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