Sunday, November 21st, 1999
Tori Amos 9.18.98 San Jose State University Event Center
0740


I went to sleep around 1630 last night and slept straight through until just a few minutes ago...I was tired.  The last few days I haven't gotten an extraordinary amount of sleep if you'll catch my drift.  Wednesday I was awoken at 0500 for the Field Training Exercises to commence.  Aafter a lot of bullshit mucking around and hasty actions at the motor pool to get vehicles ready when they were already supposed to BE ready (mine WAS), the convoy took of at about a 1445...forty five minutes later than planned for.  Got to camp, set up tents camoflague, etc.  By that time the sun had already gone down--we had a couple classes--personal hygiene, night driving, etc., and went to bed.
It was a huge clusterfuck that day but the detachment (what was there of it, about a third of those planned to go actually went) pulled together and got shit done...Thursday went better--we tore down most of the tents and equipment, did land navigation for several hours, and got everything ready to pull out on friday--we had pizza and movies too courtesy of the chaplain :)

Friday we tore everythign down, loaded up the vehicles, set up the drop zone for the jump, and came home.  That gave me almost ten hours until I had to go back out for the saturday profiency jump HHD 525 MI was hosting...that was pain in the ass, i almost just took my slkeepign bag out to the site and slept there...Turns out I wouldn't have had to do that--the fog was so thick that the planes didn't take off for three hours after they'd planned too--meaning I spent from 0230 to 103000 sleeping, watching movies, eating doritos, and occasionally helping out with otehr details.
Finally got home aroudn 1530--showered, ate, slept...
one cool thing about yesterday--i was tasked to take a soldier to the hospital--he'd gotten glass particles in his eye or something...they flushed it out mostly with saline solution but it was still irritating (PROBABLY becasue of all that damn Salt!)But he'd never been in a HMMV before so I took it offroad for a bit to have some fun and whirl him about...he thanked me, saying it "made his day".  It was a good time :)  Too bad it had to happen on what was supposed to be a day fucking off...

Tomorrow I start bus driver class.  I've been *told* i won't ever be tasked to drive such, but when that disclaimer from SSG Wade comes in "I won't let them absue you" I just *know* the detachment will find a bus somewhere for me to drive..(there are currently no licensed bus drivers in HHD 525 MI).  But hey, it get's me out of operation clean sleep (which sucked back in march) and gets me promotion points.  Apparently according to SSG Chevalier it's a civilian class so it's a civlian applicable license--meaning I can go drive a greyhound afterwards..big wahoo there, but it's something to say at least I guess.  Heh, kinda reminds me of all those times in high school when the bus driver was off somewhere--we all decided *we* would drive the bus, but none of us knew how...
Who'd think just six years later I'd be learning to do as such...I just hope I get my days off for thanksgiving still...that would suck to get thursday but not friday...

I'm loading a magazine right now--Beal and I found a ton of live blanks out in the field, and I have a couple blank mags...so...Also, took a bunch of pictures out at the drop zone.  I was on field landign strip duty, making sure none of the jumpers got run over by the plane when it landed out there to pick up more jumpers, so I got some good pictures I hope--with the amount I took I know at least a few had to come out well...Course now I have like 12 pictures to burn...

All in all, I had a good time out on FTX.  It wasn't as productive as in BCT or AIT, but it was much more relaxed atmosphere.  I've been told on several occasions, and especially wednesday, not to let this unit color my opinion of the rest of the army...this unit is shit compared to the real army...With that in mind I don't ever really expect much from my detachment.  At worst then I am pleasantly surprised...

I guess we're not chaptering that one soldier I was talking about earlier--apparently she hasn't been given enough proper counseling and the high command has said they'd kick it back because of that if we tried the chapter.  The soldier turns 21 soon so there shouldn't be any more problems with her getting in trouble for underaged drinking.  Hopefully she's learned not to drink and drive though...particually since she's not allowed to drive on post.  She's actually at PLDC right now...

So I have one full 30 round mag of blanks now.

Jeesh, I feel odd being up at 0810 on a sunday...Dave wanted to get pizza and beer last night and I thought it was a good idea...I planned on napping and getting back up around 8 or 9 but that certainly never happened...
 
 


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