Goodbye and welcome back

Hey guys Just a real qick update on my whereabouts and whats going on here. I am now back at home, my military home that is, in Ft. Benning getting inprocessed for Airborne school. It is so good to be back here. I really did hate Ft. Gordon. I hated the place but loved the people. I had to say goodbye to alot of friends that I made. It was harder than I had expected it to be. I really got close to so many people, much closer than I have ever gotten to anybody before. Civilian life and Military life are so completely different and the relationships you form are on a different level. Luckily, I still have Zupo, Miranda, Heidelberger, and Dixon here so its not like Im completely alone but I did have to leave a few good ones behind. Thompson was probably the hardest to say goodbye to. We have gotten real close over the past 5 months and I am going to miss her tons. Hopefully our leave times match up and we can hang out (she lives in SE Michigan. Shes a Michigan fan but I forgave her of her sins a long time ago) Alex, the civilian that reminds me of my sister, came over to say goodbye at 0700 yesterday morning before my bus left. She is an amazing person who is strong and firm about her beliefs and she is going to be missed. We had a lot of good long chats about stuff going on in our lives and it will be something I hope to continue in the future (coffee will probably be the medium as it usually is with me) Mitchell is still in class at Gordon and he was a member of the gang that I talk to all the time, eat all meals with and spend all the weekends with. Hopefully he can convince his soon-to-be wife to release him for our Vegas trip in Dec. If not, we will just have to kidnap him. Woo left last week and seeing how he was my roommate and battle from basic it was especially tough. He is home in Cali now and having a good time so Im glad for him. He is also on the list for the Vegas trip so the reunion will be complete. We also left a whole company of friends and aquaintances at Gordon. Yesterday morning at 0445 formation, I must of shook hands and hugged 50 people, most of them people I went to basic with also. Overall, a rough past week so please excuse the lateness of this post.

I guess an explanation is due for the 80's night pictures below. Last Saturday night, we went to a party with Alex but not before raiding the Goodwill store for some horendous clothes I think we suceeded. I was going for a Don Johnson look but it looks like it collidided with a Blues Brother. Miranda went as a 80's rocker and pulled it off magnificantly. Thompson looks like Punky Brewster but totally 80's all the way. We spent the night horribly dancing to horrible 80's music and laughing at each other. The great thing about 80's music is that you ca dance as pathetic and stupid as you want to and its ok because thats how they did it back then. I was pulling out all the classics, The Running Man, The Robot (which I am stellar at by the way) and I even broke out The Sprinkler follwed by a Moonwalk. Almost brought down the house.

So now I am at Ft. Benning and, whodathunkit, its hot and humid. God hates Georgia. I dont think Ill ever come back to this state after I leave unless they station me here. I really didnt plan this whole Airborne/RIP thing out. Something tells me its going to be a lot of sweating and stinky laundry for the next 7 weeks. Oh well, build a bridge and get over the river full of tears.

Alright guys, I think its time to start running so I dont fail my PT test Monday morning. I guess if you fail it, you automatically get dropped from the school so there wont be too much partying this weekend for us. Its Zupos birthday today so we are going to go out and celebrate that tonight but the rest of the weekend will be spent hydrating and running a few miles to get the legs warmed up. Wish me luck and enjoy your AC, Ft. Ohio.

Your newest Airborne student,
Frank

All dressed up for 80's night

The Headbanging continued...

Ok Ok I know I said I would finish this post some time ago but just imagine how the suspense building up will make this post worth it. I got a lot to cover because the past few weeks have been quite busy so grab your favorite beverage (Diet Coke for 75% of my family) and a comfy chair, sit back and enjoy.

