The Smiths
Well, it's snowing time again. It was 58 degrees yesterday, and now we have half a foot of snow on the ground. I guess it snowed all night long. Kayla is not very excited about the snow. She claims it has snowed about 20 TIMES this winter. Hate to tell her, but it's gonna be a long four years!!!! Kayla has written a haiku in honor of the snow she so loves. It's called, "Snow."
Snow falls so gently
During the winter so white
It falls urgently.
I am finally home from my Basic Chaplain Course at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. It was a great course, with lots of neat classes and even some pretty decent people as classmates. However, I'm glad to be home. We did have a couple of really neat experiences while there (besides the tornados). We were able to go to the Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center and to the Tuskegee Airfield, where we met Lt Col Herbert Carter--an original Tuskegee Airman! That was pretty cool.
Sierra and Kayla both have loose teeth. We received a note yesterday from the Tooth Fairy that said, due to financial cutbacks, our children were to QUIT LOSING TEETH! We'll see how that works for her!!!
Dad's finally hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome, Sierra says. Apparently, she's happy about that! Jen is just happy that Sierra is staying in her own bed at night. She doesn't seem to handle my being gone very well.
Kayla had a science fair project this month. Her question was, "Out of nine horse food brands, which one breaks down to the smallest particles?" The winner? Wilson's Horse Pellets! As a matter of fact, Kayla is also a winner. She won third place!!! We are very proud of her.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Hi! This is Kayla writing. Sorry we haven't written in a while. We've been really busy. For example, I've been writing some poems. Here's a few:
"Books"
Paper goes into rough drafts,
Rough drafts go into books,
I love to read a book
By the fire.
It goes something like that. It's called a change poem. Here's one more:
"Tina the Turtle"
Tina the turtle told the TV that Tammy the tiger was coming to tea.
Though Tina told Tammy that traveling was absurd, Tammy the tiger
traveled to Thailand to make tea today, tomorrow, and Thursdays.
I'm sure you guessed what genre that one was. If you guessed tounge twister then you're right! I'll "show" you some others in other blogs. When I said we've been busy, I meant BUSY! Dad went to AL, We've moved in the past few months, and a bunch of other things that made us forget about our blog. We'll update you on what has happened this week, later this week.
Sincerely,
The Smiths
"Books"
Paper goes into rough drafts,
Rough drafts go into books,
I love to read a book
By the fire.
It goes something like that. It's called a change poem. Here's one more:
"Tina the Turtle"
Tina the turtle told the TV that Tammy the tiger was coming to tea.
Though Tina told Tammy that traveling was absurd, Tammy the tiger
traveled to Thailand to make tea today, tomorrow, and Thursdays.
I'm sure you guessed what genre that one was. If you guessed tounge twister then you're right! I'll "show" you some others in other blogs. When I said we've been busy, I meant BUSY! Dad went to AL, We've moved in the past few months, and a bunch of other things that made us forget about our blog. We'll update you on what has happened this week, later this week.
Sincerely,
The Smiths
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The Smiths first blizzard!
The Smiths
Wow! I have never been in a blizzard before. For some reason, I like experiencing extreme weather at least once, although usually from someplace where it's safe and secure--in this case, my house!!! It's certainly been a busy week. The girls went home with Mel and Mom after their Christmas program last week (which was nice, but the school needs a better sound system). Jen and I went to the Wing Christmas Party Saturday night, which was fun. We have decided to take dancing lessons, especially if we are going to be doing this for 20 years (we hope?). On Sunday, we went down and picked up my brother from DIA, and then went Christmas shopping. It was snowing on the way down (nasty stuff), but cleared up later on. Monday morning, we learned of a suicide which had taken place Sunday night/early Monday morning. THAT put a damper on things. I dealt with that some, as well as marital counseling, that day. It was quite the busy day! Today, we were sent home early due to the blizzard coming. So, with that all written, here are some pictures. The first one is of the antelope which came wandering by my office window yesterday. The herd on base just wanders around randomly--I guess they had decided it was our turn to "host" them! They made sure to leave a nice trail of "presents" for us to clean up. Chocolate, anybody?!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
The Smiths
The Smiths
December 8, 2006
Wow! We've not been very good at keeping this up-to-date. Sorry about that. We'll try to do better! So, where do I start?
