2 May 2011

            Given that I’m just now catching up to real time with my posts, I’m likely to be well behind the power curve in terms of the news regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden.  This post isn’t going to be mere political or strategic commentary, nor will I wax on about my own opinion on the matter.

            I’ll simply say that this is a banner day, and one that has been long coming.  There was a definite excitement in the air at TJAGLCS, but there were no celebrations, no high fives, no chest bumps.  Everyone relished the news in terms of its success as a portion of a larger mission.  Everyone was also quick to realize that while it was a critical strategic victory, the battle is not won.  With that, we’ll continue to put on the uniform each morning and soldier on towards the successful completion of our other larger mission objectives.

(Facebook does have a use, after all.)

            This morning was the final APFT for JAOBC.  The only personnel who had to take it were those who had yet to pass a record APFT.  We only had four taking the test, which is pretty impressive considering the circumstances.  From the fact that February 6^th being most of our class’ first day in the Army to the litany of small injuries, illnesses, and ailments that have slowed people, there was any number of reasons for our APFT pass rate to be low. 

      Despite all that, 110 soldiers had passed an APFT out of 114 total, which is a testament to the hard work of the class.  Those who had to take it this morning have each come a long way in their development, and aren’t far from passing.  I’m not sure how things shook out this morning, but I have full faith that they achieved their goals.

       Today started like any other class day, with a two-hour block of re-instruction on investigations from the administrative law faculty.  Given the prevalence of various types of investigations within the Army (this is so because nearly everything is investigated, not because there is some fundamental problem), this was re-taught to reinforce a particularly critical knowledge base, which we’re likely to run into almost immediately upon beginning work.

        That also marked the last block of any type of instruction for JAOBC.  It’s an odd feeling, since I realize I have so much left to learn, but a good one nonetheless.  We followed the class with a final travel voucher seminar.  For those keeping score, this makes the 3^rd travel voucher we’ve filled out so far.  For those in upcoming classes, you’re likely to do the same number, given the 30-day accrual periods that are required before each submission.

(The class managed to break out in celebration, much like these Ewoks.)