Thursday, September 23rd
Hey Everybody!
With everything winding down and Turning Blue and Graduation just a few days away, I wanted to take the time to THANK YOU ALL for the support, prayers, letters, and cards, jokes, articles, pictures and anything else I may have forgotten over the past 13 weeks.
It goes without saying that this has been a difficult 3 1/2 months. There have been days of anticipation, days of regret, of questioning, motivation, accomplishment, despair, frustration, heartache, anxiety, suspense and jubilation. It's safe to say that I have felt a lot of different emotions, but I always kept my eye on the future and reminded myself what I had to lose if I didn't finish. You have no idea how many times I have flipped through the pictures you all sent to remind myself of better times and as motivation to move past what's dragging me down.
Many of you went out of your way to write consistently to me which I really appreciated. It was great to know that on a normal Wednesday I could expect a letter. It was also amazing on the days when it just seemed that everyone wrote. I think my record was 11 or 12 letters in one night! Needless to say, you made a lot of the guys here jealous with how much mail I received. You all helped keep me sane and motivated, Oh.... and actually feel like a real person HAHA!
With that being said, this past week of recovery (so far...) hasn't been that bad. We clean weapons pretty much all day, go to chow, PT in the morning, and clean some more. So as you can see.....very exciting days!
Other than that, not much is going on. We're all counting the days down until we are finally free of Ft. Benning and our Drill Sergeants! I'm just waiting for the first ice cold beer....that's when I'll know that I'm really free HAHA! Well at least for 12 days until I report to Alaska. Has that thrown anyone else for a loop? I really wasn't expecting that assignment, but it should be cool.
Alright, Take Care Everyone! Hopefully this makes it before Tuesday.
SPC Martin
PS You should probably stop sending mail because I probably won't get it.....
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Week in Review........
Friday, September 17th
Hey Everybody!
WOW!!! That pretty much sums up the week so far. A lot has happened over these past 5 days that answers many questions that have been lingering for a while and probably brings new questions to light. With that being said, by the end of this post, you will know what the past 5 days have been like, whether or not I graduate or restart, and where I have been assigned. There's got to be suspense right???
Okay, so Sunday morning (around 10:00) we got on the buses with our 60lb rucks and headed for our FTX sight. We got there and set up our hasty's, distributed blanks, and just organized everything for the next few days. A common theme around FTX is to pull security. So wherever we went, we had to have 6 guys. So for example, if 1 guy needs to piss, 5 others have to go with him as security. It also meant that at night we had to secure our Patrol Base (PB). So our platoon pulled 50% security throughout the night for every hour. So 1 person up and 1 person sleeping and it switched every hour. Of course there's a tactical reason for this because this is when the DS love to attack our PB and see if we are actually doing what we're supposed to. So Sunday night we get attacked around 23:30 and we hold them off. Basically imagine sleeping and then waking up to explosions and gun fire, and you have to stay where you are because you have to watch your section, while a quarter of your platoon fights on the other side of the PB. Needles to say, we held off the attack. 2nd Platoon 1 DS - 0......
Monday came and we sat around until after lunch until we finally worked on Mounted react to contact. Basically you ride around in a Humvee and stop for casualty lying in the road. The we get fired at. One team pulls security/suppressive fire while the other team flanks to take out the enemy. Overall...didn't take too much away from this one, because I just layed suppressive fire. Monday night we got attacked again and lost. The DS destroyed 90% of my platoon when they went up to "revive" our casualties. Basically, one of the DS "killed" the SAW gunner, stole the weapon and then lit up about 35 people in my platoon. Don't worry, I made it out Okay, HAHA!
Tuesday was a lot of walking. We did Land Nav.to different locations for different scenarios. We set up a Recon mission on which I was one of the team leaders. Later we did a react to contact which I thought went pretty well, maybe a little slow, but apparently it wasn't up to par. Either way, it was a long day...followed by a long night of Land Nav to find our MRE's for Wednesday. Georgia woods suck at night by they way.....but we found them after about an hour. Tuesday night, the DS took it easy on us since we got back late and everyone was running on about 3 hours of sleep...
Wednesday was our squad assessment. We walked/Land Nav. all day to different objectives and had to complete each task. We only got to 6 of 8 events, but my platoon overall was deemed the best combination of squad, which basically means overall, we knew more about being/performing as the infantry. So, nasty blister and all after all the marching/rucking this week, but FTX was finally over. All that was left was clean up and the Bayonet on Thursday.
So Thursday we cleaned up, got back and slept till dinner chow. We came back from chow and went back to sleep until 22:30. We got everything together (rucks) and brought them out to do the Bayonet. At 00:15 we kicked off, We finished at 04:48. We dropped our rucks and weapons (~60lbs) and were led up Honor Hill. I won't go into Honor Hill details, but I did receive my Infantry Cross rifles! Now all I need is my Blue Chord and then I am officially an infantryman. At Honor Hill, everyone was excited and pumped up. The ceremony itself was pretty simple, just like the infantry.
So after a long past 4/5 days we got some more sleep and received our orders This is also when I found out that I WILL BE GRADUATING OCTOBER 1ST
No Restart!!!! Oh, and I will be stationed at...........................................................................................................................................................................ALASKA!!! More specifically....Fort Wainwright, AK
I think Alaska will be what I want it to be. Ft. Wainwright is in Fairbanks (or by it) Supposedly I'll get to see the Northern Lights and Mt. McKinney(spelling?) There's skiing/hunting/fishing/etc. out there so I may be picking up some new hobbies, HAHA
Either way, I'm excited
Time for Bed, but wanted to get this out. Take Care.
SPC Martin
Hey Everybody!
WOW!!! That pretty much sums up the week so far. A lot has happened over these past 5 days that answers many questions that have been lingering for a while and probably brings new questions to light. With that being said, by the end of this post, you will know what the past 5 days have been like, whether or not I graduate or restart, and where I have been assigned. There's got to be suspense right???
Okay, so Sunday morning (around 10:00) we got on the buses with our 60lb rucks and headed for our FTX sight. We got there and set up our hasty's, distributed blanks, and just organized everything for the next few days. A common theme around FTX is to pull security. So wherever we went, we had to have 6 guys. So for example, if 1 guy needs to piss, 5 others have to go with him as security. It also meant that at night we had to secure our Patrol Base (PB). So our platoon pulled 50% security throughout the night for every hour. So 1 person up and 1 person sleeping and it switched every hour. Of course there's a tactical reason for this because this is when the DS love to attack our PB and see if we are actually doing what we're supposed to. So Sunday night we get attacked around 23:30 and we hold them off. Basically imagine sleeping and then waking up to explosions and gun fire, and you have to stay where you are because you have to watch your section, while a quarter of your platoon fights on the other side of the PB. Needles to say, we held off the attack. 2nd Platoon 1 DS - 0......
Monday came and we sat around until after lunch until we finally worked on Mounted react to contact. Basically you ride around in a Humvee and stop for casualty lying in the road. The we get fired at. One team pulls security/suppressive fire while the other team flanks to take out the enemy. Overall...didn't take too much away from this one, because I just layed suppressive fire. Monday night we got attacked again and lost. The DS destroyed 90% of my platoon when they went up to "revive" our casualties. Basically, one of the DS "killed" the SAW gunner, stole the weapon and then lit up about 35 people in my platoon. Don't worry, I made it out Okay, HAHA!
Tuesday was a lot of walking. We did Land Nav.to different locations for different scenarios. We set up a Recon mission on which I was one of the team leaders. Later we did a react to contact which I thought went pretty well, maybe a little slow, but apparently it wasn't up to par. Either way, it was a long day...followed by a long night of Land Nav to find our MRE's for Wednesday. Georgia woods suck at night by they way.....but we found them after about an hour. Tuesday night, the DS took it easy on us since we got back late and everyone was running on about 3 hours of sleep...
Wednesday was our squad assessment. We walked/Land Nav. all day to different objectives and had to complete each task. We only got to 6 of 8 events, but my platoon overall was deemed the best combination of squad, which basically means overall, we knew more about being/performing as the infantry. So, nasty blister and all after all the marching/rucking this week, but FTX was finally over. All that was left was clean up and the Bayonet on Thursday.
So Thursday we cleaned up, got back and slept till dinner chow. We came back from chow and went back to sleep until 22:30. We got everything together (rucks) and brought them out to do the Bayonet. At 00:15 we kicked off, We finished at 04:48. We dropped our rucks and weapons (~60lbs) and were led up Honor Hill. I won't go into Honor Hill details, but I did receive my Infantry Cross rifles! Now all I need is my Blue Chord and then I am officially an infantryman. At Honor Hill, everyone was excited and pumped up. The ceremony itself was pretty simple, just like the infantry.
So after a long past 4/5 days we got some more sleep and received our orders This is also when I found out that I WILL BE GRADUATING OCTOBER 1ST
No Restart!!!! Oh, and I will be stationed at...........................................................................................................................................................................ALASKA!!! More specifically....Fort Wainwright, AK
I think Alaska will be what I want it to be. Ft. Wainwright is in Fairbanks (or by it) Supposedly I'll get to see the Northern Lights and Mt. McKinney(spelling?) There's skiing/hunting/fishing/etc. out there so I may be picking up some new hobbies, HAHA
Either way, I'm excited
Time for Bed, but wanted to get this out. Take Care.
SPC Martin
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Note from Mom
Wednesday, September 15th
As you will read in Matt's letters, the Army still has him down to be restarted. I think he will graduate Oct. 1st if he completes the FTX training. But this is the Army and you never know. We are planning for graduation on Oct. 1st. If we have to change our plans we will. I think the person who is going to be surprised is Matt when he finishes this weeks training and is told he will graduate. As soon as I hear from Matt I will do a post to confirm graduation or not.
If Matt does graduate - you will need to stop writing him next week - he won't get the letters. If he is restarted and has a new address, I will get that posted as well so you can continue to write Matt.
Also, once we have confirmed his graduation I will let you know when Matt will be in STL.
Again, Thank you everyone for your prays, cards, letters, support. These have helped Matt through all the rough times.
Diana
As you will read in Matt's letters, the Army still has him down to be restarted. I think he will graduate Oct. 1st if he completes the FTX training. But this is the Army and you never know. We are planning for graduation on Oct. 1st. If we have to change our plans we will. I think the person who is going to be surprised is Matt when he finishes this weeks training and is told he will graduate. As soon as I hear from Matt I will do a post to confirm graduation or not.
If Matt does graduate - you will need to stop writing him next week - he won't get the letters. If he is restarted and has a new address, I will get that posted as well so you can continue to write Matt.
Also, once we have confirmed his graduation I will let you know when Matt will be in STL.
Again, Thank you everyone for your prays, cards, letters, support. These have helped Matt through all the rough times.
Diana
9 Years and Counting...................
Saturday, September 11th
Hey Everybody!
Well, today is the 9 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and now that I'm in the Army, it bears a new significance in my life. 9 years ago to the day, I was sitting at a computer in my English class working on my Sophomore research paper when the Principal (Mrs. Plunkett) came on the PA and told the school about it. Soon, we were at war and have been now for 9 years. Everyone should know by now how I feel about what we are doing over in Afghanistan and someday, I will be over there to help finish the job. Today, is just a refresher to remind those who have forgotten. I know I'll never forget, but every time I see a video (like today) it fires me up a little and sends chills down my spine. It makes me proud to be an American as well because on that day, everyone in this country was glued to their TV in disbelief/outrage/fear/ horror/shock, and it untied us all. 9/11 brought our nation together like never before and it changed our nation forever. Just never forget and if you need a reminder, just check out youtube. It will bring you back instantly.
In other news......
I completed the 12 mile ruck with no problems! It actually wasn't that bad. I did get a blister on the bottom of my heel, but I can manage if that's the worst. Tomorrow we head out for FTX. We won't get back until Thursday, so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry......I just have (0) means of communication. I may also get restarted this next week. Still working on the official word, but on the board with all of our names, my name has "RESTART" written next to it so......yeah.......
If that's the case, my new address will come shortly after my restart. When I'm restarted, I'll make sure I supply all the info you need to get a hold of me.
That's all for now
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
PS - Still no orders for my duty station.
Hey Everybody!
Well, today is the 9 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and now that I'm in the Army, it bears a new significance in my life. 9 years ago to the day, I was sitting at a computer in my English class working on my Sophomore research paper when the Principal (Mrs. Plunkett) came on the PA and told the school about it. Soon, we were at war and have been now for 9 years. Everyone should know by now how I feel about what we are doing over in Afghanistan and someday, I will be over there to help finish the job. Today, is just a refresher to remind those who have forgotten. I know I'll never forget, but every time I see a video (like today) it fires me up a little and sends chills down my spine. It makes me proud to be an American as well because on that day, everyone in this country was glued to their TV in disbelief/outrage/fear/ horror/shock, and it untied us all. 9/11 brought our nation together like never before and it changed our nation forever. Just never forget and if you need a reminder, just check out youtube. It will bring you back instantly.
In other news......
I completed the 12 mile ruck with no problems! It actually wasn't that bad. I did get a blister on the bottom of my heel, but I can manage if that's the worst. Tomorrow we head out for FTX. We won't get back until Thursday, so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry......I just have (0) means of communication. I may also get restarted this next week. Still working on the official word, but on the board with all of our names, my name has "RESTART" written next to it so......yeah.......
If that's the case, my new address will come shortly after my restart. When I'm restarted, I'll make sure I supply all the info you need to get a hold of me.
That's all for now
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
PS - Still no orders for my duty station.
MOUT & My Situation......
Thursday, Sept. 9th
Hey Everybody!
Well, it's good to be back at the bay! We had a couple of NASTY smoke sessions yesterday and today which makes me feel like it's Red Phase again.... I'll go into details some other time, but it's questionable what happened.
Anyway, yesterday we didn't start training until after our 10 minute lunch for said smoke session. Once we finally started it was a lot of fun and it was good training. Everything starts off pretty simple with the concept of clearing a room. Everything gets complicated when you start throwing in booby-traps and people. It gets even more complicated when it's at night and you are being shot at (with blanks) and you have to react. I'm going to be spending a lot of nights practicing MOUT in the near future...... The scenario is complicated a million times the moment gunfire breaks out. It's not an easy task to complete when you're trying to keep yourself alive, kill the bad guy and not shoot the civilian.
Today we worked more with actually tacking and fighting with someone resisting when we enter. It was hilarious at some points and down right stupid in other instances. The building we were using doesn't have a back wall, so you just imagine it's there. Everyone waiting to go is watching each group go from the back side. The stupid moments occur when people freeze and don't fight/move/say anything. The hilarious times occur when people yell or hip flip a DS or slam a DS's head into a wall. These were the fun ones. What also made today more interesting was that there was a camera crew filming us today. They were there to make a video for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The videos are being used to show what the MOUT training at Ft. Benning consists of. That's pretty much all the First Sgt. told us about them, but they had a lot of equipment and was pretty cool to be around.
In other news, I was finally told by on of my DS that I would be restarted. Now, when I was trying to figure out when/where/why questions, the answers weren't exactly what I needed to hear. Basically, I'm being restarted, but the reason and timing don't fit. They say it's for training I missed, but it may be next week before I leave my company. The new company would be in either week 9 or 10 and I didn't miss any of that other than a PT test which I crushed on Monday. So Mom & Dad, ignore the graduation letter you will receive until you here more from me about this gaggle-$*!@ of a situation.
That's about all for now. I will still be training w/my company until further notice. The 12 mile is tomorrow and FTX starts Sunday. I hope this gets figured out soon. I don't get why I would have to repeat both events....but I guess.........
Embrace the Suck!!
Spc Martin
Hey Everybody!
Well, it's good to be back at the bay! We had a couple of NASTY smoke sessions yesterday and today which makes me feel like it's Red Phase again.... I'll go into details some other time, but it's questionable what happened.
Anyway, yesterday we didn't start training until after our 10 minute lunch for said smoke session. Once we finally started it was a lot of fun and it was good training. Everything starts off pretty simple with the concept of clearing a room. Everything gets complicated when you start throwing in booby-traps and people. It gets even more complicated when it's at night and you are being shot at (with blanks) and you have to react. I'm going to be spending a lot of nights practicing MOUT in the near future...... The scenario is complicated a million times the moment gunfire breaks out. It's not an easy task to complete when you're trying to keep yourself alive, kill the bad guy and not shoot the civilian.
Today we worked more with actually tacking and fighting with someone resisting when we enter. It was hilarious at some points and down right stupid in other instances. The building we were using doesn't have a back wall, so you just imagine it's there. Everyone waiting to go is watching each group go from the back side. The stupid moments occur when people freeze and don't fight/move/say anything. The hilarious times occur when people yell or hip flip a DS or slam a DS's head into a wall. These were the fun ones. What also made today more interesting was that there was a camera crew filming us today. They were there to make a video for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The videos are being used to show what the MOUT training at Ft. Benning consists of. That's pretty much all the First Sgt. told us about them, but they had a lot of equipment and was pretty cool to be around.
In other news, I was finally told by on of my DS that I would be restarted. Now, when I was trying to figure out when/where/why questions, the answers weren't exactly what I needed to hear. Basically, I'm being restarted, but the reason and timing don't fit. They say it's for training I missed, but it may be next week before I leave my company. The new company would be in either week 9 or 10 and I didn't miss any of that other than a PT test which I crushed on Monday. So Mom & Dad, ignore the graduation letter you will receive until you here more from me about this gaggle-$*!@ of a situation.
That's about all for now. I will still be training w/my company until further notice. The 12 mile is tomorrow and FTX starts Sunday. I hope this gets figured out soon. I don't get why I would have to repeat both events....but I guess.........
Embrace the Suck!!
Spc Martin
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Still Waiting.........
Monday, September 6th
Hey Everybody!
Happy Labor Day! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday at the lake or at a Bar or some form of fun that I'm not having....jerks......HAHA! Anyway, since it is a holiday, we don't get mail again. I think this makes 5 days in a row without mail which sucks, but hopefully I have some built up.
Saturday we went to the National Infantry Museum. This was my second time there(first was Family Day) and I looked around some more, but we were allowed to go to the IMAX movies so most of my time was spent watching Lewis and Clark discover America and DiCaprio describing the Hubble in 3D. After those, most of my time was over and we left not long after 1300. Eventually, when I graduate, (which I still don't know for sure if I'm graduating or being restarted) I'm sure those who come will want to look around for themselves, and I'll finally see everything in the museum.
Sunday was pretty typical. A little bit of cleaning mixed in with Mass and a phone call home. Mass ran about 40 minutes late because we were waiting on the priest to show. I had no problem with this because A) I didn't have to be back at the bay and B) the organist started playing all the patriotic hymns in the book which is always a cool thing when you're surrounded by other soldiers. When I talked to Mom and Dad, I was able to tell them about my RTD because the letter I wrote Tuesday had not made it to them yet.
(Note: We still have not received this letter)
So I was able to give them more information and answer their questions. I also got to talk a little bit about MIZZOU! and Notre Dame and the Cardinals who are still 6 games back after taking 2 of 3 from Cincy. Only a month left boys.......
Today was fairly eventful, because we had APFT 4 and this would be my first long distance/2-mile run since week 3 or 4. Either way, it's been a long ass time since I've ran. I was hoping to put up similar numbers overall from my first APFT which was a 220. I expected my run to be a lot slower, and have my push ups and sit ups pull up the slack from a slower run time.
