BCT Day 0
The day started at 0400. We were required to clean the bays up immaculately. The weather outside was perfect. It felt like upper 60s with a slight breeze. We were scheduled to load up leave for "down range" at 1000 hrs, but the civilians at the reception building were moving slow on the last minute fixes. While waiting the company ISG assigned 4 "high speed" specialists, including myself, to go to the various bays and square away any details missed. We had to take 10 other soldiers each to get it done. After doing that, I pray that I don't get some of these people in my platoon. I cannot just sit around and screw around when a DS asked us to do something. I was just annoyed to bananas. We sat and sat and went to lunch. Then the trucks came and they had us file out and stack our duffel bags and got into formation. The belittling started here. I knew what to do so I brought no attention to myself. It was intimidating to say the least. I was distracted enough due to the fact that my laundry detergent started leaking in my laundry. This was the bag that we're holding the whole time. It had all of my personal items, (including the new bag I purchased and not the one I donated. Thank you again SSG WTF." and other misc gear. My bag felt like about 25-35 lbs.
They then had us march about a mile up a hill with the bags still in our hands. We came across the battalion and company building. They marched us into this courtyard and pressed us together really close. They then had us sit down somehow. This was about 215 people mashed together. They then had the company 1SG talk to us over a PA system. He just gave an introduction to the company and DS staff. They then had us all run over to our stacks of bags and find ours. During this, the DSs were finding people to pick on. I kept my head down and was constantly running, so I avoided any attention. During this whole time, I emptied all emotion, and became a rock. They had us move into our PLT. formation. Here they yelled at us some more. They then had us go to our bay upstairs.
Once in our bay, they had us hold our laundry bags over heads and out in front of us. I was sweating fairly well by now. They then had us do half-jacks for a while. We did it longer because there were guys having problems with the cadences. One guy even passed out just from those exercises. And of course, they had us do push-ups. I have the name already for the one DSs; DS T, He sounds like Mr. T, except he doesn't say fool.
He then had us fill out some paper work that I have already filled out before.We went to chow afterwards. The selection is a little different and is healthier then the reception; no fried food. I got some good ribs. The DSs then took us on a tour of the battalion grounds. We then had to deal with a fire alarm. Around 1800 hrs, the whole company meets up around this big company and army logo and had what they call "Hydration formation." This basically gives a status quo of events and a preview of the next day. We went back in our bays. More paper work and push ups. Then at about 2140 they told all 54 of us to shower in 20 minutes. Lots of fun, we even had DS T com in looking at tattoos. We then went to bed, but I ended up having fireguard duty at 0200 for a hour...yay.
BCT Day 1
My name is not Keith Miller anymore. I now go by Roster #309. That means, 3rd platoon and 9th on the roster. We are know as the Regulators, I guess a past cavalry division.
Wake up was supposed to be at 0430, but the DSs had other ideas. What's a first morning at basic without a wake up call from modified air horns @ 0400. Part of the experience. I saw that coming because there was no fireguard scheduled till 0430. We then had to try and make our beds the way they wanted, shave, brush our teeth, and get dressed in about 45 minutes. There are so many sick people right now. There is constant hacking and sniffling. I hope I can stay clear of the crud.
We had our initial PT test, which is known as the 1-1-1. 1 minute of push ups, 1 minute of sit ups and a 1 mile run. I did 25 official push ups with about 5-10 not counted because I guess my form was not right. Oh Well. I did not have as much of a problem with my sit ups. I did 34. For my 1 mile run, I ran 8:14, which is my best time so far, but according to DS T, "That's Shit."
The DSs in my platoon are the strictest in the company. Evidently, we get smoked more than anyone else. DS T is the worst. I can see what he is doing though. He's training us harder to get our discipline squared away better than the other platoons.
We basically sat in a classroom all day trying not to fall asleep or dealing with a DS in your face. I managed the classes were basic topics like Equal Opportunity, hot weather injuries watched some IED rules on Taliban, and operation security. OPSEC
Friday -> Tuesday BCT Day 2-6
The last couple of days have been very stressful and busy. I have not been able to write very much at all. I will highlight the last couple of days.
Friday- We were issued our weapons, M-16 M-4. These things are .06 lbs without the sling and magazine. It doesn't sound like much, but you take a 9 lb weight and hold it out on your side for 2-5 minutes. I now have to carry this around just about everywhere, including the bathroom and chow. We started training on the new Army PRT system, which is replacing the old Army PT. This is the new system I mentioned that SSG Lime thought it was gay. It's not even that hard for me with the personal training I paid for. It's the coordination with the cadences that takes practice. If you screw that up, the DSs are on you quick.
Saturday- I really do not remember what happened that day except that I did wake up with that crud in my lungs and head. Freaking great! The whole day I was dizzy and disoriented and even fell asleep standing up a few times.
Sunday- It was supposed to be a more relaxing day. However, DS T saw the guidelines through his own eyes. Supposedly, DSs are not supposed to smoke PVTs on Sundays till 1600. Well at about 1300, DS T came in and got all pissed about the various stupid stuff that our stupid people were doing. Mainly talking and moving at the position attention. I don't know why it is so hard to follow simple instructions. DS T. had us doing PT stuff from about 1515 to about 1410. In the meantime, I was hacking and sniffling the whole time. What annoyed me about that was that it got me very sweaty before church. My church service was scheduled for 1500 and you have to report 30 minutes prior to march. I got there on time at 1430 with no DS there till about 1545 and then we waited another 10-15 minutes for more people. We got to church at about 1515 with a long line for confession still in place that caused mass to start around 1540. Fine by me! More time away from DSs who are not allowed in the masses. After mass, we got to ride back in a van. However, six of us had to stuff ourselves into the back of a van on the ground.
DS T did ask us to huddle before personal time to ask questions. It's got to be the funniest Q and A session from a step back. Stupid people asking stupid questions, and DS T giving them a "you dumb fucker" answer. He did talk about the gas chamber the next day. The part that stands out, is when he asked about what we were going to have to recite and how bad while in the CS gas chamber. His response was, "depends on whether his woman was gonna give him any pussy that night. So pray for pussy fuckers." Holy crap, I lost it. We actually got some free time to ourselves that night too. Wow!
Monday- Gas Chamber Day!
