So I was planning on getting back into this blog-writing thing after basic, but it's taken me some time to get used to the fact that I actually have regular and predictable computer access again. (Never mind the fact that I'm writing this on my iPhone.)
Basic was a really good experience for me. I know that kinda sounds like I'm trying to put a brave face on what happened in the nine-week process that turned me into a Soldier, but it was actually rather enjoyable. If you were to ask some of my classmates in AIT, they could vouch for me that there are actually times I miss BCT. I miss some of my Drill Sergeants, the people I lived with for those weeks, and the awesome combat-related stuff we learned. I definitely wish I had learned more combat skills than I did, but there is only so much you can cram into those weeks.
At the same time, I'm glad I've moved on to Advanced Individual Training. I like having my phone available, if only during personal time. I like being able to fall asleep to my iPod and not have to get up on Sunday mornings.
I also really appreciate being around (for the most part) like-minded people who understand what it is a Chaplain's Assistant does and why our job is in the Army. While the MOS of Chaplain's assistant is a mere 100 years old, the Chaplain's Corps is the second oldest corps in the Army, second only to the infantry, and that only by a couple months. Ours is an old and proud profession, and I'm honored to be a part of it. My class visited the Chaplain's museum yesterday, and to see the kind of memories made by chaplains and their assistants, medals of honor won, platoons saved from disaster, or even just a worship service at an altar made from local wood, 99mm mortar shells, and a Chaplains Assistant's ingenuity, it was both humbling and thrilling to think that I would be a part of said tradition.
So while I'm doing these silly access guard shifts where I have to stay up for two hours doing absolutely nothing, I'll be recounting some of my experiences during AIT, and when I head to my first duty station I'll maintain it when I finally get situated and settled. Hopefully it'll be an awesome unit like the 101st Airborne or the 193rd infantry brigade. I dunno if I want to be part of anything crazy like an Army Ranger batallion or Special Forces, but if that's what they require I'll suck it up and do my duty. All I ask for is the capability and mindset to do my job and do it well.
That's pretty much what's on my mind right now. The people I got to know while I was waiting for my class to pick up are in the field for the week, so the bay is a bit quieter and access guard happens a little more often, and tomorrow we'll actually get started in earnest on our classwork. (Our access cards wouldn't let us onto the computers until today).
Until next time, may God bless you as I know he will in his wisdom, and remember that everything happens for a purpose.
For God and Country!
Ron Chausse'