*My mom is here for the month. We've really enjoyed her staying with us. It's actually a good thing, because her van broke down, and we were able to find a place here in Cheyenne to work on it and get it fixed! She's unable to sit still for very long, so all of the loose ends from moving here are getting sewn up.
*The girls will be in a Christmas program next week, and Mom will be here for that. They are both excited about it. Sierra told me today that she is nervous about being on stage because she's never done it before!!! I reminded her that she was on stage in Kindergarten at least twice a year--not sure if it helped or not. Kayla has been staying late after school for practice because she actually has a speaking part!
*Jennifer has been busy decorating the house for Christmas. She actually bought the tree (a bigger deal in Cheyenne than you might think--remember, it's the prairie!!!) and put it up. We had a decoration night last week, and then she and Mom put out the finishing touches. It looks REALLY nice.
*Part of my duties as a Chaplain is to give the invocation at various events. I'm the Duty Chaplain this week, and as such was tagged to give the invocation at a graduation. I sat at the Head Table. When the MC said he was going to introduce the Head Table and other Distinguished Visitors, I just sat back and relaxed. After all, I'm only a 1st Lt, and certainly don't consider myself a Distinguished Visitor. "Col . . . . , Command Chief . . . , Col . . . ., Col . . . . ., Command Chief of the 20th AF . . . . .," on and on it went, with colonels and command chiefs popping up all over the room. Imagine my surprise when he says, "And our Chaplain for the night, Chaplain Kraig Smith!" I just kind of half stood up, prompting the 90th Space Wing Command Chief to say, "We'll have to work on that."
*What do I do as a chaplain in the Air Force? I have two official duties--provide for the spiritual care of the airmen and advise commanders on religious issues. Here's how I do that--I preach for the Traditional Service on Sunday mornings at 11:00. I teach Sunday School at 9:30. I lead the Protestant Youth Group (PYOC) on Wednesday nights, thus caring for the airmen by caring for their kids. I counsel Airmen in my squadrons (I am the chaplain for 5 squadrons). This last week, I counseled one who lost a brother to cancer and one who lost an aunt suddenly. I also provided some re-integration counseling to someone just returning from a year-long deployment. I visit my squadrons, making myself available for further counseling. I try to maintain a presence in the squadrons so that I am known, and airmen don't hesitate to come to me for marital counseling, religious counseling, personal counseling, etc.
Were an airmen to come to his commander and request permission to wear a yarmulke, for instance, I might be asked to research the requirements of the airman's religious belief and how his wearing the yarmulke affects military order and discipline. That's one example of how I might advise the commanders.
Many have asked how I like my job. I like it a lot. This is EXACTLY where God wants me to be. It stretches me at times; it challenges me at times; it's different from anything I've ever done. It's everything I asked God for--I won't be a fat Southern Baptist preacher, because I have to be "fit to fight" (even though I'm a non-combatant). There's lots of variety. It's easier to do ministry in the world than it often is when sequestered in a church somewhere. On top of that, God has placed me under an excellent supervisor, who actually cares about people--including my family.
With that being said, we do miss our friends from Maryland (whether they have remained in MD or moved elsewhere!).
Have a Merry Christmas, and may Jesus Christ reign in your life.
Kraig
December 8, 2006
Wow! We've not been very good at keeping this up-to-date. Sorry about that. We'll try to do better! So, where do I start?
*My mom is here for the month. We've really enjoyed her staying with us. It's actually a good thing, because her van broke down, and we were able to find a place here in Cheyenne to work on it and get it fixed! She's unable to sit still for very long, so all of the loose ends from moving here are getting sewn up.
*The girls will be in a Christmas program next week, and Mom will be here for that. They are both excited about it. Sierra told me today that she is nervous about being on stage because she's never done it before!!! I reminded her that she was on stage in Kindergarten at least twice a year--not sure if it helped or not. Kayla has been staying late after school for practice because she actually has a speaking part!
*Jennifer has been busy decorating the house for Christmas. She actually bought the tree (a bigger deal in Cheyenne than you might think--remember, it's the prairie!!!) and put it up. We had a decoration night last week, and then she and Mom put out the finishing touches. It looks REALLY nice.
