Thomas Harper - Army Strong Stories

Blast from the Past

Thomas Harper — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:44:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
21 May 2012 (I carefully considered a title for my first post in 6 months. So carefully, in fact, that I decided on the same title as the miserable Brendan Fraser movie from '99. Hello $1.99 DVD bin.) Some of you reading this may have read my JAG OBC/DCC blog from February – June 2011. Others of you may have clicked on this particular blog for the first time as you saw it pop up on the Army Strong Stories...read more

JAG vs. The Wild Hogs of Georgia (DCC Week 4)

Thomas Harper — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:06:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
31 May – 3 June 2011 I promise this post won’t be riddled with as many silly errors as the last. Most importantly, there will be no use of the word “evidence” when I really mean “advice.” These are the curses of recklessly posting unedited blog entries after a long day. Also, this post in no way relates to that terrible Tim Allen movie, “Wild Hogs.” He...read more

The Curse of the 75-meter Target (DCC Week 3)

Thomas Harper — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:35:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
23-26 May 2011 Before jumping into the week’s events, I want to address another logistical aspect of DCC, which bears mentioning: showers. That came out of left field, but after receiving a couple frustrated questions from the current OBC class that is currently going through DCC, I decided that it was worth mentioning. The bottom line is that JAOBC will condition...read more

Now Accepting Requests: DCC Week 2

Thomas Harper — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:43:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
16-20 May 2011 In restarting my blog, it wasn’t my intention to revisit DCC. I have nothing against the course, but I was content to leave it as a blank, uncovered 6-week period. One of the primary unexplained reasons I didn’t post extensively about the training was that I simply didn’t take much of any notes during the course. I kept a semi-journal of days with bullet pointed lists of tasks and events during OBC. That made...read more

LT Harper Pulls a Dave Chappelle

Thomas Harper — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:13:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
2 October 2011 As a huge fan of the long gone Comedy Central hit, Chappelle’s Show, I’ll never forget the wonky way it ended. Dave Chappelle, sketch comedy genius, was at all time popularity high after the second season of the show ended. Then the unbelievable happened. He up and flew off to Africa in the middle of filming the third season, and that was all she wrote. In many ways, I pulled a Dave...read more

DCC Days 3-5: JAG Learns Another Area for Malpractice

Thomas Harper — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:57:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
May 11-13, 2011 This post represents a departure from my trend of single day posts in C-Ville. This is done for a couple reasons: First, much of the training is similar, and simply extends by necessity over multiple days, thus making multiple posts unnecessary. Second, the internet situation here makes it extremely difficult to post, so combining days makes it easier to catch back up. At 0530 on Wednesday, we began the first big chunk of DCC training: the combat lifesaver course. It...read more

DCC Days 1-2: Welcome (back) to the Jungle

Thomas Harper — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:37:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
May 8-9, 2011 Sadly, I’ve already lied to you all-I promised to jump right into things, but I’m going back on that one. There are a couple loose ends I want to address first: 1) The training schedule does not typically run like many of the Army training experiences you may have had. The day typically ends around 1700, but there are frequent exceptions. There are very few days that have training events ending with “until complete,” which generally means that the training only ends when...read more

Welcome to DCC, JAOBC (Part II)

Thomas Harper — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:57:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I realize these initial DCC posts have begun as a stream of consciousness with a ton of information, but I’m trying to cover all random loose ends that may not fit into other posts. Understand that DCC cadre will visit C-Ville towards the end of your time there, and will give you a briefing on many things, along with being there to answer any random questions you may have. 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false...read more

Welcome to DCC, JAOBC (Part I)

Thomas Harper — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:41:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
THE BASICS: 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Hello again, faithful readers (at least those who are left after my hiatus). The first thing I want to get off my chest is that I have not forgotten about the blog, and am in the process of catching it up to date with all the gory details of...read more

Day 63: A Banner Day

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:45:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
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...read more

Day 62: Chaos Theory

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:34:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
29 April 2011 The Gauntlet. I can’t say the faculty builds it up as any sort of intimidating event, but rather intentionally keep everyone partially in the dark about things. We were told about the general structure of the day, but details were intentionally sparse, which was the beginning of a larger lesson to be taught throughout the day....read more

Day 61: Mighty Wings

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:28:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
28 April 2011 So the big event of the day (aside from the op law exam) was the airborne OML APFT, which happened this morning. Rather than telling how that went, I’m going to take liberties with the rapt attention you’re paying and divert into an explanation of the post title. Too often I stretch to come up with a title that loosely relates or describes what happened on a particular day-I understand...read more

Day 60: Keep Calm and Carry On

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:46:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
27 April 2011 Since our final APFT for airborne is tomorrow, we have the day off to rest. The rest of the class also finally had its dream come true: PT was cancelled (a day later than the rumor). Unfortunately, we still had to get up early in order to take our class photo. Despite overcast skies, the picture came out pretty well. (You can easily pick me out without me needing to point out the...read more

Day 59: Black or White

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:40:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Airborne PT had its second OML event today: the pull-up test. For those who know me, you know I’m built roughly like an ostrich. I’m around 6’3” and run a lot, and am neither built, nor historically have been good at pull-ups. Despite consistently working on them throughout airborne PT, I managed to let myself get mentally psyched out as I hopped onto the bar....read more