I re-read the previous post and I think I left off at the Atlantic Ocean on the 4th of July. We preatty much spent the whole afternoon in the sun and trying to do as little as possible. Appartently I did the least because I fell asleep on my stomach and woke up to the smell of my back and shoulders sizzeling. I just wouldnt be a Warnock if I didnt go to the beach and get burnt. Oh well, I knew I would be peeling later so at least all the pain wouldnt be for nothing. (In case you didnt know, I am OCD about peeling...anything. Labels, skin, stickers, paint, wallpaper, everything that can be peeled will be peeled by me) We met up with some of Zupo's friends and ran into Thompson and Zawacki from Delta Co. so we took Thompson into the ocean, seeing that it was her first time in any ocean which was blatenly obvious when she took the first wave face first. We had to teach her to put her back to the wave and kinda jump into it. I think I had more fun picking her up after a wave washed her away than actually swimming myself. It was just plain funny, like watching a toddler walk for the first time. Anyways, the ocean rocked but we werent about to stay there all day. We went back to Thompson and zawacki's hotel to shower and get ready for fireworks in downtown Savannah. Made it downtown just in time for the finalle which is really the only cool part anyways. We dropped Thompson off at Outbacks so she could have dinner with her friends and then proceeded to this bar that Miranda has been saying we had to go to ever since we decided on going to Savannah. The band he toured with before the Army played a show at this bar and he was really impressed with it. To the rest of us, one bar is as good the next one so we headed for the Jinx. We got there and after getting our drinks, we found out a band was playing that night. Im in Savannah and have been to a few bars in this state where every live music act has been some redneck in a cowboy hat, boots and belt buckle butchering country musics worst songs. I expected more of the same that night so I started to pull out my iPod when the band came on. I pushed play and they did the same. A: I couldnt hear my iPod. B: It wasnt country. C: It was loud, fast, angry.....and not counrty! Do my ears decieve me? Did I find a hard rock show in the middle of the bible belt and home to the jacked up 4x4 pick up truck with a 12" lift and rebel flag in the back window? Why yes I did! Lucky for me, Miranda was there to headbang and enjoy the music because Zupo was going thru culture shock. I wish I could of taken a picture of his face when the started playing. "Why is it so loud? I cant understand what they are saying. They are just screaming. You actually like this stuff, Warnock?" haha priceless. Sweet, sweet revenge for all the counrty bars he has taken me to. I made sure he knew that and derived great pleasure watching him at the bar with that blank look on his face. I know that look all too well cause it was the same look I gave him at the last 3 bars. Well the first band played the last song and pulled up someone from the crowd to sing. He rocked and put on a better show then the whole band combined. Turned out he was the next band on so Miranda and I decided to stay and watch this guys band play. We released Zupo and Mitchell to leave and save their eardrums. It wasnt really their scene but it was right up me and Mirandas alley. The next band, A Girl, A Gun, A Ghost, got on and proceeded to blow my mind. I dont think I have had a better time at a concert or seen a better preformance out of a local band before. I was rocking as hard with those 25 people as I do with 5000 in a major show. We started the most pit, screamed with the lead singer and completly forgot I was in the Army untill I was headbanging so hard my dog tags almost came flying off my neck. Needless to say, an hour later we were spent. We rounded up Zupo and Mitchell and headed back to Thompsons hotel for another night on the floor cause we hadnt gotten a hotel room of our own yet. (Again, we guys only concern ourselves with the cooler and its safety) I awoke to a pain in my back and neck that a Advil quickly cured and we headed back for Zupos sisters to relax and watch tv, shower and be around non-military folks which i thourghly enjoyed. Its like I live in 2 worlds now. Military and cilivian. Its like I get to be two different people that share the same mindset. So after much channel surfing and long cat naps on the couch, we got ready for a house party at a friend of Zupos. It was just a lame garage party, typical of 20 somethings, and we all retired early so we could wake up early to head back to Ft. Gordon. We got back to Ft. 2 hours early and had time to shower shave and get ready for recall formation. Overall a weekend that I will never forget. It may be the last time I get to spend with these guys before we all scatter across the country.

