A LOT has happened since I last made an entry. I'll try to keep it to just the highlights. For those of you who know me know that that's a challenge. I'm always getting hung up in the details of my stories, right down to what people were wearing. I'd like to think it enhances the story. :)
Ok, so week 4 started our time in the field at Camp Bullis. It's a bit of a dust bowl out there, and really HOT! There is no running water of any kind. It's HOT! There are no showers or indoor plumbing of any kind. It's HOT! Our freshwater source is from a water buffalo. We have small hand washing and hygiene stations that are filled with non-potable water. Did I mention it's HOT!?!?! On average temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees. We have small thermometers in our tents that usually read about 95 degrees when the air conditioner isn't turned on. The air is turned off during the day while we train and started up in the afternoon. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for it to really make much of difference.
When we arrived in the field we were joined by about 150 reservists. The first day we spent doing a "walk the dog" exercise for land navigation. From about 0900-1600 we were slowly making our way from point to point out on the course. Luckily my group instructor took appropriate actions to prevent heat injury in our group. However that was not the case in every group. At least 25 soldiers fell out from heat injury that day requiring interventions as small as a cup of gatorade to hospitalization. The training company commander came on site to address the issue since it had caught the attention of the Commanding General. While we did have an opportunity to voice our thoughts and opinions to improve the situation, we were also reprimanded for "not hydrating well enough, eating enough, and being inexperienced in the field." The irony of the situation is that there were just as many prior service soldiers at direct commissions with heat injury. That was pretty much the major event of the week. From there on out most of the training was much less strenuous and extra measures were taken to keep us as cool as possible. We received classes on the M9 to disassemble, assemble, and preparation for the range. We also reviewed the M16 and prepared to zero and qualify at the range. Fairly uneventful.
I do have to mention that bugs here are HUGE!! I have ever seen such large spiders and grasshoppers in my life. They are really quite intimidating. One day during training I made my way over to a shady area to sit down and just happen to catch a glimpse of a spider web in front of me. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around only to find the largest spider I have ever seen!!! Yuck!!! Supposedly they're not even a threat, but I have trouble believing it. Let's not forget about the 3 inch grasshopper I saw. It's literally the size of a mouse. I guess things really are bigger in Texas!
Week 2 was really cool!! It was the AMEDD FTX. We were able to set up all the different levels of care that are utilized during deployment. Once in place we began to run the scenario simulating a mass casualty. We were even able to utilize blackhawks to MEDEVAC our "critical" patients. It was SWEET! It's probably the most pertinent thing we've done in the field.
Combatives have continued out in the field. We workout in ground up tire pits. It makes all the exercises ten times harder to do. The class has been good. I feel like I'm learning a lot. Of course there are some down sides. Sometimes you don't get very good partners who don't stick to the techniques that you've been taught and they just try to muscle you to the group. They're really more like bullies. The other day we worked on blood chokes. They are effective within about 10 seconds if performed correctly. It's probably just as well that Eric isn't around so that he doesn't have to be my practice partner. :)
Today Eric had his first game of the season against Carson-Newman. The first quarter was pretty quiet for E, but then things got going. He had four catches for 109 yards. He was the top receiver of the game!!!!!! I am soooooo proud of him. His coaching staff has him on a special practice plan specific for him to keep him health and game ready. So far it seems to be working!! Keep him in your prayers that he stays healthy! In just three short weeks I'll be sitting in the stands watching him play. I can't wait! Go Warriors!!! :)
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
BOLC Week 3
The best thing and the worst thing about time is that it just keeps on ticking. In times like these I love that fact. It is inevitable, the end is drawing closer and closer. All I have to do is show up in the right place, at the right time, in the right uniform. Not to mention, do the right thing. It's amazing how hard that last part is for many people. I quickly learning that something that seems obvious to me is completely unlearned to the next person. How does that happen? I'm convinced it is a direct reflection of their upbringing. You can't avoid it, the family structure is at the center of everything. That is why it is so important that we focus on protecting the family. I digress....
