Maicey's New Specs
12 years ago
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Boot Camp Weeks 4 and 5
We had been looking forward to Week 4 for a very long time. What is the reason? What could possibly be so great about Week 4 that we quivered with angst? This is the week we are fitted for our blues, we are halfway done, but most imiportantly, we get OREOs when we get fitted. Oreos? Really? Yes, really. Rumors were spread throughout the laundry network that we would actually be able to eat cookies and this was definitely something to look forward to. Pathetic.
By now I am horribly and completely sick. I coughed every night, keeping probably the entire flight awake. They never said anything, but I'm sure they hated my guts. At least I got cough drops! Unfortunately, that's about all they would give me. Cough drops and Tylenol. Oh, and small packets of salt to gurgle with water for my sore throat. Couldn't they just give me some Nyquil??? I will tell you now, I have never been so sick in my entire life. It was that bad. I met the IDMT folks about every other day. I knew them on a first name basis and was basically given VIP privileges because I saw them so often. I didn't have to wait in line. I got all the cough drops I wanted. They'd give me sleeping waivers so I could take naps in the middle of the day. Sometimes they would just let me sleep there. I would cough until I threw up. I lost my voice (EC duty was a real hoot). It sucked bad.
There were 2 things I was looking forward to doing in boot camp: pugil sticks and the obstacle course. They sounded like a blast. I couldn't wait. The night before leaving for the obstacle course, we had our bags packed and ready to go. Anxiously waiting the next morning, TSgt Fisher looked down at me and said, "Trainee Banks, you're not going." Curses! I'll admit, staying in bed that day did wonders, but I was so mad! Everyone came back (and woke me up) with tales of falling in the water, working as a team, how much fun they had, etc. Hmph! Guess it wasn't meant to be.
We were still spending the majority of our day in classes but we were also practicing for Retreat (our graduation ceremony) and drilling more. Drill, for me, was boring and I loved that I was on laundry crew so I got to skip it often. Something that stressed us out this week was our weapons evaluation. We had to take our weapon apart and put it back together in under 2 minutes. I don't know why this was a big deal. Even if you failed, it didn't matter. But there was so much pressure to do this well. Looking back, it's so funny to remember how freaked out we were, but it really wasn't a big deal.
Week 4 was also the week of CBRNE: the gas chamber. Now, this was actually something we were looking forward to...for the MRE. See, MREs have candy in them usually and that's certainly something to celebrate. So, we are all excited for the day to finally arrive. We get out to the sticks where the chamber is. We get our chemical warfare gear, MREs and gas masks. We have lessons on how to don our gear and all that garbage. Finally, it's time for lunch. We tear open our MREs right when they tell us to put all the candy in the middle of the floor. We weren't allowed to eat it. WTF? My Skittles had to be pried from my sickly fingers. They CBRNE instructors put all the candy in a huge garbage bag and took it away. We all wondered where they would take it. Homeless shelter? At home to their kids? I would find out in Week 6.
Week 5 I was still sick as a dog. They've bumped up my medication to nasal sprays and some stuff that makes me drowsy so I don't have to do EC duty (my prayers have been answered!). My satchel rattled with pills and cough drops. The IDMT had decided I had pneumonia and bronchitis. I was a hot mess. I was so scared they would recycle me (hold me back until I got better). This is a trainee's biggest fear. Almost everyone gets recycled for being sick or not performing at the minimum standards. We had two females that got recycled in Week 2 because they had really bad attitudes and didn't want to do what they were told. We would end up getting 5 trainees get washed back into our flight. NOBODY wants to be in boot camp longer than necessary. My temperature was at 101.9. At 102, I would have to go to the emergency room where you are almost certain to be recycled so you can recover. I had a heart to heart with the IDMT lady and she didn't end up sending me. :)
Week 5 is considered Warrior Week. We would finally get to fire our weapons, do pugil stick training, build temper tents and prepare for BEAST. Of course, I missed pugil sticks, too, because I was sick. BLAST! But I couldn't worm my way out of temper tents. It's pretty much just a group of people putting up a huge tent. It's a pain in the butt and everyone has a different way of doing it, so it's really about teamwork.
