Saturday, November 26, 2011

November 14, 2011 Day 59

I am now back home with my family, writing this entry directly from the comfort of my living room. Of course, many of my battle buddies have gone directly to AIT, but since I'm going traditional OCS with ARNG, I get to come home.
So let's catch up starting with November 14, which was Day 1 of FTX 3.

FTX 3 - Day 1

Unlike FTX 2, FTX 3 starting with a ride on Trans, not a ruck march. When we arrived at the training site, our first task was to finish setup. They had two of those green "MASH" tents they needed setup. Guess who got to do it - me. I took a team of ten and we went out with the DS to find a spot. They wound up looking a little better than my first one.

Once we finished with the tent, it was time for our first of three rotations. Since we had three platoons, the DS split us into three groups: FOB (Forward Operating Base) Security, Patrol, OP4. The FOB Security platoon was responsible for running and guarding the FOB. They manned the gate, the guard towers, and the TOC (tactical operations center). The Patrol platoon conducted various missions outside of the FOB. The OP4 platoon acted as the enemy force and local population. It was setup to be very similar to the current situation in the Middle East.

During OP4, I was involved in several different missions. The first mission was harassing fire. I was called upon to lead a squad to the FOB to take pot shots to mess with the other platoons. We were able to successfully move through the woods to the back side of the FOB, take some shots from concealment, and move out unnoticed. We got them on edge and they wasted a ton of ammo.

My second mission was supposed to be a mission set for failure; a training aid for the other platoons. I and a second Platoon Leader (PL) were ordered to lead a team consisting of two squads and assault the FOB in broad daylight. Our mission was to kidnap personnel, obtain sensitive information or equipment, etc. We worked out a plan to have one squad lead a divergence attack on one side of the FOB and have the second squad lead the true assault once the FOB has their attention on the first squad. I went with the second squad. When the first squad attacked things were working well. The second squad split to two fire teams, one to lead the assault and one to suppress. The assault team unfortunately met a squad size patrol that was on the way to the fight on the other side of the FOB. They were captured. But, shortly after their capture, on the of the patrol members let his guard down allowing an OP4 member to take his weapon. The OP4 member preceded to take not only the weapon and ammo, but radios and sensitive information as well.
As we were backing out, my fire team was intercepted and killed by a squad sized patrol, but our team successfully completed a mission destined for failure and made the other platoons look pretty dumb. We were very pleased with ourselves.
My next "mission" was to act as the Mayor of a Middle Eastern town. For training, we used the same urban setup as we used in FTX2. I moved into the city with ten others so that the other platoon could have a "meet the Mayor." It was pretty fun. One plus is that when it started raining, the building I was in was the only one with anything resembling a roof. After all, I was the Mayor.
The last OP4 mission I was involved with was by far the most enjoyable. It was a full on night assault to infiltrate the FOB. The three PLs planned it out and we got ready to move. Our plan was to split into three, two squad teams. Barrett would lead one team to the South side of the FOB, Fraser would lead a team to the  East Side (the weak point), and I would lead a team right in the front gate on the North.
Fraser's team was to attack first by sending in a small team to silently overtake the tower and the TOC. As soon as gunfire started, all three sides would be hit in full force. Little did we know that the other platoons were not ready for us at all. The small team found the first tower unmanned. They waited in the tower for the relief and killed them on their way up, then they moved on to the TOC. They walked right in and shot up the occupants. At that time, the FOB teams figured out there was an assault going on and the gunfire started.
The teams from the rear and my team from the gate immediately opened fire and assaulted. At the end of it all, we took their TOC and quite a bit of sensitive equipment and ammo, not to mention all the casualties. But now, it was our turn to be on the Patrol side.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nov. 13, 2011 Day 58

Today was a pretty good day at Fort Lost in the Woods. :)
Chapel was great. It allowed me to refocus prior to this FTX tomorrow.
After the service, it was all about FTX.
DS requested that I be on the detail team, so I was out there for detail and for the leadership recon all afternoon. The FOB (forward operating base) is pretty large and pretty cool. It's going to be a lot of fun, especially since we get to play the enemy first.
I spent my time walking the perimeter. I found plenty of well-covered spots to infiltrate. I can't wait to get out there and see how our team does.
So one funny note, I am now known as "Grandpa Belvin." We have some uncles and great-grandpas as well.
Now it's time for my last good night's sleep for awhile...

