Sept 2, 2008
This morning we left for Camp Bullis at around 4:30. We didn't get a warm breakfast so they gave us MRE's. Imitation pork rib is ok, but it's not the most enticing breakfast dish.
I had several people wish me happy birthday from my platoon this morning which was nice. Later though I had a few people that weren't in my platoon (and were not likely to know my birthday) wish me a happy birthday. They all happened to be optometrists. I asked one how he knew it was my birthday and he said my wife had sent out an email! She sure surprised me, but looking back I'm not that surprised. She always goes out of her way to make sure special days are special. Thanks Ruth!!
After breakfast we were re-issued our weapons. We all got different ones and the one I got back isn't as clean as the one I turned in. Asi es la vida.
Today our team (a third of the company, or a 6th of the whole class) ran a level 2 aid station at the FOB (forward operating base). Actually, half of us ran the aid station for half the day and the other half did security (towers, guards, traffic control) and then we all switched roles. We had casualties (actors) show up that we helped and the security had to deal with fire from outside the FOB and mortar attacks. They also had to deal with people trying to get into the FOB that were not authorized. During the half I was in the aid station I was on an aid and litter team. It was pretty fun - more fun than running security anyway.
Tonight after our activities for the day I tried to call Ruth but I couldn't get any service anywhere on the FOB. CPT Osmanski was nice enough to lend me his so I could talk to Ruth and the kids.
We didn't eat until around 6:45. After diner they had all the new and old student leadership meet and all us old leaders passed on the batton to the new ones. What a relief!! It was a good experience, but I'm glad it's over.
After dinner our team met together so that we could be briefed on running the level 1 aid station tomorrow.
Level 1 care - a handful of medics, a PA and/or doc, and some other soldiers that work out of the back of a truck or ambulance near the front line.
Level 2 care - a handful of nurses, a PA, a doc, and some other soldiers that work out of a tent inside a FOB.
Level 3 care - a full service hospital (can be tents or fixed facility) in a very safe place in the country where fighting is happening or in a safe nearby country.
Level 4 care - a full service hospital back home in the States.
After the brief I called Ruth again so that we could read scriptures and pray.
Sept 3, 2008
Today we got to sleep in until 6:00!! Very nice. At 6:30 we ate breakfast and at 7:15 we got in formation. Our new platoon sargeant barely made it on time. Oh well.
Today we did level 1 care. our team was split up into two groups. One was supposed to be the main aid station and the other (mine) the forward aid station. The MAS has the doc, and the FAS has the PA. It was pretty educational.
Tonight we found out that our platoon is in charge of CQ (guard duty, basically) - two people per hour from 10:00pm to 7:00am. Our platoon sargeant asked for 11 male and 11 female volunteers and drew our names out of a hat to see which hour we would do it. I got 11:00-midnight. Not bad. It was actually pretty nice because I got to use the internet. We'll basically just sit in an office and answer the phone if it rings and each hour has a special little job that has to be done. Ours was making sure all the trash cans on the FOB had been emptied (most had).
Sept 4, 2008
Today we got to sleep in again. We got on trucks and went to tour a level 3 aid station. This one was not in use but was pretty authentic. It was also a tent version. Basically a huge tent city! Pretty amazing. It's all inter-connected and airconditioned. There are also big metal crates that can be leveled, and that hook up to all the tents. They house things like x-ray, CT, and MRI machines. They also house the lab and pharmacy. All other rooms (including ICU's and OR's) were in tents. They said that there are only 3 of these tent versions left in Iraq, most are now fixed facilities.
When we were done we ate our MRE's and headed back to the FOB where we were trained on decontaminating patients. There's a big process of cleaning and removing clothing before they're put into a special decontamination tent. Very interesting.
When we got home our platoon was picked for weapons detail (duty). We basically were in charge of inspecting everybody's weapon as they turned them in. This took most of the evening. We also turned in our own weapons, gas masks, and compasses.
I talked to Ruth later than normal due to all the aforementioned activities. It sounds like the boys are doing well with school. I'm really glad about that!
We all packed up our things before going to bed.
Sept 5, 2008
This morning we got up and got all our things out of the tent. We met for a 4:30 formation after which we left for a 3-mile rucksack march. Basically we walked in formation while carrying all our gear. Not extremely heavy, but no body caught me putting rocks in my bag that's for sure.
They told us the enlisted folk get to do a 12 mile rucksack march. Three was just fine for me.
After that we ate breakfast. After breakfast our platoon loaded up all the weapons (already in weapon racks) into trucks and took them to the armory. There they were inspected by the armory and any weapons that were not up to their standards were given back for us to clean. Luckily they only gave back like 30 out of ~500. They told us that was really good. That's because we were strict when we inspected them, forcing us to turn away a lot of our peers 1, 2 and even 3 times until they were really clean.