CATUM (weapons shooting) was by far the most fun day in BMT. It was the best! We went out to the range, took a few safety classes and then shot our weapons. We qualified, some would make marksman (definitely not me), and then we would have lunch: MREs! AND WE GOT TO EAT THE CANDY! That was amazing. Nothing could touch us after that. We cleaned our weapons afterward. A guy from our brother flight said something like "Oh yeah, clean that barrel" and he got recycled 2 weeks for that! Retarded! The girl that tattled on him was pretty much ostracized by the rest of the flight because everyone thought she handled it poorly.
We spent a couple of days learning how to handle DFPs (Defensive Fighting Positions). This would be paramount in BEAST. You know that phrase "Halt! Who goes there?" Yeah, that's still used today by your Air Force. DFPs are hanging out behind sandbags, waiting for strangers to come and making them do what you want (or shoot them). It's not very much fun and you don't want to get yelled at for doing it wrong, but at least it's not the classroom.
Waiting to do DFPs.
DFPs
Lots of practice
We also learned CPR this week. It was a boring class, but a little more action packed than what we were used to in a classroom.
Week 5 also leads you to believe you are a badass because your name finally is sewn on your uniforms. You have an identity!
I believe in Week 5, I also started attending the Muslim church. As I mentioned before, we got candy, got to write letters, sleep and take our shoes off. It was a hidden treasure I wish I had known about a long time ago. This was also something I learned from the laundry network. I only went a couple of times because I missed the songs in the contemporary service. Ahh, church.
By now I am horribly and completely sick. I coughed every night, keeping probably the entire flight awake. They never said anything, but I'm sure they hated my guts. At least I got cough drops! Unfortunately, that's about all they would give me. Cough drops and Tylenol. Oh, and small packets of salt to gurgle with water for my sore throat. Couldn't they just give me some Nyquil??? I will tell you now, I have never been so sick in my entire life. It was that bad. I met the IDMT folks about every other day. I knew them on a first name basis and was basically given VIP privileges because I saw them so often. I didn't have to wait in line. I got all the cough drops I wanted. They'd give me sleeping waivers so I could take naps in the middle of the day. Sometimes they would just let me sleep there. I would cough until I threw up. I lost my voice (EC duty was a real hoot). It sucked bad.
There were 2 things I was looking forward to doing in boot camp: pugil sticks and the obstacle course. They sounded like a blast. I couldn't wait. The night before leaving for the obstacle course, we had our bags packed and ready to go. Anxiously waiting the next morning, TSgt Fisher looked down at me and said, "Trainee Banks, you're not going." Curses! I'll admit, staying in bed that day did wonders, but I was so mad! Everyone came back (and woke me up) with tales of falling in the water, working as a team, how much fun they had, etc. Hmph! Guess it wasn't meant to be.
We were still spending the majority of our day in classes but we were also practicing for Retreat (our graduation ceremony) and drilling more. Drill, for me, was boring and I loved that I was on laundry crew so I got to skip it often. Something that stressed us out this week was our weapons evaluation. We had to take our weapon apart and put it back together in under 2 minutes. I don't know why this was a big deal. Even if you failed, it didn't matter. But there was so much pressure to do this well. Looking back, it's so funny to remember how freaked out we were, but it really wasn't a big deal.
Week 4 was also the week of CBRNE: the gas chamber. Now, this was actually something we were looking forward to...for the MRE. See, MREs have candy in them usually and that's certainly something to celebrate. So, we are all excited for the day to finally arrive. We get out to the sticks where the chamber is. We get our chemical warfare gear, MREs and gas masks. We have lessons on how to don our gear and all that garbage. Finally, it's time for lunch. We tear open our MREs right when they tell us to put all the candy in the middle of the floor. We weren't allowed to eat it. WTF? My Skittles had to be pried from my sickly fingers. They CBRNE instructors put all the candy in a huge garbage bag and took it away. We all wondered where they would take it. Homeless shelter? At home to their kids? I would find out in Week 6.
