I have been at FT Jackson SC for about three weeks now where I have been attending the Chaplain's Basic Officer Leadership Course. The first three weeks of CIMT have been a refresher of military common soldier skills (Land Nav, NBC, NIC, First Aid, Commo, etc.) for many prior service and brand new experiences for our non prior counterparts. So far the school has been a mix of field exercises and class room time where we have been acclimated to the army's culture and the challenging role of the US Army Chaplain Corps.

We have a large class of more than 150 officers and the cadre is top notch. Overall the experience has been positive and I have already forged some lasting friendships and a deep respect for my fellow ministers in uniform. My only complaint is the extreme humidity of the area! If you are ever in FT Jackson, be sure you hydrate hydrate hydrate hydrate! Did I say hydrate? Yes, please hydrate! We are on the fourth week of the CIMT phase of training and Phase 1 begins next week. We will have our beret donning ceremony at the end of this week.

I will update again when phase 1 is underway.