Jesse invited me to go with them to dinner, ice-cream, and a movie. We ate at Taco Cabana. The food was way too spicy for me. Darin asked me several times if I was OK. After that we went to a big theater/shopping center called The Quarry. We bought tickets to see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. The movie didn't start for a while so Darin treated us to ice-cream.

Once we sat down in the theater and were waiting for the movie to start a familiar face walking in and I said (half jokingly) "hey, there's Tommy Lee Jones!" Darin and Jesse both agreed that the guy looked just like him. When we got out of the theater we asked (no, not the guy) an employee if Tommy Lee Jones lived in San Antonio. He said he did, and that he comes to this theater all the time. So, we had Mr. Jones sitting two rows behind us and we didn't even talk to him. Oh well. I did see what he was driving though...a Smart Car. The 3D thing was also very cool. If you ever have a chance to see a movie in 3D, do it!

Before going to bed I wrote an email to the chief of the eye clinic at Ft. Leonard Wood and ended up losing it because the page had logged itself out. I jut finished re-typing it and this time got it sent off.

This morning I met up with Darin and Jesse and we drove around looking for the "library" where we're supposed to have our church meetings. We saw a sign but there was a bunch of construction in our way that made it hard to get there. We eventually found it and were even 15 minutes early! There were about 50 people there and it was nice to meet some people in our class that are LDS. My platoon leader is LDS and he got my number so that he could tell me where we were going to meet (because at the time neither of us knew). Unfortunately I didn't get his number so I wasn't able to call him. He never came.

Ruth will be alone with the kids in church today. I hope they're good for her. That would be really hard. I think today I'll do a lot of reading (scriptures, lessons, etc.).

Day 7

Today I got up at 6:30 and did my laundry, talked to Ruth and the kids, and got ready for the day. I walked up to the clothing store to pick up my dress blue uniform pants. They ordered the wrong size, but they now had the right size in stock so I just traded. Next I went next door to have them altered. My jacket was ready but I asked if I could just pick both up at the same time, which will be next week. They said that would be fine. I also left my patrol cap there for them to sew the rank on the front for me.

After that I went to the commissary to get some food for the weekends. It didn't all fit in my backpack, but almost. I just had to carry a couple of bags in my hands. I'm not sure how far it is, but it takes about 40-45 minutes to walk there. Probably ~3 miles.

Ruth sent my bike last week. It should be here by Tuesday. It will be really nice to have since we have to walk at least 3/4 a mile to get anywhere on base from our dorms.

My roommate has to go to a museum tour this afternoon. I'll have to do the same next Saturday. I'll probably just relax the rest of the afternoon.

I need to call the Chaplin to see where exactly we meet tomorrow for church. I think it starts at 8:30 and I've already got my clothes all ready to go.


The front of some of the officer housing.


The back



Some enlisted housing, I think.


Here's the...(see photo).


This is a huge PX. It's like a big convenience store. It even had a little "mall-type" place and food court inside.


This a building for the nursing program here.


Here's a view of downtown seen from the commissary parking lot. Note the "space needle". The famous river walk is also down there.

Day 6

This morning we got up early and ran as a battalion. It was at a good pace and actually pretty fun. The only bad part was that they told us to be up at the field in formation at 4:15, but we didn't actually run until 5:45. Yea, that's a long time of standing.

Just classes today. All morning we had a guy talk to us about communications. He then spoke about writing, and giving presentations. The way he was talking made it sound like he was going to assign us a project, but he never did. Maybe later. He also gave me the impression that he is LDS. I didn't ask him though. He had very clean language, had some "suspicious" metaphors and stories and at one point he said, "if you're listening to a session of conference...I mean congress..."

I had meatloaf for dinner tonight. It was really good!

My roommate and I aren't going anywhere tonight. I think we'll just take it easy and recuperate.

Day 5

Today we had a bunch of classes. Those that passed the APFT are going to learn Army combatives (hand-to-hand combat).

We're all split up into our little groups. It's basically like The Church or the mission.

Tomorrow we're supposed to show up for a group run at 4:30am. Should be fun. I've heard we're all supposed to run together so it will be pretty slow.