We started the day with chow around 0600. I had a feeling that it would be smart to eat a small meal to lessen the chance of regurgitation in the gas chamber. The DSs made it sound like you may have to clean any mess you leave behind in there. Oops, before chow we did more of intro to the PRT exercises. Easy stuff, slightly challenging. However, when we were leaving, we were the only platoon to decide to run two laps around the track. About a 1/4 of the platoon kept up with the DS. I was having problems with the breathing because of the chest crud, but I nearly stayed the pace. We did have a guy who the DSs call PVT Hip Hop who I rode up from MEPS in the van, who could barely walk much less run because of his knee. Turns out after seeing the athletic trainers, he may have done something to his MCL, not good. He is now on crutches. PVT Hip Hop still wanted to go to the gas chamber. We then all got in our ACUs, got our assault rifles. We marched a bit and met up some "cattle trucks." I volunteered to carry Hip Hops bag as well as my own. Not too bad, just more sweat. At the gas chamber, we did a quick check of the mask. I didn't know what I was doing for the check because I missed the chemical class the day before because of church. I was praying that my seals were good.
They marched us in and within 5 seconds, my skin where I shaved that morning started to burn. My mask worked though, whew. They had us pull our mask off and say our last name and last 4 digits of our SSN, then reseal the mask. I was ok till my last digit and got hit. It took me a minute to recover. They then had my line pull our masks off, put our helmet on properly, put our rifle in our right hand, our mask in the left, and hold both hands out. I was the first done, but waited for the freaked out people. Finally, they had us run out. You could see the sick people because the faces and jackets were covered in snot!. I was one of them. I slowly could breathe again. The rest of the day was low key though! Didn't really do much training, and we got a full hour of personal time.
Tuesday- Obstacle course day
I was dragging it hard in the morning from whatever it was I have. Worse, DS T smoked us in the bay before leaving. I sweated like crazy. I was dizzy as hell. After the smoking, I asked if he could take my temp where he then chewed my ass for being 25 and not letting someone know that I was sick sooner. It was bad enough that I needed some time to myself in the bathroom for a minute. Oh well, I decided I would stick it out for the day to see how far I could take it.On top of that, I started having problems with my knee the night before. So I had that going for me.
Attire for the obstacle course was ACUs, boots and our camel backs. We marched to the course and learned how to stack our rifles. We then went on a tour of the course. Lucky for us PVT Whiney and my bunk mate (who happens to have the same last name as me, and I have been trying to help him with bunk, rifle, etc) did some stupid things and caused the whole company to drop. My bunk mate already got Article 15 the night before from our SDS(Senior). Because of both soldiers' actions and attitudes, it looks like both will be getting ELS (Entry level Separation). This means they are leaving the Army early. We then got in starting positions and the platoons competed against themselves in squads. I thought I was going to on the first obstacle. Luckily, I had some good battle buddies pushing my ass! I could barely breathe through the whole thing. It was fun though. I didn't feel my knee either. After that run, each platoon picked their "super 8" to compete against each platoon. I was definitely not on that team. Our platoon ended up coming in 3rd. Unfortunately, I think if Hip Hop and our ELS guy were able to make it to the course, we could have won.
After the competition, they marched everyone up through a water hose that was dumping a load of water on each person. It was so refreshing. By this time I had noticed that my knee was starting be sore again. Oh well.
The DSs took it somewhat easy on the rest of the day. I did decide previously that I was not better by Tuesday, I would be going to sick call for my knee and chest crud Wednesday morning. After I turned in my request, I found out that I would miss the first Ability Group Run (AGR). AGR is where they have a run with people broken up in groups based on their run time. But, I made a decision and was not planning on second guessing myself. Lucky for me, I did not have fire guard duty and tried to get some sleep.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
3rd Letter
Hello, Lisa again. Here is the 3rd letter I received from Keith. It's short because it was inserted into an Anniversary card. We celebrated our two year Anniversary on May 2.
Reception Day7
For some reason everyone woke up dog-tired, but we moved quickly. However, my bay was squared away, but the other one was ate up horribly in terms of beds. I tried to help, but there were too many for me to try and help. In fact, some weren't even made yet.
We formed up and the ISG (First Sergeant) had us recite the Soldiers Creed, Army song, and General Orders a few times. Of course, she said it sounded "ate up."
DS Prick then asked for 20 people to come and clean up and move two offices around. The floors ended up needing to be mopped. I got that task and was able to shine. DS Prick actually told the group that how I was mopping is how you should do it. Thanks Giovanni.
We then went to chow, and back to the reception loading to get our last haircut for BCT. For recruits, it costs $4.80 and came off of a pay card they issued us.
We got back and on DS had us busy cleaning. This included raking the clay dirt. I took this as it was kind of relaxing muck like a real zen garden with sand. After that, we went to chow. After chow they took us to the PX for the last time prior to BCT. A group of us had to go back and get our pay cards because of cleaning detail prior to chow. DS Short wasn't happy, but took us back. We then wanted 20 minutes in the A/C at classroom for the line at the PX to go down, so it worked out. At the PX, I bought a new ACU wallet, baby powder, dog tag silencers, some better pens, boot inserts, a card for my wife for our Anniversary, and a big Army brand travel duffel bag. I have to throw out my suitcase because I have to limit all of my stuff to my duffel and laundry bag. Thank you SSG WTF for the advice. I should have stuck with my back pack. Oh well, I really like this bag.
My group got back to the classroom and was told to watch TV or a movie. We tried to finish We Were Soldiers, but DS Prick came in and had a cow! He called and formation and bitched about the TV and the barracks. . He then had us fall in our barracks for an inspection. Of course it wasn't clean enough.
We did more formulations and went to chow. We had some new people in our group and we were warning them of things, I mentioned DS Prick to the newbies. We got back and finalized the processing and shipping procedures. The DS's were just cranky and were just yelling at us left and right.
We finally got released for the night. I got to call my lovely wife and my parents. I packed some things up, did laundry and now I am going to bed. I ready for tomorrow and what it hold. Hooah!!
Reception Day7
For some reason everyone woke up dog-tired, but we moved quickly. However, my bay was squared away, but the other one was ate up horribly in terms of beds. I tried to help, but there were too many for me to try and help. In fact, some weren't even made yet.
