Day 9: We had our first road march this morning. We started off at 0500 and marched 2.5 miles with about 50 bs of equipment. I have never sweated so much; it was extremely hot. I got an extra workout this morning since I was stuck being a road guard. After a hot breakfast, we began land navigation exercise where we had to find plotted points in the woods by using a compass, map and protractor. It took my group an hour to find all 4 plots. We waited 3 hours for the other groups to finish the exercise. I took a good nap in the woods. I have gotten used to sleeping wherever I can because 0400 comes way too early. After being out in the heat for 8 hours, the white buses were a sign of relief since we didn't have to march back.
We hung out in the classroom in the afternoon. I finally got the hang of taking the weapon apart and putting it back together. Thank goodness most of the guys are very familiar with rifles or I would be totally lost!
Day 10: After PT & chow this morning, we marched to the CS gas chamber. (We got extra time at chow and other platoons received ice cream. I didn't eat much breakfast because I didn't want to get sick!) I realized last minute that I did not have a seal on the gas mask. The gas caused our skin to burn and it basically collapsed our lungs. We were told to keep our eyes closed the entire time but a female behind started freaking out so I was trying to calm her down. We only stayed in the chamber for about 2 minutes. When we were released outside, everybody was coughing, gasping for air with snot running down our faces. We were told to flap our arms and not touch our faces. After 10 minutes, the effects subsided. Looking back, the gas chamber was not that bad but when you are actually inside, it was miserable.
We are heading to the field tomorrow to camp out. First, we have to march to a fit-to-win obstacle course where we compete against other platoons in our company.
Monday, August 8, 2011
BCT: Days 6 - 8
Day 6: We have PT every morning at 0600. It's not a bad workout. It feels good to be able to exercise again. We had to sit through more classes today about warfare.
Day 7: I can't believe that I have been at BCT for a week. I didn't get much sleep last night since I had fire guard duty at the CQ desk from 1200 to 0200 but ended up staying an extra hour since the next shift overslept. After chow, we had the option to attend a neutral church orientation service. I ended up leaving after 10 minutes because I felt so uncomfortable. I am glad I ended up leaving because I was able to finish up organizing my locker and sneak an hour nap in the laundry room. Today was an easy day. We learned how to take our weapon apart and put it back together. We also had a course on land navigation. It was nice to be able to get back to the barracks at 1500 but apparently a crazy girl who just got out of anger management was placed in our barracks because she was bullying females in her platoon. I had to move all my stuff in my locker so she can be carefully monitored.
Day 8: I was actually able to get 7 hours of sleep last night. Instead of Pt, we headed to the team development course. It was a lot of fun. It consisted of 5 different activities where we had to use teamwork to accomplish the missions. On the last obstacle, we had to maneuver on a wire upside down via our hands while wrapping our legs around the wire. My legs are all bruised up now. After spending 7 hours at the obstacle course, we went back to the platoon classrooms to study.
I have noticed a change in my platoon. We are becoming a team. However, today it seemed like I heard "front leaning rest position, MOVE!" quite a bit. I have noticed that my arms are leaner from all the pushups we have done. We also had to be in the squat position for 30 minutes.
Our DS's aren't that bad compared to other platoons. As my DS said "don't mistake kindness for weakness." We are getting smoked for stuff like not calling "at ease" when a DS walks in.
Day 7: I can't believe that I have been at BCT for a week. I didn't get much sleep last night since I had fire guard duty at the CQ desk from 1200 to 0200 but ended up staying an extra hour since the next shift overslept. After chow, we had the option to attend a neutral church orientation service. I ended up leaving after 10 minutes because I felt so uncomfortable. I am glad I ended up leaving because I was able to finish up organizing my locker and sneak an hour nap in the laundry room. Today was an easy day. We learned how to take our weapon apart and put it back together. We also had a course on land navigation. It was nice to be able to get back to the barracks at 1500 but apparently a crazy girl who just got out of anger management was placed in our barracks because she was bullying females in her platoon. I had to move all my stuff in my locker so she can be carefully monitored.