*Part of my duties as a Chaplain is to give the invocation at various events. I'm the Duty Chaplain this week, and as such was tagged to give the invocation at a graduation. I sat at the Head Table. When the MC said he was going to introduce the Head Table and other Distinguished Visitors, I just sat back and relaxed. After all, I'm only a 1st Lt, and certainly don't consider myself a Distinguished Visitor. "Col . . . . , Command Chief . . . , Col . . . ., Col . . . . ., Command Chief of the 20th AF . . . . .," on and on it went, with colonels and command chiefs popping up all over the room. Imagine my surprise when he says, "And our Chaplain for the night, Chaplain Kraig Smith!" I just kind of half stood up, prompting the 90th Space Wing Command Chief to say, "We'll have to work on that."
*What do I do as a chaplain in the Air Force? I have two official duties--provide for the spiritual care of the airmen and advise commanders on religious issues. Here's how I do that--I preach for the Traditional Service on Sunday mornings at 11:00. I teach Sunday School at 9:30. I lead the Protestant Youth Group (PYOC) on Wednesday nights, thus caring for the airmen by caring for their kids. I counsel Airmen in my squadrons (I am the chaplain for 5 squadrons). This last week, I counseled one who lost a brother to cancer and one who lost an aunt suddenly. I also provided some re-integration counseling to someone just returning from a year-long deployment. I visit my squadrons, making myself available for further counseling. I try to maintain a presence in the squadrons so that I am known, and airmen don't hesitate to come to me for marital counseling, religious counseling, personal counseling, etc.
Were an airmen to come to his commander and request permission to wear a yarmulke, for instance, I might be asked to research the requirements of the airman's religious belief and how his wearing the yarmulke affects military order and discipline. That's one example of how I might advise the commanders.
Many have asked how I like my job. I like it a lot. This is EXACTLY where God wants me to be. It stretches me at times; it challenges me at times; it's different from anything I've ever done. It's everything I asked God for--I won't be a fat Southern Baptist preacher, because I have to be "fit to fight" (even though I'm a non-combatant). There's lots of variety. It's easier to do ministry in the world than it often is when sequestered in a church somewhere. On top of that, God has placed me under an excellent supervisor, who actually cares about people--including my family.
With that being said, we do miss our friends from Maryland (whether they have remained in MD or moved elsewhere!).
Have a Merry Christmas, and may Jesus Christ reign in your life.
Kraig
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Newest Member!
The Smiths
What's up? Figured I would introduce our newest member of the family. When we were talking about moving from MD, we promised the girls a pet. Then, we rented a huge house here, and decided we REALLY needed a pet, especially as there are times I'll be away. So, my sister took up the job of getting us a pet, and here we have . . . . . . . . Milo!
Milo is a Blue Heeler/Lab/Other mix. He's very sweet and smart and terribly ferocious! He gets along well with the girls (all three of them), and he's already decided he owns the house. We do have to correct that 'attitude' every now and again. :)
Saturday, November 11, 2006
November 11, 2006
Hello! How is everyone? Everyone here in Wyoming is good. We went and had supper with Aunt Melanie and some other people last night. Aunt Mel said we looked "stunning" as she said in her e-mail to family this morning (dad showed me). Thanks Aunt Mel.We also saw Anna's jewelry show :it was called the Show Of Hands. She had some pretty jewelry but it was expensive. I understand that though. After all, she does use gold, silver, and expensive jewels and diamonds.
Not this last Thursday, but the Thursday before that I got a D on my report card so now I can't read freely for 2 weeks. Last night I started crying because I was so upset with myself. I still am. Fortunately, my 2 weeks are almost over. I just have to wait until the end of Thursday to read. Cool!
We had a 1/2 day for school yesterday. The rest of the week was a normal school week. Well, that's all for now. Talk to you later.
The Smith Family
Not this last Thursday, but the Thursday before that I got a D on my report card so now I can't read freely for 2 weeks. Last night I started crying because I was so upset with myself. I still am. Fortunately, my 2 weeks are almost over. I just have to wait until the end of Thursday to read. Cool!
We had a 1/2 day for school yesterday. The rest of the week was a normal school week. Well, that's all for now. Talk to you later.
