Friday, March 31, 2006

#127 - Graduation Day















I am the second person on the left of the first row (behind the flag) in this photo

















This is my first post in 2 1/2 months. I am accessing the internet from a laptop in a hotel room off post...

It is over! Today was graduation day. It was a warm and sunny morning at Fort Jackson. The graduation ceremony went off without a hitch (though standing at parade rest and attention for over an hour was rather unpleasant). I will be reporting to the location of my AIT tomorrow before noon. Until then I am spending some quality time with my husband, eating good food (and chocolate!), listening to music, and relaxing. I'm not sure when I will be able to have internet access at AIT, but I will update this blog as soon as I am able to...

Thursday, March 30, 2006

#126 - Family day

I am very pleased to know that my husband is already in town, and waiting to see me in a few hours. Family day has been a long time coming!

Thus far today has consisted of cleaning the barracks, breakfast, and getting smoked. I already swept and mopped our room but most of the females are being lazy and not helping in any way. We received our personal bags (which were in storage), but for some reason the cadre refuse to let us wear our civilian eyeglasses. I'm hoping that my husband won't be frightened by the sight of my wearing BCGs!

...

It's been a busy day, and I haven't been able to write until now (9:26pm) as I am getting ready for bed. I had a great time with my husband today. We weren't able to leave Fort Jackson, but we spent a lot of time driving around and exploring the base.

The females are going wild right now in the barracks. Music is playing (as they've gotten their electronics back), cell phones are out, and everyone is dancing around in their hoochie mama civilian clothes. I'm shocked that one of the Drill Sergeants hasn't made an appearance by now.

I was assigned both a CQ and a fire guard shift tonight. I paid one of the girls in my bay to take both off my hands for $35. I figured it was well worth the expenditure, as I need all the sleep I can get right now.

Wakeup is at 5:00am tomorrow, which means about 4:30am for me. Right now I'm looking at a max of about 6 hours of sleep - that is, if the girls ever settle down tonight.

Luckily I already have everything packed up. My duffel has most of my uniform items, and everything else is in one of those big black Army bags. I still don't have much to carry compared to some of the girls in my platoon. It will be interesting to see how they will bring all of their belongings to AIT. I've pared down things to the bare minimum and am still having trouble carrying these.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

#125 - Inspection preparations

There are only two more days until family day, and I can see my husband. I am very excited!

I didn't have any time to write yesterday. We did some PT, outprocessing and graduation practice. I am in the front row of my company. Bucking is to my right on the outside. She is really nervous about her marching, but I think she'll be ok.

We got our Class 'A' uniforms back from the dry cleaners yesterday, and pinned all the buttons and medals on. We also began wearing our black berets for the first time. They aren't so bad, but I would look like less of a dork if I could get rid of these birth control glasses. Amazingly, the cadre is forcing us to wear these for graduation. I don't see why they can't allow us to wear our civilian eyeglasses or contacts. Maybe it's their last hurray as far as making us miserable or exercising control over the minutia of our lives... who knows.

It is 1:53pm, and we are preparing for our last inspection. We will have to wear our Class 'A' uniforms and stand by our lockers with all of our equipment laid out (the stuff we cleaned and turned in yesterday).

This morning we had more graduation practice to contend with, in the rain. Luckily it is supposed to be sunny on Friday with a high of 78. Hopefully we won't keel over wearing the wool jackets.

I am more than ready to get the hell out of here. One of the girls woke me up last night for a fire guard shift that I didn't have, and I nearly ripped her head off. That's the first time I've really lost my cool with anyone while I've been here. Then another girl woke me up in the middle of the night to ask if I had scissors. I was ready to kill her! Maybe it's good that I don't know anyone here with my MOS who is going to AIT. The few that I will probably keep in touch with are Jackman, Newman, and a few girls from the other platoons. Maybe Bucking too, since I spent a lot of time with her. Other than those few folks, I really don't care for just about everyone else. I've tried to, but it has been difficult... Maybe a lot of it has to do with the stressful environment here...

At the graduation ceremony, Jackman is being honored with some other soldiers from the other companies in the battalion (soldiers of the cycle, soldier leaders of the cycle, high PT scorers, and high BRM scorers). She hasn't yet told her dad, who is going to be there - it will be a surprise. Jackman's father is a Capt. in the Army, and a Ranger to boot. Between her family's military background, being PG, and receiving this award, she has a lot going on that is causing the platoon to scathe with jealousy. Actually, it doesn't take much to foster jealousy in this crowd. A few of us that will be in front of the company had to attend a special graduation practice yesterday, and were wearing our black berets before everyone else did. When we returned to the company with them on, everyone in my platoon was very upset that he had something on that was different, and raised hell until we took them off. I know that most of the people here are in the 18-22 age bracket, but 8-12 is more appropriate for their maturity level... amazing.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

#124 - Back at the barracks

I am on a fire guard shift with Newman. I just finished cleaning toilets... such fun! The DS came upstairs during the previous shift and tossed the contents of a locker that wasn't secure. I don't mean to be accused of schadenfreude (taking pleasure in the misfortune of others), but I'm glad it wasn't mine!

Yesterday we spent much of the day cleaning and turning in various pieces of equipment, including wet weather gear, the rucksack, pistol belt, suspenders, ammo pouches, first aid pouch, canteens and covers, PT mat, and kevlar. We then sat in a classroom cleaning our weapons while watching the movie "Jarhead". Sadly, there was a lot in the movie that I could identify with.

They had promised us a "good breakfast" after Victory Forge but the only thing different was that omelets were offered at the DFAC.

Lunch was our "pizza party" outside the company. I gave away 2/3 of my pizza and soda, but ate the two candy bars offered. Some people pigged out so much that they had to pass on supper later on.

After dinner, we sat in another classroom and watched "We Were Soldiers". Well, at least I saw about 1/2 of the movie. It was pretty good, but I was zonking out, since I'm still sleep-deprived from our week in the field, so I went upstairs. I tried to catch a nap before "toe the line" (our nightly accountability) but as usual, the females upstairs were too loud.

My fire guard shift is nearly over - thank God I can go to bed for a few hours. I really need the sleep.

...

It is 1:24pm, after lunch, and I am on weapons guard duty. One of the girls from my platoon, Manacles, was mad at me for not giving up my shift to her on demand. Tough bananas. This is my letter-writing time.

In these last few days before graduation, people are really going at one another's throats... in some cases, literally. The gloves are coming off! There is a 17-year old kid named Bouchard in my platoon that was choked by a big guy in the platoon. Poor guy. The Walmart rangers have also been up to no good, so we have lost our phone privileges today. Damn! I had wanted to call my husband to solidify our plans for family day and graduation.

It has been an uneventful Sunday here. I did laundry this morning, and spent some quality time cleaning my locker, and throwing out a lot of stuff I don't want to bring to AIT. I cleaned my boots and prepared my ACUs for family day (apparently we are wearing ACUs for family day, and Class As for graduation).

Saturday, March 25, 2006

#123 - Victory Forge, epilogue

It is 7:49am Saturday morning, and I am back in the barracks. We got back here about 11:30pm last night. Taking a shower was long overdue, and a wonderful experience.

The barracks reeked lastnight with the B.O. of 90-odd women who hadn't showered for a week. I was gagging. We told everyone to take a shower, even those that are normally personal hygiene-deficient.

The "rite of passage" ceremony last night was anticlimatic, especially after being forced to wait seven hours for it in the cold (30s temps - with no freaking jacket!). It was about 10 minutes long. The Lt. Col. and Sgt. Maj. talked for a minutes in front of the four companies that will be graduating. They changed our phase banners from blue to red, white and blue. We sounded off with our company mottoes, and then our 1SG gave us another uninspiring talk about how we better not screw off or he will revoke our family day and graduation day privileges.

Newman and I were made to march about a mile to the rite of passage site. We weren't very happy about it, as we are on a no-marching profile and were in a lot of pain. We did not march the rest of the distance back, but rode on the back of a four-ton truck. It was freezing, and made for a very miserable few hours. The truck did not go straight back to the company, but followed the people marching at a snail's pace. I think I would rather have suffered with pain marching with them than froze my ass off in the back of the open truck with no jacket on.

I am happy to be back at the company, and thankful that Victory Forge is over.

Friday, March 24, 2006

#122 - Victory Forge, day 7

I am in line for chow and have a few minutes to write. This is the seventh and final day of Victory Forge. I am in a good mood this morning. Other than a 1 1/2 hour roving guard shift this morning, I had an uneventful CS gas-free sleep last night, and two packets of instant coffee to get me going. The weather is overcast and intermittently drizzing. I've heard that we are going to be here until this evening, though I'm not sure exactly what we'll be doing for the rest of the day.

It still doesn't feel like Victory Forge is "over" yet. I'll just be relieved once we return to the barracks.

...

It is now 10:37am. We've packed our gear up, and filled in our foxholes. I used my shoveling skills to help others out. What took me about 5 minutes has taken others a few hours. We packed away our gas masks which (hopefully!) means we won't get gassed again out here.

