Land Nav

Wow the first day of White Phase....You know I could get used to this..anyways you know the usual 0430 wakeup..this time Drill Sgts won't come and barge in the door and blow the whistle anymore instead they wake us up by the PA system. They say wakeup wakeup Privates you know what to do formation is 0450 do not be late Privates! (or whatever time) Well Drill Sgt Hoaglund and Drill Sgt Johnson would just come in and sit on top of the Fireguard desk and watch what we were doing. Well I did my bunk and got my hygiene stuff done and of course DS Hoaglund and Johnson would go around the bay to make sure our lockers were locked and if was unlocked well they'll toss everything out...and they sure did find a locker which was unsecure and this time an IBA was on the ceiling...good luck to that person to get that down...Well I got down to formation and we had to select a Platoon Guide (Platoon Guide would be the leader and relay orders from the Drill Sgts) and squad leaders(Squad Leaders are leaders of a squad which comprises of 12-15 Soldiers). So we picked one and the squad leaders. Then the platoon guide would report in to the DS of how many were accounted for. Then we did PT. Then yummy breakfast chow. Well today we're doing the Land Navigation...oh shit I forgot all the Land Nav stuff I learned from that class I'm just hoping I have a group who knows how to read the map and designate points. You guys may think it's easy it's not. Well we got on trans and we arrived at the Land Navigation site. You know the area under my hip on my right leg is feeling kinda weird and it hurts somewhat oh well maybe it's temporary. Well we would drop our rucksacks onto the drop site for rucksacks and cover it with our ponchos because the weather looks very gloomy today. Well we always cover it with a poncho anyways. Then we would go into a windscreen and get a brief from the Cadre about Land Nav. Then we would go into the woods and learn Pace count. Basically it's measurements. Then they would split us into groups. Well I ended up with some of my buddies, Gloyd, Voyles, and Holmes from 4th Platoon. Gloyd would carry compass and Volyes would have the map and do the measurements and where to go. There are points on the map you have to go to and each group which has 4 Privates have to go to those points. And when the DS's were talking about dropping us into a huge ass forest, I thought they were joking! They weren't joking...no wonder why it's called Fort Lost in the Woods. Well they would mark signs where the points on the map would be and every group has different points. So we're all spread out so no one cheats and only your group knows. But of course some groups would have the same points so I guess just in case we run out of time we get the points from the groups. Well Holmes and I would be the spotters looking out for the signs. After given our map our group set out to our first point and Gloyd would just point the compass to see what direction we were in. I hope we're heading the right way...well it took us 1/2 hour to get to our first point.Good thing I have good instincts in finding objects because if I didn't spot them we would have just gone past it! and damn I hate this walking. Also I like to add it is hot out here. I think it's like 95 degrees plus! Lucky we're just wearing our LBVs and not our IBAs. Well we would go to our 2nd point (note: We had 4 hours to complete this task, Land Nav is a graduation requirement) and would climb up and down hills and more hills. God this is killing my freakin legs. The area under my hip feels weirder now....I'm not carrying my M-16 in my hands anymore now so I sling it on my back. Then finally we found our 2nd point, then we went on to our 3rd point and climbed up more hills...argh...this is killing me! and then found it..then got our 4th and final point...I looked down my watch and we had an 1 hour and 1/2 to get back to the site. Looks like we get to rest here on the hill. Well I sat down and we would see other groups trying to find their points and they would ask us where this certain point is and etc. We would have the same points as some others and they would thank us and be on their way. Well to me it's teamwork and hopefully they do find the points! Gloyd would be writing letters and meanwhile Holmes and Voyles and me would chat and talk about home...man I miss home...and I miss the food. I could eat some Reese's Pieces! That's it when I graduate and come home I'm buying a big pack of Reese's and eating it all day!!! After an hour we would set back to our starting point and give the numbers and points to the Cadre and they would clear us that we pass Day Land Nav. Well folks we have Night Land Nav which it will dark as shit....but for now I'm looking forward to my yummy MRE!!! I took off my helmet and LBV and layed my rifle next to me and then opened the precious MRE. This time I got Enchilada yum!!! Damn it I got no candy though but hey I did get a milkshake...but I decided to save the milkshake for later purposes...Meanwhile it would get cloudy and then it rained. I rushed with my gear to the windscreen where 200 of us Privates would sit and squeeze in the bleachers. Well it rained and thundered and then hailed. Sr. Drill Sgt then came out of the tent and told us Night Land Nav might be canceled if the weather keeps on going like this. I felt hungry again though so I took out my milkshake and put some water in it and drank the yummy strawberry flavored milkshake yum!!! 1/2 hour later the rain would stop and we would stay put. Well since most of us were 17 year olds and still in High School we love to talk so guess what? More PT....oh geez...Rifle PT. Drill Sgt McKay would call a company formation and then half right face and put the Rifle over our heads. God damn it people why can't you keep your mouth shut when the DS's tell you to be quiet...then we would do some exercises with the Rifle such as squatting with the rifle in front of you and arms straight. We did this straight for an hour. Then Senior DS would stop it and lecture us about learning a lesson...oh well I hope it doesn't happen again...I'm getting tired of this talking scheme...well we would just sit around and we would learn some covering techniques from the DS's. Then Dinner Chow, had Chicken and Rice yum! After Dinner Chow we would sit in the Windscreen awaiting our next task. Then it rained AGAIN! Damn it...Sr. Drill Sgt said they're canceling Night Land Nav that bad weather is on the way and we would get back to barracks. We then we got in a Company Formation and rushed to our rucksacks and got on Trans. Again now the area under my hip is hurting real bad when I'm running...but I'm ignoring it ..I can barely run but I'm pushing it...Well got on trans and got back to the barracks. We would put our gear away and then go down again for formation for mail call, then up again to shower and I got goddamn fireguard again...oh well first shift..not bad...well cleaned the latrines and then the shift was over and I went to sleep...my legs are toasted...and the area under my right hip hurts...

Warrior Tower and White Phase

White Phase finally some high speed training....well that's what I heard...Woke up, hygiene and brought my gear down and we did some stretching before going to the wonderful breakfast chow. Well this time I'll be getting sausage, eggs and hashbrowns and Total Raisin Bran yum! Well after breakfast chow we got back on our gear and went on trans to Warrior Tower...well this is Warrior Tower



yeah I think the tower is around 60-70 feet high I'm not really sure but it's really high up there....well first we have to use a rope to climb up a steep wall and I mean steep...well then when we got up there and had to be on our all fours for safety reasons....we had to use a rope to get across a pit and then climb down a rope ladder which some Privates feared climbing...even the Executive Officer took some pictures of those terrified faces. I'll never forget those faces. Some won't even let go when told to let go so Drill Sgt Marlar would come up and let the fingers of the privates stop touching the rope. It's no harm when dropping from the rope ladder because their is a thick mat full of water.


I commando crawled the rope bridges and went across them perfectly... Well after that we got to eat MREs and this time I got Country Captain Chicken...normally I don't eat the main meals and never heat the main course so I ate the Chicken cold and this time I got M&Ms. Well I decided to share with my battle buddies since they were eyeing my candy! Well you know I had a nice guy reputation so that's what I did I shared with them. Anyways it was soon to be our turn on Warrior Tower. 1st Platoon would go first then 2nd platoon. Drill Sgt Thomas (the nice Drill Sgt) would teach us how to tie a rope around the waist when rappeling. Then we would practice on a miniature wall rappeling down. While 1st Platoon would finish we would check to make sure our rope is secure if it wasn't the Drill Sgts would do the rope for us. They wouldn't want to fall to our deaths...then soon it was our turn. We climbed up the Tower and went on all fours for safety reasons. Senior Drill Sgt, DS Beale, and Drill Sgt Marlar controlled three stations. I had Sr Drill Sgt and Harrison next to me had Drill Sgt Beale...well since Harrison is known for fratinizing in the Company every DS knows about her...while I rappeled down damn I looked down and it was pretty high but it took 3 jumps off the wall to get down...but the funny part is that Harrison when rappeling down DS Beale would shake the rope and literally scare Harrison...I guess they wanted a laugh! When I got down I noticed a German officer was observing us He looked very important...I didn't know the Germans were interested in our training..


