I'm operating on less than 4 hours sleep since 0530 yesterday morning, so y'all bear with me.
First things first. The Converse ACU boots were comfortable but hot. Too much padding around the ankles and in the tongue. Plus, I was told by one Sergeant that they're not regulation. However that was overruled by the Btn's Sergeant Major.
We can bend the regs a little since we do supply our own gear and we don't get paid to wear it. I think the exact ruling I was given on the unauthorized matter was "fuck that! wear them!"
This weekend was mostly CPR, first aid, and land navigation. We did two land nav exercises Saturday. All I can say is thank God for Camelbacks! One of the exercises was a nighttime land nav course and we had to use red-filtered flashlights.
We got back from the final exercise last night about 2340 and got our assignents for fire watch. In other words, guard duty. Yes, that is a regulation. Someone must be up and on duty at all times. I got the 2400-0100 shift and then the 0300-0400 shift. The first shift was easy enough, a SFC from the National Guard 148th Support Batallion was spending the weekend so he kept me company. The 0300 shift was a bitch though.
The food was top notch, as always. And yes, we had shit on a shingle for breakfast this morning. Our platoon Sgt gave me a plate of sausages to take home. You may not get paid, but in Blackhorse (2nd Btn) you do eat well.
Graduation was at 1530 this afternoon. I received my "mosquito wings". That's the Private stripe, 1 chevron. Breaks? What breaks? Oh that's right! The schedule was just a suggestion. We had to practice D&C because 5th Bde's commander attended today's graduation. So there was lots of marching at half step, column right, column left, facing movements, and of course that wonderful about face.
And of course yours truly, as squad leader, had to run around to the various NCO's and officers to nail down some details on protocol when they were left out of our instructions. My guys were asking me when we practiced, so it was my job. The details got worked out and the ceremony went off without a hitch.
No drill this month. Our scheduled drills are the last Sunday of every month, but there's not one for this month. Unless *something happens*, the next time I put on my ACU will be for our FTX at the end of May, which will be a 3-day weekend spent camping out in the field and no one is telling us what sort of training will take place, only that we shouldn't plan on getting any sleep.
Oh and our 1Sgt advised us in formation to start eating a lot of cheese 3 days beforehand because taking a leisurely dump won't be an option.