We formed up and the ISG (First Sergeant) had us recite the Soldiers Creed, Army song, and General Orders a few times. Of course, she said it sounded "ate up."
DS Prick then asked for 20 people to come and clean up and move two offices around. The floors ended up needing to be mopped. I got that task and was able to shine. DS Prick actually told the group that how I was mopping is how you should do it. Thanks Giovanni.
We then went to chow, and back to the reception loading to get our last haircut for BCT. For recruits, it costs $4.80 and came off of a pay card they issued us.
We got back and on DS had us busy cleaning. This included raking the clay dirt. I took this as it was kind of relaxing muck like a real zen garden with sand. After that, we went to chow. After chow they took us to the PX for the last time prior to BCT. A group of us had to go back and get our pay cards because of cleaning detail prior to chow. DS Short wasn't happy, but took us back. We then wanted 20 minutes in the A/C at classroom for the line at the PX to go down, so it worked out. At the PX, I bought a new ACU wallet, baby powder, dog tag silencers, some better pens, boot inserts, a card for my wife for our Anniversary, and a big Army brand travel duffel bag. I have to throw out my suitcase because I have to limit all of my stuff to my duffel and laundry bag. Thank you SSG WTF for the advice. I should have stuck with my back pack. Oh well, I really like this bag.
My group got back to the classroom and was told to watch TV or a movie. We tried to finish We Were Soldiers, but DS Prick came in and had a cow! He called and formation and bitched about the TV and the barracks. . He then had us fall in our barracks for an inspection. Of course it wasn't clean enough.
We did more formulations and went to chow. We had some new people in our group and we were warning them of things, I mentioned DS Prick to the newbies. We got back and finalized the processing and shipping procedures. The DS's were just cranky and were just yelling at us left and right.
We finally got released for the night. I got to call my lovely wife and my parents. I packed some things up, did laundry and now I am going to bed. I ready for tomorrow and what it hold. Hooah!!
2nd Letter
4/29/11 Reception Day 3
I figured out, I think, why reception is longer and/or shorted for people. I was put into Aplha Co. Here at the 30th AG Battalion. I got in on Tuesday. There were guys who got in the save company on Monday, Wednesday,Thursday and Friday. It seems we we'll ship on this coming Tuesday or Wednesday to "Down range," the basic everyone thinks of when they hear "basic training."
This morning we woke up at 0400 for a formation at 0430. I was up about 10 mins early to shave and brush my teeth before other people. We were then taken for any required additional shots as well as evaluate the TB shot site for a reaction. Turns out our Company has our own version of PFC McGuire's PVT Home school. He is an obviously underweight, pale, bad postured kid who seems like he was home schooled. PVT Home school passed out or was close to for some reason in the shots room. I also got one additional shot that I have no idea was for in the least. All I know is it hurt like hell for 20 minutes in my shoulder and then it mellowed me out for about 40 minutes. Also, i thought it was funny when our DS, DS Rhythm, saw PVT Home school passing out, he said "ah shit, we got a funky chicken."
We then went to the DFAC for breakfast. Again eggs were the main entree. I'm betting that is always the entree because it's probably about 40% eggs and 60% other crap. I guess PVT Home school threw up in the chow line and caused some issues. Luckily, he was behind me.
After breakfast, our DS that I call DS Rhythm because he's good with cadences, loud, and black. I always keep in step and have fun when he's marching us. I feel like I have gotten the marching thing down pretty well in the last couple of days. After that, DS Rhythm had us clean our barracks,. He told us that he wants to be able to set a cheeseburger on the urinal, piss, and then pick it back up to eat. I took charge on toilets. My time with Giovanni's cleaning came in handy. I was showing people little tidbits everywhere. I also took the time to finally organize all of my crap. after that DS Clean (looks like Mr. Clean) took us into our classroom and played a BCT DVD showing us what to expect. After that, he put in Troy. I was a little thrown off. He paused it, took us to lunch and brought us back to finish Troy, but then they put in We Were Soldiers. I twas good till DS Tall Prick and DS small Prick saw some people not wearing their camel backs, which is a big no-no. They then turned the movie off and proceeded to yell at us. Because of PVT whiny pants, they said there had to be six people on fire watch at each hour. GREAT! That meant 30 people instead of 12, AND ME!. Oh well I got from 2200-2300.
We then had to clean the barracks again. Oh well, its more bonding experience in my eyes. And DS Clean gave us from 1930-2100 for personal time. I got to talk to my wife before her performance. I miss her so much. Anyways, I got my shift now.
4/30/2011 Reception Day 4
The morning was beautiful! The last two days have had great weather in the morning. I wish it could last, but I know the Georgia summer will start soon. Went to chow with no events. After that, we had a class run by a BCT DS from down range. He spoke about a lot of things. The 25 series Moss (my job is one) is the one mentioned most. He mentioned that my MOS is the one where people make a boat load of money once they get out. He then sobered us up on the Afghanistan fighting. It was crazy to explain how guys with no tactical training at all can challenge a superior army like ours. Also, I guess the Taliban have been working on floating IED's on balloons to get helicopters. Wow. Hurt Locker is a tough movie. It was tough to watch because it was real and it went on to say that FT. Benning will be training about 50% of all income FS's.
On a funnier note, there are people falling asleep all the time, and we have to wake them. Someone nudged me to wake one such fellow. I'm just so happy to have my boot off with my insert out. The first thought was to slap him in the back of the head with my insert. It made everyone lose it around me. Luckily the DS was not in the room.
On a side not, I feel like I need to rename DS Tall Prick to DS Terminatior. This guys looks like he is Arnold walking through and scanning the room for anyone up. I just picture his site as an infrared screen with a grid deciding who to destroy. He was actually cool today for a while. He has been a DS for 12yrs. I think he treats us like the Army from the 1990s when things were tougher.
We went to chow, I figured out that one line has crap for food like cheese burgers while another has healthier stuff like baked chicken and fish. I tried veal today for the first time. We then headed back. The DS then ordered us to make a bunk, what to do about heat injuries, and the uniform. We then had DS Terminator go over our items and stick things we don't need for the next few days in our duffel bag and lock it up. He then went over any issues people have with their processing; clothes, equipment, and finance, etc. This is where the dumb asses came out. Some people kept doing the dumbest things to DS Terminator. One kid would mention his problem and the DS would ask him why and he would respond like a zombie. Later the kid was talking to DS Pinter (he constantly points when he talks) and when Ds Pointer asked him a question he hesitated and said "No" in a condescending tone, with no DS on the end of the statement. I thought he was gonna get punched.