Day 8: I was actually able to get 7 hours of sleep last night. Instead of Pt, we headed to the team development course. It was a lot of fun. It consisted of 5 different activities where we had to use teamwork to accomplish the missions. On the last obstacle, we had to maneuver on a wire upside down via our hands while wrapping our legs around the wire. My legs are all bruised up now. After spending 7 hours at the obstacle course, we went back to the platoon classrooms to study.
I have noticed a change in my platoon. We are becoming a team. However, today it seemed like I heard "front leaning rest position, MOVE!" quite a bit. I have noticed that my arms are leaner from all the pushups we have done. We also had to be in the squat position for 30 minutes.
Our DS's aren't that bad compared to other platoons. As my DS said "don't mistake kindness for weakness." We are getting smoked for stuff like not calling "at ease" when a DS walks in.
BCT: Day 5
Day 5: I woke up feeling much better today & was able to go back to my platoon. Although yesterday was nice & relaxing since I was able to sleep and catch up on my letters, I missed BCT. We practiced D&C with the weapons. We have to be with our weapons at all times, except in the latrine. They are starting to get heavy carrying them around all the time.
We had to sit through more briefings today and started to discuss warfare & the laws associated with it. These long, boring briefings are the worst part of BCT so far.
We had to do some squats for an hour because people do not know how to keep their mouths shut. If we do as we are told and show up in 15 minutes in the right uniform, then BCT isn't so bad. Most of the people here are fresh out of high school. Apparently they do not get the concept of discipline. At least I will be in better shape by the end of BCT.
One thing I have noticed is that all the DS's and the ISG's know my name by now. The ISG asked my mos today to I know they will expect more out of me. They don't necessarily yell at me or call me out.
An incident happened at Defax before dinner tonight and my female DS will be leaving our platoon. I was just starting to respect her. I hope my platoon isn't stuck with a bad DS!
We had 2 females in my platoon on suicide watch. We have only been at BCT for 5 days and they have already quit. One girl got an article 15. BCT is not that bad. Yes, at times, it does suck but when things are bad you turn to your battle buddy or release your thoughts in letters. It's easier and quicker to graduate BCT than to get out of the Army at this point. We are now down to 10 females and 49 males.
We had to sit through more briefings today and started to discuss warfare & the laws associated with it. These long, boring briefings are the worst part of BCT so far.
We had to do some squats for an hour because people do not know how to keep their mouths shut. If we do as we are told and show up in 15 minutes in the right uniform, then BCT isn't so bad. Most of the people here are fresh out of high school. Apparently they do not get the concept of discipline. At least I will be in better shape by the end of BCT.
One thing I have noticed is that all the DS's and the ISG's know my name by now. The ISG asked my mos today to I know they will expect more out of me. They don't necessarily yell at me or call me out.
An incident happened at Defax before dinner tonight and my female DS will be leaving our platoon. I was just starting to respect her. I hope my platoon isn't stuck with a bad DS!
We had 2 females in my platoon on suicide watch. We have only been at BCT for 5 days and they have already quit. One girl got an article 15. BCT is not that bad. Yes, at times, it does suck but when things are bad you turn to your battle buddy or release your thoughts in letters. It's easier and quicker to graduate BCT than to get out of the Army at this point. We are now down to 10 females and 49 males.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
BCT Day 4
Today I was able to catch up on my sleep at the med quarters. I just got my temp taken & it was normal. Looks like I will be able to go back to the barracks in the morning.
BCT Day 3
We had our first PT test this morning. I did okay on my running but realized something was off with my running. We had classroom with my platoon so it was nice to have a somewhat relaxed day. We had a 3 hour meeting in the afternoon.