Next up: Capstone. 4 days in the field (actually a parking lot with tents) and more sweating than actually learning. 98 degrees and full humidty will make you sweat a few pounds off. Really a great diet plan the army got going if you ask me. I thought it was a large waste of time and resources due to the poor planning. All we did was stand outside in formation with full battle rattle and do nothing. The only exciting part was the pinning ceremony on the last day when we got our signal crest to put on our class A uniforms. There was a lot of big wigs and saluting (my battalion commander, brigade commander who is a full bird conolel, and many majors and command sargeant majors) who all shook hands with each and everyone of us, 85 total, and made me feel real proud to be MOSQ (Military Occupational Speciality Qualified) and done with AIT. Just one more chapter done in my military career but it in no way means I am done training. I will go to my unit, after Airborne and RIP, and continue to train on equipment and combat skills. The training never stops. I really want to be the top dog in my MOS so that everyone comes to me with their questions and problems. I want to be the guy fixing the Sargeant Majors computer when it goes down or the radio guy for the commander when Iraq or Afghanistan comes. I want to be THAT guy.

Ok Mom said I should put this in my blog so you all would know and I am a little proud of it myself so its time to brag a bit. I graduated with the highest grade in my class, a 97%. I graduate with honors and its something I pushed myself to do. I was tired of just skating by like i did in high school and most of college. I am going to prove to everyone including myself the type of person I am and want to be.

Yesterday I went through the graduation ceremony. Dont worry mom, you didnt miss anything. we walked across the stage and got our "diplomas" whick was nothing more than a rolled up piece of paper with a ribbon tied around it. Why is it that when ever you walk to get a diploma they never actually give it to you? Its always just a fake and they end up mailing the real one or give it to you when you leave. Kinda cheapens the whole experience if you ask me.

I have been getting a few requests for more details on the girl I mentioned in earlier posts. I am sad to say that I have to leave her behind when I leave and it just wouldnt be fair to either of us to continue a relationship long distance. Long Distance relationships never work if you ask me because they are too hard to maintain. It puts tons of stress on both people and its just something I, and definately her, dont need at this time. Plus there were a few issues that were too big to work around. First of all, she is 18 and too young in my opinion to be tied down to a traveling Army guy. She needs someone who can be with her all the time and show her how a proper relationship is susposed to happen. Second, she is pregnant (not mine Mom. Someone in the office please pick my mother off the floor and help her to her chair. She will need a Diet Coke IV immediately to revive her) from her previous relationship and I am in no position to help raise a child now. I just cant be the person she needs right now. We both agreed on it (she took a little longer to see it my way though) and have gone our seperate ways. I still talk to her and will see her again this weekend to say goodbye. If there is one thing I hate about the Army, its how hard it is to have a relationship. Got to take the bad with the good, I guess.

This week is going to be especially hard on me. I have to say goodbye to many friends as they scatter across the country to their various duty stations. Some of these guys I have known since basic and some I met at AIT but either way I have spent everyday with, eating every meal together and sharing every gripe and complaint with. Woo, our little Korean, who was in my platoon in basic, leaves tomorrow. We have shared the same room for the past 6+ months. Wow I dont even want to think about it. Thompson, Mitchell, Alex. There are many more that would be just to hard to list. Please pray for them just as you do for me. We are all doing the same thing, fighting the same fight. Anytime to think of me, put them in the same sentence. I came up with a quote that I think fits well in this situation. "We are all different in the same way."

Well I think that does it for me for this update. I got some outprocessing (yeah!) to finish up so yall take care and I will be home shortly.

Much love from the newest Signal Soldier
Frank
We

Sunburns and headbanging

Hello everybody. I trust everybody had a good Fourth of July. This holiday has really taken on a new meaning for me and my friends now. We are proud to serve this great counrty but even we need a break every so often. So that is exactly what we did this weekend. We took a well needed rest and went on a mini road trip to the ocean. We put the Army, the sergeants, the 3AM wake ups and the drama behind for a few days and decided to be regular 20somethings. Here is a recount of my weekend (a day early at that too!)

