Day 26
Nice chill Sunday. Slept until 0800, enjoyed brunch, and just did laundry and relaxed until recall formation at 1550. Had chow, barracks maintenance, and personal time before lights out at 2100. Had bayguard from 1-3am. :-(
Day 27
Wake up at 0350. PT outside with a windchill of 27. Brr! Normal Monday....
Day 28
Really getting tired of DFAC food...not even halfway done yet! Test day. Got a 100! :-) Last day of POS (Principals of Supply). After lunch we met our new instructor. We're now starting P-BUSE (Property Book Unit Supply Enhanced). It's basically 2 weeks of learning the computer system that we'll use to do our jobs in the supply room. Had an ASU inspection after dinner. Got my uniform all squared away.
Day 29
PT inside today. Too cold. I got picked on by the SGT for not doing too well on push-ups. Yes, I know, I'm not good at them! First day learning P-BUSE...I love it! The highlight of the day....getting ice cream at lunch. :-)
Day 30
Had our first test in P-BUSE. Piece of cake! 100.
Day 31
Spent our Saturday morning in a briefing on managing your money. Very basic and boring! Had a room inspection in the afternoon. Our room passed with no problem so we'll get our full pass tomorrow! Had some pizza for dinner and enjoyed my personal time. Had bay guard from 7-9pm. Almost got my phone taken away for having it out on bay guard. :-0 Luckily the sergeant was feeling king. :-)
Day 32
Slept until 0700 and then went on pass! Felt good to leave the barracks! Had brunch at the DFAC, shopped at the PX, got lunch to go, then went back to the barracks to enjoy a quiet afternoon! Chow at 1600, then back on personal time. It was a good Sunday!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
AIT Week 3
Day 19
0400 wakeup with sprints for PT. My knees are not liking all this running, but I'm hoping to manage it so I don't have as much troubles as I did at BCT. The morning then went as usual. We had another test at school. It only took me about an hour and then I spent the day in the break room. We got our scores right before we left for the day. I made another 99%. I wish I knew what I was doing to miss 1 point! lol. We don't get to see our tests, so my OCD is killing me. Chow is becoming depressing. They don't offer very many options, the salad bar doesn't have very healthy stuff, and they are always running out of everything. After chow we at least got personal time so I was able to talk to Matt and my Dad for awhile. Usual bed check, lights out 2050.
Day 20
0400 wake up. PT was muscle strenthening. Situp and pushup drills. Its hard to push myself so early in the morning, but I know I need to if I'm going to pass my final PT test. The new platoon got here last night. They are huge, double the size of ours. Like 83 of them. That meant way more females to try and shower in a hurry with only 8 showers. I skipped on the shower today. Chow then school. Only one female failed the test yesterday so she had to have a battle buddy. And since I have the highest test average, they picked me. I was rather annoyed to be stuck sitting in another class all day while missing out on the new material being covered. But there was nothing I could do about it. I was also incredibly bored. We have a new instructor for the rest of POS (Principles of Supply). I got back in the class about 3pm. Had chow. Got smoked because the new platoon would be quiet in formation. I'm not a fan of mass punishment. Had to fill out forms after chow. Then had a little personal time before my bayguard shift. Got to bed at 2300 after my shift.
Day 21
Early school day. 0400 wake up. Cleaned. Chow. Off to school. Had a sub this morning since our new instructor had a meeting. She was horribly boring. Super glad when he came back. Finished covering material for our test tomorrow. We only had about an hour of class after chow and then we went to CIF (Central Issuing Facility) to get our gear for field training (SWFTX). Ruck sack, plated vest, helmet, load-bearing vest, canteens, knee and elbow pads, etc. Not excited to have to haul all of this stuff and have it in my locker for the next 6 weeks. After chow we had a quick meeting, then personal time, bed check, and sleep!
Day 22
Valentine's Day! Today was my first Valentine's Day to have someone. And I'm super glad I have Matt. :-)
Wake up was at 0330. Not fun. It was super cold, but we still had to do PT outside. We did a release run, but shorter than last time. And then since no one wanted to sound off they made us do a bunch of extra exercises. I don't like having to do extra PT as punishment. Does not help me like PT. Lol. Got back and had extra time for personal hygiene. The new platoon was doing the PT test and they weren't there, so there was time to shower. Chow then school. Had our test right off the bat. I was a little nervous since I had missed 1/3 of the material, but I asked some questions and managed to get a 100%. Finally! They had a bake sale at school for the holiday and someone gave me a chocolate cupcake. It was delicious. :-) We then got out of school early at 1630 since it's a holiday weekend. No school until Tuesday! Normal evening from then on..
Day 23
Not such a great day today. Even though it was a day off, we didn't get any personal time all day. Wake up was at 0600 and no PT. Spent most of the morning cleaning outside. Then had locker inspections in the afternoon. The time in between was just spent sitting with nothing to do and not being allowed on our phones. It was frustrating. After chow we finally got our personal time.
