And if you've loved these letters you will be happy to know that I will continue to let Brandon tell you all about his Army adventures through this blog.
December 10, 2012
Valerie,
It has been a while since I have written you. That doesn't mean I don't love you though.
I want to tell you about the last couple of weeks where we went to Field Training Exercises (FTX). Obviously it's been a few days since FTX- I didn't bring my journal because I didn't want it to get wet and destroyed So I will have to give the parts I remembered pretty well.
It started on Tuesday the 27th and went until Monday the 3rd- 1 week long and yes it happened on my 30th birthday.
Tuesday it was raining when we finished packing at the bay. We then got transportation to the FTX site. The first thing we had to do was set up the patrol base which was digging guard holes "fox holes" and "ranger graves" (sleeping holes). That was a dirty mess in the muddy sand. There was a lot of roots in the ground. Luckily the rootbase didn't go too deep.
We got muddy and dirty right from the start and didn't get to take a shower or scrub our hands well for a week. (You got to get used to germs I guess) We did have hand sanitizer and soap and water.
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| This is Brandon goofing off on our vacation. But it gives you an idea of what he looked like during FTX. |
On Wednesday we went patrolling to find IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises). While we were walking in formation down the road our drill Sergeant threw a kind of giant firework in the brush on the side of the road. It was out IED. It blew up and then we had casualties to deal with. The entire platoon took security except a few who were aiding out casualties and calling for helicopters to come get us. (This is all pretend of course.)
We got to set up an ambush. We had half of our platoon set up with machine guns on a hill and the other half crouched down in a runoff ditch to the side of the hill between it and a road. The idea was that when the other platoon came down the road the teams perched on the hill would start firing at them. When they returned fire the other teams in the ditch would pop up and close in on the sides. I was in the ditch. It worked perfectly. The only problem was that when the platoon we were supposed to ambush showed up it was only 3 guys and they were massacred with blank ammunition before we even got to pop up out of the ditch. It was pretty cool.
We hiked to the top of another big hill and set up a secure patrol base to eat our MRE lunch. All in all a pretty good day.
Thursday the 29th we went on a land navigation course to find a local person's house. This person happened to be friendly to the soldiers in the area and had information about the enemy for us. We set up the course, or the course was set up by our platoon leaders. ( I had nothing to do with it.) We started and about 2 hours later realized that our platoon was lost. DS S_____ started getting pretty flustered. After [the leaders] unsuccessfully tried to figure it out DS S_____ helped the leaders by radioing for a ride to find out where the place was.
We got on the trail again and then we stopped where we were ambushed with explosives and gas grenades. (Our Drill Sergeants threw those firecrackers and smoke grenades.) Some were injured and those that tried to help, while most everyone else ran away, got attacked again. I was one of the second group of casualties and the other soldiers had to learn to do the fireman carry with us. The guy that carried me was smaller than I was and DS B_______ (who is about his same size) told him he's lifted a guy a lot bigger than me. He got me onto his shoulders and took me out of the danger area.
We were then ambushed by another platoon. The alive guys went and attacked them. Apparently they retreated and we continued to pursue them. After everything wound down, and I scooted away from the ant hill I was laid down next to (dead guys can scoot away from biting ants if they have to) we were told to line up in a set of bleachers where our drill sergeant let us have it. He told us how this mission was a disaster and then he fired the squad leaders. (This is not the first time this has happened.) He hired new ones just by pointing them out.
I was a new squad leader. He gave us 10 minutes to plot a new course and get ready to move. Now that I was in charge I grabbed a compass and a map and plotted the correct course to the new destination in about 2 minutes. The rest of the time we got in order and went. We got straight to our FTX site where we were supposed to go. We had a late lunch. I was made first squad leader because I was good at land nav.
Saturday November 30 was my birthday. (Thank you so much to everyone who wrote me a birthday card or birthday letter.) It was a pretty easy day. We had FTX site security all day and Patrol Base Improving. So about 3 times all day long me and another guy - who happened to have the exact same birthday as me - went and replaced two other guys at one of the guard stations around the FTX Site. It was a pretty chill day.
Sunday December 1st we did another Land Nav. I was in charge of finding the coordinates and plotting the route and I did a great job. We went straight there. I would have given myself an "A." Along the way we were ambushed and had to replot our course. Our ambush was a lot better too. We were coordinated and got everything done closer to the way it should have been done than any ambush we experienced previous to that. I had to alter the route a bit, but it worked and got everyone to the place we were supposed to go.
We were divided into squads to take a bunker when our squad's turn was up we went to the side of the road and followed the road to our bunker. We snuck up to it and had some of our guys go to the other side while we set up the ambush. This one wasn't as good. Some of our guys got blown up by a grenade so we had to figure out what we were doing. I was pulling security then was told that I was the leader. So I did my best to lead everyone back but I had no clue what was going on.
