So... For the first time since February I am updating this blog personally. (Thanks for all the hard work mom) I finally graduated from basic training on friday 20 April 2007. HOOAH! It is so nice to be done with the hardest part. (well maybe not the hardest, but at least the worst) My parents... all four of them, my sister, and my girlfriend came up to see me graduate, and take me out to dinner. It was great. I loved seeing my family after having spent so much time wondering what was going on their lives. I missed them all so much. Friday night they had to drop me back off at the barracks, and I had to sleep there so that I could ship to AIT on Saturday morning. Luckily my AIT is at Fort Jackson so all I had to do was go across base. After I did my inprocessing at AIT I actually got a pass for the weekend!!! My parents left town, but my girlfriend stayed around, and we spent the night in a hotel in downtown Columbia. We went out to eat and have a few beers last night, which was freakin great, especially because I found Shiner Bock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it. Shiner Bock in SC. Yeah boy! It's now about 0900 and I'm getting ready to go eat a greasy breakfast at the Waffle House. (By the way there are a lot of Waffle Houses here in Columbia) Anywho, just a quick note to wrap up my basic training Blog.
John
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tidbits From John
This was likely written last Thursday:
It is now 10 hours until I leave for Victory Forge. I will wake up at 0400 and march 9 miles to our forward operating base. From then until the following Friday, we will be operating 24 hours a day. I expect maybe 16 hours of sleep throughout the week.I was on a detail today that went out to the site and set up. It will be quite an operation with two large tents (really large...they could easily sleep 60) set up for briefing and chow. There is also another base set up for opposing forces (a few people were selected for this).
It is now 10 hours until I leave for Victory Forge. I will wake up at 0400 and march 9 miles to our forward operating base. From then until the following Friday, we will be operating 24 hours a day. I expect maybe 16 hours of sleep throughout the week.I was on a detail today that went out to the site and set up. It will be quite an operation with two large tents (really large...they could easily sleep 60) set up for briefing and chow. There is also another base set up for opposing forces (a few people were selected for this).
Monday, April 9, 2007
Letter mailed April 6th
Dear Mom, (and blog)
This will be my last chance to write before I leave for Victory Forge. I am so looking forward to getting out of here. I figured it out today...we are treated like dogs. We get kicked and then petted. I swear this is how the drill sergeants treat us. Today we got yelled at all day, and then tonight we had an ice cream and cake party, played a trivia game and had an impromptu "talent show." Then we got yelled at some more. Great.
Victory Forge should be alright. I'm still recovering from Tonsilitus so I'm taking my Tylenol, Ibuprophen, throat drops, etc. Hopefully all those drugs will get me through.
Honestly, I don't even care any more. I just want to be done. I guess you could call it a case of "senioritus." Oh well, I will be done in 2 weeks. 13 days and a wake up.
Sorry this is so short, just a not to touch base before I go. Oh, and no more letters mailed out to me after the 12th of April.
Thanks for all your love and support.
Love,
John
This will be my last chance to write before I leave for Victory Forge. I am so looking forward to getting out of here. I figured it out today...we are treated like dogs. We get kicked and then petted. I swear this is how the drill sergeants treat us. Today we got yelled at all day, and then tonight we had an ice cream and cake party, played a trivia game and had an impromptu "talent show." Then we got yelled at some more. Great.
Victory Forge should be alright. I'm still recovering from Tonsilitus so I'm taking my Tylenol, Ibuprophen, throat drops, etc. Hopefully all those drugs will get me through.
Honestly, I don't even care any more. I just want to be done. I guess you could call it a case of "senioritus." Oh well, I will be done in 2 weeks. 13 days and a wake up.
Sorry this is so short, just a not to touch base before I go. Oh, and no more letters mailed out to me after the 12th of April.
Thanks for all your love and support.
Love,
John
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Letter From John
Dear Mom/Blog,
I have a lot to catch you up on... so I just got back from my 3 day FTX (Field Training Exercise). It was mostly a good time. We went on Tuesday morning and set up our tents, which consists of two ponchos buttoned together, two poles, and somebungee cords. All day Tuesday we practiced kicking in doors and storming and clearing a building. Pretty neat stuff I hope I never have to use.