Well we werent able to sign out for our weekend untill 0800 Thursday morning even though every other company in the battallion was able to leave after class Wed night. Oh well, sucks to be in Bravo but Im sure you all already know that. Anyways, after we signed out, I rounded up my friends and got ready to go. After we found the last rental car available in a 100 mile radius, which was an adventure in itself, we cranked the radio and pointed the car south towards the beach. 2 hours and numerous fights over radio stations later, we found ourself on the welcome mat of Zupos sisters place. (ed. note: The friends in this trip include Zupo, Miranda and Mitchell and Zupo grew up in the greater Savannah area) We said hello, threw some laundry in the washer and headed out for McDonalds with her and her kid. You guys might be like "why did you get McDs when you could of had a good sit down meal?" Simple. We havent had Big Macs and Double Quarter Pounders in 6+ months and it sounded good. Real good. Plus they had a ball pit for the kid to play in. You cant really find that in your normal Applebees or Bob Evans. Anyways, after the chow, we headed back to the apartment to shower and get ready for the night. Zupos sister lives about 25 minutes away from Savannah which is right on the ocean. So we went into the city and had ourselves a good old time. It is such a beautiful southern city. Cobblestone streets and old stone steps so steep and narrow that you know they have been there since the Civil War. Of course, Mitchell and broken leg was having one hellava ttime trying to crutch it all. Haha it was so funny to watch him crutch those cobblestones and the stairs were a joke. I felt bad for him so when we had to do the steep steps, I picked him up on my shoulders and carried him to the top. A: it saved us a good 10 min waiting for him to make it to the top and B: it really impresses the ladies. I look strong and like a good friends and he get the pity for the cast. Oh we were working that one all night. So we have a good night out on the town and retire to a friends hotel room. Zupo jumped in the bed with Thompson and Gillian before anyone else could call it, Miranda and I shared some floor and Mitchell slept in the back seat of the car. After Zupo had a good night sleep and us three felt worse than we did before we fell asleep. We made Zupo feel bad enough to buy us breakfast (Burger King, we were on the fast food world tour) so that worked out. The whole reason for the trip was to get some beach time so we pointed the car in the direction of the salt water smell and put the pedal to the metal, but seeing how we were driving a Kia Optima that ment that we got up to a blistering 55 mph. Didnt really matter how fast we were going because there was a wreck on the bridge that took 45 minutes to get around and then another hour to find a place to park close enough to the beach so that crutch boy wouldnt have that far to go. It was near impossible to find a spot. 4th of July on the beach in 98 degree weather. Whodathunkit? Eventually, we took a spot right on the beach from someone who was leaving. We had to fight an old lady for it but we got it. She was a tough old broad, trying to threaten us, waving here walker at us but we just pulled out the crutches. We had a cripple standoff for a few minutes just like in the old west. A tumbleweed/Spiderman beachball rolled by. But alas, I digress. The beach. The sun. The ATLANTIC OCEAN! The last time I say the ocean was on my senior trip to Myrtle Beach back in '03 and it was about the same for Miranda so me and him put down our bags and headed straight for the water. Oh it was glorious. Warm and salty. Oh yeah I forgot about the salt the first time I dove under water and got a mouthful and eyeful of saltwater. Ah the memories came rushing back of summers in Myrtle with the family as I was coughing up half the Atlantic. After about 15 minutes in the water, miranda and I went on a mission to get some towels to lay on because we were guys who forgot to bring any. The only thimg we were concerned with bringing was the cooler. We were going to go ina hotel and grab some from the pool but that Army integrity got the best of us and we bought some. We got 3 green and blue ones and a preatty pink and purple one for Zupo. Oh it was funny watching him try to be all manly laying out on that thing.