The Smith Family
Saturday, November 04, 2006
An Update? Really?
The Smiths
Gee, it's been awhile, huh? Were do I start? We did rent the Governor's house. I've been through lots of training (CBERN-E; First Aid; Deployment; other fun stuff). The girls are still enjoying school. Actually, you should call and ask Kayla about her report card!!! Jen is finally getting the house to her satisfaction, which makes her MUCH happier!!! Sierra is losing a tooth again!!!!!
We've been down to see Aunt Mel in Colorado Springs a number of times. It's really strange--it's been YEARS since I've seen Melanie more than once or twice in a year. I've seen her three times in the last month!!! It's been good. Going to her place is very relaxing. The girls love it, of course, because they get to ride horses the whole time.
We plan to go to OK for Thanksgiving, but we'll probably have Christmas here. My in-laws intend to come in as well.
It's been cold the last week, and it's snowed much more than we Marylanders are accustomed to!
Not much else to say. We'll update this again later. Oh, by the way, when you call and ask Kayla about her report card, ask her about Nepal as well.
Gee, it's been awhile, huh? Were do I start? We did rent the Governor's house. I've been through lots of training (CBERN-E; First Aid; Deployment; other fun stuff). The girls are still enjoying school. Actually, you should call and ask Kayla about her report card!!! Jen is finally getting the house to her satisfaction, which makes her MUCH happier!!! Sierra is losing a tooth again!!!!!
We've been down to see Aunt Mel in Colorado Springs a number of times. It's really strange--it's been YEARS since I've seen Melanie more than once or twice in a year. I've seen her three times in the last month!!! It's been good. Going to her place is very relaxing. The girls love it, of course, because they get to ride horses the whole time.
We plan to go to OK for Thanksgiving, but we'll probably have Christmas here. My in-laws intend to come in as well.
It's been cold the last week, and it's snowed much more than we Marylanders are accustomed to!
Not much else to say. We'll update this again later. Oh, by the way, when you call and ask Kayla about her report card, ask her about Nepal as well.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Smiths
The Smiths
Hmmmmm, yeah--believe it or not, the world's most technologically advanced air force doesn't have internet access in its temporary living facilities. Could have something to do with 100-year old buildings, I guess, but I don't know.
Anyway, so the trip to WY was adventurous, to say the least. Pulling a 6 x 12 trailer was an interesting experience, especially with a little minivan like ours. It was so great that our engine conked out on us in the wonderful metropolis of Alma, AR. Let me tell you about Alma, AR. It's just outside of Ft. Smith, AR (about 18 miles from the OK border). There's a great cafe' there called the Red Rooster Cafe'. The food there is wonderful. Try the homemade "Rooster Bread." It's great, as are the homemade pies (80+/day!). Alma also has a wonderful little antique store. In fact, it's one of the best I've been in--lots and lots of really neat stuff, not just the junk I usually associate with such enterprises. Other than that, there ain't much in Alma. After 2.5 days, I can greatly attest to that fact! $2000 and 2.5 days later, we pulled out of Alma and headed West! Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Mom, which quite possible pulled me out of the Christmas gift list! Sorry, Mom!
Coming out of Goodland, KS, I noticed that we were a little low on gas, but not bad. Surely, I thought, we could make it to Burlington, CO, which was only about 20 miles away. Apparently, I did not realize two things--1) there are NO gas stations between the two towns; 2) my car was getting only about 9 mpg! We sweated and prayed our way at 50 mph into Burlington, where I filled up our 19 gallon gas tank with 18.5 gallons!!!!! What a great experience.
Finally, we pulled into my sister Melanie's place, where I noticed a huge chunk of tire missing on one of the trailer tires. Oh, great! Truly, God was good to us. It did not blow while we were traveling. We stayed one full day at Mel's enjoying the wonderful weather and views of Colorado. NOT! It rained and was cold the whole blessed day. However, the next day was much better for traveling, and we headed off to our final destination of F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY.
It turns out that our drive from Melanie's (Falcon, CO) to F.E. Warren only took three hours, and that with pulling a trailer. (By the way, if you tell U-Haul you'll be returning their equipment one place, it's $200 extra to return it out of region, just in case you need to know that!). The cheer coming from the van as we pulled into the AFB was loud enough to startle the geese.
