Feb 22 to Feb 27

2/22/10 Monday
This morning started out with a early wakeup at 04:00. Our first formation was at 05:30, then another one at 06:30 for chow. So once we were up, we had 1.5 hours till first formation, what the freak?! Usually we would wakeup at like 04:30, but this DS likes to mess with us so he does whatever he can to make things miserable, like take away our cell phones. Granted Basic hasn’t been miserable, but because this particular DS had his Basic during Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and he didn’t get any phone calls or wasn’t able to watch a movie or the Superbowl, he takes it out on us.

Anyways, this morning it was raining a bit, but it isn’t cold. That’s nice cause I can deal with the rain as long as it isn’t cold. After chow it really started to pour rain. Great! Foot marching in down pouring rain. Well, it stopped before we marched out. We didn’t march very far, lie two blocks. Once we grounded our gear it really started to rain again. Then some lightning streaked across the sky and the next thing we know the DS really started getting antsy and trying to get us under some cover. So now two platoons are sitting inside the EST rooms waiting it out. Oh yea, that’s what we are doing today, EST training again. But this is for close quarters, smaller than 25m. we will be working on controlled pairs. Should be fun, if we ever get to it. Silly rain.

Well it finally stopped raining and we commenced I playing video games. Not really video games, but simulations. This training was for standing up and nailing targets at 10m and then at 25m. after we were done with that, and after chow, we did night simulation fire with night vision goggles. Now that was pretty cool. When the weapon was switched to semi, we could see the laser that is produced from the imitation M-16’s. it was pretty cool. The targets were only visible through the NVG’s. Everyone else who was waiting to shoot sat in the dark and couldn’t see anything.

We got back to the company and changed into our PT’s cause we had PT after chow. Once chow was over, we cleaned weapons for a while till it was time for PT. well they ended up canceling it for some reason. So then we just sat there more and the DS handed out mail. Later most of the bay did PT on our own. Yup, a kinder, gentler Army.


2/23/10 Tuesday
Today was a day spent at the range practicing the ready-up drills, shooting behind barriers, and then patrolling. It was funny cause at the beginning of the briefing, one fo the DS’s said that we will never do this again unless we are a certain MOS, like Infantry. It was pretty fun. Most of the shooting was done in controlled pairs. When we were shooting from behind the barrier, we were able to unload as fast as we wanted. We also did the barrier with a buddy. That was pretty sweet too. I was on the left of the barrier so my spent brass was flying to my buddy on the right. Good thing none of them went down his collar.

After the range we rode the buses back to the company, had dinner, then cleaned our weapons. I tell ya, these M-16’s get dirty super quick. It is pretty annoying, but at the same time we are allotted quite a bit of time to clean them. DS female went over the rest of our training for the upcoming month. It is going to fly by very quickly. Tomorrow we get fitted for our Class A’s. So back to the 120th we go. The beginning of this adventure next week we toss hand grenades and have a three-day field exercise.


2/24/10 Wednesday
Well here I sit in some bleachers again. We are at the range doing combat shooting behind a barrier switching from standing, kneeling, and prone, earlier this morning DS Shorty had us remove our M68’s and turn them in. I figured cause we were done using them, but after our first round of shooting, I think it was cause he know that they aren’t perfectly zeroed like our iron sights. I say that cause they (other DS’s) just got done calling people up to re-shoot and ¾’s of our platoon is sitting here while ¾’s of the other platoons are out shooting. We were shooting at targets like on qualification day, 50m, 75m, 100m, 200m, 250m and 300m. They pop up and go down after like 15 seconds. So yup, we are gonna thank DS Shorty for making us take those optics off.

Well our record of consecutive nice days came to an end today. I think we had four days. It isn’t too cold today, but it is cloudy and sprinkling. We will be here for another two hours or so.

Another soldier just told me I look like I have lost a lot of weight =) Tomorrow when we go back to the 120th for our class A’s, I hope I can trade in two trousers for some smaller ones. Mine fit really baggy now.


2/25/10 Thursday
This morning started out very interesting. We were in formation turning in laundry when a couple ambulances showed up with some police and a little fire truck guy. Oh, this was the company next to us by the way. Well after we turned our stuff in we were sent up to our bay and told to stay there till told to do otherwise. The DS’s that were there were in a frenzied state. After a bit Ds female came up screaming telling us to open out wall locker and all out personal drawers. We had to dump everything. It became apparent that she was looking for bullets. It is believed that a soldier had an incident with his weapon or something along that line. She ended up just taking our blank rounds that were issued to us earlier.