Day 24
0600 wake up, chow, and then cleaning again. We got four hour passes this weekend! Yay. Mine was from 0900-1300 due to me having a CQ shift tomorrow at 1300. We didn't get to leave until almost 1000 after the cleaning was done, but it still worked out ok. They PX was nice and quiet. My battle buddy and I shopped, then sat and enjoyed lunch at the food quart and relaxed there before getting back around 1230. It was snowing as we walked back, but wasn't sticking to the ground. then enjoyed the quiet barracks while everyone else was on their afternoon pass. I did laundry and showered (by myself, yay!). Bedcheck was at 2100, then lights out around 2200.
Day 25
Sunday means no wake-up! I slept until about 0800. I then got up and got ready to go on pass. We didn't leave until almost 0930, since nothing is open until 1000. We went back to the PX and did the same thing as yesterday. We got back in time to relax a little before we had CQ from 1300-1500. We then had recall formation at 1600, chow, and then personal time until bedcheck at 2100. The weekend has definetly gone better than the last ones!
0400 wakeup with sprints for PT. My knees are not liking all this running, but I'm hoping to manage it so I don't have as much troubles as I did at BCT. The morning then went as usual. We had another test at school. It only took me about an hour and then I spent the day in the break room. We got our scores right before we left for the day. I made another 99%. I wish I knew what I was doing to miss 1 point! lol. We don't get to see our tests, so my OCD is killing me. Chow is becoming depressing. They don't offer very many options, the salad bar doesn't have very healthy stuff, and they are always running out of everything. After chow we at least got personal time so I was able to talk to Matt and my Dad for awhile. Usual bed check, lights out 2050.
Day 20
0400 wake up. PT was muscle strenthening. Situp and pushup drills. Its hard to push myself so early in the morning, but I know I need to if I'm going to pass my final PT test. The new platoon got here last night. They are huge, double the size of ours. Like 83 of them. That meant way more females to try and shower in a hurry with only 8 showers. I skipped on the shower today. Chow then school. Only one female failed the test yesterday so she had to have a battle buddy. And since I have the highest test average, they picked me. I was rather annoyed to be stuck sitting in another class all day while missing out on the new material being covered. But there was nothing I could do about it. I was also incredibly bored. We have a new instructor for the rest of POS (Principles of Supply). I got back in the class about 3pm. Had chow. Got smoked because the new platoon would be quiet in formation. I'm not a fan of mass punishment. Had to fill out forms after chow. Then had a little personal time before my bayguard shift. Got to bed at 2300 after my shift.
Day 21
Early school day. 0400 wake up. Cleaned. Chow. Off to school. Had a sub this morning since our new instructor had a meeting. She was horribly boring. Super glad when he came back. Finished covering material for our test tomorrow. We only had about an hour of class after chow and then we went to CIF (Central Issuing Facility) to get our gear for field training (SWFTX). Ruck sack, plated vest, helmet, load-bearing vest, canteens, knee and elbow pads, etc. Not excited to have to haul all of this stuff and have it in my locker for the next 6 weeks. After chow we had a quick meeting, then personal time, bed check, and sleep!
Day 22
Valentine's Day! Today was my first Valentine's Day to have someone. And I'm super glad I have Matt. :-)
Wake up was at 0330. Not fun. It was super cold, but we still had to do PT outside. We did a release run, but shorter than last time. And then since no one wanted to sound off they made us do a bunch of extra exercises. I don't like having to do extra PT as punishment. Does not help me like PT. Lol. Got back and had extra time for personal hygiene. The new platoon was doing the PT test and they weren't there, so there was time to shower. Chow then school. Had our test right off the bat. I was a little nervous since I had missed 1/3 of the material, but I asked some questions and managed to get a 100%. Finally! They had a bake sale at school for the holiday and someone gave me a chocolate cupcake. It was delicious. :-) We then got out of school early at 1630 since it's a holiday weekend. No school until Tuesday! Normal evening from then on..
Day 23
Not such a great day today. Even though it was a day off, we didn't get any personal time all day. Wake up was at 0600 and no PT. Spent most of the morning cleaning outside. Then had locker inspections in the afternoon. The time in between was just spent sitting with nothing to do and not being allowed on our phones. It was frustrating. After chow we finally got our personal time.
Day 24
0600 wake up, chow, and then cleaning again. We got four hour passes this weekend! Yay. Mine was from 0900-1300 due to me having a CQ shift tomorrow at 1300. We didn't get to leave until almost 1000 after the cleaning was done, but it still worked out ok. They PX was nice and quiet. My battle buddy and I shopped, then sat and enjoyed lunch at the food quart and relaxed there before getting back around 1230. It was snowing as we walked back, but wasn't sticking to the ground. then enjoyed the quiet barracks while everyone else was on their afternoon pass. I did laundry and showered (by myself, yay!). Bedcheck was at 2100, then lights out around 2200.
Day 25
Sunday means no wake-up! I slept until about 0800. I then got up and got ready to go on pass. We didn't leave until almost 0930, since nothing is open until 1000. We went back to the PX and did the same thing as yesterday. We got back in time to relax a little before we had CQ from 1300-1500. We then had recall formation at 1600, chow, and then personal time until bedcheck at 2100. The weekend has definetly gone better than the last ones!
