Swimming Pools and M16s

I got out of the pool after swimming 1200m, 400m of which I did with a "rubber duck," a rubber-and-steel replica of an M16 rifle, identical in weight and shape.

Me and the other LTs were drying ourselves off to rush to a morning formation when the Captain who ran our physical training informed us that we would wait until our last man was out. We each grabbed a rifle and started doing exercises with them: curls, presses, extensions, rotations.

A few of us must have been making funny faces, because the CPT caught on to our eagerness to get out. By now, only one of us was left in the pool, doing laps, but he wasn't quitting anytime soon.

"Two weeks ago my girlfriend broke up with me. I felt pretty miserable. But a buddy of mine called me one day after work and invited me over. We had a few brewskis and he put in Star Wars Episode III, and fast forwarded to Chapter 42 or something: Where Darth Vader, or Anakin, and Obi-Wan are about to battle it all out. And Anakin jumps at Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan cuts off his arms and legs and Anakin falls into the lava and catches on fire. And my friend turns to me and says. 'That could be you! Your life isn't that bad!'"

"PT is a privilege. You should be smiling that you're here!"

And so we kept working out. Finally the last man climbed out and we all went home to shower.

We made it to the formation on time. Barely.

Standards

As an Army officer, your standards of living are much higher entering the service than a private. No more (for us, at least) are the World War II barracks where twenty men share a common living area, and forty men share a bathroom. Instead, I get a private room, free internet, and free cable.

A friend asked me what lodging at Fort Knox was like. Because I'm on temporary duty (TDY) they put us up in "transient lodging." I told my friend that there are nice on-post apartments, so nice that they have a full kitchen, living room, study, and bedroom, for only $48 per night (but keep in mind that all our lodging expenses are reimbursed).

I pay $43 dollars per night. What do I get?

A large hotel room, with a two-stovetop "kitchen" and a walk-in closet that leads to my bathroom. But at least I get HBO.

But then again, so do the apartments.

Both options get daily maid service, but reports suggest the apartments get the nicer maids (ones that do your dishes).

But I can't complain. My lodging is directly beside highway 31W (which runs North-South ... so a real genius decided to put a W in there to confuse people), which makes leaving the post all the easier.

Soon I'll be talking about actually learning things about tanks ... and the proof that when one of our training NCOs said, "If you've played video games, you'll do fine" was much more accurate than I would have thought.

OBC: Week One

The first week of OBC is done.

The first week included an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) where each officer is graded on pushups and situps each in two-minute tests, and then timed in a two-mile run.

Then it was off to briefings and paperwork. Finance paperwork, processing paperwork, life insurance paperwork, dental paperwork; we also received briefings on everything from ethics, expected behavior, to suicide prevention and dealing with combat stress.

The highlight of the week was actually climbing around and inside a real M1A1 tank. We didn't get to do anything, but at least we learned something useful for down the road.

Our class is mostly OCS graduates, with a few National Guardsmen (NG) and Reservists (USAR), along with two international students, one from Greece and one from Afghanistan. ROTC seems to be in the minority.

All in all, a pretty slow week, especially when you think the Army is all about blowing stuff up.

The weekend was slow as being stuck in a small and old class, many of the officers are either engaged or already married. Our big attempt to go out drinking Saturday night ended with half the group wanting to retire early ... we were back on base before 11 pm, when bars in Louisville don't close until 4 am ... obviously there are aspects my class has to work on before we leave here in a few months.

This week: Land Navigation, M4A1 (rifle) qualification, M9 (pistol) qualification, and a few briefings thrown in there somewhere.

Starting Officer Basic

Officer Basic Course is not "basic" in the terms most people understand it. In fact, it seems few people even realize how an officer differs from warrant officers and enlisted soldiers (or that there even is a difference).

There are three main groups of people in the US military services today. The enlisted ranks have everything from privates to sergeants and sergeant majors (the latter two being non-commissioned officers or NCOs), and this makes up the bulk of the military in the sense that these are the people that get the job done.