Anyways we would wait for 3rd and 4th platoon to get down...and then we went back to the Company by Trans and then...I noticed our phase banner was gone and we stood in formation until the DS's would come out with the red phase flag but it looked a little buffy...looks like the white phase flag is underneath!!! Well the Drill Sgt would call us to attention then the First Sgt would take place then the Company Commander would take place. The CO would give the command present arms and the banners would be unfurled to the new white phase banner! Later then he would give the command order arms! Next was Stand at ease and then told us to gather around him. The Company Commander would talk to us about Red Phase and the accomplishments we had made and what we did since Day 0 when we first came in on that bus being "sharked attacked" by the DS's. Then he would talk to us about the upcoming weeks about BRM and gave us some info on the passes we get this weekend...well while he was talking my muscle under my hip felt weird and it hurts a little when I move it...maybe it's a strain I ignored the pain and just kept listening to what the CO had to say. Then we would fall back to formation and The Drill Sgt would march us to chow and this time they would do cadences....They would start with this cadence

Hey Hey Lock and Load,
It's 4AM and we're ready to roll,
To kill the enemy and claim his soul,
So early, so early, so early, in the morning.

F. O. On the hill
He calls the artillery and brings in the steel,
To kill the enemy and claim his soul,
So early, so early, so early, in the morning.

Bradleys creeping low,
The engines are ready and they're ready to go,
To kill the enemy and claim his soul,
So early, so early, so early, in the morning.

Sniper on the hill,
He loads a round and he's ready to kill,
To kill the enemy and claim his soul,
So early, so early, so early, in the morning,
So early, so early, so early, in the morning.

For Dinner chow we were given a couple minutes more to eat and the Drill Sgts would be going around anymore to watch what we ate..but they do keep an eye on the Cake...Drill Sgts would have their own table and finally they would eat their own meals.....well we didn't need to line up in formation anymore outside the DFAC, the DS's told us that we would leave in 12 man teams back to the company and then wait in formation until the whole company gets back...well I guess this rocks! They gave us more freedom and I can't wait for the high speed training we're gonna get! Well Mail call, shower and then sleep! No fireguard tonite but I know I will tomorrow though...I hear we're going to Land Nav where they give us a map and we're supposed to go to certain points...well it's a big forest out there and no wonder why it's call Ft Lost in the Woods...oh well I must sleep!

The Confidence Course

The last day of before we turn into White Phase damn I'm excited today! Today we'll do the confidence course which consists of obstacles. Well woke up did my stuff and got down in gear, we didn't do PT today and we went straight to chow around 0530 in the morning. Anyways after the yummy breakfast we got back on our gear and put it back on. Then we march to Trans and finally got to the Confidence Course. We were split by platoons and Drill Sgt Johnson would watch us and supervise us while Drill Sgt Hoaglund would overwatch another obstacle as a safety. Well we went thru this obstacle first



It was pretty fun my hands burned but hey I love being in the air crawling on the rope. (Picture is courtesy of Missinginmo of military.com forums) Well when I got to the bottom and the 1/2 of my platoon got down we cheered but we couldn't keep our frickin mouth shut when we were talking and Drill Sgt Johnson would put us in the Front Leaning Rest Position...oh geez for the time being...then later she would just say get up privates...oh well..Then we would climb walls and climb a tower using battle buddies and help each other to get up the tower. Then we had to climb huge walls and I would have to step on one of my battle buddies back to get up the wall....Then we low crawled and did obstacles that required balance and did the monkey bars which I haven't done since a kid....well that was a long day though...we had Lunch MREs and this time I got Thai Chicken...damn it no candy!!!Stuck with peanut butter and crackers...as a snack but I'm addicted to Peanut Butter! Well then we would just do the rest of the obstacle course and then we would go back to the company by Trans. Then Dinner chow and mail call and shower and sleep...got fireguard tonite....the last night of Red Phase yay!!! Tomorrow is Warrior Tower!!!

Inspection!

Today is inspection day, Fireguard did their best last night and I hope they cleaned the bay well....anyways woke up 0430, formation, PT and chow...and then got into BDUs and cleaned the bay more...then it was inspection time...we towed to the line with our M-16s standing at attention waiting for Drill Sgt Hoaglund to come into our bay and commence the inspection...Our lockers were to remain open and visible so he can inspect our uniforms and gear. The uniforms were supposed to be in a certain order and with the arms at parade rest so it would look neat but guess what I forgot to do that...anyways didn't have time to change it so I stayed there at attention. Drill Sgt Hoaglund soon came in and we yelled At Ease! He said Carry on Privates! We would say Yes Drill Sgt Good Morning Drill Sgt! Then DS Hoaglund said I hope you cleaned this bay because every frickin time it looks like crap in the morning" Anyways we went to the other side of the bay so I guess we're not going to be inspected first. He would put us at Parade Rest...so I had to stay there for 1/2 hour until he would come up to our side...I would just stare at Pvt Reid from 4th Platoon and we would just make gestures and whisper...anyways I could hear Drill Sgt Hoaglund say the discrepencies he said "Strings on uniform, uniforms not in correct order in the locker, improperly rolled socks and underwear and not in order and he goes on and on...he soon reached our side and we were put to attention. I was the one first to be inspected. He inspected me and said "Strings on Uniform, Did you shave Pvt?" oh shit in my mind I forgot to shave this morning..."I did Drill Sgt my blade is getting dull Drill Sgt" "Ok Private you better get a new razor then" Phew I thought I would get smoked for that then he would check my locker and my uniforms were out of order argh I spend 4 hours organizing my locker yesterday..oh well He finished my inspection and went on to my battle buddy, same discrepency...anyways had to stand there at attention for 15 more minutes and then when DS Hoaglund was finished he said I hope you square your battle buddies and yourselves privates and then he left....well then it was lunch chow and cleaning the bay and then dinner chow...Mail Call...I got a letter from my buddy Aaron back in New Jersey...yay and my Mom...I feel so happy after a day being pissed off...oh well shower and sleep...tomorrow we go to the Confidence Course...

Eh Another Sunday...finally some rest!

Wow Sunday...the best day in the week in my opinion because there is no training yay! but anyways wokeup at 0530 and did the usual drill and got down to formation in PTs. There was no PT today so we got sent up back to our bay to do bay maintenance. Meanwhile my battle buddies were doing their thing...I went to clean up my locker because we have an inspection tomorrow and our bay still looks like crap...but anyways cleaned my locker as prescribed by a proper setup of a Soldier's locker...Then we got called down to chow and Breakfast, I love the smell of sausage and eggs....and then we got back to barracks and for people going to church they would change into BDUs, I decided I go to Baptist Church today so I changed in BDUs and one of the Sgts in our company took us on the truck to Church....at Church we just do our prayers and I cried a little because I missed life so much back at home but oh well....when church was over we got back to Company and got ready for lunch chow....and after that more bay maintenance and some privates would do work detail as such as mowing the Company's lawns and moving the sprinklers. Well I was lucky so I got to stay up in the bay and made sure my locker was squared away...anyways dinner chow, shower and sleep....tomorrow is inspection I hope we're in tip top shape...Warrior Tower is this Wednesday I can't wait and that is the day we phase to White Phase....

Pugil Sticks YAY!

