BRB...

Hello all you loyal readers - and farewell.

Not forever, but for at least a few days (8 to be precise). I'm heading off to summer camp for a little while, so you won't be able to hear from me until I get back next week some time. It should be fun. The counselors say there are lots of fun activities; like hiking, learning first-aid, arts & crafts, hiking, horseback riding, archery, and hiking. I'm going to miss you, but I'm sure I'll have a good time, and will have lots to tell you about when I get back.

Okay, so it's not camping, it's field training...but I will get to live in a tent (an un-airconditioned room built for five people that the Army sees fit to fill with around 15-20 guys that probably won't shower because, "heck, we're just going to get dirty tomorrow.") I weep for my nose.
And for the activities...oh man...
- Marching everywhere in formations (even though no war has been fought using troop formations since WW I), self aid and buddy care (which really means tying up whatever injured part someone has with a strip of cloth tied tightly with a metal rod until the field doc gets there, points out that the tourniquet has cut of his blood flow, and now rather than a bad case of bleeding, he's going to lose a limb - yes, they really teach you to go for the tourniquet first, rather than just bandage up wounds)
- Arts and crafts is the equivalent of making improvised weaponry out of rocks, boards, bottles, or whatever is available, should the M-16 your carrying jam, the side pistol run out of bullets, and the bad guys are still coming at you unarmed, rather than using the MANY AK-47 rifles available at any house in - INSERT COUNTRY HERE) and also putting together weapon systems that I should have no business touching in the first place (see the grenades and mines comments from the previous post)
- More marching
- Horseback riding means strapping into a Humvee - again un-airconditioned, so you're in a country at a time when the outside temperature is hot enough to fry freshly laid eggs, in a GIANT METAL BOX, wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants, with the added comfort of around 70-80 pounds of armor and other gear...I bet those other kids at real summer cams are soooooo jealous!
- Archery means weapons qualifications; both with the M-16 rifle, and the M-9 handgun. This, I must say, will probably be the best part of the whole thing, and the most necessary. Though I won't (hopefully) be carrying a rifle while deployed, I will be using the pistol if absolutely necessary.
- Oh yeah, and more marching!

So there's a little over a week of this stuff, and then we come back to our home away from home to learn more about how the Army thinks - scared yet? I am! By that, I mean once we've done the physical stuff, we'll begin week-long classes on how to operate Army equipment like radios and compasses. I really missed out on all that Boy Scout stuff when I was a kid, so it's nice to know that twenty-five years later, I'll get the chance to learn all about the stuff that an eight-year-old kid could probably teach me in a day.

I will write in a journal every day, so when I come back, I can re-write it here for all of you to enjoy.

I really don't mean to come off so sarcastic, but when things around you don't make sense, or take longer than desirable (necessary) to accomplish, you can either complain, or tough it out. I've chosen option B, but with a sprinkling of option A hidden using language to diffuse my aggression and turn it into humor for you all to read.

I'm glad some of you got a few laughs out of my previous blog entry. It sucked at the time, but laughing helps make the days easier, and has been clinically proven to reduce stress and prolong lives. I will try to keep my spirits up, and my entries entertaining - depending on the severity of the conditions here. So I'll just say now, it sucks here, but God willing, I'll make a little lemonade for someone.

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On a completely different note, thanks to all of you who have kept Vanessa in your prayers. It's hard to have her suffering so much, and me not being able to comfort her. She has posted about what's going on in her blog (link on the right bottom of my blog), and many of you have piped up, and offered your support and prayers. Thank you. Please continue, as I feel things will only get worse before they get better. God's will be done!

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ULI