Ft. Sam Houston

So, my original intent was to totally be a blogger and write all kinds of interesting stories.  But, as it turns out, I'm no more a writer today than I was when I was seven years old.  So you're gonna get some pictures and captions.  That's the best I can do.  And, since I'm not the biggest picture taker in the world, you're only gonna get a few pictures.  Deal with it. :)

 This was my first stop at Ft Sam Houston (at least I thought it was supposed to be).  The only location I could find on my orders was Building 592.  Turns out that's a hotel, and I needed to go to the AMMEDD Center & School to check in first.  Army efficiency?  What?

 These are shots of my actual room.  Turns out I pretty much live in a hotel.  Maybe crossed with a dorm room.  But theres TV, WiFi, and a refrigerator and a microwave.  There's even an iron and a hair dryer!

 Can't have too much TP, I guess.

 First time I got all gussied up in my ACUs (Army Combat Uniform).  I was probably about to head off to class.

Issuing us all our gear.

 Don't be jealous of my sexy overboots and my super-trendy-wearing-them-on-the-wrong-feet style!

 My first Army experience with MREs.  Of course, my brother and I thought we were army men growing up, so we've had them before.  :)  

 This picture is sideways.

 Fajitas.  Just like you get at Chilis!

 This is actually a cool thing.  That green envelope is a chemical heater.  You slip the foil pouch inside, then add a tiny bit of water, being careful not to overfill, then it gets really hot.  Good stuff.

This was our Land Navigation group.  Choi, Allen, Ramsey (I used to live with his brother in Seattle. Weird), Me, and Patel.  We learned to plot 8 digit coordinates on a map and then we were given a set of 7 points to plot.  Then the trick was finding them.  We did pretty well for the most part, but one time I ended up waaaay off in the bushes.  :)

 The last two points we had to wait for night time to find.  We were on top of a hill.  It was pretty.

 I didn't use any editing software.  This is really what it looked like.  I promise.

 M-16 simulators.  Pretty realistic as far as the recoil and feel of it.  They're all computerized too, so when the magazine is empty, the bolt locks open, etc.

 Learning to use the M-40 gas mask.  Getting ready to go to the gas chamber.  Get excited!

 Three tough guys.

This video is probably difficult to watch.  The camera moves around a bit.  My apologies.  Also, it's mostly kind of boring.  Oh well.  If only we had smellovision... >:)

 The M-9 simulator.  Just like the M-16 but with pistols.  Don't feel like you need to critique my stance. I'm aware of my backwards-leaning tendencies.

After learning how to disassemble and reassemble the Beretta M-9, we had a tournament to see who could do it faster.  Nadeau dropped his recoil spring on the ground, but Richmond didn't fully separate her spring from the spring guide.  You can decide who the winner is.

You can send me stuff at this address.  If you do, I promise to send you something from Texas.  It might be a rock, but it'll be a Texan rock!!