Army Games
So the pinnacle of my training as an ROTC cadet if finally over. It felt like I was out at Ft. Lewis for far more than a month and there were often times when I was really missing home, but at the end of the day, we all made it and I ended up doing pretty well.
To sit here and go through everything I did would be far too long, detailed, boring, and, hopefully, no one would read it. Your time would be better spent slapping a pond with a stick.
After graduation, I hopped on a plane with several other CTLT (cadet troop leadership training) cadets for the 10 hour flight to Germany. I knew this was going to be a good trip as soon as the stewardess with the beverage cart was handing out beer, wine, and cocktails like coke and water. It eased the pain of flying coach.
After we landed we got a quick safety briefing (one can't begin even a single training activity in the Army without one of those) at the airport and was sent on our ways. The hotel they put us in, as far as I'm concerned, is 5-star class. After sleeping on cots in a tent and WWII era barracks for the last 4 weeks, a small room with a bed, a TV!, and my own sink seems like a Ritz Carlton and I'll be dammed if someone tells me otherwise, nevermind that I have to share a shower and toilet.
I'm still in the phase, here on day 2.5, where every moment I've got warm fuzzies about the fact that I'm in Europe again. But to be perfectly honest, while I'm on base, aside from the roadsigns, I might as well be somewhere in America; the coffee shop takes $'s, everyone speaks English, and the shoppettes have all the usual American snacks. I understand they're trying to make the soldiers feel like they're at home but I want to feel like I'm in Germany, dang it!
My sponsor (the 2LT I'm shadowing) took myself and 2 other cadets out to dinner last night. I enjoyed some sort of schnizel (what else?) and a mighty fine 0,5L glass of the local brew. We didn't really get to spend a whole bunch of time downtown but I'm sure the best is yet to come.
Today, my first real day of training, the LT and I went out to a training area for "marching orders," or something like that. I've learned a lot already. It was a little weird at first, the privates, specialists, and NCO's all saluting me and calling me sir, but it's doing a great job of helping me understand the relationship between officer and NCO.
To sit here and go through everything I did would be far too long, detailed, boring, and, hopefully, no one would read it. Your time would be better spent slapping a pond with a stick.
After graduation, I hopped on a plane with several other CTLT (cadet troop leadership training) cadets for the 10 hour flight to Germany. I knew this was going to be a good trip as soon as the stewardess with the beverage cart was handing out beer, wine, and cocktails like coke and water. It eased the pain of flying coach.
After we landed we got a quick safety briefing (one can't begin even a single training activity in the Army without one of those) at the airport and was sent on our ways. The hotel they put us in, as far as I'm concerned, is 5-star class. After sleeping on cots in a tent and WWII era barracks for the last 4 weeks, a small room with a bed, a TV!, and my own sink seems like a Ritz Carlton and I'll be dammed if someone tells me otherwise, nevermind that I have to share a shower and toilet.
I'm still in the phase, here on day 2.5, where every moment I've got warm fuzzies about the fact that I'm in Europe again. But to be perfectly honest, while I'm on base, aside from the roadsigns, I might as well be somewhere in America; the coffee shop takes $'s, everyone speaks English, and the shoppettes have all the usual American snacks. I understand they're trying to make the soldiers feel like they're at home but I want to feel like I'm in Germany, dang it!
My sponsor (the 2LT I'm shadowing) took myself and 2 other cadets out to dinner last night. I enjoyed some sort of schnizel (what else?) and a mighty fine 0,5L glass of the local brew. We didn't really get to spend a whole bunch of time downtown but I'm sure the best is yet to come.
Today, my first real day of training, the LT and I went out to a training area for "marching orders," or something like that. I've learned a lot already. It was a little weird at first, the privates, specialists, and NCO's all saluting me and calling me sir, but it's doing a great job of helping me understand the relationship between officer and NCO.
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