This is my first blog post ever so I am still getting used to it. Thank you to my wife and father-in-law for encouraging me to do this and the good military men that counseled me before joining the Army and continued to do so. In June, and then again in July we were sent to Fort Dix, NJ for training. The training we received in June was for the most part fantastic, mixed with heat, humidity and unnecessary drama comes from 30 people working together closely that come from different backgrounds, ages, races, etc. Most of the training was related to specific functions Soldiers are required to know and execute. These include: rifle qualification day, night and with a gas mask, Humvee roll-over training, land navigation, traffic control point execution, enemy detainee treatment, squad tactics when reacting to ambushes and much more.
I have included some pictures from the events and our days there at Fort Dix. In July, as we waited to leave for Iraq, our days were filled with exercise and lots of "bonding" with our beds and movies. This came from waiting for other Soldiers to finish their trainings that had to be made up or those that came late when replacing Soldiers that were sent home for injuries or other factors.
At times it was very fun. Other times I wanted to strangle people. Some really lived up to the stereotypes of where they were from, age, etc. It was really frustrating to see them make dumb choices that affected not only themselves but others around them. One of the really frustrating things is wathching Soldiers that do not take care of themselves. They eat like pigs and barely exercise. When we have mandatory PT they give only enough and no more. When given time to do exercise on their own they waste it and find other things to do. One in particular is what charts would consider morbidly obese! OK, as a sidenote, I was asked to help run PT for those that have failed their PT test and to work with them on their nutrition. A plug has to go out to my most amazing wife because almost daily I was referencing her brain and certifications in these areas!! Thanks babe!!! OK, so this particular Soldier is WAY overweight. His 2-mile run time in June was 30 minutes. Last time it was just over 20 min. He was excited BUT my 10 year old daughter would beat him. Here is the rub......instead of listening to me about his diet he continues to drink soda and eat candy between meals. Each meal he loads up on fried food and lots of starchy stuff. Oh, to drink, juice. Sugar, sugar and more sugar...oh and lots of fat. When he has free time he spends his money on crap and watched movies. When he told me he was going to loose weight I said great what are you going to do. He pulls out a "weight loss kit" that cost at least $200. It is a month program that includes lots of pills. These include a diuretic (dehydrating), appetite supressant (dehydrator), super mega exploding energy (worthless when not working out) and more. I couldn't believe his ignorance after all I had talked to him and the others about. So far from what I can see his t-shirts are still stretched out. Not to mention after a company run of less that 2.5 miles two days ago he complained of knee pain and went to the clinic. They gave him a knee brace and told him not to run for a bit. WHAT!!! It hurts because he is way overweight, has no muscles to support the joint and no mental toughness to push through the pain and do what it takes!!!!
OK, so that is my rant for this posting. Situations like that continue to happen. We were given leave for 4 days right befor leaving for Iraq. Two flew home and spent all their money so when returning to Philadephia Airport they had no money to get back to Fort Dix! Ughhhhh!! It never ends. I won't go on with that one....but it seems to never end.......
On a good note, I had the chance to be in a room with 3 other LDS guys. It was awesome. On Sundays we went to church and we were able to have gospel conversations daily. It wan't an issue if we wanted to listen to inspiring music or watch a fun movie like The Best Two Years or The Other Side of Heaven. If all goes well I will be bunking with one of them for the coming year. This will be a significant blessing and a strength. The Lord has watched over me and has blessed me with health and with patience. I am truly grateful. The only bummer....my best friend is not with me. I miss my wife dearly and I miss my crazy kids. They all rock and mean more to me than I can express.
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