So how did I do? 52 push ups which was an increase of 7. I did 71 sit ups (+3) and my 2 mile.................13:45!!HAHA! I couldn't believe it! I actually shed 5 seconds off my old run. It was funny when I turned in my time to the DS and he knew I hadn't run in about 7 weeks and said, "That's 45 seconds too slow soldier.........HOOAH!?" HOOAH Drill Sergeant.....HOOHA......HAHA! My over all score was a 253 and seemed to impress a lot of people from my platoon. Overall, my score was 15th of 52 in my platoon, and not much separates me from being # 4 overall, other than the fact that not much time is left. Either way, I'm proud of my score.
After the APFT we had a class on MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). Basically a class on breaking down doors and cleaning rooms in urban environments. it's pretty much getting to the point where we start putting all of our training together. The next two days we are doing MOUT and will spend 1 night out in the field. On Friday, we supposedly have the 12 mile ruck march which I guess you could say I'm a little worried about considering the longest I've gone so far is 4 miles.... and that was 7 weeks ago.... so yeah...... I think it will suck, but I also know I can push through if needed. Sunday starts FTX (Field Training Exercise) which is our final test. We'll spend I think 5 or six days in the field running security and missions. Basically it's supposed to simulate what it's like for the Infantry. I'm assuming that if they let me do all this, then I'll be graduating with my Company on October 1st. But until then, I continue the waiting game and hope for a quick answer this week.
That's all I have for now. Take care everybody and drink a beer for me. I can't wait for that day!!!!!
SPC Martin
EMBRACE THE SUCK!
Hey Everybody!
Happy Labor Day! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday at the lake or at a Bar or some form of fun that I'm not having....jerks......HAHA! Anyway, since it is a holiday, we don't get mail again. I think this makes 5 days in a row without mail which sucks, but hopefully I have some built up.
Saturday we went to the National Infantry Museum. This was my second time there(first was Family Day) and I looked around some more, but we were allowed to go to the IMAX movies so most of my time was spent watching Lewis and Clark discover America and DiCaprio describing the Hubble in 3D. After those, most of my time was over and we left not long after 1300. Eventually, when I graduate, (which I still don't know for sure if I'm graduating or being restarted) I'm sure those who come will want to look around for themselves, and I'll finally see everything in the museum.
Sunday was pretty typical. A little bit of cleaning mixed in with Mass and a phone call home. Mass ran about 40 minutes late because we were waiting on the priest to show. I had no problem with this because A) I didn't have to be back at the bay and B) the organist started playing all the patriotic hymns in the book which is always a cool thing when you're surrounded by other soldiers. When I talked to Mom and Dad, I was able to tell them about my RTD because the letter I wrote Tuesday had not made it to them yet.
(Note: We still have not received this letter)
So I was able to give them more information and answer their questions. I also got to talk a little bit about MIZZOU! and Notre Dame and the Cardinals who are still 6 games back after taking 2 of 3 from Cincy. Only a month left boys.......
Today was fairly eventful, because we had APFT 4 and this would be my first long distance/2-mile run since week 3 or 4. Either way, it's been a long ass time since I've ran. I was hoping to put up similar numbers overall from my first APFT which was a 220. I expected my run to be a lot slower, and have my push ups and sit ups pull up the slack from a slower run time.
So how did I do? 52 push ups which was an increase of 7. I did 71 sit ups (+3) and my 2 mile.................13:45!!HAHA! I couldn't believe it! I actually shed 5 seconds off my old run. It was funny when I turned in my time to the DS and he knew I hadn't run in about 7 weeks and said, "That's 45 seconds too slow soldier.........HOOAH!?" HOOAH Drill Sergeant.....HOOHA......HAHA! My over all score was a 253 and seemed to impress a lot of people from my platoon. Overall, my score was 15th of 52 in my platoon, and not much separates me from being # 4 overall, other than the fact that not much time is left. Either way, I'm proud of my score.
After the APFT we had a class on MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). Basically a class on breaking down doors and cleaning rooms in urban environments. it's pretty much getting to the point where we start putting all of our training together. The next two days we are doing MOUT and will spend 1 night out in the field. On Friday, we supposedly have the 12 mile ruck march which I guess you could say I'm a little worried about considering the longest I've gone so far is 4 miles.... and that was 7 weeks ago.... so yeah...... I think it will suck, but I also know I can push through if needed. Sunday starts FTX (Field Training Exercise) which is our final test. We'll spend I think 5 or six days in the field running security and missions. Basically it's supposed to simulate what it's like for the Infantry. I'm assuming that if they let me do all this, then I'll be graduating with my Company on October 1st. But until then, I continue the waiting game and hope for a quick answer this week.
That's all I have for now. Take care everybody and drink a beer for me. I can't wait for that day!!!!!
SPC Martin
EMBRACE THE SUCK!
Wait......Martin You Can Train???
Friday, September 3rd
Hey Everybody!
It's Friday and so far my legs/knees have managed to stay together. Yesterday I got my new running shoes which should help keep a lot of strain off my knees now that I know I need a specific type of shoe for my feet. It's kinda funny though because when we got back yesterday, we had to go yard twice. I ran that with my old shoes. Once we got back from the second run, we were handed out mail, which of course, contained my new shoes.
So since my last letter updating you with the results of my X-Rays and my RTD, a lot has happened. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday night out in the field. We worked on more squad and team movements, reacting to fire, flanking, and indirect (mortar) attacks. We also had to set up security at our patrol base through out the night which requires about 8 - 10 ppl. up at one point. So because of that I pulled 3 shifts on Wednesday night.... We also used Wednesday and Thursday night to work on our Hasty Fire Positions (aka Ranger Graves) which is basically a 3 ft deep foxhole.
So digging these are fun as you can imagine....especially when you run into tree roots....or an ant hill..... You can't really control what they do because you're sleeping in that position for the night and the red ants love running around and show up out of nowhere when you mess with their hill. Eitherway it was GREAT to get back out there and train with everyone again, and actually feel apart of my platoon again.
Today was another good day. We headed out early to a range where we got to shoot the .50 cal. machine gun and the Mark-19 Automatic Grenade Launcher! To put it nicely, I don't want to be on either end of those. The Mark-19 is effective up to 4 miles away and I think everyone knows either from a story or war movie, what a .50 cal can do. Supposedly Blackhawk Down is the most accurate depiction. What was really cool today was how you could see the rounds from the MK-19 as they were being fired, so you could follow the round for a little while. We shot in 5 round bursts, so you just see a streak of 5 black objects flying out towards an old tank on this huge field, and then 5 explosions all around. The U.S. Army has some awesome fire power!
I guess that's kinda the short version of the events. I'm currently being distracted by the "spoon" game. Basically 2 people sit across from each other with a spoon in their mouth. One person puts their head down, and the other person slaps the back of their head with the spoon. Here's the thing, you can't slap it hard at all with just your head, so there is a third person in on it. The third person slaps the back of the gullible persons head. So gullible person is trying to slap hard but can't. He puts his head down and the person across from him acts like he's hitting him, when actually the third guy is slapping the back of the gullible guys head. Well, gullible guy is from my platoon and he honestly couldn't figure it our for the life of him. I wish I had a camera to record it!!!
Anyway, I still don't know if I'm staying for being restarted....hopefully I find out soon....Tomorrow we're going to the Infantry museum, so I'll get to spend more time there seeing what I didn't get a chance to catch over family weekend. There is an I-Max theater there, and I'm wishfully thinking/hoping I'll be able to catch a movie, but........probably not....HAHA!
That's all for now everyone.
Love you & Take Care
SPC Martin
PS - Still no duty station yet...hopefully next week
PPS
GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!
Hey Everybody!
It's Friday and so far my legs/knees have managed to stay together. Yesterday I got my new running shoes which should help keep a lot of strain off my knees now that I know I need a specific type of shoe for my feet. It's kinda funny though because when we got back yesterday, we had to go yard twice. I ran that with my old shoes. Once we got back from the second run, we were handed out mail, which of course, contained my new shoes.
So since my last letter updating you with the results of my X-Rays and my RTD, a lot has happened. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday night out in the field. We worked on more squad and team movements, reacting to fire, flanking, and indirect (mortar) attacks. We also had to set up security at our patrol base through out the night which requires about 8 - 10 ppl. up at one point. So because of that I pulled 3 shifts on Wednesday night.... We also used Wednesday and Thursday night to work on our Hasty Fire Positions (aka Ranger Graves) which is basically a 3 ft deep foxhole.
So digging these are fun as you can imagine....especially when you run into tree roots....or an ant hill..... You can't really control what they do because you're sleeping in that position for the night and the red ants love running around and show up out of nowhere when you mess with their hill. Eitherway it was GREAT to get back out there and train with everyone again, and actually feel apart of my platoon again.
Today was another good day. We headed out early to a range where we got to shoot the .50 cal. machine gun and the Mark-19 Automatic Grenade Launcher! To put it nicely, I don't want to be on either end of those. The Mark-19 is effective up to 4 miles away and I think everyone knows either from a story or war movie, what a .50 cal can do. Supposedly Blackhawk Down is the most accurate depiction. What was really cool today was how you could see the rounds from the MK-19 as they were being fired, so you could follow the round for a little while. We shot in 5 round bursts, so you just see a streak of 5 black objects flying out towards an old tank on this huge field, and then 5 explosions all around. The U.S. Army has some awesome fire power!
I guess that's kinda the short version of the events. I'm currently being distracted by the "spoon" game. Basically 2 people sit across from each other with a spoon in their mouth. One person puts their head down, and the other person slaps the back of their head with the spoon. Here's the thing, you can't slap it hard at all with just your head, so there is a third person in on it. The third person slaps the back of the gullible persons head. So gullible person is trying to slap hard but can't. He puts his head down and the person across from him acts like he's hitting him, when actually the third guy is slapping the back of the gullible guys head. Well, gullible guy is from my platoon and he honestly couldn't figure it our for the life of him. I wish I had a camera to record it!!!
Anyway, I still don't know if I'm staying for being restarted....hopefully I find out soon....Tomorrow we're going to the Infantry museum, so I'll get to spend more time there seeing what I didn't get a chance to catch over family weekend. There is an I-Max theater there, and I'm wishfully thinking/hoping I'll be able to catch a movie, but........probably not....HAHA!
That's all for now everyone.
Love you & Take Care
SPC Martin
PS - Still no duty station yet...hopefully next week
PPS
GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Update on Matt
Hi everyone!
I was going to write this sooner, but thought I would wait until I had received a letter from Matt. That has not happened, no letters, but we did get to speak to him last night.
First of all - Last weekend we were in GA and did Family weekend with Matt, He was not allowed to leave base because he has been on profile with his stress fractures and had not completed all of his training. He was given a base pass however and we were allowed to spend both Sat. and Sunday with him on base. At first we had thought we would have a hard time finding things to do on base for 2 days, but this was not the case. The base is huge. The airborne school is there, and they just moved the school for tanks there also, a lot to see. We visited the large PX - which is like a Super Walmart or Target with clothes more like Kohls. We tried to find a pair of running shoes for Matt - he learned that he has high arches and needs a cushioned running shoe. Unfortunately the PX did not have his size, we were also able to pick up toiletries for him. An interesting fact - anything bought at the PX - NO SALES TAX. We saw a movie, and had dinner at a nice little Mexican restaurant on base. Matt called his sisters and grandparents while we were with him.
We drove around the base and through the base - the maps they give you are not great, but I figured this was a good way for Matt to work on his navigation skills, and we had time so all in all it worked out great. I had made Mother Mary's famous Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies - so Saturday when we were riding around Matt ate as many cookies as he wanted and loved it.
Sunday we went back to the PX and then to the National Infantry Museum. Matt's graduation will be held at the Museum - outside - very impressive. We spent a couple of hours going through the museum and ate lunch at a very nice restaurant located in the museum. Matt was able to finally get a steak! It was not as good a steak as Shannon's, but he said it wasn't that bad. We also rained on Sunday - Matt said it hasn't rained like that since he started Basic Training, figures!
We took Matt back to Sand Hill (where his Company is located)at around 5:00. Picked up a couple of his friends and drove them to the base of their barracks. He left us around 5:45 to begin the walk up the hill for recall formation at 1800.
Matt had MRI done on his legs the Friday before we arrived and was suppose to find out on Monday the results. While we were with him, he said his legs felt fine, he had no more swelling and the knees did not hurt.
I did not receive a letter from Matt this week, I had heard from another mother, Jan Hughes, whose son Jon, also had stress fracture. Apparently Jon had said in a letter that Matt was returned to Active Duty. This was confirmed last night when we spoke to Matt. He did not get to see Dr. on Monday of last week, but did finally see the Dr. or PA Tuesday AM. He passed all the tests and was given his RTAD orders. He has been training with his platoon all last week - what is not known is if Matt will graduate on OCT. 1st. He has been trying to find out, but no one has made that decision yet or if they have, they have not shared this information with Matt. He is playing the waiting game. He also has not been given his orders - for where he will be stationed. We are not sure how Matt will get the training in he missed while on Profile - most of the training he missed was marching, hand to hand combat training, and some artillery training. His Drill Sargent's have said all along that he was in a strange place with his legs and no one was sure how it would all work out - I guess they were not kidding. So we shall wait and see - keep the letters coming for Matt. I will let you know what is happening once Matt knows and lets me know. Till then - as Matt would say
Embrace the Suck.
Diana
I was going to write this sooner, but thought I would wait until I had received a letter from Matt. That has not happened, no letters, but we did get to speak to him last night.
First of all - Last weekend we were in GA and did Family weekend with Matt, He was not allowed to leave base because he has been on profile with his stress fractures and had not completed all of his training. He was given a base pass however and we were allowed to spend both Sat. and Sunday with him on base. At first we had thought we would have a hard time finding things to do on base for 2 days, but this was not the case. The base is huge. The airborne school is there, and they just moved the school for tanks there also, a lot to see. We visited the large PX - which is like a Super Walmart or Target with clothes more like Kohls. We tried to find a pair of running shoes for Matt - he learned that he has high arches and needs a cushioned running shoe. Unfortunately the PX did not have his size, we were also able to pick up toiletries for him. An interesting fact - anything bought at the PX - NO SALES TAX. We saw a movie, and had dinner at a nice little Mexican restaurant on base. Matt called his sisters and grandparents while we were with him.
We drove around the base and through the base - the maps they give you are not great, but I figured this was a good way for Matt to work on his navigation skills, and we had time so all in all it worked out great. I had made Mother Mary's famous Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies - so Saturday when we were riding around Matt ate as many cookies as he wanted and loved it.
Sunday we went back to the PX and then to the National Infantry Museum. Matt's graduation will be held at the Museum - outside - very impressive. We spent a couple of hours going through the museum and ate lunch at a very nice restaurant located in the museum. Matt was able to finally get a steak! It was not as good a steak as Shannon's, but he said it wasn't that bad. We also rained on Sunday - Matt said it hasn't rained like that since he started Basic Training, figures!
We took Matt back to Sand Hill (where his Company is located)at around 5:00. Picked up a couple of his friends and drove them to the base of their barracks. He left us around 5:45 to begin the walk up the hill for recall formation at 1800.
Matt had MRI done on his legs the Friday before we arrived and was suppose to find out on Monday the results. While we were with him, he said his legs felt fine, he had no more swelling and the knees did not hurt.
I did not receive a letter from Matt this week, I had heard from another mother, Jan Hughes, whose son Jon, also had stress fracture. Apparently Jon had said in a letter that Matt was returned to Active Duty. This was confirmed last night when we spoke to Matt. He did not get to see Dr. on Monday of last week, but did finally see the Dr. or PA Tuesday AM. He passed all the tests and was given his RTAD orders. He has been training with his platoon all last week - what is not known is if Matt will graduate on OCT. 1st. He has been trying to find out, but no one has made that decision yet or if they have, they have not shared this information with Matt. He is playing the waiting game. He also has not been given his orders - for where he will be stationed. We are not sure how Matt will get the training in he missed while on Profile - most of the training he missed was marching, hand to hand combat training, and some artillery training. His Drill Sargent's have said all along that he was in a strange place with his legs and no one was sure how it would all work out - I guess they were not kidding. So we shall wait and see - keep the letters coming for Matt. I will let you know what is happening once Matt knows and lets me know. Till then - as Matt would say
Embrace the Suck.
Diana
Monday, August 23, 2010
Back Early
Thursday, August 19th
Hey Everybody!
Technically this letter should be coming from the field, but it's not. Me and the other "broke-dicks", as we are referred to around here, came back this morning after 1 night in the field.
Last night was "Nick at Night" or better know as the night infiltration course. This is the one you always see in the movies where a person is crawling under barbwire while they fire machine guns overhead, but here, it's supposed to be much safer.... Anyway, I was not allowed to participate, so I guarded weapons all night until midnight. At 0100, I had fire guard for a hour. I slept from 0200 to 0330. So yeah.....2 1/2 hours of sleep....
We got up early and left the field at 0400 where Hughes and I started working staff duty. Staff Duty is basically where you take any battalion phone calls or radio transmission among the rest of 1/50 and relay it to the appropriate channel. It's not that bad, but you have to find ways to stay awake since this is where all the battalion cadre works. We're on 2 hour shifts today with a couple other groups so were not doing it throughout the day. Everyone is staying out in the field again tonight, but I'll be pulling staff duty (it's a 24 hour shift) for 2 hours at some point tonight.
Enough of that though, it's time for some early week recaps and I know I need to answer a few questions. So lets go!
I already told you about Monday, so....Tuesday was combat qualification. We shot behind barriers from a standing, kneeling and prone unsupported position. We were given 3 magazines each with one "dummy" round. Basically it loads into a magazine, but doesn't do anything. It's meant to replicate a malfunction. So each magazine has 10 rounds plus 1 dummy. You could start from any position, but once you had a malfunction, or your magazine was empty, you had to kneel behind the barrier. You then correct the malfunction or load a new magazine an then move into a new position. So if you were standing and had a malfunction, once you correct the problem, you move into either a kneeling or prone unsupported position. You do this because once you go behind the barrier, you lose your competitive advantage, and the enemy can focus on your last spot.
I only shot 9 out of 30 my first time. Partly because this involved the training from Monday that I missed, and I had my head at the wrong point on my rifle when I was firing, so my shots were missing high. So I made my correction for the next round and hit 22 or 23. Also of note here.....We're so used to only firing 1 shot per target. If you miss, you normally wait for the next target. For this event though, you shouldn't do that. You don't fire at targets when there is a malfunction, or magazine change, so those go unshot and you have extra round to use on targets you miss. Hence the large improvement HAHA!! So thankfully my shooting skills are still there and not lost. That seems to be my pattern though, I do terrible the first round then then tear it up in my next.....maybe I should work on that.......
Moving on..... I think I failed to relay the fact that I did go to the concert a couple weeks ago... my bad.....I'm not quite sure how I forgot, but to recap, we got off the bus and headed in. The band was a local cover band who was OK. They weren't great, but they also weren't terrible. They played music ranging from Breaking Ben, the Cranberries, Creed, Metallica, Katie Perry, and lady GAGA......different.....yes. So the first hour of being there was dedicated to eating Dominos, M & M Ice Cream Cookies, Funnel Cake, Pepsi and repeating this process. It was a great time because we finally were "away" from our DS's, and just got to hang out and be ourselves for once for more than 10 minutes. It's amazing how much you enjoy something that has been restricted from you for some time.
