30 July 2009

Death Valley, Artillery and R is for Ranger.

I have been quite busy in the last little while.

My LT got moved to another unit, so I have to train up a new one. Sunday we're headed out to Death Valley, California to do our last training exercise before Iraq and it will be our first time working together. It's going to be interesting. I've got to feel him out and he has to get to know me, hopefully it'll be a smooth transition and everything will go well. I'll update once I'm home with pictures and all other nonsense.

I just spent the last 2 weeks at the Warrior's Leaders Course. It's basically basic training all over again. It was atrocious. They combine every MOS in the Army into one school and teach you outdated tactics and paperwork. It was the most extravagant waste of time I've yet to see in the Army. But it has to be done. At least I got some promotion points out of it.

The only good part about it was the guys there. I was with a few infantry guys and a Ranger who was one of the funniest people I've ever met. Being a Ranger means all he does is work out and destroy things, ergo if you can't hang with him at PT, you're a dirtbag. Well most people fall into his definition of dirtbag. He loved to point out the fact that the non-combat MOS guys got more excited about calling cadence than they did a good workout, so he decided to call his own cadence during a run one day:
R is for Ranger!
A is for Ranger!
N is for Ranger!
G is for Ranger!
R is for Ranger!
Cus we can do what we want!

Yes it's misspelled on purpose. That was my last 2 weeks. I'm now packing up my belongings and watching my darling wife bake a cake.