After lunch it was time for the gas chamber. We basically just put all of our gear on, go into the chamber, do some jumping jacks and then one by one remove our gas masks and give a reporting statement: "Sir, Trainee Banks reports as ordered." This is enough to actually make you inhale and then cough your lungs out. I was nervous. When I was doing my jumping jacks, the neck of my gear came loose and I could feel the gas burn my neck. But I did my reporting statement and walked outside, blinded by the gas and coughing up really unpleasant stuff. It is the worst feeling. You can't breathe. You can't see. Everything burns. It's terrible. We had to walk in circles outside until the effects of the gas wore off. We were really sexy afterward. Later on in the afternoon, we learned about IEDs and got to see some explosions. For us, that was pretty exciting compared to the hum drum life in a classroom.
Learning to don our MOP gear. Ha ha, like the gas mask insert glasses?
Learning Chemical Warfare procedures
One of the trainees sweating like crazy in MOP gear.
Getting checked before going into the chamber.
Inside the gas chamber.
Letting the air clear things up. Walking in circles, blind and coughing crap up.
Learning to don our MOP gear. Ha ha, like the gas mask insert glasses?
Learning Chemical Warfare procedures
One of the trainees sweating like crazy in MOP gear.
Getting checked before going into the chamber.
Inside the gas chamber.
Letting the air clear things up. Walking in circles, blind and coughing crap up.Week 5 I was still sick as a dog. They've bumped up my medication to nasal sprays and some stuff that makes me drowsy so I don't have to do EC duty (my prayers have been answered!). My satchel rattled with pills and cough drops. The IDMT had decided I had pneumonia and bronchitis. I was a hot mess. I was so scared they would recycle me (hold me back until I got better). This is a trainee's biggest fear. Almost everyone gets recycled for being sick or not performing at the minimum standards. We had two females that got recycled in Week 2 because they had really bad attitudes and didn't want to do what they were told. We would end up getting 5 trainees get washed back into our flight. NOBODY wants to be in boot camp longer than necessary. My temperature was at 101.9. At 102, I would have to go to the emergency room where you are almost certain to be recycled so you can recover. I had a heart to heart with the IDMT lady and she didn't end up sending me. :)
Week 5 is considered Warrior Week. We would finally get to fire our weapons, do pugil stick training, build temper tents and prepare for BEAST. Of course, I missed pugil sticks, too, because I was sick. BLAST! But I couldn't worm my way out of temper tents. It's pretty much just a group of people putting up a huge tent. It's a pain in the butt and everyone has a different way of doing it, so it's really about teamwork.
CATUM (weapons shooting) was by far the most fun day in BMT. It was the best! We went out to the range, took a few safety classes and then shot our weapons. We qualified, some would make marksman (definitely not me), and then we would have lunch: MREs! AND WE GOT TO EAT THE CANDY! That was amazing. Nothing could touch us after that. We cleaned our weapons afterward. A guy from our brother flight said something like "Oh yeah, clean that barrel" and he got recycled 2 weeks for that! Retarded! The girl that tattled on him was pretty much ostracized by the rest of the flight because everyone thought she handled it poorly.
We spent a couple of days learning how to handle DFPs (Defensive Fighting Positions). This would be paramount in BEAST. You know that phrase "Halt! Who goes there?" Yeah, that's still used today by your Air Force. DFPs are hanging out behind sandbags, waiting for strangers to come and making them do what you want (or shoot them). It's not very much fun and you don't want to get yelled at for doing it wrong, but at least it's not the classroom.
Waiting to do DFPs.
DFPs
Lots of practiceWe also learned CPR this week. It was a boring class, but a little more action packed than what we were used to in a classroom.
Week 5 also leads you to believe you are a badass because your name finally is sewn on your uniforms. You have an identity!