There have been a few girls away in med quarters for several days who just came back. Everyone knows that Penny and Manacles were just feigning illness to get out of the field. Two girls here apparently overhead them planning their deception and are going to write a statement to that effect. These are the two cute girls of the platoon, and usually employ their feminine wiles to get out of trouble. They have been pretty successful all cycle at getting other people to do their bidding, so it will be interesting to see if they get out of this one. I'm betting that nothing will really happen, and they will evade punishment once again.

Bucking just returned from med quarters too. She has a yeast infection, a sinus infection, and a double ear infection... the poor girl. Sounds like a lot of misery.

I just hit up Newman for some maximum dosage Ibuprofen, as I think I inadvertantly packed mine away. We have been trading them back and forth throughout BCT. My foot is still hurting me, and I managed to mess it up even more backfilling these foxholes.

...

It is 4:30pm, and we have been sitting around now for several hours - hurry up and wait. After lunch we policed the area for trash, and have been idle since. From the sounds of it, we will be sitting around for several more hours in the cold, probably until 8:30pm and the Victory Forge "rite of passage". After that, the company (sans me) will march back 6.5 miles to the barracks. I will ride back unceremoniously on a truck.

The level of boredom here is quite high. I have exhausted any possible interesting opportunities for conversation. Most people are sleeping, or playing hangman in the dirt with sticks. Hopefully chow will be here soon to save me from the ennui.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

#121 - Victory Forge, day 6

We are at MOUT training practicing our building clearing techniques. The weather is cold - in the 30s. Last night White and I had a two hour roving guard shift so I am sleep deprived this morning. I still have a supply of instant coffee packets, however, to help me through the day. Yeah, caffeine!

This is our last real day of training, and tonight will be the last night sleeping out in the field. I believe that we will not be getting much sleep tonight, as the cadre will be using up all the remaining CS gas, smoke grenades, and whatever else they have in their arsenal. Tomorrow morning we will be packing up our stuff, filling in our foxholes, and policing the area for trash. I will be missing out on the road march back, but will be able to attend the Victory Forge rite of passage ceremony - more on that later.

It is 11:18am, and we have cleared two buildings so far. I was prematurely "killed" by an insurgent. Later on the entire company is supposed to attack this complex of buildings. We might be gassed during the process. We can smell gas now, though it is not strong. Someone must be getting gassed in the area. I hate this stuff.

This training complex was built to look something like a village in a war zone. There are a number of buildings, one and two story, ranging from prefab steel buildings to wood stick-built structures which have been made to look old. Broken down and burned out shells of automobiles, military trucks, and busses litter the landscape...

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

#120 - Victory Forge, day 5

This is the first time I've actually written from indoors this week. I am at sick call. I suspect I'll get a 3-day no running/no jumping/no marching profile and a supply of Ibuprofen for my litany of ills. A lot of people had to go to sick call this morning from Victory Forge, and the 1SG was pissed. He made each person come up to him and state their reason for wanting to go. Some people really didn't have a good reason for wanting to do so. There was a rumor that those who went to sick call would be able to stop by the barracks and get showers, so of course that inspired a few people to make the effort. Unfortunately there were no showers to be had. Since we are in day 5 without showering, people are beginning to stink. A lot of the females are also beginning to develop urinary tract infections and yeast infections. One of the other companies busses their soldiers back to the barracks periodically for showers, but not us. Charlie company always seems to do things the hard way.

The other companies are also not marching back from Victory Forge, nor did they have to wear their IBAs on the road marches. From everything I've heard, it sounds like we had it worse than any of the companies in our battalion.

Last night was supposed to be a quiet one in our perimeter. We should have known better than to believe that. For several hours we were periodically bombarded with flares, smoke bombs, and CS gas. The first time we were gassed, I struggled with putting my pro mask on, as I had a difficult time finding and adjusting the straps in the dark. Luckily the CS gas did not land close to my tent, but was a distance away, so I didn't receive the full brunt of the attack. As my skin began to burn and I inhaled the CS, I knew I had to move quickly, and finally got the damn thing on. I still had it on when we were gassed again, this time by a nearby canister. My skin was burning, but otherwise I did not incure any other discomfort with the mask on. Apparently the smoke cloud drifted over to the males' side of the perimeter, as I heard a lot of coughing, choking and sneezing coming from them.

It was frustrating having to wear the mask for a prolonged period, because we were not allowed to have eyeglass inserts in the mask, so I was blind (you cannot put the mask over eyeglasses and have a good seal). I thought I heard people walking around the woods, outside the perimeter, but I couldn't do anything about it, being "blind". So I sat helpless in my tent and waited for the gas attacks to finally end. Eventually they did, and I got a little sleep.

One of the other platoons in our company wasn't so lucky. Apparently they pissed off their DS and the 1SG by being late for a formation, so they were gassed repeatedly. Their Drill Sergeant also kept them up all night long, making them switch fighting positions (foxholes) every 30 minutes.

...

It is 10:33am, and the wheels of Army medicine have turned fairly quickly. I have already been seen at sick call. As I expected, I have my 3-day profile and Ibuprofen. Unfortunately I will not be able to make the 6-7 mile road march back on Friday, but I don't think it's mandatory. In the worst case, I will have to make up the event on the track when we get back to the company.

Just two more nights at Victory Forge... I can't wait for it to be over. I am tired, sore, dirty, smelly, and usually cold or otherwise uncomfortable. I am also weary of constantly living under the threat of being gassed or attacked.

The sad thing is that so many things out in the woods remind me of my husband, friends, and the pleasant experiences I've had outdoors in years past. I see the jerry cans storing water, and remember our camping trips in our Land Rovers. The military vehicles remind me of the ones we have at home. The DS has a small radio in his tent, and it reminded me of listening to the CBC while camping in Nova Scotia. The list goes on and on. I look forward to a day when spending time in the woods will once more be a positive experience. I miss having the lights on at night, coffee in the morning, campfires, and snuggling under the blanket with my husband. Sharing a hooch with White is a different experience...lol.

I'm still sitting at sick call, and waiting for Newman to be finished. I'm accompanying her as a battle buddy. Our DS said that today is mostly going to be a down period anyway, so we're not missing out on much.

When we were out at the Anzio range yesterday, Jackman had a little bit of a breakdown. The fact that almost everyone in our platoon hates her has finally taken its toll. I've been telling her all along not to worry about the idiots here, but I think she is finally reaching the breaking point mentally. I feel bad for the girl - she's only 18 years old, after all. She decided to go to sick call and request that she could stay in med quarters for the night, just to get away from everybody. Of course one of the females in the platoon found out, and the word has quickly spread that Jackman broke down from the mental stress of being our PG. People were already scrutinizing her for any possible fault, and now they are having a field day with this. I'm sure they are going to give her a hard time when she comes back. Perhaps she will ask the Drill Sergeant to relieve her of her PG duties... I don't know. I keep reminding her that she only has a few more days with these knuckleheads, but it's getting more difficult to console her.

We had lunch at sick call, which consisted of some nasty, heavily-processed canned food. There was a shrink-wrapped hamburger bun that probably had a shelf life of 70 years, and a 'barbeque meat product' which could have passed for wet cat food. Yummy!

I just ran into Jackman at sick call. She is going to try to stay a 2nd night at med quarters. Apparently the doctor found that her pulse and blood pressure were sky-high from her stress level, and they wanted to keep her for observation. I'm sure the platoon will be talking about her spending another night away while they are getting gassed in the field. Oh well...

I also ran into some of the other females from my platoon who went to sick call. They stopped at the barracks because someone had forgotten their military ID, and the girls ran and showered against the DS' wishes. Two of the offending parties were girls who are rumored to be hooking up at night with guys from another platoon. Perhaps after several nights in the field having sex, well, and without adequate personal hygiene, I can see why they are desperate for a shower...lol.

Sitting around is tiring in its own right, and I'm fighting drowsiness and my eyes becoming heavier with each passing minute. Most people in my platoon have been taking catnaps in their foxholes out at Blue STX. Our perimeter is spread out over a distance, so the Drill Sergeants can't be everywhere all the time.

I wish I had those packets of instant coffee with me now, as I could use the caffeine. This morning we were fed hot As in the field, and there was a large container of coffee. After the cadre had their fill, they said that anyone over the age of 30 was allowed to come up and get some coffee. I grabbed a cup of weak, gas station-like swill, and quickly gave it to someone else (under the age of 30!). I certainly miss coffee and it's been a long time since I've had it, but I am patient enough to wait for a quality coffee experience (I don't really consider the instant coffee packets I've been ingesting to count!).

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

#119 - Victory Forge, day 4

It is the fourth day of Blue STX, so we are over the hump. It's all downhill from here!

We are at the Anzio range and just completed the vehicle convoy live fire exercise. Luckily no one was shot or seriously injured. This is the most dangerous thing we had to do at basic training, mainly because people were shooting live rounds right next to each other off the back of a moving vehicle.







Our exercise went like this... Fourteen people climbed onto the back of a 4 or 5 ton truck, seven on each side. The truck is very tall and there really isn't anything to grab onto to help you climb into it, so all of the short people like myself struggled. The truck then drove around one side of the range, where the seven people on the driver's side engaged targets. Then the truck turned the other way, and the seven people on the passenger side engaged their targets. The truck then came up a hill where a simulated IED went off. The vehicle then came to an abrupt halt, and we all had to jump off and run to our positions, where we once again fired on targets. We did this once as a dry run with blanks, and then with live ammo. The range was made to look like a bombed out urban environment, with walls, overturned cars and trucks, and debris. The most difficult part of it for me was just getting on and off the truck. One time I fell flat onto my face - no fun on a gravel surface (the Drill Sergeant laughed). Thankfully it is over. This was one of the last major training requirements we had to meet for BCT.