The rest of the battalion stayed back and did other details, like taking down tents, cleaning up, etc. When we got back to the FOB the rest of the class was just getting on the buses. Perfect timing. We were all home by 11:45ish. Very nice!!
For lunch I went to a Mexican place called Cachos with three of the LDS guys (Darin, Jess, and Chris). It was really yummy. Afterward Darin paid for a game of pool. Just he and I played as Jess and Chris had to leave to try and get CAC cards (military ID cards).
I did some laundry this afternoon, set up my plane ticket to get home at the end of the course, and reserved a moving truck for our move to Ft. Leonard Wood.
Tonight I may go out to eat with my platoon. They are going to the Texas Stake House for dinner and then on to a club/bar. If nobody is planning on going home after dinner then I just won't go at all. We'll see what their plans are.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Monday, September 01, 2008
Labor Day Weekend!!!
The past weekend was Labor Day weekend so I had 4 days off from OBLC. I took a plane ride to Raleigh early Friday morning.
Ruth and the kids picked me up when I got in around 11:15ish. We were really excited to see each other!!
We went and got lunch at Little Caesars after which we went to Amy's house and went swimming. The boys had a great time running and jumping into the shallow end. That night we tried to watch a movie, Miss Potter, but the DVD player wouldn't work. There was a DVD already in there that we couldn't get out. It worked if we used the controller but none of the buttons on the front worked, including the eject button which was absent on the controller.
Saturday morning Ruth made us all some delicious stuffed French toast! After lunch we went to the outlet mall while the girls took a nap. When we got home we started getting dinner ready. Ruth made a 4-cheese penne pasta dish that was really good. After the kids were in bed I took the DVD player apart and found a plastic pickle in there that had wedged itself between the actual machine and the plastic front panel. That's why none of the front panel buttons worked. When I put it back together it worked fine. The movie was really good. I highly recommend it (Miss Potter).
Sunday we went to church. I don't know how Ruth does it. I'm glad she does though. Cal really enjoys nursery and Clark seems to like primary once we get him in there which usually requires a little prodding.
After church we ate dinner and Mom and Dad went to go get Sheldon from the airport. Not long after they got home Daniel, Amy and their kids came over for dinner and dessert. Ruth made a yummy dessert for me and we put some candles in it and they sang happy birthday to me. I'll be 28 tomorrow!
Going home to see my wife and kids was the best birthday present EVER!!!!!
Ruth and I woke up early this morning to go to the airport. My plane left at 6:00am. I got to San Antonio around 10:30 or so. I slept almost the whole way. I took a taxi back to the my barracks and Ruth called me just as I was walking in.
I unpacked the things from my trip and packed up my stuff for the next (and final) four days of camp Bullis. I then ate lunch and took a couple of books back to the library. They were due yesterday and they're closed today, so I just put them in the book return.
I'm sad I didn't get a ticket to fly back later today but I didn't know when I needed to be back tonight when I bought the ticket. Anyway...here I am back in San Antonio with 26 days left to go!
Tonight I need to hear from my squad leaders and then I will report to the first sergeant to let him know that we're all back and ready to go for tomorrow. We'll be loading our duffel bags on the truck tonight around 8:00.
Tomorrow we're off to Camp Bullis for four more days. We're allowed to bring cell phones this time so that will be really nice! I sure missed talking to Ruth the last two weeks.
Clark goes to school tomorrow. I hope it goes well.
Ruth and the kids picked me up when I got in around 11:15ish. We were really excited to see each other!!
We went and got lunch at Little Caesars after which we went to Amy's house and went swimming. The boys had a great time running and jumping into the shallow end. That night we tried to watch a movie, Miss Potter, but the DVD player wouldn't work. There was a DVD already in there that we couldn't get out. It worked if we used the controller but none of the buttons on the front worked, including the eject button which was absent on the controller.
Saturday morning Ruth made us all some delicious stuffed French toast! After lunch we went to the outlet mall while the girls took a nap. When we got home we started getting dinner ready. Ruth made a 4-cheese penne pasta dish that was really good. After the kids were in bed I took the DVD player apart and found a plastic pickle in there that had wedged itself between the actual machine and the plastic front panel. That's why none of the front panel buttons worked. When I put it back together it worked fine. The movie was really good. I highly recommend it (Miss Potter).
Sunday we went to church. I don't know how Ruth does it. I'm glad she does though. Cal really enjoys nursery and Clark seems to like primary once we get him in there which usually requires a little prodding.