I believe in Week 5, I also started attending the Muslim church. As I mentioned before, we got candy, got to write letters, sleep and take our shoes off. It was a hidden treasure I wish I had known about a long time ago. This was also something I learned from the laundry network. I only went a couple of times because I missed the songs in the contemporary service. Ahh, church.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Boot Camp Week 2 and Week 3
Week 2 is still a mess, but we are getting a little better. Things get done a little bit quicker and we start to act more like a team. From here on out, the majority of our day is spent in the classroom. Not what you expected? Me neither. Way too much of our day is spent in the classroom. I was wanting more...I don't know...military stuff? But what you've heard about the Chair Force is true. Again, it's an optimal place to catch some extra ZZZ's, but you are toast if you ever get caught. We went through extreme measures to stay awake. I mostly tried to drink water until I had to pee really bad. Some people would pinch themselves, bite their tongues, try to take notes...it was terrible.
Our lockers/living areas start getting inspected, which is nerve wracking. Luckily, I have made friends with the laundry chief and I have convinced her to fire one of her laundry people and let me on her team. This becomes the best move ever. I missed so much drama, cleaning, drilling, inspecting, and yelling! I spend the majority of my days in the laundry room, meeting other trainees further ahead in training that can give me advice to pass on. It's hot (May in Texas=humid hell). There's no air conditioner in the laundry room, but I would choose it anyday over the regular garbage everyone else had to go through.
People are starting to get sick. Too many people living close together. Some probably not washing their hands. Ugh. I still hate them.
It is during one of our laundry sessions that my friend, Orr, is sucking on a cough drop. It smelled delicious. It smelled amazing. I HAD to have one. Cough drops?!? Yes, it smelled like candy. She gave me one that she got from the IDMT (the doctor people) and it was the best thing I'd ever had in my life. I was like a crack addict finally getting my fix. Orr said she felt the same way. This is where the candy need comes in. It was so strange that it had only been a couple of weeks, but man, it was bad.
In Week 2, we learned about EC duty (watch). Certain procedures have to be followed to let someone in and out of the door. It's really stressful because an MTI will come banging on the door, screaming at you and if you mess up...even stutter, you are toast! It was inevitable during Week 2 that whoever was on EC duty would be on their face or doing flutter kicks for messing up the procedures. EC duties also include bomb threats, fire alarms, and the overall safety of the flight. Usually an EC (Entry Controller) shift is 2 hours and it particularly sucks when it's in the middle of the night. You have to carry your gun the whole time, you can't sit down, and you have to stand there and write down all the procedures to turn in. Everyone hates it. BAD.
Week 3 is said to be similar to 0 Week because at this point you are getting too comfortable so they have to stir up trouble. We had a PT test to see where everyone is at. There are actually people that can't do one situp. Way too many people can't do a proper pushup. But PT is still my favorite part of the day, despite that our PT pad directly faces a McDonald's sign.
We also spend a lot of time drilling, taking classes and learning Self Aid Buddy Care (SABC). This is sort of ad hoc medical care if you were out in the field. It is my least favorite thing to learn, but it is something we continually have to take classes on throughout my Air Force career.
Look how huge I am to everyone else! One of these things is not like the other...
If you aren't practicing SABC, you should be studying.
Practicing SABC
It is also in Week 3 that we have to take our M-16's everywhere. It's just a huge pain in the butt. We practice taking them apart, putting them together, and cleaning them. But we definitely haven't got to fire them yet. It's irritating, but we do get to do more military stuff. We learned to a low crawl and a high crawl in the dirt (with our gun...good luck not getting it dirty!), different ways to beat someone up with our gun, etc. In a sick sort of way, it's fun. At least we aren't stuck folding shirts and socks with rulers.