Week 3.... It's been good. This week I had my very first combatives workout. At this point I find the warm up more difficult than the actual moves. Our warm up lasts about 30-45 minutes. We do a lot of rotations and stretching to prepare our joints for the somewhat awkward positions you find yourself in. Following rotations we do several exercises. There is one called the alligator that I literally CAN NOT do. It is like physically impossible for me. The gym is hot and doesn't have air conditioning, just some barn fans placed here and there. We are all literally dripping by the time we finish warm ups. We wear a set of ACUs without any patches and no shoes. Some people wear wrestling shoes, but bare foot seems to work just fine. We haven't gotten into anything too intense yet, more of just familiarizing ourselves with the dominant positions of a fight. Next we'll work on how to get to those dominant positions from non-dominant positions. We did learn a little bit about inside control and were able to partner and work competitively to gain inside control on them from a standing position. For practicing purposes I tend to pair myself with another girl from my platoon. However, when we do a few competitive rounds at the end we are randomly paired. That's always interesting. Sometimes you are paired with a fairly passive partner without a competitive bone in their body. At other times you'll pair with someone who is a little too aggressive for practice purposes. On our second day of combatives we worked on what appears to be similar to wrestling moves, I guess you could say. The sequence of moves we went through to gain dominant position part way through puts your opponent balancing on the base of their neck with legs in the air as you mock "choke" them. I asked my roommate if I could practice some of my moves on her, of course she declined. :) I guess it's just not for everyone.
This week we also had two tests, a mid-term and CBRNE. I love the Army tests, their great! For training like AMEDD BOLC the intention is not to weed out the weak or fail anyone. The point is just to familiarize everyone with Army medicine both garrison and down range. All of the instructors made sure we were completely prepared ahead of time and we all passed with flying colors. The other test we took was on CBRNE, basically, chemical warfare. We were allowed to take the test with open book, open notes. You would think it would be a cinch. Our instructor told us, "I'd be willing to bet my paycheck that this is the easiest test you'll ever take." Well, it ranked right up there with a nursing exam. HARD!! Half the questions didn't even reference the slides we were given. Plus you waste all kinds of time looking up answers because you second guess what you remember from the briefings. Ugh! We haven't gotten our scores back on that one yet. Hopefully I squeaked through. Even if I didn't, like I said, the Army is great. For all of those who don't pass, you can retake the test online as many times as you need to. We shall see.
This week we all went through SRP. This process is set up for all the soldiers to go through to ensure that all of our medical is up to date and in the system in preparation for future deployments. It was a long day of waiting. Moving a few chairs at a time for about 2 hours. I thought I was pretty squared away since I had brought all of my shot records and literally my entire medical record from home to try to keep things short and sweet. Only problem was that my shot records revealed that I was due for just about everything!! So much for that! I ended up with three shots in my left arm, one in my right arm, a tb test in my forearm, and a blood draw for six tubes. My shoulders are still sore. But I can't complain...I got paid to sit in those chairs for 2 hours and every single one of those tests/shots were things I needed and the Army paid for. That night we had a reception with the Commanding General. Basically we all go through a receiving line and then mingle for a while. A receiving line is when you meet some of the big wigs. You will first meet an officer of lower rank who gathers basic information about you to introduce you to the next officer. When the LTC, COL, GEN is ready, they motion for you to come to them and you move at the position of attention. Meanwhile the lower ranking officer is telling them, "This is 2LT Swan, she is a nurse from Wisconsin." The conversation goes from there. Unless you have something amazing about you that they want to ask you more about the conversation is usually pretty short, which is probably just as well.
This morning was pretty interesting. I received a phone call from my roommate at 0930 letting me know she was over at BAMC and would need to be picked up at some point today. We had planned to go to an outlet mall and then tubing down the river today, but none of it worked out. She was jogging on the track when a platoon of soldiers came up behind her at a much faster pace. She started to move to the edge of the track to get out of the way, miss stepped, and fell down. She ended up with a lumbar compression fracture and some torn muscle in her tush. She was only recently released tonight at about 2030....12 hours later. She is to report back on Monday morning for an MRI. Decisions will be made from there regarding her status for training. Hopefully she will be able to continue, otherwise, she will be recycled to the next group. That is a pretty defeating thought when you're at training. You're counting down the days to be done so you can see your family and then you find out that you'll end up going a lot longer than originally planned. Ugh! Keep her in your thoughts and prayers!!