That is probably what I miss the most from being here is the freedom of choice to go out and have fun, drink beer, or eat a meal with family. But, don't think I forgot, and understand, what I've gotten myself into. Over these next few months and years, I will have to make sacrifices because of what I do and I've accepted that there will be events that I miss because I'm gone. The only thing I can hope for is that these sacrifices make a difference somehow or in someway and help me continue to grow as a person. The Army is my foundation for my future and with your continued support and encouragement, I know that I'll make it. When? Well....no one knows the answer to that question except God himself, so I figure I'll let him decide and I'll move forward from there. I saw a quote that I like last week while at Mass. it said, "Adversity does not breed character, it reveals it." I think it fits a lot for what I'm dealing with right now. There's a lot of uncertainty and obstacles that I'm facing, but I know that if I continue to put my right foot in front of the left, then I will be just fine, just keep the momentum moving forward. I know eventually one day it will all work out and I'll be a better man for it. Until then.......let's answer some more questions.
Q & A
1. We only fired automatic rifles that one day last week, and I was able to take part.
2. I did not take the APFT 2 because I was on duty squad. I think 96 people failed out of 223. We have APFT # 3 on Monday. If you don't pass, NO Family Day! But....as far as I know, I'm good. Plus I passed the APFT 1.
3. I don't know if they'll keep my scores. Part of be believes they will.
4. I may go Friday of next week to get X-Ray and see how my knees are fairing. If they're the same/worse, I may be put on another 30 day profile....
5. Mom and Dad, please bring a change of clothes! And plan on seeing at least one movie HAHA!
6. Right now, without PT'ing for the last 4 weeks, I can hit around 70 sit ups and 45 push ups which puts we well past the 60 % needed at the end of AIT and for graduation (Mostly because of the work I've done on the side)
Lyric Requests
All-Time Low
Vegas
Stella
Matchbox 20
3 am
Real World
Jason Aldean
Big Green Tractor
EMBRACE THE SUCK!
KEEP THE LETTERS COMING!!!!!
SPC Martin
Hey Everybody!
Technically this letter should be coming from the field, but it's not. Me and the other "broke-dicks", as we are referred to around here, came back this morning after 1 night in the field.
Last night was "Nick at Night" or better know as the night infiltration course. This is the one you always see in the movies where a person is crawling under barbwire while they fire machine guns overhead, but here, it's supposed to be much safer.... Anyway, I was not allowed to participate, so I guarded weapons all night until midnight. At 0100, I had fire guard for a hour. I slept from 0200 to 0330. So yeah.....2 1/2 hours of sleep....
We got up early and left the field at 0400 where Hughes and I started working staff duty. Staff Duty is basically where you take any battalion phone calls or radio transmission among the rest of 1/50 and relay it to the appropriate channel. It's not that bad, but you have to find ways to stay awake since this is where all the battalion cadre works. We're on 2 hour shifts today with a couple other groups so were not doing it throughout the day. Everyone is staying out in the field again tonight, but I'll be pulling staff duty (it's a 24 hour shift) for 2 hours at some point tonight.
Enough of that though, it's time for some early week recaps and I know I need to answer a few questions. So lets go!
I already told you about Monday, so....Tuesday was combat qualification. We shot behind barriers from a standing, kneeling and prone unsupported position. We were given 3 magazines each with one "dummy" round. Basically it loads into a magazine, but doesn't do anything. It's meant to replicate a malfunction. So each magazine has 10 rounds plus 1 dummy. You could start from any position, but once you had a malfunction, or your magazine was empty, you had to kneel behind the barrier. You then correct the malfunction or load a new magazine an then move into a new position. So if you were standing and had a malfunction, once you correct the problem, you move into either a kneeling or prone unsupported position. You do this because once you go behind the barrier, you lose your competitive advantage, and the enemy can focus on your last spot.
I only shot 9 out of 30 my first time. Partly because this involved the training from Monday that I missed, and I had my head at the wrong point on my rifle when I was firing, so my shots were missing high. So I made my correction for the next round and hit 22 or 23. Also of note here.....We're so used to only firing 1 shot per target. If you miss, you normally wait for the next target. For this event though, you shouldn't do that. You don't fire at targets when there is a malfunction, or magazine change, so those go unshot and you have extra round to use on targets you miss. Hence the large improvement HAHA!! So thankfully my shooting skills are still there and not lost. That seems to be my pattern though, I do terrible the first round then then tear it up in my next.....maybe I should work on that.......
Moving on..... I think I failed to relay the fact that I did go to the concert a couple weeks ago... my bad.....I'm not quite sure how I forgot, but to recap, we got off the bus and headed in. The band was a local cover band who was OK. They weren't great, but they also weren't terrible. They played music ranging from Breaking Ben, the Cranberries, Creed, Metallica, Katie Perry, and lady GAGA......different.....yes. So the first hour of being there was dedicated to eating Dominos, M & M Ice Cream Cookies, Funnel Cake, Pepsi and repeating this process. It was a great time because we finally were "away" from our DS's, and just got to hang out and be ourselves for once for more than 10 minutes. It's amazing how much you enjoy something that has been restricted from you for some time.
That is probably what I miss the most from being here is the freedom of choice to go out and have fun, drink beer, or eat a meal with family. But, don't think I forgot, and understand, what I've gotten myself into. Over these next few months and years, I will have to make sacrifices because of what I do and I've accepted that there will be events that I miss because I'm gone. The only thing I can hope for is that these sacrifices make a difference somehow or in someway and help me continue to grow as a person. The Army is my foundation for my future and with your continued support and encouragement, I know that I'll make it. When? Well....no one knows the answer to that question except God himself, so I figure I'll let him decide and I'll move forward from there. I saw a quote that I like last week while at Mass. it said, "Adversity does not breed character, it reveals it." I think it fits a lot for what I'm dealing with right now. There's a lot of uncertainty and obstacles that I'm facing, but I know that if I continue to put my right foot in front of the left, then I will be just fine, just keep the momentum moving forward. I know eventually one day it will all work out and I'll be a better man for it. Until then.......let's answer some more questions.
Q & A
1. We only fired automatic rifles that one day last week, and I was able to take part.
2. I did not take the APFT 2 because I was on duty squad. I think 96 people failed out of 223. We have APFT # 3 on Monday. If you don't pass, NO Family Day! But....as far as I know, I'm good. Plus I passed the APFT 1.
3. I don't know if they'll keep my scores. Part of be believes they will.
4. I may go Friday of next week to get X-Ray and see how my knees are fairing. If they're the same/worse, I may be put on another 30 day profile....
5. Mom and Dad, please bring a change of clothes! And plan on seeing at least one movie HAHA!
6. Right now, without PT'ing for the last 4 weeks, I can hit around 70 sit ups and 45 push ups which puts we well past the 60 % needed at the end of AIT and for graduation (Mostly because of the work I've done on the side)
Lyric Requests
All-Time Low
Vegas
Stella
Matchbox 20
3 am
Real World
Jason Aldean
Big Green Tractor
EMBRACE THE SUCK!
KEEP THE LETTERS COMING!!!!!
SPC Martin
Friday, August 20, 2010
Sunday Pass? Why Yes..... I Think I will
Sunday - August 15th & Monday August 16th
Let's recap shall we?
Saturday sucked until about 17:30. Why? Well because from 0900 till 17:30 I sat on my ass and did absolutely nothing while everyone else qualified for level 1 in Ground Fighting Tactics (GFT). That lasted until lunch chow. I literally wasn't allowed to do anything. Not even clean the bay...This is the typical Saturday for me now so yeah.......it got better though when GFT stopped.
I finally got to organize my locker. On Tuesday or Wednesday two DS's came through for a contraband check and tossed everything from our lockers....So I finally got around to that. I also was able to finish up my laundry and get all that folded up. At final formation we got Nutra-Grain Bars (aka Glorified Fig Newtons) which is always a good thing. We were then told that wake up was at 0600 and that those who shot expert would receive their pass. AWESOME!
So after my 8 1/2 hours of sleep (which I proudly brag of now....) I head out to formation, went to breakfast chow and left to go out on my 4 hour pass. So I called home for a hour which was great to finally talk for a while with Mom and Dad. We seemed to have some difficulty with the pay phone a couple of times, where we stay connected, but they couldn't hear me. Eventually my phone card ran out so I said my goodbyes.
I head inside to a snack shop that opens at 0900. I don't know what it is, but I immediately bought a Monster, some pizza and a Hostess Cupcake. It was genuinely amazing! I've forgotten how good those cupcakes are and what it feels like to have a legit sugar high going. Eventually I found the computer lab and of course got on Facebook HAHA! I got to catch up on messages, my wall, pictures and I got to chat with a few of you. If my chat ended abruptly with you (Joe and Whitney) it was because my time expired.......so my apologies.
After the computers I bought some Reeses and a Snickers which I ate on the walk back. Overall, a great time! It's amazing to think of how much I have been missing out on since I've been gone. Hopefully I'm not here too much longer, that that all depends on what the doctors and my company says. But, to once again feel apart of the Real World and not just the Army World was amazing and definitely made my week.
Monday - Well, it's Monday....
I didn't really do much today. We went to the range and I got to do dry-fire exercises with no ammunition. Everyone did this, but they also shot. Somehow I was left off the list to fire because I was cleaning up breakfast when they took a count. Either way, I spent the day sitting down which is good for my knees.
We headed back, ate chow and got mail, which is ALWAYS the best part of the day. Did I mention the 11 letters I got last Monday? That was an Epic mail day! People in my platoon always cover their heads now because the Ds's just throw it into the crowd and usually hit guys in the face which is hilarious! HAHA
Other than that, I'm going to try and get in as much training as possible these next 2 weeks. We spend two nights in the field this week, so I may only get out a couple letters this week.
Overall, I'm excited for Family Day! I can't wait to get off base and just hang out. Also, if I'm correct, Football season should be starting that weekend! Have a drink for me since I won't be allowed one.....
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
Let's recap shall we?
Saturday sucked until about 17:30. Why? Well because from 0900 till 17:30 I sat on my ass and did absolutely nothing while everyone else qualified for level 1 in Ground Fighting Tactics (GFT). That lasted until lunch chow. I literally wasn't allowed to do anything. Not even clean the bay...This is the typical Saturday for me now so yeah.......it got better though when GFT stopped.
I finally got to organize my locker. On Tuesday or Wednesday two DS's came through for a contraband check and tossed everything from our lockers....So I finally got around to that. I also was able to finish up my laundry and get all that folded up. At final formation we got Nutra-Grain Bars (aka Glorified Fig Newtons) which is always a good thing. We were then told that wake up was at 0600 and that those who shot expert would receive their pass. AWESOME!
So after my 8 1/2 hours of sleep (which I proudly brag of now....) I head out to formation, went to breakfast chow and left to go out on my 4 hour pass. So I called home for a hour which was great to finally talk for a while with Mom and Dad. We seemed to have some difficulty with the pay phone a couple of times, where we stay connected, but they couldn't hear me. Eventually my phone card ran out so I said my goodbyes.
I head inside to a snack shop that opens at 0900. I don't know what it is, but I immediately bought a Monster, some pizza and a Hostess Cupcake. It was genuinely amazing! I've forgotten how good those cupcakes are and what it feels like to have a legit sugar high going. Eventually I found the computer lab and of course got on Facebook HAHA! I got to catch up on messages, my wall, pictures and I got to chat with a few of you. If my chat ended abruptly with you (Joe and Whitney) it was because my time expired.......so my apologies.
After the computers I bought some Reeses and a Snickers which I ate on the walk back. Overall, a great time! It's amazing to think of how much I have been missing out on since I've been gone. Hopefully I'm not here too much longer, that that all depends on what the doctors and my company says. But, to once again feel apart of the Real World and not just the Army World was amazing and definitely made my week.
Monday - Well, it's Monday....
I didn't really do much today. We went to the range and I got to do dry-fire exercises with no ammunition. Everyone did this, but they also shot. Somehow I was left off the list to fire because I was cleaning up breakfast when they took a count. Either way, I spent the day sitting down which is good for my knees.
We headed back, ate chow and got mail, which is ALWAYS the best part of the day. Did I mention the 11 letters I got last Monday? That was an Epic mail day! People in my platoon always cover their heads now because the Ds's just throw it into the crowd and usually hit guys in the face which is hilarious! HAHA
Other than that, I'm going to try and get in as much training as possible these next 2 weeks. We spend two nights in the field this week, so I may only get out a couple letters this week.
Overall, I'm excited for Family Day! I can't wait to get off base and just hang out. Also, if I'm correct, Football season should be starting that weekend! Have a drink for me since I won't be allowed one.....
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
Monday, August 16, 2010
Has It Been Awhile?
Friday, August 13th
Hey Everybody!
I believe this may have been one of my longer writing droughts. It's not because I got lazy, but more because the past couple days have been hectic/fun/shitty/and badass all wrapped into one. So where do I begin? (it's not rhetorical, because I don't remember the last letter I sent....)
How about I guess.....This week in training has been focused on Advanced Rifle Marksmanship. I think the last letter talked bout the M-249 SAW and M-240 Bravo. We just fired them once this week. Everything else this week has been done with our M-4's. We had our first night fire which was cool. It really wasn't that dark yet, so the night Vision wasn't as effective.
Wednesday we did ready-ups. Basically what that entails is you face a target ranging from 5 - 25 meters. The DS tells you to shoot at a certain point/object on the target. Your weapon is facing the ground and you must bring it up and fire. In a nutshell, it's reaction based training exercise. I did this twice and it can be difficult. The hardest part is when they tell you to walk and shoot because obviously your balance changes. It's still fun though!
Thursday/Friday I'm just going to group together since we were continuously training. Thursday was our first night that we spend out in the field. So basically imagine a camping trip with a lot of weapons, no tents, and no alcohol....HAHA
We started the day working from barriers. What we do is fire from 3 different positions while covering our body behind a wooden barrier. We start at the top, so just our head is visible and our weapon rests on the top of the barrier. We then move to a knee and fire, and then into prone unsupported. The goal/purpose of these exercises is to train us on what will be common firing positions once we're deployed. Once everyone shot, we ate chow and waited for night......
Thursday night may have been on of the coolest/most "I feel like a badass? moments in my life. After a proper class on Night Vision Goggles we put them to the test with Infrared laser sights mounted on our M-4! We were also running low on time. Combine these 3 things, and you're about to have a good time! I get the helmet put on and pull down the NV (Night Vision), turn it on, and focus the lens. For all you video game "Call of Duty" people.... it's basically just like that, but REAL! When you start looking around, you see where the lasers are moving from target to target. it doesn't really even matter how you hold the rifle, just as long as the laser is on the target. Since we were low on time, the DS's just had us fire 40 rounds as fast as we could. So here I am popping off 50 & 100 meter targets left and right with NV and lasers! Awesome??? YES!
Once we finished, we cleaned up and headed for bed about 200 meters away. I got everything set up and hit the sack. I tied my rifle to my belt loop so that if a DS walked by while I was sleeping, he wouldn't be able to take my rifle. It worked! Other than that, it didn't rain (like it was suppose to) and I managed to get some decent sleep, only to be woken up to DS's screaming for us to get ready in 30 minutes, which meant, change, repack, shave, shower, bathroom, organize, etc. I made it, but not everyone else did....So 20 minute smoke session later an we finally got it all figured out (Don't worry, I didn't do anything to hurt my knees).
So after that, we loaded up ammo and shot at moving targets today. It seems like Blue phase is going to involve a lot of the actual Infantry training, which is a great change of pace. It's always nice when you start doing what you signed up for right??? After the range, we got haircuts and bought some things from the shop (mostly small items). and headed back to the barracks.
The goal is going to be to take it easy these next few days. The weekends are good since we don't do that much work normally.
I'm going to sound off with new random thoughts/answers/etc.
RANDOMNESS
1. I shot 36 out of 40 to qualify expert
2. Family Day in 2 weeks!
3. For now, you can stop sending lyrics. People have stepped up and I have plenty to read.
4. Paper books qualify as contraband
5. GO CARDINALS!
6. I will know within the next 2 weeks where I will be stationed.
7. We finally are able to eat the candy in our MRE's
8. Good Luck Mary
9. I have not been to Annie Gun's
10 But I am le' tired..........
Embrace the SUCK!
SPC Martin
Hey Everybody!
I believe this may have been one of my longer writing droughts. It's not because I got lazy, but more because the past couple days have been hectic/fun/shitty/and badass all wrapped into one. So where do I begin? (it's not rhetorical, because I don't remember the last letter I sent....)
How about I guess.....This week in training has been focused on Advanced Rifle Marksmanship. I think the last letter talked bout the M-249 SAW and M-240 Bravo. We just fired them once this week. Everything else this week has been done with our M-4's. We had our first night fire which was cool. It really wasn't that dark yet, so the night Vision wasn't as effective.
Wednesday we did ready-ups. Basically what that entails is you face a target ranging from 5 - 25 meters. The DS tells you to shoot at a certain point/object on the target. Your weapon is facing the ground and you must bring it up and fire. In a nutshell, it's reaction based training exercise. I did this twice and it can be difficult. The hardest part is when they tell you to walk and shoot because obviously your balance changes. It's still fun though!
Thursday/Friday I'm just going to group together since we were continuously training. Thursday was our first night that we spend out in the field. So basically imagine a camping trip with a lot of weapons, no tents, and no alcohol....HAHA
We started the day working from barriers. What we do is fire from 3 different positions while covering our body behind a wooden barrier. We start at the top, so just our head is visible and our weapon rests on the top of the barrier. We then move to a knee and fire, and then into prone unsupported. The goal/purpose of these exercises is to train us on what will be common firing positions once we're deployed. Once everyone shot, we ate chow and waited for night......
Thursday night may have been on of the coolest/most "I feel like a badass? moments in my life. After a proper class on Night Vision Goggles we put them to the test with Infrared laser sights mounted on our M-4! We were also running low on time. Combine these 3 things, and you're about to have a good time! I get the helmet put on and pull down the NV (Night Vision), turn it on, and focus the lens. For all you video game "Call of Duty" people.... it's basically just like that, but REAL! When you start looking around, you see where the lasers are moving from target to target. it doesn't really even matter how you hold the rifle, just as long as the laser is on the target. Since we were low on time, the DS's just had us fire 40 rounds as fast as we could. So here I am popping off 50 & 100 meter targets left and right with NV and lasers! Awesome??? YES!
Once we finished, we cleaned up and headed for bed about 200 meters away. I got everything set up and hit the sack. I tied my rifle to my belt loop so that if a DS walked by while I was sleeping, he wouldn't be able to take my rifle. It worked! Other than that, it didn't rain (like it was suppose to) and I managed to get some decent sleep, only to be woken up to DS's screaming for us to get ready in 30 minutes, which meant, change, repack, shave, shower, bathroom, organize, etc. I made it, but not everyone else did....So 20 minute smoke session later an we finally got it all figured out (Don't worry, I didn't do anything to hurt my knees).
So after that, we loaded up ammo and shot at moving targets today. It seems like Blue phase is going to involve a lot of the actual Infantry training, which is a great change of pace. It's always nice when you start doing what you signed up for right??? After the range, we got haircuts and bought some things from the shop (mostly small items). and headed back to the barracks.
The goal is going to be to take it easy these next few days. The weekends are good since we don't do that much work normally.
I'm going to sound off with new random thoughts/answers/etc.
