Rainy days, boring days

The last two days have been remarkably quiet. Scarily so in many ways, as in the Army whenever there is calm, there is always a storm. Always.

Yesterday went well, we were all awake at a reasonable hour to walk across the way to the DFAC (Dining Facility) to first get chow, and afterward have our TB tests checked. Mine had healed so completely, and tested so negatively that the medic wasn't even able to find it. The day after that passed smoothly, and we all had time even to do some things that we wanted to. For me, that was talk with my girlfriend.

I really lucked out as her work day was shorter than usual and so I got to webchat with her! The webchat was a little strange just because I don't have much experience with it, and with the four different stereos playing four different kinds of music, and countless soldiers watching movies on their laptops I didn't want to use the microphone or speakers on my computer - I need to invest in a headset! Still, getting to speak with my hellkat not once but twice yesterday on the phone, and once through the computer really made my day!

Afterward I spent some time watching the film "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." It was a cute feel-good believe-in-yourself kind of film. It helped to destress the full-time army lifestyle that I now find myself in. Sometimes it's fun to just watch something that doesn't make you think too hard.

In the evening I got together with SPC Kuntze, SPC Chalker, and PV2 Wagner to go for a diagnostic run on the track here on our base. The track itself was pretty interesting inasmuch as most military tracks are either a quarter mile or a half mile long. This track was .57 of a mile around, so 3.5 times around the track equaled one two mile PT test. As it was a diagnostic run, I asked everyone to not worry about the time they run the course in, but instead to just finish the course. We all need some work on our run times, but I ran in under the max time allotted for my age bracket, so I know I'll pass at least this portion of the PT test in a few weeks.

Ordinarily the rest of the night would be pretty quiet, a shower after the run, a phone call, maybe read, or write for a little while. Update this blog even. Last night though, nearly before lights out we went through the calamity of issuing out weapons cards and optics cards. If you thought that after that we'd be released though, you were mistaken, gentle reader. After that the company arms room opened up and began the issue of our weapons.

I was excited to see my M249 SAW once more as I hadn't seen her since about a week into our training at RTC when I turned her in to have the new shorter barrels with fixed gas-tubes headspaced and timed. The process was supposed to take two days. I was still excited though, as this was the weapon I was assured I would deploy with, and so I had turned it in with all accessories attached, and then stored my range bag with other accessories in the company arms room. Imagine my surprise when a different M249 was handed to me.

Rage would be a more accurate adjective for the emotion, actually. And I became progressively more angry as the process continued. First they didn't know where my M249 was. Then they wanted me to wait in the cold until they were done with everyone before I could sign out the weapon, and finally, after much irritation, I walked up to retrieve my SAW. It wasn't my SAW, it was some other one. It had a full stock (as opposed to the collapsible stock I had) and it came with three spare barrels. Two full length, and two short barrels. And a broken range bag minus all of my accessories. I'm still pretty livid about it. How hard is it to assign a soldier a weapon and let them hang on to it? I've had about ten different weapons assigned to me in the last three years.

Bed was a long time coming it seemed last night, and today some of the squad members went to a CLS (Combat Lifesaver) course, while the rest of us tried to think small and stay hidden. Alas it was not to be and we've been going over all of the classes that we go over every month, for the last two years, again and again. I know some of the soldiers need boots and wanted to go to the main PX today to buy them, some of us wanted to go to the headquarters attachment to retrieve personal documentation for our promotion packets, and all of us wanted to go to the gym. Unfortunately none of that was to be. It looks like more classes tomorrow.

But now time for some better updates! Pictures! On the left we see SPC Kuntze on his way to CLS class this morning, absolutely refusing to stand still so I could get a good picture!


On the right we have SGT Damask showing off his new moustache. $0.50 out of a vending machine at the shopette well spent!


Last but not least, a picture of myself and PFC Ramos wearing every piece of armor the unit has given us. Surprisingly comfortable, but rather bulky! Hopefully tomorrow is a bit of a better day, the rain combined with these classes hasn't put everyone in a really good mood, and tempers seem to be simmering. I'll try to take some more videos, and more pictures of the troops, I'm also contemplating the idea of allowing some soldiers to ghostwrite from time to time here. Lastly, if there is a picture of a family member that you're looking for, shoot me an email and I'll try to get them to pose quickly and post it up here.