Letters From Basic Training
Humorous and light-hearted correspondence from one who survived.Friday, April 14, 2006
01 March 2002
Omg! I've got entirely too much time on my hands. I'm sooo bored it's almost numbing. I actually miss rolling around in the mud, going to the pit to sweat. We have done most of our basic combat training now. I haven't done much of nothing the last few days.
Today I went back to the doctor about my ankle. I think everything is all fixed up now. They gave me insoles the last time and a brace today. It's still a tad sore, but I survived the 10k march last Saturday.
I was a pin cushion today. I got my last series of shots for going overseas. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, and Tetnus. Jeez my arm hurts like hell. It's been in the 20s with wind chill as low as 2 degrees so we haven't been doing much at all, not that we had anything to do. Our schedule over the next few weeks is almost nill. A few classes here and there, but mostly just time spent in the barracks studying shit a person with a 10 IQ could understand.
We have some simulator classes coming up. Those are fun. We go Saturday to the Patton Museum to see Armor History and learn about our heritage as "Tankers". Mostly stuff like learning how to disassemble a .50 caliber machine gun or do maintenance on the tanks 120mm breech block. The classes are short and sweet and mostly all hands on. This hands on training is especially helpful for the young un's that rode the short yellow bus to school. I swear, I could learn what they're going to teach me over the next 6 weeks in 2 days. ha ha
Guess the government has to make exceptions for all the idiots. You know equal opportunity and all.
My boring day. Wake up, do PT, go eat breakfast, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat lunch, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat dinner and do nothing but clean, shine boots, write letters, do PT or stare at the walls. As I'm writing this a few in our bay are having a push up contest. Now that's boredom at its finest. It's weird going from full blast non-stop action to hours of nothing. I guess they got us into shape so now it's time to bore us to death with "tank education".
Well not much else to tell. Oh yeah! I forgot Saturday night is "Operation Appreciation". Thank God for religion. ha ha The military preachers (chaplain) are taking people on a trip into Louisville to a church. There will be a nite service in honor of us "soldiers". Afterwards they feed us hot dogs and sodas. Oh hell, yeah! And not a damn thing our drill sergeants can do about it. hah!!
Today I went back to the doctor about my ankle. I think everything is all fixed up now. They gave me insoles the last time and a brace today. It's still a tad sore, but I survived the 10k march last Saturday.
I was a pin cushion today. I got my last series of shots for going overseas. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, and Tetnus. Jeez my arm hurts like hell. It's been in the 20s with wind chill as low as 2 degrees so we haven't been doing much at all, not that we had anything to do. Our schedule over the next few weeks is almost nill. A few classes here and there, but mostly just time spent in the barracks studying shit a person with a 10 IQ could understand.
We have some simulator classes coming up. Those are fun. We go Saturday to the Patton Museum to see Armor History and learn about our heritage as "Tankers". Mostly stuff like learning how to disassemble a .50 caliber machine gun or do maintenance on the tanks 120mm breech block. The classes are short and sweet and mostly all hands on. This hands on training is especially helpful for the young un's that rode the short yellow bus to school. I swear, I could learn what they're going to teach me over the next 6 weeks in 2 days. ha ha
Guess the government has to make exceptions for all the idiots. You know equal opportunity and all.
My boring day. Wake up, do PT, go eat breakfast, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat lunch, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat dinner and do nothing but clean, shine boots, write letters, do PT or stare at the walls. As I'm writing this a few in our bay are having a push up contest. Now that's boredom at its finest. It's weird going from full blast non-stop action to hours of nothing. I guess they got us into shape so now it's time to bore us to death with "tank education".
Well not much else to tell. Oh yeah! I forgot Saturday night is "Operation Appreciation". Thank God for religion. ha ha The military preachers (chaplain) are taking people on a trip into Louisville to a church. There will be a nite service in honor of us "soldiers". Afterwards they feed us hot dogs and sodas. Oh hell, yeah! And not a damn thing our drill sergeants can do about it. hah!!
posted by Marty # 4:07 PM 