Tomorrow Newman and I will probably go to sick call. Yeah, I really do feel like a "sick call ranger" now. My foot is still really hurting from the road march. My knees and leg have also been causing me considerable pain. Yesterday we were marching around in deep sand, which didn't help things. The pain at one point was bad enough that I was almost crying. At least I'll probably get more 800mg Ibuprofen at sick call. Again, if this was the civilian world, it wouldn't be a big deal... I would have medicine on me, and I wouldn't have to go.

Last night our squad had to act as security at a vehicle checkpoint while we were attacked on several occasions. During the final attack, I was in the treeline visiting the forest facilities along with Bucking and Manacles (girls do go to the bathroom in groups!). We saw the enemy attacking our checkpoint in the distance, and engaged them with our blank M-16 fire from afar. As we were outside the checkpoint at the time, we missed out on the CS gas attack. Poor Jackman had the CS gas canister land right next to her, and then she had trouble putting her mask on, so she nearly puked.

The trouble about playing war with blanks is that you don't know, or can't prove, when you've "killed" the enemy. From our vantage point in the distance, the three of us easily picked off the enemy while they were attacking, as they had no idea we were out in the woods. Unfortunately the DS in charge didn't see it that way.

This morning I believe we were gassed while we were waking up. I saw a canister in the distance emitting smoke, and cluster flares lighting up the night sky. I was just about to leave my hooch to visit the forest facilities, and had to stay and quickly don my pro mask. Nothing is worse than getting gassed just as you are about to go to the bathroom. Someone also lobbed a smoke cansiter into Bucking and Jackman's hooch and nearly caught it on fire.

Last night I had roving guard duty with White. It was quite boring walking around in the dark, but at least our shift ended before the rain came. It had been raining since last night, and it is still raining now, making for a very cold, wet and miserable environment. Some rain did come into our hooch, but luckily the sleeping bags are encased in a Gore-Tex shell.

Yesterday we actually received mail, which was a surprise and a treat. I got a letter from my husband and two cards from my mom. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to send out any mail from the field.

...

It is 1:38pm, and after chow. The company is milling about in the bleachers. I'm tired of being here, and am counting down the days remaining. Earlier I engaged in a verbal altercation with one of my platoon members. They had stolen the weapon from someone who was sleeping, and were planning to torture that person by not revealing its whereabouts. The person who was plotting this had been caught sleeping several times yesterday, so a bit of hypocrisy was in order. I told them exactly what I thought, and their retort was "You know what your problem is? You want an easy ride. You always want to easy way out." Oh well. Guess I got some flack for defending one of the people who aren't popular here. BCT is difficult enough without having to deal with platoon members making it hard on their battle buddies unecessarily. I'm not thrilled with many of the folks in my platoon, but I try to support them when it is necessary. That's the only way that you can make it through this experience.

It's disappointing, in a sense, when I compare my 2006 basic training experience with the first time I went through BCT in 1997, almost 10 years ago. By this time, this late in the game, the first time I went through BCT my platoon had already bonded and become something of a family (albeit a dysfunctional one). In the present BCT cycle, this is not the case. Folks are constantly at one another's throats, and are quick to jump on someone who exhibits weakness or displays, god forbid, any shortcomings. Social graces and consideration for their comrades are in short supply. People are generally rude, and rudeness only begets more of the same. I've found that, in general, I no longer prefer the company of others, and want to be left alone. Sometimes one is able to get away from the teeming masses for a little while, but generally you're stuck with a lot of annoying, ill-temperate, inconsiderate people.

A few more days - that's just what I keep telling myself - just a few more days of this shit.

Monday, March 20, 2006

#118 - Victory Forge, day 3

It is currently 11:06am, and cold and rainy. We hear that massive rains are on the way. White and I dug a large drainage trench around our hooch in anticipation, plus I excavated trenches for several folks. Word has spread of my digging abilities...lol. I am shocked at how many people (mostly females) are having trouble digging, and how many people have never been camping before BCT.

Last night my squad went on a mission to "rescue" a downed helicopter pilot. It involved hiking about 1km in the dark to a burned out shell of an old Huey. We had to fight insurgents (with M-16 blanks) and then load the pilot onto a stretcher for evacuation.

One of the platoons got gassed last night. We could hear "Gas! Gas! Gas!" in the distance, and a lot of yelling and commotion. We haven't gotten it yet, but I know it will come any time now. I wouldn't mind being out here so much if it wasn't for the constant threat of the CS gas hanging over our heads.

In the morning everyone is usually slow in getting ready. Our DS told us that if we weren't on time, that we would be gassed. I never saw people move so fast...lol.

...

It is 1:25pm, and we have finished with lunch. I am laying in my foxhole (we do that a lot at Victory Forge). No rain yet, but the weather has been overcast, cold, and windy. We are soon leaving to run a vehicle checkpoint operation. No missions planned tonight other than defending our patrol base. Luckily my platoon members have been giving me the coffee packets from their MREs, so I may have some precious caffeine to help keep me awake tonight. I will probably eat the instant coffee raw. Nasty... but you gotta go what you need to sometimes.

I am just ready to get this week of training over with!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

#117 - Victory Forge, day 2

It is our second day at Blue STX, aka Victory Forge. I hope the rest of the days pass quickly. Sometimes it is difficult to find free time to write while we're in the field. I am laying in my foxhole taking a break from pulling security around our perimeter. My M-16, loaded with blanks, is reading to encounter any pretend enemy.

My squad just returned from a mission. We had a run-in with a group of "insurgents" who mowed down most of my squad members from behind their position on a hill. I did not "die" during the mission. My tole is that of the RTO, or radio operator. I had to call in a report to the Drill Sergeant... "Nightstalker 7! This is Alpha Team RTO. Enemy encountered. Size: three, maybe four insurgents at twelve o'clock approximately 100m up from our position on hilltop. Activity: enemy has fired upon us and thrown grenades. Bravo Team flanking to the right and laying down suppressive fire. Unit: insurgents in ACUS with patrol cap. Time: encountered at 11:00. Equipment: enemy appears to have M-16s, grenades and artillery..." and so on.

I have to admit that sometimes this kind of training is fun. I just wish my body wasn't in pain from the road march. I have some killer blisters, including ones between my toes, my foot is very sore, and I must have pulled a hip flexor muscle. Everyone is beat up, though, not just old fogeys like me. Just about every person here has something wrong with them. Newman thinks she has a stress fracture. Bucking has a urinary tract infection, mad blisters, and likely bronchitis. Jackman's foot is killing her. One of my buddies from another platoon couldn't make the road march and has been limping around out here in the woods on crutches. This training can be physically tough on a lot of people.

The one whiny girl in my platoon was asking me earlier for some ibruprofen. Some of the folks here are mooches, and she is notorious for it. I am greedily hoarding my dwindling supply of drugs for the rest of the week. The road march on Friday night is 1/2 as long as the way here, but I want to be sure that I can make it. Sadly, I am in a lot of pain right now, and my foot has not been getting any better.

Last night I had fire guard, er, roving guard duty. I was on from midnight to 1am with White. I hate walking around the woods in the pitch dark. White was nearly knocking over people's tents... lol. Actually things have been going well with her, and we've been getting along ok.



Ugh... I just evicted a brown recluse spider from my foxhole. I also found one in White's sleeping bag while I was moving things around in the tent. These are nasty little buggers. Someone had a brown recluse bite at sick call recently, and it looked like a gunshot wound!

...

It is 5:28pm, and I have a few minutes to write. We are eating dinner, some nasty hot As. I spent most of the afternoon helping other people in my platoon to dig their foxholes. I am exhausted! I'm going to ask people in my platoon to save me the instant coffee from their MREs. I might need it to get through the next 5 days here... Wow... I just can't believe how exhausted I am. Just a few more days, I keep telling myself - just a few more days of training, and all the hard stuff will be over. Friday night when we return to the company cannot come fast enough...

Most of the platoon is ready to kill Jackman by now. They've been screwing around out here in the field, and she isn't putting up with their bullshit. It's getting to be ugly. She is expecting a mutiny soon. A few of the saner folks in the platoon are coming to her defense, but mostly everyone is against her at this point. The irony is that she is the best PG they've had, and they don't even realize it.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

#116 - Victory Forge - day 1

I am out at Victory Forge, and have successfully completed the 11.5 mile road march (yup, they decided that 10 miles wasn't far enough for us). The road march sucked, plain and simple. I kept up pretty well until we hit a stretch of hills and deep sand. Hiking in deep sand for about two miles was about as fun as it sounds. It had to fall to the back of the formation for awhile, but I finished ok.

We just had MREs for lunch. This was the only time I've actually eaten most of its contents, as I was ravenous after that road march.

