Originally published at an attempt.. Please leave any comments there.

Lately I’ve been training up for my stint in Fort Benning coming this July. The main thing that has worried me is the 20K Ruck March in 3 hours. It’s the last event before graduation. If you fail it, you get one more chance, but if you fail twice, you don’t graduate.

I’ve been on a kind of program… at the moment I’m training with 45lbs in my ruck, and with my combat boots. I’ve been going to the track and pretty much rucking for an increased amount each time. I did 5 miles on Wednesday, in 01:05. That’s a good time, considering that means I was 10 minutes under what 5 miles would be if I was doing 12 miles in exactly 3 hours, 01:15. I went again today, did 3 1/2, well under, too.

My current strategy consists of running for the first 10 minutes, then walking until I could feel my calfs again, then running until I can’t. I give myself a good buffer by pushing and running the first 10 min. By around 6 miles, I run again for an extended amount of time, then repeat the process.

I was looking for interesting photos, but I guess there really aren’t any regarding this stuff…

I’ll be heading to the track more and more… the only thing holding me back are my shoulders/upper back… pretty sore in the AM - just got to give me a little more recovery time I think.

Cool.

Originally published at an attempt.. Please leave any comments there.

Back on LI for the next few weeks… be here until early July, then off to Fort Benning, Home of the Infantry, for two weeks, hopefully graduating from the Army Air Assault School. Nice.

Nice being home, nice seeing a bunch of people. While where was a bit of drama here and there, things are starting to calm down and I’m getting a bit more comfortable with each day. Just finding my place back here on the island while I train up.

Signed up at the local gym for the summer, getting in shape for the APFT come August… big stuff. Not really though. This will be a fun year, I’ll be an RA on the 6th floor of Whiteface Hall, one of two freshmen dorms on campus. I’ll be a MSIII in the ROTC program… big year; next summer I’m off to Fort Lewis, Washington for a month getting assessed and completing random training. awesome.

This post was more of an update than anything… I’ll posting more things this summer. I need something to keep my interest. Ideas? comment…

Peace.

Originally published at an attempt.. Please leave any comments there.

I’ve probably rewritten this post like three times now… I never know what to say, or type. A topic would be helpful. I thought I asked you guys to send me topics.

you all fail.

I’ve started a Vlog. It’s on youtube. Check it out, tell me what you think, and give me ideas for the next one.

There’s this pier here in Plattsburgh I’ve become oddly obsessed with. I’ll have to show you all one day. I tend to go there during all of my free time… which I have a lot of considering my current schedule. It’s a really nice, pretty secret place where I can actually drive my Jeep right onto the beach and onto the pier and just relax, listen to some music, think, do some work etc… At night it’s a really great sight… the lights of Burlington across the lake, Valcour Island in the middle of the lake… all very great sights of night, all reflected on Lake Champlain, dancing with the moonlight, with me and my music as the audience.

Today was a pretty long day. I woke up around 6:15, got my uniform, boots and ruck sack on and met with two of the other guys at the ROTC office, where we loaded up with a 50 pound bag on our backs and started marching around in the woods for about an hour. After that I waited around for a bit, changed and grabbed some breakfast. After breakfast I went down to the pier to relax and think, then got back to the dorm and BSed for a bit.

I had my first class at 1:30 where I practically passed out from a lack of energy/sleep… I pretty much did fall asleep during the lecture actually… the professor has a lot to tell but never interacts with the class, and that kind of gets… everyone.

After class I got ready, put my running shorts/shoes on, grabbed an energy bar from the vending maching, my 32oz bottle and made my way to Cumberland Head. Cumberland Head is this part of Plattsburgh that pretty much sticks right out into Lake Champlain… kind of like a peninsula. On the East edge of it is where a ferry goes 24 hours a day to just north of Burlington, Vermont. Around the actual peninsula is a road which goes along the circumference of it, which is about 10km, or 6ish miles. The views along it are absolutely awesome around 1500 because the sun is out and beautiful, usually at a good level where it’s not in your eyes but still part of the picture if yaknow what I mean.

I’ve been looking at Army Air Assault School for the Summer, and the last event which you must do to pass the school is a 20km Ruck Sack march in under 3 hours. Not knowing what even 10km feels like (I average about 4-5 miles on my runs  during PT or during my own runs), I felt it was necessary to figure it out. I started out, and finished with a pretty consistent pace. The pace was usually a nice jog, something I might be capable of doing with 35 pounds extra on my back with a little practice.