AIT Week 2
Day 12
Got to sleep in until 0600. Yay! But of course I woke up at 0400. Ha! Our platoon is now on duty for the next two weeks, which means we have to clean the bathrooms every morning before chow. After chow we chilled at the barracks since school was starting 30 minutes later or something. We had a different instructor today and he left us all totally confused. But by the end of the day I was feeling okay with the material. Our next test is tomorrow. The evening went as usual. Chow. Platoon time. Mail call. Personal time. Bed check formation and lights out at 2100.
Day 13
Today started at 0400 with PT. We had a release run today. It felt like 3 miles. Lol. I was really slow, but I didn't walk any of it. My knees are not enjoying all the running, so I'll probably go to sick call tomorrow so I can get some Advil or something. They are really big on motivation and sounding off here. Marching to school this morning no one wanted to sound off, so the sergeant just quit calling cadence all together. I actually enjoyed to quiet. Lol. He went back to cadence at lunch though. Our test went well I finished soon after lunch and spent the rest of the day in the break room. She hadn't finished grading them by the time school was out so after we got back from chow, the sergeant on CQ had our scores for us. I happended to make the highest score, 99%, so I got to stay behind with the five that failed and help them study so they could retake the test the next day. We got out of final formation that way. It just meant I didn't get any personal time.
Day 14
Something happened and all the females got woke up at 0250. Ugh! Apparently someone missed their CQ shift. So we all had to get up, sit in the day room, get yelled at, and then go outside for formation. Its Wednesday, so no PT and early to school. We were at chow before the DFAC was even open. Lol. After chow I went with another female to the TMC to get my knees looked at. We were the first ones there so it went pretty fast. The doctor was willing to give me naproxen for the pain and swelling and not give me a profile so I don't have to worry about missing any training and I'll be good for my PT test tomorrow. We then went to school. Didn't miss much of class, which is good. Staying awake was dificult with the lack of sleep. After chow we only had an hour of class before our platoon left for dental. The dental checks went fast. Apparently I have a small cavity, but not big enough for the Army to bother fixing it. Some people had a lot of issues and have several appointments to get all the work done. After dental we got a little personal time before chow, then aftewards we had to get prepped for the PT test. I won't have to worry about my CQ shift in the morning, which is nice. I found out the test will be on a straight road, one mile down, one mile back, instead of the track. I'm worried if I'll be able to pace myself that way. I let the fatigue and stress get to me, and I cried. Not cool. Thankfully we early bed check and lights out at 2045.
Day 15
0300 wake up for the PT test. Super nervous. We did a quick prep drill to warm up, then we all waited in the 2nd floor day room, and went in one group at a time to do pushups and situps and the next room over. My grader was really nice and counted all of my pushups. I mananged to get 20 before hitting muscle failure. Situps were easier, but I didn't do as many as I usually do. Only 59. For the run they marched us all the way to the end of B Avenue. I was super nervous, but I found a couple other females to try and run with so that I set myself at a fast enough pace. I managed to keep up with them for the first half mile, and then hit the one mile point at 9:30. I was so worried I was slowing down too much that I kept telling myself to pick up the pace. Once I was near the end and could her him calling out the time, I thought I was really close to the 20 minute mark to I started sprinting. I crossed the line right as he said 19 minutes! :-) So I passed my test with 212 points, and took a minute off my run time from Sunday! Super duper excited and relieved!
The senior platoon graduated today. Glad to have them gone! They were really obnoxious and undisciplined. Had breakfast after personal hygiene then off to school. On the way to school I battled a female to the TMC real quick so she could ask a question. We still made it to school at the same time as the company. School went by super slow. After dinner we had to do room inspections again so we didn't get any personal time again. The Army has my pay messed up so I had to deal with that too. It was raining so we did bedcheck inside. Super ready for sleep after the last two days!
Day 16
48 days and a wake-up....
We had PT inside because of the rain. We lined the hallways and they called out the exercises on the intercom. Got extra time for showers which was nice. They bused us to chow and school. At school we had a 2 team competition answering questions for a review. Both teams wanted me on their team. Lol. Our class is getting really lax in discipline, which tends to annoy me. Feels like I'm stuck in highschool or something. After school they bused us to chow. We got more personl time tonight. I was super ready for bed. I got woke up at 0100 and told I had duty. I made them double check though, and sure enough, they had read it wrong and my shift wasn't until the next day. At least I got to go back to sleep.
