Day 9

Easy: the word of the day is "Hooah!". I said that, or should I say, shouted that more times before 8am than in my entire life. "Hooah!" is the battle cry of the Army and often, the Drill Sergeants say "Hooah" with a question mark and we all reply with "Hooah!" Sort of a "Roger that?" to make sure we "get it." "HOOAH?"  HOOAH!!! So the morning started out with us in "Army" formation outside and grouped into two companies then four platoons. I'm in "C" (Charlie) Company, 4th PLT (platoon). We (C Company) then filed into a classroom for some "Army 101" training. Army Core Values, Army vs. Navy rank structure and also a very impressive introduction of our 9 drill sergeants. All experienced warriors who have fought in Oz and hand-picked to train us sailors. Many fret when they hear "drill sergeant" and think they'll treat us like we're in boot-camp. Far from it. It's nothing like that at all. Lots of respect and humor goes back and forth between us which lightens things up.

Shortly before lunch, we all boarded the bus to head on over to another part of the base where we were issued a TON of gear...seriously, it looked and felt like it!  Here's a brief rundown without pulling out the checklist and seabags stowed beneath my rack: kevlar vest with 1" thick battle armor, CamelBak for hydration, Gerber multi-tool, gloves to wear when shooting along with cold-weather gloves, many many packs that attach to the vest that serve different functions, goggles, 2 sets of ballistic sunglasses with clear lens inserts, and cold-weather gear good down to -60F. Not sure why I got that stuff...Oz isn't known to get down to anywhere near freezing. But anyway, it's required so I got it. Oh yea...the helmet. Got that, too. Since we're being anonymous here and I've disabled all GeoTag and GPS coordinates from my photos I post here (yes, I have thought of everything, I hope!), here's a shot of me today trying out my gear. Unless you can scan my retina through the glasses, I think we're safe! Yes, I am ALWAYS practicing OPSEC. (operational security).  Midway through our gear issue, the staff here did a cookout for us for any donation. Sitting in the grass with my shipmates, chowing down on a burger, chips, and Gatorade was pretty darn cool, I must admit. The sun was blazing, too. After some midday chow, we got the rest of our gear and boarded the buses for "home" at our main camp.

At this point, we had about 270 seabags on the back of a truck and quite heavy. We basically lined up and formed a chain to get them offloaded then shouted out names to get them distributed. Shortly thereafter, it was "dress up" time. We gathered under some tall pines for some shade and the drill sergeants taught us how to wear the kevlar vests and helmet...and told us what we "really" need for our time here and what we can pack and seal up for the trip to Oz...a little further down the Yellow Brick Road. It was nearing 6pm or 1800 for you military folks so we wrapped it up for the day and headed for dinner.

While some people gather around and play cards or whatever else within groups, I have quickly found my new routine here. Dinner > shower > video calls with my girls and phone calls with a variety of people. Once all that happens, I find myself here to write about the day. I like this routine..I really do. The night flies by which gets me to bed quicker and the morning is here sooner. It's not that I want time to fly but I sure do like it when it does. After all, every day down is a day closer to Kansas, right? Right.

Tomorrow? Weapons. 'nuf said!

Goodnight, everyone.