Next week I am squad leader. Here at BOLC that really doesn't man a whole lot. I basically means that you are just a link in the chain of communication. Much different than when I went to LDAC as a cadet. Being squad leader was an exhausting position there. You were being evaluated on your every move and piece of communication. With all of the direct commissions it's difficult, or should I say impossible, to expect the same standard. For many people here, this is their third full week in the Army. They just figured out what a squad leader is! Anyway, this is our last week in garrison before heading to the field. We were told to encourage constant hydration as we prepare for the field at Camp Bullis. Supposedly it actually reaches temperatures 10-15 degrees over Fort Sam Houston temps. They regularly have a handful of soldiers fall out from heat injuries out there. I hope I'm not one of them!! I'm trying to keep up with my water, nutrition, and gatorade for lyte replacement.
I'm a third of the way through!! :)
Week 3.... It's been good. This week I had my very first combatives workout. At this point I find the warm up more difficult than the actual moves. Our warm up lasts about 30-45 minutes. We do a lot of rotations and stretching to prepare our joints for the somewhat awkward positions you find yourself in. Following rotations we do several exercises. There is one called the alligator that I literally CAN NOT do. It is like physically impossible for me. The gym is hot and doesn't have air conditioning, just some barn fans placed here and there. We are all literally dripping by the time we finish warm ups. We wear a set of ACUs without any patches and no shoes. Some people wear wrestling shoes, but bare foot seems to work just fine. We haven't gotten into anything too intense yet, more of just familiarizing ourselves with the dominant positions of a fight. Next we'll work on how to get to those dominant positions from non-dominant positions. We did learn a little bit about inside control and were able to partner and work competitively to gain inside control on them from a standing position. For practicing purposes I tend to pair myself with another girl from my platoon. However, when we do a few competitive rounds at the end we are randomly paired. That's always interesting. Sometimes you are paired with a fairly passive partner without a competitive bone in their body. At other times you'll pair with someone who is a little too aggressive for practice purposes. On our second day of combatives we worked on what appears to be similar to wrestling moves, I guess you could say. The sequence of moves we went through to gain dominant position part way through puts your opponent balancing on the base of their neck with legs in the air as you mock "choke" them. I asked my roommate if I could practice some of my moves on her, of course she declined. :) I guess it's just not for everyone.
This week we also had two tests, a mid-term and CBRNE. I love the Army tests, their great! For training like AMEDD BOLC the intention is not to weed out the weak or fail anyone. The point is just to familiarize everyone with Army medicine both garrison and down range. All of the instructors made sure we were completely prepared ahead of time and we all passed with flying colors. The other test we took was on CBRNE, basically, chemical warfare. We were allowed to take the test with open book, open notes. You would think it would be a cinch. Our instructor told us, "I'd be willing to bet my paycheck that this is the easiest test you'll ever take." Well, it ranked right up there with a nursing exam. HARD!! Half the questions didn't even reference the slides we were given. Plus you waste all kinds of time looking up answers because you second guess what you remember from the briefings. Ugh! We haven't gotten our scores back on that one yet. Hopefully I squeaked through. Even if I didn't, like I said, the Army is great. For all of those who don't pass, you can retake the test online as many times as you need to. We shall see.
This week we all went through SRP. This process is set up for all the soldiers to go through to ensure that all of our medical is up to date and in the system in preparation for future deployments. It was a long day of waiting. Moving a few chairs at a time for about 2 hours. I thought I was pretty squared away since I had brought all of my shot records and literally my entire medical record from home to try to keep things short and sweet. Only problem was that my shot records revealed that I was due for just about everything!! So much for that! I ended up with three shots in my left arm, one in my right arm, a tb test in my forearm, and a blood draw for six tubes. My shoulders are still sore. But I can't complain...I got paid to sit in those chairs for 2 hours and every single one of those tests/shots were things I needed and the Army paid for. That night we had a reception with the Commanding General. Basically we all go through a receiving line and then mingle for a while. A receiving line is when you meet some of the big wigs. You will first meet an officer of lower rank who gathers basic information about you to introduce you to the next officer. When the LTC, COL, GEN is ready, they motion for you to come to them and you move at the position of attention. Meanwhile the lower ranking officer is telling them, "This is 2LT Swan, she is a nurse from Wisconsin." The conversation goes from there. Unless you have something amazing about you that they want to ask you more about the conversation is usually pretty short, which is probably just as well.