Nov. 12, 2011 Day 57

Not much significant occurred today other than our FINAL PT test. It's great to have that behind us. My sit-ups and push-ups stayed about the same, but my 2-mile dropped again to 14:45. I'll need to keep working though for OCS (Officer Candidate School).
We had a female in our platoon score a 343! She set a new company record. The "highest" you can earn is a 300 if you max everything, but if you make everything, you can go to the extended scale.
We had some OCS time with the commander yesterday to discuss our Platoon Leader responsibilities during FTX3. I think it's going to be a great experience to prepare for OCS. Let's just hope the weather cooperates.
One quick thing I think I forgot to mention. On Thursday, I got to call cadence for the company as we returned from the DFAC (dining facilities). It was pretty cool to be out calling. I did "Proud Mary" (rolling on the river).
I won't be writing for the next couple of days (or sleeping) due to FTX3, but I'll be sure to fill you in when I get back.

Nov. 10 & 11, Days 55 & 56

I didn't get a chance to write yesterday for a few different reasons. The main reason was that we spent until 2150 prepping for a major inspection from our commander. We also had to wake up at 0300 (after my 0100-0200 fireguard) to do final preparation.
These past two days have required a lot of patience and flexibility, but thankfully, the Lord has provided that to me.
Today has been spent preparing for FTX3, our last training event (including the 16K ruck march at the end). We'll be out in the field from Monday until Wednesday pulling missions 24/7. Apparently, I will be up a lot more than the other...an O9S (officer candidate), of which there are only 3 in my platoon, will be on every mission as the Platoon Leader. It will be great practice for OCS (Officer Candidate School), so I am excited. But I also know I will get very little sleep during those 3 days.
We are also hearing the weather may not be the greatest. I am hoping we will still stay out and have plenty of missions, especially after FTX2 was so boring.
Please pray for our safety, good weather, and good attitudes.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Nov. 9, 2011 Day 54

Today was a pretty good day at BCT. The weather was cold, but nice.
We spent the day on Buddy Team Tactics. With live rounds, pairs moved through a firing range practicing bounding. It went by fast, but it was a lot of fun.
Another thing that made it a good day, I was "fired" as PG. Actually DS changed up all of the leadership today since she is trying to give everyone an opportunity. She did say though to another soldier that I didn't need 5 days to prove myself as a good leader. I got a lot of positive feedback from my battle buddies too, so I guess I did a decent job.
Things are really winding down here. Tomorrow we have some electronic range training and Friday is a holiday (Veterans' Day). We'll have our final APFT on Saturday and then it's FTX3.
That being said, I have enjoyed hearing from so many of you. Your encouragement has helped me more than you can imagine. At this point, however, please do not send any more mail to me at the BCT address as it will most likely not make it to me before I leave.
Now it's time for some much needed rest.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Nov. 8, 2011 Day 53

Another rainy day, but it wasn't a bad day. We spent the morning at the post mini-mall for PVTs to buy their HBL tickets. That's their travel for Christmas exodus. While we waited, PVTs from other countries led a culture class, giving us an insider view of their countries.
The rest of the day, we studied battle drills that we will likely use in our fast-approaching FTX3.
One positive, I made it through a full day without being fired from PG or ticking off my battle buddies when I've had to correct them. Today was a lot easier as it wasn't such a new thing anymore.
DS Leahart impacted a lot of us tonight. We were getting ready for lights out when two PVTs ran into the bay saying we needed to change uniforms and be outside in less than 10 minutes. Somehow the platoon pulled off a miracle and made the hit time. But then we stood and waited for DS, wondering if we were getting smoked. But, DS had us out there so we could render salute during Taps. Following, he talked to use for awhile about our improvement in the past week, the meaningfulness of Taps, and was altogether encouraging.
Now time for bed. This PG thing is tiring.

