Friends, So there I was, standing in a motor pool, learning my new job. In case you didn't know- a motor pool is where the military keeps all the vehicles. On this particular day, we were going to learn how to drive the M915's. For my civilian friends- 18-wheelers. I still remember the instructor telling … Continue reading Bigger is better…
#army
I got caught…
Friends, I had to take a couple of days to think this blog out. You wouldn't know because I preplanned most of them, knowing I would have to take a break on some days. Memories are difficult. What memories do I share? How many blanks do I leave in the story? You would never know … Continue reading I got caught…
Six more weeks to go and a whole new set of challenges.
Friends, Between Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), soldiers are permitted to have a bit of a break. Time to shake off the last ten weeks of intense training and let our hair down. Literally. My hair had been pulled back in a bun for so long that I got bald spots on my … Continue reading Six more weeks to go and a whole new set of challenges.
Life moves on…
Friends, Now you're probably wondering if the story has ended. Was graduating from basic training the shining accomplishment of my military career? Honestly? The last few weeks were just an introduction. If this was a book, you just read the prologue. We haven't even gotten started yet. My family follows these blogs. I've never told … Continue reading Life moves on…
End of an era…
Friends, Basic training ended quickly. Time flies in the front-leaning rest position. (Push-ups for my civilian friends) By the time we got to the final phase, the Blue Phase, we were ready for big-boy training. Bigger weapons. More advanced training. More intense physical requirements. Obstacle courses, hand grenades, final P.T. test (which I passed with … Continue reading End of an era…
Weapons, body armor, and helmets…
Friends, As I mentioned, there were a few parts of basic training that I loved. The rest of it kinda faded into the background of 'must have done's.' I loved the range. I don't remember ever being afraid of the M16. It was big. I remember that. Long is a better description. Slung over my … Continue reading Weapons, body armor, and helmets…
Three phases, mass punishments, and cadences.
As I mentioned before, I loved basic training. Especially the early morning. There are mornings when I sneak outside for a smoke; I close my eyes and imagine myself back. It was always dark when we headed outside for the first formation. Dark, cold, and rainy. Just like living in the PNW. We complained, of … Continue reading Three phases, mass punishments, and cadences.
The Kosovo War
Friends, At the same time that I was complaining about blisters, runny eggs, and running... things were going on in the world that would affect me later in life. Isn't that the way it is? We don't look at the bigger picture until years later and say, 'Oh, shit. The writing was on the wall.' … Continue reading The Kosovo War
You don’t need sleep, food, or friends to survive.
Friends, There are a few questions I used to get asked about basic training. Was the food really that terrible? Did you shower in bays? How much sleep did you get? And finally... was it hard? Let's start with the last one. Was it hard? Of course, it was hard. That's like asking if a … Continue reading You don’t need sleep, food, or friends to survive.
Death by PowerPoint and hard lessons…
Friends, Okay, it wasn't death by PowerPoint. It was death by an overhead projector. Did PowerPoint exist back in 1999? I'm not sure. I remember being selected to run the overhead projector one day. I had to flip the plastic sheets every time the drill sergeant nodded in my direction. Let me tell you, there's … Continue reading Death by PowerPoint and hard lessons…