Favorite Songs on sidebar

I learned about a new feature for my blog -- the iLike song list [link]. I posted one to the right.

Working with the blog layout reminded me of something -- that none of my links work.

Still gotta find a fix for that one...

Lost in Oklahoma

Southwest Oklahoma's a beautiful place, but it's a desolate kind of beauty. We went out to the field yesterday to run some drills around this one place built to simulate an urban environment.

It really was in the middle of nowhere.

BOLC2, Week 3

Today marked the end of a long week. Tuesday was awesome because we got to do nothing, but as the week progressed and we waited for the snow to melt, we started to go a little stir crazy because we still couldn't do anything.

Thursday, for example, it got up into the 60s and all of the snow that was on even the most minor road turned entirely to slush -- not bad for driving. Yet the cadre, saying that it would freeze overnight, still wouldn't let us go off post. It was really silly. There was even a rumor that if we couldn't go out to our training site today, we wouldn't be able to go out this weekend at all.

Having been pretty much confined to the barracks area, most of our training consisted of room cleaning drills, correcting weapons malfunctions, sitting in classrooms listening to irrelevant banalities, and general wastingtimedness. I got the impression cadre were trying to keep us busy while we patiently attended the thaw.

All was not lost, though, because we got released at about 7:00pm for the Superbowl weekend. The commander even granted us a special favor -- the normal "no drinking alcohol within 24 hours of a training day" was rescinded for this one occasion, and Monday morning PT was cancelled.

Though I won't be partaking in any Super Bowl relevant revelry, I can certainly appreciate the gesture. We start week by doing land navigation, and I can certainly use the rest.

SNOW DAY!!!

Yesterday, we were scheduled to go out to the training "Forward Operating Base" (FOB). We loaded our gear, got in the backs of a couple large trucks, and drove for about half an hour.

Then, curiously, we turned around and came back -- the weather was taking a turn for the worse, the freezing rain would mean dangerous conditions for everyone at Fort Sill. The decision was made to wait until today to see how the weather would turn out.

We woke up at 0500 only to be told that PT was cancelled and that formation would be at 0850. Yay! Then, as 0800 came around, that got pushed back to 1250. Yay! Finally, word came down that we'd get the whole day off. YAY!

It's nasty stuff, I must admit, and it's still coming down. There's not much on the ground, but the little icy pellets stings your face and the winds down't help at all, either. It sticks to everything, and some places around here have even lost power.

It looks like the storm itself will end by tomorrow, but who knows whether we'll the higher-ups will move us out or not.


Snow days are great, especially in the Army, but I wonder what they'll do with our weekend coming up.

Army computer facilities

If you're going to OCS or BOLC2, I recommend you bring a laptop computer and a small printer. In general, the computer facilities here are OK, but depending on them can be quite a frustrating ordeal.

In basic training we didn't have any computer access at all, so this wasn't even an issue, but when I got to OCS the problems were obvious.

First, all the computers were locked out. The Army allows people with Computer Access Cards to access the secure network, but it doesn't provide usernames for the constant influx of temporary computer users. Instead, they just use generic usernames and passwords for the entire computer lab.

This creates problems when computers freeze up or people inadvertently turn them off. The dozen or so computers get locked out over time, gradually contricting the number of accessible machines, until finally the problem gets reported through the cadre (who don't use the computers and hence don't really care) to an administrator.

After a technician comes in and fixes it, everyone rejoices! And then the same thing happens all over again. The same thing is going on now in BOLC2.

I prefer to use my own computer, not just because I prefer my own settings, but because access is an issue here at BOLC2. Though it costs nearly $40 a month, I can at least access movie showtimes. The BOLC2 computers are really only good for email and accessing AKO accounts.

The second problem is that the networked printers are horribly unreliable and often overworkd. If you've got something that *needs* to get printed, you can count on EVERYBODY needing to print the same exact same document.

For example, in OCS we had to fill out DA-31s (leave forms), but we kept getting different input from different cadre about how to do the calculations. Some people had to print the same form more than six times. In a company of about 160 candidates, that was a lot of paper being pushed through the one printer we had.

Here in BOLC2, our company of 220 lieutenants doesn't even have a single working printer. I've tried going to the library to print things, but the only time we can get there is on weekends from 10:00am to 5:00pm. That's not exactly convenient for the needs we have.