Nov. 7, 2011 Day 52

Well, all that rain we've been missing decided to show up today. In fact, it was so rainy in the morning, our PT was held in the bays. The positive though is that it wasn't cold, so the rain was bearable.
We spent the morning at a range practicing ARM. We fired from standing, kneeling, and prone positions with the added complexity of remaining behind a barrier. The training flew by, so we used our time to practice Drill & Ceremony for tomorrow's competition.
One funny thing happened before the Drill & Ceremony practice though. I was named the PG. [Note from Dee--not sure of the exact meaning of this abbreviation, but this is the student platoon leader.] I am sure it will be a short-lived assignment as DS is trying to give everyone in the platoon a leadership role before graduation. I will admit that even in the first day it has been an added stress to an already stressful BCT. But just like all the other stresses here, I am sure I'll be better for it in the end.
When we returned to the bays, we spent most of the time cleaning. For some reason, out of the blue, DS asked me to sing her "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King." I stood, but responded, "I'm not sure I remember all of the words, Drill Sergeant." I guess that was the wrong answer, as I spent the next 10 minutes doing push-ups. Apparently, "The Lion King" is one of her favorite movies.
Finally, we phased to blue today! Hopefully it will last. Because of that, we got a 20 minute phone call, and I forgot to mention mail call too!
It's been a great start to the week, and the countdown continues.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Nov. 5, 2011 Day 50

Today was really easy for BCT. The focus was on blood donations and buddy team tactics.
Following breakfast, those of us who were eligible and willing to donate blood went to the donor center. While we waited to donate, we watched a movie, "Inglourious Basterds," and after donating, we got COOKIES and JUICE!!! We all felt like crap that afternoon from eating the cookies, but they were so good.
The cool part about the donating is that we donated to the Armed Services Blood Donation Program. It is strictly for military and their families. So in a week, my blood could be in Afghanistan saving the life of a wounded soldier.
The buddy team tactics, where you advance in pairs to a firing point, will be taught using live rounds next week. So we used time today to practice without rounds. None of us really want to get shot or shoot a battle buddy.
We still haven't phased to blue, but hopefully that will happen soon. Discipline has slowly improved within our platoon, but a company has to phase up together. At least that's how it works here.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Nov. 4, 2011 Day 49

Believe it or not, MO has crazier weather than NC. It was snowing yesterday morning and today it was back around the 60s'. It was a beautiful day.
We went back to the qualification range today, now with our red dot sights. We shot a 20 target qualification table to learn the equipment better. I hit 18 out of 20. Not to shabby considering 3 of the 18 were at 300 meters. I wish I could have done that when it counted.
After shooting, we waited and waited and waited on trans to take us back to the bays. During that time our XO took time to talk to the officer candidates about OCS (Officer Candidate School). It was great to hear his input, especially since he just went last fall. He answered a lot of our questions and made me a lot more comfortable with the next step.
Now I'm going to hit the sack for another week down.

Nov. 3, 2011 Day 48

Finally in the teens! 19 days until graduation! Of course, the temperature here seems to be moving in the same direction. We usually eat chow around 0630. This morning we left chow, in our winter PTs (windbreakers) and marched back through falling snow.
The weather was pretty crappy all day, so we spent the day inside. Guess what we did for the most part? If you guessed more Drill and Ceremony practice, you're right.
All of us started joking around about hell freezing over (due to the snow) and said we'd get everything we want today. Well, we didn't get everything, but we did have some amazing lasagna at lunch and sloppy joes for dinner. Then we we got back, it was another mail call and we had 20 minute phone time!
It was so great to talk to my wife and son today.
One thing I should mention, when in BCT, don't believe anything until it happens. Our leaves dates, training events, etc. continue to change and cost us money. It's part of it. Just be prepared.
[Insert note from Dee...i.e. we were told Brian would leave BCT on Friday, Nov. 25. Now we've been told he will leave Wednesday, Nov. 23. I had already booked my plane ticket, hotel, car rental, etc. to be there for Family Day, graduation, and his two off-base pass days. This change in plans caused me hours on the phone with representatives, tons of extra research and extra money in order to change all of my reservations. I booked them in advance in order to avoid the hassle and fees with last minute plans. I was given this information less than 3 weeks before travel and expected just to be able to change it. REALLY FRUSTRATING from this end.]
The last thing I'll mention is that I am now the platoon's M-240B gunner. I have no idea how long it will last. All I know is that it isn't light (25 lbs.) and I get to carry it everywhere like an M-16. I suppose I'll just be stronger for it in the end.

