A Few Other Happenings at Reception

Well, I'm in BCT (Basic Combat Training) now. We arrived Wednesday, 4 days ago. It has been interesting to say the least, but before I get to that, I want to share a few other things that happened in Reception Battalion.

When we arrived, one of the first things they did was the obligatory "haircut" (hair removal might be a better term). A big reason for that is to make everone more uniform - part of the process of getting people to realize that they are part of the team. As soon as we started to grow a little hair back on our heads, about 5 people got together and decided to shave the sides of their heads to give themselves mohawks. Needless to say the Drill Sergeant (DS) didn't like that one bit :-)

Here in South Carolina, it is HOT. Not just hot but hot and humid. Hydration is very important. One afternoon, when about 100 of us were assembled, the DS (Drill Sergeant) had us all drink our 1 qt. canteen and hold it over our heads upside down to show that we're finished. I don't know exactly why, maybe she got nervous that most other people were finished, but one girl ended up dumping at least half her canteen on her head. We all had a good laugh at that, especially the DS.

Speaking of laughs, there is a guy - a really tall, skinny guy, nicknamed Lurch. He's pretty nerdy, and likely lead a sheltered life before joining the Army. One evening we were all in formation and...the company phone rang. The DS answered and we heard one half of the conversation: "Yes ma'am. No ma'am. Yes he's here ma'am." Upon hanging up, the DS yelled out "Lurch" (though he used Lurch's real name, which I don't recall) "Didn't you call your mama?" to which Lurch replied "Yes, Drill Sergeant!" "Did she answer?" queried the DS. Lurch replied in the affirmative. Then the DS further asked "Did she answer?" "No." said Lurch. "Does she have an answering machine?" the DS then asked. When Lurch again replied "No.", the DS said "You didn't call your mama! Go call her now!" And so he did....in front of the whole company.

Well, I am in BCT now. I'll write all about the first hours and days in my next blog post, but for now let me just say that I'm doing well. Think of me next time you see somebody doing pushups :-)