Day 3...Heating Up...

Hi Friends and Family,

Today was a good day. We met in our platoon formation at 4:45 a.m. and did a fast march to the schoolhouse. We looked funny in our civilian dress clothes but it felt good in the morning air. That was my first official march and it was great to sing back the cadence like in the movies. (Mom, I did feel like Gomer Pyle! That was one of the lines of the cadence.) I'm really eager for more of the physical part of camp as these first several days seem to be dedicated to in-processing. Friday morning my platoon will do the initial PT test. Hope it goes well!

Our first class dealt with the issue of why chaplains are not allowed to touch a weapon in the military. We talked through scenarios and reviewed how we were to react in a heated moment of hostile exchange. Many of the chaplain candidates are former rangers or "gun men" and had a hard time thinking about going to a place of conflict without a weapon to help a buddy in need. Made for some great conversation.

We had another class today covering the pitfalls of the chaplaincy...1. Sex: adultery. Sadly many chaplains have disgraced the Gospel and the corp by failing to live according to the Bible in this area. 2. Pornography: We were told that almost every officer at Westpoint has been traced to this junk on their computers while in school. Not good! 3. Alcohol: Many chaplains have lost their career over a DUI. 4. Money: Improper use of finances, gambling etc...and your done. It made me sad to have to sit through a class about these things but I've been around the block enough to know that humans stumble...

We then had a fun trip to get our gear for the field. You would not believe how much gear we had to pack and label!! The Kevlar Vest must weigh 45 pounds, the packed backpack another 45 and extra gear on top of that. (I got stuck in the gear before lunch and had to find someone to help me out. If you could have seen me knocking on a stranger's door to get help... So funny!)

The drill sergeants are acting more like drill sergeants now. Lot's of yelling and threats for accumulated PT come Monday. I don't mind that a bit but I'm having to bite my tongue as some of the student leaders are taking their authority a bit too far. Lots of unneeded and poorly planned debriefings after a long day. GRRRRRRRR! (David, change your attitude! One of the things they do is change leadership on a whim so I could be next...It's neat because there is always someone to step in when someone is gone. You can see how this helps in war...I don't need to say anymore.)

After lunch we worked on gear with a lot of people yelling at us. Then we had a class on nutrition and heat exhaustion. (Ft. Jackson has lost soldiers in the past from the heat down here. So they preach this a lot. We have to chant a cadence when a certain phrase is mentioned in class and take a swig from our govt. issued canteen. If we are found without it we pay with extra PT.) So far I haven't been overwhelmed with the heat...The rain in the evening is wonderful. (A lightning storm got us out of PT tonight as our flag carrier was a natural lightning rod. It was fun to double time in mass chaos back the the housing.)

Now my day is over. We meet in our seats at 4:20 a.m. for class and then the big one...I get weighed!!!! I really hope to step on the scale and pass but may need to be taped for body fat...looking at the class I wouldn't be the only one. :)

I'll quit rambling on. Thanks for your prayers. I'm still struggling with a nasty sore throat. (I may give in and have it looked at tomorrow.) I pinched a nerve in my neck from the Kevlar Armor and extra backpacking...my body is in rebellion so please pray for strength.

One last story:

I enjoy meeting the students here...One I've grown to like is a catholic priest named Paul from Chicago. He looks a lot like my dad when he was a younger man and has the same gentle spirit. We laughed a lot when I told him that. (Officially he is addressed by the leadership as "Father Paul" but I told him I would call him dad!)

The overwhelming majority of candidates are like me: small town boys who love Jesus. There is one Buddhist candidate (the first in school history), six Catholic priests, two Jewish candidates, and one Unitarian Universalism (He came to the Protestant chapel service today and told me he used to be a Baptist. Hmmmm....)

Hope you all are well. I got to see Christina and the kids on the web cam last night so that was fun!

Love you!