Hiatus

For my few loyal readers, I am going on a planned hiatus from this blog. I have quite a bit going on in my life at the moment, and maintaining a blog is indeed something I can do without. The blog as an archive will still exist. Before I go, I have a few observations that could be their own blog posts, but I'll touch on them briefly.

A lot of responsibilities and priorities have entered my life, and it's fascinating how much time you actually have if you maintain a schedule. I used to tend to focus on a single task or project, and not do anything else until complete. This had a tendency to burn me out and not be as efficient as I should be. Now I still watch due dates, so something due the next day will grab my entire attention; however, the urgency of getting it done on time reduces the chances of me procrastinating.

I think it's too easy to simply tell someone to have more discipline. The trick is to find a strategy to create more discipline. I wish I could simply have the will to make all of my dreams become reality, but many of my dreams are very big and would take a lot of time, resources, and man power to accomplish. There is no way I could focus on such a task or tasks and ignore everything else. This may not be a grand revelation to some, but working on one of my bigger goals -for say an hour- and then accomplishing one of my smaller goals helps give me a relief and satisfaction of accomplishment.

Now I don't have anything very formal planned like a day planner or anything. I just keep a mental list of tasks that need accomplishing and devote certain nights as a focus to a larger task. For example, Monday night may be for my classes and Tuesday night for family. Also pay note that I treat leisure as a task. This was another trick that I developed. Now I don't feel guilty if I have other tasks to accomplish because I know I have designated time for those other tasks. Of course, time seems to fly when I'm having fun, but I digress.

A special note for those transitioning from active duty military service

Today also signifies the completion of my 8 year service obligation to the military. I served a little over 7 years of active duty and the rest on the inactive ready reserve (IRR). While I had some issues with the military, it was overall a very positive experience for me. It helped shape me become the man that I am today. Ultimately, I left the service because I had goals outside of the military I wanted to accomplish, and quite frankly, I wasn't sure how much longer my body could handle the physical stress. Taking that into consideration, leaving the military was a very difficult choice. Despite any issues, I knew the Army would always take care of me.

The Army has a whole transition program which may be a little bloated, but I may only think that because I may have more life experience than a lot of soldiers - particularly the ones who never went to college. I also had a plan when I got out whereas some are just anxious to get out, so that they don't have to wake up for morning formation. Regardless, it's amazing to me how much all of my plans failed when I got out. I had two jobs lined up, and both of them didn't pan out. I still had a house, but my revenue stream wouldn't last me for very long.

The Power of Online Search Tools

Confirming my political beliefs, don't ever rely on government programs. While I did inevitably get my unemployment benefits, I never received them until just before I started my job.

The Army was very big on promoting networking sites like LinkedIn, but sites like ZipRecruiter did a much better job in finding me employment. I never really gave these search sites much credit until I left the service. In about a month, I found a job that I have been very happy with. To my brothers and sisters transitioning out of the military, I highly recommend uploading your resume (which hopefully you made in ACAP) to one of these sites.

One last note: Expand your mind 
 

I still enjoy listening to various podcasts. Always learning and listening to our modern philosophers. Ever since I completed those blog posts about the filibuster for my class, the purpose of this blog has been about me writing down the various thoughts that engrossed me over the years. I've cited various podcasts throughout my articles, and it's amazing to me how much this medium has expanded my world view. My faith has been tested so many times, and somehow it perseveres. One thing that I have learned over the years: never deny the possibility of the impossibility.

In the Army

So as some of my loyal followers may know, I am currently serving in the United States' Army. Right now I am in the Initial Entry Training Program and am currently in my Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) phase. I thought I would write about my experiences and some tips for future soldiers.  

Basic Training

Basic training was really rough for me; however, it should be quickly noted that it is nothing like Full Metal Jacket.

Upon reflection of my basic training, I really don't know why it was so rough for me. Granted that some of the smoking and even the training was tough especially in the hot Georgia heat, but overall it wasn't that bad. I still believe a lot of what was "tough" with basic training was a lot of preconceptions. My main advice for people going into basic training would be to try and remember that Drill Sergeants are not all-knowing supermen. Most of the time when we got smoked, I was in complete agreement with the Drill Sergeant because I could not believe the attitude and disrespect other soldiers would display. The unfortunate thing was that I was guilty by association, but again, I just took it as an opportunity to do extra PT (physical training).

For those curious about how different basic training is compared to say Full Metal Jacket, the differences are actually quite few. The biggest difference is that Drill Sergeants cannot hit you regardless of how much you may deserve it. Many of the other issues are simply because of the times like the uniforms. Although I like to point out that several of the soldiers made their beds incorrectly because the US insignia is not supposed to be showing. Watch the movie again, it bothers me to see it.

Here are the highlights of Basic Training:

• Shark Attack - First day is easily the roughest day. Your drill sergeants basically want to make an impression on you, so expect to do something rough. My main advice for this is to pack light. Whatever civilian clothes you bring, make sure they are clothes you are willing to part with. You will not be wearing them for several weeks, and they'll just be a burden on you. 
• Red Phase - I am lumping the first few weeks together because it is basically PT and getting everything in order. You'll be treated to a lot of briefs (some are actually fairly entertaining while others will bore you to tears). You will also be given everything you'll need for basic training. BE SURE TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR CIF EQUIPMENT!!! You have to return that equipment, and they won't take it back if your equipment is dirty. Plus if you lose it or damage it beyond repair, you'll have to pay for it, and it can get expensive.
• Basic Rifle Marksmanship - This was the most frustrating part of basic training, but it also was some of the most fun. Basically you just shoot your weapon a lot. It gets frustrating when you can't seem to shoot those pesky targets. You may roll your eyes at this, but I can assure you that 90% of the time if you are having trouble shooting, it is because you are not applying your fundamentals as you transition from each target.
• Advanced Rifle Marksmanship - In my opinion this was my favorite part of basic training. During this phase you are trained with other weapons which I won't spoil for you.
• The Gas Chamber - This is your main NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) training. While there is more to your NBC training, the gas chamber really serves to have you really appreciate your gas mask. Personally I think the drill sergeants just enjoy seeing you struggle with it, but I definitely did appreciate my gas mask afterwards. 
• Family Day/Graduation - The finale of basic training. I'm sure everyone's graduation is different, but the main thing that I got out of this is that you never realized how much you missed and loved your family until you see them on Family Day. If you go to Ft. Benning (the only real basic training - just kidding), take a stop at the National Infantry Museum. Easily one of the best museums I have ever been too.

 Well those are the main highlights. Just be prepared to getting little sleep and really enjoy Sundays. Another piece of advice is to bring your cell-phone. It will most likely get confiscated, but if your platoon is good enough, your drill sergeant will allow you to call home. Having a cell-phone means that you will not have to wait and share the pay phones with the other soldiers. Also learn to love snail mail. Every letter I got was a real moral booster.

AIT

Now I am only a few weeks into AIT, but I'll go ahead and say that AIT is completely different compared to basic training. Okay, maybe it's not too different, but the focus of the training and the freedoms that you get to enjoy make AIT a totally different experience. It's almost the perfect blend of college and basic training. You get some of the freedoms of college, but you still have the schedule of basic training. AIT I assume is hard to generalize, but just please do not forget your discipline that you learned from basic training. Plus if you're really good, you may get to phase up which means even more freedoms.

I hope this blog helps with your expectations or wonderings of basic training. If you have any more questions about basic training or even AIT, post a comment and I'll be happy to answer.

God Bless America!