Warren AFB is a beautiful base. The majority of the building date from the 1800's when Warren was a cavalry post. It is, by far, the most beautiful AFB I've seen yet (okay, so I've only seen three--give me a break). There are LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of antelope running around. In fact, we almost met one personally while driving down the road. Only Jen's quick reflexes saved us! Go, Jenny! We will be renting a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house on the north side of town. There's plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint, hint), and we hope people will take us up on the offer. The house belongs to the governor of Wy--Dave Freudenthal. Talk about making contacts!!!
The girls are finally in school (which is another story in itself), and enjoying themselves tremendously. They were greatly nervous going in, but, as usual adapted quite quickly. I think they discovered that people in WY are a lot like people in MD. I'll post a picture of them at school later.
Feel free to call us (same cell numbers), e-mail us (we're a little slow on replying due to lack of access), or write us (General Delivery, c/o 1st Lt Kraig Smith, 6111 Randall, F. E. Warren AFB, 82005), or just reply to this blog.
Hmmmmm, yeah--believe it or not, the world's most technologically advanced air force doesn't have internet access in its temporary living facilities. Could have something to do with 100-year old buildings, I guess, but I don't know.
Anyway, so the trip to WY was adventurous, to say the least. Pulling a 6 x 12 trailer was an interesting experience, especially with a little minivan like ours. It was so great that our engine conked out on us in the wonderful metropolis of Alma, AR. Let me tell you about Alma, AR. It's just outside of Ft. Smith, AR (about 18 miles from the OK border). There's a great cafe' there called the Red Rooster Cafe'. The food there is wonderful. Try the homemade "Rooster Bread." It's great, as are the homemade pies (80+/day!). Alma also has a wonderful little antique store. In fact, it's one of the best I've been in--lots and lots of really neat stuff, not just the junk I usually associate with such enterprises. Other than that, there ain't much in Alma. After 2.5 days, I can greatly attest to that fact! $2000 and 2.5 days later, we pulled out of Alma and headed West! Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Mom, which quite possible pulled me out of the Christmas gift list! Sorry, Mom!
Coming out of Goodland, KS, I noticed that we were a little low on gas, but not bad. Surely, I thought, we could make it to Burlington, CO, which was only about 20 miles away. Apparently, I did not realize two things--1) there are NO gas stations between the two towns; 2) my car was getting only about 9 mpg! We sweated and prayed our way at 50 mph into Burlington, where I filled up our 19 gallon gas tank with 18.5 gallons!!!!! What a great experience.
Finally, we pulled into my sister Melanie's place, where I noticed a huge chunk of tire missing on one of the trailer tires. Oh, great! Truly, God was good to us. It did not blow while we were traveling. We stayed one full day at Mel's enjoying the wonderful weather and views of Colorado. NOT! It rained and was cold the whole blessed day. However, the next day was much better for traveling, and we headed off to our final destination of F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY.
It turns out that our drive from Melanie's (Falcon, CO) to F.E. Warren only took three hours, and that with pulling a trailer. (By the way, if you tell U-Haul you'll be returning their equipment one place, it's $200 extra to return it out of region, just in case you need to know that!). The cheer coming from the van as we pulled into the AFB was loud enough to startle the geese.
Warren AFB is a beautiful base. The majority of the building date from the 1800's when Warren was a cavalry post. It is, by far, the most beautiful AFB I've seen yet (okay, so I've only seen three--give me a break). There are LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of antelope running around. In fact, we almost met one personally while driving down the road. Only Jen's quick reflexes saved us! Go, Jenny! We will be renting a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house on the north side of town. There's plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint, hint), and we hope people will take us up on the offer. The house belongs to the governor of Wy--Dave Freudenthal. Talk about making contacts!!!
The girls are finally in school (which is another story in itself), and enjoying themselves tremendously. They were greatly nervous going in, but, as usual adapted quite quickly. I think they discovered that people in WY are a lot like people in MD. I'll post a picture of them at school later.