Day 17
Yay for the weekend! 0600 wake up. Got dressed and marched to chow, then barracks maintenance and area beautification. I didn't need to go to the PX so I stayed and covered someone's CQ shift. Had to help repaint the CQ desk. Got a two hour break, then did my CQ shift. We then had personal time. I ordered a pizza. Already sick of the DFAC. Lol. Got to talk to Matt lots today which made me very very happy. :-) Bed check was at 2100, lights out at 2250, but I was already alseep. Of course someone was not and was being loud, so the sergeant on CQ made us all get up and go back outside and stand in formation in the freezing cold so he could yell at us to get to bed. Argh. I was not a happy camper. :-(
Day 18
No wake up today! Yay! Well at 0900 they did finally tell us we should get up and start getting stuff done, but I was already awake by then. Spent my morning talking to Matt. Did laundry and enjoyed a long shower. Had pizza for lunch instead of DFAC. Got a little nap in. And then we had to do barracks maintainance. After dinner we had to clean more. I was cleaning out some nasty trash cans and the smell was so bad I lost my dinner. My platoon had fun laughing about that one. Lol. After another inspection we finally got to go back on personal time. I helped my roommate study for the test the next day. Bed check and lights out 2115.
Got to sleep in until 0600. Yay! But of course I woke up at 0400. Ha! Our platoon is now on duty for the next two weeks, which means we have to clean the bathrooms every morning before chow. After chow we chilled at the barracks since school was starting 30 minutes later or something. We had a different instructor today and he left us all totally confused. But by the end of the day I was feeling okay with the material. Our next test is tomorrow. The evening went as usual. Chow. Platoon time. Mail call. Personal time. Bed check formation and lights out at 2100.
Day 13
Today started at 0400 with PT. We had a release run today. It felt like 3 miles. Lol. I was really slow, but I didn't walk any of it. My knees are not enjoying all the running, so I'll probably go to sick call tomorrow so I can get some Advil or something. They are really big on motivation and sounding off here. Marching to school this morning no one wanted to sound off, so the sergeant just quit calling cadence all together. I actually enjoyed to quiet. Lol. He went back to cadence at lunch though. Our test went well I finished soon after lunch and spent the rest of the day in the break room. She hadn't finished grading them by the time school was out so after we got back from chow, the sergeant on CQ had our scores for us. I happended to make the highest score, 99%, so I got to stay behind with the five that failed and help them study so they could retake the test the next day. We got out of final formation that way. It just meant I didn't get any personal time.
Day 14
Something happened and all the females got woke up at 0250. Ugh! Apparently someone missed their CQ shift. So we all had to get up, sit in the day room, get yelled at, and then go outside for formation. Its Wednesday, so no PT and early to school. We were at chow before the DFAC was even open. Lol. After chow I went with another female to the TMC to get my knees looked at. We were the first ones there so it went pretty fast. The doctor was willing to give me naproxen for the pain and swelling and not give me a profile so I don't have to worry about missing any training and I'll be good for my PT test tomorrow. We then went to school. Didn't miss much of class, which is good. Staying awake was dificult with the lack of sleep. After chow we only had an hour of class before our platoon left for dental. The dental checks went fast. Apparently I have a small cavity, but not big enough for the Army to bother fixing it. Some people had a lot of issues and have several appointments to get all the work done. After dental we got a little personal time before chow, then aftewards we had to get prepped for the PT test. I won't have to worry about my CQ shift in the morning, which is nice. I found out the test will be on a straight road, one mile down, one mile back, instead of the track. I'm worried if I'll be able to pace myself that way. I let the fatigue and stress get to me, and I cried. Not cool. Thankfully we early bed check and lights out at 2045.
Day 15
0300 wake up for the PT test. Super nervous. We did a quick prep drill to warm up, then we all waited in the 2nd floor day room, and went in one group at a time to do pushups and situps and the next room over. My grader was really nice and counted all of my pushups. I mananged to get 20 before hitting muscle failure. Situps were easier, but I didn't do as many as I usually do. Only 59. For the run they marched us all the way to the end of B Avenue. I was super nervous, but I found a couple other females to try and run with so that I set myself at a fast enough pace. I managed to keep up with them for the first half mile, and then hit the one mile point at 9:30. I was so worried I was slowing down too much that I kept telling myself to pick up the pace. Once I was near the end and could her him calling out the time, I thought I was really close to the 20 minute mark to I started sprinting. I crossed the line right as he said 19 minutes! :-) So I passed my test with 212 points, and took a minute off my run time from Sunday! Super duper excited and relieved!
The senior platoon graduated today. Glad to have them gone! They were really obnoxious and undisciplined. Had breakfast after personal hygiene then off to school. On the way to school I battled a female to the TMC real quick so she could ask a question. We still made it to school at the same time as the company. School went by super slow. After dinner we had to do room inspections again so we didn't get any personal time again. The Army has my pay messed up so I had to deal with that too. It was raining so we did bedcheck inside. Super ready for sleep after the last two days!
Day 16
48 days and a wake-up....
We had PT inside because of the rain. We lined the hallways and they called out the exercises on the intercom. Got extra time for showers which was nice. They bused us to chow and school. At school we had a 2 team competition answering questions for a review. Both teams wanted me on their team. Lol. Our class is getting really lax in discipline, which tends to annoy me. Feels like I'm stuck in highschool or something. After school they bused us to chow. We got more personl time tonight. I was super ready for bed. I got woke up at 0100 and told I had duty. I made them double check though, and sure enough, they had read it wrong and my shift wasn't until the next day. At least I got to go back to sleep.