We finally got released to personal time, I made a call to my wife and left a voicemail because she was doing a performance. Tomorrow is church. We also get to wear our ACUs for the first time. Hooah! I think everyone has been waiting for that. We also don't have to wake up till 0600. Never thought I would think of 6am as late wake up. I am in good spirits right now and apparently we will ship down range on Wednesday. I am looking forward to exercise. Goodnight!
05/01/2011 Reception Day 5
Wake up was supposed to be at 0600, but DS Clean decided that 0540 was when we should wake up. We then went to chow. Hard boiled eggs! Sweet! After chow, we signed up for our selected service. I signed up for confession and mass, 1200 & 1500 respectively. We were released to our barracks to clean and wait for our service. About 1030hrs, DS Clean called us into the classroom thinking he was mad. We then find out he wanted us to watch Rambo?!?! One of the goriest and violent movies I have seen in a while. The at 1115, 15 minutes before I was gonna go to confession, DS Clean lined us up for chow. I asked him about me and confession with chow and he said "either you go to chow or church, your choice." I thought that was a little crappy. I went to chow. During chow, some people saw a mouse running across the floor in the DFAC into the kitchen area. DS Easy said, "don't worry guys, it's still alive, they ain't cooking it." wow! After chow, we started watching Terminater Salvation. I didn't care, I read my Initial Entry Training (IET) Book. DS Easy released us about 1930 to the barracks. I got the chance to call my wife. I really miss her, but its not eating me up. I know the quickest way for me to see he will be to finish BCT. There are guys at the reception center who are waiting 1 to 2 months to discharge from the Army.
I had fireguard duty at 2100 to 2200 tonight. I'll take that all week. Best shift! I also just finished my BS 250 word Essay on guide lines. Now I'm going to bed.
05/02/2011 Reception Day 6
This morning, I think that my bay had a case of the Mondays, The DS small prick (now known as DS Prick), came in about 0430 when wakeup was still at 0400, and people were still sleeping. Oh shit! He then had DS Rhythm come in and toss our bay for cleaning that had not been finished. All of the Ds's were yelling at us this morning when we got into formation. I then got yelled at for doing road guard duty wrong by DS Prick's standards. I had no idea what I was doing, I just did it because no one else was at the time. No more volunteering for me I guess. Problem is, it's in my nature to volunteer rather than sit back and hide.
They had us clean for the next two hours. During that time, we came across a letter to someone from his girlfriend. The letter was pretty off the wall. The girlfriend said because she knew he would be lonely, he was allowed Bj's and Hj's...Oh man people lost it. We got back to the classroom with a senior Ds, DS Short. He asked who knew the soldiers creed, general orders,and a few other things. I raised my hand and he then had us sit down and wait for something, but none of us knew what we thought we were getting tested. Turns out, the company commander sat down and surveyed us and let us ask questions about BCT. It was actually really relaxing while everyone else was cleaning. A benefit of standing out for once.
After that, we worked on some drill and ceremony (DNC) with DS Terminator, who was being pretty cool. We then went to chow uneventful except that my spirits were fairly low because I didn't speak to my wife today, given it was our 2 yrs Anniversary, because phone privileges were revoked in the morning. We got back to the classroom and waited for them to take us to the Tricare and Ranger class while waiting, I asked SGT Crazy Eyes if I could call my wife seeing it was our anniversary. He said he would make it happen. I said thank you and sat back down. He called me back up and asked if I was ok because I was in tears. I said yes, I was just worried about her. He told me not ti feel like a sissy, and that I'm feeling normal, because he knows I'm a "hard ass" and to go to the latrine and let it out. I DID. I felt better thinking about what we would do when I get some freedom.
They then marched us to the Tricare class. It didn't help that it made me think of my wife more, but Tricare sounds like a great program though. After Tricare, DS Alright tried to sell us on the rangers and joining. It was tempting, but my wife would kill me. After every sentence by the ranger was "Alright?" I wish I counted.
We then went to chow and came back. DS Short told us we will be shipping Wednesday at 1000 hrs. to Alpha 245. I don't know what that means, but it was motivating for a shitty day. What was funny was that DS Short first told us, "Correction, Alpha. My fault right, but your bad Hooah!?!" Like say I'm wrong, but so are you because I said so. We then had our dog tags pitched at our faces. We were then released at 1930 hrs and they forgot about the phone freedom. I got to speak to my wife for a bit. Being here has made me appreciate her more that I ever, though I could and thank God for her everyday here. I did get a free ACD (Army Camo Design) Bible today from the Chaplain's table. I even read a little bit sitting here while waiting for my laundry to finish. I found that Deuteronomy ch 30 verse 6 will be a good verse for me to live by for BCT when it starts. "Be strong and good courage, fear not nor be afraid of them; for the lord thy God, he it is that cloth so with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Good night.
I figured out, I think, why reception is longer and/or shorted for people. I was put into Aplha Co. Here at the 30th AG Battalion. I got in on Tuesday. There were guys who got in the save company on Monday, Wednesday,Thursday and Friday. It seems we we'll ship on this coming Tuesday or Wednesday to "Down range," the basic everyone thinks of when they hear "basic training."
This morning we woke up at 0400 for a formation at 0430. I was up about 10 mins early to shave and brush my teeth before other people. We were then taken for any required additional shots as well as evaluate the TB shot site for a reaction. Turns out our Company has our own version of PFC McGuire's PVT Home school. He is an obviously underweight, pale, bad postured kid who seems like he was home schooled. PVT Home school passed out or was close to for some reason in the shots room. I also got one additional shot that I have no idea was for in the least. All I know is it hurt like hell for 20 minutes in my shoulder and then it mellowed me out for about 40 minutes. Also, i thought it was funny when our DS, DS Rhythm, saw PVT Home school passing out, he said "ah shit, we got a funky chicken."
We then went to the DFAC for breakfast. Again eggs were the main entree. I'm betting that is always the entree because it's probably about 40% eggs and 60% other crap. I guess PVT Home school threw up in the chow line and caused some issues. Luckily, he was behind me.