RANDOMNESS
1. I shot 36 out of 40 to qualify expert
2. Family Day in 2 weeks!
3. For now, you can stop sending lyrics. People have stepped up and I have plenty to read.
4. Paper books qualify as contraband
5. GO CARDINALS!
6. I will know within the next 2 weeks where I will be stationed.
7. We finally are able to eat the candy in our MRE's
8. Good Luck Mary
9. I have not been to Annie Gun's
10 But I am le' tired..........
Embrace the SUCK!
SPC Martin
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Finally Some Solid Time to Write
Sunday, August 8 Th
Hey Everybody!
So today is Sunday and as usual (thankfully!) it has been pretty quiet and laid back. We should be getting our phones in about 30 minutes (so Mom & Dad, this letter will repeat a lot of things) which is good because I haven't talked to anyone in a couple weeks since before my stress fractures came into play. I'm sure there are at least a few questions to be asked......
I'll start off by saying that my knees have been holding up pretty well. I'm doing my best to get all the calcium into my body as possible. They have me taking calcium pills which, no offense to you older folk, makes me feel....well.....Old....
Either way, hopefully it helps. This past week made it really difficult to stay off of my feet. Weapons qualification requires a lot of movement throughout the day, and I have to wear extra weight such as my body armor. Technically, I'm not supposed to do any of that. At the same time it helps me not get restarted further back. Double- Edged Sword? Yes. I've heard some conflicting possibilities in the past week, but there is one that I believe more because of who it came from. 99% sure I will be restarted with no Con. leave. How fast I heal will determine when I get restarted. The company appears to be trying to get me the most training in, that they can, which lets me know that they are a least aware of my situation.
With that in mind, as you should know by now, I did shoot expert and received my Expert Badge for my Class A uniform Friday. You should be able to find a picture of it on google (Army Marksmanship Badge Expert). Overall, 17 people shot expert from the entire company, so 8 more shot expert on Friday. The Captain said this number was a little bit below the average, but everyone is qualified.
While everyone else was on the range, me and the 8 others from Thursday stayed back and worked with our supply guy all day. In other words we picked up our Automatic Weapons and Weapon Mounted Grenade Launchers, Night Vision, Laser Sights, and Thermal Sights. Just another day at the office....HAHA!!! Each platoon is given (4) 249 SAW's (Squad Automatic Weapon) and (1) 240-Bravo which weighs about 25 lbs and is like 4 ft. long. Google them as well.......
This week is a focus on our automatic weapons. We are in Blue Phase for as much as I know, but no one has really acknowledged the transition. Blue phase will get us working on squad firing teams and formations. This week is also our first night-time firing exercise and we will stay out in the field for a night. This week it will be interesting to see how much training I will get in or be allowed to take part in, so.....We'll see I guess.
To answer a few questions that some of you had....
- No, naps are not allowed (I wish they were)
- I did not get to throw grenades.....though I should have
- It can get pretty competitive between platoons and somewhat amongst each other
- White phase and OSUT overall have been easier than I anticipated, but then again, Red Phase broke me.....
That's all for now. We have an APFT tomorrow, which I can only do 2/3 of, so I get to watch everyone run 2 miles. Keep sending Cardinal Updates. A 1/2 game behind the Reds is not good! Good to hear that all of you are doing well!
Lyrics to send
Oldies , Country
Bands
All Time Low
We the Kings
Boys Like Girls
Take Care and Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
PS - Talked for 15 minutes tonight. Good to talk to Mom, Dad, and Mary, but NOT long enough!
Lyrics I (Mom) have sent to Matt:
Put me in Coach
Jeremiah was a bull frog
American Pie
Proud to be an American
Friends in low places by Garth Brooks
Where Were You (When the World stopped Turning
Beer for my horses
Damned I If I Do Ya (Damned IF I Don't) by All Time Low.
Hey Everybody!
So today is Sunday and as usual (thankfully!) it has been pretty quiet and laid back. We should be getting our phones in about 30 minutes (so Mom & Dad, this letter will repeat a lot of things) which is good because I haven't talked to anyone in a couple weeks since before my stress fractures came into play. I'm sure there are at least a few questions to be asked......
I'll start off by saying that my knees have been holding up pretty well. I'm doing my best to get all the calcium into my body as possible. They have me taking calcium pills which, no offense to you older folk, makes me feel....well.....Old....
Either way, hopefully it helps. This past week made it really difficult to stay off of my feet. Weapons qualification requires a lot of movement throughout the day, and I have to wear extra weight such as my body armor. Technically, I'm not supposed to do any of that. At the same time it helps me not get restarted further back. Double- Edged Sword? Yes. I've heard some conflicting possibilities in the past week, but there is one that I believe more because of who it came from. 99% sure I will be restarted with no Con. leave. How fast I heal will determine when I get restarted. The company appears to be trying to get me the most training in, that they can, which lets me know that they are a least aware of my situation.
With that in mind, as you should know by now, I did shoot expert and received my Expert Badge for my Class A uniform Friday. You should be able to find a picture of it on google (Army Marksmanship Badge Expert). Overall, 17 people shot expert from the entire company, so 8 more shot expert on Friday. The Captain said this number was a little bit below the average, but everyone is qualified.
While everyone else was on the range, me and the 8 others from Thursday stayed back and worked with our supply guy all day. In other words we picked up our Automatic Weapons and Weapon Mounted Grenade Launchers, Night Vision, Laser Sights, and Thermal Sights. Just another day at the office....HAHA!!! Each platoon is given (4) 249 SAW's (Squad Automatic Weapon) and (1) 240-Bravo which weighs about 25 lbs and is like 4 ft. long. Google them as well.......
This week is a focus on our automatic weapons. We are in Blue Phase for as much as I know, but no one has really acknowledged the transition. Blue phase will get us working on squad firing teams and formations. This week is also our first night-time firing exercise and we will stay out in the field for a night. This week it will be interesting to see how much training I will get in or be allowed to take part in, so.....We'll see I guess.
To answer a few questions that some of you had....
- No, naps are not allowed (I wish they were)
- I did not get to throw grenades.....though I should have
- It can get pretty competitive between platoons and somewhat amongst each other
- White phase and OSUT overall have been easier than I anticipated, but then again, Red Phase broke me.....
That's all for now. We have an APFT tomorrow, which I can only do 2/3 of, so I get to watch everyone run 2 miles. Keep sending Cardinal Updates. A 1/2 game behind the Reds is not good! Good to hear that all of you are doing well!
Lyrics to send
Oldies , Country
Bands
All Time Low
We the Kings
Boys Like Girls
Take Care and Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
PS - Talked for 15 minutes tonight. Good to talk to Mom, Dad, and Mary, but NOT long enough!
Lyrics I (Mom) have sent to Matt:
Put me in Coach
Jeremiah was a bull frog
American Pie
Proud to be an American
Friends in low places by Garth Brooks
Where Were You (When the World stopped Turning
Beer for my horses
Damned I If I Do Ya (Damned IF I Don't) by All Time Low.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Matt called Sunday evening
August 8th,
We received a call from Matt tonight. He sounded really good. His legs are improving - swelling is down, some pain, but not to bad - He has probably been doing more than he should, but he is determined to keep up with his platoon as much as possible.
If you watched the video and read his last letters, you know that Matt has been at the firing range. We found out tonight he did indeed qualify as "expert".
He was more excited about getting to go to a concert last night and eating pizza, funnel cake, soda, ice cream. The band was from Columbus, GA - couldn't tell you their name, but was so excited to get out and not be a soldier for a little while.
He also said that it didn't look like they were going to let him do convalescent leave - he will stay with his platoon and do as much as he possibly can - we will see how this affects his recovery
We are looking forward to driving to Ft. Benning for Family weekend and Matt is excited for us to come.
Diana
We received a call from Matt tonight. He sounded really good. His legs are improving - swelling is down, some pain, but not to bad - He has probably been doing more than he should, but he is determined to keep up with his platoon as much as possible.
If you watched the video and read his last letters, you know that Matt has been at the firing range. We found out tonight he did indeed qualify as "expert".
He was more excited about getting to go to a concert last night and eating pizza, funnel cake, soda, ice cream. The band was from Columbus, GA - couldn't tell you their name, but was so excited to get out and not be a soldier for a little while.
He also said that it didn't look like they were going to let him do convalescent leave - he will stay with his platoon and do as much as he possibly can - we will see how this affects his recovery
We are looking forward to driving to Ft. Benning for Family weekend and Matt is excited for us to come.
Diana
Today Is Something......Right?
Thursday, Aug. 5th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
TO ME!!! HAHAHA
Well as you know, today is my birthday. I think my present from the Army will be push ups. Today s weapon pre-qualification. Supposedly we're shooting 3 times today, each with 40 rounds. Also supposedly, if we shoot well enough, we can keep our score as our actual qualification. So if I shoot expert today (lets hope so) I won't have to shoot again tomorrow (again supposedly), There is also a rumor going around that they are handing out day passes for those who shoot expert. We've already been talking about going and seeing a movie if we get them. So wish me luck, even though you won't be reading this until after I've qualified.
Oh, figured I would explain some of the firing positions from my last letter. Prone supported means I have my rifle resting on sandbags while I fire. It offers the most steady firing position laying down. Prone unsupported involves me laying down, but nothing is in front of my rifle. This allows (potentially) more movement when I fire. Kneeling is just what it sounds like. You're on one knee while targets pop up and you shoot. This is the most unstable position to fire from.
Yesterday we were fitted for our Class A green uniforms. They look GOOD! We also got our Berets and a few other items. Someday, whenever I'm able to leave Ft. Benning, you will personally know just how ridiculously good looking I am...... HA HA HA ! Had to say it!
This Saturday there is a concert that we get to go to! I have no idea who's playing but either way we get to get away from the DS's, enjoy soda, energy drinks, pizza, and anything else that isn't "good" for us. However, this all depends on us not screwing up in the next few days, and hoping the DS's forget about the dumpster diving incident from Sunday. The story goes that two guys from my platoon were taking out the trash on Sunday. As they get down there, they look around the trash to "investigate". Well, during this search they come across unopened containers of Honey Nut Cheerios. So what's the best plan of action???? Yes, that's right, lets eat them! So while commencing in this disgusting act, another DS from another company catches them, gets all the information he needs, and reports them to our company. Needless to say, Monday we got smoked and threatened with Red Phase..... So we have to be good.....
The last thing I want to say is.....THANK YOU ALL for the cards and letters and pictures (Lindsay)!! You all constantly make everyone jealous and me proud to have you all as my family and friends!!!
I've opened a couple of cards so far, but I'm saving the rest for tonight when I get back from the range.
Love You All & Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
TO ME!!! HAHAHA
Well as you know, today is my birthday. I think my present from the Army will be push ups. Today s weapon pre-qualification. Supposedly we're shooting 3 times today, each with 40 rounds. Also supposedly, if we shoot well enough, we can keep our score as our actual qualification. So if I shoot expert today (lets hope so) I won't have to shoot again tomorrow (again supposedly), There is also a rumor going around that they are handing out day passes for those who shoot expert. We've already been talking about going and seeing a movie if we get them. So wish me luck, even though you won't be reading this until after I've qualified.
Oh, figured I would explain some of the firing positions from my last letter. Prone supported means I have my rifle resting on sandbags while I fire. It offers the most steady firing position laying down. Prone unsupported involves me laying down, but nothing is in front of my rifle. This allows (potentially) more movement when I fire. Kneeling is just what it sounds like. You're on one knee while targets pop up and you shoot. This is the most unstable position to fire from.
Yesterday we were fitted for our Class A green uniforms. They look GOOD! We also got our Berets and a few other items. Someday, whenever I'm able to leave Ft. Benning, you will personally know just how ridiculously good looking I am...... HA HA HA ! Had to say it!
This Saturday there is a concert that we get to go to! I have no idea who's playing but either way we get to get away from the DS's, enjoy soda, energy drinks, pizza, and anything else that isn't "good" for us. However, this all depends on us not screwing up in the next few days, and hoping the DS's forget about the dumpster diving incident from Sunday. The story goes that two guys from my platoon were taking out the trash on Sunday. As they get down there, they look around the trash to "investigate". Well, during this search they come across unopened containers of Honey Nut Cheerios. So what's the best plan of action???? Yes, that's right, lets eat them! So while commencing in this disgusting act, another DS from another company catches them, gets all the information he needs, and reports them to our company. Needless to say, Monday we got smoked and threatened with Red Phase..... So we have to be good.....
The last thing I want to say is.....THANK YOU ALL for the cards and letters and pictures (Lindsay)!! You all constantly make everyone jealous and me proud to have you all as my family and friends!!!
I've opened a couple of cards so far, but I'm saving the rest for tonight when I get back from the range.
Love You All & Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Range...........Wed. Aug. 4th
Hey Everybody!
Alright, so I have to be quick, I only have a few minutes to write and I wanted to tell you about the past 2 days.
Monday and Tuesday we went to the range. Monday we used this system that helps us "zero" our Red-Dot sight. It uses microphones to register the location of a shot and it appears on a screen by the shooter. You adjust your sight until you start hitting the center of the target. Well for me, it took a while. Non of my first 18 shots registered on the screen. This means I was missing the target by more than 6 feet. Not good....but I also knew it wasn't me, but my sight was WAY off. So I head to the lane with my DS and we get things squared away. We are then given 22 rounds to use. We get in our lane and fire 22 consecutive shots at targets ranging from 75 meters, 200 meters, and 300 meters. My first time through I hit 19. My second time through I didn't miss! 22 out of 22!
Tuesday we headed to a pre-qualifying range. This time we had 40 rounds for 40 Targets. This time the targets range from 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, and
300m. We took 20 shots from the prone supported, 10 prone unsupported, and 10 kneeling. So my first time through, I shot 35 out of 40. 1 away from EXPERT! So I knew this was good, but obviously I wanted to shoot expert. So we all went again. This time I shot 37 out of 40! If you are 300 meters away, watch out HAHA!
Well, we qualify on Friday with more pre-qualifying Thursday. Today we are getting fitted for our dress uniforms. Wish me luck for Expert. I really want that badge for my uniform.
Also......Thank You Everyone for all the Birthday wishes!!!! I haven't read any of the cards yet because I'm waiting for tomorrow, but I can't wait!!!
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
PS - I'm officially a mid-20's person now... I feel old, especially around 18 yr old's.
Mom & Dad
Got the razors & cards! Thanks for the birthday present HAHAHA!!
Alright, so I have to be quick, I only have a few minutes to write and I wanted to tell you about the past 2 days.
Monday and Tuesday we went to the range. Monday we used this system that helps us "zero" our Red-Dot sight. It uses microphones to register the location of a shot and it appears on a screen by the shooter. You adjust your sight until you start hitting the center of the target. Well for me, it took a while. Non of my first 18 shots registered on the screen. This means I was missing the target by more than 6 feet. Not good....but I also knew it wasn't me, but my sight was WAY off. So I head to the lane with my DS and we get things squared away. We are then given 22 rounds to use. We get in our lane and fire 22 consecutive shots at targets ranging from 75 meters, 200 meters, and 300 meters. My first time through I hit 19. My second time through I didn't miss! 22 out of 22!
Tuesday we headed to a pre-qualifying range. This time we had 40 rounds for 40 Targets. This time the targets range from 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, and
300m. We took 20 shots from the prone supported, 10 prone unsupported, and 10 kneeling. So my first time through, I shot 35 out of 40. 1 away from EXPERT! So I knew this was good, but obviously I wanted to shoot expert. So we all went again. This time I shot 37 out of 40! If you are 300 meters away, watch out HAHA!
Well, we qualify on Friday with more pre-qualifying Thursday. Today we are getting fitted for our dress uniforms. Wish me luck for Expert. I really want that badge for my uniform.
Also......Thank You Everyone for all the Birthday wishes!!!! I haven't read any of the cards yet because I'm waiting for tomorrow, but I can't wait!!!
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
PS - I'm officially a mid-20's person now... I feel old, especially around 18 yr old's.
Mom & Dad
Got the razors & cards! Thanks for the birthday present HAHAHA!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
DOUBLE-TIME!
Saturday/Sunday July 31-August 1
Okay so to keep up my work this week, I have combined my Saturday and Sunday letter into one since the Saturday letter would have just sat in the mail room until tomorrow.
So Saturday.........It SUCKED !! Let me explain my day. Wake up and go to formation. Watch everyone PT for 1 hour. Head to breakfast, come back. Sit on my ass for the next 5 hours watching everyone else working on hand-to-hand combat. Throughout this time I had to constantly remind myself that it is only like this on Saturday. If I have consecutive periods like Saturday, I may go crazy (seriously..) We eventually go back inside and cleaned weapons for a couple of hours. I will say this though....For as terrible as Saturday was, we did manage to grab 9 hours of sleep!! Yes, 9 hours. The last time I slept that long was back home. Needless to say it was amazing and brought me along quite well into Sunday.
Today has been really easy so far....(trying not to ruin it....) We cleaned the bay and went to Mass. We walked there (about 2 miles) and my knees still feel good, which is good news. I probably shouldn't have walked, but no way would the DS have driven me (could've asked, but didn't). I didn't need him to tell me that if I couldn't walk, I couldn't go, so I walked. It's always good to go get my Jesus on especially with everything that's been going on the past couple of weeks.
Other than that, we've eaten all 3 meals and that pretty much sums up my day as of 19:00.
On the possible scenarios with my knees....Well, more of one that I've been thinking about, which, to me, makes a lot of sense. The outcomes could be positive or negative, so here it is....
I'm beginning to believe that my company will keep me here at least until my profile ends August 27Th(the day before family day). You (Mom, Dad, Anyone else) will come for Family Day. We'll get to do whatever we want. You'll leave Sunday night and Monday I will go to sick call and get X-rays/Bone scan and look for progress. Depending on the progress/lack there of, my company will then finally make a decision on what the hell to do with me. At least this makes sense to me, but we'll see. I don't want to keep pushing the issue with my DS's. They have referred to my situation as a Catch 22 and an anomaly. Awesome right???
So with all this in mind, I've already started planning for the worst. I will get restarted. I will not graduate October 1st. Most likely, my knees won't heal that fast and I will get picked up in Mid-November in week 4 or 5 of my company's next cycle. If this is what happens, look for me to graduate in Late January/early February. Hey, at least I'll have money saved up! A better case scenario would have my knees healing faster and picking up with another company. Everything revolves around good timing. I guess we'll find out eventually.
On another note, orders have begun coming in. Our platoon is waiting until every one's are in. Other platoons have begun passing them out. So far, 3 or 4 people are headed to Germany - 1 is going to Ft. Drum (NY) another to Ft. Carson (CO) and all the National Guard to wherever their from and the closest base. So to answer your question of "Well Matt, where do you want to be stationed?" I'm glad you asked. If I had a choice (which I don't) my top 3 are as follows.
1. Ft. Bragg (NC)
2. Ft. Carson (CO)
3. Ft. Hood (TX)
Now, I'll have my orders and they should stay the same, but if it takes me a long time to graduate, I may have to fill a different need and my orders could change.
Anyway, I'm hoping for a phone call tonight, but doesn't look like it's going to happen....guess my letter/blog will have to do for now.
Take Care Everyone
SPC Martin
Send me lyrics to songs - really looking forward to this.
Okay so to keep up my work this week, I have combined my Saturday and Sunday letter into one since the Saturday letter would have just sat in the mail room until tomorrow.