We unfortunately had our battle buddies out here chosen for us by the Drill Sergeants, so I was not able to share a hooch with Newman. I am back again with my assigned battle buddy, White. It think it will be ok, as we're only here for a week... right?

We are about to dig our hasty fighting positions (foxholes). Guess I'm going to burn off some of the calories from the MRE!

I just finished digging my fighting position, as well as a hole to hide my duffel bag and rucksack in. Unfortunately we only had these e-tools to use, and no real shovels were available. Darn! As an archaeologist, that would have been my opportunity to shine. If it's one thing I can do well, it's digging holes... if only I am afforded the right tools for the job. Nevertheless, I seem to have surprised some folks at my ability to dig, even with the crappy e-tool.

I'm not sure what the rest of the day holds, other than chow and putting up our hooches. Tonight our DS has threatened to keep us up, maybe all night. We may be attacking other platoons. Last night the moon was nearly full, so hopefully we won't trip and kill ourselves in the dark.

Of course everyone is waiting for us to be gassed. I've heard that it can happen at inopportune times like during chow, and when you are sleeping. I can't say that I am looking forward to that.

At least digging in the sand was relatively easy. The only issue is just trying to avoid the ever-present fire ant. I forgot how much I really dislike fire ants.

...

It is 6:16pm and we just finished eating chow. We had a good scare while eating. I saw the 1SG walk up with an evil smile on his face and throw a canister right at me. Smoke started to come out of it. Shit! I immediately put my plate of food down, took off my kevlar and glasses, and put on my gas mask. I tightened the straps, and cleared and sealed it. The canister turned out to be a smoke bomb instead of CS gas. That didn't prevent most people from screaming and running, however. Even though I misidentified the canister type, I was still happy that I remained calm. After we received the "all clear" message and resumed eating, I realized that my hands were shaking. So much for being cool, calm and collected, huh?

Friday, March 17, 2006

#115 - Preparing for Blue STX

Last night I was able to call my husband. I miss him terribly, even moreso that I got to talk to him. It was nice to hear his voice and know that I am going to be able to see him in only 2 weeks. This experience is nearly over!

We are scheduled to have MOUT training today, and tomorrow morning will be stepping out for Victory Forge. The week is going to suck, but at least we are near the end.

My battle buddy for Victory Forge is going to be Newman. I think White was disappointed that I didn't choose to share a hooch with her. I didn't mind sharing one with Jackman for White STX, but her buddy, Highe, drove me crazy with her constant whining and complaining. I can deal with Newman just fine. Actually she is one of the few people (besides Jackman) that I like in our platoon. It will be nice to be back in a 2-person hooch, too, for practical reasons. Though the three-person setup was very spacious, a two-person hooch affords better protection from the elements. And from what I heard, it may rain on Monday and Tuesday of next week...

I wanted to call my husband earlier, but the Drill Sergeant on CQ duty cut into our alloted personal time. Apparently he was bored and decided to stage a version of American Idol that he called "Military Idol". He made two people from each platoon get up and sing in front of the entire company, some of them against their will. A few folks were good, but most of them were terrible. Our course our platoon had its own version of William Hung as one guy pitifully try to sing like Eminem. This guy is always picked on by the DSs, but he mostly brings it upon himself. Yesterday in the DFAC he had the cojones to tell a DS that he thought he could beat him in unarmed military combat. The DS punished him by making him do pushups, but then devised a more creative form of punishment. While we marched back from the DFAC to the company, this guy had to continually run around and circle the platoon, his M-16 held high above his head, screaming, "I am the unarmed hand-to-hand combat champion!" over and over. Of course trying to run around a large moving group of 50-odd people is hard enough, so we expected him to trip and fall (he's not very coordinated), but he surprisingly made it back unscathed.

I am now working a late-night fire guard shift. These middle-of-the-night ones are the worst. Fire guard, however, is preferable to CQ or staff duty, both of which have two hour shifts. I haven't yet been assigned to staff duty in BCT, which involves having to work at the battalion HQs across the street.

...

It is now 11:33am, and we are in the midst of packing and preparing for Victory Forge. In my duffle bag I'm bringing a sleeping bag, extra pair of boots, field jacket, two sets of polypro underwear, a PT cap, camoflague pile cap, black gloves w/liners, tent poles and string, tent stakes, an extra set of ACUs, and seven day supply of socks and underwear.

On our body (besides the uniform) we will have the kevlar, LCE/LBE (load carrying equipment/load bearing equipment) pistol belt and suspenders, two 1-quart canteens, the protective mask (uncomfortably hanging from the side of your leg), crap hanging from the LCE, and we will be carrying our M-16s. On our backs in the ruck sack are a poncho, wet weather top and bottom, entrenching tool and case (a heavy sucker), PT mat (for sleeping on), two quart canteen (also heavy), t-shirts, socks, underwear, a washcloth, towel, and personal hygiene kit. Actually I cheated a little and threw some of the personal hygiene items in the duffel bag (which will ride in a truck) like cough syrup, baby wipes, and sunscreen. No need to lug that junk on my person for the road march. A lot of people push the cheating a little further and do things to cut weight like emptying their two quart canteen, leaving the E-tool out of the case, and only putting a few light clothes in the ruck to make it look like it is packed... but they are courting disaster if the DS decides to check them out, which is always possible.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be cold again, I believe in the 30s. Someone claimed that we were going to get a snowstorm, but I think that is highly unlikely, especially since the temps have been rising to the 70s or 80s in the afternoon.

Everyone is still packing, but I already have most of my stuff ready, so I have a little bit of free time. I don't anticipate having much of it (nor sleep) at Victory Forge. Oh well. The way I see it is that we now have 1 week and 6 days until graduation. No matter how crappy it will get, I can find solace in the fact that this is truly almost over. Soon I will be able to see my husband, and return to a saner existence with phone calls and other such "privileges". I believe that just being able to talk to my husband every day when I'm at AIT is going to make a big difference.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

#114 - Sick call ranger

"Sick call ranger, where ya been? Gone to sick call, and back again..."

Yeah, I feel like a bit of a sick call ranger, as I have one again returned to battalion aid. Nothing is really wrong with me; I just need a refill for my allergy medicine. At this point I'm having difficulty distinguishing between the symptoms caused by the allergies and the prolonged series of colds I've been fighting off since January 17th. I cannot remember a period in my life where I have been sick and miserable for so long a time. It sucks. I'm hoping that AIT won't be like this.

I was cut short on my writing yesterday. After we were smoked in the sand pit, the platoons worked on practicing drill and ceremony (D&C), We then had a competition in front of the 1SG and CSM. My platoon came in second place. Actually I was relieved in a way that we weren't #1, as we would have then had to go to a battalion competiton - too much scrutiny!

I found out that I will likely be in front of the company during marching at graduation, as they put shorter people in the front. I'm not looking forward to it... being so visible. At least my husband will be able to see me when he comes for the ceremony, I suppose.

Yesterday we finally transitioned to Blue Phase. Those of us who passed our PT test are now allowed to eat bad things, including the candy in our MREs. Of course people are pigging out on cookies and pie at the DFAC, but I'm trying to be relatively conservative. I know I lost weight here, I don't want to gain all of it back and then some. I would like to treat myself to some good chocolate and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, however... maybe on family day. I've been craving weird kinds of foods, like Boston Market fare. It will be nice to sit with my husband and slowly enjoy a meal, not feel like I have only a few minutes to cram it into my mouth a la "eat now and taste it later".

Today we are scheduled to go to the Shoppette. I will try to purchase a watch with an alarm. Unfortunately I've been unable to rely upon the fire guards here to wake me at a specified time. I need a few other items for the upcoming Victory Forge too - things like handi wipes, cough drops, and tissues.

I am still sitting at sick call at the battalion aid building. I can hear the birds singing outside. Some of the trees are beginning to show buds of new growth. I believe that spring may be here. The pine trees have always had their needles, of course, but the deciduous hardwoods have been bare until now. I have heard that temps are mostly going to be in the 70s this upcoming week (such news is disseminated on what the DSs call the PNN - Private News Network. We are cut off from the rest of the world, so if anyone is lucky to catch a fleeting glimpse of a newspaper, or something on TV while they are in someone's office, they will share the info with everyone).

We do spend most of our time outdoors - so much that I've been sunburned on my face for awhile. My face is black and blue again from being smacked with the M-16 at the Omaha Beach range. It's a good thing they are giving us a few days to recover after Victory Forge, as my body will need the time to become more presentable before I see my husband and venture out in public.

There is supposed to be a person coming today to take down our info for hometown newspaper releases. You know, those little blurbs that say, "Pvt. so-and-so has completed basic combat training..." Graduation is definately on everyone's minds. We are scheduled to have a pizza party on the day after we return from Victory Forge. We have also been promised some sort of a good breakfast and lunch that day.

For family day, there is a dinner buffet being offered to soldiers and their families, which I will likely opt out of. I would rather spend that time dining alone with my husband. There are several folks here that I've gotten close to while I've been at BCT, but I think we all need our space... and there are certainly many that, even though this might sound mean, I wouldn't care if I never saw again.

Folks were making phone calls last night, but I didn't get a chance to. Jackman told me that we should be able to use the phone again today. Aside from the time we will be at Victory Forge, for the rest of BCT I should be able to, in theory, use the phone any time. No internet computers, though. I think the cadre were just teasing us. It sounds like they haven't been networked yet. Where's a good 25B when you need one?