Day 58: OML Coaster

Thomas Harper — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:29:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
25 April 2011 For those of you interested in competing for an airborne slot through TJAGLCS in the future, you chances mostly come down to this week. The OML week consists of three graded events, which each net you a certain amount of points toward your total score on the OML. Up to this point, your OML score consists of: (1) Your diagnostic APFT score from Ft. Lee (you get the same number of points as your...read more

Day 57: Booty Traps

Thomas Harper — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:58:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
22 April 2011 No PT today meant a joyous celebration. By celebration, I mean slightly extended sleep. We reported to class to find ourselves locked into a four-hour long block on means and methods. Before you march on TJAGLCS to decry the injustice that is a single four-hour class, I should mention that we did get every standard break. I’m glad I could defuse that situation quickly....read more

Day 56: A Dream Crushed

Thomas Harper — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:38:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
21 April 2011 Student-led PT in the airborne group continued today, and I jumped on the chance to design a session, along with a classmate. He was a football coach before coming here, and had been itching to implement some of them on our group. We modified one of his workouts known as “the compass,” which involved four exercise stations set out like the points of a compass on one of the soccer...read more

Day 55: The Final Chapter

Thomas Harper — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:43:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
20 April 2011 Things started bright and early today with the final ruck march of the C-Ville phase. We stepped off at around 0445 on a 6-mile road march, which took us through a large chunk of campus. We went along the air assault ruck march, which went out from TJAGLCS and wrapped around UVA’s John Paul Jones Arena, before extending out past their football stadium. We pushed the pace faster than we...read more

Day 54: Out With a Bang

Thomas Harper — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:35:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
19 April 2011 Student-led PT rolled on today with a pretty fun workout. Two airborne members teamed up to lead us through a workout that began with burpees, bear crawls, lunges, and a few ab workouts, and then transitioned to a full on sprint workout. The sprint portion pitted chunks of the class together, which always makes things more interesting. (At this point, you've probably completely...read more

Day 53: The Day JAG Was Defeated by a Girl

Thomas Harper — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:33:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
18 April 2011 TJAGLCS took part in a special event today: the Panorama Farms Run. It takes place on a family-owned farm about 10 minutes from the school in a completely picturesque area. The family that owns the farm is kind enough to let our massive group come out, wake them up far before any normal person should be awake, and run all over their property....read more

Day 52: Air Assault Finally Earns Its Keep

Thomas Harper — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:25:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
15 April 2011 Today is the day I finally give air assault some credit. Don’t get too excited, though. I’ll return to immediately and frequently insulting them soon enough. That insult begins with shoving their praise to the bottom of this post. (Let's not forget a visual insult, either: yes, they're fast roping, but you can't see the bouncie castle and ice cream party...read more

Day 51: Legal Assistance’s Stiff Left Hook

Thomas Harper — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:17:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
14 April 2011 Today marked a transition in airborne PT. The beginning of the end of our time here has opened up a few opportunities for students to lead our PT (which means both designing a PT plan, and then actually leading the group through it). Today’s session was a kettle bell circuit workout similar to one we’ve done before, with running in between each full rotation....read more

Day 50: The Airborne Shuffle Towards May 4

Thomas Harper — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:07:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
13 April 2011 The day after the APFT meant a height/weight session bright and early. Unlike normal height/weight days where no PT follows, the class met afterwards for about 25 minutes to work on running in formation while calling cadence. TJAGLCS has a school-wide run next Monday known as the Panorama Farms Run. It takes place on a 3-mile...read more

Day 49: Legal Assistance: The Next Generation

Thomas Harper — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:55:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
12 April 2011 We all know how much I love the APFT (sarcasm doesn’t come across well in type). However, the only thing I love better than a regular APFT is an APFT in the cold rain. That’s exactly what we were gifted with this morning. In all fairness, the rain only affected the first round of push-ups, as the cadre moved the graders under the cover of the long field house that sits on the...read more

Day 48: The Army Had a Half Day, Part II

Thomas Harper — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:47:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
11 April 2011 (Rule 1 of the airborne physical: NO TOUCHING.) With a few of us scheduled to take the second portion of the Airborne physical early this morning at Ft. Lee, it meant another partial day. The airborne group didn’t go as a whole this time, but was instead scheduled in groups of 3 and 4. We were able to take one of the school’s government vehicles, which was nice as it helped...read more

Day 47: 1.21 Gigawatts

Thomas Harper — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:39:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
8 April 2011 Today began with a renuion of the airborne PT group and an old friend: O-Hill. The workout design was to go on an extended run at a moderate pace, but to do ‘one-up’ runs the entire way. For those unfamiliar, a ‘one up’ run is simply where the last people in line sprint to the front each time ‘go’ is yelled. As we left the grounds of...read more

Day 46: Legal Assistance & The Freight Train of Relevance

Thomas Harper — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:53:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
7 April 2011 Yoga blocks. When told to grab them in most environments, you’d probably expect to be in for a nice, soothing workout. Perhaps harps are playing in the background, along with sounds of a babbling brook or gentle rainstorm. Unfortunately, unless you’re a member of the air assault PT group, being told to get yoga blocks assures only a couple things: 1) the muscles that compose your...read more