After church we ate dinner and Mom and Dad went to go get Sheldon from the airport. Not long after they got home Daniel, Amy and their kids came over for dinner and dessert. Ruth made a yummy dessert for me and we put some candles in it and they sang happy birthday to me. I'll be 28 tomorrow!
Going home to see my wife and kids was the best birthday present EVER!!!!!
Ruth and I woke up early this morning to go to the airport. My plane left at 6:00am. I got to San Antonio around 10:30 or so. I slept almost the whole way. I took a taxi back to the my barracks and Ruth called me just as I was walking in.
I unpacked the things from my trip and packed up my stuff for the next (and final) four days of camp Bullis. I then ate lunch and took a couple of books back to the library. They were due yesterday and they're closed today, so I just put them in the book return.
I'm sad I didn't get a ticket to fly back later today but I didn't know when I needed to be back tonight when I bought the ticket. Anyway...here I am back in San Antonio with 26 days left to go!
Tonight I need to hear from my squad leaders and then I will report to the first sergeant to let him know that we're all back and ready to go for tomorrow. We'll be loading our duffel bags on the truck tonight around 8:00.
Tomorrow we're off to Camp Bullis for four more days. We're allowed to bring cell phones this time so that will be really nice! I sure missed talking to Ruth the last two weeks.
Clark goes to school tomorrow. I hope it goes well.
Day's 16-26 (Weeks 1 & 2 of Camp Bullis)
For the last 11 days I've been at Camp Bullis for our field training. Here is transcription of the journal I kept in my little notebook:
August 18, 2008
Got up at 2:30, in formation at 3:00, left at 4:00.
It rained all morning and most of the afternoon.
We were issued our gas masks, compasses, and M-16s.
We practiced land navigation this morning. Mr. J__, our teacher let us find our first point the correct way (compass, map, and coordinates), then he "taught" us how to find them by associating the contour of the landscape on the map and other landmarks on the map with what you see around you. This would have worked well but he got disoriented several times and kept getting us lost. We got really wet.
We ate MREs for breakfast and lunch.
They showed us some different firing positions for our weapons (in the Army, they're not called "guns").
So far the worst part about camp is carrying the M-16 and gas mask all over the place. They are considered "sensitive items" and therefore cannot be out of your reach at anytime (even the bathroom).
We got done at 5:30. Dinner was good - spaghetti with hamburger and rice.
August 19, 2008
Woke up at 4:15 and we were all ready by 4:50. I volunteered for ammunition duty along with 20 others. We got to eat breakfast first! We then loaded up all the ammo for the half of the us that would be shooting on the range today. When we got there we unloaded it all and stapled up a ton of targets.
Everybody else showed up soon after. The morning was spent "zeroing" our weapons. That entails us shooting at a target in exactly the same place over and then a "safety", or person there to help us, would adjust our weapon's sights to compensate for any errors. Not full proof, but for the most part it worked on the old and well used M-16's issued to us. When we were done zeroing our weapons we split up and sat in the grass in small groups for some classes on disassembling the M-16 and 9mm and checking them to make sure they work after having taken them apart.
After our MRE lunch we went to the qualification ranges. There you have a lane and are given 40 bullets which you shoot in different positions at pop-up targets. I felt pretty good in some positions, but not others. The safety in my lane said that I was the best she'd seen so far that day, however I only got a score of 14, and needed 23(?) to qualify. They said we didn't need to qualify while at OBLC (I imagine we would if we were being deployed however).
That afternoon we did a couple of classes on radios and calling for a medivac (request for a medical evacuation) and another on using a GPS unit.
I didn't get my Rx inserts to put inside my safety glasses so I had to put my safety glasses over my normal glasses. It was really uncomfortable for my nose.
We ate at 6:30 and had another class at 7:30 on firing the 9mm. So, I ended up going to bed a little later than last night.
There have been some disobedience issues just before we came here and in the couple of days we've been here, the class leaders have threatened to take away our passes for our 4-day weekend. I pray that doesn't happen as I'm already very excited and anxious to see Ruth and the kids over Labor Day weekend.
August 20, 2008
There was no milk today for the cold cereal. There is of course French toast, eggs, and bacon, but I really like the cereal too. Well, I tried water with the cereal. Not a very good substitute.
Today we had our land navigation test. We were sent off in groups of two. I went with CPT Osmanski (a fellow optometrist). We found 4 points that we thought were ours, but it turns out that our last point was wrong, so we got 3/4 (that's what we needed to pass).
