#72 - Front! Back! Go!

I am on fire guard right now (the 02:00-03:00am shift). Luckily I will be able to write a bit since it is Sunday. This is our only real day of rest, and everyone always looks forward to this day of the week.

We finally began receiving mail yesterday. I was elated to get nine letters from my husband. Reading his words of encouragement was an incredible boost in morale.

I sent my husband home a photograph of me holding an M-16. There was a photographer when we went to the Shoppette who was taking pictures for a few dollars.

The M-16 rarely leaves our side. We carry it with us wherever we go, even to PT and inside the chow hall. It used to feel heavy in my hands, but it is starting to become a little easier to carry. I suppose that means I must be toughening up.

We have about another week here before we enter into white phase - that is, if everyone is squared away. At that point we should be able to (in theory) have phone calls every weekend.

Yesterday we had our first PT assessment at basic. We woke at 4:00am and had a 1:1:1 assessment (I thought it should have been a 2:2:2). I did 17 situps, 24 pushups, and the mile run in 10:05. For me, the run was rather unpleasant. I still have a long way to come as far as my running goes. However, being "old" means that the standards I will have to meet for our final PT test in basic training aren't that bad. As a 34-year old female, I will have to do nine pushups, 34 situps, and the 2-mile run in 23:06. The younger kids think that these numbers are a joke, as some guys are doing 70+ situps and pushups, and run times of less than 15:00.

I was relieved of my platoon guide position yesterday, as well were the assistant PG and squad leaders. One of the Drill Sergeants took Newman (the APG) and me on the side and almost apologetically said that they wanted to give other people a chance to take on leadership roles, and it had nothing to do with us personally. He thought that we had, in fact, been doing an excellent job. Since then folks in my company have been telling me that they miss hearing the sounding off in the DFAC, and having me as PG. Of course I am happy to not have to worry about keeping track of 50 people anymore, plus I get more time to eat since I won't always be the last in line. I didn't mind being in a leadership position per se, I just had enough of the stress while in BCT... being here is stressful in itself.

Our Drill Sergeants gave us some "homework" yesterday. We had to come up with a list of the five best soldiers and the five worst soldiers in our platoon. He read everyone's selections out loud. I was uncomfortable participating in such a task. I felt bad for my battle buddy, White, as she consistently made the lists of 5 worst soldiers. She was perceived as being slow, unmotivated, and a few other things that I can't mention on a blog. I felt bad for the girl, as it must have been publically humiliating. I later accompanied her to the Drill Sergeant so she could be counseled over some of her infractions. I think she is going to make an honest effort to improve her behavior in the future. On a positive note, I was shocked to find that I was on the five best soldiers list for many of my peers. Apparently I must be doing something right?

Generally, first platoon has been doing much better than the other three platoons in the company. The rumor is that we are poised to have a good chance at making honor platoon later in the cycle. We will see.

Unfortunately we have been in the hot seat because of the mistakes that the rest of the company has been making. Someone in one of the other platoons was caught stealing MREs, and a relationship was discovered between two people (their love notes were found by a Drill Sergeant). Each of the platoons has a guidon bearer who carries the phase banner in front (right now it is a red flag as we are still in red phase - next comes white, and then blue). The platoon with the lovebirds had their phase banner rolled up, and the incriminating love letter duct-taped to the flag so that they could be publically shamed.

Actually the 1SG decided to punish everyone in the company, and all platoons later had to roll up their phase banners, a mark of disgrace. The entire company was smoked last night out in the dark, int he cold and mud - not a lot of fun. It lasted for over an hour. This was while wearing those horribly bulky 30 lb. flak vests and a 2-qt. canteen. The worst exercise, by far, is "front-back-gos", AKA "grass drills". This entails having to do pushups (front!) following by flutter kicks (back!) and running in place (go!) while holding your arms extended out in front of you. Imagine the Drill Sergeant yelling "Front! Back! Go!" at various intervals. Most everyone was feeling pretty bad by the end of it, and we were all covered with mud from head to toe. I used to get smoked like that nearly every day when I went through BCT a decade ago, though, so I knew it could be a lot worse. The smokings meted out now pale in comparison to what new soldiers had to go through. I've been telling that to some of the folks in my platoon, but they still think we have it bad now. They have no idea...

...

I just finished breakfast, participated in some "barracks maintenance" (GI cleaning party), cleaned my boots, and am now guarding the M-16 rifle rack, which means more time to write! I paid a girl $2.00 to wash my socks and underwear. Fort Jackson has a (mandatory) laundry service which picks up twice a week, but I won't send my socks and underwear there again. They affix adhesive laundry tags to everything which are quite difficult to remove.

I've been sick with a cold ever since I got to Reception on January 17th, as have most people here. The Army wants everyone to be clean and illness-free, and tells us we have to use hand sanitizer before meals in the DFAC. However, we are often ordered to do things like a police call where you pick up trash with your bare hands, and then have to stick it in your pockets until later since there are no trash bags or dumpster nearby. And then we will stand outside in formation for a half hour or more in 20-degree weather without a coat or gloves. Being here is an exercise in contradictions.

When it is cold out, sometimes people forget themselves and will put their hands in their pockets. The Drill Sergeants disparingly call this "Air Force gloves". ;p

Yesterday we began bayonet training. This involves affixing a bayonet to the end of the M-16, and going through various positions to attack the enemy, such as "Butt stroke to the groin... move!" During most of the moves, we must scream "Kill kill kill!!"

DS: "What makes the grass grow?"
"Blood, blood, Drill Sergeant!"
DS: "What makes the grass greener?"
"Guts, guts, Drill Sergeant!"

Bayonet training was much as I remembered it from BCT the first time. We should be going to the actual course soon.

...

It is about 7 in the evening. We spent about four hours out on a detail picking up trash and pine cones. I wouldn't have minded the work if we were allowed to dress appropriately for the weather. We had no coats nor gloves on, and it was probably in the 40s with strong winds, maybe even colder than that.

There is currently a lot of drama unfolding in my company. One of the females told a Drill Sergeant that someone stole her laundry. All of the females were called outside and nearly received a bad smoking. At the last moment, it was discovered that her laundry was actually still in one of the dryers in the laundry room. There was another incident where a girl from another platoon threw someone's laundry across the floor. One girl was black, and the other was white, and somehow the thing turned into a racial incident. Just about every night there is some kind of screaming match in the female bay, and someone holding back a girl who is threatening to punch another one out.

Next week we are going to be kept fairly busy. We have a visit to the dreaded gas chamber, the pugil stick competition, another road march (wearing these IBAs/flak jackets, kevlars, LBEs with canteens, ammo belts, etc. and a full ruck sack, and carrying the M-16). It sucks to tote around all this gear. I miss my ultralight hiking gear from home. If I don't come out of this experience being very fit, something is horribly wrong. Though I made it through basic training once before, I've wimped out considerably since then. That much has become apparent...lol.

Uh oh. The cacophony in my bay has resumed. Sounds like another fight is about to break out. Who knew that females could be so cantankerous? Yikes!