Day 45: Like Ripping off a Band-Aid

Thomas Harper — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:21:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
6 April 2011 (The alternate title "Like Ripping off a Generic, Non-Brand, Adhesive Bandage" didn't have quite the same ring to it.) I suppose it was inevitable. Although I’ve managed to avoid the new PRT program so far, and happened to be in a group that has done the same, that changed today. For anyone unfamiliar, PRT is the Army’s new and improved PT program, which includes an overhauled warm up and cool down...read more

Day 44: Brain Freeze

Thomas Harper — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:19:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
5 April 2011 PT resumed its regular schedule this morning, and for airborne, it meant reacquainting ourselves with a dear, old friend: CrossFit. We ran through a basic circuit training workout today, in which you’d do 20 pull ups, 30 push ups, 40 sit ups, and 50 squats (in ACUs/boots). We repeated those sets 5 times (a few got as many as 7 sets in), and it was enough to have me bent over grabbing...read more

Day 43: The Walking Dead

Thomas Harper — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:08:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
4 April 2011 In a change of pace, our road march was moved to today, rather than the usual Wednesday (sound the alarm bells). We stepped off earlier than normal (0450) to account for the increased distance, a whole 5 miles. The march went well overall, and I’ve noticed a definite improvement in everyone’s ability to keep proper distance and pace. As always, there’s still plenty of the...read more

Day 42: 184th JAOBC: Sponsored by 5-Hour Energy

Thomas Harper — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:52:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
1 April 2011 Clarification: This post is in no way meant as an endorsement of the product mentioned in the title, or the 6850% of Vitamin B6 that it delivers to your body with each serving. (Given my blatant ignorance of trademarks and copyrights thus far in the blog, I'm not sure what good using another trademarked knockoff product in order to avoid using the actual product will do. Sigh.) (Fiscal law is the only thing that's actually healthy to have 6667%...read more

Day 41: Airborne…All the Way!...Back to Fort Lee…

Thomas Harper — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:46:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
For those of you following the blog to understand what the average class member does, this entry is a little aberration. Airborne candidates had to dump ourselves into government vans at 0400 (for those unfamiliar with the 24 hour clock, that’s 4:00am), in order to haul back to Fort Lee. Thankfully cadre was merciful enough to not make us PT beforehand. The purpose of the trip was to take care of the...read more

Day 40: Push It to the Limit

Thomas Harper — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:14:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
30 March 2011 A non-road march day meant a little extra sleep, which was welcome after the long day yesterday. Today marked the beginning of our 6-day block on fiscal and contract law. The department’s introduction was decidedly less animated than admin and crim law, and this set the tone for most of the classes. (I originally intended to reference the song from "Scarface" (the movie,...read more

Day 39: 1LT Harper: Jackie Chiles, Jr.

Thomas Harper — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:06:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
29 March 2011 Ordinarily, I’d probably have been pretty nervous before my first full (mock) court martial. Luckily, airborne PT had a wonderful PT session set for us, which sapped any extra energy I could’ve dedicated to that emotion. I felt bad for the air assault folks, though, as they started the day with a round table feelings session that ended with high fives for all. Our...read more

Day 38: JAOBC Learns NASCAR

Thomas Harper — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
28 March 2011 Another wonderful Monday in C-Ville brought with it another wonderful day of airborne PT. Our session began with a speed workout around the TJAGLCS parking lot. We warmed up for about 5 minutes (the parking lot is a long ovalesque shape about .25 mi around). Once that time was up, the whistle began to blow. Each time our cadre member blew it, we’d have to open up a 30-second sprint. The next whistle blow meant a...read more

Day 37: Back in the Saddle Again

Thomas Harper — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:07:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
25 March 2011 Whether I was truly ready or not, I jumped back into full PT today. Having missed an airborne run on Monday, and then a company ruck march on Wednesday, I didn’t want to miss another run event. Thankfully, my leg felt 200% better, and I made the leap to get back to running today (with much better warm up, of course). We ended up going on a 7.25 mile run (smart choice for my first run back, I know), which included...read more

Day 36: “The Day I Joined the Legion of Doom”

Thomas Harper — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:01:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
24 March 2011 A new day brings another bit of improvement in my injury. I have little, if any, limp today, and I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to run on my right leg starting tomorrow. I’m lucky enough to have a little sister who is an athletic trainer, and I’ve been getting her expert advice through the whole process. My recovery hasn’t been complicated-mostly a repeated...read more

Day 35: “Misfire, Misfire, Misfire”

Thomas Harper — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:55:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
23 March 2011 For anyone interested, my injury has not magically healed itself as of yet. I made the decision Monday not to go to the doctor in favor of waiting a couple days to see if things improved. Fortunately, my hip flexor has gradually been feeling better, but only by little bits. I’m at the point now where I don’t have to limp around as much, but it’s still not at the point where I can run on it....read more

Day 34: “The Furniture Mover”

Thomas Harper — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:47:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I want to dedicate this post to the hard working classmates of mine in air assault. Before I move forward with my barrage of insults, I’ll take a training timeout to address those who have been following this one-sided rivalry. Keep in mind that the rivalry is in good fun, and involves a lot of hyperbole. (What you can't see from this picture is the Slurpee machine and 50" plasma with Xbox 360 installed in the helo that every JAOBC air assault...read more

