More from John

Hello friends and family,
I received a letter from John today that is also addressed to all of you.
He writes:

Dear Mom/Everyone,
Today is Sunday March 4. I haven't had much time to write this week so I'll tell you all about each day. I'll start with Monday, (I may have already written you about this, I'm not sure).
Monday was Land Navigation Training. We also had a 3.3 mile road march. Once we marched there, we were given a set of coordinates. (ex. NT80726341) That's just one, we got five of those. We were given our starting points and a compass and told to wonder through the woods and find these points. (They were marked with a pole) For lunch that day we ate "Hot A's" meaning cafeteria food served at the Land Nav. site.
Tuesday we did the Teamwork Development Course. We are given an obstacle, ie a ten foot wall in front of a broken bridge. We have to get all team members across the bridge and over the wall using only a rope and a plank. You can't touch the ground at all until you are over the wall. We had 5 minutes to plan and 20 minutes to execute. This was a tough day for me because when I am not a leader I have a hard time just sitting by and letting other soldiers make their own mistakes.
On Wednesday we did a bayonette training. The whole company competed (about 200 people) and I did the best. I even won a phone call! After that we had a pugil stick stick competition. I got my butt kicked but it was fun to watch everyone else beat the crud out of each other.
Thursday we learned Unarmed Combative Skills. (fighting without a weapon) Mostly Brazillian ju jitsu. This was fun because you don't have to be really strong to win. We all got in a circle and the drill sergeants would call out two names and we would get in the middle and kick the crap out of each other. I won my bout! I put my opponent in a "bent arm bar"submission hold. I was really proud of myself. I'm not much of a fighter normally, but I seemed to find that "warrior spirit" that day.
Friday...What a day this was. We did NBC training. Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical. This means I learned to use a "pro-mask." (gas-mask) After learning to use it, we had to put what we had learned into action in the gas chamber. The drill sergeants take you into a room filled with CS gas. CS is like tear gas, but they add an irritant so it can burn your skin with prolonged exposure. Once you are in the room you have to remove your mask long enough to say your name rank and social security number, then you put your mask back on. But...it's not over yet. Then after we get comfortable again we have to completely remove our masks and recite the soldiers creed. This forces you to breathe in the gas. They also make you open your eyes. Let me tell you. It BURNS! I left the gas chamber with a foot of snot hanging off my nose, crying, and spitting up crud. The worst part is you can't touch your face cause your hands still have gas on them. About five minutes later we are all "aired out" and we can clean ourselves off. It's really unpleasant but it's funny as heck to watch everyone else come out.
On Saturday we started BRM. Basic Rifle Marksmanship. We don't get to actually fire our weapons until Wednesday the 7th but as of right now we are learning to properly hold, aim, breathe, and squeeze the trigger. We do a drill where we cock the weapon, place a dime on the muzzle and try to squeeze the trigger without the dime falling off. This is actually pretty difficult.
Today is Sunday. I went to choir rehearsal this morning. We sang a Chris Tomlin song (my choice) and it made me feel a little more at home. The service was good today and it was nice to take communion. We had a bible study after church, that somehow turned into a a big yelling match about racism. Boooo. Hopefully next week will be better.
Well for the rest of the day we should be laying around the barracks on personal time.
It's time for chow now so I'm gonna end this here, but I'll write again soon.
I love you,
John