So at this point, I think the best advice I can give is for people to bring a laptop computer (one that can be locked up easily) and a printer. By doing so you can avoid some of the worst frustrations I've had.

Lawton sunrise

There aren't many people here in BOLC2 who openly express satisfaction with being here, but there are moments that are pretty cool.

Here's a sunrise picture I caught. It was even better a few moments beforehand, but it took me a minute or two to run back up to my room to get my camera.

I should remember to carry my camera more often, just for occasions like this.

Ancestry, not nationality

A while back, I saw this really cool U.S. map of dominant ancestries by county. [clicking on the image brings up the 800 pixel map with the legend.

Predictably, there is a high concentration of Italian around New York City, Germans throughout the Midwest, and Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico.

But what I noticed when I looked again at this again recently were the counties that listed "American" as their principal ancestry. Those are the ones in yellow.

I wonder what they meant. "American" ancestry? Maybe they misunderstood that the question was about ethnicity, not nationality.

Strange.

The Jimmy Dean

This week has been really busy what with all the in-processing garbage that's going on, so more often than not we've skipped breakfast meal time and gone with packaged breakfasts.

Anyone who's ever been in the military has an opinion about the food, but they usually refer to either the DFAC (Dining FACility) or the MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat). This post, however, is devoted to the noble "Jimmy Dean."

Why they named it that, I'll probably never know, but it's one step up from the MRE in terms of class.


The only issue I take with the Jimmy Dean is that it's always the same. Frosted Flakes, UHT milk, strawberry Pop Tarts, Mott's Applesauce, a Caprisun juice (more on that in a moment), and a granola bar. There's also salt and pepper, but I can't imagine what you'd use them for (the applesauce? disgusting).

For more on Army chow, this guy's got a great post that's way more comprehensive: (MREs -- Meals, Rejected by Everyone)

Now, about the CapriSun - check out these two pictures:

The one on the left says "100% Juice." Sounds good, right?

Now check out the caveats on the right - "Grape Flavored Blend." What is that? You mean my 100% juice Grape Tide isn't just grape juice? What exactly is it?

According to this site, CapriSun uses apple juice. And as for the sneaky-sounding "Other Ingredient" and "Other Natural Flavor," the answers only bring up more questions.

The "other ingredient" is citric acid, which (assuming they got it from a juice) comes from oranges or lemons. But why didn't they just say that?

And "other natural flavor" remains just that - "Natural Flavor." What natural flavor is that? Apparently, CapriSun doesn't want to say.

Why doesn't CapriSun just use 100% grape juice for its "Grape Tide"? My guess is that they managed to bid lower than Welch's. What a shame....

The Meersburger

Last night I played designated driver for a trio of platoon buddies. We went to this one place that's famous for its buffalo wings. (Around here, lots of places are, but well, nevermind...) I also found out that DDs get free cokes, so that's a gig that I definitely won't mind in the future.

So how do you top free Cokes and a four day weekend? By driving to Meers for a tasty Meersburger. Though it doesn't look like much from the outside, this place was ranked as one of the top 10 places in the U.S. for burgers. They've even got a snazzy website

I must admit, they're not much to look at, but they are darn tasty. The other guys got the 7" ones, but I played it smart and got a small one, saving room for dessert.



Other people used the opportunity to go far, far away. Another difference between BOLC2 and OCS is the distance you're allowed to travel away from post. In OCS, you were limited to 25 miles, no matter the situation. Here in BOLC, you're allowed to go 100 miles (which includes Oklahoma City) without special permission.

And because this was a four-day, the radius was extended even farther; from what I heard, some people requested and were given passes to fly.

BOLC2, Week 1

Today was the "initial" PT test; nothing glorious, but I passed.

Originally I had thought that I'd have a chance to improve and score better in two subsequent tests thoughout our term, but then I found out that if you pass, you don't do any of the other two. They're only for people who fail the initial one.

This differs from OCS. There, you have to pass the initial one in order to even get in the class. There are two others during the term; you have to also pass the last one in order to graduate.

Well, OK. So that's over with.

