Not Your Own

11 DEC 2008

We've been having some more fun here at Basic Training. Two days ago we went for our first Army camping experience. We walked.....well....road marched, meaning we had about 50lbs of gear strapped to our backs and we walked at a pretty fast pace for about 6 miles everyone was saying. It was a beautiful day for camping. Nice Southern fall weather with the sun partly shining, partly cloudy, and we got there and set up camp. Wait. Let me back up. So before all that, we had a day of P.T. meaning physical training (I think) and they split us all up into groups according to how well we did the 2 mile run. Since I did it in 16:50 , I was put into the A train. We had A train, B train, and C train, A was the one where all the people from 17:00 min and under. B was from 1700 to whatever C was all the others :x We ran probably a total of 4 or 5 miles. I of which was running up and down bleachers and half a mile backwards up a hill!

The next day we had to get up really early and road march over to the bayonette course where we had to do a bunch of obsticles with our bayonette and do a bunch of moves on dummies, haha it was fun! Anyays, before I talk about the camping I need to talk about my battle buddy, Ian Tracey. He was assigned to me because he's the next one before my name in alphabetical order, but he couldn't have been any better to be my battle buddy. He is smart, very friendlym Christian, and I guess and all around good guy :P We kicked it off pretty well from the beginning. So anways, back to the camping. Tracey and I out our tent up and everything and it was the best looking tent up there :P It doesn't hurt that he's an eagle scout as well. Haha. We camped out and then the next day we went to an endurance course called fit to win where we had to go through this whole endurance course with our savad. We didn't win but we got 2nd I'm pretty sure. After, we went to the gas chamber!! I was pretty worried about this. I to it and we out our gas masks on and walked in to the chamber. The drill seargaents then had us lift up our gas masks and say our full social security number followed by drill seargent! I was able to do it and then seal my mask again without it being too bad. and so I am just chilling in there untill h egets to everyone else in there. One didn't do it too well and started freaking out and tried to oush the drill seargent away. He slammed the kid against the wall and put his mask back on him for him. It was crazy! He had to go back in there again because of it too after he regained himself. But when we were about to go out the D.S took us 10 at a time to go out and before we could go, they had us take our mask completely off and sing Jingle Bells! So I got up there , I'm getting nervous because we had a little taste of the gas outside the chamber while we were putting on our masks. Then I get the signal to take my mask off. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, rip it off. I start to sing "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, jingle all the way.." The drill seargent start to try and take our masks from us, I hold tight. "oh what fun." they start to mess with me more, poking my stomach, messing with my face, "it is to ride in a one ," the next D.S starts to punch me in the gut! "horse open sliegh!" I survived!! Luckily , I had my stomach clenched. They start to push us out the door and I get out into the ligh and take a deep breath! Crap..... the gas is still pretty strong :x The gas feels what nose, in your eyes, it burns your throat, burns your skin, burns your eyes. Really burns your eyes! Man! They have us walk a few laps around a turn around road to air out and compose ourselves. Wow that was intense! haha! I'm glad I got to do it through :) I've never worn a gas mask before yet alone be gassed like that! It was crazy!

Anyways I have a few other things I want to talk about. The first one being how platoon team life is going. Our platoon is having some problems. haha...to say the least. Ive been trying to figure our what the problem is exactly and some things I could come up with were these : 1.) Our platoon is trying way too hard to maintain our own individuality. The sooner we realize that we are not who we were the better. The Army took away our clothes, our hair, our make-u, electronics, stereotypes. and gave us the same uniform, the same kind of hair, the same food, the same beds, and the same quality of life. They did this for a reason. "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake". I think old habits need to die and new ones need to form. This would help us get along I believe. 2.) Ego. Nobody is able to yet humble enough to listen to someone when they are trying to correct the, before the drill seargents talk to them. Now a lot of it is in the way people try to tell people they're wrong, but you know... they both could use improvement.

Those are the two big problems I've noticed There are a few smaller ones as well but I think they would be resolved with there two. The reason I'm kind of writing about this is because right now, my platoon has been sitting here for the past two hours while I've been writing this discussing our issues and how we need to do this and that and blah blah blah... I feel the best way to deal with this personally is to just listen, don't talk, let them work their own problems out unless otherwise asked. Because our platoon doesn't really like taking advice :p It gets to my battle buddy sometimes, but I have just been able to laugh about it. I remember back when I was like that and felt like I had to take charge and solve their problems. Now I feel like it takes more dicipline to hold my tounge.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about a devotion I read yesterday from my utmost for his highest. It's December 9th and 10th and they are "the offense of the natural" and "the offering of the natural." I'm still trying to completely grasp these, but what I kind of related it to was you guessed it, the Army. The devotion talk about how, as christians, it's not really about giving up of what makes your natural self. All the sin in my life is part of what makes you your natural self. All the sin in my life is part of the way I live for myself. We miust deny this. It's like when I signed the Army Contract and took my second oath. I'm government property. I chase this. Now, there are many good things that come from me joining the Army. They're paying my student loans, paying me a bonus, paying me to work, feeding me blah blah blah..... but there are also things I have to do. Starting here at Basic, I have to start disciplining my body, mind, even spirit to fit to the Army standards and so forth. Becoming a Christian is great and comes with more than enough benefits but there comes the time in our Christian life when we need to start discipling our body, mind and soul. We can't just keep relying on how loving and merciful God is. There comes a time when God knows that we know better. I know I've reached that point. I couldn't do it by myself. Hopefully joining the Army will teach me what being disciplined actually looks like.

From a young age growing up in church we're told we're in the Lords Army. I think I disagree with that. Untill now I don't feel like I was even ready to even make the attempt for what kind of discipline and commitment.. It's definitly something to strive for, but belive me. There is some responsibility that comes with it. Jesus was the ultimate example for this discipline and responsibility. I wonder what type of person Jesuss natural desires would have made him? Thank God we never found out.

I have a feeling that the Army is going to be a very good thing for my adult life. I've never known this stuff before or had to be so precise with the things I do. Some things suck more than others, but it's good. God is with me :)

-M