Yesterday I was disappointed to have received no mail, which is unusual for me. Sometimes there is a glitch in the system, as no one will receive any mail. We suspect that one of the DSs just forgot to go to battalion to pick up the company's mail...

Last night in the barracks I overheard a conversation between two of the resident lesbians. They were being quite graphic in describing sex acts, and I think they drove a few folks out of the room...lol. Some of the females here are having a little fun with the whole drama of the lesbian finger-pointing going on in the bay (the whole "Rainbow List" incident). About seven of them formed a lesbian sisters "sorority" and performed an animated skit in front of the other girls in the barracks. One girl would say, "I'm sister licks-a-lot" and then make appropriate gestures. Another girl was simulating, well, certain sex acts. It was quite the spectacle, but very entertaining. If guys ever wonder how large groups of females behave amongst themselves, sometimes they go a little crazy. Some on the antics reminded me of things that went on in the dorm in college.

I am still sitting in sick call. I've been here for over 1 1/2 hours and haven't been dealt with yet. The person next to me is sleeping, but I'm not so brave nor brazen, even though I am tired. I wish there was a way I could somehow catch up on sleep before Victory Forge.

...

It is 2:46pm, and we just finished at the Shoppette. I didn't spend as much as I thought I would. My purchases included a Timex indiglo sports watch ($30), a few postcards, and other small items. I'm interested to see what the main PX here on post has to offer. From what I've been hearing, the only places that civilians can really eat on post are at food court of the main PX. Unfortunately we are unable to leave Fort Jackson on family day.

One of the girls in my platoon, Kobe, just went into the barber shop and had her head shaved. It's not quite Sinead O'Connor, but not far off. I'll bet she is going to be in for some interesting comments when the Drill Sergeants see her.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

#113 - PT test

I am currently writing from my "office" in relative quiet (one of the bathroom stalls). We just returned from chow, and earlier finished the PT test. I am happy to report that I passed everything, and am good to go! I did fewer situps than last time, but more pushups, and chopped 10 seconds off my run time. The run sucked (as usual), but I tried to push myself, and just kept thinking of my husband the entire time. Any time I wanted to stop, I reminded myself that I needed to do this so I could graduate and see him. Anyway, I'm glad that this is over, and the pressure is off.

There were a number of people in my platoon who did not pass their PT test, including White, Bucking, and Newman. I feel for them. They will try again on Friday, and if they still can't pass, they will be tested every day or two between now and graduation. No one wants to be a holdover here for failing a PT test.

Have to run - we are conducting barracks maintenance and MOUT training.

...

It is 7:00pm, and I am very tired. We practiced for the upcoming firing from a moving vehicle exercise, aka the convoy live fire. One of the Drill Sergeants decided to smoke the entire company because a few people were talking when they weren't supposed to be. It was very unpleasant. There was a giant sand pit about 100-150m long, and we had to high crawl through it, then crawl on our backs across it, and back again doing the low crawl. Sand was everywhere, including the inside of my ears.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

#112 - Red Phase in Blue Phase continues

Today is the 49th day of BCT, and the 57th day I've been at Fort Jackson... wow.

I am once again serving on a weapons guard detail while the rest of the company gathers downstairs for the nightly "hydration formation".

We are still in Red Phase with the banners furled. Rumor has it that we may progress to Blue Phase if people do well on the PT test tomorrow morning. I certainly hope that this is the case, as it would be nice to be able to call my husband and family before we leave for Victory Forge (aka Blue STX). We are marching out on Saturday, March 18th, and I believe we're coming back to the company on Friday, March 24th. From the 25th to family day on the 30th, we will have 1 or 2 inspections, marching, practice for graduation, the cleaning and returning of equipment, as well as outprocessing. I'm not sure what else we are doing for the rest of this week. We have an upcoming inspection, during which we will don our Class As, and more MOUT training, as well as prep for Victory Forge. I'm not very intimidate by the upcoming ten mile road march. The one we did last week was somewhere around 8 miles, and this time we will not be wearing the IBA. We will be marching in the morning, and one the way back from Victory Forge, we will be covering a shorter route (6 or 7 miles) at night. I'm not sure who will be my battle buddy yet for Victory Forge.

#111 - US Weapons, cont.


It is the afternoon, and I am finally getting a chance to write. We are at the Kasserine Pass range firing various weapons as part 2 of the US Weapons training. I have been working on ammo detail all day. This morning I packed bandoliers of machine gun ammo, and have been passing it out all day. I have now been relieved and am free to sit in the another area "guarding" the detail's weapons.

The weather is warm, probably in the low 70s and sunny, though we had some rain earlier. I am glad to be set back a bit from the range in the shade, and free of wearing earplugs. Earplugs are fine for short periods of time, but I've found that several hours of wearing them usually causes a headache.

Since she was selected to be the Soldier Leader of the Cycle, Jackman was picked by the cadre to shoot the rounds from the grenade launcher (the others are just shooting dummy rounds). These real rounds are reported to cost about $1,500 a pop, so it's something that everyone cannot do. Of course everyone is jealous and is bitching about the decision. Hearing folks complain about Jackman all the time is a bit tiring. She's taking it better than I probably would under the same circumstances. She does know that AIT is coming up soon, and she won't have to deal with these people any longer.

Today we rode out to the range on the back of a Ford 750. They call it the four ton, but I'm not sure if it's really that big. The back tires are doubled up on each side, but otherwise it doesn't look very beefy. The cargo area (where we ride, like cattle) reminds me of one of our old ex-military Land Rovers at home. The DSs enjoy driving maniacally when soldiers have the misfortune of riding in the back. One of them hit a bump so hard the other day that the tailgate flew off (luckily no one was driving behind us).

Surprisingly, a lot of things here tend to remind me of home. The fence around the ammo point isn't that different from the one enclosing the yard on our property. If I look hard enough and use my imagination, I can almost picture my dogs running around, and several doggie mouths protruding through holes in the fence trying to bite at the green grass growing on the other side of the fence. I miss my pets terribly.

At home my husband is thinking about constructing a wine cellar in our basement. I was recently discussing the merits of wine drinking with one of my (older) friends here in BCT. She was having trouble the other day pulling out the pin of a grenade, and one of the Drill Sergeants told her, "Just imagine you are uncorking a bottle of wine!". ;>

Recently I've written a bit about the guys who got all of us in trouble here for sneaking off to Walmart to purchase (and sell) contraband items to their fellow soldiers in BCT. Apparently they were also dealing in cell phones as well for resale. Such profiteers! The others in the barracks were so angry that they got everyone in trouble that the offenders were moved out of their room. Their lockers were shuffled down the hallway, and the troublemakers put into their own room as the unofficial ostracized "5th platoon". While everyone got the chance to fire some neat weapons today, these guys were punished by having to fill sandbags in the hot sun.

Monday, March 13, 2006

#110 - Buddy, cover me!

I am out at the Omaha Beach rifle range. This is a course with burned-out carcasses of cars (including an old Willys Jeep), concrete walls and various obstacles. One must run from obstacle to obstacle (cover) while hitting targets with the M-16 (your buddy does the same on the other lane next to you). Since I am working on an ammo detail, I did not pair up with my regular assigned battle butty, Pvt. White. I was yelled at by the Drill Sergeants for not throwing my grenade far enough at the end of the course, but that was to be expected.

I believe this is a relatively new range - at least in its present configuration. The soldiers who came back from Iraq and Afghanistan apparently were consulted in an effort to make the course appear like an urban environment. We had to don the IBAs to run the course. I was beginning to forget how unpleasant wearing one could be. It was particularly bad since it was about 85 degrees today, which is a lot hotter than it has been lately. Still, I'm not complaining too much, as I know Fort Jackson can be much hotter in the summer.

I suspect that this may have originally been a regular rifle range. There is an interesting historic range tower still standing which appears to predate the other structures on site. It looks to be currently unused, and still has a layer of 1960s-style bluish-aqua paint on the interior. The deck-on-hip metal roof is reminscent of several of the fire towers I've done research while working for the Forest Service in the past. I've noticed several similar old towers here at the various ranges on post. Oh well... I'm an archaeologist, historian, and architectural historian wannabe... I notice these kinds of things wherever I go... even in the Army at basic training.

Unfortunately this makes me miss my job as an archaeologist. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on so much in the civilian world by being here...

...

It is now the afternoon, and working on the ammo detail has made for a boring day. We've been sorting spent magazines on a tabletop floored with wire hardware cloth... which looks quite like an archaeology screen. Yet another reminder... I miss my civilian career.

...

It is now early evening, and I am waiting with Bucking to use the payphone. Apparently she is having a problem with her bank at home, so the DSs have granted her permission to make the call. Unfortunately I am not planning to use the phone, as tempting as it may be, since I haven't been given permission.

We are hoping that if our company is on their best behavior that we may be able to progress to Blue Phase soon. My prediction is that the cadre will likely hold out on changing the phase banner until at least after the PT test on Wednesday.

I am to be on a different detail tomorrow at another range. We will be firing various weapons including a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher and the squad-automatic weapon, basically a machine-gun version of the M-16.