So Saturday.........It SUCKED !! Let me explain my day. Wake up and go to formation. Watch everyone PT for 1 hour. Head to breakfast, come back. Sit on my ass for the next 5 hours watching everyone else working on hand-to-hand combat. Throughout this time I had to constantly remind myself that it is only like this on Saturday. If I have consecutive periods like Saturday, I may go crazy (seriously..) We eventually go back inside and cleaned weapons for a couple of hours. I will say this though....For as terrible as Saturday was, we did manage to grab 9 hours of sleep!! Yes, 9 hours. The last time I slept that long was back home. Needless to say it was amazing and brought me along quite well into Sunday.
Today has been really easy so far....(trying not to ruin it....) We cleaned the bay and went to Mass. We walked there (about 2 miles) and my knees still feel good, which is good news. I probably shouldn't have walked, but no way would the DS have driven me (could've asked, but didn't). I didn't need him to tell me that if I couldn't walk, I couldn't go, so I walked. It's always good to go get my Jesus on especially with everything that's been going on the past couple of weeks.
Other than that, we've eaten all 3 meals and that pretty much sums up my day as of 19:00.
On the possible scenarios with my knees....Well, more of one that I've been thinking about, which, to me, makes a lot of sense. The outcomes could be positive or negative, so here it is....
I'm beginning to believe that my company will keep me here at least until my profile ends August 27Th(the day before family day). You (Mom, Dad, Anyone else) will come for Family Day. We'll get to do whatever we want. You'll leave Sunday night and Monday I will go to sick call and get X-rays/Bone scan and look for progress. Depending on the progress/lack there of, my company will then finally make a decision on what the hell to do with me. At least this makes sense to me, but we'll see. I don't want to keep pushing the issue with my DS's. They have referred to my situation as a Catch 22 and an anomaly. Awesome right???
So with all this in mind, I've already started planning for the worst. I will get restarted. I will not graduate October 1st. Most likely, my knees won't heal that fast and I will get picked up in Mid-November in week 4 or 5 of my company's next cycle. If this is what happens, look for me to graduate in Late January/early February. Hey, at least I'll have money saved up! A better case scenario would have my knees healing faster and picking up with another company. Everything revolves around good timing. I guess we'll find out eventually.
On another note, orders have begun coming in. Our platoon is waiting until every one's are in. Other platoons have begun passing them out. So far, 3 or 4 people are headed to Germany - 1 is going to Ft. Drum (NY) another to Ft. Carson (CO) and all the National Guard to wherever their from and the closest base. So to answer your question of "Well Matt, where do you want to be stationed?" I'm glad you asked. If I had a choice (which I don't) my top 3 are as follows.
1. Ft. Bragg (NC)
2. Ft. Carson (CO)
3. Ft. Hood (TX)
Now, I'll have my orders and they should stay the same, but if it takes me a long time to graduate, I may have to fill a different need and my orders could change.
Anyway, I'm hoping for a phone call tonight, but doesn't look like it's going to happen....guess my letter/blog will have to do for now.
Take Care Everyone
SPC Martin
Send me lyrics to songs - really looking forward to this.
Monday, August 2, 2010
A LETTER A DAY
Friday, July 30th
Hey Everyone!
Well, I figured I'd keep my streak alive by writing a letter everyday this week. And actually, I have a few things to talk about. I'll start with Allie and Facebook. Apparently you won this weekly Trivia question on the Company facebook page which is AWESOME! You will be rewarded with pictures of ME! And another with Hughes, Hernandez and Mann(my battle buddy). So job well done sister! You all now get to see my shaved head, birth-control glasses and large ears..... Laugh @ will.......
Today we also received 4 restarts. 3 of them are Specialists and 1 is a Sergeant. Yes, we now have a non-commissioned officer in our platoon who will be training with us (well...not me....) We have to extend the same courtesies and professionalism to him as we would the DS's. Part of me thinks this will be good for the platoon because if he tells you to do something, you have to do it. All the lazy people will have to do something instead of laying around doing nothing in the mornings which is when we have the most problems. But, it could also be bad for obvious reasons. I guess we'll find out soon enough right?
Also today I found out some GREAT news! I went to the range Simulator today and as far as I know, I will be able to qualify in Rifle Marksmanship! Supposedly, I can do some training which is awesome because this is basically my job. I have to be able to shoot right??? And maybe this will count as a gate in training. Either way, I'm happy to know that I won't be completely worthless.....
So that was pretty much my day. We got to do laundry early today, so that's what I'm up to now. Knees are the same, and I have a feeling it's going to be like this for a while. Hopefully they heal fast though.....
Random Thoughts.....
1) Ice Cream sounds delicious right now.
2) Can someone send some pics. of what my life was like before the Army? ie college pics
3) The Reds suck! FACE SCW!!!
4) Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) can be delicious especially one's with pound cake/blackberry & cherry cobbler.
5) I should have gotten paid today.
6) Mad Men and Psych have both started. I will have a lot of catch up to do....
7) PLEASE send Lyrics.....I'm going to be very bored in the near future.
8) Can someone send me a Mizzou Schedule?
9) Oz, Fantasy Stats for my individual players (EX: games, HR's. RBI, etc.
10) Allie/Oz - some acknowledgement for my Fantasy Football team.
Alrighty, that's all I have for now. Chow is in about 5 minutes so I have to get going.
Embraceth Thy Sucketh
SPC Martin
Hey Everyone!
Well, I figured I'd keep my streak alive by writing a letter everyday this week. And actually, I have a few things to talk about. I'll start with Allie and Facebook. Apparently you won this weekly Trivia question on the Company facebook page which is AWESOME! You will be rewarded with pictures of ME! And another with Hughes, Hernandez and Mann(my battle buddy). So job well done sister! You all now get to see my shaved head, birth-control glasses and large ears..... Laugh @ will.......
Today we also received 4 restarts. 3 of them are Specialists and 1 is a Sergeant. Yes, we now have a non-commissioned officer in our platoon who will be training with us (well...not me....) We have to extend the same courtesies and professionalism to him as we would the DS's. Part of me thinks this will be good for the platoon because if he tells you to do something, you have to do it. All the lazy people will have to do something instead of laying around doing nothing in the mornings which is when we have the most problems. But, it could also be bad for obvious reasons. I guess we'll find out soon enough right?
Also today I found out some GREAT news! I went to the range Simulator today and as far as I know, I will be able to qualify in Rifle Marksmanship! Supposedly, I can do some training which is awesome because this is basically my job. I have to be able to shoot right??? And maybe this will count as a gate in training. Either way, I'm happy to know that I won't be completely worthless.....
So that was pretty much my day. We got to do laundry early today, so that's what I'm up to now. Knees are the same, and I have a feeling it's going to be like this for a while. Hopefully they heal fast though.....
Random Thoughts.....
1) Ice Cream sounds delicious right now.
2) Can someone send some pics. of what my life was like before the Army? ie college pics
3) The Reds suck! FACE SCW!!!
4) Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) can be delicious especially one's with pound cake/blackberry & cherry cobbler.
5) I should have gotten paid today.
6) Mad Men and Psych have both started. I will have a lot of catch up to do....
7) PLEASE send Lyrics.....I'm going to be very bored in the near future.
8) Can someone send me a Mizzou Schedule?
9) Oz, Fantasy Stats for my individual players (EX: games, HR's. RBI, etc.
10) Allie/Oz - some acknowledgement for my Fantasy Football team.
Alrighty, that's all I have for now. Chow is in about 5 minutes so I have to get going.
Embraceth Thy Sucketh
SPC Martin
Might As Well Write Another
Thursday, July 29th
Hey Everybody!
I'll start out with Happy Birthday Allie! I already said it once, but I'll say it again since I got your card today. I also got cards from Holly, Aunt Barb and Susie. FYI: If the cards "sing" then I have to dance. I will leave this at your discretion....
Alright, so today I led the quitters and Hughes(fine....we were equal ---me and Hughes) as road guards for a Turning Blue Ceremony. Basically, we directed traffic for about an hour and a half. Anyway, the ceremony is the day before graduation, and it's when you receive your Blue infantry chord, which is a HUGE deal. The ceremony itself is only about 30 minutes, and then you can leave with your family for the day. I made sure only handicapped people parked in this one lot. Of course I let people use the lot to drop people off though. It's amazing how much authority civilians think we have since we are in the Army. HAHA! Well, one person tried to drive through without a handicap placard/license and another guy was driving up to pick up people and said "VP pick-up". Okay .....Guy....whatever. I remember you trying to park here not 25 minutes ago. HAHA!
What was really funny about today revolved around 1 guy. This guy in my platoon was restarted today/ from week 9. The class that is graduating, is his old company. It just so happens that this guy happens to be.....well....a douche.....
He was caught writing a letter to a girl who is his "fiancee" about how his platoon/squad was hit by and IED in Afghanistan and he was being transported to a hospital, but that everyone made it out alive. I also turns out that this kid is a pathological liar. He lies about everything! Seriously, he has no idea when to stop.....he just keeps going. So I suggested to DS that this guy accompany me, Hughes and the others to the turning Blue Ceremony. Needless to say his reaction was awesome. You may think what I did was cruel, but this kid has bad ju-ju/karma and something like this was heading his way. So as you can imagine, he took a lot of shit from his old DS's and the guys in his company. No worries though, Everyone was glad to see that he was "OKAY" from the "IED attach" God Bless PNN HAHAHA!
We got back from that detail and I had to head to the dentist. Supposedly I had 1 more tooth that needed work. It took like 20 minutes and I was out, so it wasn't that bad. Other than that, my knees are uncomfortable, and stiff. I take Alieve and Calcium pills to help, but I broke my profile probably 7 times today because of the stuff I had to do. If I keep it up, I don't know if my knees will ever heal.....Plus, it's hard not to do anything!
In the other news, Mom, non of the DS's read our mail. They do however search the internet for keywords and it just so happened that Hughes's blog was found. It was by total chance. To solve this potential issue, there is an option that you can check which either allows the blog to be searchable or unsearchable. You can make it unsearchable if you like. I'm not really worried about what I've said, because I try to be as honest as possible. If it does get found, I'll let yo know and you can change the web address and e-mail it to everyone. For now though, just keep doing what you've been doing!
What else.....Well, I guess I've kinda accepted the fact that I'm going to be a Benning for a long......long.....time. If I graduate in December, I would be surprised. The one good thing is this though, I can't spend any of the money I'm making. Needless to say, I'm going to have a kick-ass home entertainment set up HAHA. Who knows....maybe I'll even go 3-D! (But probably not)
Anyway, I'd say today has been a good day.
Take care and Embrace My Suctacular Suck!!!!
SPC Martin
PS> Send me son lyrics of songs I like, Help me stay entertained. Oldies, Country, etc.
PSS. May have already talked about that one kid. I sometimes lose track of what I've talked about.
Oh, and before I forget.......A shout out or 2....
Hey mom and Carina hope you guys are doing fine and are as excited as I am for Family Day.
PFC Hernandez
Dear Mrs. Hughes,
I tried to get your son to say something, but he's being lazy. Make sure to call him out in your next letter HAHA! Glad you and my mom are exchanging stories. Oh the friendships OSUT breeds!!
Take Care,
SPC Martin
Hey Mom and Jesry (hard to read the writting - hope this is correct, if not I'm sorry - (Matt's mom)
Just wanted to say Hi and I can't wait to see you! I got to go to rehab tomorrow for my arm so as SPC Martin stated "Embrace my spectacular Suck!" HAHA
:) Love you guys!
PFC Habisch
Hey Everybody!
I'll start out with Happy Birthday Allie! I already said it once, but I'll say it again since I got your card today. I also got cards from Holly, Aunt Barb and Susie. FYI: If the cards "sing" then I have to dance. I will leave this at your discretion....
Alright, so today I led the quitters and Hughes(fine....we were equal ---me and Hughes) as road guards for a Turning Blue Ceremony. Basically, we directed traffic for about an hour and a half. Anyway, the ceremony is the day before graduation, and it's when you receive your Blue infantry chord, which is a HUGE deal. The ceremony itself is only about 30 minutes, and then you can leave with your family for the day. I made sure only handicapped people parked in this one lot. Of course I let people use the lot to drop people off though. It's amazing how much authority civilians think we have since we are in the Army. HAHA! Well, one person tried to drive through without a handicap placard/license and another guy was driving up to pick up people and said "VP pick-up". Okay .....Guy....whatever. I remember you trying to park here not 25 minutes ago. HAHA!
What was really funny about today revolved around 1 guy. This guy in my platoon was restarted today/ from week 9. The class that is graduating, is his old company. It just so happens that this guy happens to be.....well....a douche.....
He was caught writing a letter to a girl who is his "fiancee" about how his platoon/squad was hit by and IED in Afghanistan and he was being transported to a hospital, but that everyone made it out alive. I also turns out that this kid is a pathological liar. He lies about everything! Seriously, he has no idea when to stop.....he just keeps going. So I suggested to DS that this guy accompany me, Hughes and the others to the turning Blue Ceremony. Needless to say his reaction was awesome. You may think what I did was cruel, but this kid has bad ju-ju/karma and something like this was heading his way. So as you can imagine, he took a lot of shit from his old DS's and the guys in his company. No worries though, Everyone was glad to see that he was "OKAY" from the "IED attach" God Bless PNN HAHAHA!
We got back from that detail and I had to head to the dentist. Supposedly I had 1 more tooth that needed work. It took like 20 minutes and I was out, so it wasn't that bad. Other than that, my knees are uncomfortable, and stiff. I take Alieve and Calcium pills to help, but I broke my profile probably 7 times today because of the stuff I had to do. If I keep it up, I don't know if my knees will ever heal.....Plus, it's hard not to do anything!
In the other news, Mom, non of the DS's read our mail. They do however search the internet for keywords and it just so happened that Hughes's blog was found. It was by total chance. To solve this potential issue, there is an option that you can check which either allows the blog to be searchable or unsearchable. You can make it unsearchable if you like. I'm not really worried about what I've said, because I try to be as honest as possible. If it does get found, I'll let yo know and you can change the web address and e-mail it to everyone. For now though, just keep doing what you've been doing!
What else.....Well, I guess I've kinda accepted the fact that I'm going to be a Benning for a long......long.....time. If I graduate in December, I would be surprised. The one good thing is this though, I can't spend any of the money I'm making. Needless to say, I'm going to have a kick-ass home entertainment set up HAHA. Who knows....maybe I'll even go 3-D! (But probably not)
Anyway, I'd say today has been a good day.
Take care and Embrace My Suctacular Suck!!!!
SPC Martin
PS> Send me son lyrics of songs I like, Help me stay entertained. Oldies, Country, etc.
PSS. May have already talked about that one kid. I sometimes lose track of what I've talked about.
Oh, and before I forget.......A shout out or 2....
Hey mom and Carina hope you guys are doing fine and are as excited as I am for Family Day.
PFC Hernandez
Dear Mrs. Hughes,
I tried to get your son to say something, but he's being lazy. Make sure to call him out in your next letter HAHA! Glad you and my mom are exchanging stories. Oh the friendships OSUT breeds!!
Take Care,
SPC Martin
Hey Mom and Jesry (hard to read the writting - hope this is correct, if not I'm sorry - (Matt's mom)
Just wanted to say Hi and I can't wait to see you! I got to go to rehab tomorrow for my arm so as SPC Martin stated "Embrace my spectacular Suck!" HAHA
:) Love you guys!
PFC Habisch
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Waiting Game.......Wed. July 28th
Hello Everyone,
I figured since I can't train for a month I would give you another update about my stress fractures and the potential course of action. As of right now, I am scheduled to remain at Ft. Benning until my stress fractures are gone. According to the Chief of the Physical Therapy Program (LT. Colonel) it could range from 1 to 3 months. I could handle 1 month I think. It would suck....but I could manage. If we start getting into month 2 or 3.... it's safe to say I would be miserable.
You cannot rehab/physical therapy stress fractures. Like a bad hangover, only time will heal. So, I was told that in order to be sent to a physical Therapy program, I would have to complete Convalescent leave. Con. leave, would allow me to come home for 30 days to rehab on my own. After 30 days, I would go back, get re-evaluated and then either restarted to week 4 or 5 or go to a physical Therapy company until I'm completely healed.
The problem is this however.....
You know there are rules in place to prevent injury, electrocution, fire, death, etc? And yo always wonder why the rule is so stupid/simple. Well, it's because people are dumber that the rock. You shouldn't have to tell someone not to tie a rope around their neck, yet people still do and some people die. Common sense ladies and gentlemen, common sense..... Well, receiving Con. leave is a Hail Mary....Doug Flutie.....He did it! Flutie Did it! type of moment. My company assigned 5 people to con. leave last cycle, and all 5 came back and quit! So what's the solution? No more con. leave. Thanks JERK!
So basically, I need a miracle. I need my DS's to agree that I would benefit from con. leave and not come back and quit. Once they agree, they must get the First Sargent to agree with them. Once he agrees, then the Captain must agree and sign off for it. Hoo-Ray...........
Obviously, I'm worried about the possibility of being stuck here for potentially 3 months doing absolutely nothing. So Hughes and I go and talk to DS "B". While he made no guarantees whatsoever, he did calm me down a little. He said it's definitely a topic of conversation, and will be considered. He also said he has no problem supporting either of us if he needed to. Hughes and I are in literally the exact same position, at the exact same time, with the almost exact same thing. His stress fractures are only in 1 knee.
So where does this leave me? Let the waiting game begin! The only thing I really have in my favor is my degree and age. Hopefully the fact that I'll be 24 next week will help with a positive outcome for me. And hopefully it works out for Hughes as well.
That's pretty much all I have for now. Obviously I will keep you all updated on any decisions. My chances are low, but "you're sayin there's a chance" and I'll take it.
Until Next time,
SPC Martin
PS - Up to 48 letters!!!! Didn't get one tonight though and it ended my streak.
:( (mom added the face)
Note from Mom: Did you notice - He hasn't signed his last 2 letters Embrace the Suck -
Please write to him - I know he is really counting on you all to help him through this - how ever it turns out - if he stays or gets to come home to rehab.
I figured since I can't train for a month I would give you another update about my stress fractures and the potential course of action. As of right now, I am scheduled to remain at Ft. Benning until my stress fractures are gone. According to the Chief of the Physical Therapy Program (LT. Colonel) it could range from 1 to 3 months. I could handle 1 month I think. It would suck....but I could manage. If we start getting into month 2 or 3.... it's safe to say I would be miserable.
You cannot rehab/physical therapy stress fractures. Like a bad hangover, only time will heal. So, I was told that in order to be sent to a physical Therapy program, I would have to complete Convalescent leave. Con. leave, would allow me to come home for 30 days to rehab on my own. After 30 days, I would go back, get re-evaluated and then either restarted to week 4 or 5 or go to a physical Therapy company until I'm completely healed.
The problem is this however.....
You know there are rules in place to prevent injury, electrocution, fire, death, etc? And yo always wonder why the rule is so stupid/simple. Well, it's because people are dumber that the rock. You shouldn't have to tell someone not to tie a rope around their neck, yet people still do and some people die. Common sense ladies and gentlemen, common sense..... Well, receiving Con. leave is a Hail Mary....Doug Flutie.....He did it! Flutie Did it! type of moment. My company assigned 5 people to con. leave last cycle, and all 5 came back and quit! So what's the solution? No more con. leave. Thanks JERK!
So basically, I need a miracle. I need my DS's to agree that I would benefit from con. leave and not come back and quit. Once they agree, they must get the First Sargent to agree with them. Once he agrees, then the Captain must agree and sign off for it. Hoo-Ray...........