Day 33: Noooooooooooo

Thomas Harper — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:17:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
21 March 2011 Well, I suppose it was inevitable given the level of activity I’ve been through since beginning JAOBC. I got hurt Saturday, and things aren’t looking good for continuing with airborne training. I pulled my hip flexor (or one of the muscles that runs along the inside of the groin, diagonally from the outside of the thigh inwards), and I haven’t been able to walk without a severe limp....read more

Day 32: Fear and Loathing in Charlottesville

Thomas Harper — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:35:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Much like the movie, today had a completely odd feeling about it. As a reward for the hard play the day before, we were given the day off of PT (which is the first day off, aside from recovery days we’ve had here). That alone would’ve felt odd enough, but we also didn’t have to show until 0900, which meant a freakishly long time to sleep in. My legs were the most thankful for the time off, as they were feeling the...read more

Day 31: "R2, I suggest a new plan: Let the General Win."

Thomas Harper — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:33:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I’ve finally broken my streak of PT-related posts (although arguably this one has to do with a PT-related event). Perhaps I can transition to a few titles about how awesome the air assault group is after this. Airborne PT was innocently called a speed workout. The speed was worked on through a combination of extended sprints up a hill at the park, while wearing body armor. Once at the bottom of the...read more

Day 30: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Thomas Harper — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:11:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
16 March 2011 The APFT was well timed, as today was a “recovery” day for PT. That was fine by me, as it meant our first “hard time” (time you must be some place) was 0810 in the classroom. It may not seem like sleeping until 0645 or 0700 is a big deal at all, but any extra sleep is greeted with open arms around here (and I’m certain that trend will continue down at DCC)....read more

Day 29: Enter Sandman…But Only After the APFT.

Thomas Harper — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:37:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Tuesday: 15 March 2011 I know what many of you are thinking at this point: Enough writing about the build up to it, already. The first record APFT has come and gone, and was like quickly ripping a band-aid off (you think it’s going to be rough, then it isn’t). Just like every other PT test I’ve ever taken, the nervousness naturally came beforehand, but all that went away once the test got rolling....read more

Day 28: The Truffle Shuffle

Thomas Harper — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:26:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today is the day. Well, ok, I lied. Tomorrow is actually the day, but saying a day kicks off with height/weight is like saying you get to start your day by watching 4 non-stop hours of CSPAN. (Some might rather subject themselves to watching this, rather than going through height/weight. CSPAN reports that the voting on that issue is YEA: 58, NAY: 38 ABSTAIN: 9) Unlike the diagnostic APFT at Ft. Lee, the record APFT is split...read more

Day 27: “Why Does It Say Paper Jam if There is NO PAPER JAM?!?”

Thomas Harper — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:21:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
What better way to start a day than with a mock Army Physical Fitness Test?? I for one can think of about 4,567,987 ways. I realize that I likely come across as a PT-centric person who thinks that fitness stands above all else. While I will be the first to point out the importance of PT because of its far-reaching impact on your service, I’m absolutely not the guy who comes sprinting and clapping up to every PT formation or APFT....read more

Day 26: Gremlins

Thomas Harper — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:23:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Although our class has seen a bit of training in less than ideal weather conditions (see my post about Warrior Day in the middle of one of Virginia’s mighty wind storms), rain was an element we hadn’t really experienced. Those with some time in service under their belts will undoubtedly roll their eyes and blurt out something like “if it ain’t rainin’, we ain’t training,” when they...read more

Day 25: These Boots Were Made For Walking…Slowly and For Short Distances

Thomas Harper — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:25:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
If you’re coming into JAOBC as a soldier fit to have a GI Joe action figure created in your likeness, don’t hold it against the course or your classmates for the introductory way in which the class is made to do things. Basic soldiering tasks especially warrant that sort of self-control, including ruck marches. (If I'm in Walmart and find an action figure like this that accurately represents you, you may want to learn to take deep breaths and count to 10...read more

Day 24: My Muscles Give Up

Thomas Harper — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 02:08:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I hate repeating themes in posts, especially this close together, but you get to deal with it. Today’s airborne PT saw an inventive workout that sounds fun in theory, but was less so in practice. (This is probably the face and reaction of the average reader right about now. TWO PT THEMES IN A ROW?!?!?!) We got out there about 20-25 minutes ahead of the rest of the company so that we could get on the pull up bars (which...read more

Day 23: Climb (Extraordinarily Slowly) to Glory

Thomas Harper — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:26:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Here comes the blitz: after losing my collection of daily notes over the weekend, I’ve found them and intend to not stop until I’ve caught the blog up to date. To save all the readers from early onset cataracts, I’m going to post them in pairs, rather than all at once. I realize that I could skimp by cutting down on material and combining days, but that would be violating my trend. Those...read more

A Picture Says 1000 Words, Unless It's of JAOBC..Then It Only Says 42 Words

Thomas Harper — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:36:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This week's posts are on their way, but I thought I'd share some pictures with everyone. Thanks to the fine work of LT DuBre (our unofficial class photographer), we have a massive stable of pictures from just about every event imaginable. Enjoy! (9mm range: Fact of the Day: JAGs are world-renowned as the world's most elite shooters ever. Maybe I'm getting the meaning of words wrong again...elite means wildy inaccurate, right?) (9mm range primary...read more

Day 22: "...Because you told me to, Drill Sergeant."