After breakfast, our DS that I call DS Rhythm because he's good with cadences, loud, and black. I always keep in step and have fun when he's marching us. I feel like I have gotten the marching thing down pretty well in the last couple of days. After that, DS Rhythm had us clean our barracks,. He told us that he wants to be able to set a cheeseburger on the urinal, piss, and then pick it back up to eat. I took charge on toilets. My time with Giovanni's cleaning came in handy. I was showing people little tidbits everywhere. I also took the time to finally organize all of my crap. after that DS Clean (looks like Mr. Clean) took us into our classroom and played a BCT DVD showing us what to expect. After that, he put in Troy. I was a little thrown off. He paused it, took us to lunch and brought us back to finish Troy, but then they put in We Were Soldiers. I twas good till DS Tall Prick and DS small Prick saw some people not wearing their camel backs, which is a big no-no. They then turned the movie off and proceeded to yell at us. Because of PVT whiny pants, they said there had to be six people on fire watch at each hour. GREAT! That meant 30 people instead of 12, AND ME!. Oh well I got from 2200-2300.
We then had to clean the barracks again. Oh well, its more bonding experience in my eyes. And DS Clean gave us from 1930-2100 for personal time. I got to talk to my wife before her performance. I miss her so much. Anyways, I got my shift now.
4/30/2011 Reception Day 4
The morning was beautiful! The last two days have had great weather in the morning. I wish it could last, but I know the Georgia summer will start soon. Went to chow with no events. After that, we had a class run by a BCT DS from down range. He spoke about a lot of things. The 25 series Moss (my job is one) is the one mentioned most. He mentioned that my MOS is the one where people make a boat load of money once they get out. He then sobered us up on the Afghanistan fighting. It was crazy to explain how guys with no tactical training at all can challenge a superior army like ours. Also, I guess the Taliban have been working on floating IED's on balloons to get helicopters. Wow. Hurt Locker is a tough movie. It was tough to watch because it was real and it went on to say that FT. Benning will be training about 50% of all income FS's.
On a funnier note, there are people falling asleep all the time, and we have to wake them. Someone nudged me to wake one such fellow. I'm just so happy to have my boot off with my insert out. The first thought was to slap him in the back of the head with my insert. It made everyone lose it around me. Luckily the DS was not in the room.
On a side not, I feel like I need to rename DS Tall Prick to DS Terminatior. This guys looks like he is Arnold walking through and scanning the room for anyone up. I just picture his site as an infrared screen with a grid deciding who to destroy. He was actually cool today for a while. He has been a DS for 12yrs. I think he treats us like the Army from the 1990s when things were tougher.
We went to chow, I figured out that one line has crap for food like cheese burgers while another has healthier stuff like baked chicken and fish. I tried veal today for the first time. We then headed back. The DS then ordered us to make a bunk, what to do about heat injuries, and the uniform. We then had DS Terminator go over our items and stick things we don't need for the next few days in our duffel bag and lock it up. He then went over any issues people have with their processing; clothes, equipment, and finance, etc. This is where the dumb asses came out. Some people kept doing the dumbest things to DS Terminator. One kid would mention his problem and the DS would ask him why and he would respond like a zombie. Later the kid was talking to DS Pinter (he constantly points when he talks) and when Ds Pointer asked him a question he hesitated and said "No" in a condescending tone, with no DS on the end of the statement. I thought he was gonna get punched.
We finally got released to personal time, I made a call to my wife and left a voicemail because she was doing a performance. Tomorrow is church. We also get to wear our ACUs for the first time. Hooah! I think everyone has been waiting for that. We also don't have to wake up till 0600. Never thought I would think of 6am as late wake up. I am in good spirits right now and apparently we will ship down range on Wednesday. I am looking forward to exercise. Goodnight!
05/01/2011 Reception Day 5
Wake up was supposed to be at 0600, but DS Clean decided that 0540 was when we should wake up. We then went to chow. Hard boiled eggs! Sweet! After chow, we signed up for our selected service. I signed up for confession and mass, 1200 & 1500 respectively. We were released to our barracks to clean and wait for our service. About 1030hrs, DS Clean called us into the classroom thinking he was mad. We then find out he wanted us to watch Rambo?!?! One of the goriest and violent movies I have seen in a while. The at 1115, 15 minutes before I was gonna go to confession, DS Clean lined us up for chow. I asked him about me and confession with chow and he said "either you go to chow or church, your choice." I thought that was a little crappy. I went to chow. During chow, some people saw a mouse running across the floor in the DFAC into the kitchen area. DS Easy said, "don't worry guys, it's still alive, they ain't cooking it." wow! After chow, we started watching Terminater Salvation. I didn't care, I read my Initial Entry Training (IET) Book. DS Easy released us about 1930 to the barracks. I got the chance to call my wife. I really miss her, but its not eating me up. I know the quickest way for me to see he will be to finish BCT. There are guys at the reception center who are waiting 1 to 2 months to discharge from the Army.
I had fireguard duty at 2100 to 2200 tonight. I'll take that all week. Best shift! I also just finished my BS 250 word Essay on guide lines. Now I'm going to bed.
05/02/2011 Reception Day 6
This morning, I think that my bay had a case of the Mondays, The DS small prick (now known as DS Prick), came in about 0430 when wakeup was still at 0400, and people were still sleeping. Oh shit! He then had DS Rhythm come in and toss our bay for cleaning that had not been finished. All of the Ds's were yelling at us this morning when we got into formation. I then got yelled at for doing road guard duty wrong by DS Prick's standards. I had no idea what I was doing, I just did it because no one else was at the time. No more volunteering for me I guess. Problem is, it's in my nature to volunteer rather than sit back and hide.
They had us clean for the next two hours. During that time, we came across a letter to someone from his girlfriend. The letter was pretty off the wall. The girlfriend said because she knew he would be lonely, he was allowed Bj's and Hj's...Oh man people lost it. We got back to the classroom with a senior Ds, DS Short. He asked who knew the soldiers creed, general orders,and a few other things. I raised my hand and he then had us sit down and wait for something, but none of us knew what we thought we were getting tested. Turns out, the company commander sat down and surveyed us and let us ask questions about BCT. It was actually really relaxing while everyone else was cleaning. A benefit of standing out for once.