Obviously, I'm worried about the possibility of being stuck here for potentially 3 months doing absolutely nothing. So Hughes and I go and talk to DS "B". While he made no guarantees whatsoever, he did calm me down a little. He said it's definitely a topic of conversation, and will be considered. He also said he has no problem supporting either of us if he needed to. Hughes and I are in literally the exact same position, at the exact same time, with the almost exact same thing. His stress fractures are only in 1 knee.
So where does this leave me? Let the waiting game begin! The only thing I really have in my favor is my degree and age. Hopefully the fact that I'll be 24 next week will help with a positive outcome for me. And hopefully it works out for Hughes as well.
That's pretty much all I have for now. Obviously I will keep you all updated on any decisions. My chances are low, but "you're sayin there's a chance" and I'll take it.
Until Next time,
SPC Martin
PS - Up to 48 letters!!!! Didn't get one tonight though and it ended my streak.
:( (mom added the face)
Note from Mom: Did you notice - He hasn't signed his last 2 letters Embrace the Suck -
Please write to him - I know he is really counting on you all to help him through this - how ever it turns out - if he stays or gets to come home to rehab.
RESULTS................Tues. July 27th
Hey Everybody,
Well, as the header explains, I got my results today. How you may ask if I was supposed to be throwing grenades? Well, about 30 seconds before we left, I was told to stay back and not train. GREAT! So at this point, I'm in limbo. I didn't go to sick call for my results because I was supposed to train, and now I'm not training, and no way to go to sick call.....
The was the case until I found out that a kid who had eye surgery a couple weeks ago had an appointment today. He needed a battle buddy and I luckily was picked to stay with him. So we head to the clinic and I take this opportunity to take care of my business. Smart right???
About 4 hours later(1200) I finally get seen. I sit down in the chair and the physician Assistant pulls up my results.
"Swelling....blah....blah......Signs of stress fractures in both medial tibia's"
So, I have stress fractures in both my knees, which was causing the pain in my leg. FML
So the PA puts me on a 30 day No Training profile. I can't do anything physical with my legs until August 26th which at that point, I will be restarted if the days work in my favor. It is also 2 days before family day, and I have no idea what would happen then.
There is a 1% chance of me receiving convalescent leave which would allow me to come home for 30 days and rehab at home. Basically a miracle needs to happen in order for that to take place. The company hates convalescent leave because soldiers have come back and then quit. Thanks Assholes!
Most likely, I will end up hanging around the bay all day.......everyday.....for 30 days while everyone else is training. I'll be stuck w/the guys who want to quit, who want to leave. All I know is that I"M NOT QUITING! I've already devoted too much time and effort to let this shit keep me from finishing. I'll do whatever I have to for that Blue Chord. and Cross Rifles.
So I'm gonna do my best to stay motivated! And I'm counting on you all to help me!!
I wish I had better news......
SPC Martin
PS Looks like I'm going to miss MLB playoffs and a good portion of the Football season
PPS - Finally got Katie's letter....somehow it got mis-sent but I got Brianna's pictures and she's still the cutest niece in the world!!!
Well, as the header explains, I got my results today. How you may ask if I was supposed to be throwing grenades? Well, about 30 seconds before we left, I was told to stay back and not train. GREAT! So at this point, I'm in limbo. I didn't go to sick call for my results because I was supposed to train, and now I'm not training, and no way to go to sick call.....
The was the case until I found out that a kid who had eye surgery a couple weeks ago had an appointment today. He needed a battle buddy and I luckily was picked to stay with him. So we head to the clinic and I take this opportunity to take care of my business. Smart right???
About 4 hours later(1200) I finally get seen. I sit down in the chair and the physician Assistant pulls up my results.
"Swelling....blah....blah......Signs of stress fractures in both medial tibia's"
So, I have stress fractures in both my knees, which was causing the pain in my leg. FML
So the PA puts me on a 30 day No Training profile. I can't do anything physical with my legs until August 26th which at that point, I will be restarted if the days work in my favor. It is also 2 days before family day, and I have no idea what would happen then.
There is a 1% chance of me receiving convalescent leave which would allow me to come home for 30 days and rehab at home. Basically a miracle needs to happen in order for that to take place. The company hates convalescent leave because soldiers have come back and then quit. Thanks Assholes!
Most likely, I will end up hanging around the bay all day.......everyday.....for 30 days while everyone else is training. I'll be stuck w/the guys who want to quit, who want to leave. All I know is that I"M NOT QUITING! I've already devoted too much time and effort to let this shit keep me from finishing. I'll do whatever I have to for that Blue Chord. and Cross Rifles.
So I'm gonna do my best to stay motivated! And I'm counting on you all to help me!!
I wish I had better news......
SPC Martin
PS Looks like I'm going to miss MLB playoffs and a good portion of the Football season
PPS - Finally got Katie's letter....somehow it got mis-sent but I got Brianna's pictures and she's still the cutest niece in the world!!!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Bone Scan and Crap
Mon. July 26th
Hello my Faithful Followers! You are all my sheep! HAHA!!!
So I will get straight to the point. To start out, I had my Bone Scan today and it went well, in the sense that I was able to get it done a day early. Other that that, I don't officially know what my prognosis is. If I honestly had to guess.....I don't think it's looking good for me. In my scan, I noticed these "white blobs" ( approx. 3 or 4) in areas of my leg where I know there could be issues. From what I've heard from people who have had the scan, the radiologist's look for these "blob" as a sign of stress fractures.
I go back Wednesday to get my official results. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I will be restarted because of stress fractures. So how has that affected my mood???? Well......I'm PISSED!!!! Honestly, today brought me down a lot. I want to be able to graduate with my platoon, but it appears as if God has a different plan for me right now.
The thing that really sucks about all of this is that if I do have fractures I'm shut down for 30 days. So I would spend a month here NOT training! My company would move forward, and I'm left behind to rehab....which also means that at the earliest, I would graduate in early November....
While all the speculation I have been doing has me down a little, I have also been trying to spin it in a brighter light. This is what I have....
1) Another months pay not spent
2) A chance to improve my push ups and sit ups to 100
3) Opportunity to learn more about perseverance, determination
4) God has a plan that I don't understand, and eventually I will
5) I signed up for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I've graduated, no matter how long it takes.
6) Maybe I'll leave a greater impact at a new platoon/company.
So I'm working with that right now. It's just that I'm expecting/preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. When I get the official results, you all will definitely know what's going to happen. As of right now, I would say family day may be in jeopardy, but I probably won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest.
On a brighter note, tomorrow we are throwing grenades! I'm really excited for that for 2 reasons. One, it's a F****** GRENADE!!! and Two, it's a point in training that keeps me from repeating the previous week! So, if I get restarted, I shouldn't go back at all. I should pick training back up in this week when I'm healthy.
Other than that, just keep praying that I'm Okay!
This Time "REALLY EMBRACE THE SUCK"
SPC Martin
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!
Hello my Faithful Followers! You are all my sheep! HAHA!!!
So I will get straight to the point. To start out, I had my Bone Scan today and it went well, in the sense that I was able to get it done a day early. Other that that, I don't officially know what my prognosis is. If I honestly had to guess.....I don't think it's looking good for me. In my scan, I noticed these "white blobs" ( approx. 3 or 4) in areas of my leg where I know there could be issues. From what I've heard from people who have had the scan, the radiologist's look for these "blob" as a sign of stress fractures.
I go back Wednesday to get my official results. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I will be restarted because of stress fractures. So how has that affected my mood???? Well......I'm PISSED!!!! Honestly, today brought me down a lot. I want to be able to graduate with my platoon, but it appears as if God has a different plan for me right now.
The thing that really sucks about all of this is that if I do have fractures I'm shut down for 30 days. So I would spend a month here NOT training! My company would move forward, and I'm left behind to rehab....which also means that at the earliest, I would graduate in early November....
While all the speculation I have been doing has me down a little, I have also been trying to spin it in a brighter light. This is what I have....
1) Another months pay not spent
2) A chance to improve my push ups and sit ups to 100
3) Opportunity to learn more about perseverance, determination
4) God has a plan that I don't understand, and eventually I will
5) I signed up for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I've graduated, no matter how long it takes.
6) Maybe I'll leave a greater impact at a new platoon/company.
So I'm working with that right now. It's just that I'm expecting/preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. When I get the official results, you all will definitely know what's going to happen. As of right now, I would say family day may be in jeopardy, but I probably won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest.
On a brighter note, tomorrow we are throwing grenades! I'm really excited for that for 2 reasons. One, it's a F****** GRENADE!!! and Two, it's a point in training that keeps me from repeating the previous week! So, if I get restarted, I shouldn't go back at all. I should pick training back up in this week when I'm healthy.
Other than that, just keep praying that I'm Okay!
This Time "REALLY EMBRACE THE SUCK"
SPC Martin
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Hey Everybody!
Currently, the leg is behaving, lets hope it stays this way until Tuesday. I'm able to rest it all day for the most part since I am on a no running profile. I still have a dull throbbing in my right leg which is what has me concerned. Either way, whats done is done, and I'll find out soon enough I guess.
On a brighter note, today we went to the Firing Range! We worked with both the iron sights and the Red Dot Optic Sight. Overall, my grouping (How close 5 shots are to each other) was very good. It seems I may be a natural shot, but a lot still needs to be accomplished, and I still have A LOT of rounds left to fire. It was fun to finally get out with my platoon and get some training in after spending Monday and Tuesday at sick call. Basically for the next 2 weeks I will eat, sleep, drink with my rifle. EVERYTHING revolves around our M-4 from here on out and I'm really looking forward to it assuming everything goes according to plan.
Other than that, not much has really changed. I will say though, that yes MOM, that is Me in that picture. 227 is my battle buddy. He's 17 and from Sacramento. The good thing is that he's more mature than a good number of the other guys in my platoon. By this I mean.....the 22 yr. old guy who is a pathological liar! Seriously, he lies about EVERYTHING! He just doesn't know when to stop. Supposedly he has 3 girl friends, and told one of them in a letter that he is currently in a hospital in Afghanistan after an IED exploded and he was hit by shrapnel... Well, you can imagine DS "W"'s reaction when he saw this letter......He read the letter out loud to all of us and pointed out all the bull shit. I was actually surprised at how in control DS was considering he's been there and has seen his buddies die. It was pathetic at best. The kid now constantly gets ragged on for his "Afgan Tour" by every company. We have what's called "PNN". Also know as the Private News Network. The PNN is how we disseminate information among other platoons and companies. Let me tell you, word spreads FAST!
The next morning, my entire company knew. 3 days later, the companies down the hill (much further ahead than us) knew. Needless to say, he can't go anywhere without someone saying something involving that story. It's hilarious! Anyway, that kid is being discharged much to the satisfaction of all the DS's he has pissed off/lied to over the past 4 weeks, OH, and the fact that he is a restart, oh and tried to forge his PT test.... One more jerk/ass---- out!
Mom, I did order pictures. I did the DVD and like the $30 - 40 bundle that has I think 2 8X10, wallets and something else. Feel free to order more if you want. Maybe the class yearbook.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
1.) received a letter from Heather in Belize. If you haven't sent me one yet, you are in trouble......
2.) Grandma, every letter makes me want pie.
3.) NL WINS!!!! Suck-it Joe
4.) Breakfast has become my favorite meal
5.) Mom, be prepared for French toast
6.) Granny Smith Apples make my day
7.) PNN is how the MJ story started (note from Mom: that's when Matt said the word out was Michael Jordon was killed in an auto accident)
8.) RIP Steinbrener...... I still despise the Yankees
9.) Id love to sit on a patio and drink a beer
10.) You know you're in the Army when....You're told to "F--K Off" for doing exactly what you were told to do......
Love you All,
"Embrace the Suck"
SPC Martin
Currently, the leg is behaving, lets hope it stays this way until Tuesday. I'm able to rest it all day for the most part since I am on a no running profile. I still have a dull throbbing in my right leg which is what has me concerned. Either way, whats done is done, and I'll find out soon enough I guess.
On a brighter note, today we went to the Firing Range! We worked with both the iron sights and the Red Dot Optic Sight. Overall, my grouping (How close 5 shots are to each other) was very good. It seems I may be a natural shot, but a lot still needs to be accomplished, and I still have A LOT of rounds left to fire. It was fun to finally get out with my platoon and get some training in after spending Monday and Tuesday at sick call. Basically for the next 2 weeks I will eat, sleep, drink with my rifle. EVERYTHING revolves around our M-4 from here on out and I'm really looking forward to it assuming everything goes according to plan.
Other than that, not much has really changed. I will say though, that yes MOM, that is Me in that picture. 227 is my battle buddy. He's 17 and from Sacramento. The good thing is that he's more mature than a good number of the other guys in my platoon. By this I mean.....the 22 yr. old guy who is a pathological liar! Seriously, he lies about EVERYTHING! He just doesn't know when to stop. Supposedly he has 3 girl friends, and told one of them in a letter that he is currently in a hospital in Afghanistan after an IED exploded and he was hit by shrapnel... Well, you can imagine DS "W"'s reaction when he saw this letter......He read the letter out loud to all of us and pointed out all the bull shit. I was actually surprised at how in control DS was considering he's been there and has seen his buddies die. It was pathetic at best. The kid now constantly gets ragged on for his "Afgan Tour" by every company. We have what's called "PNN". Also know as the Private News Network. The PNN is how we disseminate information among other platoons and companies. Let me tell you, word spreads FAST!
The next morning, my entire company knew. 3 days later, the companies down the hill (much further ahead than us) knew. Needless to say, he can't go anywhere without someone saying something involving that story. It's hilarious! Anyway, that kid is being discharged much to the satisfaction of all the DS's he has pissed off/lied to over the past 4 weeks, OH, and the fact that he is a restart, oh and tried to forge his PT test.... One more jerk/ass---- out!
Mom, I did order pictures. I did the DVD and like the $30 - 40 bundle that has I think 2 8X10, wallets and something else. Feel free to order more if you want. Maybe the class yearbook.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
1.) received a letter from Heather in Belize. If you haven't sent me one yet, you are in trouble......
2.) Grandma, every letter makes me want pie.
3.) NL WINS!!!! Suck-it Joe
4.) Breakfast has become my favorite meal
5.) Mom, be prepared for French toast
6.) Granny Smith Apples make my day
7.) PNN is how the MJ story started (note from Mom: that's when Matt said the word out was Michael Jordon was killed in an auto accident)
8.) RIP Steinbrener...... I still despise the Yankees
9.) Id love to sit on a patio and drink a beer
10.) You know you're in the Army when....You're told to "F--K Off" for doing exactly what you were told to do......
Love you All,
"Embrace the Suck"
SPC Martin
MATT CALLED ........Sunday evening 7/25/10
Hi everyone,
We received a call from Matt Sunday night, we kept getting disconnected, low battery and then the DS told them to hang up - apparently one of the soldiers was not following orders and once that was cleared up - they were able to continue their phone calls for 10 more minutes.
Matt said the swelling in his legs has gone down some - not all the way. When we asked him if he was in pain, he said it would say it was between a 1 and a 2.
He did get to go to the firing range last week. Matt said he was about 90% accurate with his firing. Having never really fired guns in the past - we are thinking that this is a good start - he wants 100%. We will see.
He was going to try and get his MRI done today, Monday, because on Tuesday they are going to be working with grenades and his DS told him he didn't want to miss that. He is hoping that if he has the MRI he will know something by Wednesday.
His options are - if he does have stress fractures - he could be sent home to STL to recoup for 30 days and then report back for evaluation and if everything is OK - he can start up with the next group when they start week 5 of training.
He said Bravo Co. doesn't usually do this, they would keep him on base and find work for him to do while he recoups.
There is still the possibility that he could receive a Medical Discharge depending upon what the MRI says. Hopefully everything is OK and his completion of Basic Training is just delayed by a month or so. You just never know.
Matt said that when he went to sick call last week, he thought they would just give him some ice to put on it. Not the case here. The fact they they are willing to spend the $ on an MRI for his legs and not just send him home or make him keep training at full speed is a good sign. Apparently they do not give out aspirin, ibuprofen, they just have to work through sore muscles, strains, etc.
Matt is concerned, but sounded good.
Please continue to keep him in your prays.
Thanks everyone,
Diana (mom)
We received a call from Matt Sunday night, we kept getting disconnected, low battery and then the DS told them to hang up - apparently one of the soldiers was not following orders and once that was cleared up - they were able to continue their phone calls for 10 more minutes.
Matt said the swelling in his legs has gone down some - not all the way. When we asked him if he was in pain, he said it would say it was between a 1 and a 2.
He did get to go to the firing range last week. Matt said he was about 90% accurate with his firing. Having never really fired guns in the past - we are thinking that this is a good start - he wants 100%. We will see.
He was going to try and get his MRI done today, Monday, because on Tuesday they are going to be working with grenades and his DS told him he didn't want to miss that. He is hoping that if he has the MRI he will know something by Wednesday.
His options are - if he does have stress fractures - he could be sent home to STL to recoup for 30 days and then report back for evaluation and if everything is OK - he can start up with the next group when they start week 5 of training.
He said Bravo Co. doesn't usually do this, they would keep him on base and find work for him to do while he recoups.
There is still the possibility that he could receive a Medical Discharge depending upon what the MRI says. Hopefully everything is OK and his completion of Basic Training is just delayed by a month or so. You just never know.
Matt said that when he went to sick call last week, he thought they would just give him some ice to put on it. Not the case here. The fact they they are willing to spend the $ on an MRI for his legs and not just send him home or make him keep training at full speed is a good sign. Apparently they do not give out aspirin, ibuprofen, they just have to work through sore muscles, strains, etc.
Matt is concerned, but sounded good.
Please continue to keep him in your prays.
Thanks everyone,
Diana (mom)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Sick Call ...... Tuesday, July 20th
Hey Everybody,
By now, I'm sure Mom posted something about talking to me on the phone Sunday night. It was very, very nice to be able to talk to Mom and Dad and catch up for a little bit. During that call, I had mentioned that I was going to go to sick call because my shins were swelling and you could push them down and leave an indentation......I'm no doctor, but I know that's not normal. This had been going on for a week and so I decided to miss a day and go to the doctor.
This may have been a mistake, I'm not sure exactly..... Since it was my shins, they took X-rays of them. While looking at them, there were no obvious problems, however the physician's assistant did not like how my Tibia's (yes, both of them looked in the X-ray. So now they are checking for stress fractures.... I have a bone scan on July 27th which will determine if I have any fractures in my legs.
If I do have stress fractures, I will automatically be a "dead man" (can't do anything) for 1 month and be restarted with another company. Or, I could be medically discharged and try again in 6 months (I think) If I was restarted, I would start at my last point of training, so I would have to wait for a company that is in week 5.
Basically, what I thought would be a minor deal, now has the potential to kick me in the face and throw me completely off track. Part of me is freaking out, because I don't want to have to stop. And the other part of me is trying to figure out the next step.
Currently, they put me on a week long profile to see if it improves. I'm not allowed to run/jump/ruck march, which HOPEFULLY will help with swelling and recovery.
Either way, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY, that I don not have stress fractures!!! I'll do my best to keep you updated on what happens from here on out.
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
Mom/Dad
-Don't worry, whatever happens, I know I'll be able to make it through.