Today also marked the end of the first week. With Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday this coming Monday, the Army has decided to give us not just a three day-, but a FOUR DAY weekend.

There is now much rejoicing.

Do the DITY Move

We had a bit of down time today, so I went over to the Tranportation Office to learn more about "Do IT Yourself" (DITY) moves.

From what they said, people who are away from their post on temporary duty (TDY) can get compensation for moving up to 600 pounds of their stuff on their own. You have to weigh your car empty and then again when it's full -- that determines the true weight. The dollar amount is determined by the weight and distance traveled.

For me, I'll be hauling about 300 pounds back to Fort Eustis for BOLC3; according to the transportation representative I spoke with, that qualifies me for about $700 in compensation.

I was amazed -- 700 bucks just for hauling my own stuff to my next assignment? Incredible! I strongly advise anyone driving to BOLC to look into this.

Now I just have to find the free time to get over to the weight station. They're only open during the weekdays -- exactly the same times we're busy. :-(

First PT

Today for PT we ran the two mile course we'll do for Thursday's PT test. It shouldn't have been so bad, but 1.) I haven't really done any physical training during the last month, and 2.) I didn't bring my running shoes with me.

This was pretty embarrassing, given that I didn't even realize it until this morning. I'm not sure if it went noticed by the cadre, but I didn't make a stink out of it and just ran in my street shoes. The first free moment I have I'll run over to Walmart and pick some cheap ones out.

One of the things that's different about BOLC is that we are assured of at least a little free time every day. We just have to be back by 11:00 pm.

This is a big relief -- hopefully I can avoid any future mistakes.

Open ... and Closed

When I checked in to BOLC 2 yesterday, I was aware that I needed to do a couple of things -- get a unit patch and sew my new lieutenant rank onto my patrol caps. Unfortunately, the military clothing store closes on Sundays, so I had to look around off-post.

I saw the sign for "Carl's Military Surplus" and pulled in, thinking this looks promising. After all, it said right on the sign, below the advertisement for dog tags, "YES, WE'RE OPEN!"

How very odd then, to walk up to the front door and see this sign:


So they're always open, but closed on Sundays.... That's pretty much Lawton, Oklahoma, in a nutshell.

Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) 2 starts

I checked in for seven weeks of BOLC (pronounced "bo-lick") 2 today. I signed in at noon in my uniform, got assigned my IBA and my room, and settled in slowly.

From what it looks like, things are just as disorganized here on the first day as things were at OCS. I didn't eat lunch before getting here, so by the time dinner rolled around I was pretty hungry.

A couple things I'd recommend that future classes bring: bring about 15 copies of your orders, plus your medical and dental records. Those things are not listed on the Packing List, but life's a lot more convenient if you've already got them.

I also found out that the DFAC (cafeteria) needs to see your orders in order to feed you for free. (Otherwise, it comes out of your paycheck.) So it's good to carry a copy of your orders on you at all times, even when you're in civilian clothes.

January 2009 update

Let me see, what have I been up to for the past month?

My family came down to Georgia to see my commisssioning on December 4th. After that, I did two weeks as a hometown recruiter in Wisconsin.

When that ended, I started my official leave, and hung out with my family for Christmas. My brother and sister (with her family) visited a few days after; Santa was delayed till the 27th.

They had to leave a day or two later, and we left town to visit my family on the East Coast on the 29th. After two days, we left for Virginia to stay with friends.

And that's where we are now.

I'm still trying to update the blog with my experiences from basic training and OCS. I thought I'd have a whole bunch of time being on leave, but I've been surprised at how my time my son requires just being "watched."

He's either standing, crawling, or shoving stuff into his mouth pretty much all the time. He actualy does have to be constantly monitored, and that leaves little time for me to truly goof off.

I'll have to work hard to find the time for that.

New Jersey for the New Year

OK, here's the plan: SY & P will stay with friends in Virginia while I'm doing BOLC2 in Oklahoma. After it's finished, we'll go to Fort Eustis together.

Until then, we have some free time, and I wanted to show off my new LT bar to my grandfather, who wasn't able to make it to Georgia for my commissioning. So we went to New Jersey for a few days first.

We stayed with my parents, who of course were happy to see the grandson.


And my grandfather proudly joked that he would have to call his grandson "sir."