Ok well my phone is about to die so I got to post this before I lose it all. I will continue where I left off when I get back on post and can plug my phone in.

The Korean Kidnapping Adventure

Ah a day late for the normal Monday post. Rest assured, faithful readers, there is a good explanation. Number 1: Mom doesnt work untill Tuesday anyways therefore she wuld not of been able to read it till today. Number 2: I got little sleep over the weekend and even less sleep Sunday night/Monday morning. Number 3: OK well there isnt a really good third reason, I just plain forgot. With all the stuff going on here, it just slipped my mind. But here I am, ready to light my thumbs on fire for a blazing recount of these past two weeks. So sit back, grab a Diet Coke Mom, and be prepared to be entertained.

Well lets start with the most recent first. Monday was just one of those days. I fell asleep Sunday night around 1100 not expecting to get up till 430 for Monday morning PT. As it turned out, our sergeants had other plans. I awoke to SGT McCollough crashing into our room, screaming to wake up. Actually, he kicked Zupos bed and told us to get up and outside in 5 min. I thought it was our PT wake up call, so I checked my watch to see how long I could "snooze" for but what do my blurry, sleep dust crusted eyes see? 0256 in bright blue from my watch. What the heck? We had to clear the barracks and form up on the basketball court so that the drug dogs could go through. I was ticked beyond words and Im sure the dogs were too because they didnt look too happy to be up at that forsaken hour either. We stood out on the court for an hour and 15 minutes so they could find nothing because who would be stupid enough to bring their drugs back to the barracks? We went back inside and I about fell asleep in the 30 minutes we had inbetween PT. I ended up shamming out of PT to do laundry detail. Much better choice because I already got chow before PT got back. Went to sleep for about an hour before they cleared the barracks because the fire marshall came through. Another hour or so and then they cleared it again because no one wanted to pass out the clean laundry. By that time, I was up for the rest of the day. I can only fall asleep so many times in one day. I swear, if I get more than 5 hours of continous sleep, I feel like its my birthday. We got back from class Monday night at around 1100 and they woke us up this morning to do 0445 PT again for some reason. Normally, third shift does PT at 0800 so we can get a little sleep but that is thrown out the window now too apparently. Oh well, 2 tears in a bucket. Deal with it and move on.

On a lighter note, there was a bit of harmless hazing that happened Sunday night that is too funny not to be mentioned. Dont worry, nobody got whipped with a pillowcase of doorknobs or anything like that so those with a weak heart, feel free to read on. A little back story is required though. My friends have a mini war going on with "The Black Council" durning chow. My friends being me, Zupo, and Woo and the council consists of Swoope, Sailor and Embry, all Guys from Benning so we are all cool with each other. Durning chow, we mess with each other bacuase we usually sit with our respective groups. If we pass their table while waiting in line, we will knock over their napkin despenser or sugar bottle, steal their salt and pepper, knock over their empty glasses. If we are done with our meals and pass their table on the way to turn in our trays, we will put our glasses or plates on their trays. Dont think its just us doing it. They started the napkin thing, we just expanded on it and made it better. Ok back story complete. Sunday night apparently, the council decided to get some revenge. Maybe it was because I left my plate and glasses on Swoopes tray, leaving me to turn in a tray of siverware. So their we are Sunday night, Woo passed out, Zupo just got done on the phone and I was texting some people. Next thing I know, Woo is in the air, being carried out the door. They kidnapped our Korean! They made it about halfway to the bathroom (for what was sure to be a swirly) before Zupo darted out of the door and grabbed an ankle. We wrestle for Woo about a minute and spend the next ten laughing uncontrollably on the floor. Here is the council, looking like a gas station robbery team gone wrong. Dressed in dark clothes, Sailor has a t shirt over his mouth and leaving a slit just big enough to see out of inbetweeb his hat and the Macgyvered bandana. Swoope is using a bath towel to cover his face. Just the mort riduclous thing you ever saw. Heres how they did it. Sailor unscrewed the hallway light so we wouldnt see the light when the opened the door, slowly opened the door and tiptoed over to Woos bed without being seen by me and Zupo and grabbed Woo right out of his bed. If they would of knocked out him out so he didnt struggle, we would of never known. I would be sitting here telling you of a ransom note. After we got done laughing about it, Embry goes to me and says "that'll teach you not to mess with us at chow" I about died. Good thing PT in the morning was a run day because I could not of done any sit ups. my abs hurt so much from laughing. Needless to say they spent the next 30 kidnapping various other Benning Boys whille we followed with our cell phones, capturing all the action on camera. We actually got Moreno to the bathroom but he went spread eagle on the stall so a swirly was near impossible. Good times at Bravo Company 369.