Love you both,
Matt
By now, I'm sure Mom posted something about talking to me on the phone Sunday night. It was very, very nice to be able to talk to Mom and Dad and catch up for a little bit. During that call, I had mentioned that I was going to go to sick call because my shins were swelling and you could push them down and leave an indentation......I'm no doctor, but I know that's not normal. This had been going on for a week and so I decided to miss a day and go to the doctor.
This may have been a mistake, I'm not sure exactly..... Since it was my shins, they took X-rays of them. While looking at them, there were no obvious problems, however the physician's assistant did not like how my Tibia's (yes, both of them looked in the X-ray. So now they are checking for stress fractures.... I have a bone scan on July 27th which will determine if I have any fractures in my legs.
If I do have stress fractures, I will automatically be a "dead man" (can't do anything) for 1 month and be restarted with another company. Or, I could be medically discharged and try again in 6 months (I think) If I was restarted, I would start at my last point of training, so I would have to wait for a company that is in week 5.
Basically, what I thought would be a minor deal, now has the potential to kick me in the face and throw me completely off track. Part of me is freaking out, because I don't want to have to stop. And the other part of me is trying to figure out the next step.
Currently, they put me on a week long profile to see if it improves. I'm not allowed to run/jump/ruck march, which HOPEFULLY will help with swelling and recovery.
Either way, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY, that I don not have stress fractures!!! I'll do my best to keep you updated on what happens from here on out.
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
Mom/Dad
-Don't worry, whatever happens, I know I'll be able to make it through.
Love you both,
Matt
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Note from Mom - Matt's Birthday
Hi everyone.
August 5th is Matt's birthday. Just wanted to let everyone know. Please send him cards - NO TALKING/SINGING CARDS - also NO food, candy, cookies etc. you will get him and his whole platoon SMOKED - This is not fun.
Regular cards are fine - It takes about 7-10 days for him to get a letter when I mail it so plan accordingly - it would be nice if he got a whole bunch of cards for his birthday since he won't get to celebrate at all. Mail now, tell him to open on Aug. 5th.
Thanks everyone for all your letters - these are really appreciated by Matt.
Diana
August 5th is Matt's birthday. Just wanted to let everyone know. Please send him cards - NO TALKING/SINGING CARDS - also NO food, candy, cookies etc. you will get him and his whole platoon SMOKED - This is not fun.
Regular cards are fine - It takes about 7-10 days for him to get a letter when I mail it so plan accordingly - it would be nice if he got a whole bunch of cards for his birthday since he won't get to celebrate at all. Mail now, tell him to open on Aug. 5th.
Thanks everyone for all your letters - these are really appreciated by Matt.
Diana
Monday, July 19, 2010
Red to White??? --- Friday, July 16th
Hello Everybody!
I'm writing this letter on my own personal free time before lights out for the first time since I came to Ft. Benning! So that means good news-- We made it to White Phase! We are already enjoying the privileges. Tonight at Chow, we were given 12 tables to sit at and eat without the DS's telling us when to get up. To give you an idea at how big this is, when we first started weeks ago, we were only allowed to sit at 4 tables. As mentioned above, we have finally received 1 hour of personal time, so currently I'm doing laundry and writing this letter.
This week has flown by! I can't believe Friday is almost over. As my earlier letters said, we focused on Land Navigation this week. However, me and my team sucked hard core last night on the actual test part. We didn't pass either event.... During the day, we plotted our points wrong on the map,and at night we screwed up our first point. Either way, I'll probably have a counseling session on it, an that should be it, but we'll see.
Today was really relaxed. We got back around 00:00 last night so we got to sleep until 06:00, which meant no PT this morning, which is good for my blisters. After chow, we started cleaning our lockers and bay for our first inspection by the First Sergent. We made it through pretty clean, only a few minor things that need to get cleared up among the platoon. We also received our Red Phase Counseling which included peer reviews. We review the people in our squad. There are 14 people in each squad, so we have 4 squads. The peer evals. rank each member of the squad and has room for comments. 1 is the best and 13 is the worst (you do not rank yourself). Overall, I had about 3 or 4 - 1's, same with 2's a couple 5's and one 8. I guess I pissed that person off or something..... I don't know..... Either way, DS "B" looks at me as a leader within my platoon as well as a few other guys. I'll take what he sees in me more seriously than a peer review. Since DS "B" thinks I'm squared away, he picked me and 4 others from my platoon to go and meet with the Battalion Commander who is a Lieutenant Colonel. So my group and the other groups from the other platoons sat down and talked with him about Red Phase. What was good/bad/could be improved, etc. That was about an hour long meeting, and I feel like we were able to accomplish a lot (maybe not for our company), but for future one's at least.
So from all this today, I learned that I'm doing just fine, but there is still room for improvement (there always is). DS "B" is looking for me and a few others to really step up and lead, which I have been doing, but I know where I can get better, now. I have to set the standard and follow it day in and day out no matter what bullshit happens. The good new is this though....almost all the guys causing problems are leaving this next week! They are either being restarted, ( redoing red phase) or discharged. This will definitely help out my platoon.
I have been receiving letters almost everyday! The exception has been when we were out late in the field doing Land Nav. Today I received 7 letters and it was AMAZING!!!!! You all have been doing such a great job keeping me updated on the Cardinals, Fantasy (Oz), News, etc. Your are keeping me sane, especially Aunt Molly! (I show these to everyone!) So with all the mail I have been receiving, I figure now would be a good time to answer questions and commentary in no specific order.
1.) I am in 2ND Platoon
2.) I have lost 4 pounds & weigh 195 lbs. My stomach is much tighter. I feel like I've lost about 15 lbs., but have also gained a lot of muscle.
3.) The only women I see, are the one's who serve me chow......
4.) LeBron to Miami!! Not surprised really, but it will be interesting to say the least.
5.) Cardinals.........STEP IT UP!!!
6.) Lindsay, keep kicking 13 yr old ass, HAHA!!!
7.) There is hot, humid, hot and humid, and then Ft. Benning!
8.) Next week we start firing our M-4's.
9.) Good to hear the kitchen is ALMOST DONE!
10.) Allie, you are drafting my Fantasy Football team. You and Oz need to talk.
11.) August 28Th will be AMAZING!!!
12.) Anything can be made into a sandwich
13.) There are thousands of soldiers training here each day. This is a very active base.
14.) I placed 8/9 out of 56 on the APFT test this past Monday.
Oh, and before I forget.... I have a cool story to tell, which really made me think and reflect on some things. Here it is.....
So tonight we had a motivational speaker come and talk to us about teamwork. The guy is part of a NASCAR Crew and (I think his name was Ken) works in the pit. What he had to say, is not what was important tonight. What was important was his 9 year old son. Me and another guy from my platoon were helping this guy set up everything before his speech. One of the other men there was kind of his wing man and was also helping set up. During a little break in the setting up, the wing man started talking about Ken's son and how he has always wanted to meet a Soldier because he thought they were AWESOME (which we are). So over comes the little 9 year old and we get introduced as Soldiers to him. The kid's eyes just open wide and his mouth drops to say,
"Oh, man! That's SO COOL!!!!! It was awesome to see how excited he was, and it also made me think a little bit more about the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we're kids, we still have that innocence where everything and anything can be cool. (Seriously, Rat Tails used to be cool).....Anyway, when you're growing up, there are always certain things that you are drawn to. Like me, I always was fascinated by Sirens, and police cars, and baseball. As you get older, it seems like these interests/fascinations fade a little as you begin to accept more of the reality of the situation and not the fantasy of it. But this kid helped me find that fantasy part again. He helped me find/realize why things seem so cool as a kid. I don't think we should ever forget why we are drawn to certain things. If anything, we always need to remember why they were important in the first place. Never lose sight of why things are "cool". Sometimes I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a 9 year old. The world would be a better place!
"And that's all I have to say about that"
SPC Martin
PS - Happy Birthday MOM!
PPS - Happy Birthday Ben!
I'm writing this letter on my own personal free time before lights out for the first time since I came to Ft. Benning! So that means good news-- We made it to White Phase! We are already enjoying the privileges. Tonight at Chow, we were given 12 tables to sit at and eat without the DS's telling us when to get up. To give you an idea at how big this is, when we first started weeks ago, we were only allowed to sit at 4 tables. As mentioned above, we have finally received 1 hour of personal time, so currently I'm doing laundry and writing this letter.
This week has flown by! I can't believe Friday is almost over. As my earlier letters said, we focused on Land Navigation this week. However, me and my team sucked hard core last night on the actual test part. We didn't pass either event.... During the day, we plotted our points wrong on the map,and at night we screwed up our first point. Either way, I'll probably have a counseling session on it, an that should be it, but we'll see.
Today was really relaxed. We got back around 00:00 last night so we got to sleep until 06:00, which meant no PT this morning, which is good for my blisters. After chow, we started cleaning our lockers and bay for our first inspection by the First Sergent. We made it through pretty clean, only a few minor things that need to get cleared up among the platoon. We also received our Red Phase Counseling which included peer reviews. We review the people in our squad. There are 14 people in each squad, so we have 4 squads. The peer evals. rank each member of the squad and has room for comments. 1 is the best and 13 is the worst (you do not rank yourself). Overall, I had about 3 or 4 - 1's, same with 2's a couple 5's and one 8. I guess I pissed that person off or something..... I don't know..... Either way, DS "B" looks at me as a leader within my platoon as well as a few other guys. I'll take what he sees in me more seriously than a peer review. Since DS "B" thinks I'm squared away, he picked me and 4 others from my platoon to go and meet with the Battalion Commander who is a Lieutenant Colonel. So my group and the other groups from the other platoons sat down and talked with him about Red Phase. What was good/bad/could be improved, etc. That was about an hour long meeting, and I feel like we were able to accomplish a lot (maybe not for our company), but for future one's at least.
So from all this today, I learned that I'm doing just fine, but there is still room for improvement (there always is). DS "B" is looking for me and a few others to really step up and lead, which I have been doing, but I know where I can get better, now. I have to set the standard and follow it day in and day out no matter what bullshit happens. The good new is this though....almost all the guys causing problems are leaving this next week! They are either being restarted, ( redoing red phase) or discharged. This will definitely help out my platoon.
I have been receiving letters almost everyday! The exception has been when we were out late in the field doing Land Nav. Today I received 7 letters and it was AMAZING!!!!! You all have been doing such a great job keeping me updated on the Cardinals, Fantasy (Oz), News, etc. Your are keeping me sane, especially Aunt Molly! (I show these to everyone!) So with all the mail I have been receiving, I figure now would be a good time to answer questions and commentary in no specific order.
1.) I am in 2ND Platoon
2.) I have lost 4 pounds & weigh 195 lbs. My stomach is much tighter. I feel like I've lost about 15 lbs., but have also gained a lot of muscle.
3.) The only women I see, are the one's who serve me chow......
4.) LeBron to Miami!! Not surprised really, but it will be interesting to say the least.
5.) Cardinals.........STEP IT UP!!!
6.) Lindsay, keep kicking 13 yr old ass, HAHA!!!
7.) There is hot, humid, hot and humid, and then Ft. Benning!
8.) Next week we start firing our M-4's.
9.) Good to hear the kitchen is ALMOST DONE!
10.) Allie, you are drafting my Fantasy Football team. You and Oz need to talk.
11.) August 28Th will be AMAZING!!!
12.) Anything can be made into a sandwich
13.) There are thousands of soldiers training here each day. This is a very active base.
14.) I placed 8/9 out of 56 on the APFT test this past Monday.
Oh, and before I forget.... I have a cool story to tell, which really made me think and reflect on some things. Here it is.....
So tonight we had a motivational speaker come and talk to us about teamwork. The guy is part of a NASCAR Crew and (I think his name was Ken) works in the pit. What he had to say, is not what was important tonight. What was important was his 9 year old son. Me and another guy from my platoon were helping this guy set up everything before his speech. One of the other men there was kind of his wing man and was also helping set up. During a little break in the setting up, the wing man started talking about Ken's son and how he has always wanted to meet a Soldier because he thought they were AWESOME (which we are). So over comes the little 9 year old and we get introduced as Soldiers to him. The kid's eyes just open wide and his mouth drops to say,
"Oh, man! That's SO COOL!!!!! It was awesome to see how excited he was, and it also made me think a little bit more about the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we're kids, we still have that innocence where everything and anything can be cool. (Seriously, Rat Tails used to be cool).....Anyway, when you're growing up, there are always certain things that you are drawn to. Like me, I always was fascinated by Sirens, and police cars, and baseball. As you get older, it seems like these interests/fascinations fade a little as you begin to accept more of the reality of the situation and not the fantasy of it. But this kid helped me find that fantasy part again. He helped me find/realize why things seem so cool as a kid. I don't think we should ever forget why we are drawn to certain things. If anything, we always need to remember why they were important in the first place. Never lose sight of why things are "cool". Sometimes I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a 9 year old. The world would be a better place!
"And that's all I have to say about that"
SPC Martin
PS - Happy Birthday MOM!
PPS - Happy Birthday Ben!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Land Nav. & Explosions! ........Wed. July 14th
Hello there desperate people clinging to my every word! HAHA!! I need you all, so keep reading and writing.
So far this week we have done Land Navigation (Tuesday) and Claymore/IED training today. Land Nav. was fun, especially when we got out into the woods for almost 2 hours without the DS's on our backs. We had two Land Nav. events. The first, was a day event. We had to find 5 points in the woods at varying distances ranging from 300 to 600 meters apart using just a compass and a heading. We found all 5 points on our map in about a hour and thirty minutes. Then we had a night Land Nav. event that involved 2 points. As you can imagine, it was pitch black. All we had was a red tinted flashlight and our compass. We found our first point, but not the second (we were off by 100 meters). Overall, it was a good day, but we got back late and I had their first fire guard watch at 0:00.
Today was also a pretty cool day. We finally got to see something EXPLODE!! We went over grenades, mines, anti-tank weapons. After the class, we went out to a field and watched 2 claymore mines explode. I was really surprised at how big the explosion was considering that a claymore isn't that big. I want to say it blew water about 200 ft. into the air!
After that, we had a couple classes on IED's. We saw some videos of attacks and learned about the different types. We then used that knowledge and walked through a makeshift "Baghdad (spell?) to patrol and search. It was a good practical exercise, and I hope to get more training on IED's.
I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday! We are almost done with 3 weeks!!! Next week, we start heading to the range and firing our weapons. The platoon has done a pretty good job so far this week, so we'll see about Red Phase ending. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
One last thing......For the most part, the food is good. We just don't get enough to make us "full"! So I'm sure I've lost some weight. How much? No idea, but I'm losing it day by day.
Today was Hot & Humid. I had sweat through my uniform by 07:30.... We had 2 guys go to the hospital today because of the heat, so add that to the tally.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've passed everything so far and seem to be finding a rhythm. Keep up the good work on the Letters!!!!!! I've been making quite a few people jealous!!!!
So far this week we have done Land Navigation (Tuesday) and Claymore/IED training today. Land Nav. was fun, especially when we got out into the woods for almost 2 hours without the DS's on our backs. We had two Land Nav. events. The first, was a day event. We had to find 5 points in the woods at varying distances ranging from 300 to 600 meters apart using just a compass and a heading. We found all 5 points on our map in about a hour and thirty minutes. Then we had a night Land Nav. event that involved 2 points. As you can imagine, it was pitch black. All we had was a red tinted flashlight and our compass. We found our first point, but not the second (we were off by 100 meters). Overall, it was a good day, but we got back late and I had their first fire guard watch at 0:00.
Today was also a pretty cool day. We finally got to see something EXPLODE!! We went over grenades, mines, anti-tank weapons. After the class, we went out to a field and watched 2 claymore mines explode. I was really surprised at how big the explosion was considering that a claymore isn't that big. I want to say it blew water about 200 ft. into the air!
After that, we had a couple classes on IED's. We saw some videos of attacks and learned about the different types. We then used that knowledge and walked through a makeshift "Baghdad (spell?) to patrol and search. It was a good practical exercise, and I hope to get more training on IED's.
I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday! We are almost done with 3 weeks!!! Next week, we start heading to the range and firing our weapons. The platoon has done a pretty good job so far this week, so we'll see about Red Phase ending. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
One last thing......For the most part, the food is good. We just don't get enough to make us "full"! So I'm sure I've lost some weight. How much? No idea, but I'm losing it day by day.
Today was Hot & Humid. I had sweat through my uniform by 07:30.... We had 2 guys go to the hospital today because of the heat, so add that to the tally.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've passed everything so far and seem to be finding a rhythm. Keep up the good work on the Letters!!!!!! I've been making quite a few people jealous!!!!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Water Buffalo....... Monday, July 12th
Well, I've caught a few minutes to write this letter so here we go!
Yesterday (Sunday) was a somewhat easy day, however, with my platoon, we can't just quite make it through the entire day....While some of us were in the Bay Cleaning, others were doing things they shouldn't have, like writing letters. So DS "W" starts smoking us. Well about this time about 6 or 7 guys had just gotten back from religious services. They stood outside waiting for us to finish. Not so Fast.....DS "W" noticed this and then decided we needed to work on teamwork. How would we do this? Well, so we have this "water buffalo." It's this large container on a trailer that holds 500 gallons of Water. Our job, empty it while rolling it as we went yard. Then, once it was empty, we had to refill it, Doesn't sound to bad right??? Well.... when we refilled it, we had to use our canteen cups which hold 1 quart of water....it took us a little over 45 minutes to get it halfway and we left for chow. When we came back, we had to drink our Camel Packs and go refill them with the water in the buffalo. So we go over and find out that one of the guys who ALWAYS screws up, was at it again! This time he dropped a canteen cup in the buffalo and didn't tell anyone until a DS found it just floating inside. So since this is the water supply for the entire company, and it is now contaminated, we had to dump it again, bleach it twice, and refill with canteen cups......AGAIN!!!!
So that was part of Sunday, but I forgot to mention that today we had our first official APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). We had 2 minutes to do push-ups, sit ups, and then a 2 mile run. I did 37 push-ups, 60 sit ups, and get this a 13:50 2 Mile!!! I couldn't believe it....my first mile was 7:05 and my second was 6:45. I shattered any previous Personal mile time record with my run today! I guess going yard has it's advantages HAHA!! So I need to work on my push-ups, but I think a 300 PT score (100%) is definitely a possibility now. We do push-ups everyday and I know I can do more. Some of us are going to start putting our Kevlar Vest on before bed to work on them. That should get us squared away right? Other than that, we've just been in the classroom today going over Land Navigation. We were going to head out into the woods and work on it, but then it started raining and lightning so that got scratched. We're back in the classroom and we're having the written test on all of this after chow. Wish me luck! Even though you'll get this and I'll know already if I passed. HAHA.
Anyway, that's all I got for now
Love you All - keep writing
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
PS. Another teamwork exercise involved going yard while carrying my 220 lb injured battle buddy 1/2 way, and 3 others on the way there. My legs were as stable as my stomach would be after watching Rosanne sing Take me Out to the Ballgame.
PPS - Passed my Test!
