My New Ship Date?

You probably didn't expect a post from me this soon after my departure. Of course, I expected to be in Georgia right now, undergoing my reception. I suppose we can't always get what we want.

Fortunately for you, you get a great story to start off my trip. Before BCT (Basic Combat Training) even begins, I get a firsthand practical lesson in the military's "Hurry Up and Wait" policy. And, since I'll have to get used to it, I don't mind getting a head start.

My wakeup call came at 0400 hours, and I was shuttled to the federal building for processing and shipment at 0500 hours. Of course, I wasn't in the system yet (I was worried about my documentation getting from OKC - where I originally processed and did all of my MEPS work - to STL in the first place, and this confirmed my fears). I had to wait for a special "records liason" to show up at 0830. By then, he realized that they had all of the paperwork, but that they forgot to read a note attached to my medical records ordering them to "take ownership"/aka, register them in the STL database, so that i could be processed and shipped.

And, since the inspection team designated to check my height and weight left at 0900 hours, there wouldn't be enough time for me to get finished and make my 1200 flight to GA.

Long story a little bit longer, after waiting around for 5 hours, I was informed that my ship date would have to be rescheduled for Tuesday, January 20th. Before long, events like these will become so commonplace that I won't even think to write them down, let alone be affected by them. Until that day, I'll find solace knowing that tax payers are fronting the bill so that I can spend two nights in the Drury Inn downtown instead of just one.