Hold-Under Status

Being away from home has made it a bit hard on the communication between friends, family and me these past 3 to 4 months. I do have my phone so I can call and text whenever since I'm on hold-under status (basically where you start classes later then others because there were too many of you, but the Army doesn't want you to go home for fear of you going AWOL). And being on hold-under status gives you a lot of free time, that is, if you're not assigned onto a detail (a job-usually not glamourous- assigned to you and a group of other hold-unders to be completed). So hello blog. Blog will keep you updated while I'm here craving the freedom to go home. 

I'll just give you a basic overview for those of you who don't know whats really going on. On April 13 I shipped out to Ft, Leonardwood, MO, for basic training. I graduated basic on June 24, and shipped out the next day to Ft. Huachuca, AZ to complete the 35M (Human Intel/Interrogation) AIT course. The course is 20 weeks long, and I was supposed to start the classes that Monday following my arrival date, but since there were so many of us, Echo Company took all the National Guard and Reserve soldiers and put them into class, and took all the leftover Active soldiers and set them aside in Foxtrot Company. I still sleep in Echo's barracks for the time being, which means every day I have to walk down to Foxtrot for PT formation, detail assignings etc. And plus I have to deal with all the immature 5 year olds from Echo. Who still don't realize we're on the same team. Fighting the same fight.

I really can't complain though. Yes, I am a little down I can't start class until August 16, which means I won't graduate until January, but at least I got an almost 2 month break where basically everyday consisted of, PT in the morning, then breakfast, formation, chill till after lunch, workout at the gym, formation, then free till accountability formation and bedcheck formation. Sometimes you were assigned to a detail, but you usually got off right before dinner.

The past 11 days I was assigned to a FTX (field training exercise) detail. FTX for my MOS is 10 days long, so me and about 41 other hold-under soldiers from my platoon packed all our stuff for 10 days and went out to help run the FTX for a class that graduates in 3 days. Its basically camping-hardcore-army-style. We slept in tents on cots on the dirt. With the spiders and snakes. Me and 10 other soldiers were in charge of OPFOR (opposing forces) where we had to dress up like terrorists, and 5 would stay in a building pretending to be running a bomb/weapons making facility, and the other 5 would hide and ambush the American soldiers (trainees, the ones completed the FTX so they can graduate) with paintball guns. I thought it was really fun. We would wake up at 4, load up the truck with everything we needed, head out there, set up, knock out 2 sets of teams, go back the FOB for lunch and just work around it till bedcheck. We sometimes got showers, that is, when our sergeants remembered us, or whenever we got sent back to base for something, we would run to our rooms and take a really fast shower, put back on our dirty clothes, and move on with our day.

So yes, I thought it was fun. Until around the 5th day when everyone started to get pissed off at eachother. Then 2 days before we left back to base for good the sergeant on site made me PG (platoon guide, basically where you're in charge of everything), and everyone started to hate me. Which always happens. Everyone hates the PG that is assigned to them. Because no one likes to be told what to do by one of their friends that is the same rank. Not me though. I've realized I'm more mature then 98% of the Army. So hooah for the 2% that works hard and actually wants to be here.

So in the end, FTX consisted of me getting hypothermia, a ripped open hand which healed too quick- so I had to rip it open again to take all the big rocks out-, and almost getting bit by a rattlesnake.

We got back on Saturday, but went right to work cleaning all our gear till around 1400, then we finally started our weekend. But I had to clean my own stuff, so I just spent the rest of the saturday watching movies and taking apart my side of the room from top to bottom cleaning cleaning cleaning. I was up doing my laundry till 2:30 because Echo told me I couldn't wash my laundry until all the trainees who I worked for at FTX cleaned everything. Ridiculous, I know.

So yesterday, Sunday, I slept in till 9, headed out to brunch at 11 and was completely relaxed hanging out in the SAC (Foxtrot's Student Activity Center) with my friends watching a Harry Potter Marathon for the rest of the day. And now I'm on fireguard (where you stay up 2 hours at night at the front desk making sure no one attacks Echo's barracks) for 2 hours. You're supposed to be out here with one other person, and I'm assigned with someone from Echo company. But its funny. They came out here around 1000 and crossed their name off the sheet and went back to bed. Sooo tech. what I'm doing out here is a no go. If a sergeant walks in at any time, he/she will wake up the person who just crossed off their name, the floor boss, and whoever was on the shift before me. Thats if they're nice. If they're a hardcore sergeant they'll wake up all the Echo females and make them do something stupid, like go to the eagle thats painted on the wall and read the rule-book (SOP) to it. Or guard the mail room and make sure no insects get in it.

Either way, even if a sergeant does not walk in, I will find one today and tell them what happened. Because really, I'm mentally exhausted from dealing with these immature soldiers. At home, if I didn't like someone or want to deal with their foolishness, I would just walk away. But here, I can't. We're all on the same team, fighting the same fight and we all need to be on the same page. So I have to deal with people who, really, I wouldn't mind punching them or their firstborn in the face.

Annnnd its 0202 right now. Fifty-eight more minutes of me sitting out here alone, listening to Gucci, talking to my dad on facebook, and trying to keep my eyes open. I have to set up an appointment this morning with the Major so he can check up on my asthma, which means I'll miss PT. Which is fine with me, because today is a run day, and all I've done these past 11 days was FTX and eat 2 MREs a day, which is really bad for you.

If I see another MRE I will punch myself in the face. And I apologize if some parts of this post didn't make sense. I'm really exhausted.