Alright... I'm going to get this thing started back up. A lot has happened since we stopped posting stuff. After Basic training I didn't have to write snail mail anymore, and it was difficult to get internet access, but Corey didn't want to post what I told her over the phone. I can't blame her. After Basic training at Ft. Knox I went to Combat Medic training at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. That was "fun" I guess... kind of a waste of time considering where I'm at now (more on this later). Upon completion of medic training I returned home and was looking forward to drilling with the 2-79th Infantry Regiment as a line medic. I had to fill out a information sheet on myself for a Officer Candidate program when I checked in with the recruit program I was with before even leaving for basic. I got a call from a LT saying I needed to come and drill with the Officer Candidate Preparation Course (OCPC) for at least 3 months, then I could decide if I wanted to go to OCS or not. Well... long story short, I ended up going to Officer Candidate School (OCS). I was told it would help with the physicians' assistant school application. On top of that it would be better pay during the school. OCS was a biotch... It was tougher than basic training... by far. Well I won't say by far because we did get a few privileges a little later in training that we didn't get in basic. I was also with some great people. We had a lot of fun when we could get away with it. I'm not going to rant about OCS because I don't really want to think about it. I will say one thing though. Everything we did in OCS had to do with "attention to detail", that was like the slogan for the entire eight weeks. One of the many silly things we had to do is at meals we could only sit on the front 6" of our chairs, our backs straight, and absolutely no talking. Our fork, knife and spoon had to be in a certain order on the right side of our tray and a napkin on our left thigh. We had to "square our meals" that means every bite we took we scooped the food and took it straight up level with our mouths. Then straight into our mouths, and straight our to where the utensil was directly over the plate and then back down. What sucks is that is a very short description of a "meal".
Okay, I'm now a Second Lieutenant. I was told I had a spot as a platoon leader in an engineer unit... which I was cool with. On the day of my pinning ceremony about 3 weeks after I returned from Pennsylvania (where OCS was) I was signing some paperwork and I say that I was now going to the 1-160th Field Artillery unit. I was like "woah what the hell is this"? The lady was like "oh yea it changed". I did what I could with out pitching a fit. I found out later that someone (won't name names) knew some people to get out of the spot that I am now, to get out of the deployment that I will be a part of now.
Yup, I went from a Specialist Medic to a 2LT Fire Direction Officer (FDO). Well I'm not a FDO just yet because I have 5 months of school to attend, but that is the position I will be occupying. So the next year and a half is pretty busy for me...
2011 - 2012
3 JAN 11 - 17 May 11, 13A Field Artillery Basic Officer Leadership Course
Maybe a week off then...
24 May 11 - ? April 12, NE of Kabul, Afghanistan
More to come.
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