At mail call today, I received a letter from a friend, a postcard from one of my website moderators, two cards from my mom, and a card from my aunt. It was a good mail day.

Just a few more days, and we'll be marching out to Victory Forge. A week out in the field will suck, but basic training is almost over... thank God!

Today I was told by a Sgt to put up my hair, as it was too close to the top of my collar. I was elated! My hair is finally growing back, and is short enough (barely) to put into a ponytail. I had chopped most of it off for BCT and have vacillated back and forth between being sorry for the decision, and thankful that I haven't had to do much to maintain it. My hair was dyed with blonde highlights before I left for basic in December. I was told that the Army didn't like multi-color hair, so I had to re-dye it my natural dirty blonde before I shipped for Fort Jackson in January. The irony is that we've been spending so much time out in the sun, that my hair has been sun-dyed to a very bright blonde color again.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

#109 - Shakers and the Rainbow List

It looks like today may be a day of writing opportunity. Right now I'm in the laundry room, and this afternoon I have weapons guard duty for two hours. I haven't been usually doing laundry here, as money is automatically deducted from our paychecks for a mandatory laundry service on Fort Jackson. However, the laundry service lost the clothes of about a dozen people on Friday, myself included. It remains to be seen if the lost articles will turn up, or if they will have to replace my items. In the meantime, Jackman allowed me to throw in some of my laundry with hers.

Sundays usually start with a 6:30am wakeup, and 6:50am formation for chow. The entire company is marched to the DFAC en masse. I understood today why we were cast back into Red Phase when I was watching another platoon in our company. While in formation, their platoon members were loudly arguing amongst themselves, and cursing up a storm (especially this one big guy with gold teeth who is a constant rabblerouser). This happened in front of one of the other companies in our battalion who are in Blue Phase. It was very embarrassing. From what I have heard, my company is the laughingstock of the battalion, and the bad example that the other companies' DSs threaten their soldiers with, i.e. "Watch our or you'll be back in Red Phase like them!" I'm still pissed about losing out on our phone (and possibly internet) privileges. Yesterday I caught a glimpse of those three internet stations, and I felt sick to my stomach. I'd give a lot to be able to dash off a quick e-mail to my husband or my family right now.

I will probably try to chat with Jackman for a bit when she gets back from church. It's actually nice to talk to someone whom I do not have to explain everything to. An example... This morning someone asked me which church service I was going to. I jokingly answered that I was a Shaker. The person gave me a blank stare. I said, "You know, the Shaker religion... the group famous for their Shaker furniture? It is a religion whose members supported the church by engaging in craft and furniture-making, and ran something of a self-sufficient utopian community. The Shakers would not allow marriage nor sexual intercourse between members. The religion nearly died out once the numbers dropped off. The Shakers received their name from the feverish state of trembling they would fall into while in a religious fervor." I received another blank stare, then "You must be making this shit up!" *sigh* Jackman was the only one who knew what I was talking about. I find myself unable to usually carry out any conversations that don't revolve around the mundane aspects of basic training. Forget history, politics, world events, religion, the arts, culture... all off-limits. It is quite frustrating.

...

It is now 1:24pm, and I just returned from lunch to be a weapons guard for two hours. I don't mind, as I would rather do this than some kind of detail outside in the company area. It is hot this afternoon - in the 80s - and uncomfortable wearing the ACUs. One of the differences between the ACUs and BDUs is that the ACU sleeve is not designed to be rolled up - no Swiss tabs.

The shit continues to hit the proverbial fan here. I heard that one of the church services is being segregated by sex because of some specific incidents. Not only were people using church as a venue to hook up with the opposite sex, they were actually... umm... engaging in such activities on the premises. I can't go into details on this blog, but let's just say that what went on in church was not G-rated. People have no shame.

A few individuals have been ratting out the resident lesbians in the barracks. I don't know what happened to "don't ask, don't tell". I guess if someone tells the DSs, then they have to do something. Personally I have never seen any homosexual acts with my own eyes, but there have always been rumors. Most of the lesbians who have been outed are not as upset at the fact that the DSs know, but that suspicious abound that they were hooking up with other undesirable lesbians, i.e. "Smith? I would never get with that nasty ho!". Apparently someone also said that there was some giant sex party in the female barracks. I'll bet that rumor originated with one of the males, as they are always the ones interested in hearing tales of lesbian activity in the barracks, whether the tales are true, false or just rumors. Most of the girls here don't really care, one way or another.

There is currently a lot of drama here. Some of the girls who were targeted as being homosexual are on a rampage. They are threatening to beat up the author of a so-called "Rainbow List" that was anonymously turned into the Drill Sergeants. One of them actually asked if it was me... as if I would care who was gay and who wasn't! People are going nuts around here. Graduation can't come fast enough. I can't wait to get out of this madhouse... these people are driving me crazy.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

#108 - No more black berets

We are still in Red Phase. I suspect that the cadre will devise some details to keep us busy tomorrow so we cannot enjoy our normal Sunday free time. At least I will still have part of the morning to myself when the churchgoers go about their business (BTW they now keep the church services segragated by gender because so many people were going there to hook up since the Drill Sergeants weren't around!). The DSs made us turn in our black berets yesterday until graduation lest anyone again try to impersonate an AIT student on their way to Walmart or the PX. I'm surprised they didn't do that in the beginning, and remove the temptation! The rumor mill maintains that the people who were selling cigarettes and candy will probably get a "field grade" Article 15 punishment, will have to forfeit 2/3 of their monthly pay, and will have extra duty until graduation. They are lucky that they are still being allowed to graduate.

Today selections were made for the "soldier of the cycle" and "soldier leader of the cycle". Each platoon's Drill Sergeants nominated two people from their platoon to go before a board. Hints were dropped awhile ago that I might be chosen, but luckily I escaped unscathed because there were two better candidates, Jackman and the APG, a guy named Burt. The board selected a girl from another platoon as the soldier of the cycle, and Jackman won the soldier leader of the cycle award. I'm glad that she got it, as it's a nice way to start her military career. She has been the best platoon guide that we've had so far, myself included! One of the DSs remarked that she marches the platoon and calls cadence better than many of the people he knows from the NCO Academy. The funny thing is that the former PG, Kobe, was plotting to try to have Jackman removed as our PG so that she could try to reclaim her former position (the irony was that Kobe was a terrible PG). Hehe... I don't think it will happen now, as all the DSs and the 1SG selected Jackman as the best one here. Good for her. I don't know if the people in the platoon will stop being assholes to her, but at least she can see that it is possible to succeed in spite of the idiots around her.

My success on the last PT test is getting me out of having to participate in PT (and a dreaded AGR run) on Monday. Instead I am joining the others who passed their diagnostic PT test in a range detail - likely loading ammo, carrying around ammo boxes, passing out hearing protection, etc. Hopefully it will get me out of buddying up with White in what we have to do on Monday. It is a dangerous exercise, and people have gotten shot in the past. We will be on a range where each member of a battle buddy team has to run from obstacle to obstacle with a loaded rifle, stopping to shoot targets along the way, while their buddy covers them (you just pray that someone doesn't turn their M-16 too far in your direction). At the end of the course, you must toss a grenade into a simulated house window, and then run up to shoot the pretend occupants. I am crossing my fingers that I get a decent battle buddy on this one. Earlier today one of the mouth breathers in my platoon was talking about how the Army let him enlist despite his ASVAB score of 24. Things like this frighten me, with good reason.

#107 - The punishment continues

Not much time to write today. Yesterday was a day of hell - being smoked all day long, and treated like shit by the cadre. Some people think that the DSs are being cruel and having fun with this. We are being punished more severely than ever before, even worse than our treatment during the first week of basic training. Our lockers were "inspected" (all contents thrown out across the room) for two days in a row. The Drill Sergeants emptied all the garbage cans all over the barracks, stomped on our berets and clothes, tossed the beds, and even mixed together our dirty laundry from the laundry bags. I don't anticipate it getting better anytime soon. It is frustrating to put up with this crap because of the actions of a few idiots. This is the time when we were supposed to be enjoying Blue Phase before graduation, the time when we should have been getting respect from the Drill Sergeants for everything that we have achieved.

To add insult to injury, we found out that there is another perk of Blue Phase we will miss out on - internet access! Apparently the cadre had been in the process of trying to set up some computers in one of the platoon classrooms for e-mail. It's bad that we can't use them, but maybe a good sign for those shipping to BCT in the future... maybe they will have access to the internet as a perk to look forward to.

Friday, March 10, 2006

#106 - Change to Blue Phase, er, Red Phase?

The shit finally hit the fan here. The First Sergeant found out about people sneaking out of the barracks to buy cigarettes and candy. The entreprenerial souls were selling them at a big profit to their fellow soldiers, and now we've all gotten in trouble for the transgressions of a few. We were supposed to transition to Blue Phase, which is the last part of basic training. That would have brought fewer restrictions and more privileges, such as the possibility of phone calls every night.