After that, we worked on some drill and ceremony (DNC) with DS Terminator, who was being pretty cool. We then went to chow uneventful except that my spirits were fairly low because I didn't speak to my wife today, given it was our 2 yrs Anniversary, because phone privileges were revoked in the morning. We got back to the classroom and waited for them to take us to the Tricare and Ranger class while waiting, I asked SGT Crazy Eyes if I could call my wife seeing it was our anniversary. He said he would make it happen. I said thank you and sat back down. He called me back up and asked if I was ok because I was in tears. I said yes, I was just worried about her. He told me not ti feel like a sissy, and that I'm feeling normal, because he knows I'm a "hard ass" and to go to the latrine and let it out. I DID. I felt better thinking about what we would do when I get some freedom.
They then marched us to the Tricare class. It didn't help that it made me think of my wife more, but Tricare sounds like a great program though. After Tricare, DS Alright tried to sell us on the rangers and joining. It was tempting, but my wife would kill me. After every sentence by the ranger was "Alright?" I wish I counted.
We then went to chow and came back. DS Short told us we will be shipping Wednesday at 1000 hrs. to Alpha 245. I don't know what that means, but it was motivating for a shitty day. What was funny was that DS Short first told us, "Correction, Alpha. My fault right, but your bad Hooah!?!" Like say I'm wrong, but so are you because I said so. We then had our dog tags pitched at our faces. We were then released at 1930 hrs and they forgot about the phone freedom. I got to speak to my wife for a bit. Being here has made me appreciate her more that I ever, though I could and thank God for her everyday here. I did get a free ACD (Army Camo Design) Bible today from the Chaplain's table. I even read a little bit sitting here while waiting for my laundry to finish. I found that Deuteronomy ch 30 verse 6 will be a good verse for me to live by for BCT when it starts. "Be strong and good courage, fear not nor be afraid of them; for the lord thy God, he it is that cloth so with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Good night.
Monday, May 9, 2011
1st Letter
This is Lisa, Keith's wife. I will be updating his posts every time I receive a new letter from him in Basic.
Bus Ride to Tampa- 4/25 Monday
I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with my wife this morning. Up until this point, I have not gotten emotional or teary eyed. However, after my mom sent me a text with a prayer, combined with watching my wife, my emotions started to take over. My wife then dropped me off at the recruiter's office for me to wait for the shuttle to take me down to Tampa.
I'm riding in the van to Tampa right now. Luckily the van is full and I don't think we will be picking anyone else up on the way down. On a side note, the guy behind me is driving me crazy. He is constantly making this sniffing noise as if he has to blow his nose! I usually don't get annoyed like this, but I can compare this to water boarding torture but for the ears. I am passing the time by practicing and reciting the soldiers creed, the general orders, the Army Song, and other material I will need the know at Basic.
About to head off to bed for the evening. We stopped in Lakeland on the way and picked up a few more people and then went to the hotel by MEPS. We waited for about 15 mins before I got my first of what I'm sure will be the first of many briefings. Basically get rid of any knives, don't knock-up any females, and get back to the hotel by 10pm. After being let free, my wife came by and picked me up. We went to the hotel she's staying at and enjoyed each other's company and went out for dinner. After she dropped me off, I ran a little on the the treadmill and took a shower. Now I sleep till about 0445 and get ready to got to MEPS. Hopefully, all goes well!
4/26- MEPS
The morning started off at around 0430. I probably fell asleep around midnight and slept on and off through the night. I guess I kept worrying about waking up late. I drank a little water to aid my anticipated urine fest. After getting my stuff together, I made my way over to the dining room at the hotel. I only ate a very small portion considering I worried about my weight. After breakfast, we all waited for the bus to take us to the MEPS building. What I found annoying was that there were a number of people that could not help but break out, light, and puff away a cigarette in record time.
I got situated painlessly at MEPS upon arriving there were no issues with my files or records. Then they had all of the shippers (people like me) into the examination room to see us in our underwear. First, they took height and weight measurements. Then the people that passed were asked to perform a few movements and questioned about traffic tickets and Dr. visits. However, people that did not pass the height and weight standards had to be measured for Body Fat Indext (BFI). Evidently, I was one pound over! After measureing me, they found that I was around about a 21% BFI, the limit for entering the Army is 26%, so I was fine. On a side note, it was unfortunate to see one guy who was suppose to be shipping to Ft. Benning as an officer candidate school recruit get held back. Evidently, he had his appendix taken out and there is a 6 month wait before shipping. Today marked 4 days prior to the 6 month mark and the Dr. said he was disqualified for another week. Problem for him is that OCS ship dates are very scattered and random and he already quit his job. His recruiters thought that a fews days difference would not be a problem.
My wife was able to make it to the building to see me before she left Tampa to got to work. She was able to sit with me between me going to see various people process my paperwork. After getting my contract finalized, I waited for another swearing ceremony. Luckily my wife was able to be in the ceremony room and could take as much video and as many pictures she wanted. It was very surreal to have finally swear in and to know that I would be starting a new chapter for my wife and I's life. She had to take off promptly. I did not get very emotional like I thought I would when she left. This was around 11:40, I then had my free lunch and waited till about 1430 before getting in a van to leave. I'm already running into guys I do not want in my platoon. Mainly the smokers who kept crying about not being able to go outside to smoke a cigarette. I would have expected that they would have to quit by now as to limit their jonesing at basic. It was so bad that in the two minutes of us leaving the building and getting into the van, the guys had to light up a cigarette! They then got threatened with not shipping for not listening. We made a couple of stops before getting to Ft. Benning.
As we pulled up to reception, I started feeling nervous for the first time. I wasn't sure if something I brought was considered a weapon. Turns out my van missed the training video that explained a lot. Oh well. They then yelled at us, called us out for forms, made fun of people's names, and walked us out to another part of this huge building to get our duffel bags and first bit of clothing to start. They then had us back to the first room and had us stuff our personal bag from home into our duffel bag. This is where I needed to call SSG WTF back in orlando for telling me that my carry-on roll on would not be a problem for me. I had to stuff that thing in my duffel somehow walk to our barracks.
It's 0350, I have not gotten any sleep. I have to wake up at 0400 and what's worse is that there was a group getting in after us.