After lunch (always MREs for lunch) we all went to the LRC (can't remember what that stands for, and it's not Learning Resource Center). It's basically a group of stations full of obstacles that require critical thinking and team work to accomplish. We were split up in groups of 10-12 for that. It was pretty fun.
While I was there I know Heavenly Father was looking out for me. I was the top person on a human chain going up a 45 degree angle ramp. It was too steep for one person to climb up so one person would brace himself on the ground and the next person would climb up their back and put their feet on that person's shoulders. I was the third (and second to last) person and the boards that made up the ramp ran vertically (or the same direct as our bodies) so I had all my fingers in the small space between the boards to help hold me up (a fact I wasn't really thinking about). As the 4th and final person was climbing over me and getting situated I was thinking about a lot of different things and then all of a sudden I got the impression that I had to get my fingers out of that crack! I obeyed and found out that they were stuck! It took a good 4-5 seconds for me to get them out of there. Not long after I got them out the people on the bottom gave way. I'm sure that had that impression not come I would have broken my fingers.
Tonight in the tent we practiced taking apart our weapon, putting it back together again, and checking function when that's all done. Thanks to my background I only needed to see it once the day before and I was able to remember all the steps. In fact, if I can brag about something, I'm already one of the fastest (we're supposed to be able to do it all in 4 minutes).
August 21, 2008
This morning we were tested on the disassembly/reassembly and function testing of the M-16 and 9mm. The M-16 was timed and I did it in 1:30, fastest in my group of 10 being tested.
After lunch we went through an obstacle course. We were split up in groups of 10-15 or so to confront each task. Most were fairly easy (balancing on logs, hopping over things, etc.) but some had multiple tasks in one, including climbing ropes and climbing up reverse inclines. I was able to complete all of them just fine (most were not). Several people were injured on the course today, too bad.
Today I was asked to be the next platoon sergeant. Our class has ~500 people in it and is called a batallion. There are two companies in the battalion and 4 platoons in each company. There are 60 people in my platoon. The platoon is further divided into squads (we have 5). Each squad has a leader as well. All the leadership in our battalion is done by students in the class. We are playing pretend roles here as none of us are sergeants and many of us, being in the medical field, will never directly lead a platoon, company, or battalion.
Half the platoon had chow duty tonight (they unloaded it from the truck, served the food, and carried all the garbage to the dumpster). I volunteered but they already had enough help.
I met and ate lunch with a Major Taylor today. He's a dentist (reservist) and LDS. He is probably in his late 30's. His oldest son is on a mission in Brazil.
August 22, 2008
It turns out that new leadership is not supposed to take over until tomorrow, so 2LT Quinn (our current platoon sergeant) will keep going. I went to the leadership meeting tonight in his place so that I could get the info I would need for tomorrow.
Today we did mounted land navigation (in a truck with GPS). After that we went and fired the 9mm's. After that we went to the gas chamber. We turned our collars up to protect our necks a little and in groups of 10 we went in the chamber. Inside we had to do some jumping-jacks, run around a little, take our mask off (while closing our eyes and holding our breath) and put it back on again. The first thing after doing this we had to blow all the bad air out and then we could open our eyes and breath again. The first thing I noticed when I got in the chamber was the skin on my neck and head started to burn which quickly escalated to almost intolerable levels before we were aloud to leave. To leave we had to completely remove our mask, keep our eyes open, and state our full name and SSN. Most people barely made it past their name.
After dinner and my leadership meeting we did our night land navigation course. Our platoon was in charge of guard duty that night which I just found out 1 hour before everybody would be leaving for the night land nav course! I needed 2 people per hour all night. I did have a list of all the people in our platoon that hadn't volunteered for anything yet so I started with them. Then I asked people that hadn't done any food duties (the most time consuming). Luckily I was able to find everybody except for one. The one was on the list but didn't know it so at 3:00 in the morning somebody came looking for her to tell her that she was late for her guard duty. I felt bad and apologized to her. Thankfully she didn't seem too annoyed.
The night land nav course was fine. We went in pairs and we found all of our points. Mainly it's just a lot of walking. We got home at 1:30am. My partner was CPT Roarty, an ER doctor.
August 23, 2008
My first day as platoon sergeant (PSG) went pretty well. My platoon is coaching me and helping me out a lot. I need it as I obviously have no experience being a PSG.
We mainly just had classes today on convoys and the different scenarios that can happen during one.
August 24, 2008
Today we did a class on decontamination. We wore what's called J-LIST. It's a full-body chemical/biological protective suit. Our teacher showed us all the parts and talked about different scenarios in which it's used. After that we practiced putting it on as fast as we could. The mask has to go from carrying pouch to face in 8 seconds and the whole suit has to be done in 2 minutes. Luckily our teacher only made us wear the suit for 10 minutes (while we walked up and down the field in the sun). I don't know how anybody could wear that thing all day but there's people that have had to do it!