Thomas Harper — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:04:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I’m not one to make excuses, however I always try to be the first to point out my own frequently poor decisions. One of those decisions was made last night. I found myself talking with a couple classmates a week or two ago, and someone brought up an upcoming concert in C-Ville. It was a show by country artists Jason Aldeen and Eric Church, and having not been to a concert in a year or so, it sounded like a lot of fun. I didn’t think...read more

Day 21: “The Penitent Man Will Pass”

Thomas Harper — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:17:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Despite what you might think by this post’s title, this will have nothing to do with religion, or anything close to it. It’s more of a profession for my love of (half) of the Indiana Jones films, and a direct reference to today’s place as our first exam day. Of course nothing can begin without a little PT, which was comprised of a circuit workout this morning. I’m starting to notice a trend that our non-running days...read more

Day 20: The Army’s Version of Centers

Thomas Harper — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:25:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I vetted the phrase used in the title of the post through a few people to make sure it was one used widely, instead of one just used in my podunk elementary school in North Carolina. Rest assured, it passed the test. If you’re confused, it’ll all make sense in a few minutes. DANGER, DANGER, DANGER WILL ROBINSON!: Travel Pay Info (Look, I realize these info blocks are long, but you don't have to bash me with a...read more

Day 19: Make it rain…or at Least Drizzle

Thomas Harper — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:22:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
The second day of airborne PT began with a confusing request by cadre. We were to report early to secure yoga blocks from the PT equipment office. I had just the slightest notion that we would not, in fact, be executing a yoga session for PT. That notion was proven correct immediately, as we ended up using the blocks to assist in going below the parallel for pushups. A muscle failure workout followed, and we relied primarily on tobata (I...read more

Day 18: “Stay as long as you can!”

Thomas Harper — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:11:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
So I’ve fallen just a little behind, but you’re reading my gallant effort to catch back up quickly. I promise not to skim over anything important, but when I said the schedule was basically the same each day here in C-Ville, I meant it. I don’t mean to imply that it’s some brutal slog that tests your ability to stay awake. In fact,...read more

Zero Day: “It Was a Mediocre Effort, Sir.”

Thomas Harper — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 06:41:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
For those interested in competing for an airborne or air assault slot following JAOBC, Saturday was the first big challenge. As I’ve said before, zero day takes place every year early on while in the C-Ville phase so that the number of interested people can be quickly narrowed down. We had about 50-55 people interested in roughly 16 or so slots, which meant that a large cut would have to be made. Before Friday, I was pretty...read more

Day 17: The Deep Breath Before the Plunge

Thomas Harper — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:38:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Extra seriousness is in order for this post, since Saturday will be “zero day.” There is room for neither wit nor jokes in this post, although I hope to soon return to that point. In actuality, for those unfamiliar souls, zero day is a highly effective tool that is the product of a basic supply and demand problem of JAOBC. JAOBC typically has a handful of slots for those interested in going to airborne (parachutist) or air assault...read more

Day 16: 1LT Harper: The Worst Jump Roper on Planet Earth

Thomas Harper — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:23:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I’ve chosen to be completely selfish and dedicate this post to my fantastically awful performance during part of PT this morning. We did our first PT session in the smaller ability groups today, which meant that it was time for the pain to be brought on group #1. We have 9 total ability groups of around 12 soldiers each. Each is grouped according to your run time on the diagnostic APFT (see, I wasn’t lying when I mentioned that it may not...read more

Day 15: Admin and Civil Law - 167% Pure Adrenaline

Thomas Harper — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:12:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
With the introductory stuff out of the way, today marked the first full day of class. Before I get into today’s happenings, I completely forgot to mention a major event yesterday, which was the faculty icebreaker. Once we were finished the last class of the day, we headed up to the 5th floor to get acquainted with our faculty advisors. Each advisor has about 3-4 JAOBC students, and I managed to not write down my sponsor’s name before...read more

Day 14: Billy Madison

Thomas Harper — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 05:30:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
(No dodgeball, craft time, Ms. Lippy, or sloppy joes, but JAOBC has gotten off on the right foot.) I realize I haven’t posted about any activity since Friday, but that’s been intentional. As a rule, I plan to avoid posting about weekend activities, except to occasionally point out fun places around town to take note of, or to comment on an out-of-the-ordinary activity. I’ll make a small exception to that for...read more

Day 13: The Hurt Locker 2: TJAGLCS

Thomas Harper — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:15:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Before you let yourself think that OBC is an inevitably undesirable speed bump that delays you from doing real work as a JAG, give Charlottesville a chance. I will qualify everything with the fact that we haven’t actually begun classes yet, but I’ve had a lot of fun so far. Yesterday’s brief by the Associate Dean got me even more excited than I was before to get rolling. (SGT James isn't amused at my facetious...read more

Day 12: You’re Terminated.