Feel free to call us (same cell numbers), e-mail us (we're a little slow on replying due to lack of access), or write us (General Delivery, c/o 1st Lt Kraig Smith, 6111 Randall, F. E. Warren AFB, 82005), or just reply to this blog.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Smiths
The Smiths
I am through with Commissioned Officer's Training at Maxwell AFB. I finished on Friday. Graduation week had several neat activities.
On Monday morning, we had a 9/11 memorial. One of our classmates, Frank Rella, recounted his experience as a NYC paramedic during that day, and was quite moving. Afterwards, we marched out to the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) exercise--lots of tents. We had 8 flights. Four flights went to the Obstacle Course/Ropes Course/Climbing Wall, while the other four (mine included) were trained in setting up a tent for medical services, taking care of wounds, etc. We then switched for the next day. I also experienced MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). It was . . . . . . . . . interesting. If you are ever given a chance to eat one, stay FAR AWAY from the Beef Patty MRE. Anyway, my flight started out on Tuesday with the climbing wall. I made it up 3/4 of the way up, and then slipped. Bummer. It was probably 3 stories high. Next, while we awaited our turn at the Rapelling Tower, we started the obstacle course. It wasn't that hard. What was hard, however, was what had to be accomplished BEFORE we could rapell down the tower! Clipped in, mind you, we had to walk a telephone pole that was only attached at two ends--50+ feet in the air. I was scared. I was called a "little girl." I'm happy with that! It's quite freaky to walk on a piece of wood that's four stories up, and there is nothing in between! Afterwards, we were allowed to rapell down, which is fun. We then completed the Obstacle Course, and headed out to the Ropes Course. I've never done one before. For those in my family who remember me freaking out over crossing the swinging bridge at Fall Creek Falls, they can be proud of me. I was crossing wires and swinging from ropes that were 3 stories up. The zip line at the end was GREAT! I tried the Tarzan Yell, but wasn't very successful. Oh well . . . . .
On Tuesday night, we had an actual exercise. I was a patient. The whole field hospital was set up (think MASH, only updated and no Hot Lips Houlihand!), and we patients were sent in to receive care. The finale' was the "Mass Casualty Exercise," where the field hospital was inundated with "patients." It was interesting, and while not the real thing, closer than I've ever been, which gave me much to think about.
On the Wednesday morning, we marched back in time to change into our uniform for classes. However, my flight was lucky, because our Flight Commander's wife went into labor (1:20 minutes of labor), and he was unable to have class with us, which gave us time off! He did, however, manage to show up and give us our coins and accomplish some paperwork. That night, Jen and I experienced our first Dining Out. For the uninitiated, a Dining Out includes non-military guests (i.e., spouses), and is a semi-formal time for building esprit de corps. I was the Vice-President, which meant that Jen and I sat in the middle of the ballroom BY OURSELVES!!! It was fun. We had prime rib, potatoes, etc., all of which was very good. We had a grog bowl ("unleaded" for us teetotalers and "leaded" for those non-teetotalers!). It was quite the interesting day.
Thursday was spent doing administrative stuff. The family took a tour of the base, and we then had lunch together and went to the awards ceremony together. I told Sierra I probably wasn't getting any awards, and she wondered what the point of being invited was if I wasn't going to get anything! That night, my flight and family ate at the Miyako Japanese Steakhouse. It was excellent, and we enjoyed our last night together.
Friday was the graduation parade. It was 30 minutes long, and consisted of recognizing the top flight and the top grad. After that, we marched in review past the general and our family/friends. The girls said I looked sharp in my blues and white gloves. I don't know. We practiced hard enough that I HOPE we looked sharp!
Jen and the girls then left to pack up the hotel room while I changed and finished putting stuff together. At last, we were able to get out of town! It was a good feeling to see Maxwell AFB and Montgomery, AL, in my rearview mirror. I have to say--of all of the places I've been and seen, Montgomery ranks as one of the seediest, if not THE seediest.
So, now we are heading to WYO. More on that this weekend.
I am through with Commissioned Officer's Training at Maxwell AFB. I finished on Friday. Graduation week had several neat activities.