Day 17
Yay for the weekend! 0600 wake up. Got dressed and marched to chow, then barracks maintenance and area beautification. I didn't need to go to the PX so I stayed and covered someone's CQ shift. Had to help repaint the CQ desk. Got a two hour break, then did my CQ shift. We then had personal time. I ordered a pizza. Already sick of the DFAC. Lol. Got to talk to Matt lots today which made me very very happy. :-) Bed check was at 2100, lights out at 2250, but I was already alseep. Of course someone was not and was being loud, so the sergeant on CQ made us all get up and go back outside and stand in formation in the freezing cold so he could yell at us to get to bed. Argh. I was not a happy camper. :-(
Day 18
No wake up today! Yay! Well at 0900 they did finally tell us we should get up and start getting stuff done, but I was already awake by then. Spent my morning talking to Matt. Did laundry and enjoyed a long shower. Had pizza for lunch instead of DFAC. Got a little nap in. And then we had to do barracks maintainance. After dinner we had to clean more. I was cleaning out some nasty trash cans and the smell was so bad I lost my dinner. My platoon had fun laughing about that one. Lol. After another inspection we finally got to go back on personal time. I helped my roommate study for the test the next day. Bed check and lights out 2115.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
AIT Week 1
Day 1
I left on Thursday, January 24. Went through Direct Ship, same as BCT, but it was only for a few hours this time just to get my packet. They were very chill and I was the only person from Oklahoma shipping out. They took me to the airport (and helped with my bags). I flew to Chicago, then Richmond, VA. Had a delay out of Chicago along with 6 gate changes, so it was late when I landed in Richmond. Luckily the USO was still open so I had a place to wait while I waited for my shuttle. I ended up being shuttled in a town car. Very cool. I had to call the Reception Battalion to find the CQ office. They were in trailers. But the SFC on duty was super nice and got me in a bed right away. I got a few hours of sleep then before starting the next day. Everyone there was pretty helpful about what to do.
Day 2
The first day nothing much happened, as I was early for in-processing. We ended up helping to move a supply closet from the third floor of one building to another building a block away. Everyone from BCT started arriving that evening. It also started snowing. And it was quite cold. We helped get everyone in. I had to switch bays. Glad my stuff was still packed.
Day 3
The next day we chilled all morning while they took people to the PX. They didn't want to start in-processing until everyone arrived and one of the busses from Fort Jackson had to turn back from the weather. They ended up moving all of us 92Y to our company to make room. It was nice to know I was finally in my spot for the next 8 weeks. And it meant I was going to be starting a week sooner than my contract said. We met our platoon sergeant. He seems really cool. I think he'll be fair and take good care of us. We got to relax that evening which was a nice break. I got unpacked. We walked ourselves to chow. Had final formation with our soon to be company, Bravo Company, 266th QM BN. They have a lot of silly cadences and all. It will take some getting used to.
Day 4
The next day was a little later wakeup. 0515. We went back to reception and did some paperwork. Signed rosters. Went to Sunday brunch. Had a chaplain's brief. Did more paperwork, had another breif. Then we waited while they took the new arrivals to the PX. Afterwards we went back to Bravo Company. We had 10 minutes before going to chow. The rest of the company was late so we got to experience the repercussions of that. Lol. Our dorms are really old, but I still find it a step up from the trailers I was in at BCT. Here we have lots and lots of super hot water. Very nice! :-) Everyone else is coming from nicer barracks in BCT so they don't like this place much.
Day 5
Had to be up at 0215 on Monday morning. We didn't get picked up until 0400 and they marched us to chow. We then went to a large auditorium to do financial paperwork and a ton of breifings. It took forever. Eveyone kept asking the same questions. It was all very frustrating. The STD breifing was disturbing. Lol. We took a break for chow and then all the 92Y and 92G had to come back for one last breifing. Then we went back to Reception and waited a few hours until our Platoon Sergeant (PS)picked us up. Our platoon now has 45. About half male, half female. We had chow and then had to fill out paperwork with our PS. We are officially starting AIT! 8 weeks and 2 days until graduation!
Day 6
0400 wake up. This will be my wake up 5 days a week for the next 8 weeks. Had our first day of PT. Did sprints. Pretty much just like BCT, so no big deal. We got an hour to shower and have our bunks ready for inspection. Our room was good to go. Went to breakfast and then they marched us straight to the school. We had a breifing in the auditorium and then we were split into two classes. I'm in class 034 with SSG Dingle. Our first few hours of class were pretty slow and boring. Our insturctor teaches kind of hit and miss so it took me a little to figure out what was going on. We basically were learning how to use Army Publications to do our jobs. We had lunch from 1300-1400, then back to class until 1730. We get breaks each hour and there is a break room with vending machines. After class was chow, and then more paperwork wtih our PS and a breifing from our 1SG.