I have 2 classes left untill I leave for the Fourth of July weekend and as soon as I get back, I leave for 4 days of Capstone and I will be graduated! Signal Suport System Specialist MOS 25U qualified. I feel like I have been in class forever and it would never end but I am seeing the light at the end of this very long TRADOC tunnel.

Well hope this post finds you well and hopefully I should be back in Ohio sometime around Sept/Oct for about a month. Two weeks for HRAP (hometown recruiting assaintance program) and then two weeks just for me to do whatever I want. I wont know what to do with myself haha.

Your Almost Qualified Soldier
Frank

What I have learned

Ok guys I am going to mix things up a bit in this post. Instead of the usual update on what Im doing, I am going to tell you a few of the things I have learned since I have been in the Army. The posts have been getting a little repetative I thing and its about time to shake things up a bit. Its been 6+ months now so there have been a few changes to my outlook on life and how I approach situations. Here are a few things I have learned and been taught by the Army.

Friends. I had friends before the Army, but the group of guys I call my battles have changed my perception of what a true friend is. Everyday I see them, heck I sleep in the same room with two of them, and evrything I have done, they have been right next to me doing the same thing, going through the same pain and feelings. They have never let me down and have always been there to pick me up when I get knocked down or having a bad day. We go out and have fun on the weekends together and then we all get smoked together whe we get back on Sunday. How do you describe the bond that we share? How do you put into words that we have a job that means we put our lives litterally in each other hands? I have 4 guys that will take a bullet for me and I know, if put in the situation, I would do the same. They would never leave me behind, be it in a combat zone or a bar or a class or a run. This was one of the things I was looking foward to when I joined. I had heard stories of guys still talking to Army buddies years later and now I know why.

Family. The Army has taught me the importance of my family. Before I joined, I had gone off on my own and kinda left my family behind. I can remember not calling Mom or Dad for 3 months straight one time andnot really thinking twice about it. I thought I could do things on my own. I was naive and selfish but now its like they are my main supporters. I guess it had to do with the fact that I was not doing much with my life and I was more embarassed than anything. But being in the Army has given me something to be proud about and something for my family to be proud about. Now if I more than a week without a call home, I feel like I missed something. Everytime I get a chance to see them, I savor every moment because I dont know when the next time will be. The Amry has shown me that not every family is as strong and as close as mine and it makes me happy knowing I have someone rooting for me back home and a bed to sleep in whenever I come back. I love you guys and thanks for being there for me all the time, not just when it was easy or convienent.

Organization. A strange concept of a 23 year old to be learning but as my family can atest to, I have never been what you may call a "neat" person. haha far fromit really. The Army gives you limited space for living so it makes you learn how to organize your crap. My wall locker my not always be inspection ready but everything has a place and for the most part it stays that way. My bed is always made and my clothes are always clean. I have alot more person pride in my uniform and the way I look. I get ticked off when someone is out of uniform or wearing it wrong. Major difference from my previous life. Example: In high school, I wore pajama pants to class. Now I make my bed everyday so tight you can bounce a quarter off of it. Before, it was a rare occasion that my bed got made. Things have changed.