Nov. 2, 2011 Day 47

Today was honestly pretty boring for the most part. We had breakfast, then came back and practiced for a Drill and Ceremony Competition that is supposedly tomorrow.
We practiced manual of arms and facing all morning, then after lunch, more of the same. I did get one break though. They called my squad out for a detail that never happened. We packed 30+ people, all over top of each other, literally, and waited for at least 30 minutes before being told to go back inside. No big deal though though, I got a pretty great nap in the truck.
Dinner chow was pretty interesting. We marched in with a company that was on Family Day to our right and a company on Day 3 to our left. It was pretty cool to be able to see where we've come from and where we are headed at the same time. It was refreshing to see all the families with their soldier taking pictures, learning the stories, smiling as we marched through calling cadence, etc.
When we got back from dinner, guess what we did...more Drill and Ceremony practice. But, we were definitely able to notice improvement.
After final formation we left with our heads low because we still had not received mail. But as soon as I entered the bay, someone downstairs yelled mail call. I didn't know any of us could get downstairs so fast. There was a milk crate full of mail for all of us. I got plenty of great encouraging notes from friends and family.
So one thing special about today, it's exactly 3 weeks until graduation! It's time to dig deep and finish strong.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Nov. 1, 2011 Day 46

Finally it's November. Three weeks from today, I'll be on Family Day, getting ready to graduate. It's a good feeling, but it can also drive you crazy.
Today we took our red dots out to the range for some ARM practice. It was pretty fun to shoot and move. We spent the entire day there and ended with a night fire.
The night fire was really cool. We didn't have tracers, but you still saw the flash of sparks as the rounds impacted the ground. It is a completely different experience firing with a night vision scope.
After lunch today, our company commander instructed me to help teach a soldier who had not yet been able to qualify with his M-16. I took him aside for awhile and at the end of the day, he qualified with a score of 27! I felt great that I was able to help him out.
In between firing, we started practicing for NIC (Night Infiltration Course). We did many 5 second rush, high crawl, back crawl, and low crawl drills in full battle rattle. I am still picking the tall grass and weeds out of my uniform.
It's been a week without mail call and two weeks without a phone call. Hopefully one of the two will come soon.

Oct. 31, 2011

Happy Halloween! For the most part, it wasn't too bad. We started the morning with an ability group run. Actually, let me back up, we started the morning with a light smoking. Really it was more of a singeing.
We were supposed to be ready, on the line, at 0430 this morning. Our DS walked in at 0415 and dropped us for not being ready. The frustrating part was, we were almost there. But we sucked it up as PT and moved on.
After the ability group run, I ate a great breakfast, and we headed to the electronic range for the first day of ARM training. I got a perfect score on targets (20 out of 20) both times, but I missed a couple of shots my first time and one on my second. There are two shots, a double-tap, per target. We'll see how this transfers to the live range tomorrow.
When we got back, I was put on a detail that took us by some new arrivals having their Day 1 shark attack. It brought back some memories, but their's was no where near as long or severe as ours.
Tonight, DS surprised us. She brought her kids, in costume, and they gave us all one piece of Halloween candy. (In case you're wondering, they were Spiderman, Batman, and a corpse bride.) I was given bottle caps by Spiderman (AKA the 3 year old Drill Sergeant). But one PVT was kind enough to give me one Reese Piece so I could have some hint of chocolate. I never though I could be satisfied by a piece of candy so small, but it was amazing!
Today has had some singing worth sharing too. First, one of the PVTs here is from Canada originally. I think I've mentioned him before. Someone mentioned Celine Dion and he went crazy. People started singing different songs, so I, in honor of the Washburns, busted out, "I Drove All Night." I'm sure you're all proud.
In closing, I forgot to mention something really cool about the ruck march Thursday. To some, it may sound corny, but whatever. Early in BCT, I noticed these blue flowers. You don't see them that frequently. They are wild and grow very sporadically. For some reason, every time I saw one, I thought of my wife and could feel her encouragement. I even mailed her a couple. So now, they have become a symbol to me of the encouragement, support, and love I have back home. On the ruck march, it seemed like every time I let my head drop from being tired, frustrated, thinking of the long road ahead, I would see one of these blue flowers. To me, it was amazing that these symbols I have only seen a few times prior seemed to be in the perfect spot along the ruck march to help me stay focused and driving on.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Oct. 30, Day 44

Another great Sunday today. About the only thing worth writing about is, believe it or not, ART. We've been tasked in our final weeks here to put some art in the bay as a gift. One PVT has done an awesome drawing. We also have designed our platoon t-shirt. Then, if any of you know me well, you know I like singing songs and making up new words. Of course, I've done that here both with making up new cadences and songs. It's been fun, but today the platoon decided they wanted to use one of my songs as a platoon song. I'm going to get them to learn it and we'll present it to our DS as a surprise near the end.