This morning was pretty interesting. I received a phone call from my roommate at 0930 letting me know she was over at BAMC and would need to be picked up at some point today. We had planned to go to an outlet mall and then tubing down the river today, but none of it worked out. She was jogging on the track when a platoon of soldiers came up behind her at a much faster pace. She started to move to the edge of the track to get out of the way, miss stepped, and fell down. She ended up with a lumbar compression fracture and some torn muscle in her tush. She was only recently released tonight at about 2030....12 hours later. She is to report back on Monday morning for an MRI. Decisions will be made from there regarding her status for training. Hopefully she will be able to continue, otherwise, she will be recycled to the next group. That is a pretty defeating thought when you're at training. You're counting down the days to be done so you can see your family and then you find out that you'll end up going a lot longer than originally planned. Ugh! Keep her in your thoughts and prayers!!
Next week I am squad leader. Here at BOLC that really doesn't man a whole lot. I basically means that you are just a link in the chain of communication. Much different than when I went to LDAC as a cadet. Being squad leader was an exhausting position there. You were being evaluated on your every move and piece of communication. With all of the direct commissions it's difficult, or should I say impossible, to expect the same standard. For many people here, this is their third full week in the Army. They just figured out what a squad leader is! Anyway, this is our last week in garrison before heading to the field. We were told to encourage constant hydration as we prepare for the field at Camp Bullis. Supposedly it actually reaches temperatures 10-15 degrees over Fort Sam Houston temps. They regularly have a handful of soldiers fall out from heat injuries out there. I hope I'm not one of them!! I'm trying to keep up with my water, nutrition, and gatorade for lyte replacement.
I'm a third of the way through!! :)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
BOLC Week 2
I can't believe we are done with another week. This was a busy week for sure. Tuesday morning was a PT test for the first three platoons. My roommate, who is a direct commission, was nervous about the test so I decided to go and be a cheerleader. We were up at about 0330 and out the door by 0400 for the 0500 test. The Army loves to get you there early to stand around for a little bit. The whole "hurry up and wait" dynamic. The nice part about being up so early is that it is quite a bit cooler at 0430. She did great! Still needs a little work on her run, but things went well. The rest of the day was more briefings getting our gear for the field. Pretty uneventful.
The next day was my turn. I was hoping to max the test even though I haven't in quite a while. All those mornings E motivated and pushed me to work out paid off. I ended up doing 60 push ups, 90 sit ups, and ran my two miles in 15:17. Non of these were personal bests, but they were good stepping stone scores for getting back into PT. Overall I scored a 327. Again, the rest of the day was spent sitting in briefings. We did get the opportunity to meet our Platoon Advisers that afternoon as well. Our PA is great. She means business, but as long as everyone is doing what they should, we have a great time. She's had some great experiences and loves to tell us stories.
Thursday was our first day of organized PT and actually having class all day in our platoons. I am liking this A LOT more. PT was good. Nothing difficult, but a good follow up to the test. Getting showered up after was another story. There are way too many females for the amount of showers we have. My roommate and I finally opted to wash our hair in the sink and put on a little extra deodorant. It was the only way to make sure we were actually going to make it to breakfast, which is a MUST for me. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like missing a meal. :) After breakfast we had an accountability formation and headed to our classrooms. We had one of the combatives instructors talk to our class briefly. The are offering 5 slots per platoon to try for Level 1 Certification. My platoon has 60 people and 15 people were interested. It came down to our pt score. Luckily some of the top PT'ers were already certified so I was able to get a slot. Ironically enough, some of the other platoons were going to pt scores as low as 270 and our lowest person to receive a slot had a 310. My first day is this coming Tuesday. I'm really excited and I think it will be good training, especially as a female in today's crazy society. They compared the moves to UFC fighting. So this should be interesting.
