So this is my first official military blog. I am 5 days into the while process which began Monday, July 20. It is not July 25 and since it is Saturday it is the first block of free time that I could possibly think about blogging.
Monday morning I reported to my unit in Pittsburgh that did some pre-basic drills. After hours of waiting for paperwork (we watched some good movies to pass the time such as Underworld) we were bused over to the Air Force Base at the Pittsburgh airport. The base has single hotels so it was a pleasant stay. We were awoken at 4am Tuesday to go do more processing at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station). This was another lon day of briefings, paperwork, and a physical until they got us to the airport again to fly to Louisville.
That night we were put on a bus to Fort Knox to begin the fun. We were "greeted" by a drill sergeant who stepped on the bus, predictably yelled at the recruits in the front of the bus, and then barked that we can grab our stuff and march into the building. In a very military manner, we sat down and began more paperwork. Next we were shuffled to a room where we dumped our bags and surrendered any items that were not allowed. It was chaotic because all of these activities are being done by 150 new recruits at a time. By 2:30am we were done with all of the work that needed to be done, including gathering our linens, storing our civilian bags, making our beds (a 20-03 min process itself).
Our wake up call came at 3:30am. So after a 22 hour day, we got a 1 hour nap to begin another hectic day. This was probably the most agonizing day I've had in a long time. We had not been issued uniforms yet so we went outside in our PT clothes (fitness shorts and a t-shirt). It was POURING down rain. Luckily they had giveb us our ponchos, but wearing the hood is "for pre-schoolers" we were told. We had to get in formation and stand in line for breakfast with muddy wet feet and no head cover. I think everyone around me said the words, "I can't believe I signed up for this."
Next we marched in the rain to a building where we would sit in classes for a long time. We were soaked and exhausted. I don't remember much... I think memory shuts off for these experiences for a reason. They kept us really busy all day and finally let us sleep at 9pm. That was the best sleep ever.
We woke up at 4am and did a ton of other things. I believe I got 5 shots all together. It was really funny when they put 8 of us into a soundproof room for a hearing test and basically everyone fell asleep during the test. I think I was pressing the button in my sleep somehow because I passed. Also on that day we got our uniforms-- an impressive process. The invoice for my uniforms alone was about $900, paid for by out government. Consider about 800 soldiers are all being processed here at reception right now alongside my company of 200. That shows a lot about the power of America's military I think.
So anyway, it has been a crazy week. And technically not even Basic Training yet, just "reception". Overall, I am feeling great about it. Mentally and Physically I am adjusting quickly to the demands. We have to show extreme discipline around the drill sergeants, who I actually think are pretty cool. Those dudes are some of the sharpest, most focused people on the planet, and mostly their yelling is for good reason. Their job is to make soldiers ready for combat. That is why they make tiny activities like how we stand and how we wear our socks a stressful experience. I personally haven't been singled our once so far for doing anything wrong. However, as a group we get yelled at a lot. I am already feeling better about how I manage stress and pay attention to details. I am definitely ready to start the actual basic training. We'll move into a more remote area of Ft. Knox's 110,000 acre facility. Also, I am grateful to be making friends with some good guys. There are a lot of difficult people to work with here but I stumbled into a room of good guys that brought Bibles and are cool to talk to. They are as focused as I am mostly, and it pays off because we have each other's backs.
If you have been praying for me, my main issue is that my boots "break in" soon. The only part of my body that isn't feeling great are my feet. Two giant blisters on the back of my heels. Soon I'll be marching 8-12 miles in them any given day, and right now just walking 100 yards to the "chow hall" is a major pain. Other than that I think I can handle anything. Food here is excellent! We have to eat here super fast but it is pretty much amazing. I know I'll gain good weight here. The verses of encouragement that my parents printed for me have been extremely helpful.
So thanks for reading this! It was long because we had 5 hours to kill after not having a second to relax. And also, it will be good to have these memories chronicled for future use.
Much love <3. Hopefully my address will be available soon.
-Tim
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