The Little Things in Life

I am roughly at the halfway point of my training here in the Pacific Northwest, and I have remembered a few basic things about military life, and learned some new ones.

#1. Everything is relative.
Basic living conditions have a monumental effect on your state of mind. In my earlier post from sunny San Diego, I included a picture of the scenic courtyard in the officer's quarters. In the first picture, you can see what my room looked like on the Navy base. In the next four pictures you can see my current "home away from home." This historic building was constructed in the 1940's and is used to house personnel during training. My room is a little more austere than what I enjoyed with the Navy, but it is better than living in a tent which seems to be a common practice with the Army.

Even though I am glad to have walls and a roof, the room does have a few significant drawbacks. First, there is no TV, so I have missed out on the NHL playoffs and the nonstop coverage of the primaries. Second, the heating system in this building is antiquated. The furnace has two settings - off and inferno. As a result, I have been leaving the windows in my room open even though the temparature has been averaging 55 degrees during the day. Third, the showers in the common bathroom also have two settings - trickle and power wash. There are four shower stalls and one of them will knock you through the curtain while the other three have extremely low water pressure. On the days we are out in the field and get covered in mud the power wash seems to be the most effective.

#2 The Army loves procedures.

Way back in flight school we learned one of the cultural differences between the Air Force and the Navy. In the Air Force, if the flight manual did not give you permission to do something, it must be prohibited. The Navy's philosophy on the other hand was that if the book did not prohibit something, it must be authorized. Although I can't prove it yet, I believe that the Army has never encountered this predicament because they have procedures for EVERYTHING! The Army makes Naval Aviation look like a bunch of improvisation addicts. Nevertheless, in part for the reasons below, I have gained a greater level of appreciation for the infantry community.

#3 This gear is HEAVY!

Holy crap this stuff weighs a ton. In the last photo above I am in my new business casual attire. Although I have found it easier to maneuver in this equipment than my old flight gear, I was shocked at the weight of this stuff. I have been wearing/carrying about half of the gear a typical soldier would carry, and by the end of the day my body is beat down tired. Everyone in my unit was commenting on the weight of the equipment and how your feet get sore just from bearing the extra weight throughout the day.

I think the DoD should consider embedding a chiropractor team at each military facility just to keep everyone walking upright.

I guess that is enough rambling for today, but I will try to add some more information in the next few days. Thanks for reading!