Thomas Harper — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:05:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
(Whatever you do, don't get into his line for pushups.) For many, today was a day that had hung low over their heads for most of phase one. The APFT might not seem like a very big deal to those who have taken them for years, but for many in my class, it was the first time they’d ever had any physical activity judged, scrutinized, and graded. I’ve spoken before about how much hinges on this test, even though...read more

Day 10: The Kansas City Shuffle

Thomas Harper — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:04:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
It’s a little hard to believe that today marked the last day with a full schedule at Fort Lee. I’ve been in a number of different training environments, and no matter how much fun I ultimately had, the days seemed to crawl by. Part of the reason the time here has passed so quickly has been the weird, inconsistent schedule. Some days have begun early with PT formation, while others have been delayed because of some other...read more

Day 11 Part One: The Dummy's Guide to JAOBC Phase I

Thomas Harper — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:21:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today was a pretty short day, so I’m going to take the opportunity during our afternoon off to craft this post around a few pointers meant to help clear certain things up for incoming JAG officers. I’ve included a few pointers about finances as well. (Why yes, I am a published author.) 1) Take care of ALL paperwork before you arrive. You’ll receive an in-processing paperwork checklist, but it’s pretty general on some things. Having...read more

Day 11 Part Two: The Dummy's Guide to JAOBC Phase I

Thomas Harper — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:21:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
(More from my book, which is #34597345971312 on the NY Times Best Seller list.) 4) For those who don’t have it, purchase the Army Officer Guide from Amazon or somewhere else and READ IT. Most prior service/ROTC probably already have it, but it’s hugely helpful to direct commissionees. 5) Get as many uniform items as you can BEFORE SHOWING UP. If you don’t have a military ID, link up with someone who does (a friend, or someone you meet via a...read more

Day 9: Connect the Dots

Thomas Harper — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:07:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
With our field training done for the foreseeable future, yesterday meant we were back in the classroom. We started out the day with a 0550 PT session. The temperature felt more like Pittsburgh than Fargo, which made it a little less painful to start with. I stayed with my adopted platoon (2nd) once again for PT since I’ve enjoyed their PT plan so far (the cadre first sergeant runs 2nd platoon PT, while a cadre sergeant...read more

Day 8: Let’s See Jack McCoy Hit a Pop Up Target

Thomas Harper — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:16:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I want to start off by offering a sincere and immediate apology to Jack McCoy. I needed a clever title for today’s post, and Mr. McCoy was an easy target. I’m sure if he was real, and had a pistol, he’d turn me into a pop-up target…and then proceed to prosecute me in grand fashion (all done within the span of a 1-hour episode). (Mr. McCoy is not amused. You can't see it, but Jack has his piece locked and loaded under that table....read more

Day 7: In the Army Now

Thomas Harper — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:35:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
The fire hose method of teaching continued in fine form today as our class conducted round robin training on various basic soldiering tasks. For many, it was the first time ever doing several tasks that other soldiers have ground into them again and again. We didn’t conduct PT once again, but the class instead formed up for its first ever “road march.” For all those with experience, you’ll know why I put quotes around it...read more

Day 6: Snots & The Tragic End to a Streak

Thomas Harper — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:01:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
No, the title to this post does not refer to the crazy dog owned by Randy Quaid in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, but instead to one of the unified results of today’s big task: the gas chamber. Before diving into that, I want to reassure those interested readers that I will be keeping my promise about writing a post dedicated to my current understanding of passes, pay, leave, and travel pay. I’m in the process of collecting all the notes...read more

Day 5: Chompers, The Shakedown, & The Official Epic No Salute Streak

Thomas Harper — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:44:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I realize that I was in gross neglect of my duties as class blogger yesterday, having not put up my run down of the day. In the Army, excuses are like [bad breath]…everyone has some and they all stink (pardon my modified reference), therefore in official circumstances; I have no excuse for such oversight. However, that rule doesn’t quite apply here, so I have a litany of weak excuses lined up to explain away my failure. In lieu of spelling each out in whiny...read more

Day 4: "The Army Had a Half-Day"

Thomas Harper — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:22:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today wasn’t quite a half-day, but for those who were lucky enough to make it through medical in processing quickly, there was a lengthy break. I also had to jump on the opportunity to work in one of my favorite quotes from the TV show ‘Arrested Development.’ (Buster would've been happy with today's schedule. Side note: If you haven't ever watched Arrested Development, proceed immediately to Netflix, Hulu, or Best Buy to acquire it now.)...read more

Day 3: "National Treasure 3: The American Soldier"

Thomas Harper — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:22:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Unfortunately, this isn’t a profession of my love for any of the Nicholas Cage movies that share the post’s title, but that’ll make more sense in a minute. Today saw a ton of different things going on (mostly in the classroom), which would probably take 15 pages to go through in detail. We had our first PT session today, which was purely introductory. Each platoon learned PT formation basics, did basic warm ups, and received...read more

Day 2: Ready...Set...Carpal Tunnel

Thomas Harper — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:31:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today marked the first full day of JAOBC. With no PT, we were slated to report at 0720. I realize that sounds like it allowed for a lackadaisical start to the day, but when you make time for a personal PT session, shower, breakfast, carpool, and 15-minute drive to post, it made for a pretty early morning. I managed to remember my PT reflector vest for my run, but Petersburg had a plan for that. Once past the area the hotels...read more

Day 1: Hide-N-Go-Seek

Thomas Harper — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:53:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This post is a day late (and probably devoid of any wit whatsoever), but I’m going to follow it in a short bit with my post about today (day 2). Day one of the Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course (JAOBC) can best be described as being like sliding on a slipper or loafer. Our report time was 1300, which allowed for plenty of time to get things straight during the morning. Since my body has all but lost its ability...read more