Later that night, we were all issued blanks for M16s and we went on night patrol. We were wandering throught the woods. As we were wandering, we saw another platoon walking down a trail. We all laid down, got very quiet, and ambushed the other platoon. They all freaked out and all got "killed." We did a couple other day and night operations out there and learned how to run a traffic check point. On the night before I got back from the FTX I started to feel a little sick. I stuck it out through the next day until we got back from the field, but when we arrived at the barracks I told the Drill Sergeant I needed to go to the doctor. He told me to wait until the next day. I said, "Negative Drill Sergeant. I need to go tonight." He took my temperature and it was 102! He took me to the hospital and I spent the night there. Turns out I had severe Tonsilitus. My throat hurt! For medicine they gave me two bags, (2000cc) of IV fluids, two shots in the butt (one antibioitic, one for pain), 800mg Ibuprophen (one every six hours), 325mg Tylenol (one every four hours), Robitussin (as needed for cough), and throat lozenges (as needed for pain). I feel much better today. when I checked in to the hospital, my pulse was 110 and my blood pressure was high. Today my pulse is 56 with a blood pressure of 114/66. Much better. Now I'm out of the hospital in medical quarters and should return to duty tomorrow.
I did miss one mandatory event while I was in the hospital so I will have to make it up. I missed Remagen, which is the grenade range. I should make that up during graduation week.
Monday we went to Kasserine Pass which is a large weapons range. We got to shoot the M203 grenade launcher, the M249 machine gun, and the M136 also known as the AT4 antitank weapon system. That was lots of fun. The AT4 is crazy. It's like a modern day bazooka. When the round hits, it makes the ground shake and you can feel it in your chest.
Well, I need to get my rest so I can get out of Med quarters. I love you and miss you.
Love,
John
I have a lot to catch you up on... so I just got back from my 3 day FTX (Field Training Exercise). It was mostly a good time. We went on Tuesday morning and set up our tents, which consists of two ponchos buttoned together, two poles, and somebungee cords. All day Tuesday we practiced kicking in doors and storming and clearing a building. Pretty neat stuff I hope I never have to use.
Later that night, we were all issued blanks for M16s and we went on night patrol. We were wandering throught the woods. As we were wandering, we saw another platoon walking down a trail. We all laid down, got very quiet, and ambushed the other platoon. They all freaked out and all got "killed." We did a couple other day and night operations out there and learned how to run a traffic check point. On the night before I got back from the FTX I started to feel a little sick. I stuck it out through the next day until we got back from the field, but when we arrived at the barracks I told the Drill Sergeant I needed to go to the doctor. He told me to wait until the next day. I said, "Negative Drill Sergeant. I need to go tonight." He took my temperature and it was 102! He took me to the hospital and I spent the night there. Turns out I had severe Tonsilitus. My throat hurt! For medicine they gave me two bags, (2000cc) of IV fluids, two shots in the butt (one antibioitic, one for pain), 800mg Ibuprophen (one every six hours), 325mg Tylenol (one every four hours), Robitussin (as needed for cough), and throat lozenges (as needed for pain). I feel much better today. when I checked in to the hospital, my pulse was 110 and my blood pressure was high. Today my pulse is 56 with a blood pressure of 114/66. Much better. Now I'm out of the hospital in medical quarters and should return to duty tomorrow.
I did miss one mandatory event while I was in the hospital so I will have to make it up. I missed Remagen, which is the grenade range. I should make that up during graduation week.
Monday we went to Kasserine Pass which is a large weapons range. We got to shoot the M203 grenade launcher, the M249 machine gun, and the M136 also known as the AT4 antitank weapon system. That was lots of fun. The AT4 is crazy. It's like a modern day bazooka. When the round hits, it makes the ground shake and you can feel it in your chest.
Well, I need to get my rest so I can get out of Med quarters. I love you and miss you.
Love,
John
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Hey Everybody, Phone call from John
Hello Everyone,
I got a phone call from John this afternoon. He sounded good. Kinda hoarse. He said last week he had a field training exercise Monday through Friday then he was sick on Thursday and Friday with Tonsilitus. He got a shot of antibiotics and one for pain. He's definitely feeling better though. He also said that he passed his final PT tests in order to graduate. Passing is a 50%. He scored a 69% on pushups at 47, a 68% on sittups at 53 and a 90% for the 2 mile run at 13:56. In fact, the whole company scored the hightest PT score ever since the master drill sergeant has been at Fort Jackson so they all won a phone call! That's about all he had time for. Can't wait to see him at graduation.
Lucy (Mom)
I got a phone call from John this afternoon. He sounded good. Kinda hoarse. He said last week he had a field training exercise Monday through Friday then he was sick on Thursday and Friday with Tonsilitus. He got a shot of antibiotics and one for pain. He's definitely feeling better though. He also said that he passed his final PT tests in order to graduate. Passing is a 50%. He scored a 69% on pushups at 47, a 68% on sittups at 53 and a 90% for the 2 mile run at 13:56. In fact, the whole company scored the hightest PT score ever since the master drill sergeant has been at Fort Jackson so they all won a phone call! That's about all he had time for. Can't wait to see him at graduation.
Lucy (Mom)
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