The mood here is not pleasant. We started our day with a PT session, and then were smoked for an extra hour. Fistfights broke out, and the perpetrators were forced to come to the front to confess to the 1SG. I still think that there may be blanket parties in the future for some folks. None of the offenders were in my platoon, but we are all still being punished, nevertheless. The 1SG is threatening to revoke our family day privileges, though I doubt that would happen (I can't even imagine the ruckus that all the visiting parents, siblings and significant others would cause). I have heard of this type of punishment being meted out on an individual basis, however, if the infraction was severe enough.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

#105 - Grenades and troublemakers

<-- Grenade training

It is 3:17pm, and I am currently out at the Remagen hand grenade range. I threw two live fragmentation hand grenades this morning. It was not as bad as I expected. In all of our practicing, we had to throw the grenades a considerable distance, but for the actual "real" grenades, we didn't have to throw them very far - just over the wall. The wall was part of a pretty considerable bunker, and one of the cadre told me that it was thick enough that a grenade did not have to be throw, just lobbed over the side. Of course the grenades made a very loud explosion, and the ground rocked. I was the first to go, and happy to have gotten it over with.

This morning we had another AGR (ability group run). It was awful. They had us wearing shorts, sweatpants, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, and sweatshirts over them. It was not cold out, so we were quickly drenched in sweat and overheating. A different DS was leading the 'C' group run who isn't used to running with the slow pokes, and he could not maintain a slow enough pace.

Therefore, most of the people fell out of the run because they just couldn't keep up with him. I had trouble too. We all ended up getting screamed at by the First Sergeant, and as punishment, were made to repeatedly sprint down the road. The 1SG also said that he is going to recommend to the company commander that we not be allowed to transition to Blue Phase because we are a bunch of "fat bodies". Most people are still beat up in some way from the road march on Monday, and we are all tired.

This afternoon we turned in our IBAs. The 1SG said that we are getting more in tomorrow, but I suspect that it is an empty threat. We have heard that the IBAs are needed elsewhere, and we think this is the last of them we'll see at BCT. The cadre here often say things that aren't true to psyche people out. It is just a part of the game, I suppose. This is basic training, after all.

My back was killing me today from wearing the IBA. Luckily I still have a (dwindling) supply of Ibuprofen. Hopefully it will tide me over for the duration of BCT.

All of the platoon phase banners are rolled up right now. One of the platoon's flags has a pack of Newports tied to it. Someone in the barracks snitched on a girl for smoking in the latrine. Cigarettes have been selling on the BCT black market here for between $10 and $20 per cigarette. I've been told that they are obtained in two ways - folks buy them from AIT students on post (usually when they see them at sick call, as this is one of the few times away from the Drill Sergeants), and also that some of the males have been sneaking out of the barracks on Sundays to the nearby PX. I've heard that people usually smoke in the shower to avoid detection. They will turn all the showers on to steam up the bathroom and disguise the smoke, then open the windows, and spray bathroom cleaning products to cover the smell.

The shit did hit the fan, though, as we had a surprise locker inspection. Luckily this never poses a problem for me, as I have nothing to hide.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

#104 - White STX

Despite the best of intentions, this is the first I've been able to write at all for three days - unprecedented for me in BCT! White STX has kept me far too busy, and we did not receive any personal time (barely any time for personal hygiene either, and that took place in the dark). I am back at sick call again for my blisters. The 7 mile road march on Monday morning was quite unpleasant, and my feet have paid for it. I have to get relief for these blisters as they look like they are on their way to becoming infected.

We started out on the road march about 5:00am, and took around 2 hrs and 45 minutes to finish, with two short rest breaks along the way. Before we began, two of the females in my platoon (Manacles and Penny) were complaining about having a difficult time carrying all their gear in addition to wearing the IBA flak jacket. Manacles started to cry, and told the Drill Sergeant that she struggles even carrying her gear up the stairs in the barracks. He relented and told both she and Penny that they could leave behind either their IBA or their rucksack. By halfway through the road march, about 1/3 to 1/2 of the females in my platoon had also complained and were allowed to put their rucksacks in the truck following us. Incidents like this lead me to believe that today's BCT has changed considerably compared to my first experience nearly a decade ago. Earlier in the march, I was keeping up ok, but about halfway through, the company commander decided to quicken the pace. I fell to the back of the platoon, but I did make it... with all my gear.

Along the way we passed an interesting little historic cemetery. From what I was able to see, a lot of the headstones dated from the early to mid 19th century. It made me wonder what other types of archaeological sites were in the area on post. I had my answer over the next few days as our training took us throughout the vicinity. There was a small fenced-off cemetery within our "patrol base" where we bivouaced for White STX. There were no longer any headstones remaining, but from what I was able to see, it was likely a small family plot of 6-7 individuals. I also saw a few stone rows across the road which were likely created during field clearing activities. These walls were covered with at least a foot of sand and vegetation, but I could still discern what was underneath. From what I was able to tell, it looked like there was probably a small settlement in the area dating from the early to late 19th century (and predating the formation of Fort Jackson ca. 1917). Anyway, it gave me something archaeological to think about for awhile. I believe the remaining features and sites were on my mind, as I had a dream about a conversation with some fellow archaeologists (in the dream, I was upset because I perceived being left behind, as I haven't done archaeology in a long time since I've been in the Army). This is only the third dream I've remembered since I've been here, which is odd for me, as I always used to remember my dreams before entering into the military.

During the first day of White STX, we occupied a simulated vehicle checkpoint, and had to search several vehicles that passed through. The checkpoint was surrounded by concertina wire, which is liked barbed wire but ringed with tiny razor blades - some nasty stuff. We also practiced clearing buildings using a "stack squad" - four or five people running through a room using SWAT-team like tactics. Others hid inside and played the part of the insurgents as well as innocent bystanders.

As it started to get dark at sunset, we set up our hooches. I was part of the battle buddy team of Jackman and Highe. The Drill Sergeant seemed impressed with the way I quickly and efficiently put up our 3-man hooch. Incidentally, White and Bucking struggled with theirs, and White was again trying to run the show. They had to finish putting it up in the dark. During the night, I had to pull a roving guard shift with Highe. This is even more boring than regular fire guard duty in the barracks, since it entails walking back in forth in the dark, with no flashlight.

In the morning, we had to tear down our hooches, only to put them back up again later. We spent most of the day engaged in squad tactics and attacking or defending other groups (using blanks in the M-16s). While attacking others, we learned to use various hand gestures to communicate. It was funny to see some of these people trying to move through the woods without making a lot of noise. For many of the folks here, this is the longest they've ever spent outdoors.

We expected that we would be gassed, but it never came to pass (I suppose the DSs are saving that for Blue STX, aka Victory Forge). However, a few males from my platoon decided to swipe another platoon's phase banner while they were sleeping - capture the flag, if you will. This happened in broad daylight. That platoon's Drill Sergeant was so upset (and probably embarrassed) that he stormed over to our platoon's encampment to retrieve his banner. He asked our DS which privates had stolen the banner, and confronted them. That DS then got quite physical with the privates in front of our DS and everyone in the platoon. The other's platoon's DS was a huge guy - probably 6'4", mean as hell, and very intimidating (this is also the jerk that made the disparaging comments to me when we were out at the rifle range). The Drill Sergeant grabbed one kid and hit him in the chest, throwing him on the ground. He then got the other kid and roughed him up, pushing hi against a tree, threatening to inflict bodily harm.

This kind of thing was probably normal years ago, but not really kosher in today's BCT. Later on our Drill Sergeant talked to the platoon about what had happened. He said that he was very shocked and disappointed to have witnessed the other platoon's DS' actions. It sounds like our DS is going to push for the offending Drill Sergeant's punishment. No one is sure what is going to happen. Whatever is the case, we will probably never know the outcome.

Last night was brutally cold to be sleeping outdoors. The temps dipped below freezing. Luckily the military sleeping bags are warm, but any body part exposed near the opening remains cold. I had my PT cap and gloves on, and still woke up several times from being too cold and uncomfortable.

I was supposed to have a roving guard shift last night, but we all got to sleep in, for a bad reason. Penny and Manacles were on guard duty and apparently decided to go back to sleep before being properly relieved at their post. So the chain was then broken, and none of the ensuing shifts were woken up. This is a big faux pas - one of the first things we learned in basic training was the general orders, one of which is "I will not quit my post unless properly relieved." Even though this was a huge infraction, it is unlikely that Penny and Manacles will be punished. Sadly, the Drill Sergeants often do play favorites here, and these two girls do get away with a lot of crap, being the cute girls of the platoon.

I'm about to give up on the hope of being helped today in sick call. They are often overbooked with appointments, and the system is overtaxed. This is what it must be like to be a patient in socialized medicine!

...

It is 5:56pm, and I did end up leaving sick call before I was able to be seen. They were too busy and had to turn soldiers away. I was able to obtain gauze and band-aids from the senior DS, and I still have a supply of Bacitracin (Neosporin), so I am going to try to take care of it myself (unless it gets more seriously infected, in which case I would have to go back for antibiotics). Again, I really hate going to sick call, but unfortunately we are forbidden from easily picking up requisite supplies that in the civilian world could easily be obtained from the corner drug store or convenient mart, and we can't have a lot of this stuff without a prescription here lest it be considered "contraband".

The DS is up in the barracks right now with bolt cutters removing the lock from Gallagos' locker. She is now officially AWOL, having failed to return from her emergency leave. We could all have predicted it. This makes two AWOLS now in our company.