Day 7
8 more weeks... No PT today. Put on ACUs, went to breakfast, and then early to school. Same thing as yesterday. Pretty boring. It's hard to stay awake. We each have a laptop to use, so I try to take good notes just to keep my mind engaged. Our first test is tomorrow. It was starting to rain so they took us back to the barracks on the bus. When we got to our floor (females are on the third floor) it reeked of cigarette smoke. So then we had the drama of the cadre trying to figure that out. We lost all personal time until chow from it. After chow we got our rooms ready for inspection and had to wait forever for our PS to come and check. Our room was good and he said my locker was good to go as well. We had final formation and headed to bed.
Day 8
PT was inside today due to the weather. Pretty cramped. We did pushup/situp drills. My arms are going to be sore. But it was a good workout. Showered, got our rooms ready for inspection, and went to chow. Went to school, finished covering material for the test and started the test right before lunch. They gave us 3 hours for a 50 multiple-choice question test. It only took me 20 minutes. So after lunch I sat in the breakroom until everyone was finished. I passed the test with 96%. After chow I found out they do random drug tests every Thursday. And of course I got chosen. Lol. It took a little while, but no big deal.
Day 9
PT was an Ability Group Run (AGR). I did okay and kept up with the group. Ran about 2 1/2 miles they said. Class was the same. Started learning forms for ordering supplies. We took a lot of breaks, which was good since we were all sleepy. After dinner we got personal time which was nice. We then met with our PS to cover the schedule for the weekend. They are changing it up with Super Bowl on Sunday.
Day 10
I had BayGuard from 0300-0500. Not much fun. It was hard to stay awake.
Saturday. Wake up at 0600. After breakfast our platoon went to the Quartermaster Museum. I found it really interesting. Our PS then took us to the PX to get uniforms dry cleaned and get the ribbons and medals we need for graduation ceremony. After chow he also took us to the main PS as well. It was super busy. We then had personal time and could order food in if we wanted. I ordered a pizza but it took way too long to arrive so I won't do that one again. I enjoyed the downtime though. Final formation was a little later, 2200.
Day 11
Sunday! Normally we get to sleep in as long as we want on Sundays, but today we had to get up at 0600 and do PT so that we can sleep in later on Monday since they are letting us stay up for the Superbowl. Our PS took those of us in our platoon that wanted to run on the track over to the track where he timed us if we wanted. So I went ahead and made myself to a full two miles. I made it in 20:07 which is passing! So Thursday when I take the PT test I should be good to go! We walked ourselves to brunch at 0900 and the whole day was personal time. I took a three hour nap and did laundry. It was so nice to have a break. We had recall formation at 1600 and they took us to dinner. Afterwards was personal time again. I had BayGuard again from 1700-1900. I then went down to the SuperBowl party long enough to bum free food off of people. Then early to bed for me! Hopefully the next 8 weeks fly by fast! :-)
I left on Thursday, January 24. Went through Direct Ship, same as BCT, but it was only for a few hours this time just to get my packet. They were very chill and I was the only person from Oklahoma shipping out. They took me to the airport (and helped with my bags). I flew to Chicago, then Richmond, VA. Had a delay out of Chicago along with 6 gate changes, so it was late when I landed in Richmond. Luckily the USO was still open so I had a place to wait while I waited for my shuttle. I ended up being shuttled in a town car. Very cool. I had to call the Reception Battalion to find the CQ office. They were in trailers. But the SFC on duty was super nice and got me in a bed right away. I got a few hours of sleep then before starting the next day. Everyone there was pretty helpful about what to do.
Day 2
The first day nothing much happened, as I was early for in-processing. We ended up helping to move a supply closet from the third floor of one building to another building a block away. Everyone from BCT started arriving that evening. It also started snowing. And it was quite cold. We helped get everyone in. I had to switch bays. Glad my stuff was still packed.
Day 3
The next day we chilled all morning while they took people to the PX. They didn't want to start in-processing until everyone arrived and one of the busses from Fort Jackson had to turn back from the weather. They ended up moving all of us 92Y to our company to make room. It was nice to know I was finally in my spot for the next 8 weeks. And it meant I was going to be starting a week sooner than my contract said. We met our platoon sergeant. He seems really cool. I think he'll be fair and take good care of us. We got to relax that evening which was a nice break. I got unpacked. We walked ourselves to chow. Had final formation with our soon to be company, Bravo Company, 266th QM BN. They have a lot of silly cadences and all. It will take some getting used to.
Day 4
The next day was a little later wakeup. 0515. We went back to reception and did some paperwork. Signed rosters. Went to Sunday brunch. Had a chaplain's brief. Did more paperwork, had another breif. Then we waited while they took the new arrivals to the PX. Afterwards we went back to Bravo Company. We had 10 minutes before going to chow. The rest of the company was late so we got to experience the repercussions of that. Lol. Our dorms are really old, but I still find it a step up from the trailers I was in at BCT. Here we have lots and lots of super hot water. Very nice! :-) Everyone else is coming from nicer barracks in BCT so they don't like this place much.