Well, it's been a good week actually here and I'm beginning to get used to this training. Anyways I woke up, did the usual drill, we got down to formation and then we did PT, we did AGRs today, which is the Ability Group Runs, they based what groups you're going to be in by the PT 1-1-1 accessment we took the 1st weekend we got to basic There are four groups Alpha which have the fastest runners, Bravo group has the people who can run but not as fast as Alpha, Charlie has the average runners and last group is Delta which has the people who can't run well at all. I was in Charlie Group yeah I know it's not good but hey at least I can run. We ran around the Battalion track and we did 60 30s which is 60 sprint and 30 walk. We had to do that same drill 8 times. It got very tiring but when a Drill Sgt is behind you and oh yeah you gotta run, that's what they're there for. Well I'll say I did well. After the run we went to chow and got into our BDUs when we got back from basic. When I was getting my BDUs from my locker I saw my Battle Buddy Johnson damn his shirt is totally soaked from the run, he must have sweated alot during that run, and that shirt was so wet it created a little puddle on the floor. Normally we hang out shirts outside of our locker so they won't smell. Don't worry we had Drill Sgt Hoaglund's permission to hang the shirts on the side of our lockers. Anyways we changed BDUs and my buddies would tease each other and stuff and then we would go down to formation and get the Pugil sticks and gear out. The gear consisted of football helmets, pugil sticks, and padding. Today we're going to fight each other. Our Drill Sgts would then get the company to the "Pit" and then split up into platoons. Each platoon had their own area and their own fights. When we got to our section, Drill Sgt Johnson and DS Hoaglund said lightweights here, middleweights here and heavyweights here. I weighed 112 lbs at the time so I was a lightweight. Jones JA was a lightweight, Inman and Jeter was also a lightweight. So I had a couple of my buddies to fight. Too bad I can't fight my own battle buddy Johnson...anyways they would call out the females to fight first then the males. While they were fighting I spectated and the Company Commander and the XO would take pictures of the fights. Meanwhile Sr. Drill Sgt was not happy though. He stopped the fights and said "Delta Company THESE ARE THE LAMEST FIGHTS I HAVE EVER SEEN! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT DELTA COMPANY OR YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO THIS ANYMORE!!" Hopefully the Company got the message...soon it was my turn and guess what I went against Inman aka the smelly private..so I got into my gear and put in my mouthpiece and grabbed the pugil stick. I got a little prep from another Drill Sgt which his name was Code. He said to us "Show us what ya got Privates, give us a show!" That got me motivated.
Then we got into arena and faced back to back. Then Drill Sgt Johnson would tap our helmets and we walk out 6 steps and then faced each other. I charged Inman and got a hit off of him and then his head. I got a point. (Max score 3 points) Back to back again and another charge. This time I missed. I would dodge his attacks and tried to block them but he got me in the chest so he got a point. Back to Back again and this time I let him charge and I smacked him in the head, I got 2 points there. The next time we slowly went up to each other and we kept blocking each others attack and then he did a slash and got me on the arms and chest. Damn it's a tie 2-2. I need to win this match. We got back to back and then taps from the Drill Sgt. I charge Inman and again we blocked each others attacks. I'm getting tired ya know but I kept on fighting. This time I went for the groin and it worked he flinched and I did a thrust into the chest. Drill Sgt stopped the match and raised my arm to signal the victory! Yay I won!!! Well Inman and me shoke hands. I would spectate other fights and cheer on. Then I was challenged by Jones JA. I got my gear on and to make this short I got killed. My head was so dizzy...because he kept aiming for my head....anyways then Sr. Drill Sgt would mass the whole company to have the best heavy, middle and light weights and females battle each other by platoons. Jones JA, Gosser and Harris represented 2nd Platoon. Well we didn't do well at all we lost all the fights, so 3rd Platoon grabbed the honors. Well after the fights we would go to lunch chow and put away the equipment and do bay maintenance. I heard there's an inspection on Monday and Drill Sgt Hoaglund would be inspecting so I cleaned up my locker and made sure everything was squared away. Then to dinner chow, no mail call today because Civis don't work on weekends and then shower and sleep...I got fireguard...seems like every other night..since our bay still looks like crap..oh well I sleep...

Team Development Course

Well this is the week which we mark the end of the 2nd week of BCT yay...I can't wait for White Phase!!!! White Phase is the Gunfighter phase which we learn how to shoot the M-16 and other weapons such as the AT-4, M249 and the rest of the US Weapons arsenal used today by our Armed Forces. Well hopefully I'm looking for some bonding with some of my other battle buddies during the Team Development Course. Well did the drill and went to chow...Finally today I got SAUSAGE! All the other days I had bacon oh well finally something tasty....yum yum! Then we went to the course and we were put in teams and mixed in with other platoons. I had Nations and Neumann, Bean and bunch of other good people on my team and they seemed pretty good. Well we did some obstacles, bad part is that Nations, she would freak out sometimes and doubt getting over to the other side on a bar bridge but she made it after a long time yelling of motivation from me and my teammates...that's the thing about Basic it's going to build your strength and confidence so you can do anything. I'd like to say it's HOT HOT HOT out here and you need to drink alot of water and be motivated. I heard we eat MREs today, hm...sometimes I think it's better than lunch chow at the DFAC..because sometimes you get candy in them and DS's don't care! Well ate my MRE which I got Thai Chicken and damn it didn't come with candy argh...I haven't eaten any candy in 2 weeks...I miss candy! Then we went back to company and cleaned the barracks AGAIN! Dinner, mail call, oh about mail call, sometimes the Drill Sgt would make us watch the Privates who got Care packages eat all the food right in front of us, talk about torture, they can't even share and now we have to watch them eating in right in front of us...oh damn I miss that kind of food!!! Anyways shower and then sleep..no fireguard...phew! I heard tomorrow would be Pugil Sticks, oh fun fun fun! I'm gonna beat some people well hopefully...

oooo ahhh the Gas Chamber

The Gas Chamber, such a place which is a horror to many people. Well today is the day that we will go through it and Drill Sgt Hoaglund and Drill Sgt Johnson asked us if we're scared and said they both love watching Privates panic and puke, well you know the nasty stuff. Well wakeup, hygiene, formation and PT. Then we ate breakfast chow and got our gear on. We got on Trans which was nice buses this time and we were dropped off at the NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) Classrooms and we learned how to get our masks on properly, if it is not on properly oh you're in for a surprise, I'll tell ya later but after that we marched to the Gas Chamber site and we rested there for a couple hours and ate lunch chow...hm... I'm a little fishy why they fed us Lunch chow before going into the gas chamber. We were all sitting around then the Sr. Drill Sgt would say "YOU BETTER FUCKING CLEAN THIS PLACE UP AND THIS IS YOUR LUNCH AND WE FRICKIN FEED YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT US? YOU'RE GOING TO THE FUCKIN PIT TONIGHT I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE TIRED! FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE!" Then the Drill Sgts would go around to make sure we did our pushups and served our punishment then we were told to get up. Oh god damn it the "pit" tonight again, can I have some peace...oh well. Then we were on to the Gas Chamber. 10 people went in at a time. It was hilarious hearing my battle buddies cough and even scream when they took off their masks and had to breathe in the gas. Someone dropped their mask and the row wasn't allowed to leave until that Private picked up their mask. They were in there for 2 minutes and that's got to suck. Some privates didn't follow directions and had to go in a 2nd time. Well I was in the 2nd to last row to go in, and soon it was my turn. I got my mask on and proceeded into the gas chamber. When we were in there we did some facing movements and then told to get our mask off. Dang this stuff burns! I kept my eyes closed and eventually I had to breathe in the CS Gas and it wasn't pleasant at all. I was horribly coughing and panicking a little and soon we rushed outside and the DSs and the other privates would tell us to flap our arms and I had snot come out of my nose and spit coming out of my mouth luckily I did not vomit but other people did. If I were to go through that gas chamber I would never ever go thru that again at all. For the Privates that didn't have their mask secure they coughed and breathe in the CS Gas for the whole 3 minutes and their eyes are completely red and I mean red. Then a lady would come out and sell us advanced orders on yearbooks and DVDs I ordered a DVD well it was 30 bucks oh well. I'll tell ya another thing Basic Training can get expensive...anyways Then we got on Trans back to the Company and dinner chow. We would get into formation after dinner chow and then march to the "Pit" surprisingly when we expected a column left to the pit we did a column right back to our Company meaning that we aren't going to the pit tonight. I think the Sr. Drill Sgt had enough fun watching us cry, puke, and vomit. Oh Thank God! Mail Call and shower then sleep! Damn I have fireguard tonite....2nd shift...2215-2330...

Radio Communications!