After that we ate lunch and cleaned our masks since we won't be using them again.
After that we got to take showers! They took us in groups to a different part of Camp Bullis where they had some communal showers. I heard there was a family of scorpions in the shower next to mine. Fun! I was done cleaning myself in <10 style="font-weight: bold;">
August 25, 2008
For some reason the alarm in our tent didn't go off and we didn't get up until 15 minutes before we needed to be in formation. I didn't wake up until 5 minutes after most people, that left we with 10 to get ready! Barely made it!
I really like our current student leadership. They are on the ball and most of them are prior service. They just want us to do what's right and take care of our soldiers.
This morning those who didn't need to attend remedial PT did combatives.
All morning we organized and practiced our convoy operations, then ate lunch. That afternoon we actually did the convoy. We were all given a magazine full of blanks for our M16's. We had 7 trucks in the convoy: a gunner truck at the lead and rear, and five big trucks in the middle with varying purposes. I was in the 3rd truck. We were the secondary aid and litter truck. One truck held the supplies we were taking to our destination, one was a primary aid and litter truck (if something happens they're the ones that go and get the casualties off the truck) and a recovery truck (they're the ones that go and get any truck that can't continue due to damage). Of course along the way we found an IED, saw several people to shoot at (and people that looked bad at whom we were not to shoot), and one of our trucks was blown up. We then rallied to the next checkpoint and requested a medivac for our casualties.
At our leadership meeting we found out we had to load 185 20 round magazines for our team's activities tomorrow. As platoon sergeants we decided to just do it ourselves and let our soldiers rest. Not long after we were called into another leadership meeting with some of the "higher-ups". We each ran and asked a few people from each of our platoons to come and help. When we got out of the meeting there was over 20 people there loading rounds and 80% of them were from my platoon! I was very proud of them and glad that they stepped up and helped out like that. They were done with the whole job by the time we finished our meeting (which wasn't very long).
August 26, 2008
We did combatives again this morning. After chow our team got on the trucks for "mount". "Mount" took us to a group of houses and office buildings that we had to clear. We got in groups of 4 and learned out to clear a building. We loaded our M-16's with a new type of bullet that's plastic. It's designed to be shot at each other but I guess they'd had some injuries the last class and decided to just have us shoot dummies in the buildings. It was pretty fun!
When we got home we cleaned our weapons. This took most of the evening as there weren't enough cleaning kits for everybody to use at the same time.
August 27, 2008
Got up an hour earlier this morning for our combatives and chow. We had a tournament in our combatives ring. Now matter the strength or size of the person, the ones with the best technique were the ones that won. Tomorrow the winners from each ring (there's 8 or so) will fight each other.
After chow we went to a theater to be briefed on the next week's mission. When we got home we ate lunch and took a picture of the entire battalion. The people that failed the first land nav course did a retake.
That afternoon we double checked our weapons and turned them in. What a wonderful thing!! It's such a relief to not be carrying that thing all over the place!
We were able to relax the rest of the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow we'll clean up and get out of here!
August 28, 2008
We did combatives and had a tournament before breakfast. I felt like I was watching a playground brawl - pretty exciting.
After breakfast we split up in our teams and rotated through some classes that pertain to what we'll be doing next week after the break.
After lunch each platoon had some details to do before we would be able to leave. Our platoon was in charge of putting up sand bands around the front and back of all the extra tents that were put up since our class size is so large. Most the tents are on raised, leveled asphalt slabs, but 5 or 6 of them (mine included) were just set up on the dirt with a tarp/plastic floor.
By 1:00 we were all done and just waiting for the buses. We left at 2:45 or so and got home around 3:15-3:30ish.
The first thing I did was take a nice long shower! After that checked my email and called Ruth. She wasn't by her phone so she called me back a little later.
I'm really excited to see her and the kids tomorrow!!!!
Tonight I had some food from the freezer and did my laundry. I called a taxi and it should be waiting for me around 4:00am tomorrow morning.
For the last 11 days I've been at Camp Bullis for our field training. Here is transcription of the journal I kept in my little notebook:
August 18, 2008
Got up at 2:30, in formation at 3:00, left at 4:00.
It rained all morning and most of the afternoon.
We were issued our gas masks, compasses, and M-16s.
We practiced land navigation this morning. Mr. J__, our teacher let us find our first point the correct way (compass, map, and coordinates), then he "taught" us how to find them by associating the contour of the landscape on the map and other landmarks on the map with what you see around you. This would have worked well but he got disoriented several times and kept getting us lost. We got really wet.