For my first jerk in my group award, I would like to issue it to private Blondie. He is a 25U-signal guy who is lazy, whiny, and annoying as hell! I almost told him off but bit my tongue and decided to let him hang himself. Hopefully, not at any inconvenience to me. He was actually laying down when we were issued our clothes.
Anyways, it's 0400 and I am gonna S.S. (shower and shave). I usually do 3 S's, but you can guess the 3rd, My friends know what I am talking about.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011- 1st Day Reception
The 40 hr. first day
As I said before I did not get the chance to go and sleep the night before. Wow. I'm in such a horrible mood right now. It's about 10:15pm. My morning started off with a chaotic 5 min. breakfast at 5am. I am a little disappointed because I thought the Army was going to start changing the food standards and dropping the fried foods and using whole grain. Hah NOPE!
The morning started out with us doing some drilling with a Sgt. that helps the Drill Sergeants. We will call him Sgt. Crazy Eye. He was the most entertaining yet scare stare. He also is kind of funny. His voice broke during cadence and laster he said if anyone made fun of him and his voice he would f*ck then up. BTW, there's a rumor the DS's can't curse at you...Big Lie!! Stupid goes hand in hand with the 4 letter words too.
Later, I did my eye exam. I have 20/20 vision so no BCGS! Then our shots, not fun. Then, we got issued our uniforms. And our stuff is getting heavier and heavier to carry. We have had to move our things multiple times. Each time it gets heavier.
Holy shit, we finally got time around 1930 to go to our bunks for free time and cell phone time until 2100. Yay...it would have been fine except there was a tornado in the area and we had to evacuate from our barracks upstairs with all of our stuff and move to another packed barracks across the street. FML baby. Then, it gets better. While I was sitting in what I thought was an empty bunk. I tried calling my wife one last time because I hung up on her during the tornado scare. And then I text her "tornado" like an idiot. We then had to drag all of our crap downstairs to another barracks. I had a bed but when I tried to call my wife back, no answer. We could hear tornado sirens! Afterward, I finally went to take a shower and went to sleep promptly after writing a little.
Reception Day 2- 4/28/2011
I slept like a rock, no tossing or dreaming. I did however wake up at 0330, rather 0400 and could not get back to sleep. Oh well. We then did breakfast...nothing exciting. You are not allowed to look around or talk. I did wake up to my butt hurting from the penicillin shot. We did a hearing test and I'm not deaf thank God. We saw the dentist, I have good teeth evidently. Pretty neat Star Trek-esque X-ray. We went and did DEERS (insurance for family) my wife has insurance again!!
After seeing DEERs, the unit took individual pictures in our ACUs, but with just the top. Later, we went to dinner. I clocked my self at 5:57 for chow time. After dinner, we listened to SGT crazy eyes about how we have been doing a good job and that we need to stay motivated. He explained that somehow he has stayed motivated for his daughter even though his wife killed herself. He's a strange character, he said "If she wants to kill herself fine! There's another Mrs. Crazy Eyes out there." I like talking with him though. I feel like I am slowly feeling the Army mindset and having fun a little even though the new boots are a little sore and the duffel bag is killing my back.
After getting back from our dinner, we formed up in our chair less classroom. One DS informed me and 4 buddies of mine that out of 45 people we only had our forms from the night before. I replied back, "What..." He said " You know I love those civilian answers. I love them so much that you are to do CQ duty tonight from 2100 to 2200." Oops. He later explained to me that they are just trying to get the civilian out of us. He was actually pretty cool about it. I could have gotten 0000 til 0100.
They then told us where to move our bunks for the last time, hopefully. I think it was planned into a team exercise because he told 70 people to fill in a 68 bunk bay. Total cluster-fornication! But we got it. As for CQ duty, I ended up riding with the main DS in a van to get ice for the ice stations for heat injuries. After that he had my battle buddy and I go and fill up these huge camel back filling stations called water buffaloes. It was not bad even though it went into my sleep time. The weather here at night is amazing. I also got to make a new friend with a "Kennedy" accent. PVT Chowder. We talked about our families. He has 3 kids, and he is 33. Nice guy.
Well off to sleep
P.S. I'm loving our names right now. Everyone is "Hey guy, hero, or retard."
Bus Ride to Tampa- 4/25 Monday
I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with my wife this morning. Up until this point, I have not gotten emotional or teary eyed. However, after my mom sent me a text with a prayer, combined with watching my wife, my emotions started to take over. My wife then dropped me off at the recruiter's office for me to wait for the shuttle to take me down to Tampa.
I'm riding in the van to Tampa right now. Luckily the van is full and I don't think we will be picking anyone else up on the way down. On a side note, the guy behind me is driving me crazy. He is constantly making this sniffing noise as if he has to blow his nose! I usually don't get annoyed like this, but I can compare this to water boarding torture but for the ears. I am passing the time by practicing and reciting the soldiers creed, the general orders, the Army Song, and other material I will need the know at Basic.
About to head off to bed for the evening. We stopped in Lakeland on the way and picked up a few more people and then went to the hotel by MEPS. We waited for about 15 mins before I got my first of what I'm sure will be the first of many briefings. Basically get rid of any knives, don't knock-up any females, and get back to the hotel by 10pm. After being let free, my wife came by and picked me up. We went to the hotel she's staying at and enjoyed each other's company and went out for dinner. After she dropped me off, I ran a little on the the treadmill and took a shower. Now I sleep till about 0445 and get ready to got to MEPS. Hopefully, all goes well!
4/26- MEPS
The morning started off at around 0430. I probably fell asleep around midnight and slept on and off through the night. I guess I kept worrying about waking up late. I drank a little water to aid my anticipated urine fest. After getting my stuff together, I made my way over to the dining room at the hotel. I only ate a very small portion considering I worried about my weight. After breakfast, we all waited for the bus to take us to the MEPS building. What I found annoying was that there were a number of people that could not help but break out, light, and puff away a cigarette in record time.