It's Wednesday, another interesting day in Fort Leonard Wood. Anyways woke up did my hygiene and the usual deal. Chow yum I love cereal now...too bad I have to chug it down and get out of there. After chow we got our equipment on and went on cattle cars to the classrooms. I heard we're going to learn communications and how to use the radio properly. Wow finally something fun, it was dull during the past two days... Well after we got out of the cattle cars and got into formation and then we were split by platoons to the classrooms. Drill Sgt Hoaglund would teach us about the radio and what to say while DS Johnson makes sure no one is sleeping. The Company XO and Company Commander were going around and of course we wouldn't want to embarrass our platoon futhermore because well you know Private Green (the fuckup) already caused trouble. I would advise you not to sleep in these kind of classes. Some Privates were caught asleep and had to go back to room and hold their rifles above their head for 1/2 hour and trust me it keeps then awake. Also I hate to hear moaning when they're having the rifles above their head. So I advise you not to do that. Anyways we learned how to use the radio properly and then we went back to Company Barracks in the afternoon just in time for Lunch chow. We ate lunch chow and then went back to the bay and cleaned up there. It feels like we never have time to things on our own it's clean clean clean...well then dinner chow, mail call and shower and sleep. Tomorrow is the Gas chamber how exciting will that be. You know I'm nervous...and I mean nervous!

Damn nothing fun today well damn detail though

Today was a boring day...we had detail...well to summarize that to you the Whole Company would do work detail. 1st and 3rdth platoon stayed at the Barracks cleaned there and while my platoon (2nd) and 4th platoon would go out and fill sandbags. Yeah so much fun eh....well the good thing is we worked as a team and we didn't finish the job...oh well looks like lunch chow and guess what another lecture....After lunch and the lecture...we got back to barracks and looks like Drill Sgt Sanchez only took his 4th platoon to finish our work...looks like rest for me...well....we would just do bay maintenance to make sure our bay is ready for tip top inspection next monday by our Drill Sgt. Then we got called down and we got our gas masks. The supply NCO would come out and talk about our masks and if there are any problems or parts missing. I had a size small mask...Geez everything is a small for me...X Small BDUs Size 7 BDU cover geez what's next now another size small... Well Dinner chow then Mail Call, shower and sleep....

oh the Bayonet, the ultimate WEAPON!

Wakeup 0430, did the usual drill...people would just walk and guess what we would do pushups...god I hate doing this when waking up in the morning. We have to get our gear on. They handed out IBAs which is the Interceptor Body Armor without the plates and these things protect your body from bullets. I heard the plates would be 15 lbs but we won't get them late. Anyways I put my IBA on and the LBV.

The LBV


We Got downstairs and got into formation and then we had to take all our gear off to go to get into PT formation...for stretching and then off to chow. After chow we got back on our gear and put it back on. The Gear we had consisted of the IBA, Kevlar Helmet, the LBV and the rucksack and of course my rifle. Anyways, we got on trans this time it was a cattle car got those things are hot inside...and then we were rushed outside when we arrived at the Bayonet Course. We practiced on tires and the Drill Sgts would teach us the techniques such as the slash, buttstock to the groin series, buttstock to the head series and the thrust. We also learned our motivation saying...when the Drill Sgts say Delta Company ARE YOU MOTIVATED? We say MOTIVATED MOTIVATED DOWN RIGHT MOTIVATED HOO HAH I WANNA KILL SOMEBODY HOOHAH I WANNA KILL SOMEBODY. Another was "What makes the green grass grow?" We reply "Blood Blood Bright Red Blood Drill Sgt!" I remember this female private she tore her tire up in pieces and now that was some motivation. After all of that we would take off our gear and go for platoon pictures. I smiled in that picture...oh well I ordered one platoon picture and cadre picture. Those pictures are the one you want! lol I love it when Drill Sgt Johnson says "That is the one you want" in a funny way. Anyways we ate MREs for lunch oooo my 1st MRE some MREs got candy I didn't though...but I did get peanut butter and crackers for a snack and Enchiladas as a meal...We had 1/2 hr to eat lunch wow that was the longest time we ate a meal...anyways we would run the bayonet course where you run with the rifle and bayonet slashing targets using the techniques the DS's taught you and low crawl under barb wire by back crawling and then reaching the end where the 1st Sgt was watching you. Well I finished the course in 5 minutes and damn it was hot out there. So I drank my full canteen of water I had. After that after everyone was done we went back to company and put our gear back in our lockers and went to dinner chow. Then mail call, showers and then off to sleep at 2100 no fireguard tonite...

Sunday

Well It's Sunday and 530 wakeup but no I had to wake up at 4:15 because I had fireguard basically we don't do anything on the last shift because all the supplies are put away in the closet on the last shift...so we just sit there for 1 hour and 15 minutes doing nothing. Maybe a little chat with my battle buddy Johnson. Oh yeah I forgot they assigned 6 man teams for fireguard since Drill Sgt Hoaglund was pissed that other day and our bay looked like shit that day...but I don't mind. Well did my personal hygiene and went downstairs. NO PT today...We would go downstairs for formation and then go upstairs to conduct Bay maintenence to make sure everything is cleaned. Oh yeah I forgot there was going to be an inspection tomorrow so I think I would clean up my locker today and get my BDUs and myself in tip top shape. After that we went to chow and I think I should go to Church today...well to tell you the truth I'm not a religious guy and I'm buddhist but hey maybe I'll go Baptist today! Just to get away from the Drill Sgts is relieving. They're always around and they are always watching. If you hide anything they will find out sooner or later. Trust me they do. Church was ok. 1 hr of relief. We had Drill Sgt Hoaglund and Drill Sgt Sanchez march over to the Church. Well after Church they would wait outside for us and march us back. Damn when I get back the privates who didn't go to church services didn't do any detail...damn..ok lunch chow and then off to the classroom near the Battalion to learn Land Navigation. I had Harrison as a partner. She looks great to tell you the truth. She's looking at Jones JA(the lover boy) but remember fratanization involves an Article 15 so I'm not getting into that now...So we work together and complete some problems we were taught about on Land Nav. They told us they will put us in a forest and navigate to certain points in groups in 2 weeks testing our skills. The forest and area is huge. I mean HUGE! We learned azimuth and that stuff. Then we completed Land Nav and went for Dinner Chow and there was no mail call since Civilians don't work on Sundays...and I went for a shower and went to bed...

Saturday

Wakeup.....argh I'm tired. PT then chow.. Today we go to classrooms outside of the Battalion to learn First Aid. Basically, how to do a splint and what to do about exit wounds and such. How to wrap those bandages and how to apply them. I hope I can remember all this stuff for when we go out to FTX for end of cycle testing where the 1st Sgt grades us well if the 1st Sgt grades us...We had lunch outside and it was HOT A's basically food from the DFAC transported here. Of course we had limited time and had to eat fast. Then back to more first Aid. How we got to the classrooms was by bus or cattle truck or those luxury big buses we called them Cadillacs because they were so big and had air conditioning compared to those cattle trucks were blistering hot when you squeeze 50 people with gear on...Well after First Aid we went back to the Company and settled there until Dinner Chow. Good thing Sr Drill Sgt has the day off....anyways then Mail Call...damn no mail today...Anyways the Gas Chamber I hear this Thurs that will be cool...and We go to the Team Development Course on Tues. Finally something better than hearing lectures all day! Anyways shower then off to bed. I have the last shift...it sucks to have last shift..