We ate MREs for breakfast and lunch.
They showed us some different firing positions for our weapons (in the Army, they're not called "guns").
So far the worst part about camp is carrying the M-16 and gas mask all over the place. They are considered "sensitive items" and therefore cannot be out of your reach at anytime (even the bathroom).
We got done at 5:30. Dinner was good - spaghetti with hamburger and rice.
August 19, 2008
Woke up at 4:15 and we were all ready by 4:50. I volunteered for ammunition duty along with 20 others. We got to eat breakfast first! We then loaded up all the ammo for the half of the us that would be shooting on the range today. When we got there we unloaded it all and stapled up a ton of targets.
Everybody else showed up soon after. The morning was spent "zeroing" our weapons. That entails us shooting at a target in exactly the same place over and then a "safety", or person there to help us, would adjust our weapon's sights to compensate for any errors. Not full proof, but for the most part it worked on the old and well used M-16's issued to us. When we were done zeroing our weapons we split up and sat in the grass in small groups for some classes on disassembling the M-16 and 9mm and checking them to make sure they work after having taken them apart.
After our MRE lunch we went to the qualification ranges. There you have a lane and are given 40 bullets which you shoot in different positions at pop-up targets. I felt pretty good in some positions, but not others. The safety in my lane said that I was the best she'd seen so far that day, however I only got a score of 14, and needed 23(?) to qualify. They said we didn't need to qualify while at OBLC (I imagine we would if we were being deployed however).
That afternoon we did a couple of classes on radios and calling for a medivac (request for a medical evacuation) and another on using a GPS unit.
I didn't get my Rx inserts to put inside my safety glasses so I had to put my safety glasses over my normal glasses. It was really uncomfortable for my nose.
We ate at 6:30 and had another class at 7:30 on firing the 9mm. So, I ended up going to bed a little later than last night.
There have been some disobedience issues just before we came here and in the couple of days we've been here, the class leaders have threatened to take away our passes for our 4-day weekend. I pray that doesn't happen as I'm already very excited and anxious to see Ruth and the kids over Labor Day weekend.
August 20, 2008
There was no milk today for the cold cereal. There is of course French toast, eggs, and bacon, but I really like the cereal too. Well, I tried water with the cereal. Not a very good substitute.
Today we had our land navigation test. We were sent off in groups of two. I went with CPT Osmanski (a fellow optometrist). We found 4 points that we thought were ours, but it turns out that our last point was wrong, so we got 3/4 (that's what we needed to pass).
After lunch (always MREs for lunch) we all went to the LRC (can't remember what that stands for, and it's not Learning Resource Center). It's basically a group of stations full of obstacles that require critical thinking and team work to accomplish. We were split up in groups of 10-12 for that. It was pretty fun.
While I was there I know Heavenly Father was looking out for me. I was the top person on a human chain going up a 45 degree angle ramp. It was too steep for one person to climb up so one person would brace himself on the ground and the next person would climb up their back and put their feet on that person's shoulders. I was the third (and second to last) person and the boards that made up the ramp ran vertically (or the same direct as our bodies) so I had all my fingers in the small space between the boards to help hold me up (a fact I wasn't really thinking about). As the 4th and final person was climbing over me and getting situated I was thinking about a lot of different things and then all of a sudden I got the impression that I had to get my fingers out of that crack! I obeyed and found out that they were stuck! It took a good 4-5 seconds for me to get them out of there. Not long after I got them out the people on the bottom gave way. I'm sure that had that impression not come I would have broken my fingers.
Tonight in the tent we practiced taking apart our weapon, putting it back together again, and checking function when that's all done. Thanks to my background I only needed to see it once the day before and I was able to remember all the steps. In fact, if I can brag about something, I'm already one of the fastest (we're supposed to be able to do it all in 4 minutes).
August 21, 2008
This morning we were tested on the disassembly/reassembly and function testing of the M-16 and 9mm. The M-16 was timed and I did it in 1:30, fastest in my group of 10 being tested.
After lunch we went through an obstacle course. We were split up in groups of 10-15 or so to confront each task. Most were fairly easy (balancing on logs, hopping over things, etc.) but some had multiple tasks in one, including climbing ropes and climbing up reverse inclines. I was able to complete all of them just fine (most were not). Several people were injured on the course today, too bad.
Today I was asked to be the next platoon sergeant. Our class has ~500 people in it and is called a batallion. There are two companies in the battalion and 4 platoons in each company. There are 60 people in my platoon. The platoon is further divided into squads (we have 5). Each squad has a leader as well. All the leadership in our battalion is done by students in the class. We are playing pretend roles here as none of us are sergeants and many of us, being in the medical field, will never directly lead a platoon, company, or battalion.