Living with so many people results in a lot of germ exposure. Apparently I caught something in a few days. A female in the same barracks caught the same symptoms and jumped to the conclusion that it was strep throat. Since we can't miss any training, which is when sick call is, she dragged me to the hospital. Come to find out, I have a fever and have to be monitored with a 6 hour waiting room wait while she was given medicine and sent home. I was looking forward to a good night's sleep but instead, I am spending the night at the ER.
Update: After waiting 7 hours to see the doctor, I found out that I have a bad summer cold. I was given antibiotics and sent to medical quarters for 24 hours so that I can sleep.
Living with so many people results in a lot of germ exposure. Apparently I caught something in a few days. A female in the same barracks caught the same symptoms and jumped to the conclusion that it was strep throat. Since we can't miss any training, which is when sick call is, she dragged me to the hospital. Come to find out, I have a fever and have to be monitored with a 6 hour waiting room wait while she was given medicine and sent home. I was looking forward to a good night's sleep but instead, I am spending the night at the ER.
Update: After waiting 7 hours to see the doctor, I found out that I have a bad summer cold. I was given antibiotics and sent to medical quarters for 24 hours so that I can sleep.
BCT Day 2
Today started early at 0330. We went to the victory tower, which is an obstacle course. We had to propel down a 40 foot wall. It was a lot of fun. You can check out the victory tower on BCT website. The heat caused 4 heat casualties from my platoon. Heat has really been an issue here. We had to sit through briefings in the afternoon. Everybody in the company is always struggling to stay awake during these lectures - that's the hardest part of BCT so far.
I got smoked 8 times. I was smoked twice before 0500. I am not a big fan of our female DS who makes it know that she hates females by pointing out everything that is wrong with us. We had to do pushups until muscle failure this morning. I am sure that I will feel it tomorrow.
One thing about BCT is that they give you just enough time to get everything done. You have to choose your priorities. 45 minutes of personal time at night is when we take showers, organize closets, prepare for the next day, write letters, and do laundry. It seems like I can only fit in a quick shower before I have to prepare for formation at 2045.
I got smoked 8 times. I was smoked twice before 0500. I am not a big fan of our female DS who makes it know that she hates females by pointing out everything that is wrong with us. We had to do pushups until muscle failure this morning. I am sure that I will feel it tomorrow.
One thing about BCT is that they give you just enough time to get everything done. You have to choose your priorities. 45 minutes of personal time at night is when we take showers, organize closets, prepare for the next day, write letters, and do laundry. It seems like I can only fit in a quick shower before I have to prepare for formation at 2045.
BCT Day 1
Today started early with wakeup at 0300 and formation at 0330. After waiting outside for 2 hours, the buses and DS's finally showed up. We got on the bus & were asked to lay our heads down on our bags. We were greeted with the DS's yelling, telling us we have 10 seconds to get off the bus. Of course, it took a lot longer & the DS's were yelling at us, telling us how slow we were as we were running with our heavy bags. After an introduction, we were divided into our platoons. We sat in a classroom & were handed out equipment (helmet, bullet proof vest & tent). We also got to learn some drill and circumstance. Chow is interesting ... we have to move side swipe as we get our food & only have 5 minutes to scarf it down.
I did not want to let my DS know that I am going to OCS & my educational background. If course, that was one of the first questions she asked. Although my DS yelled and we got smoked pretty good, they have been great instructors. They will turn on you if you address them incorrectly or say the wrong thing. It's hard to get used to. After a long day, I was looking forward to a good shower & early bedtime. Of course I would have fire duty from 2100 to 2300 when I was stuck scrubbing the bathroom. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I get to propel down the 40 foot victory tower.
I did not want to let my DS know that I am going to OCS & my educational background. If course, that was one of the first questions she asked. Although my DS yelled and we got smoked pretty good, they have been great instructors. They will turn on you if you address them incorrectly or say the wrong thing. It's hard to get used to. After a long day, I was looking forward to a good shower & early bedtime. Of course I would have fire duty from 2100 to 2300 when I was stuck scrubbing the bathroom. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I get to propel down the 40 foot victory tower.
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