Mailed blog – written by Julian

28 Jan 11

We made it, no more Red Phase.  In Basic Combat Training there are three phases in your 10 week training.  Red – total control, introductory phase.  White – slowly adds more freedom, learn combat skills.  Blue – combine all your warrior skills and show your capabilities as a soldier.  You could tell they have been slowly sliding us toward white phase.  We’ve been able to talk to each other more, have slightly (30-60 seconds) longer to eat our meals (sometimes), and have been a bit more relaxed with the drill sergeants.  Just getting to know each other more.  Tonight we had the ceremony where we changed our platoon flag from red to white.  Man, we were so proud to see that white flag.  We’ve got a long ways to go, teamwork wise, but each day we are getting stronger and closer. 

Again today we went to the range to shoot.  I think I’m doing pretty good.  The last few days I haven’t gotten much feedback, but I guess that means I’ve been doing just fine.  You’d hear it if you were really messing it up.  For most part I hit the target right on, but every now and then my eyes go blurry and I have to refocus and regroup.  The first day at the range I kinda hesitated to pull the trigger and was a bit nervous.  Now I’m very relaxed.  On the first day shooting I positioned myself too close to the charging handle.  When I shot it came back and hit me in the glasses, giving me a little shiner under my right eye.  It’s barely noticeable.  Needless to say, I fixed my stance very quickly after that.  Silly me.  Its stuff like that that reminds me I’m still me.

We have been eating a lot of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) lately, as we’ve been out in the field shooting every day.  I’m getting pretty used to them.  We all have our favorites and trade and share.  It’s the only time they let us take our time to eat because we need all those calories each MRE has 1200-1400 calories.  That’s about how much I was eating a day when I was back home training for this!  The other day when Gomez and I had range duty we were allowed to eat our candy.  Usually if your MRE comes with candy you have to hand it over.  Once you pass your PT test you can eat it, but as you all know I have ONE more sit up to do before I accomplish that.  Anyway, we ate our candy.  Boy, did we feel sick after that.  Almost four weeks of no sugar and our bodies were MAD at those Reeses Pieces!  Really though, food is our favorite part of the day, next to shower time.  We are always talking about food, what we’re gonna eat when we get out, what our favorite recipes are, and how nice it will be to have a cocktail again!

Our first road march is tomorrow.   We’ve been marching up the wazoo lately, but I guess this is the official one.  It’s 8K in full gear.  Wake up in 0415 and we form up to march at 0445.  Boy oh boy, these mornings are early!  But you gotta do what you gotta do.  And here there’s no choice, or a drill sergeant will be down your throat in two seconds.  This cycle our company is only three platoons instead of four, so the private to drill sergeant ratio is extra high.  Lucky us.  Time for shut eye.  Over and out.