Friday I'm not saying TGIF

Hm...a wakeup as usual damn doing the same thing every morning gets dull...The other night I had to move next to by battle buddy Johnson (not to confuse Drill Sgt Johnson not her there is a Pvt Johnson in our platoon)and got everything from my old locker right next to the new one I'm going to dang that was a hassle...Anyways PT in the morning then breakfast chow...Yum...then we went back to the barracks to change into BDUs and then off the Battalion HQ to hear more lectures. This time we learned about tactics and bad news I fell asleep...Drill Sgt Sanchez caught me sleeping...well Drill Sgt Sanchez is a buff black man and you don't want him to get on his rough side his yelling is crazy. He can go from happy to crazy in seconds. So I went to back of the room and yep Rifle PT. The Rifle had to be in front of me arms straight for some time and then rifle drills, the rifle in front of me, above me and back of me. I did this straight for 1/2 hour and yeah it sucked. Well I won't be sleeping anymore...After that was lunch chow but another bad thing happened. A Pvt from 3rd platoon needed a battle buddy when the Drill Sgt called for him..no one came with him...so a Pvt from ECHO Company. uh oh this ain't good. We went in to eat and then I hear Sr Drill Sgt yelling Delta Company you fucking pissed me off today. "Why the heck you aren't coming to help your frickin battle buddies? A PVT FROM FRICKIN ECHO COMPANY had to BE HIS BATTLE BUDDY. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PUSHING ME PRIVATES. You have embarrassed Delta Company! You're going to the fucking PIT TONITE!" Oh geez not the pit tonite. We went to the rest of our lectures(I try not to fall asleep and then dinner chow. After that Drill Sgts took over and we marched into the pit and low crawled and it was hot...so I was sweating badly. then back to barracks and to the showers. then off to bed...damn This Friday is not a good Friday for me. Sleep thank God it's refreshing to feel these sheets..no fireguard tonite

1st week of BCT is almost over

Got up did my personal hygiene, did my bunk and went down for formation. Also I forgot Fireguard did a crappy job last nite cleaning and DS Hoaglund and DS Johnson isn't happy about it. So while DS Johnson went down with us. DS Hoaglund would trash the whole bay. When I mean trashing the whole bay I mean trashing the whole bay. He made matters worse when Pvt Thao (he's my Asian buddy on the right across from me) left his lock unsecured and DS Hoaglund would throw out everything and toss it in the air. What really shocked us DS Hoaglund would smear SHOE SHINE ON the floor. Who ever has fireguard is going to have a long night...maybe I should help. Anyways while DS Hoaglund was doing his thing DS Johnson would supervise while we do our Early morning PT. I think I'm one of DS Johnson's favorites. Always noticable and I have no idea is that a good thing or a bad thing? Anyways breakfast chow yum yum! but of course I wish they give us more time to eat but we have to CHUG it down! We would hear more lectures about the Army Values and they would show us videos on what to expect in the coming weeks. Some people fell asleep and they would be PTed of course. After the lectures when we're about to file out to formation outside DS Johnson asks me" Pvt where you from?" I replied " From Florida Drill Sgt" " Wow Private I thought you would be livin in New York or somethin Private...What Country you from Private? "Vietnam Drill Sgt" Drill Sgt Johnson " Now that's cool Private now get away from me and get into formation" Hm...I think I'm a Favorite of hers...well we'll see. We went to lunch chow and had to hear more and more lectures when does it stop? Then Dinner Chow. Again Mail Call (about mail call if DS Johnson would hand out the mail and if you get more than 3 letters you have to do 10 pushups per extra letter. Jones JA has 15 letters and you do the math that's a lot of pushups...)and then we were told to go to the KillZone for something special. Hm..Well the platoon went upstairs and we waited eagerly for DS Hoaglund. He came in and we yelled "AT Ease!" HE said carry on and we sat down and he then told us to stand up and said "Privates who live on the east coast and midwest on the right side and West Coast on the left side. Well you know where I went. I went to the right side. We were going to have Battle Buddy Teams and you have to go where ever he goes, get punished when he gets punished. Well Basically be everywhere with your battle buddy is the concept. (females with females and males with males FYI) I was assigned with Pvt. Johnson he was 25 and a great battle buddy. He's from Chicago surprisingly where I was born. He also had a 81 lb girlfriend not to mention she's Asian...I can imagine hm...nevermind..but he's a great buddy. (Since he was ever assigned as a Battle Buddy he made me think faster and move faster. I have done things faster when I was his Battle Buddy and I thank him for that.) You'll never forget your battle buddy, your drill Sgt and your platoon. There's one private named Hurd great guy his father is a Sgt Major here and he's very athletic and he's one of the conservative types here. He likes to talk and settle things down when the shit hits the fan. He's great. Then there's Green...yeah Timothy Green oh geez he's always getting in trouble. He gets our platoon in trouble and everytime he messes up we mess up. But I respect the dude but really it's crossing the line. Another is Jones JA. I can see he has the looks of the ladie's man. He has a 15 year old girlfriend turning 16 soon and he's going to marry her soon after graduation (he soon bought a $600 engagement ring 2 weeks before FTX when we were on pass). But he has some integrity problems such as the cake incident that got us in the "PiT" Drill Sgt Hoaglund and DS Johnson would make him say "I'm Sorry 2nd Platoon!" We would reply Thank Jones JA!" We would say it couple of times and he would repeat it until the Drill Sgts had enough. I think the 1st Sgt doesn't like us much but he's a very nice guy...anyways Off to sleep here...no fireguard YAY!

Day 5

Oh geez same shit different day again....early morning formation and PT of course then chow this is so exciting...yeah right...Anyways breakfast chow and back to Battalion HQ classroom. This time it was about the UCMJ and the media. We were taught about the Article 15 and the consequences. Ouch losing 1/2 month's pay and rank. That's gonna suck. Then lunch chow after that we were taught about the media and the procedure how to deal with them. Basically becareful what to say to them and what to do if they are there. Anyways dinner chow. Someone fucked up during Dinner Chow and got some cake guess what it was Green and Jones JA (First name was James and middle name I forgot, we had three Jones in our platoon). Oh I hate that kid. I can't believe it. We were sent to the infamous Pit. Jones just had to hide that cake under the table...and Green argh...have to do PT because of both of them....it's hot outside and unbearable. Those bastards got to watch us suffer...argh..anyways maybe it will get better. Gotta keep my nice guy reputation. After that we went back to barracks and we didn't get mail call because it was too late and we went to the barracks and took a shower. Came down again for Hydration Formation and then off to sleep. No Fireguard tonite.

Another day at Army BCT

Wow same shit different day...formation, chow, lectures this time the lectures was about the M-16 and everyone was so enthusiatic about it. At least no one slept on this one. We got our slings for the M-16 so we won't have to march with them holding it. I heard the slings are the new ones that many units don't have and we have the nice ones hm...then we learned how to take apart the Rifle and assemble it. They don't time us on putting it together that's movie stuff...we learned the parts and the ammunition used. Bad part we learned is we won't fire with the Rifle until Week 4 oh we have to carry this rifle around for 3 more weeks not firing it. At least I won't need to worry about cleaning it..yet..Anyways lunch chow and lectures and dinner chow. Mail Call...oh darn no letters today...I can get used to this life ya know. after Mail Call went up to barracks and then back down to shine my boots. I wish I can use QuickShine boy that would be easier but I have to do it the old fashioned way...Then we were sent to take showers. Surprisingly DS Hoaglund would tell us no more Shower Drills but we would have to take showers on our own but limit the time. He said " I don't want to look at you ugly naked Privates anyways! If your buddies is late for next formation just because of a shower you'll pay the price." Next formation would be hydration formation which we bring down our canteens and drink the whole thing. I think I expect toilets to go off the whole night anyways the Company wouldn't shut the hell up and the CQ Drill Sgt on Duty would walk out there and everyone shouted At Ease and then The CQ Drill Sgt shouted
Company Attention!
Half-Right face!
Front leaning Rest Position move!
In cadence!

1-2-3- 1
1-2-3- 2
1-2-3- 3
1-2-3- 4
1-2-3- Halt

Just because we wouldn't shut the hell up in formation....oh geez we have a long way to go. Anyways the Drill Sgts would go home after mail call I think and there's a CQ drill Sgt on duty that stays UP ALL NIGHT to make sure everything's in order and he/she will be inspecting the bays to make sure everyone is asleep and in bed except for fireguard. If we had a male drill Sgt the alarms wouldnt go off if we exited the bay but if a female Drill Sgt and then the alarms would go off if we exited the bay We would have to stay inside the bay the whole time until wakeup so if we had fireguard we had to make sure we get the supplies out of the closet before lights out and alarms activated. The only people allowed to leave the bay is fireguard and CQ duty. About CQ duty is just cleaning up outside and doing errands for the CQ Drill Sgt. Anyways I had fireguard duty tonight I had the 2100-2215 shift that's a good shift well off to cleaning...and then to sleep...