After the 10K run, I got back to my dorm and changed back into my ACU’s for Military Studies. During the class, I got my Class A’s which are the Army Greens uniform, for the Alumni event coming up in October. Then Lieutenant Colonel told us (two other Cadets and myself) to get into the van… we were doing Land Navigation.

For anyone who doesn’t know what land navigation is, it generally consists of getting a map, some coordinates, a pencil, a protractor and a compas. Then, you need to plot the points with with your protractor, calculate the Azimuth, convert it to magnetic, figure out how many meters the distance is, and go find it. Now I’m not talking premade trails and stuff, I’m talking the woods of upstate New York, consisting of hills, draws, marshes, swamps and corn fields. Yes, corn fields.

The three of us start plotting the point where LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) told us to find, get our heading and start out. The four of us move out into the woods, getting farther and farther away from the van. After some confusion, discussion and recalculating, we make it to the North Way. The North Way (87 North), is a good distance from Campus mind you. The coordinate we were looking for (it was actually a hill) should’ve been close, but it was almost sunset and we had to start moving back. As we start getting back, LTC leads the way and we get into this large depression of a field. The field is actually a marsh of somesort, covered in long stalks, like corn fields. We go through it. Heading towards the field house, where the van is, becomes something you’d see in Indiana Jones or something. LTC is leading the way, breaking down the stalks which are almost twice the height of him, making a path behind him as me and the two fellow Cadets follow. It was actually pretty awesome considering the only path was the one in front of us. Look left, you couldn’t see anything, right nothing, behind, the stalks raised right back up after we got past them.

We make it back, get back to the ROTC office, I get some food, change and go to shoot a show for PSTV (it’s 2100 at this point, I’ve been going since 0600). I get in there, they say they’re making a music video for the intro, I’m no help, I leave. And now, here I am.

I’ve written a lot and I’m really, super tired. I need to get up at 0615 tomorrow again…so I’m going to get to it, get to sleep and get to PT. Have a goodnight and hope all is well w/ everyone.

Originally published at an attempt.. Please leave any comments there.

It’s official.
Check it:

Originally published at an attempt.. Please leave any comments there.

I thought I’d go ahead and post for once.
The topic? The MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn.

So, while dealing with ROTC scholarship and enrollment paperwork and stuff, an ongoing activity of mine throughout the summer, I discovered I had to take the ASVAB. Now, anyone who knows anything about the military probably knows about the ASVAB; basically it’s a test covering almost everything you could think of (reading, math, arithmetic, mechanics, automotive etc…) that anyone and everyone who enlists must take. The path I’m taking down the ROTC road involves me becoming a field enlistment in a local infantry unit outside of Plattsburgh.

OK, so I drive down to Fort Hamilton, about an hour and half drive. I enter the gates, told to go off to the side to get my Jeep checked out. The security officer asks for my insurance and registration, I hand the papers over, and he tells me my insurance card is expired. I check it, it expired two days earlier. Figures.

I leave the base gates, go onto a side road and park down there. Reenter, go through security check, get my little visitors pass, and continue to the MEPS building. MEPS is supposed to be a building accessible only by those in the military. Generally, when you go there for your exam or ASVAB test as a recruit, you’re accompanied by your recruiter… mine was 350 miles north in Plattsburgh, so he could not attend.

I look around the building, go to the front, all locked, all only accessible by those with a military ID. I wait around for a bit, and then a Sergeant walks up to the doors and waves her card in front of the proximity detector… me being 3 feet away, I quickly follow behind her.

Enter into the main lobby, we have the main control desk on the left, Oath room on the right, security checkpoint in front of me (which for whatever reason was not being used). I walk up to the Control desk, show them my Test request forms, and I’m told I’m not in the computer. The guy tells me to go down the stairs, down the hall to the Army National Guard offices. I do as I’m told, enter the office with no military ID, and no name tag (which is how they tell who’s a recruit and who is not) and speak with a secretary. She confirms I’m not in the computer, gives me some shit for a few minutes, realizes I’m from Plattsburgh and asks why I’m taking the test here. Long story short, after about standing around for an hour, many phone calls to my recruiter and many questions from a few more Sergeants, I’m good to go.

After all is done, and I’m authorized to take the test, they tell me that I should not have been able to get as far into the building as I did. Apparently security was supposed to stop me right at the entrance into the building… pretty funny.

Took the ASVAB, scored very well (w/o studying/any knowledge in automotive’s, not too bad) and got out of there.

My day at MEPS. All for a score. I get to experience the Albany version later next week. Can’t wait.