Monday 2/19/07

Govt. holiday, so we were idle. We formed, disbanded, reformed, and disbanded again for hours. Chow, formation, repeat. Tomorrow is going to be busy, though; they need to get us ready for Red Phase on Thursday. It’s about to get ugly. Still no word as to where, though.

Tension is high in the barracks. Some “individuals” (severe insult here) are causing problems, flipping bunks, etc., and some of their victims are getting frustrated. They don’t share the humor, apparently. The OCS crew generally tries to play peacekeeper, but some of my colleagues are growing weary with all of this. So sometimes it’s just me and some other recruits trying ot keep things from getting violent. The OCS guys try very hard not to mention or pull rank, and the other recruits typically don’t know that we outrank them (we’re E-4, they’re E-1 or E-2). But the Bay Leader (also OCS) is starting to argue that we should lend some authority to our instructions by busting out the chevrons. I disagree. We’ll let the Drill Sergeants make the corrections, even though we all suffer for it. That’s what teamwork is all about. For instance, last night one of our guys went into another bay and flipped a bunk. The orderlies asked for all guilty parties to step forward, and we all (against better judgment, perhaps) stepped forward to shield the offender from being punished alone. We all received discipline. Maybe that will have the added effect of playing his conscience and limiting his future “adventures.” Anyway, the moral is that all of these problems will be dealt with by trained professionals. My rank will hopefully stay an insignificant factor in my exchanges with these guys. Still, it took all my patience and sense of irony when one recruit demanded that we respect his rank of E-2 when we spoke to him.

Can’t wait to ship downrange into Red Phase. Get the clock ticking towards graduation. Reception is good, but I think some of my compatriots need a drill sergeant on top of them and soon. Some of these guys have yet to understand what they signed up for; I’ve heard different people talk about “quitting,” or “resigning,” or just “canceling their contract.” I just stare in amazement. Don’t they understand what they are not? This is not camp. YOU CANNOT LEAVE. They own you and will do with you as they please. Don’t like it? Should not have raised your right hand. But they’ll learn soon enough. We all have a lot of learning to do. God, I don’t even know how much I don’t know. This’ll be fun.

But I have to sack out now. I have firewatch from 0200-0300, and since 0300 is wakeup, I’m actually pretty lucky. I’ll be dressed and awake an hour before everyone else. So good night. I ship downrange on Thursday and should have a return address by the weekend.

-Jeremy