Heading Back To Georgia...

Dear Friends,

My trip to Chicago was definitely well-lived. I was able to see mom, dad, brother Chris, Sarah, Janine, Tim, aunt, uncle, Micah, Steve, Andrea, Jake, Adam, BP, Hops, and a few others along the way. Of course there were a few people I missed, but I only had so much time. All in all, it was refreshing to be back in Wheaton. However, this is probably my last trip to Chi-town for quite some time. I'm thinking that the next time will be around Christmas, but I really don't know. It's tough to know where you'll be for Christmas when all your friends and family start to scatter. I have 3 "homes" right now...Georgia, Ohio, & Chicago.

Now what to expect? I have 13 weeks in Infantry Officer Basic Course ahead of me. It should be challenging on all levels. My main prayer again is that I keep a positive attitude about the training...knowing that I will get out what I put in. I would like to stay healthy and injury-free too. We'll be pushing ourselves pretty hard in training which always carries the possibilities of sickness and injury. I'll take it as it comes though. Another update will be coming soon. Bye!

p.s. My new mailing address!

242 Lavoie Ave.

Ft. Benning, GA 31905

A Very Rare Free Escape

Dear Friends,

So today I started my 10 days of permissive temporary duty in the yonder or PTDY. Now normally in the Army you have very little time off especially with the rate people are getting deployed now. And if you do, then normally you can only take a "free" 4 day pass at maximum or leave. You have to get lucky to get a pass and leave is charged from your account (every year you get 30 days of leave). PTDY is exactly like leave, but you don't have to charge your account. All and all, it's very rare and I'm lucky to get it. I'm looking forward to my trip back to Chicago and my time off.

What else? I moved out of the BOLC II barracks today and into my house. I'm living with three other infantry officers...Paul Houck, Westby Anderson, & Josh Bosley. They all are good guys and absolutely hilarious. I have a feeling that I'm in for an entertaining stay here at Benning. I will need to prepare myself in many ways for this next school. Please pray that I stay healthy, that I keep a positive attitude, and that I learn my job as well as possible. I hope to talk to you all soon. Laters!

BOLC II Done...Chicago Here I Come

Dear Friends,
I just finished the last day of field training here at BOLC II in Georgia. It consisted of a 10 mile road march and a few hours of cleaning up our training area. I was very healthy this time which made training a lot more enjoyable. We had a couple people carted away in an ambulance from my platoon due to the heat, but they both turned out fine. The commanders here at Benning are incredibly uptight about heat injuries since at least one soldier usually dies every year here from heat stroke. It's a necessary precaution I guess. My best weapon right now tends to be my camelback.

What else? Next weekend I am in Chicago to see friends and family. It will likely be the last time I am in Chicago for at least a few months so if you'll be around give me a call. Also, next Thursday I move out of the BOLC II barracks and into a townhouse with 4 other guys. I am very much looking forward to the change of scenery and the new found freedom. I'll be starting Infantry Officer Basic Course (IOBC aka. BOLC III) the following week after my trip to Chi-town. That training should be a lot more demanding and challenging...perfect for what I am looking for right now. I'll write again soon.

Week At The FOB

Dear Friends,

As you might recall I had been at the FOB (base in the woods of Ft. Benning designed to imitate the bases we have in Iraq right now) for the last week. Despite being a little sick the training was awesome. We fired our weapons almost every single day...learning how to move and shoot in an urban environment, firing huge weapons like the .50 cal machine gun, and training to run convoy missions (while reacting to sniper attacks, IEDs, and other hazards...one of those hazards was a funeral procession of mourning women who claimed American soldiers had killed her husband. Of course they were all actresses, but it was challenging to deal with the whole situation. We ended up getting attacked in the middle of negotiations with the women. It was crazy.). The temperatures were usually in the upper 90's with high humidity, but the barrack's air-conditioning made it more than bearable

On Monday I passed the last big graduation requirement. We were given a map, a compass, and 5 hours to go out and find 5 of 8 points in the woods of Ft. Benning. It was fun, but I am relieved to have a small break now. We get Thursday and Friday off for the 4th of July weekend.
I plan on enjoying my time off and making the phone calls I've been unable to make for so long. I'll update you all again soon!