I've got a couple of different groups I either sit, eat, or walk with: the guys I met when I came here (Marco, Bryan, Greg, Raja, and Bryan Choi), the O.D's (67f's as they're called), and a couple of LDS guys I've met (Darren, Chris, and Sobek).

Day 4

This morning we had our APFT (Army of physical fitness test?). I got up at 3:45 so that I could get up to the field by 4:15. Everything went well. I needed to get:

38 pushups......................................I did 54
45 situps..........................................I did 61
and run 2 miles in 17 minuets.....took me 15:05

I'm glad that's over with. Today we had a class called "Army 101". It's a pretty basic class about the Army and is a common one they give to newcomers and their families.

This afternoon we got to march around a little bit. It's actually kind of fun. Especially since our drill Sargents are pretty nice to us.

One of the commanding officers came and talked to us this afternoon and after that we had a little brief on HIV/STI's.

The big event of the day, besides my physical fitness test, was the handing out of our class schedules and our course packet (a ton of power point slides). Classes start tomorrow, so I finally feel like we're getting starting.

Day 3

Today I slept in till 6:30. I never heard my roommate leave so at first I was worried he hadn't gotten up for his PT test. He had, and he passed. I go tomorrow.

We got inprocessed with the financial office and personnel today. After lunch we had a presentation on personal finance from the on-post bank. In my experience banks tend to be very liberal when it comes to debt, but these guys were very good.

Today I sat next to LTC Pattan. He’s in the OBLC course with all of us. He’s an OB/GYN and residency director with around 10 years or experience in private practice. He’s a direct ascension. Later I sat by 2LT Sobek. I noticed on his forms that he had 4 kids. He noticed the same about me. Guess what? LDS. Served is mission in the Philippines. I also met three more OD’s today.

After that we got split up into platoons and headed over to some banquet where we met some (or all?) of the commanding officers. They had some heavyh'orderves and a cash bar. I took at least my fair share of h'orderves and called that dinner. I was home by 5:30.

This is my roommate Marco Benito. He's a nurse.

This is the building where I'm staying. I'm on the third floor.

This is my desk and our lovely bathroom can be seen in the background.


Marco's desk and the view of our kitchenette.

My bed and closet.

Our floor lobby.


My hall's laundry room.

Some barracks just across the street from us. There are thousands of soldiers here being trained as medics and what not. They are all enlisted. There are 60 soldiers to a room there. I don't think they each have desks with internet and a flat screen TV either.

Day 2

Today we did a lot of walking. Only because everywhere we go is quite a distance away from where we've been. This morning we did some paperwork and listened to a couple briefs on getting started here. This afternoon we learned a little about marching, but it was pretty quick, dirty, and laid back.

After marching I met a guy that I knew from BYU (Darren Bingham). He went to optometry school at SCCO and is now here in doing OBLC with us.

After our classes we went over to the clothing store and I was able to get most of my dress blue uniform squared away plus a few other little things I needed for my other uniforms.

Tomorrow I don't have to show up until 8:30! Half the group is doing their physical training (PT) test tomorrow at 4:00am and the rest of us are doing it the day after tomorrow.

Overall our leaders are all very nice and respectful. My roommate did basic training last summer as an enlisted soldier so he thinks it's pretty funny how nice and laid back everybody is. It might not stay that way, but for now I'm thankful.

There are 377 people in the class. It is extremely diverse: age, race, sex (except for the fact we're all in the health care field). My roommate is a nurse. The other guys I've met are dentists, PA's, and MD's. Although it seems to me that the majority of the students are not doctors (either nurses or PA's).

I'm dirty and stinky and it's time to take a shower and go to bed.

BEGIN LOG of OBLC

Day 1

Today I left Ruth and the kids. They drove me to the airport and I was very sad to say goodbye to them. I think all of us were on the verge of crying, and like laughing, it's very contagious. I found out just as I got to the airport that my connecting flight had been canceled. I used to have a 40 minute layover, now I have a 5 hour layover. Oh well.

I'm currently at the Dallas airport (enjoying that 5 hour layover). I talked to Ruth on the phone and she correctly pointed out that this will probably be the easiest part of my training.

I will try and keep you all updated with pictures and text, but I'm not sure how much free time I will really have.

For pictures of my departure this morning please visit our family site.