Friday we didn't have scheduled PT. We just came in and had class all day. We were notified that we would be moving from the Holiday Inn back on post, so that was a bummer. Instead of hitting the Riverwalk, Julie and I packed up our room and moved that evening. We finally finished bringing in our things at 1 am. Whew, that was a LONG day.
Yesterday I attempted to sleep in as all the rest of our classmates moved in. There were doors slamming, people talking, all kinds of ruckus. I eventually got up and headed down to the continental breakfast put on by the hotel. Our new place is fine. We definitely have a lot more storage capacity than the Holiday Inn. This place is meant for extended stay. We have a kitchenette and did I mention a lot more storage room?? We have our own desks too, which is nice. Yesterday afternoon we went over to the north star mall and got a few things. We were both in need of some shorts. Pant and capris don't cut it down here...it's still too hot.
Here it is Sunday, our laundry is in the washer, and we've got a "to-do" list about a mile long before we start the next week. It's only two more weeks before we head to the field. Once we get to the field things will go twice as fast. Granted we're out there for three weeks, but it will go quick. After the field it's just two weeks of nurse track time and I'm done.
I'm looking forward to seeing E again. I miss him and hate being away from him this long. He'll be done with school and down here before we know it!! :)
The next day was my turn. I was hoping to max the test even though I haven't in quite a while. All those mornings E motivated and pushed me to work out paid off. I ended up doing 60 push ups, 90 sit ups, and ran my two miles in 15:17. Non of these were personal bests, but they were good stepping stone scores for getting back into PT. Overall I scored a 327. Again, the rest of the day was spent sitting in briefings. We did get the opportunity to meet our Platoon Advisers that afternoon as well. Our PA is great. She means business, but as long as everyone is doing what they should, we have a great time. She's had some great experiences and loves to tell us stories.
Thursday was our first day of organized PT and actually having class all day in our platoons. I am liking this A LOT more. PT was good. Nothing difficult, but a good follow up to the test. Getting showered up after was another story. There are way too many females for the amount of showers we have. My roommate and I finally opted to wash our hair in the sink and put on a little extra deodorant. It was the only way to make sure we were actually going to make it to breakfast, which is a MUST for me. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like missing a meal. :) After breakfast we had an accountability formation and headed to our classrooms. We had one of the combatives instructors talk to our class briefly. The are offering 5 slots per platoon to try for Level 1 Certification. My platoon has 60 people and 15 people were interested. It came down to our pt score. Luckily some of the top PT'ers were already certified so I was able to get a slot. Ironically enough, some of the other platoons were going to pt scores as low as 270 and our lowest person to receive a slot had a 310. My first day is this coming Tuesday. I'm really excited and I think it will be good training, especially as a female in today's crazy society. They compared the moves to UFC fighting. So this should be interesting.
Friday we didn't have scheduled PT. We just came in and had class all day. We were notified that we would be moving from the Holiday Inn back on post, so that was a bummer. Instead of hitting the Riverwalk, Julie and I packed up our room and moved that evening. We finally finished bringing in our things at 1 am. Whew, that was a LONG day.
Yesterday I attempted to sleep in as all the rest of our classmates moved in. There were doors slamming, people talking, all kinds of ruckus. I eventually got up and headed down to the continental breakfast put on by the hotel. Our new place is fine. We definitely have a lot more storage capacity than the Holiday Inn. This place is meant for extended stay. We have a kitchenette and did I mention a lot more storage room?? We have our own desks too, which is nice. Yesterday afternoon we went over to the north star mall and got a few things. We were both in need of some shorts. Pant and capris don't cut it down here...it's still too hot.
Here it is Sunday, our laundry is in the washer, and we've got a "to-do" list about a mile long before we start the next week. It's only two more weeks before we head to the field. Once we get to the field things will go twice as fast. Granted we're out there for three weeks, but it will go quick. After the field it's just two weeks of nurse track time and I'm done.
I'm looking forward to seeing E again. I miss him and hate being away from him this long. He'll be done with school and down here before we know it!! :)
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