Excercise. I get plenty of it. 5 days a week at 0800 I either run 3+ miles or do push ups, sit ups, and over head hand claps untill muscle failure. I am close to the best shape I have ever been in. Heck, I just took my end of cycle PT test and ran my 2 mile in 15:18. Before the Army, I had to stop to walk on the second lap, less than a half mile. While I dont love doing it, I have still learned the importance of being in good shape and how it gives you energy to accomplish the mission. I used to sleep 12+ hours a day and still not have the energy like I do now. Plus I got biceps again and you know how the ladies love the guns :)

Respect. I have always been respectful towards other people and my elders, teachers and coaches but now I have a solid reason. Life is tough and brutal if you are not prepared for it. The people who have gone through it before me have learned alot and if they are willing to pass along knowledge that will make my time easier then I am gonna open an ear and listen. I have a newfound respect towards veterns now that only the Army could instill. The men and women that have given their lives for this counrty have done the ultimate deed. Its just one of those things I took for granted before that I look at completely different now.

Self Defense. I know how to operate and maintain numerous weapon systems including my left and right fists. I pity the poor sap that tries to jump me in an alley now. I can protect myself and those around me with force if necessary but I also know when that level of protection is needed.

First Aid. I can start a IV. I know how to treat burns, wounds and bone fractures in a combat zone or out of one. I know how to treat a tension pneumothorax (needle chest decompression) and a sucking chest wound. I found out the hard way about personal hygene and what a miracle foot powder is.

Patience. Hurry up and wait. The Army's unwritten motto. Things arent always going to be done right away for you so sometimes you have to just do them yourself. I have stood in lines for inprocessing for 10 hours for a week straight. As my drill sergent told us, either you learn it on your own or it will be taught by blunt force trauma. That week was an example of the latter. Some people will not grasp concepts right away and sometimes you have to teach them and wait for them to catch up. Basic training was alot of that. Everybody had to be the same page every step of the way and if they fell behind you had to wait for them to catch up.

Puncuality. I have never been on time for much in my life. Senior year of high school I think I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 tardies and college wasnt any better. Im not what you call a morning person. But since I have been in the Army, 0445 formations are nothing new and I have yet to be late. I have never been late to class or any formation for that matter. I even shock myself sometimes with the ease of getting up in the morning now.

Thats all I can think of right now. I am sure there are some I am forgetting but I will add them in a later "themed" post. Hope you enjoyed.

Pvt. Warnock out.

Yeah I know it been awile...

Ah ok here it is. The long awaited update. have really been slacking on this blog thing. Sorry to all you guys for the length of time inbetween these posts but as you read this lastest installment, maybe you will get an idea why it has taken so long.

Where to begin? Well I have only 3 more weeks of class left and then a week of Capstone which is a 4 day long FTX that is an accumulation of all that we have learned and put into a real world environment. The class I am now is really boring. We are learning how to send emails in the Army way and through a special program. So far we have learned how to install Windows XP, how to write and understand the basics of binary code, install routers and switches, basic operation of the SINCGARS radio, basic operation of the TACSAT radio that communicates via satellite instead of conventional line of sight, set up the OE 254 attenna, the FBCB2 navagational system and now we are on super easy email class. I still got the highest grade in the class so thats good. Hopefully that will translate into a promotion at graduation time. Speaking of promotions, I will be a E2 PV2 on July 1. No biggie there, its a mandatory promotion that everyone gets after 6 months service but the bump in pay will be nice and i will actually be able to wear sme rak on my uniform. Just the first step towards much more hopefully.