The Day I meet my companion for the next 8 weeks

Well woke up at 0430 did the usual drill. DS Hoaglund and DS Johnson would come in as usual. Then we were issued our weapons card which has our number and information on it. It had the weapon's serial number and the weapon number it self. I had weapon number 78 and I was expected to remember my serial number. ok I hope I remember my serial number. We were then told to go down to formation and DS Hoaglund was checking lockers were locked and such. Ok I'd tell you people make sure your lock is secure. If you don't don't expect it to be tidy. The DS's will throw everything out of the locker and literally dump out everything except your personal drawer. A Private's shirts and underwear were on top of a pipe. Also don't leave your laundry in the dryer expect it to be wet when you get back to the barracks. They do check the dryers and washers. It just teaches you not to leave things unsecure and unattended. So don't do that....Anyways got in formation. We were told to sound off "In number weapon sequence count!" 123456789 1-0 123456789 2-0 and so on...basically the number on your weapon card was 10 then you go when they begin count. I was 78 so I had to wait until 123456789 7-0. We got our weapons and wow the precious M-16 my companion for 8 weeks...we are not allowed to leave our weapons unsecure or the Drill Sgt would take it and when you find out yours is missing you end up getting yelled at and unless he/she is not in a good mood then PT. So we had to go everywhere with our weapon except the latrine. Oh the bathroom is called the latrine. Don't call it restroom or bathroom. Here's what happened when a Private in our Company said that.

"Drill Sgt, Private Morrison requests permission to utilize the bathroom Drill Sgt"
Drill Sgt McKay-"What Private you want to take a bath Private you kiddin me?
"Drill Sgt no Drill Sgt may I utilize the restroom?"
Drill Sgt McKay-"What you wanna Rest now is that I hear?"
"Drill Sgt no Drill Sgt May I utilize the Latrine?"
"Permission Granted Go before you frickin pee yourself!"

Before chow we layed the weapons under the CTA (Covered Training Area)and assigned two weapons guard to make sure our weapons were not taken. That's how it works. You always have to have a battle buddy where ever you go. Always in a pair. Even when a Drill Sgt asks for a one private. That Private is expected to be with a battle buddy. We also had to have weapon's relief which they have to eat fast so the weapons guard can rush to the DFAC to eat themselves. Then after that we went to Battalion HQ classroom to hear more lectures..Boy these lectures can make you sleepy and don't FALL asleep. The DS's will always watch you and walk around and catch people and PT them til they sweat hard. They won't care if you moan they would PT you. When we enter a room we don't take seats immediately we have to stand at attention until the given order "Take Seats!" and we reply "Duty Honor Country!" and then we sit down. After all those lectures we went to lunch chow and we had more lectures and then to dinner chow. Of course we went to the barracks. This time we were told to get our rucksack and helmet. They were in pieces and now we have to put them together. We put the rucksacks and helmet together and helped others who had trouble. I had trouble with my rucksack so after the DS would release us upstairs I just pay 5 bucks for someone to do my rucksack for me. The helmet was easy to do..anyways then lights out. I checked the Fireguard roster and looks like another day off but tomorrow I expect Fireguard...nice a good night sleep once again hopefully tomorrow is a good day...

Day 3

Wow we got an extra hour of sleep here, wake-up was at 0530 Drill Sgt Hoaglund and Drill Sgt Johnson would do the same old damn thing with the whistle well DS Houglund while Johnson would just watch us and tell us if we were too slow...we would do personal hygiene and then go down for formation and Drill Sgts would check for accountablility of their Privates. Then they gave us the command Stand At EASE. Which is parade rest and your head facing them...don't confuse the both of those commands when parade rest make sure your head is straight ahead. Then they would talk about church services and who would want to go. I didn't since I wasn't religious so I stayed at the barracks. I heard alot about details if you didn't go to church. They would give us 1 hour reflection time but today they gave us 5 hours and didn't bother us hm...that's odd...When everyone got back from church (when going to church you have to change into BDUs)I changed into BDUs and we were on our way to chow. After chow lectures lectures lectures...Oh come on...after that dinner chow and then off to our barracks. We get our weapons tomorrow hm...damn I can't wait..

My 2nd Day at BCT

ugh I hate waking up at 4:30 AM in the morning anyways it's 0430 in military time for you military folks reading...I follow either ways...but anyways Drill Sgt you know would come in at 0430 blowing that damn whistle of his. And we would do that routine all over again I described earlier. After personal hygiene we got downstairs to the CTA (Covered Training Area) and got into formation. The Drill Sgts would count all of us in our platoons to make sure we were all accounted for. Luckily today everyone was on time. Today we had our 1-1-1 PT assessment. 1 minutes of pushups, 1 min of situps and 1 mile run. When you pushups the arms have to be 90 angle and your back straight and when I mean straight it does have to be or the scorer won't count it. Situps were easy and mile run was a breeze. Boy I was pissed off I only had 12 "correct pushups" I did frickin 50 but oh well looks like I gotta work on the technique. After the PT assesment test we went to Chow and yum you gotta love breakfast all that sweet stuff....and then after that would be more lectures in the Battalion Headquarters. I heard we get our rifles on Monday...hm...maybe it's getting better. Ok about being in the classroom they would talk about certain things like regulations or a specific subject such as the uniform. I caution myself and the others about falling asleep in those classes. you would be in a rude awakening. If caught you would be told to stand up and go back to the room and do PT. When they PT you they PT you hard. Well it wakes you up though. They PTed one of my buddies caught sleeping and his BDUs were soaking wet so I think falling asleep would not be an option here....anyways went to lunch and more lectures...you know it's getting boring and i'm looking forward to the Rifles you know. After more lectures, Dinner chow came up. Then back to the barracks. We had mail call and I got one letter from my mom. Darn I miss my parents ya know. She wrote a I miss you letter well you guys know what to expect in those letters and she sent me some money! That was nice anyways after that we went back to our bay and cleaned it up so Drill Sgt Hoaglund and Drill Sgt Johnson won't yell at us about it...anyways DS Hoaglund came up and it was shower drill time again...oh I hate those...after that I would brush my teeth and write letters back home and to my friends. Then Lights out. Again no Fireguard YAY!