T-Minus 2 Days (Still): Welcome to the Jungle

Thomas Harper — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:43:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This needs to be said right out of the gate: there is literally next to nothing to complain about in terms of the JAOBC housing set up here at Fort Lee. Compared to cramped barracks where you have minimal storage and living space, things here are great. I arrived at the Petersburg Hampton Inn today at about 1300. My class is spread between three different hotels (with a couple exceptions, which were due to apparent...read more

T-Minus 2 Days: The Gentle Hum of Anxiety

Thomas Harper — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:53:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
It’s fairly early Saturday morning, but I’ve been up for a bit by now. Good practice for the new wake up times of the next few months, I suppose. I’m on my way to Fort Lee today, so this post will be fairly short. I’m nervously excited for this step, since it’s one that I feel like I’ve been building towards for nearly forever. It looks like I’ll be driving in mostly rain today, but that...read more

T-Minus 4 Days: SNOWPOCALYPSE 2011

Thomas Harper — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 23:43:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
It’s the first sentence of this post, and I’ve already deliberately misled you for the sake of being dramatic. Yes, most of the country’s midsection was pummeled by ice, sleet, snow, and the terrifyingly named variant “thundersnow,” but I saw none of that. The most NC received was a light rain as the rest of the country was flattened by the boot of cruel old man winter. My heart goes out to...read more

FLASHBACK #3: Sweet Dreams & A Blow to the Head

Thomas Harper — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:46:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Five weeks into basic training meant a few things. One of those was the quasi-routine I had settled into at that point. I’m not sure that waking up to yelling and banging on trashcan lids before sunrise each morning can ever develop into a true routine, but I had adjusted. Similarly, I had adjusted to getting to sleep as fast as possible once lights were out, since it was such a precious commodity....read more

T-Minus 6 Days: Changing of the Guard

Thomas Harper — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:53:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today marks my last day of work as a civilian attorney. Although I don’t head to Ft. Lee until Saturday, I’m planning on spending the remainder of the week with family and friends before the big move happens. If today is anything like yesterday, productivity will be a challenge. Since I’m heading out, I can’t assume any new exciting long-term projects, and so the day will mostly be filled with making sure the new attorney who...read more

T-Minus 7 Days: Hockey, Running, and Some More Hockey

Thomas Harper — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:44:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
After two days and hockey overload in Raleigh, I can safely say that I couldn’t have asked for a better last weekend in North Carolina. Friday marked my 26th birthday, and it was also the start of the NHL All Star Weekend here. The first stop was the All Star Fan Fest, which was held at the newer convention center downtown. A ton of people turned out for it (some had waited 2 or more hours in line ahead of time to get in as it opened). It...read more

T-Minus 10 Days: The Final Countdown

Thomas Harper — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:07:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I suppose that the more appropriate time phrase for the title would be 3 or 7 days out from my report date, but today is the one day of the year where I get to impose my will on others without recourse: the birthday. With that, I chose to reference the band Europe’s grand ballad fit for any sporting event (it could honestly even pump up a regular person for something like curling or foosball), or general exciting moment in time....read more

T-Minus 11 Days: The Golden Ticket

Thomas Harper — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:26:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
It’s funny how one silly sheet of paper can control so much about one’s future. For many, it’s the paper containing their medical test results, for others it’s the sheet from a college or graduate school informing them of their acceptance or denial. I’ve had plenty of sheets of paper like that, but at this point in time, the piece of paper controlling my fate is my orders onto active duty, which finally came earlier this...read more

T-Minus 12 Days: A Shuttle Creeping Toward the Launch Pad

Thomas Harper — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:14:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Today and yesterday have felt like I’m sitting in the cockpit of a space shuttle slowly moving on the trawler towards the launch pad. The exciting next stage is in sight, but for now, in a sense, I feel like I’m stuck on the back of a vehicle that couldn’t outrun Fred Flintstone’s foot-powered car. At the same time, the list of things to do (which seemed short and easy a week ago when I had more time on my hands) now seems to be...read more

T-Minus 13 Days: Picking Up Roots – The Moving Process

Thomas Harper — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:08:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This will be one of my final “catch up” posts-from here on out a majority of what I’ll cover will be written about as I experience it, rather than in hindsight. I was starting to think I’d never catch up to present day, and now it feels a little like the movie Minority Report, where officers try to stop future events, and race to prevent time from catching up to the present (admittedly, that poor description did that movie no justice, but I digress.)...read more

T-Minus 14 Days: Less Money, More Problems

Thomas Harper — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:32:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
If you can forgive my terrible attempt at making a play on a great song’s title, I want to address a reality that’s not one most like to deal with: the cost of beginning service. Back when I first enlisted, this was no big deal: show up, and the Army feeds you, clothes you, and gets you where you need to go. Things have been slightly different as JAOBC creeps closer....read more

T-Minus 15 Days: T is for Teamwork

Thomas Harper — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This post is dedicated to the classmates I haven’t met yet, but already have a tremendous amount of respect for. I mentioned the 184th JAOBC facebook group in an earlier post, and that group has remained the veritable water cooler that everyone has gathered around. I don’t normally take time to reflect on things like this, but my class’s interaction over the last few months has not only gotten me even more excited...read more