Sunday was a boring day of weapons cleaning all day. We did hear some pretty interesting stories from some guys in our platoon though. We had fun just hanging out and talking. We packed our patrol base and brought our stuff to the top of the hill and camped out all night long - pretty much from about 7:00 pm to 4:00 am. It was a long nice night of sleep.
Monday morning we got up and had breakfast, kind of hung out, and were transported to a different site where we started the Bayonet Run. We had to run in full Battle Rattle which means our army boots, camouflage uniform, bullet proof vest, tactical equipment vest, knee and elbow pads, helmet, and carry our M4 down a long dirt road. Along the way we had two guys get hurt - not really - but they had stretchers that we had to run the rest of the way. It was pretty difficult. We also had to take water jugs with us.
By the time we got to our destination (a shooting range with moving targets) we were all out of breath and they gave us full magazines to unload. I was sweating and panting like crazy. It was hard to shoot, but I did hit a few targets. We got to cool down a bit. When our whole platoon made it back we removed and repacked our bullet proof vests on a truck.
We then got a quick MRE lunch and loaded our rucks and got ready for our 12 mile ruck march.
The Monday before we did a five mile run. And on the last mile I hurt my knee a bit and it had been acting up all week. It hurt to go up and down hill, but this day it was hurting a lot. I was worried I wouldn't make it through the march up Honor Hill. Honor Hill is the last part of FTX. There is a ceremony where you get your Cross Rifle Badges and it basically means you have made it and can graduate. I was worried that it would be a tall scary hill to climb and I would blow my knee out doing it. Then I really wouldn't graduate.
During the ruck march I was trying not to limp nor do anything that would hurt it. For the most part it was flat and I was okay. Sometimes there were hills and other things that made it a bit more difficult. But at one part there was about a 1/4 mile steep incline that I was really worried about. It was called "Stairway to Heaven." That I took slowly and steady and I made it to the top. Our first sergeant then told us the hardest part was over.
Okay, I do not credit my own strength for getting me through this experience I was praying basically the whole time and the Lord blessed me immensely that the pain subsided and I was able to get through it. The thought came to me at one point that there is a scripture that says, "mine angels shall be around thee and shall bear thee up." (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88) I really felt like I did have angels supporting me up and helping through this ordeal.
Three miles from the end we stopped and did an assault on a little village. We searched some buildings for a plastic bag and we were shot at. We returned fire and kept searching the complex. It was way fun. I was a squad leader still so I was in charge. With the help of everyone else we got through it okay.
We hiked the last 3 miles to the hill. Honor Hill was like hiking up a slightly inclined driveway for a hundred feet or so. I was glad of that.
The ceremony was awesome. They had us line up and go into an enclosed area with a fire in the middle. We had to dip our canteen cups in a giant bin of "grog" - a drink we had to drink to become part of the infantry. They told us it would be disgusting. That it was like pickle juice with nasty things in it. There was sweat and spit and other things in it - you know, kind of like a hazing. I didn't think they would really make us drink it. They did, but it was fruit juice. It was really good and it had ice in it. The 1st Sergeant toasted to us (no there was no alcohol in it)
We did a ceremony where the drill sergeants told us about the Infantry and every war that the US Army has fought in- starting with the revolutionary war. They lit a tiki torch as they did so and lit 8 of them. It was cool. They awarded us our cross with badges and our Drill Sergeants pinned them to us. They congratulated us, and were actually really nice to us - almost like they were proud of us. But I know they weren't because Drill Sergeants are never proud of their Privates and don't care about them at all.
The ceremony was way cool. Afterwards we filed out of the enclosed area and put our rucks on and walked 1 mile back to our barracks. We ate our dinner MRE, put our weapons away, and toted all our equipment upstairs. Everyone stunk really really bad so we all had to (and wanted to) take showers. It felt great.
The rest of the week we spent cleaning our equipment and organizing it, cleaning our weapons, and packing all our issued gear, and got ready to turn in everything. I was glad to be rid of my gear. It took three days to clean it all, and organize it.
After that it was time to start organizing all our stuff and getting ready for graduation. We had to get our dress clothes fixed and all the pins on them. We had to get haircuts. I had to buy a new bag along with most everyone else in the company (we got a lot of stuff.)
Today, Monday the 10th, we practiced the Turning Blue Ceremony and graduation which all seem to be pretty short. Today I am so excited to see you. You are flying in today to Atlanta, renting a car, and driving down to Ft Benning to be with me for the rest of the week. I am very excited to see you and be with you for a while.
It has been a crazy past couple of weeks. It has been a really strange and new experience to be at basic training. One that I am glad that I have been able to do and experience. It has been a great thing to add to my experiences. This new adventure has only begun. I will continue to work on it and tell everyone about it.
Thank you for being such a great wife, Valerie. And being willing to travel all the way across the country to be with me and support this decision. I am glad you support me. I love you a lot.
Love,
Brandon
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