Day 1 of BCT

Day 1 of BCT
June 10th
ugh, Fireguard was ok last nite. I hate losing an hour of sleep doing clean up duty. Ok to clarify what Fireguard is just cleaning the bay and making sure you do the required duties as stated in the binder at the desk we had up front near the entrance to the bay. I had to sweep the floors and mop them. Well I went back to sleep and enjoyed my 3 hours left I had until it was 0430. at 0430 Drill Sgt Hoaglund would come in with the whistle screaming and yelling "Wake up Privates!!! Wake up Privates!! You know the freakin drill left side brushes teeth while the right side folds their bunks! You gotta move fast Privates we got no time! Private Harris you're not moving fast you're not motivated Private! Get moving!!!" Anyways I sleep on the right side of the bay along with 4th platoon and I was trying to move fast. In my mind I was scared and nervous but I'm thinking that I have to get over that. I made my bunk and then I heard a whistle and Drill Sgt Hoaglund saying left side you're finished! Right side brush your teeth! We have a long day privates! Today marks Day 1 and we do PT!" Then Private Voyles one of the guys that came with me from Reception was just strolling down the aisle just walking. Drill Sgt Hoaglund recognizes him and saying " What the hell are you doing Private get moving!!!! OK PRIVATES YOU ARE PISSING ME OFF! FRONT LEANING REST POSITION MOVE!!!!!!" Oh damn it anyways that means pushups. everytime we did a pushup we had to say 1 Drill Sgt, 2 Drill Sgt, 3 Drill Sgt, 4 Drill Sgt, 5 Drill Sgt. Then he gave the command "Attention!" We were back on our feet and he said "I hope you learn your lesson Privates Now get the hell out of here and get downstairs!" Damn I didn't even to get to shave and brush my frickin teeth. damn it! Meanwhile we went downstairs and we got into Platoon formation. We would fall in at attention and the Drill Sgts would report in and then we would fall out to PT formation. We got a routine that we have to do everyday except on Sundays. Meanwhile after PT (first we would change into BDUs then) we would go to Breakfast Chow. Oh we would do the same procedure as I said on Day 0. Well to me and alot of people Breakfast is the best meal. You know why? Because of the sweets yum yum, waffles and cereal and eggs and sausage....After that we would be in formation outside the DFAC and while we waited for the rest of the Company we had to pull out our "Smart Books" and read it. Well someone forgot their Smart Book and guess what our platoon gets dropped. Half-Right Face! Front Leaning Rest Position Move! Oh I can't believe this. My Arms are getting so sore. I don't think anyone will forget their smart book from now on. After Chow we would go to the Battalion HQ Classrooms where we would have the Battalion Commander which was Lt. Col Cadwallader lecture us that we have parted on a great path to become Soldiers and ultimately MPs. She said Imagine yourself on Gammon Field where your family is watching you marching on that field, that same field where thousands of Soldiers before you graduated from years ago and then it would be your turn. Your families are watching your every move when you march and do the Pass and Revue. But 1st we must pass our goals and pass our tasks and face up to the challenges that we will face in the times to come. Then we had the Battalion Chaplain come in and lecture us on the church services available. Some Privates were rude and asked to go to the Bathroom. They were allowed to go but we were soon unaware of the consequences laid before us. After all the lectures, the whole Company lined up outside in Company Formation. Then the Sr Drill Sgt came out and said "Privates you embarrass me and disrespecting an officer. You fucking pissed me off today and you have crossed the line! YOU ARE GOING TO THE PIT!!!! I don't care how long. Drill Sgts you handle that after Dinner chow!" Oh shit damn it. My nice BDUs. Anyways the Pit is it's filled with Rubber chips it's soft but it's basically a pit where people get punished and you're doing out in the heat yeah it can get hot. We got to dinner chow and soon after that waited for our punishment and yes it did happen. We were told to take out everything out of pockets and put it behind us so we don't lose it. Then we did Front Back Gos which Front is pushups, back is flutterkicks and gos is running in place. Then we had to low crawl from one side to the other. I'm getting tired now why did we mess up. Someone had to jack up........argh...After that we marched back tired and we went to our bays and did shower drills and then we went to sleep. I looked on the Fireguard roster. My name is not on the list tonight....

The Day I entered Hell and which changed my life forever

June 9th
"Field Day" Day 0 is today. we wake up 0430 got our duffelbags with all our issue and personal bags. We wait for chow and soon we ate of course and I was given my Miltiary Glasses. I swear to God these glasses suck ass I'd tell you what these glasses are thick and brown and look like the ones from Revenge of the Nerds. Damn I look ugly in those! anyways then we were told to wait outside. 40 of us Privates waiting outside for our trans to come along. Hm...guess what our transportation was a cattle car, wow I expected a bus like I saw on goarmy.com but I guess not. We got on the cattle car and we're all cramped inside and it was so hot in there oh geez I can bear it phew so hot. We arrived at these white buildings and then the doors opened. I see two Drill Sgts I see their hats and first of all they were calm and told us to get off the cattle car and put our dufflebags on the ground. I see the words on the building CIF issue. That stands for Central Issue Facility where we get our gear, kevlar, LBV, and rucksack.So I ended up carrying TWO heavy 75 lbs duffelbags. Ok it's pretty heavy and carrying in this heat is brutal. Then we got on a big bus we called those cadillacs because they were huge buses. The Drill Sgts introduced themselves there was one female which was Drill Sgt Johnson and the other was Drill Sgt Hoaglund. (They end up as my Drill Sgts). Meanwhile on our ride to the Company we were told to put our heads down and we did. There was one Pvt named Hallmark she put her head up and the Drill Sgt caught her and said Pvt put your head down what the hell think you're doing! Privates don't know how to follow a stinkin order! Then we arrived at the Company. It was time. We were yelled at to get off the bus and____________________________________________________ (I will not talk about this certain part of event because you have to go to Basic Training to expierence this yourself what the Drill Sgts did to us it is an expierence you have to be there for and no it's not the same as in a movie) After that they introduced the Drill Sgts, The Senior Drill Sgt, The 1st Sgt and The Company XO and Company Commander. Then we were split up into Platoons. I was assigned to 2nd Platoons along with 10 other privates and the others were split into 1st 3rd and 4th platoons. And yeah we have Drill Sgt Johnson and Hoaglund as our Drill Sgts. We went upstairs and I'm struggling with my duffelbags because they were so heavy and I'm lucky to carry them up 3 flights of stairs. We went thru the bay and found other privates saying "at Ease" when Drill Sgt Hoaglund came in (They were other Privates that came before us and shipped 3 days before us but didn't start Basic Training yet) Drill Sgt Hoaglund said carry on and the privates would respond "Yes Drill Sgt Good Afternoon Drill Sgt!" we would go to the "Killzone" which is the barracks classroom for each platoon and fill out some paperwork. Meanwhile we also had to go to the Battalion HQ to finish some paperwork there also. After that was Dinner chow. Ok Dinner chow, phew long description on that one. We would march to the Dining Facility (I would label DFAC for short that's what it means) and arrive to the entrance there were two entrances to the DFAC one right and the other was left. We went to the left one. The Drill Sgts would march the whole company and halt them under a huge covering. Then they would give the command "Center Face!" Then "Guidon and Phase Banners Post!" We would sound off and yell off the top of our lungs until the phase banners and guidon were posted. That determined the order of what platoon gets to eat first or last. We would then go into the DFAC and line up. Our heads have to be straight looking ahead at parade rest until the line moves forward. Anyone caught talking or looking around would be intimidated by Drill Sgts and I mean badly of course. Then when we reach the cashier we would say what component for example I said Good evening sir, National Guard Sir. He would say good evening please type in your social. There was a little number pad to type in our social and I did and then we would go in line for food. Again eyes have to be straight even with the tray and you have to sidestep in line and head straight until you get to the ladies who serve the meal. Of course there are some people who would jack it up. The meals aren't bad, the usual good like speghetti and meatballs and such. We were told to get water 1st and that is the rule of the land here. The reason is they want us to be hydrated. I got water and went to the table and you have to wait for the person across from you gets to the table if he/she is not there you have to stand there at attention until he/she gets there then you can eat your meal. Guess what? We have to chug down the food, no looking up and around and talking. Just chug it. If your table was done and then you were done. They gave us less than 7 minutes to eat. When I mean chug it and I mean chug it. We would line up in formation and waiting outside to read our smart books. Of course there were some privates who jacked up so we got ALL in trouble. If one gets in trouble all of us gets in trouble. Guess what it was Timothy Green and he's in my platoon. Oh great. here's how it went. Company Attention! Half-right face! Front leaning Rest Position Move! In Cadence! 1-2-3 1 1-2-3 2 1-2-3 3 1-2-3 4 1-2-3 HALT! The Flutterkick! Start position move! In Cadence! 1-2-3 1 1-2-3 2 1-2-3 3 1-2-3 4 1-2-3 HALT! Hold it Hold it Hold it All the way up! Half-way down and hold it. Hold it Hold it...." Then we were finished. "post to the position of attention!" we would echo the command and then he would say move! then we all went to attention. Then we all marched back to the Company. Remember these barracks are the brand new ones. Oh the Company is Delta Company, 787th MP BN. Brand new barracks and Brand new DFAC. The new privates and I would go back to the killzone and finish inventory and putting our personal bags in a locked room. Then we would get ready for showers. The Drill Sgt would come in and we would have shower drills. Ok I live in 2nd Platoon bay which houses 50 males that goes pretty for every platoon. Except we also house some of 4th platoon males. yeah we have 20 shower heads. Drill Sgt comes in tells off to get our clothes off in the latrines (in the military they call latrine not bathroom or restroom) some of us will shower 1-2 minute intervals and Drill Sgt Hoaglund would blow a whistle when we're done. 30 seconds to rinse then shower off then 30 seconds to apply soap shower off then 30 seconds to rinse again. So little time to do these things. To get all these people done can be a headache. oh yeah being naked in front of 40 guys is weird but it's Military Life get used to it. Got nothing to hide anyways. We would change into PT shorts and sleep in them. Lights out was at 2100. First day though I had Fireguard which is cleanup bay duty at 0045-0200. I did that then I got some sleep until the next day when Basic Training actually starts. Day 0 was a beginning path to become a Soldier.

