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