This time I get to write from CQ duty on Monday morning at 0005 hours (shift ends at 0200).  That’s just one of the many perks we have in open bay barracks.  Over the last week we had a lot of fun events happen. 

Monday we had our normal lights on at 0455 in the morning for PT.  We did a mixture of circuits with things like kettle ball lifts, push-ups, sit-ups, flutter kicks, and then ended with a 1^stsquad vs. 2^ndsquad relay race and tug of war which gets the competitive drives flowing.  After breakfast at the Dining facility (D-FAC), we all boarded the bus and drove over to the arms room where we got issued our M4’s (assault rifles) and night optics.   This was exciting for everyone as we will get to do the qualifying with them in a few weeks.  Unfortunately, what we also have to do is have them with us (or being watched at all times).  This is to teach us about our sensitive items; however it seems to be undermining the responsibility aspect as we have people going to eat, do laundry, and using the toilet with their weapons.  And if they don’t have them, usually one person takes a supervising role where they watch a cache of 60 or so weapons all lay around (there are some good pictures of 4-8 of us playing videogames surrounded by hundreds of weapons).  We also carry them when we march and go anywhere in formation like to classes.

Later that day we went over communications with our radios and how to set them, talk with them, change frequencies and the like.  On Tuesday we got to do combatives again.  I again got paired with a female (to help the teaching process) who did wonderful.  She was A LOT smaller than I was so I focused her in on form a lot more (since today we were learning more arm submissions and chokes plus reviewing last week).  She was a fast learner and I am proud to say was the only female who got a true tap out when we did platoon vs. platoon combatives at the end.  I didn’t get a tap out (only had one minute) but did managed to have the whistle blown as I picked up my partner off the ground and went to slam him down (they didn’t want any slamming that day…needless to say I was leading though).

Later that day we went through assembly/maintenance/ disassembly of our weapons and a few other weapons that our company has such as the SAWs.  At night on most days (starting around 1700/5pm we have a lot of down time.  One of the guys (and mine will be here shortly) has a big screen with an x-box 360 and so there are some friendly battles going on in the video game world as well.

Wed we had more PT in circuit form (most people’s calves were pretty sore from the previous days PT exercises) and then half of us went to do the EST course (that’s the electronic gun range-this time for our M4’s).  It was a lot like the one at Fort Lee but this time it took WAY longer as we had to zero in our sights (or at least attempt it up to 6 different times).  The problem is that the magazines are electronic and so sensitive that if you slap them in the weapon or bump them at all it thinks that you have fired a shot and it counts it against you.  Needless to say we had one or two people who weren’t that graceful with this version of duck hunt and it took one platoon 4 hours to get through the training (each one around 45 minutes and the last group about an 1hr and 20 minutes) .  The other groups were practicing changing magazines fast and without looking and getting into proper firing positions.  The other platoon was back working on the same things, but because of the time didn’t get to go and will have to go the day before Memorial Day break.

Thursday we started the morning with a 3 mile company ruck march in what was some of the best weather we could hope for (65 and a breeze).  But that changed a little later when we had another round of combatives.  We learned a few more moves but today was more workout oriented as we would have to do about 5-6 matches in a row each for about 3 minutes.  If you got the person to tap, you just started over.  This was a lot more fun (and tiring).  I got 5 out of 6 people to tap out multiple times and the 6^thwas a draw with no taps (I have yet to submit or tap out).  The fun in this is that some of the littler males and females who have the really high PT scores really can’t hold their own against the heavier athletes who are now the better body-type. 

The rest of the day and all of Friday was spend working on reading maps, using the compass, calculating distance and everything else we need to know for Land Navigation which is next week.  Everyone is a little on edge over it because if you don’t find at least 5 of 8 points (it’s at night in the woods) by yourself, you won’t get to enjoy the 4 days weekend for Memorial Day.  Let’s hope I can find the points in the dark.