Write the bugger! 
22 April 2007
Ahh basic training. The best of times and the worst of times. The beginning of this week was awesome. The end of this week was pretty much the worst since I’ve been here.
The red phase ftx [test?] was a lot of fun, but very tiring. The cadre put together real operation orders and we busted out for a remote place at Fort Knox (right on the border in the deep woods) and set up a loose camp formation. We conducted a day time land navigation course which was very invigorating and mentally challenging. I was the team captain of my group and led us to four out of four of the points we were supposed to find. Of course everything we did that weekend was in “full battle rattle� (Kevlar helmet, vest with ballistic plates, LBV, rucksack, M4 carbine). Luckily we were allowed to ground our rucksacks during the land navigation course.
We didn’t get any MRE’s because the army is kinder and gentler these days and loves to contract out jobs to civilians. We get hot chow that is trucked out to our location wherever we’re in the field and sometimes at the barracks.
That night we did night land navigation course that was ridiculously hard. Ever try to navigate through the Kentucky woods in the middle of the night in a helmet and bulletproof vest with a group of privates that really have no idea what they’re doing? I have, it gets no where fast. Needless to say we didn’t get the night land navigation point we were supposed to but our platoon did win the land nav. Course streamer for our banner overall – that made our drill sergeants happy.
The whole rest of the weekend was full of red phase testing, and the rest of the week off and on as well (now I realize why I feel like so much has happened this week, I’m writing for two weekends… wow).
During the week (on Wed. or TH. I think) we learned some basic combative exercises. You know – hand to hand fighting? The army has a new style that’s a cross between wrestling, judo, and some Russian style martial arts. We had a lot of fun with that and I’m happy to say I can confidently kick butt if I have to now. I need a lot more practice but the fundamentals are there (so you better hope my Xbox is in good shape when I get home Ben and Keith…)
This weekend we had some red phase testing on first aid. I passed with flying colors and even got a complement from a drill sergeant who said I made the best splint for a fracture that he as seen all day. I’ll tell you what; it really helped to have all that training as Boy Scout. A lot of the first aid felt like refresher course. I was one of the main three authorities in first aid in my platoon – Everyone came to me for advice (not to blow my own horn but its true).
Also this weekend we did our first PT test. The full 2 minute push-up, 2 minute sit-up and 2 mile run. I think I might have mentioned before how I was worried about my diet and weight and not improving my exercises. Well, my PT test surprised me quite a bit. I did 42 push-ups, 45 sit-ups and ran the two miles in 15 minutes and 26 seconds. Not outstanding I know but before I got here those scores were considerably less (or more as the case may be).
My goals now for the end of basic training are to do 65 push-ups, 70 sit-ups and run a 14:30 two mile on my final PT test. Then at “pit” I can hopefully bump those scores up even more. I will be one seriously ripped dude when I get back. Oh yeah…
Well, like I said before, this week didn’t end well. Our primary drill sergeant at the end of the week was D.S. Twocrow. This guy has a perpetual chip on his shoulder, is never happy with anything, and has a temper that would scare the terminator. We didn’t eat fast enough in the chow hall on Saturday and some other small thing and he flipped out on us. It wouldn’t have been that bad if it weren’t for the 2nd platoon. They were having a locker inspection at the time and their D.S.s [Drill Sergeants] started finding contraband crackers, cookies, cereal, and other food in the barracks. If you couldn’t figure it out - that’s a big no, no. Automatic counseling statement and article 15 UCMJ punishment (look it up, not enough time to explain it here). Well 2nd platoon’s drill sergeants got all worked up and told our drill sergeants to check our bays too. Fortunately, they didn’t find any food. Unfortunately, they found something even worse – a cell phone. One of our platoon members had a cell phone plugged into the wall behind his locker. Wow, we got totally screwed for that one. It was only a handful of people that knew about the phone and used it but the entire platoon got smoked (P.T.ed to death). Most of all the platoon guide and squad leaders, and guess what I am? Yay! All the leaders got smoked in the sand pit for a good 20 minutes while the rest of the platoon watched, it was bad. I was totally exhausted when we were finished. I mean. Totally beat. Basically what you do in “the pit� is run in place until the DS says�Hit it!� Then you drop to the push-up position and immediately stand back up again. In the course of 20 minutes a D.S. can say “Hit it!� easily 100 times and by the time we were done, everyone was running in foot deep hole in the sand they had dug with their feet and body. It was intense stuff man. All the D.S.’s from all the entire company were royally pissed off today. We lost all privileges (Px, phone calls, free time) and were smoked hardcore 2 or 3 times as a platoon and a company. Another reason our platoon was in trouble was because we constantly fight and bicker at each other and don’t work as a team. It’s getting really old and I completely understand why the D.S’s are getting ticked off about it.
As a squad leader a lot rests on my shoulders now. I have my squad to take care of and I’ve been put in charge of making sure our floor of the barracks is clean. I have a lot less free time now and I feel like I’m babysitting a lot. Especially one 17 year old Private Castleberry, from Tennessee who has ADHD and seems to make enemies anywhere he turns. I don’t know what to do about him. Everyone in his baby [?] hates him for good reason. But then again no one yet can be mature enough to work out their own problems. It is very mentally taxing to have to figure out how to best handle this matter. I don’t want to tack it to D.S. because both of them are already sick and tired of hearing stories about how we hate each other.
*sigh* Anyway this letter is a lot longer then I thought it was going to be so I’ll end it here. This next week we actually start white phase and weapons training and marksmanship practice - Woot! Expect a good letter next week.
I didn’t have any pie last Sunday cuz we were in the woods… but I did have some Oreo cookies with dinner
PFC Christensen at Fort Knox
P.S. - Oh ya, I forgot to mention that at the PTX we had to post 360 guards around our camp all night long. People hardly got any sleep, myself included because the drill sergeants would periodically probe our lines and set of huge M80 fireworks (you know ¼ stick of dynamite kind?) next to our camp to simulate mortar attacks. Aaahh gotta love the United States Army.
P.P.S. – So am I to assume that no one is commenting on the website to my letters? Or is Ben just not sending them to me? [There have been six comments, none of which have real value; I have not been sending them] I’ve been here four weeks and only received three letters not from my wife. [One from me!] I guess “Support the troops� is just a bumper sticker huh?