A Typical Sunday and Various Topics

17 July 2011

Wake up was at 0500 today. The extra hour makes such a difference. Chow formation was not until 0750 so I was about to get some things done (washing, cleaning my locker, and organizing my stuff). Chow at 0800. I had a few tasks as PG (Platoon guide) to do before chow @1230. The afternoon was spent cleaning the barracks and practicing our rifle drills. Great day of rest and "housekeeping."

I wanted to take the day to write a paragraph or two about a few topics I mention all the time, but do not cover in depth.

Drill Sergeants: Our platoon is assigned 3 drill sergeants. Senior DS Gonzalez, DS Sutherland, and DS Stockton. SDS Gonzalez was originally a Tanker Sergeant. Basically, he is in charge of a tank platoon which supervises the utilization of tanks and all personnel. You can tell he really knows his stuff and seems to provide great leadership for the other two DS. DS Sutherland is an 11 Bravo or Infantryman. He teaches us a lot about tactical combat and is really on PT issues. DS Sutherland was involved in the largest firefight in Afghanistan. DS Stockton, an ex-marine, decided to come over from the "dark side" and be a drill sergeant for the Army. He is very strong in all aspects of basic training, but specializes in Drill and ceremony and Rifle marksmanship. His original job in the Army was repairing helicopters. Drill Sergeants are picked from the top 10% of the Army. Basically, they know their stuff and are able to relay it to other well. 

Chow: One of my favorite parts of BCT thus far is Chow. The food is amazing here, especially the breakfast. We usually have 5 mins to eat, so I have learned to make "sandwiches" out of everything. My favorite is making a waffle, egg, bacon, and cheese "sandwich" (2 waffles acting as the bread). Syrup over it and you have a great breakfast. The fruits and veggies are always fresh. I also have another chow favorite: pasta salad with bacon bits, cheese, and banana peppers. Pretty tasty as well! Sometimes we have MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Google that and read up on them. They are very good as well. Sometimes I mention field chow, which means we get food sent to us from the DFAC out into the field.

"Smoking": Smoking is when a DS punishes the platoon. The consists of push-ups, sit-ups, or any other PT exercise of his choice. Usually lasts about 30 mins. I believe this has happened to us about 5 times. Other have not lasted quite 30 mins. It teaches us a lesson that's for sure!

Destroying the Bay: This happens when bunks are not made to standard. The DS will flip the ones that aren't made correctly. Also, if a wall locker is left open then everything will be tossed around the bay-EVERYTHING! One night it took us 4 hours to clean everything up! We learned fairly quickly!

That is all for now. I will touch on a few other topics in the future!

Matthew