Yesterday (Sunday) was a somewhat easy day, however, with my platoon, we can't just quite make it through the entire day....While some of us were in the Bay Cleaning, others were doing things they shouldn't have, like writing letters. So DS "W" starts smoking us. Well about this time about 6 or 7 guys had just gotten back from religious services. They stood outside waiting for us to finish. Not so Fast.....DS "W" noticed this and then decided we needed to work on teamwork. How would we do this? Well, so we have this "water buffalo." It's this large container on a trailer that holds 500 gallons of Water. Our job, empty it while rolling it as we went yard. Then, once it was empty, we had to refill it, Doesn't sound to bad right??? Well.... when we refilled it, we had to use our canteen cups which hold 1 quart of water....it took us a little over 45 minutes to get it halfway and we left for chow. When we came back, we had to drink our Camel Packs and go refill them with the water in the buffalo. So we go over and find out that one of the guys who ALWAYS screws up, was at it again! This time he dropped a canteen cup in the buffalo and didn't tell anyone until a DS found it just floating inside. So since this is the water supply for the entire company, and it is now contaminated, we had to dump it again, bleach it twice, and refill with canteen cups......AGAIN!!!!
So that was part of Sunday, but I forgot to mention that today we had our first official APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). We had 2 minutes to do push-ups, sit ups, and then a 2 mile run. I did 37 push-ups, 60 sit ups, and get this a 13:50 2 Mile!!! I couldn't believe it....my first mile was 7:05 and my second was 6:45. I shattered any previous Personal mile time record with my run today! I guess going yard has it's advantages HAHA!! So I need to work on my push-ups, but I think a 300 PT score (100%) is definitely a possibility now. We do push-ups everyday and I know I can do more. Some of us are going to start putting our Kevlar Vest on before bed to work on them. That should get us squared away right? Other than that, we've just been in the classroom today going over Land Navigation. We were going to head out into the woods and work on it, but then it started raining and lightning so that got scratched. We're back in the classroom and we're having the written test on all of this after chow. Wish me luck! Even though you'll get this and I'll know already if I passed. HAHA.
Anyway, that's all I got for now
Love you All - keep writing
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
PS. Another teamwork exercise involved going yard while carrying my 220 lb injured battle buddy 1/2 way, and 3 others on the way there. My legs were as stable as my stomach would be after watching Rosanne sing Take me Out to the Ballgame.
PPS - Passed my Test!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
And on the 7th Day, He Rested....
Sunday, July 11th
Hey Everybody!!
It's been a few days since I've written last. A lot of this mainly has to do with the long days and little sleep. Friday night, we had lights out at 2200, but I had to do laundry and work on laminating these cards for the platoon. I also had Fire Guard. All said and done, 1 hr 30 min. of sleep on Friday.... Also on Friday, I didn't get to eat dinner. I sat down with my tray and made a sandwich with Turkey, Pepperoni and cheese. I grab it and start smiling since chow is the best time of the day. At that moment, the person sitting across from me got up.
DS "W" took these two simultaneous, and unrelated events and put them together as proof that I was talking to the other guy. I don't even know who the hell that guy was. It was just bad timing. I couldn't even try to explain. I got yelled at, told to throw my food away, and leave. Without a word, a look, a pouty face, I turned and walked away. Trying to explain only would have made it worse.
This week we focused on first aid & MEDEVAC. We had a lot of classroom time which is boring and guys are always falling asleep. Trust me, you do not want to fall asleep.... We did more combatives' (learning to fight). This week we also lost our beds and lockers, which sucked. Same people always screwing up and getting the rest of the platoon smoked. This second week has given me a much clearer insight into who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in my platoon. The bad guys in our platoon have been responsible for the following....
- Countless "smoke" sessions
- 15 Counseling Letters (A paper trail of violations)
- Faking Injuries
- Faking their injury profile (Tells the DS what they can/cannot do)
- 8 almost fights
- 1 for suicide watch
- "Losing" the Company Commander's pen (it's the only pen he can use to sign govt. documents)
- Sneaking food and candy
- Stealing MRE's
- Buying Subway and Coffee when at sick call
-Taking old cigarette butts, pushing out the tobacco and rolling/smoking it with Bible pages.
I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings, but that's a pretty good idea of the shit that I and the platoon have been dealing with. There has been talk of extending Red Phase for our platoon if we don't get things figured out quickly. We just need to come together more as a team and start helping those who we know are struggling. So pray that we come together and don't become the platoon to fall behind already.
So that's all the platoon crap that's been going on. Today is just a cleaning day. Right now we have people waxing the bay floor while the Army music that pays during commercials is on repeat. DS "W" looks at it as motivational thing, which we do need right now.
I have received quite a few amount of letters and cards so far! I would say out of 56, I have received the 3rd most mail. KEEP IT COMING!!!! I want to receive the most!!! OZ----Fantasy Update????? Yeah, I'm calling you out !!! The letters have been great. I'm glad you all had fun on the 4th, it makes me miss just relaxing and hanging out, but what can I say, I'm here now and I'm doing well.
In case you're wondering if I have received your letters I will throw out some Thanks You's.
Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Barb, Aunt Molly, Aunt MJ and Lindsay (AWESOME JOB ON THE CARDINALS UPDATE!!!!)
Keep'em coming everyone!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
Hey Everybody!!
It's been a few days since I've written last. A lot of this mainly has to do with the long days and little sleep. Friday night, we had lights out at 2200, but I had to do laundry and work on laminating these cards for the platoon. I also had Fire Guard. All said and done, 1 hr 30 min. of sleep on Friday.... Also on Friday, I didn't get to eat dinner. I sat down with my tray and made a sandwich with Turkey, Pepperoni and cheese. I grab it and start smiling since chow is the best time of the day. At that moment, the person sitting across from me got up.
DS "W" took these two simultaneous, and unrelated events and put them together as proof that I was talking to the other guy. I don't even know who the hell that guy was. It was just bad timing. I couldn't even try to explain. I got yelled at, told to throw my food away, and leave. Without a word, a look, a pouty face, I turned and walked away. Trying to explain only would have made it worse.
This week we focused on first aid & MEDEVAC. We had a lot of classroom time which is boring and guys are always falling asleep. Trust me, you do not want to fall asleep.... We did more combatives' (learning to fight). This week we also lost our beds and lockers, which sucked. Same people always screwing up and getting the rest of the platoon smoked. This second week has given me a much clearer insight into who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in my platoon. The bad guys in our platoon have been responsible for the following....
- Countless "smoke" sessions
- 15 Counseling Letters (A paper trail of violations)
- Faking Injuries
- Faking their injury profile (Tells the DS what they can/cannot do)
- 8 almost fights
- 1 for suicide watch
- "Losing" the Company Commander's pen (it's the only pen he can use to sign govt. documents)
- Sneaking food and candy
- Stealing MRE's
- Buying Subway and Coffee when at sick call
-Taking old cigarette butts, pushing out the tobacco and rolling/smoking it with Bible pages.
I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings, but that's a pretty good idea of the shit that I and the platoon have been dealing with. There has been talk of extending Red Phase for our platoon if we don't get things figured out quickly. We just need to come together more as a team and start helping those who we know are struggling. So pray that we come together and don't become the platoon to fall behind already.
So that's all the platoon crap that's been going on. Today is just a cleaning day. Right now we have people waxing the bay floor while the Army music that pays during commercials is on repeat. DS "W" looks at it as motivational thing, which we do need right now.
I have received quite a few amount of letters and cards so far! I would say out of 56, I have received the 3rd most mail. KEEP IT COMING!!!! I want to receive the most!!! OZ----Fantasy Update????? Yeah, I'm calling you out !!! The letters have been great. I'm glad you all had fun on the 4th, it makes me miss just relaxing and hanging out, but what can I say, I'm here now and I'm doing well.
In case you're wondering if I have received your letters I will throw out some Thanks You's.
Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Barb, Aunt Molly, Aunt MJ and Lindsay (AWESOME JOB ON THE CARDINALS UPDATE!!!!)
Keep'em coming everyone!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
Sunday, July 11, 2010
My Platoon....
Tuesday July 6th
Hey Everybody!
Today I figured I'd talk a little bit about my platoon. So far, we have a decent group with about 5 or 6 guys who are either lazy, an asshole, or a lazy asshole. For the most part, a large number of us have it together and rarely screw up. It's normally the same people doing stupid things over and over. Some have been stupid and talk back or pout to the DS, leading to us getting smoked.
Yesterday was terrible! We went yard I think around 15 times. Each time we go yard is about 1/3 mile. This alone, with push-ups, flutter kicks, vertical arm clap, etc. and your body is exhausted. When DS "W" is in charge, days tend to be like this. At least our platoon will be in shape.....
DS "W" also found it fit to have us disassemble all of our bunks in our bay each morning. Reassemble before bed and repeat. With all this, we managed about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night which is always rough when you get up at 0400. Our platoon is always hesitant to do something around DS "W" because it seems like no matter what we do, we get smoked. He definitely leads/trains by fear and punishment. Not exactly my style, but I'll manage...others won't though.
On July 4th my platoon/company did not get to enjoy any festivities, while many others did. I found this out at Mass on Sunday which was very refreshing. It was great to get away from the DS for about 2 hours and clear my head and just relax and count my blessings. it was some much needed rebooting time.
This week we're focusing on First Aid and Combat Survival Skills. Next week I believe we're doing Land Navigation and that should conclude Red Phase!
I do have a couple of guys that I get along with really well. Hughes and Hernandez were both in my reception platoon and we're in the same one now. They keep me laughing and help deflect/vent all the negative shit that the DS dump on us. For the most part, I get along with everyone, but I also call out people on the BS (may or may not be good....) Anyway, I think the first batch of letters is in and we'll get them before lights out. Hopefully I have at least one. I've really been looking forward to reading what's going on in the real world.
As long as I have time, I may respond individually, but we'll see. PLEASE KEEP WRITING
I LOVE YOU ALL
October 1st Countdown: 87 days
SPC Martin
Hey Everybody!
Today I figured I'd talk a little bit about my platoon. So far, we have a decent group with about 5 or 6 guys who are either lazy, an asshole, or a lazy asshole. For the most part, a large number of us have it together and rarely screw up. It's normally the same people doing stupid things over and over. Some have been stupid and talk back or pout to the DS, leading to us getting smoked.
Yesterday was terrible! We went yard I think around 15 times. Each time we go yard is about 1/3 mile. This alone, with push-ups, flutter kicks, vertical arm clap, etc. and your body is exhausted. When DS "W" is in charge, days tend to be like this. At least our platoon will be in shape.....
DS "W" also found it fit to have us disassemble all of our bunks in our bay each morning. Reassemble before bed and repeat. With all this, we managed about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night which is always rough when you get up at 0400. Our platoon is always hesitant to do something around DS "W" because it seems like no matter what we do, we get smoked. He definitely leads/trains by fear and punishment. Not exactly my style, but I'll manage...others won't though.
On July 4th my platoon/company did not get to enjoy any festivities, while many others did. I found this out at Mass on Sunday which was very refreshing. It was great to get away from the DS for about 2 hours and clear my head and just relax and count my blessings. it was some much needed rebooting time.
This week we're focusing on First Aid and Combat Survival Skills. Next week I believe we're doing Land Navigation and that should conclude Red Phase!
I do have a couple of guys that I get along with really well. Hughes and Hernandez were both in my reception platoon and we're in the same one now. They keep me laughing and help deflect/vent all the negative shit that the DS dump on us. For the most part, I get along with everyone, but I also call out people on the BS (may or may not be good....) Anyway, I think the first batch of letters is in and we'll get them before lights out. Hopefully I have at least one. I've really been looking forward to reading what's going on in the real world.
As long as I have time, I may respond individually, but we'll see. PLEASE KEEP WRITING
I LOVE YOU ALL
October 1st Countdown: 87 days
SPC Martin
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tear Gas, Obstacle Course and Marching
FRIDAY, JULY 2ND
Note: This letter was written by Matt a day before the last letter I posted, we received the letter yesterday, July 9th.
Hey Everybody!
Greetings again from Ft. Benning, GA where the heat will knock you out at 8:00 AM! That's right, we had a kid pass out at 8AM from the heat today before we ran the obstacle course. But really today started like any other. We got up at 0400 and cleaned, showered, etc and got ready for our first road march. We did 2 miles each way today and my heels are now covered in blisters. Oh well, it's part of my job now. We marched up to a different obstacle course and ran it a couple times. It will put you on your ass! After we ran it twice, we did a platoon competition where the best 10 from each of the 4 platoons competed against each other for the first platoon challenge. I was not a part of this. Why? Because I cannot climb a rope for the life of me. Anyway, my platoon finished in 2nd. Not bad, but in the Army you are just the first loser.
After the obstacle course we headed over to the confidence course. This has things that are about 50ft in the air and the only thing to save you is a large blue cushion...They make us do things like this to gain "confidence" in our ability to overcome fear - (mainly heights). There was one guy who froze on the obstacle. You climb up about 25ft. and then lean up against basically a light pole. You then have to walk across planks that are separated by about 2-3 ft. Once you cross the planks, you go up a ladder about another 20 ft. and then crawl down a cargo net. Well, this kid froze at the planks for about 20 minutes refusing to move. There is a net under the planks if you fall, but it's not that difficult to get across. We did a few more obstacles around the course and then marched back to base where we were finally shown how to clean our weapons. As as of right now, I can fully disassemble, clean, reassemble, and perform a functions check on my M-4 Rifle. I'm badass, I know!
So that was today, but let me tell you about yesterday.......
Yesterday was the gas chamber. They throw us into a room filled with tear gas and make us take off our masks. First when you enter, you're calm for the most part. You see the smoke through your gas mask and you breath and you're thinking "this isn't so bad..." WRONG!!!! Out of nowhere, any exposed skin starts burning. So just imagine razor burn on your sunburned skin. constantly burning sensation for about 5 minutes. First they make you pull your mask away and say your last name and last 4 digits of your social security number. You put the mask back, clear it and reseal the mask. Then they tell you to take off your mask and put on your helmet, put your rifle in your right hand, your mask in your left hand and put your left arm on the person in front of you. Easy enough right???WRONG!! The moment you take off that mask, it's like getting punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson and then have someone squeezing acid in your eyes. It's miserable, for some people. I only had to do it once, but others had to do it again for screwing up with either their helmet, rifle, etc. So it left me with some good stories!
First story involves my platoon. So they break us up into groups to organize the chaos. The first group pulls off their masks and this one guy immediately went down on his knees, dropped his helmet and had it roll to the other side of the room. His group had to wait until he gathered all his gear before they could leave. They were in there without their masks for at least twice as long as everyone else, and they were struggling. The next story involved a kid who literally walked in the the chamber, took his mask off, and passed out. I was in the bleachers when all the sudden I see the door slam open with the DS dragging this kid by the collar and dropping him in the grass while immediately walking back to the chamber... it was hilarious! And finally there was the kid who refused to go back. He screwed up in someway and the DS wanted him to go again and get it right. The guy didn't want to go. Solution -----DS grabs kid, drags him to the door, opens door, and throws kid in chamber with no mask on....sucks to be that guy.
The rest of the day the DS's smoked us like crazy. At least 3 hours of PT once we got back. It sucked bad, but at the same time it's good, because I'm feeling stronger overall. Almost all smoke sessions occur because people make stupid mistakes over and over. It's almost to simple to screw up, but yet, it happens everyday.
On thing that I have learned over the past day is that my company the 1/50 is supposedly the toughest of every company at Ft. Benning. We are already doing things that other companies don't touch until at least week 2 or 3. Apparently the 1/50 has a reputation around other bases as well. Hopefully that helps with my actual duty station. We'll see!
On another note, I would like to tell my niece Brianna HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!
I know it's not until the 5th, but with this being a letter and all, it will get posted after the fact.
I can't wait until I finally get some mail!!!!!
I Love You All.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
SPC. Martin
Note: This letter was written by Matt a day before the last letter I posted, we received the letter yesterday, July 9th.
Hey Everybody!
Greetings again from Ft. Benning, GA where the heat will knock you out at 8:00 AM! That's right, we had a kid pass out at 8AM from the heat today before we ran the obstacle course. But really today started like any other. We got up at 0400 and cleaned, showered, etc and got ready for our first road march. We did 2 miles each way today and my heels are now covered in blisters. Oh well, it's part of my job now. We marched up to a different obstacle course and ran it a couple times. It will put you on your ass! After we ran it twice, we did a platoon competition where the best 10 from each of the 4 platoons competed against each other for the first platoon challenge. I was not a part of this. Why? Because I cannot climb a rope for the life of me. Anyway, my platoon finished in 2nd. Not bad, but in the Army you are just the first loser.
After the obstacle course we headed over to the confidence course. This has things that are about 50ft in the air and the only thing to save you is a large blue cushion...They make us do things like this to gain "confidence" in our ability to overcome fear - (mainly heights). There was one guy who froze on the obstacle. You climb up about 25ft. and then lean up against basically a light pole. You then have to walk across planks that are separated by about 2-3 ft. Once you cross the planks, you go up a ladder about another 20 ft. and then crawl down a cargo net. Well, this kid froze at the planks for about 20 minutes refusing to move. There is a net under the planks if you fall, but it's not that difficult to get across. We did a few more obstacles around the course and then marched back to base where we were finally shown how to clean our weapons. As as of right now, I can fully disassemble, clean, reassemble, and perform a functions check on my M-4 Rifle. I'm badass, I know!
So that was today, but let me tell you about yesterday.......
Yesterday was the gas chamber. They throw us into a room filled with tear gas and make us take off our masks. First when you enter, you're calm for the most part. You see the smoke through your gas mask and you breath and you're thinking "this isn't so bad..." WRONG!!!! Out of nowhere, any exposed skin starts burning. So just imagine razor burn on your sunburned skin. constantly burning sensation for about 5 minutes. First they make you pull your mask away and say your last name and last 4 digits of your social security number. You put the mask back, clear it and reseal the mask. Then they tell you to take off your mask and put on your helmet, put your rifle in your right hand, your mask in your left hand and put your left arm on the person in front of you. Easy enough right???WRONG!! The moment you take off that mask, it's like getting punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson and then have someone squeezing acid in your eyes. It's miserable, for some people. I only had to do it once, but others had to do it again for screwing up with either their helmet, rifle, etc. So it left me with some good stories!
First story involves my platoon. So they break us up into groups to organize the chaos. The first group pulls off their masks and this one guy immediately went down on his knees, dropped his helmet and had it roll to the other side of the room. His group had to wait until he gathered all his gear before they could leave. They were in there without their masks for at least twice as long as everyone else, and they were struggling. The next story involved a kid who literally walked in the the chamber, took his mask off, and passed out. I was in the bleachers when all the sudden I see the door slam open with the DS dragging this kid by the collar and dropping him in the grass while immediately walking back to the chamber... it was hilarious! And finally there was the kid who refused to go back. He screwed up in someway and the DS wanted him to go again and get it right. The guy didn't want to go. Solution -----DS grabs kid, drags him to the door, opens door, and throws kid in chamber with no mask on....sucks to be that guy.
The rest of the day the DS's smoked us like crazy. At least 3 hours of PT once we got back. It sucked bad, but at the same time it's good, because I'm feeling stronger overall. Almost all smoke sessions occur because people make stupid mistakes over and over. It's almost to simple to screw up, but yet, it happens everyday.
On thing that I have learned over the past day is that my company the 1/50 is supposedly the toughest of every company at Ft. Benning. We are already doing things that other companies don't touch until at least week 2 or 3. Apparently the 1/50 has a reputation around other bases as well. Hopefully that helps with my actual duty station. We'll see!
On another note, I would like to tell my niece Brianna HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!
I know it's not until the 5th, but with this being a letter and all, it will get posted after the fact.
I can't wait until I finally get some mail!!!!!
I Love You All.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
SPC. Martin
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