Day 5
Had to be up at 0215 on Monday morning. We didn't get picked up until 0400 and they marched us to chow. We then went to a large auditorium to do financial paperwork and a ton of breifings. It took forever. Eveyone kept asking the same questions. It was all very frustrating. The STD breifing was disturbing. Lol. We took a break for chow and then all the 92Y and 92G had to come back for one last breifing. Then we went back to Reception and waited a few hours until our Platoon Sergeant (PS)picked us up. Our platoon now has 45. About half male, half female. We had chow and then had to fill out paperwork with our PS. We are officially starting AIT! 8 weeks and 2 days until graduation!
Day 6
0400 wake up. This will be my wake up 5 days a week for the next 8 weeks. Had our first day of PT. Did sprints. Pretty much just like BCT, so no big deal. We got an hour to shower and have our bunks ready for inspection. Our room was good to go. Went to breakfast and then they marched us straight to the school. We had a breifing in the auditorium and then we were split into two classes. I'm in class 034 with SSG Dingle. Our first few hours of class were pretty slow and boring. Our insturctor teaches kind of hit and miss so it took me a little to figure out what was going on. We basically were learning how to use Army Publications to do our jobs. We had lunch from 1300-1400, then back to class until 1730. We get breaks each hour and there is a break room with vending machines. After class was chow, and then more paperwork wtih our PS and a breifing from our 1SG.
Day 7
8 more weeks... No PT today. Put on ACUs, went to breakfast, and then early to school. Same thing as yesterday. Pretty boring. It's hard to stay awake. We each have a laptop to use, so I try to take good notes just to keep my mind engaged. Our first test is tomorrow. It was starting to rain so they took us back to the barracks on the bus. When we got to our floor (females are on the third floor) it reeked of cigarette smoke. So then we had the drama of the cadre trying to figure that out. We lost all personal time until chow from it. After chow we got our rooms ready for inspection and had to wait forever for our PS to come and check. Our room was good and he said my locker was good to go as well. We had final formation and headed to bed.
Day 8
PT was inside today due to the weather. Pretty cramped. We did pushup/situp drills. My arms are going to be sore. But it was a good workout. Showered, got our rooms ready for inspection, and went to chow. Went to school, finished covering material for the test and started the test right before lunch. They gave us 3 hours for a 50 multiple-choice question test. It only took me 20 minutes. So after lunch I sat in the breakroom until everyone was finished. I passed the test with 96%. After chow I found out they do random drug tests every Thursday. And of course I got chosen. Lol. It took a little while, but no big deal.
Day 9
PT was an Ability Group Run (AGR). I did okay and kept up with the group. Ran about 2 1/2 miles they said. Class was the same. Started learning forms for ordering supplies. We took a lot of breaks, which was good since we were all sleepy. After dinner we got personal time which was nice. We then met with our PS to cover the schedule for the weekend. They are changing it up with Super Bowl on Sunday.
Day 10
I had BayGuard from 0300-0500. Not much fun. It was hard to stay awake.
Saturday. Wake up at 0600. After breakfast our platoon went to the Quartermaster Museum. I found it really interesting. Our PS then took us to the PX to get uniforms dry cleaned and get the ribbons and medals we need for graduation ceremony. After chow he also took us to the main PS as well. It was super busy. We then had personal time and could order food in if we wanted. I ordered a pizza but it took way too long to arrive so I won't do that one again. I enjoyed the downtime though. Final formation was a little later, 2200.
Day 11
Sunday! Normally we get to sleep in as long as we want on Sundays, but today we had to get up at 0600 and do PT so that we can sleep in later on Monday since they are letting us stay up for the Superbowl. Our PS took those of us in our platoon that wanted to run on the track over to the track where he timed us if we wanted. So I went ahead and made myself to a full two miles. I made it in 20:07 which is passing! So Thursday when I take the PT test I should be good to go! We walked ourselves to brunch at 0900 and the whole day was personal time. I took a three hour nap and did laundry. It was so nice to have a break. We had recall formation at 1600 and they took us to dinner. Afterwards was personal time again. I had BayGuard again from 1700-1900. I then went down to the SuperBowl party long enough to bum free food off of people. Then early to bed for me! Hopefully the next 8 weeks fly by fast! :-)
Friday, January 18, 2013
Update!
I had good intentions of blogging each month about drill, but that didn't happen. So now I'm going to catch up on what has happened since I finished BCT.
April 2012
I had my first OCPC drill (Officer Candidate Preparatory Course). We started on Friday night and went to Fort Sill for the weekend. I got the pleasure of being made Platoon Leader. It was a challenge, but a good one. Our weekend was spent doing Land Navigation. We went through the course 4 times. And it was exhausting! I met some great people though and found it much more enjoyable than BCT. We took a PT test, but I failed my run with my knees still being very sore and stiff from BCT.
May 2012
This was supposed to be OCS Phase 0. But after much thought, I decided to wait to start OCS. My PT was still not up to par and I did not feel ready. So I had my second OCPC drill. There were only a few of us this time, as most everyone else was start OCS. It was pretty laid back. No PT test, and lots of classroom time at the RTI (Regional Training Institute). I did learn a lot about what to expect with OCS.