Warrant Officers are specialized experts in very technically-heavy tasks; the best example would be being a helicopter pilot in the Army.

And Commissioned Officers round out the list. These are the managers, and start at second lieutenants (my current rank) and go through captain, major, the colonels, and then the general ranks. These are the leaders at the tops of units (commanders) and the planners of operations (for example: even though the military is predominantly enlisted (6:1 enlisted:officer), at the Pentagon it is reversed, being much more officer-concentrated). The commission comes from Congress, which controls the numbers of officers on active duty, and the three commissioning sources (ROTC, USMA (West Point), and Officer Candidate School (OCS; this is how enlisted soldiers become officers). All officers have a bachelor's degree, and as their ranks increases they increasingly gain professional military and civilian degrees.

As stated, since I'm at Officer Basic, the training we go through is much different than those at "basic," which is the name for enlisted initial training, the stereotypical breaking the body and mind down and rebuilding it as a soldier, seaman, airman, or marine.

Our classes do consist of physical aspects, technical aspects, hand-on aspects. But we also are trained in tactics, planning, and leadership. Because once at a unit, each second lieutenant (2LT) will be in charge of a tank platoon of fifteen or so men and four tanks. And his second in command will be a Sergeant First Class, an NCO with at least 10-15 years experience in the Army.

Just like my friends at Infantry Officer Basic learn all the different machine guns, ultimately it is not the officer's job to maintain or to fire the weapon; if he does, something in combat has gone horribly wrong for him. They must know the basics, but more importantly they must know how to lead the men who will actually pull the trigger in defense of our nation; it is simply the officers who decide when.

The Road to Kentucky: Louisville, New Years Eve

I made it to Louisville by lunchtime, and parked in the Hyatt parking lot. I called ahead to make sure they had room. I walk in and am informed that they are not only full, but that the only rooms they have are for their New Year's party ... at $225 per person per room.

Standing in the parking lot making frantic calls to downtown hotels and not wanting to drive out to the airport hotels they recommended, I saw an SUV run a red light, get T-boned by a sedan, and flip over ... everyone was alright, but the intersection was crazy for a while.

Driving toward the airport, I started re-calling downtown hotels, hoping that someone canceled a reservation. Luck struck, and I ended up staying two blocks from the Hyatt at a Hampton Inn ... which even got me a government rate for the night.

Had a few drinks at the bar downstairs and got the lay of the land from the bartender. Then I set out: Steak dinner at Red Star Tavern, got a few recommendations for night's activities from the ladies in the next booth over, and I was off.

Little did I realize that after 9pm, I couldn't re-enter the restaurant and all the bars started charging cover. To kill time, I went to the Maker's Mark Bourbon Lounge, and inadverdantly bought a $47 glass of bourbon. Let me explain:

1. Bartender at Hotel recommends Pappy Van Winkle, but it's too high-shelf for them.
   
2. I see three different Pappies on the menu at Maker's Mark: the highest being $20 and 20 years aged.
   
3. I order said drink.
   
4. Bartender tells me she only has a 23-year old. I say I'll take it.
   
5. She pours the drink, sets it in front of me, and rings me up.
   
6. $47.00 comes up on the register.
   
7. She apologizes profusely.
   
8. I say I'll still take it (New Year's is only once a year, after all).
   
9. She tops off my drink because she feels guilty.
   
10. It was good.
    
    

Talked to a young married couple from Indiana, got some recommendations for later in the night, and left the bar.

Met up with a friend from college at a house party near U of Louisville. Champagne, dropping my camera, and meeting people ensued.

Left at 0100 to go to a bar ... I paid a cover to get in, walked through it, kept walking through it, kept walking through it, but seeing so many crowded rooms and bars, I realized I was too tired to go on.

The end.

Next: What is Fort Knox really like?