Half Way

Hey There ~  (Thurs. 20 Oct 2011)

  So this week has been both good and crazy, chaotic, insane, stressful and probably every other word you can think of.  We arrived here exactly one month ago today and how crazy and fast it has all been.  It feels like we've seriously been here for years instead of just one month because we do sooo much every single day.  We are halfway through our 4th week which is awesome.

  We had the obstacle course on Monday which was soooo much fun.  I literally have bumps and bruises all over my body and my muscles felt like jello, but it was awesome.  I made it first through the entire course and didn't give up on any of the obstacles.  Unfortunately, the very last obstacle was the rope swing over a pool and try as I might, my short little arms couldn't reach the rope and I face planted in the water.  Let's just say I wanted to cool down, but not quite like that.  (oh and my boots were still wet when I put them on yesterday, which was 3 days later!! haha)  We had to carry our duffel bags with us with an extra pair of clothes in case we fell in (only 5 girls did NOT fall in) and carrying those wet clothes back sucked.  I felt like I was carrying the whole damn pool on my shoulders.  I hope I don't have to do THAT again.  It was actually a lot of fun and I'm really glad I did it.

  Then Tuesday was the gas chamber, dun, dun, dun... it was NOT that much fun, but glad to have the experience.  I wasn't nervous until we were all geared up and ready to go inside.  I was first in, which means last out, so I had to stand there and watch everyone else go.  I was getting so nervous I was like "oh shit, let's get this over with".  Man, you take your mask off and it's instant.  It burns your eyes and your throat feels like it's on fire and you're choking and can't breathe.  You have to say your reporting statement, which is "Sir/Ma'am Trainee Pratt reports as ordered!" and I think I got half or most of it out before he let me go (they just want to see that the effects of the gas are working). Then it almost gets worse once you hit the fresh air. Your eyes tear up like you just lost a puppy, your nose is running down your face, and your mouth is watering like you need to water the Sahara Desert.  So we have to walk a few laps around and give the air time to clear the effects of the gas.  It's definitely a right of passage and glad that I did it, but don't really want to have to do it again.

  Then we had classes about IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices] and different thread levels and what people will use to try and harm you (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical warfare) and things like that.  Then we went on the IED walk, which was a lot of fun.  We're walking around and have to spot & identify what type of IED it is.  It puts it into perspective that people are over in the middle east doing that for real and the IED's are not deactivated.  It puts our jobs and the war into reality.

  Then yesterday (Wed) we got our Blue's issued (professional uniforms) and that was a lot of fun.  We were there for like 8 or 9 hours just trying on clothes making sure they fit correctly.  We all had boxed lunches since we were there the whole day and we got oreo's, hehe.  We also got our names and the U.S. Air Force insignia or nameplate sewn onto our ABUs (Airman Battle Uniforms) or camo, if you will.  It's sooo nice and fun to look down and see your name there.  It's also kind of nerve wracking because that means that we are held to a higher standard and that any TI (training instructor) knows your name, not just your own instructor.  Which means we have to be on point and basically set an example for the younger Bulldogs you could say (oh ya, that's our mascot).

  We don't really have much on the schedule for today except putting our new clothes in order and properly placing them in the wall locker which actually sounds easy, but takes hours.

  We lost 2 girls to the 319^th Squadron which is medical holding.  One had pneumonia and the other one had a stress fracture in her knee.  So we are back down to 41 females.

  I also got promoted to alternate guideon (hold the flag) so I am no longer laundry crew chief, which is fine since I got in trouble the other day because the flight can't listen and follow directions.  Being alternate guideon is fun, but it's hard.  You have to carry the staff (flag) a certain way and hold it straight out for up to 5 minutes.  It gets sooo heavy, but hopefully my arm will be stronger soon.  It's also all about speed and I've only been to 2 practices so hopefully I will get faster and better.  You have to be on point when you are guideon because you are the one leading the flight in the front so it's a little bit stressful at the same time... but something unique I've never done before.  Hopefully I don't make a fool out of myself.

  I send all of my love.  Send me back positive thoughts & encouragement... I need it

A1C Pratt

KP/cp