Is it Christmas already? Army style? - Fort Jackson

You’ve seen the movies… A new recruit goes through first days of boot camp disoriented being screamed at by their drill sergeants and eventually being inundated with what seems like endless bags of supplies uniforms and tools for which there surely is no other use than to weigh me down during some sort of forced march torture… Well that’s not just the movies. It really is disorienting. Coupled with the fact that you’ve just “slept” with 60 other complete strangers in various stages of sleep apnea due to breathing issues (SNORING) which means you didn’t sleep at all and you are herded around like cattle eventually arriving at supply depot where you are handed unrecognizable gear and told to dump said various items into the dark depths of one of 3 large duffel bags assigned at the very beginning of the line. 250 plus people all acquiring basic Army general issue gear. You stuff the items deep down into the bag and just know that you may never see it again. You will however “hump” this bag all over the world; a fate worse than the mission itself. Gear like extreme cold weather parkas. Makes sense to me – never know when you’re gonna get caught out in the dessert and that blizzard will roll up on you. I’m sure I’ll be the envy of every local when the white out begins. Follow this up with a long wait in the field for lunch. On the menu – MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). Delightful. I’m lucky enough to get Beef Ravioli. Not really as tasty as I remembered during my camping/back-packing days. I suppose then it was a novelty - Now it’s my reality. I may end up eating these damn things a lot.

Next comes the Rapid Fielding Initiative - cool war fighters gear for the 20th century. Camel Backs, Oakley sunglasses, Rector knee/elbow pads, Kevlar Helmet, we’re stylish. My active imagination starts working – I can see the movie title now ...

Combat Skateboarders - Thrashing Baghdad!

OH HELL, what's this - IBA (Interceptor Body Armor) with SAPI (Small arms protective inserts) plates? This is the equipment I’ve been dreading… 30+ instant pounds compacted into a stylish camo vest. More waiting… I think in all their efficiency I’ve determined that we will be standing-by to stand-by A LOT. We finally get back to base around 20:00 just in time to be assigned our weapons. In a silly extremely unprofessional rush we are pushed through the armory in line being handed (hmm more like thrown) M-16 rifles and 9MM pistols without much familiarization. UNSAT! I’m fairly comfortable with these weapon systems but the way a couple of folks are handling them – its just a little more than disconcerting. It’s been a long day that started at 04:00 and ended at 21:30. Were given a meal consisting of formed Canned BarBQ sandwich - chili Mac and Pringles then sent to the rack. I can’t wait– the idea of 60 snoring men full of chili Mac!