Today was a good mail day. I received two letters from my husband, a card from my brother, a letter from a friend, and several postcards from one of my website moderators.

I had some good news today. After we throw live grenades tomorrow, we are going to turn in our IBA flak jackets. That means we will not have to lug along another 30 lbs on the last long road marches. I had heard the rumor that we were getting rid of them, but it was nice to have it confirmed. That is a huge weight off my shoulders, literally and figuratively.

I saw a template for the certificate that we will be given at BCT graduation. The Drill Sergeant asked us to look at our names to see if they were spelled correctly, and we had the proper rank. It is beginning to feel like it is truly almost over. I cannot wait!

Sunday, March 05, 2006

#103 - PT test

I did not get to write anything yesterday, as my schedule was quite hectic. It was partially a good day for me, and partially a bad one. The bad part first... I was unable to qualify throwing grenades, despite my best effort. Unfortunately I cannot lob the grenade far enough. We are not going to be throwing the live grenades until Thursday, so at least I have some time to practice my technique.

Onto the good... We had a diagnostic PT test yesterday (the test for record is in another week or so). I exceeded my expectations on how well I would do on the pushups, situps and the run. Not only did I get the number I needed to do to pass, but I met the higher standard that will be required of us in AIT. For the two mile run, I had 23:06 to complete it, and finished in 19:05 with 4 minutes to spare. Running two miles did suck, but I really pushed myself, and only walked for a few seconds at the end. There were many times when I wanted to stop, but I continued to think of my husband, and the fact that I needed to pass this test if I wanted to see him at graduation in a few weeks.

We are in the midst of preparing for White STX. I think my battle buddy White is mad at me. For the upcoming bivouac, the DS has allowed us to choose our own battle buddies for who we want to share a tent with. Everyone is choosing someone other than their assigned battle buddy. Three girls asked to be my battle buddy, and I decided to go with Jackman, since she is one of the few that I get along with here. Jackman's battle buddy wasn't happy about being stuck with someone like my own battle buddy, so we ended up deciding upon having a three-person hooch (we have an odd number of women in the platoon since Gallagos left). It looks like Bucking and White will end up sharing a hooch... hopefully they will get along ok.

On Sundays, in between bouts of "barracks maintenance", I usually try to spend some time visiting with my friends from the other platoons. Since I am stuck with my platoon 24/7, it usually makes sense to strike out and seek the company of others during our down time. I think everyone needs a break from the people they spend all their time with. It is possible to spend too much time with your platoon! It believe it is part of the reason there have been so many fights lately... people are just getting sick of having to deal with each other for weeks on end. There is also a theory that folks are so grumpy because they have gone without sex for so long... and cigarettes... and alcohol... and whatever they are really missing.

I'm still hoping for a chance to use the payphone before we strike out for White STX. The Senior Drill Sergeant decided against rolling up our phase banner (and taking away out privileges). I really think that the DSs are beginning to ease up on us a little bit, as it gets closer to graduation. One of our Drill Sergeants is coming back today, however, and things may change for the worse. He has been gone for two weeks to a Sergeant's school. We suspect that he may be something of a hardass when he returns, especially when he sees that the platoon is less disciplined than before he left. People here cannot seem to get their act together, even after all this time... it's amazing.

Ah, the barracks are getting noisy again as the church-goers return. Imagine ninety-nine females on one floor, most of them under the age of 22. The noise can be deafening. Many depart for Catholic mass around 7am, then the vast majority go to Protestant services at 9, and it is wonderfully quiet for a few hours. I look forward to that near silence every Sunday morning, though the pleasure is fleeting.

I was actually able to get in a little meditation and nap time in this morning. There are a few vacant bedrooms at the end of the hallway which serve this purpose very well. If the opportunity permits, I may also try to sneak in a short nap again later. I'm still not caught up on sleep. I will certainly need it, as we are beginning with a 7 mile road march on Monday morning, and it doesn't sound like we're going to get much sleep during White STX. One of the things we may have to do is pull "full perimeter security", which entails lying on the ground in the prone position with your M-16 propped up on your rucksack, in battle buddy teams, all night, fighting sleep and waiting for an "attack". I'm sure the company commander will be in the woods with his night vision goggles on, looking for anyone who is sleeping at their hasty fighting position. There is also "50% security", where one member of the battle buddy team sleeps for an hour, while the other person guards, and then they keep switching.

Friday, March 03, 2006

#102 - Bickering

I am again at sick call, waiting for my turn in a den of hacking and sneezing soldiers. I came in to obtain some decongestant, cough syrup and more cough drops. I would probably try to suck it up a little longer, but I have a PT test tomorrow and my breathing is very difficult right now.

I usually wake up fairly early in the mornings to get ready, but somehow I managed to sleep in until the official wakeup time (this is not a good thing, as you never have enough time to get ready).

Yesterday there were almost two fistfights amongst the females of my platoon in the barracks. Apparently one of the girls pushed another, and in the midst of the scuffle, someone else got involved. The third girl ended up in a verbal altercation with another, so now there were actually four women screaming at one another. Luckily the DSs didn't hear the noise or we would have all gotten in trouble. I will be surprised if the platoon emerges unscathed and escapes an all-out brawl before the end of the BCT cycle.

I received a lot of mail yesterday, and still haven't gotten through all of it yet. I love receiving letters!

At the range we are supposed to be learning to detonate a Claymore mine. Claymores are filled with C4 and BBs - a nasty mix. Luckily we are practicing with "training aids", though I've heard that a few people may get to detonate the real deal. We are also going to get the chance to try out other types of weapons.

I will hopefully conquer two of my fears tomorrow. First thing in the morning is our PT test, and then we throw grenades. I am terrified of the grenades, since I am having difficulty throwing one the required distance. It is especially difficult wearing all the equipment - the IBA, LCE with canteens and whatnot, and Kevlar. Incidentally, I'm not the only one struggling with this - most of the short females are having a problem.

It is later in the afternoon. We spent the day learning to fire a number of bigger weapons including the SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) and a 50 cal machine gun. Lots of destructive power (and noise) at my fingertips! There were a number of old tanks in the distance to fire at. It was somewhat enjoyable.

We returned to the company this afternoon. While we were cleaning our rifles in the platoon classroom, two of the females got into another physical altercation. The Drill Sergeant caught them this time and had to break it up. I would venture a guess that both of the girls will get in a lot of trouble, as DSs frown upon fighting. One of the girls, Bucking, has already been disciplined for wearing makeup on two occasions, and mouthing off to several people.

I am hoping that we will still receive our phone call privileges on Sunday. However, I have my doubts that this will happen. The DSs found out that the platoon has not been respecting Jackman as our Platoon Guide. They have been openly mocking her, especially while she marches us around. Earlier today someone was actually saying, "1,2,3,4, **** you bitch, **** you bitch!" in formation. The platoon's phase banner has been rolled up, the mark of shame. It is possible that we will not be able to use the phones this weekend unless the platoon can redeem themselves, which seems doubtful. There is still an incredible amount of bickering and fighting going on... I guess I'm surprised that the phase banner hasn't been rolled up all along.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

#101 - Stylin' Army fashion

It has been a relatively busy day. I am currently back at Reception, where we have received our deferred clothing issue. This included the green dress jacket, black trench coat, short sleeve and long sleeve shirt, black women's tie, shiny black shoes, long green skirt, and two black berets. It is 3:10pm and we've been here since about 7:00am.

I have to admit feeling a little bit of excitement upon donning the Class 'A' uniform, though I feel a little goofy wearing the black beret. I could live without the black "flasher" trenchcoat...lol.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

#100 - The days drag on...

I am sitting in the bleachers at yet another rifle range. This one was a bit difficult because the targets were green rather than black, and blended into the background. The weather is definately becoming warmer. It is sunny with a little breeze, and probably in the high 60s... a nice day, at least weather-wise.

This morning I ran for the first time in over a week. I had a difficult time with it because I am pretty sick right now. My throat is clogged with phlegm, and it felt like it extended into my lungs, which made breathing difficult. It was as if someone had a boot digging into my chest the entire time. I almost fell out of the run, but managed to hang in there and finish. It is frustrating because the Drill Sergeants will do everything in their power to discourage us from going to sick call. However, being sick for weeks and weeks without the benefit of even cough drops to alleviate the misery can be difficult to bear.

...

We finished early at the range and received an unanticipated visit to the Shoppette. I only spent about $30 there on a few items - mainly cough drops, a toiletries bag, moleskin, and some hand sanitizer.

I didn't do very well at the range toward the end. I had a weapons malfunction and lost out on using a number of rounds. Luckily this was just another practice run. I ended up spending much of the afternoon sitting around and bullshitting with various people in the platoon.

I am outside the Shoppette, and the sun is beginning to set. The interstate is behind us outside the fence of Fort Jackson, but the distant roar of traffic is not intrusive, but oddly calming. The sky is tinged with streaks of pink, and the temperature has cooled a bit with a pleasant breeze. It would be a good night to get behind the wheel of an automobile and ride with the windows down... or better yet, in a convertible with the top down. I have such a convertible at home, pictured above. It will be some time before I am behind its wheel again. I miss driving! :(