Classes galore

So my hope of writing every other day in my journal went out the window...big shock there. The past couple days have been busy but the weekend is now here and I'm looking forward to the liberty we get this weekend.

We had a lot of classes this week that culminated in a 25-question multiple choice test today. I did pretty well and passed, but 8-out-of-31 in our division did not. Our Sr. Chief and LT were not happy about that so we need to have group study time this next week and make sure that doesn't happen on our final exam.

We also had our first room inspection. While it didn't go great, we also didn't fail and I don't think anyone in our division did either. Our liberty this weekend includes being able to go to some of the other places on base, so we went to the Officer's Club tonight and had a few drinks to unwind. It was certainly good to get out and see a new place on base. The O Club is right on the water and I'm sure I will be spending a lot of time there.

The other big thing this week is that my back really started hurting during drill today. I think it was probably the terrain mostly, but I'm now on restricted duty and can't do anything until Tuesday at the earliest. It sucks but there's nothing I can do about it. They are going to take some x-rays on Tuesday though so maybe that will reveal something that I never knew.

Pretty tired after only a few drinks so its time to crash. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Week one in the books

We had most of yesterday to do whatever we wanted so I got caught up on a bunch of work mostly. LT Brewer told us to write him a letter explaining why we were here. I wrote about Grandpa and how I wished he was around to see me in uniform. I know he's watching down on me though and keeping out of the Pit so I can take some comfort in that.

Today was pretty quiet. We had PT in the morning and the stomach exercises are either going to give me some rock-hard abs or just kill me. I can't tell just yet. We have a run tomorrow and I'm hoping it will be no more than 3 miles, but we'll see. I think some people would really struggle with that distance, but they may break it up a bit.

Today we also met our drill instructor, a master sgt. with the Marines and over 20 years experience. Its pretty obvious that he could intimidate us very easily if he wanted to but I know he will be good for us and get our butts in gear. I will likely lose my spot as squad leader because apparently tall people in the front just looks weird. Whatever is best for the team I guess.

Tomorrow is also the start of academices. I'm really curious to see what the classes will be like. Its starting to feel like high school sometimes and having homework won't help that feeling. Off to bed now!

Swimming and the Pit

Hard to believe that almost one week has gone by. The past two days have been interesting to say the least. Yesterday started out with our swim test. 61 people all in an enclosed area where sound just bounces off everywhere...maybe you can already see where this is going. We were excited to be doing something new so were a little chatty, even after we were told to "close it up." Since we didn't exactly do what we were told, we paid the price and I'll get to that in a second.

The swim test itself was actually a lot of fun. We learned how to inflate our clothes so they could be used as flotation devices and it actually worked. I have to admit, I was amazed at how easy it was. After that, we ate lunch and did our first PT session with LT Brewer. To put it mildly, it was a very humbling experience as I thought I was in decent shape, but he wanted to show me otherwise. I held my own, but there is certainly a lot of improvement that can be made.

We came back to King Hall, showered and changed before heading to the back of King Hall for what we thought would be drill practice. However, due to our previous lack of listening skills, we were introduced to our new friend: the Pit. An old volleyball court that could easily be renamed Satan's Playground. I did learn a new exercise though: the Bear Crawl. Unfortunately for me though, I also learned that I suck at it. For those who don't know what this is, you are on your feet and hands crawling from one end of the pit to the other...sound easy? Try it yourself and don't let your knees hit the ground. After almost collapsing from shear exhaustion and from holding a water bottle over my head for five minutes (much hard than it sounds especially after three or four bear crawls) it finally ended.

Today was a different story. We picked up our uniforms in the morning and prepared for inspection. Everything has to be measured exactly and that takes a lot of time. None of us knew what the inspection would be like, but we soon realized it would hurt. We stood in formation and at attention or parade rest (which really isn't much of a rest at all) for over an hour in brand new shoes. While we were doing this, Sr. Chief Boyd looked over us and asked us a question about something we were supposed to memorize. I got asked about a general order and I got it right after hesitating for a second. We all did well and were allowed to use our cell phones for a little bit on the weekend. You sometimes take for granted how nice it is to be able to call home and hear a friendly voice on the other line.

That's all for now! Gotta get some sleep.

4 Days Down

Tomorrow is our first day of physical training (PT) and its obvious that everyone is a little bit worried. We had an introduction session today to the exercises we will be doing and some of them are going to hurt quite a bit, especially the stomach ones. We also had our first PRT test which checks to see if you meet the Navy fitness standards. The test consists of sit-ups, push-ups, and a 1.5 mile run. I passed just fine, but I know that I can do a whole lot better. Hopefully by the end of my time here I'll get better results.

Today we also did drills. This involves, marching, taking commands, responding, moving as a group. I'm the squad 2 leader, but before you think that means anything let me explain that the only reason I am in that position is because I am one of the four tallest people in my division. I actually kind of like drills since we have to do everything together and when we graduate I'm sure we will look a lot better.

Tonight was also my first attempt at polishing shoes. I'm sure it will get easier but so far it sucks. Its incredibly time consuming and you feel like you don't get ANYTHING done.

Some people in my group have been a few more responsibilities. The memorizing takes a lot of time right now, but I would certainly like to do my share to help out our unit. I put my name down for Academic Officer, but Sr. Chief picked someone else. I probably would have picked someone else too since I kind of fumbled announcing my return after coming back from dental check.

We've been eating just fine. I was afraid we were going to be really restricted on what we eat, but we eat 3 full meals per day. Instead of losing weight, I think I'm actually up a few pounds since its basically buffet style and we haven't done a whole lot of PT yet. The food isn't horrible, but there is not a lot of variety. I've had this cheese and lasagna dish at least three times already.

I could so go for some Taco Bell right now!

Navy JAG...the end of the beginning

Some of you may have heard, but I have accepted a commission in the United States Navy JAG Corps. For those who don't know, this means I will be an attorney in the Navy. It was a long waiting process, but after I had basically given up all hope I got a call telling me that a spot opened up. Needless to say, it threw me for quite a loop but for the past few months I’ve been dealing with paperwork and physicals and it sounds like that is now all done.

I thought I would be leaving in September but I just heard on Thursday that I am leaving on Sunday! I need to report to Officer Development School in Newport, RI by Sunday, August 19. Everything has been crazy since I found out and I’ve been running around like a madman. I have to pack up my apartment, change my address, and try and see some friends as well.

My initial training (called Officer Development School) will be five weeks long. After that finishes in late September, I will be coming home for a bit before I start Naval Justice School in October, a 10-week long course in Newport again. After NJS, I’ll be heading to my base. I just found out today that I will be stationed in Bremerton, WA outside of Seattle. I’m very excited that I get to go to this base and live in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t know how I will deal with the rain and general grayness of the area, but I’ve heard that the summers are just incredible.

This is an amazing opportunity for me and I can’t believe that it is actually happening. Keeping in touch with friends will be hard but I hope that I will be able to. I won’t have access to my hotmail or St. Thomas accounts during ODS so you can post comments on this blog if you want to get in touch with me. Once I have my Navy email address, I’ll post it on here.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to update my blog so you can hear about what kind of stuff I will be doing. The next few weeks are going to push me pretty hard, so I hope I’ll be able to handle it.

All the best,

Matt