June 2012
Another OCPC drill. This month I was again the Platoon Leader and we had a new 1LT in charge. It was a little more structured than before. I still didn't pass my PT test, which only frustrated me more. I made some mistakes as PL, which got me yelled at a few times, but I felt like I learned a lot. It also got me thinking that I wasn't ready to be an officer without spending time as enlisted first. So a few weeks after drill, I made the decision to not got to OCS, and stay enlisted. So I was moved back to RSP until they could get me a ship date for AIT.
July 2012
Back at RSP for drill. With lots of teenagers. Fun. At least it was at Mustang instead of having to go all the way to Fort Sill. I was made the Platoon Leader since I was oldest and out ranked everyone else. So my weekend felt like I was babysitting teenagers. And I failed my PT test yet again.
August 2012
RSP drill again. PL again. PT test failed again. But I did finally get a ship date for AIT. I was nice to my father and opted to not leave until January so I could help him with fall harvest. And it meant more time for me to get in shape.
September 2012
RSP drill. PL again. PT test failure again. I joined a gym, Crossfit, at the end of August, so I hope this is my last PT test failure!
October 2012
PT test passed! 21 pushups, 66 situps, 19:24 run. My little brother was with me at drill this time. He was home from BCT and AIT and had his Battle Hand Off ceremony. I'm so ready for that to be me!
November 2012
I only had to go to drill one day this month since I had done a recruiting event at a college with my recruiter earlier in the month. Which meant I didn't have to take a PT test. Yay!
December 2012
My last drill before I ship! It was only a one day drill. I did not quite pass my PT test though. I had been sick for a few weeks with a cold and it made my run time too slow. But since I was shipping in a month, they didn't care this time. Lol. I had my shipper's brief and then we got out early.
Janauary 2013
I've spent the month working hard on my PT and getting all my gear ready for AIT. I will be going to Fort Lee, VA for 9 weeks. I will be doing my job training for my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). I will be a 92Y Unit Supply Specialist. I'm hoping to update my blog once a week or so, so stay tuned to hear how my training goes. Hopefully I'll be home on April 4 and finally be a fully trained soldier!
April 2012
I had my first OCPC drill (Officer Candidate Preparatory Course). We started on Friday night and went to Fort Sill for the weekend. I got the pleasure of being made Platoon Leader. It was a challenge, but a good one. Our weekend was spent doing Land Navigation. We went through the course 4 times. And it was exhausting! I met some great people though and found it much more enjoyable than BCT. We took a PT test, but I failed my run with my knees still being very sore and stiff from BCT.
May 2012
This was supposed to be OCS Phase 0. But after much thought, I decided to wait to start OCS. My PT was still not up to par and I did not feel ready. So I had my second OCPC drill. There were only a few of us this time, as most everyone else was start OCS. It was pretty laid back. No PT test, and lots of classroom time at the RTI (Regional Training Institute). I did learn a lot about what to expect with OCS.
June 2012
Another OCPC drill. This month I was again the Platoon Leader and we had a new 1LT in charge. It was a little more structured than before. I still didn't pass my PT test, which only frustrated me more. I made some mistakes as PL, which got me yelled at a few times, but I felt like I learned a lot. It also got me thinking that I wasn't ready to be an officer without spending time as enlisted first. So a few weeks after drill, I made the decision to not got to OCS, and stay enlisted. So I was moved back to RSP until they could get me a ship date for AIT.
July 2012
Back at RSP for drill. With lots of teenagers. Fun. At least it was at Mustang instead of having to go all the way to Fort Sill. I was made the Platoon Leader since I was oldest and out ranked everyone else. So my weekend felt like I was babysitting teenagers. And I failed my PT test yet again.
August 2012
RSP drill again. PL again. PT test failed again. But I did finally get a ship date for AIT. I was nice to my father and opted to not leave until January so I could help him with fall harvest. And it meant more time for me to get in shape.
September 2012
RSP drill. PL again. PT test failure again. I joined a gym, Crossfit, at the end of August, so I hope this is my last PT test failure!
October 2012
PT test passed! 21 pushups, 66 situps, 19:24 run. My little brother was with me at drill this time. He was home from BCT and AIT and had his Battle Hand Off ceremony. I'm so ready for that to be me!
November 2012
I only had to go to drill one day this month since I had done a recruiting event at a college with my recruiter earlier in the month. Which meant I didn't have to take a PT test. Yay!
December 2012
My last drill before I ship! It was only a one day drill. I did not quite pass my PT test though. I had been sick for a few weeks with a cold and it made my run time too slow. But since I was shipping in a month, they didn't care this time. Lol. I had my shipper's brief and then we got out early.
Janauary 2013
I've spent the month working hard on my PT and getting all my gear ready for AIT. I will be going to Fort Lee, VA for 9 weeks. I will be doing my job training for my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). I will be a 92Y Unit Supply Specialist. I'm hoping to update my blog once a week or so, so stay tuned to hear how my training goes. Hopefully I'll be home on April 4 and finally be a fully trained soldier!
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