Sleeping In

My current job is allowing me about 5 hours of sleep per night, so getting up at 6:00 AM for our latest company sized Future Soldier function was pretty easy compared to my usual wake up time of 4:30.

All of the Future Soldiers met at the recruiting station and we left at 6:45 for the Army Reserve base up by Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City. I don't remember what it's called, so I'll probably add that in later.

There were about 75 Future Soldiers from the different recruiting stations around northern Utah present. We fell into formation in the parking lot and were given instructions on what we would be doing that day. There were 3 classes that we rotated through. A weapons information class, a simulated firing range with handguns, and a class from Army OneSource (A program designed to help the families of soldiers in any way it can) and Wells Fargo. Oh, and lunch, a really good catered Italian lunch, probably to try to convince us that food in the Army is going to be great.

The class from OneSource was pretty boring, probably because I don't have a family I need to support. Naturally I tood infinitely more interest in the weapons classes, and shot pretty well with the simulated pistols.

All in all it was a good experience and I'm glad I went. In the course of the function I met a couple more people that have aspirations of being something great in the Army, and are idiots.

Frisbee and Snacks!

Yesterday I went to my first Future Soldier Function. A Future Soldier Function is basically just a meeting all the recruits in the Army Delayed Entry Program at our recruiting station have every other Thursday. I asked my recruiter, Sgt Anderson what we do at these things. He said, "Basically we just play ultimate frisbee and have some food and stuff."

So I show up to the function ready to play some extremely feminine sports...like frisbee. But after a short presentation from some Human Resources lady outlining the benefits and programs available for our families, and taking pictures for the Future Soldier Wall of Fame in the office, we got ready to go play. It was at this moment that one of the recruiters said "Let's go run up to the Y!" It was at this moment that I thought to myself, "I've made a huge mistake..."

Long story short, we got to the Y and started running...which lasted all of like 50 feet for most of the recruits. I of course am no average recruit. I ran all the way to the second of ten switchbacks...immediately wishing I was as smart as the kids that didn't start hiking up the side of a mountain with a full sprint.

There was one recruit, that is apparently in my "squad," that was wearing weights on his ankles and wrists. He was also dressed like the Unabomber or something. He made it about twenty-five feet before looking like he was about to have a cardiac episode. So one of the recruiter's told him to take off his damn weights and keep going. I don't know what happened after that, but on of the recruiters said that he quit after the first switchback...Army Strong!

I'll just say that I hope that a couple of my fellow recruits end up in supply and logistics...like so far away from the combat that they supply the supply and logistics guys.

Anyway. We all made it to the top of the Y, with the exception of Mr. Kaczynski of course.

Then we all ran down, so that we'd impress girls.

Probably didn't work.