Flashback #2: DRINK WATER

Thomas Harper — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 01:07:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
It’s time for the next installment of the flashback series. To this day, the phrase in this post’s title conjures up memories of it being endlessly yelled by drill sergeants, and then echoed with “BEAT THE HEAT, DRILL SERGEANT, BEAT THE HEAT” by a chorus of privates. It’s early September 2003, and I’m sitting in the first 1/3 of basic training. I had finally settled into a routine of sorts, which was exactly...read more

T-Minus 25 Days: Preparations

Thomas Harper — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:37:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Just like the montage in Predator where Arnold prepares for the big showdown, the first couple weeks of January have revolved around a number of preparations for JAOBC. Paperwork continues to be an issue that’s like a gnat who won’t fly away. As of the second week in January, I had assembled just about all of the paperwork that we’re required to have for in processing. One of the biggest speed bumps in that arena was getting...read more

T-Minus 28 Days: Don't Give Up. Don't Ever Give Up: PT Preparations

Thomas Harper — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:51:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
One of my biggest concerns approaching JAOBC has been making sure I’m physically conditioned enough to meet Army standards. To those without prior military experience, it’s hard to quantify the importance of PT in the Army. It's one of those unwritten items others judge you by, even though you may never hear a word about it good or bad. I’m certainly no John Rambo, and I’m also not...read more

T-Minus 30 Days: The Paper Chase

Thomas Harper — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:42:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
I want to quickly clear up a couple things about my last post. First off, I’m headed to Fort Stewart (I meant to be a bit vague about things, but not quite that much). I’m extremely excited about the assignment, and I sort of wish that the next few months could be crammed into a 2 minute montage fit for a movie like Rocky so that I could get to that point a little faster....read more

T-Minus 88-55 Days: A New Home - Permanent Duty Station Preferences and Selection

Thomas Harper — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:21:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Now that I’ve discussed a bit of what to expect in the time around the end of law school, I’m going to jump forward to the first major event following the bar exam: putting in your selections for a permanent duty station (for active duty personnel). This won’t apply to National Guard officers or Reservists, since you’ll likely already have (and be drilling with) a unit. We received an email in early November,...read more

Flashback #1: Pickup Day 2: The Drill Sergeants Strike Back

Thomas Harper — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:36:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
October 2003: I was on top of the world-sort of. I had just finished basic training, and in my mind, nothing was going to be like that ever again. My first couple days at Ft. Lee were a lot like the first couple days at basic training, since they were spent in a reception unit. These are units that hold trainees before they can begin their real training, and they’re tasked with a number of duties, including taking care of many of the administrative tasks that come with...read more

Back to the Future

Thomas Harper — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:50:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Before going any further, I want to take a brief moment to recognize the legacy of Dr. King. To many, this day is nothing more than the last stage of a long weekend. However, we should each take...read more

What Now? Life after Law School & the Bar Exam

Thomas Harper — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:31:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Once you have your slot in an upcoming JAOBC, your focus should once again be on graduation and passing the bar exam. After all selectees have made their decision, JARO will make JAOBC assignments. You should expect to receive this assignment via email, or by contacting JARO. I had trouble getting emails for some reason early on, so I called JARO and got my assignment over the phone....read more

1LT Harper and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Thomas Harper — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:26:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
(One of my favorite books as a kid, and is exactly what I felt like after not getting selected) So you’ve made it through the entire waiting period, finally taming your obsessive checking of results. Now the day is here: JARO has posted results for the selection board. You get that nervous but excited knot in your stomach and click on the PDF. Except…oh no. You scan the names on the list, jumping to the part of the...read more

The Big Bad Monster in the Closet: JAG Selection Boards

Thomas Harper — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:28:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
Enough about me, although it really pains me to not write about myself for a little while. This marks the first of a series of posts designed to shed light on the process of becoming a JAG officer, including what to expect in the time between graduating law school and finishing the bar exam (especially if you end up being assigned to a JAOBC class that doesn’t begin for a few months after those things, like me)....read more

A Brief History of 1LT Harper & the World, Part II

Thomas Harper — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:47:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
1-14-11 (This was originally one post, but I broke it in half to give everyone's eyes a break.) After commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in May 2007, my path became a lot different from the other 2LTs in my class. Since I had a delay, I was considered an inactive reserve officer, which meant I was no longer assigned to a unit, and had no more weekend training obligations, even though I had a future active duty obligation. This was a huge change. My world quickly...read more

A Brief History of 1LT Harper & the World, Part I

Thomas Harper — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:46:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
1-14-11 Since I crammed a huge chunk of my life into the 1000 character bio on this page, I realized that it would probably need to be expanded at some point. Like so many other things in life, the Army has its own language. After getting used to it, you forget that you’re even using terms and acronyms that a normal person has no clue about. Because of that, I’m using this post to shed a...read more

Introductions

Thomas Harper — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:02:00 GMT

By: Thomas Harper
This marks my first post, and it promises to be a short one. Although my start date for Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course (JAOBC) is looming close now, I'm still working as a civilian attorney at the moment, which limits my time a bit. As of right now, I'm about 3 weeks away from my start date of JAOBC, which is in early February. If you've read the small bio I have about myself in the summary section, you have a good idea of my...read more