Day before Hell

June 7th and 8th
Basically we get our pay and rank finalized and our ID cards and tags come thru. i found out only 1 male from Alpha 1 will be shipping out with me and the rest are females. Interesting eh only one person I know coming to Basic with me...oh geez. There were some others assigned from Alpha 2 and Bravo 3 and 1. There were 40 of us I think. anyways yeah Day 0 Field Day is about to start tomorrow I can't wait to enter hell.

wow...

June 6th
Again the same schedule you know it's getting boring. Today we got the rest of our shots and oh god we all lined up and this was how we got our shots. We got in line waiting to go, and there was this one person on the left and on the right. They both have two needles and stuck those needles into my arms. So 4 needles went into me just like that. *bam*bam*bam*bam* My arms were so sore. Gosh I hope I can get some sleep tonight.. Then we were issued our BDUs, about time we get to wear these instead of those PTs. We got those fitted on us. and by the way we wouldn't get the shirts until before chow because they would have to sew on our names. Meanwhile we would go to the shoppette and get our supplies for Basic. They gave us this $250 card that was out of our pay so we can get supplies such as shower shoes, nail clippers, the flashlight and running shoes and such. After that we got our BDU tops then
Then we had dinner chow. Sgt White which was our Processing NCO then marched us out to the barracks. We would sing some cadences such as the Airborne Ranger cadence. Here it goes:


I'm sitting in my foxhole
Sharpinning my knife
Up jumped the enemy
I had to take his life

Chorus:Airbooooooooorne Raaaaaaaangers Lead The Way

I went to wake up the Sergeant
He was lying in his bed
I went to turn him over
I found out he was dead

Chorus:Airbooooooooorne Raaaaaaaangers Lead The Way

My buddies in a foxhole
With a bullet in his head
The medic said he's wounded
But I know that he's dead

Chorus:Airbooooooooorne Raaaaaaaangers Lead The Way

I hear the choppers coming
They're flying over head
They come to get the wounded
But all they find is dead

Chorus:Airbooooooooorne Raaaaaaaangers Lead The Way

That's my favorite cadence. Then something unfortunate happens. A private named Timothy Green (he'll later be in my platoon when we got downrange which brought alot of hell) claimed someone stole his wallet and let the CQ Processing NCO know. Trust me the processing NCO was pissed. The Sgt told us that if that wallet wasn't turned in now he would call the MPs and the MPs would wreak the place apart and go thru everything. Well we waited 2 hours outside and you know what the MPs did come. They did drive those nice Chevy Impalas. They get their own cars to themselves. Whoa that's nice anyways...and guess what Green found his wallet in his locker..damn kid...2 hours waiting out there for nothing. then lights out.

the Weekend....

June 4th-5th
The weekend started out pretty boring and nothing significant happens. Anyways we woke up as usual at 0430, ate breakfast at the DFAC. Then we went back to the barracks to get our duffelbags done with our names and last 4 SS numbers. Then we would go to the main hall and watch some movies. It's wierd I thought Reception was going to be boring and I guess not. Anyways there is nothing done because processing only happens on weekdays. the movies we watched were Blade 2 and SWAT. Interesting ain't it? The Army must be getting softer... Then we went to the barracks again to sleep and chill til dinner and lights out at 2100.

the 3rd day.....

June 3rd
It's Friday, wakeup as usual at 0430 well I could get used to this schedule, today we got our 2 shots, and we got our blood taken. Dang there was this Asian Private taking my blood and that needle he has in his hands was so long and he just popped that needle in a vein that he could find. I think my arm is so numb thanks to that. god damn it! anyways we went to lunch and then another long wait. And then we watched some Privates about to go downrange for Basic Training and the Processing NCOs are making sure they remember their General Orders, the Soldier's Creed and the Army Song. I guess it's very important knowing that info...gotta make that note and gotta know that crap... After that we went to dinner and then went back to the barracks.

2nd day...

June 2nd

It's goddamn morning and I'm so tired. I got no sleep at all! Wow this is so great. Anyways we were issued "Smart books" which we were forced to read that had almost everything about on regulations and procedures, that went from the rifle to grenades ,the bayonet, the Soldier's Creed and the Army Song. Later I got my eyes checked and got my haircut. Wow my hair is gone, I can't believe it I have no hair. What will my folks at home say? And Damn the ladies who cut my hair were so rough on my head and I think I bled a little because they were so rough with the razor. Eh shit happens.. Meanwhile we just filled out some more paperwork.......and another day was done. The day feels like forever when you're here. I want to go to Basic already this shit is so boring.... Anyways we ate our three meals at the Dining Facility which is not bad at all. The food is basically your typical food such as sausage waffles and you know the good stuff. The Army cooks good food not the crap people always talking about.... Anyways after all that we went to the barracks and chilled basically. I made some new friends. I know all of them won't be with me during Basic because they have different MOS's than me.

MEPS and Reception

June 1st

Well I just woke up at the MEPS motel waking up at 4:30 as usual. I had a hard time sleeping because of the thoughts going thru my head that my dream had come true to become a Soldier. Anyways got dressed grabbed our bags and went down for breakfast. Breakfast was your usual good stuff you know the hotel restaurant food is good. Well it's the Ramada Inn oh well...Then we would go on our trip to MEPS where we would be shipped out. They were alot of people to be shipped out. Couple of them going Air Force. I remember I met a guy he was in Air Force JROTC at Sandalwood in 2002. I have to tell Colonel about him that's he's enlisting in the Air Force as a mechanic. oh well. It was a long wait at MEPS. Yeah arriving there at 5:00 AM to waiting there til 12:00 PM to get shipped out gets pretty dull. Thank God they have the TV on. They finally gave us our tickets and a bus ride to Jacksonville International Airport. Guess what we were late for our flight! So we had to reschedule a flight for 5:00 PM to North Carolina then 7:00 to St Louis MO. Anyways I made some friends on the way. They were National Guard also and 17 year olds like me doing Split Op. One was going Special Forces, and the other MP. Meanwhile we got on our flights and slept on the way to our destinations. We met a pretty Ssgt from the Air Force and she said you guys will be fine and enjoy what you have now" She seemed pretty nice. Anyways we boarded our flight to St Louis and took 2 hours and 1/2 to get there. Got there around 9:00 we reported to the USO where there was a bus waiting for us there. We got on the bus and I slept on the ride there. It was a 3 hour ride to Ft Leonard Wood from St Louis. By the time we got to FLW it was 1:00 AM Then we arrived at Reception the 43rd AG. We were all nervous and we waited and waited at the entrance while still on the bus waiting for a Drill Sgt to come out. I remember his name very well. Drill Sgt Mathis. He was at least 6 feet with a high and tigh haircut. He's on his 3rd year as a Drill Sgt. I expected the yelling and fear but when he got on the bus he was actually calm and said to get off the bus in an orderly manner and instructed us males on one side and females on the other side and so we did. After that we were told to pick up our bags and go inside to the main hall where they had benches. We filled out some paperwork and then we were given time to dispose of any "contraband" and it was our last opportunity. By the time we finished that it was 3:00 AM I was expecting a shakedown but there wasn't any. We then went to get our PT clothing issue to wear every day which I have no idea how long we have to wear them. By that time an hour passed. so it was 4:00 AM. I can't believe it Drill Sgt Mathis said wake up is 4:30 AM....ah! No sleep! So we situated in our bay and got our bunks and put our bags away. Our bay was labeled and assigned Alpha 1.









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