Half the platoon had chow duty tonight (they unloaded it from the truck, served the food, and carried all the garbage to the dumpster). I volunteered but they already had enough help.
I met and ate lunch with a Major Taylor today. He's a dentist (reservist) and LDS. He is probably in his late 30's. His oldest son is on a mission in Brazil.
August 22, 2008
It turns out that new leadership is not supposed to take over until tomorrow, so 2LT Quinn (our current platoon sergeant) will keep going. I went to the leadership meeting tonight in his place so that I could get the info I would need for tomorrow.
Today we did mounted land navigation (in a truck with GPS). After that we went and fired the 9mm's. After that we went to the gas chamber. We turned our collars up to protect our necks a little and in groups of 10 we went in the chamber. Inside we had to do some jumping-jacks, run around a little, take our mask off (while closing our eyes and holding our breath) and put it back on again. The first thing after doing this we had to blow all the bad air out and then we could open our eyes and breath again. The first thing I noticed when I got in the chamber was the skin on my neck and head started to burn which quickly escalated to almost intolerable levels before we were aloud to leave. To leave we had to completely remove our mask, keep our eyes open, and state our full name and SSN. Most people barely made it past their name.
After dinner and my leadership meeting we did our night land navigation course. Our platoon was in charge of guard duty that night which I just found out 1 hour before everybody would be leaving for the night land nav course! I needed 2 people per hour all night. I did have a list of all the people in our platoon that hadn't volunteered for anything yet so I started with them. Then I asked people that hadn't done any food duties (the most time consuming). Luckily I was able to find everybody except for one. The one was on the list but didn't know it so at 3:00 in the morning somebody came looking for her to tell her that she was late for her guard duty. I felt bad and apologized to her. Thankfully she didn't seem too annoyed.
The night land nav course was fine. We went in pairs and we found all of our points. Mainly it's just a lot of walking. We got home at 1:30am. My partner was CPT Roarty, an ER doctor.
August 23, 2008
My first day as platoon sergeant (PSG) went pretty well. My platoon is coaching me and helping me out a lot. I need it as I obviously have no experience being a PSG.
We mainly just had classes today on convoys and the different scenarios that can happen during one.
August 24, 2008
Today we did a class on decontamination. We wore what's called J-LIST. It's a full-body chemical/biological protective suit. Our teacher showed us all the parts and talked about different scenarios in which it's used. After that we practiced putting it on as fast as we could. The mask has to go from carrying pouch to face in 8 seconds and the whole suit has to be done in 2 minutes. Luckily our teacher only made us wear the suit for 10 minutes (while we walked up and down the field in the sun). I don't know how anybody could wear that thing all day but there's people that have had to do it!
After that we ate lunch and cleaned our masks since we won't be using them again.
After that we got to take showers! They took us in groups to a different part of Camp Bullis where they had some communal showers. I heard there was a family of scorpions in the shower next to mine. Fun! I was done cleaning myself in <10 style="font-weight: bold;">
August 25, 2008
For some reason the alarm in our tent didn't go off and we didn't get up until 15 minutes before we needed to be in formation. I didn't wake up until 5 minutes after most people, that left we with 10 to get ready! Barely made it!
I really like our current student leadership. They are on the ball and most of them are prior service. They just want us to do what's right and take care of our soldiers.
This morning those who didn't need to attend remedial PT did combatives.
All morning we organized and practiced our convoy operations, then ate lunch. That afternoon we actually did the convoy. We were all given a magazine full of blanks for our M16's. We had 7 trucks in the convoy: a gunner truck at the lead and rear, and five big trucks in the middle with varying purposes. I was in the 3rd truck. We were the secondary aid and litter truck. One truck held the supplies we were taking to our destination, one was a primary aid and litter truck (if something happens they're the ones that go and get the casualties off the truck) and a recovery truck (they're the ones that go and get any truck that can't continue due to damage). Of course along the way we found an IED, saw several people to shoot at (and people that looked bad at whom we were not to shoot), and one of our trucks was blown up. We then rallied to the next checkpoint and requested a medivac for our casualties.
At our leadership meeting we found out we had to load 185 20 round magazines for our team's activities tomorrow. As platoon sergeants we decided to just do it ourselves and let our soldiers rest. Not long after we were called into another leadership meeting with some of the "higher-ups". We each ran and asked a few people from each of our platoons to come and help. When we got out of the meeting there was over 20 people there loading rounds and 80% of them were from my platoon! I was very proud of them and glad that they stepped up and helped out like that. They were done with the whole job by the time we finished our meeting (which wasn't very long).
