Finally "Down Range"

February 01, 2009

Dear All:

Well guys, I finally made it to basic training. After a little over a week of sitting in lines and listening to briefings and collecting my gear in reception (it was starting to make people insane), we were shipped “down range” to our training center. That was Thursday morning. It’s now 0415 on Sunday and I am on fire guard duty (again). But I don’t mind since it at least gives me a chance to write.
So far, things have been really good. I was appointed (APG) Assistant Platoon Guide, which means I am second in command of our 60-man Platoon. I also scored the most push-ups in our Platoon (2nd Platoon, Echo Company) during the first of 4 PT tests we will have to complete.
Here are some other interesting highlights: We were issued our weapons (a well-worn M-16) on our first full day. It’s cool, but we have to have them with us at all times, so it’s kind of a pain in the ass. Speaking of which, the hardest thing so far has been regulating my bathroom use. We get plenty of latrine breaks (which is good because they force us to drink a ton of water and have issued us Camelbaks), but they are rarely over 3 minutes for the entire Platoon. Needless to say, I’ve worked out a system so I can go after “lights out”. I’ve also mastered the fine art of taking many different kinds of food, from any meal, and turning it into a sandwich. At the mess hall, when the last member of the Platoon sits down, we have exactly 7 minutes to finish and be back in formation. Every morning I put my eggs, sausage, and a small box of corn flakes between 2 waffles. My dinner was a boneless pork chop, asparagus, and a salad…on wheat. There just isn’t time for anything else.
I have a cold, but everyone else does too. The combination of the schedule, the weather, and everyone passing germs makes for that to be the norm. But other than that, I’m handling everything really well and feeling good about my decision.
I hope everything is going well at home. Please write whenever you have time, and I promise to do the same. In the meantime, I’ll be spending my days marching in formation, doing PT, screaming our Army chants, creeds, and cadences, and looking forward to completing my training.

Love,
Nick