Week 3 is also when it's acceptable to be grilled on the study materials we'd been studying since day 1. At any time, an MTI will call you out and ask you questions. If you get one wrong, a 341 was pulled. It's so stressful; wondering if you'll get called out...wondering if you'll get the answer wrong. I was only asked 2 questions my entire BMT experience. Most people probably get about 2 a day. I got them both right, but I am pretty sure they left me alone because I was so old. I was older than my MTI! Have some respect for your elders. Ha ha! From here on out, we could get asked questions at any time.
Finally, it is in Week 3 we get our BCG's (Birth Control Glasses). They are so hideous, I can't explain how much we hate them. And they are virtually indestructible!
Sexy glasses
Our lockers/living areas start getting inspected, which is nerve wracking. Luckily, I have made friends with the laundry chief and I have convinced her to fire one of her laundry people and let me on her team. This becomes the best move ever. I missed so much drama, cleaning, drilling, inspecting, and yelling! I spend the majority of my days in the laundry room, meeting other trainees further ahead in training that can give me advice to pass on. It's hot (May in Texas=humid hell). There's no air conditioner in the laundry room, but I would choose it anyday over the regular garbage everyone else had to go through.
People are starting to get sick. Too many people living close together. Some probably not washing their hands. Ugh. I still hate them.
It is during one of our laundry sessions that my friend, Orr, is sucking on a cough drop. It smelled delicious. It smelled amazing. I HAD to have one. Cough drops?!? Yes, it smelled like candy. She gave me one that she got from the IDMT (the doctor people) and it was the best thing I'd ever had in my life. I was like a crack addict finally getting my fix. Orr said she felt the same way. This is where the candy need comes in. It was so strange that it had only been a couple of weeks, but man, it was bad.
In Week 2, we learned about EC duty (watch). Certain procedures have to be followed to let someone in and out of the door. It's really stressful because an MTI will come banging on the door, screaming at you and if you mess up...even stutter, you are toast! It was inevitable during Week 2 that whoever was on EC duty would be on their face or doing flutter kicks for messing up the procedures. EC duties also include bomb threats, fire alarms, and the overall safety of the flight. Usually an EC (Entry Controller) shift is 2 hours and it particularly sucks when it's in the middle of the night. You have to carry your gun the whole time, you can't sit down, and you have to stand there and write down all the procedures to turn in. Everyone hates it. BAD.
Week 3 is said to be similar to 0 Week because at this point you are getting too comfortable so they have to stir up trouble. We had a PT test to see where everyone is at. There are actually people that can't do one situp. Way too many people can't do a proper pushup. But PT is still my favorite part of the day, despite that our PT pad directly faces a McDonald's sign.
We also spend a lot of time drilling, taking classes and learning Self Aid Buddy Care (SABC). This is sort of ad hoc medical care if you were out in the field. It is my least favorite thing to learn, but it is something we continually have to take classes on throughout my Air Force career.
Look how huge I am to everyone else! One of these things is not like the other...
If you aren't practicing SABC, you should be studying.
Practicing SABCIt is also in Week 3 that we have to take our M-16's everywhere. It's just a huge pain in the butt. We practice taking them apart, putting them together, and cleaning them. But we definitely haven't got to fire them yet. It's irritating, but we do get to do more military stuff. We learned to a low crawl and a high crawl in the dirt (with our gun...good luck not getting it dirty!), different ways to beat someone up with our gun, etc. In a sick sort of way, it's fun. At least we aren't stuck folding shirts and socks with rulers.
Week 3 is also when it's acceptable to be grilled on the study materials we'd been studying since day 1. At any time, an MTI will call you out and ask you questions. If you get one wrong, a 341 was pulled. It's so stressful; wondering if you'll get called out...wondering if you'll get the answer wrong. I was only asked 2 questions my entire BMT experience. Most people probably get about 2 a day. I got them both right, but I am pretty sure they left me alone because I was so old. I was older than my MTI! Have some respect for your elders. Ha ha! From here on out, we could get asked questions at any time.
Finally, it is in Week 3 we get our BCG's (Birth Control Glasses). They are so hideous, I can't explain how much we hate them. And they are virtually indestructible!
Sexy glasses
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