Oct. 29, 2011 Day 43

The topic of the day was APFT. At 0400 we were outside, again in freezing weather, waiting to start our PT test. I was a bit colder than the rest because I lost my (labeled) fleece cap during ASU fitting. I say labeled because it could only have been dropped on the open floor, meaning someone picked it up, knew it wasn't theirs, and kept it anyway. Like DS says, in the Army, 10% are thieves, while the other 90% are always looking for their stuff. The cool thing was, DS noticed I didn't have my fleece and gave me the one off her head! Talk about a great leader.
Turns out, it was so cold outside, they moved us inside for our push-ups and sit-ups. We then ran our 2-mile outside. I did a little better on push-ups, but nearly doubled my sit-ups. I also cut 40 seconds off my 2-mile run. Let me say though that the 2-mile run was definitely with God's help. I woke up Saturday morning with what felt like a severe shin splint on my right leg, right at the point where my boot ends. I could barely lift my toes. Still, I sucked it up and went to run instead of going to sick call. As soon as I took my first steps, I forgot all about it. It didn't just not hurt, it wasn't ever on my mind. But as soon as I finished, I could barely keep up with the formation when we started marching. It feels a little better now though, so don't worry.
The rest of our day was spent finishing cleanup from FTX and preparing for ARM (Advanced Rifle Markmanship) training. ARM is basically shooting while in odd stances or moving.

Oct. 27/28 Days 41/42

I'm joining these two days as they were both FTX2. Lately there have been several things worth writing about. I'll split them in two: Training and Drama.
So training...we were surprised to get up at 0330 and step off at 0400. (Oh, if I haven't explained it yet, the wake-up time is when you're supposed to be ready.) To our pleasant surprise, it was pushed to 0800 step off. At 0800, we started our 12K ruck to our FTX site. The hike wasn't that bad. Just a few large hills. I did have an ingrown toenail though that bothered me the whole way. Sometimes though, you just have to suck it up. Trust me when I say you don't want to go to sick call at BCT.
When we arrived, we had lunch and I got a challenging assignment. I was placed in charge of a ten-man detail to unload and setup the warming tent. The warming tent is a 20x40 canvas tent similar to the sleep tents you may remember from "MASH." I was told to figure it out. No direction was given from there on until we were ready to raise the center posts. It took us a lot of time, but we were able to get it all setup.
After that was finished, it was on to our patrol base that was setup deep in the woods. In the 30 degree weather, I pulled 50/50 fireguard throughout the night, even having to jump on the SAW a couple of times. The night was filled with the sounds of challenge calls, sim round mortars, and gunfire. The good thing was it came from the other bases. We had a patrol encounter another platoon's squad coming to find us and attack, but our base was never assaulted.
That morning, we packed up to move to our MOUT site (Military Operations in Urban Terrain). Basically, it was a simulated middle eastern city. We were trained to move through quickly and securely, then we were given a mission. The DSs were our opposition and they hid our XO. It was our mission to rescue him.
I was on a gun team with a saw. I protected the gunner and carried the extra ammo. We unloaded out there and had a great time. There is probably a 1/4 inch of powder residue in my weapon now, so I know what I'm doing this weekend.
When we got back, it never felt so good to walk into our bay: somewhere warm, with running water. The shower was heaven.
So now the drama part. We stopped 3 miles into the ruck march on Thursday for a latrine break and water refill. One problem though; it was my platoon's duty week and no one loaded the truck with water or duty equipment. DS was livid to say the least. It is going to take a lot to make up for that mistake, if we ever can make up for it.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Oct. 21, 2011 Day 35

Note from Dee: This blog post is out of order because it got lost in the mail...

Today was a lot better than the past...a great ending to a difficult week.
Primary business of the day was our first fitting for ASUs. I didn't think it would be too big of a deal. Somewhat exciting, sure, but it was more than that. After the 5 weeks we've had, putting on that uniform for the first time brightened that light at the end of the tunnel and built back up our morale.
The rest of the day we spent our time getting ready for our last practice for qualification.
So here I am, in a bunk with fresh crisp linens, after a nice hot shower, and lasagna at chow. Yep, can't complain tonight. Thank you all for your prayers.