From the Rifle Range to "Home"

Sunday, 19 December 2010

Friday was Training Day 40 and Platoon 4003's last day at the Rifle Range -- meaning it was also Qualification Day. Let me tell you shooting was probably the easiest thing I've done at boot camp. I qualified as a Sharpshooter on prequal and qual day, just a few points shy of Expert. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up Expert when we shoot Table 2 in a couple weeks.

Actually, being on the range is relaxing; our coaches were pretty chill and the Drill Instructors can only mess with you in the pits when you're pulling targets and ONLY if you're screwing up. On qual day our shooting block NCO brought us Krispy Kreme donuts and one of the coaches brought mini Snickers bars. There's nothing better than box chow, candy and donuts here at boot camp. This week is "Team Week" for our platoon, so a lot of recruits will be going to dental, medical, making up tests, qualing on the range if they haven't and doing random community service around the Island. I'll be getting my 3rd and 2nd class swim qualifications, so I'll still be a little busy this week.

We're past the half way point in training, and I'm glad to be back at our squad bay at 4th Battalion. We hiked 7 miles from the Rifle Range yesterday to make it back "home". Our Chief Drill Instructor started calling cadence when we made it within a mile of 4th Battalion and the other Drill Instructors and our Senior Drill Instructors continued it until we made it all the way. We were all so tired, cold, wet, hungry, and in pain but we all held our heads a little higher when we earned the right to sing cadence. At one point our Senior Drill Instructor sang a line, "Don't you worry about being alone, Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant James is going to take you home", and recruits from Platoon 4003 got so emotional -- I, among other recruits, sobbed.

It sounds strange but our own 4th Battalion squad bay did really become home for us and being on the range for two weeks made a lot of recruits "homesick". However, this recruit does miss the food and the time we had alotted for chow at the rifle range chow hall, BUT our last overweight recruit finally made weight so now the entire platoon is allowed to eat peanut butter at the chow hall! You have to enjoy the little things sometimes.

That's about all of an update I can give right now. I'm still a squad leader and as an artist recruit I've got requests and commissions coming in on the daily. They keep me busy. I'll update again soon.

Rct. Garner