Now for the explanation as to why it has been awhile since my last post. Actually I think there was a blue moon durning my last post. Basically in a nut shell, Saturday was the first time in 6 days I got more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep. Last weekend, there was 6 people that got arrested so needless to say our sergents werent too happy about that. Instead of doing the logical thing and punishing the 6 jailbaits, they said it was our fault for not looking out for our battle buddies. I can say that no one in my group that i hang with on the weekends got in ay trouble but it was still my fault for the 6. Ah I love mass punishment. So because of the trouble makers, we got put on lockdown for the weekend and our sergents were screwing with us all week. PT got pushed up, because of the heat, to 0800. My class doesnt get back till 0100 and sleep just isnt possible untill about 0200 anyways so thats just 6 hours anyways. the sergents get this great joy of waking up at 0300 or 0400 for no apparent reason to clear the barracks and make us stand in formation on the basketball court to yell at us for the idiocracy of one or two individuals that want to do something retarded like smoke in the barracks or miss bedcheck. Here was how my sleep went for the week. Mon night: 0245-0340 for a missed bedcheck, Tues night: 0430-0445 cause first shift didnt want to come down for their morning formation, Wed night 0300-0415 for a UA (urine analysis ie drug test for 20% of the company), Thurs night 0200-0400 Zupo, Woo and I had hall guard/CQ and Fri night at 0500 my class had to get up to get our phase 5+ badges. A silver lining on a cloudy week, I am now a phase 5+ which means after class gets out Fri night/Sat morning we can leave for the weekend and dont have to report back untill recall on Sun which is usually 1800. So back to the crazy schedule, third shift has been getting the short straw all week and hs been filling up any free time with pillow time. I slept more during sunlight than i did at night. We have all been walking zombies this week. I really dont know how i stayed awake in my classes. We have been slamming energy drinks just to keep a slit open between the eyelids. I was so drained this weekend all i did was lay around the hotel room and sleep and watch tv. I only went outside to get fast food and then back to rehibernate. The time I wasnt sleeping I was spending time with this amazing girl I met a few weeks ago. More on her later folks.

Now for the usual weather update. You know that song by the Charlie Daniels Band "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"? You know why he came here? Becasue it reminded him of hell. Its hot as hell here! We have been in heat category 5 for 3 straight weeks now. In heat cat 5 technnically we are only allowed to do 10 minutes of work and then they are susposed to give us 50 minutes rest. Susposed to. haha thats laughable. No really they havent been pushing ttoo hard. Too many heat casualities, heat stoke heat exhaustion stuff like that. Seriously you walk 300 feet and you kiss the clothes you are wearing away, they will be drenched in sweat. I have done more laundry in the past few weeks than Mom did during football season. Be thankful you guys live in Ohio. It may be hot but you dont have the humidity like it is here. So drink water, stay hydrated and tell your parents a quick thanks for settling in Ohio.

Ah my favorite part of this update. I get to brag about the girl I met. Her name in L'erin (she white Mom, you can pick yourself off the floor now, her mom just has some style and flair haha) and she is a civilian that grew up in Georgia so she talks with a southern accent. Zupo who grew up in Georgia before moving to Oklahoma told me about the southern belle accent and what it does to guys. He could of never been more true. I could listen to her talk for hours because of the accent. Its just so freaking cute. She has a little sister that she watches durning the week that I got to meet last weekend and she is just full of energy. Its like someone gave her a pound of chocolate and let her loose. But she is a cutie and a sweetheart so she can get away with it. I have really gotten something to look foward to all week now and it is really helping the weeks go by faster. I wasnt so sure of how it would be seeing someone after Kim and how I would feel about it but L'erin is the medicine I have been looking for. I just really enjoy spending time with her and getting to know her. She is down to earth and grounded. Her past relationships havent been what you would call healthy ones. She always saya that she has never been treated right before so thanks Mom and Dad for the raising me right. It makes it easy to know how to conduct yourself in a relationship when you have a great model to learn from. Im sure youll be hearing much more about L'erin in future posts so untill then Ill just leave you in suspense...

Thats all for now guys. I got a movie that i want to finish and the thumbs got their workout so keep your eyes open for a future post. It will be here sooner tha you think.

Your Soldier-in-Heat Cat 5
Frank