August 26, 2008
We did combatives again this morning. After chow our team got on the trucks for "mount". "Mount" took us to a group of houses and office buildings that we had to clear. We got in groups of 4 and learned out to clear a building. We loaded our M-16's with a new type of bullet that's plastic. It's designed to be shot at each other but I guess they'd had some injuries the last class and decided to just have us shoot dummies in the buildings. It was pretty fun!
When we got home we cleaned our weapons. This took most of the evening as there weren't enough cleaning kits for everybody to use at the same time.
August 27, 2008
Got up an hour earlier this morning for our combatives and chow. We had a tournament in our combatives ring. Now matter the strength or size of the person, the ones with the best technique were the ones that won. Tomorrow the winners from each ring (there's 8 or so) will fight each other.
After chow we went to a theater to be briefed on the next week's mission. When we got home we ate lunch and took a picture of the entire battalion. The people that failed the first land nav course did a retake.
That afternoon we double checked our weapons and turned them in. What a wonderful thing!! It's such a relief to not be carrying that thing all over the place!
We were able to relax the rest of the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow we'll clean up and get out of here!
August 28, 2008
We did combatives and had a tournament before breakfast. I felt like I was watching a playground brawl - pretty exciting.
After breakfast we split up in our teams and rotated through some classes that pertain to what we'll be doing next week after the break.
After lunch each platoon had some details to do before we would be able to leave. Our platoon was in charge of putting up sand bands around the front and back of all the extra tents that were put up since our class size is so large. Most the tents are on raised, leveled asphalt slabs, but 5 or 6 of them (mine included) were just set up on the dirt with a tarp/plastic floor.
By 1:00 we were all done and just waiting for the buses. We left at 2:45 or so and got home around 3:15-3:30ish.
The first thing I did was take a nice long shower! After that checked my email and called Ruth. She wasn't by her phone so she called me back a little later.
I'm really excited to see her and the kids tomorrow!!!!
Tonight I had some food from the freezer and did my laundry. I called a taxi and it should be waiting for me around 4:00am tomorrow morning.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
My Favorite Short Film
Click Here Please!!
Sorry, the video isn't embedded in the blog, for some reason Animoto wouldn't let me do it.
Sorry, the video isn't embedded in the blog, for some reason Animoto wouldn't let me do it.
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.
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.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
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).
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).
Friday, August 15, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 11, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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.).
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.).
Saturday, August 09, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, August 08, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
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).
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).
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Day 3
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.
Today I slept in till
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
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.
Monday, August 04, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Money Well Spent!
WE'RE HOME!!!!!!!!!
After almost 7000 miles and a month traveling the country we're finely home! The kids did great (considering) and I think we all survived. In fact, we had a great time and enjoyed seeing everybody.
We heard on NPR that between work, the economy, and gas prices only 40% of people surveyed were planning on taking a summer vacation this year. I admit we don't have a lot of money, but we did have a lot of time as my job with the Army won't begin until August 3rd. Therefore I consider ourselves lucky to have been able to take such a long trip and see so many of you.
Some may say that our trip was a little extravagant or expensive; however, if you do the math, it only cost ~$15 per person we saw on our trip. Well worth the money spent!
My big regret was not being able to see Ammon, Rachel, and Wendy Young, and Adam and Sherrie Drais. Plus, that would have lowered our average dollar-per-person seen as well! It's also too bad that we missed Keith and Julienne. I guess they're in Utah or Idaho right now. Oh well, next time.
I'll be in San Antonio TX the next two months and hopefully I'll get a chance to see Paul and Cindy while I'm there.
After almost 7000 miles and a month traveling the country we're finely home! The kids did great (considering) and I think we all survived. In fact, we had a great time and enjoyed seeing everybody.
We heard on NPR that between work, the economy, and gas prices only 40% of people surveyed were planning on taking a summer vacation this year. I admit we don't have a lot of money, but we did have a lot of time as my job with the Army won't begin until August 3rd. Therefore I consider ourselves lucky to have been able to take such a long trip and see so many of you.
Some may say that our trip was a little extravagant or expensive; however, if you do the math, it only cost ~$15 per person we saw on our trip. Well worth the money spent!
My big regret was not being able to see Ammon, Rachel, and Wendy Young, and Adam and Sherrie Drais. Plus, that would have lowered our average dollar-per-person seen as well! It's also too bad that we missed Keith and Julienne. I guess they're in Utah or Idaho right now. Oh well, next time.
I'll be in San Antonio TX the next two months and hopefully I'll get a chance to see Paul and Cindy while I'm there.
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