I got situated painlessly at MEPS upon arriving there were no issues with my files or records. Then they had all of the shippers (people like me) into the examination room to see us in our underwear. First, they took height and weight measurements. Then the people that passed were asked to perform a few movements and questioned about traffic tickets and Dr. visits. However, people that did not pass the height and weight standards had to be measured for Body Fat Indext (BFI). Evidently, I was one pound over! After measureing me, they found that I was around about a 21% BFI, the limit for entering the Army is 26%, so I was fine. On a side note, it was unfortunate to see one guy who was suppose to be shipping to Ft. Benning as an officer candidate school recruit get held back. Evidently, he had his appendix taken out and there is a 6 month wait before shipping. Today marked 4 days prior to the 6 month mark and the Dr. said he was disqualified for another week. Problem for him is that OCS ship dates are very scattered and random and he already quit his job. His recruiters thought that a fews days difference would not be a problem.
My wife was able to make it to the building to see me before she left Tampa to got to work. She was able to sit with me between me going to see various people process my paperwork. After getting my contract finalized, I waited for another swearing ceremony. Luckily my wife was able to be in the ceremony room and could take as much video and as many pictures she wanted. It was very surreal to have finally swear in and to know that I would be starting a new chapter for my wife and I's life. She had to take off promptly. I did not get very emotional like I thought I would when she left. This was around 11:40, I then had my free lunch and waited till about 1430 before getting in a van to leave. I'm already running into guys I do not want in my platoon. Mainly the smokers who kept crying about not being able to go outside to smoke a cigarette. I would have expected that they would have to quit by now as to limit their jonesing at basic. It was so bad that in the two minutes of us leaving the building and getting into the van, the guys had to light up a cigarette! They then got threatened with not shipping for not listening. We made a couple of stops before getting to Ft. Benning.
As we pulled up to reception, I started feeling nervous for the first time. I wasn't sure if something I brought was considered a weapon. Turns out my van missed the training video that explained a lot. Oh well. They then yelled at us, called us out for forms, made fun of people's names, and walked us out to another part of this huge building to get our duffel bags and first bit of clothing to start. They then had us back to the first room and had us stuff our personal bag from home into our duffel bag. This is where I needed to call SSG WTF back in orlando for telling me that my carry-on roll on would not be a problem for me. I had to stuff that thing in my duffel somehow walk to our barracks.
It's 0350, I have not gotten any sleep. I have to wake up at 0400 and what's worse is that there was a group getting in after us.
For my first jerk in my group award, I would like to issue it to private Blondie. He is a 25U-signal guy who is lazy, whiny, and annoying as hell! I almost told him off but bit my tongue and decided to let him hang himself. Hopefully, not at any inconvenience to me. He was actually laying down when we were issued our clothes.
Anyways, it's 0400 and I am gonna S.S. (shower and shave). I usually do 3 S's, but you can guess the 3rd, My friends know what I am talking about.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011- 1st Day Reception
The 40 hr. first day
As I said before I did not get the chance to go and sleep the night before. Wow. I'm in such a horrible mood right now. It's about 10:15pm. My morning started off with a chaotic 5 min. breakfast at 5am. I am a little disappointed because I thought the Army was going to start changing the food standards and dropping the fried foods and using whole grain. Hah NOPE!
The morning started out with us doing some drilling with a Sgt. that helps the Drill Sergeants. We will call him Sgt. Crazy Eye. He was the most entertaining yet scare stare. He also is kind of funny. His voice broke during cadence and laster he said if anyone made fun of him and his voice he would f*ck then up. BTW, there's a rumor the DS's can't curse at you...Big Lie!! Stupid goes hand in hand with the 4 letter words too.
Later, I did my eye exam. I have 20/20 vision so no BCGS! Then our shots, not fun. Then, we got issued our uniforms. And our stuff is getting heavier and heavier to carry. We have had to move our things multiple times. Each time it gets heavier.
Holy shit, we finally got time around 1930 to go to our bunks for free time and cell phone time until 2100. Yay...it would have been fine except there was a tornado in the area and we had to evacuate from our barracks upstairs with all of our stuff and move to another packed barracks across the street. FML baby. Then, it gets better. While I was sitting in what I thought was an empty bunk. I tried calling my wife one last time because I hung up on her during the tornado scare. And then I text her "tornado" like an idiot. We then had to drag all of our crap downstairs to another barracks. I had a bed but when I tried to call my wife back, no answer. We could hear tornado sirens! Afterward, I finally went to take a shower and went to sleep promptly after writing a little.
Reception Day 2- 4/28/2011
I slept like a rock, no tossing or dreaming. I did however wake up at 0330, rather 0400 and could not get back to sleep. Oh well. We then did breakfast...nothing exciting. You are not allowed to look around or talk. I did wake up to my butt hurting from the penicillin shot. We did a hearing test and I'm not deaf thank God. We saw the dentist, I have good teeth evidently. Pretty neat Star Trek-esque X-ray. We went and did DEERS (insurance for family) my wife has insurance again!!
After seeing DEERs, the unit took individual pictures in our ACUs, but with just the top. Later, we went to dinner. I clocked my self at 5:57 for chow time. After dinner, we listened to SGT crazy eyes about how we have been doing a good job and that we need to stay motivated. He explained that somehow he has stayed motivated for his daughter even though his wife killed herself. He's a strange character, he said "If she wants to kill herself fine! There's another Mrs. Crazy Eyes out there." I like talking with him though. I feel like I am slowly feeling the Army mindset and having fun a little even though the new boots are a little sore and the duffel bag is killing my back.
After getting back from our dinner, we formed up in our chair less classroom. One DS informed me and 4 buddies of mine that out of 45 people we only had our forms from the night before. I replied back, "What..." He said " You know I love those civilian answers. I love them so much that you are to do CQ duty tonight from 2100 to 2200." Oops. He later explained to me that they are just trying to get the civilian out of us. He was actually pretty cool about it. I could have gotten 0000 til 0100.
They then told us where to move our bunks for the last time, hopefully. I think it was planned into a team exercise because he told 70 people to fill in a 68 bunk bay. Total cluster-fornication! But we got it. As for CQ duty, I ended up riding with the main DS in a van to get ice for the ice stations for heat injuries. After that he had my battle buddy and I go and fill up these huge camel back filling stations called water buffaloes. It was not bad even though it went into my sleep time. The weather here at night is amazing. I also got to make a new friend with a "Kennedy" accent. PVT Chowder. We talked about our families. He has 3 kids, and he is 33. Nice guy.
Well off to sleep
P.S. I'm loving our names right now. Everyone is "Hey guy, hero, or retard."
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