We had motor movement back to the 120th and 06:30. Arriving back at the 120th is like re-living a nightmare. At least this time it is to receive our class A’s instead of processing. It’s funny to see the other soldiers who are noobs though. Carrying around a big ziplock bag with their records in it. Some of them wearing their boots with PT’s. Definitely not fond memories. I can remember the few days I was here quite well. I remember seeing other soldiers getting fitted for their class A’s, then someone telling us they are in week six and then thinking, “this sucks. I am never gonna see week six. It is so far away.” Now here I am breaking the hearts of other soldiers.

Right now I am sitting in a room full of guys who are changing in and out of their uniforms for inspection by the DS’s. All they are doing is making sure our stuff fits properly. It is mass chaos though. Soldiers are wheeling in trousers and dress jackets from alterations to hand out soldiers are changing, soldiers going in and out of a room to be inspected, clothes everywhere. It’s crazy. I am surprised more soldiers don’t loose their stuff. I think all this stuff costs around, well I don’t know really, but a guess, maybe $500 or more. Who knows though.

Earlier while waiting in line for trousers some soldiers from 3rd platoon starting talking crap about how much better their platoon is and how much cooler their DS’s are. Seriously guys, we beat everyone at Fit to Win, you came in last for BRM, and this last PT test you sucked too. Oh, but wait, they sang cadenance better. OK butt breath, whatever you gotta tell yourself. It was kind of funny, freaking young punks.

So I don’t know what we are gonna do for the rest of the day. Well, for the next three hours. We aren’t scheduled to leave till 18:00, it is 15:00 right now


2/26/10 Friday
Well it is 0:05 and I am pulling my rotation of fireguard. This sucks sometimes. Well, all the time. I am sure if it was a different shift it wouldn’t be so bad. I should be happy it is only an hour instead of two.

So about that incident I mentioned earlier with a soldier in the company next to us. I was right. He committed suicide. Once we got back from the 120th, our Captain and 1st SGT had a briefing to inform us of the incident. They didn’t go into details, just that he/she took a live round and shot themselves. That’s pretty crazy! Something bad had to have happen for someone to do that. Something back home, cause honestly, basic isn’t that hard. It really isn’t. Anyways, we are on blackout till the family is contacted. Blackout means it won’t be made public knowledge and NO soldiers are allowed any phone calls. Pretty crazy stuff. I can only imagine what is going through that company of soldier’s heads right now…or the bay he/she lived with.

Our company received three soldiers yesterday from the medical company. I guess these three jacked themselves up, had to camp it out at med quarters till they were healed and then booted to a different company to finish training. There are two females and one male. Sounds like they were stuck at med quarters since Nov of last year! Now that is poopy pants. The two females looked like they were in shell shock. Granted if someone new like that comes to the company the DS’s are gonna harass them a bit, but holy crap, ease up! The male soldier is 39! He got his butt kicked by the economy which is why he is here. That’s crazy too, 39 years old. Good for him though.

That reminds me; we got two other soldiers earlier this week as well. These two were recycled back cause they missed a significant training event, like Omaha, which is around the 8th week. Now how can you go eight week and then miss a training event like that? It blows my mind what happens to these soldiers. Nine times out of ten they bring it on themselves.

Well that’s about it for now. I am gonna do some sweeping. TEEPER.


2/27/10 Saturday
Well here it is Saturday, we are all busy getting our gear together for our 3-day FTX (Field Training Exercise). I have no idea what we are doing, all I know is that my rucksack is freaking heavy right now. It is definitely going to suck on the march. Like a lot.

Yesterday we did U.S. weapons training. We shot the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, the M240B and then M249 Saw. We also shot dummy rounds out of the AT-4 and the M203 grenade launcher. We watched live demos of a claymore blowing up, on AT-4, and the M-203. All three were freaking sweet. The claymore is not like what it is in Modern Warfare. If you are on the receiving end of a claymore, you will be effed up. There is no jumping over it, or shooting it from like 10m away, you will perish.

The AT-4 was freaking sweet as well. That sucker has some “umph” in it. You know it can penetrate 14” of steel. You do not want to be behind that sucker when someone launches that. You will loose your face.

The M203 grenade launcher was cool. Pretty much just like on Modern Warfare. It makes that little “thump” sound and then it blows up and makes a very bad day for someone.

Shooting the three different weapons was fun, but we didn’t shoot a whole lot. 50 rounds in the M240B and M249, 25 rounds in the M2 .50 caliber. That thing will chew up so much stuff. It is a pretty heavy weapon, 110 pounds with the tripod mount, 150 pounds. It’s max range is over four miles too! Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet weapon.

So, yes U.S. weapons was pretty fun. I wish it was a little warmer that day. It was deceiving earlier in the day cause we went running and it was chilly but you could tell it was gonna get warmer. Then the sun came out, but once we got to the range, there was a slight breeze that cooled everything down, very lame. But it’s over now.