On Monday morning, we had a 9/11 memorial. One of our classmates, Frank Rella, recounted his experience as a NYC paramedic during that day, and was quite moving. Afterwards, we marched out to the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) exercise--lots of tents. We had 8 flights. Four flights went to the Obstacle Course/Ropes Course/Climbing Wall, while the other four (mine included) were trained in setting up a tent for medical services, taking care of wounds, etc. We then switched for the next day. I also experienced MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). It was . . . . . . . . . interesting. If you are ever given a chance to eat one, stay FAR AWAY from the Beef Patty MRE. Anyway, my flight started out on Tuesday with the climbing wall. I made it up 3/4 of the way up, and then slipped. Bummer. It was probably 3 stories high. Next, while we awaited our turn at the Rapelling Tower, we started the obstacle course. It wasn't that hard. What was hard, however, was what had to be accomplished BEFORE we could rapell down the tower! Clipped in, mind you, we had to walk a telephone pole that was only attached at two ends--50+ feet in the air. I was scared. I was called a "little girl." I'm happy with that! It's quite freaky to walk on a piece of wood that's four stories up, and there is nothing in between! Afterwards, we were allowed to rapell down, which is fun. We then completed the Obstacle Course, and headed out to the Ropes Course. I've never done one before. For those in my family who remember me freaking out over crossing the swinging bridge at Fall Creek Falls, they can be proud of me. I was crossing wires and swinging from ropes that were 3 stories up. The zip line at the end was GREAT! I tried the Tarzan Yell, but wasn't very successful. Oh well . . . . .
On Tuesday night, we had an actual exercise. I was a patient. The whole field hospital was set up (think MASH, only updated and no Hot Lips Houlihand!), and we patients were sent in to receive care. The finale' was the "Mass Casualty Exercise," where the field hospital was inundated with "patients." It was interesting, and while not the real thing, closer than I've ever been, which gave me much to think about.
On the Wednesday morning, we marched back in time to change into our uniform for classes. However, my flight was lucky, because our Flight Commander's wife went into labor (1:20 minutes of labor), and he was unable to have class with us, which gave us time off! He did, however, manage to show up and give us our coins and accomplish some paperwork. That night, Jen and I experienced our first Dining Out. For the uninitiated, a Dining Out includes non-military guests (i.e., spouses), and is a semi-formal time for building esprit de corps. I was the Vice-President, which meant that Jen and I sat in the middle of the ballroom BY OURSELVES!!! It was fun. We had prime rib, potatoes, etc., all of which was very good. We had a grog bowl ("unleaded" for us teetotalers and "leaded" for those non-teetotalers!). It was quite the interesting day.
Thursday was spent doing administrative stuff. The family took a tour of the base, and we then had lunch together and went to the awards ceremony together. I told Sierra I probably wasn't getting any awards, and she wondered what the point of being invited was if I wasn't going to get anything! That night, my flight and family ate at the Miyako Japanese Steakhouse. It was excellent, and we enjoyed our last night together.
Friday was the graduation parade. It was 30 minutes long, and consisted of recognizing the top flight and the top grad. After that, we marched in review past the general and our family/friends. The girls said I looked sharp in my blues and white gloves. I don't know. We practiced hard enough that I HOPE we looked sharp!
Jen and the girls then left to pack up the hotel room while I changed and finished putting stuff together. At last, we were able to get out of town! It was a good feeling to see Maxwell AFB and Montgomery, AL, in my rearview mirror. I have to say--of all of the places I've been and seen, Montgomery ranks as one of the seediest, if not THE seediest.
So, now we are heading to WYO. More on that this weekend.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Training Day 8
Today is Training Day 8 for me at Commissioned Officer's Training (COT). It's been a long two weeks, and I'm exhausted. We're into academic mode, and it's really hard to go to bed at 11 a.m., get up at 4'ish a.m., do PT for an hour, and then sit in class for several hours (many of which are video-based!).
Last week was all about learning drill. We arrived on Monday (15 Aug 2006), and the staff just kind of threw us in, so to speak. We spent the first week being yelled at, woken up by the MTI's (Military Training Instructor's) at 4:45 a.m., marched all over campus, filling out paperwork, etc. Great fun. This week, we've started heavy-duty classwork. We are learning stuff like how to write in a military style (most of which I am familiar with, but some of it is absolutely AGAINST the laws of English grammar!), leadership, group dynamics, Air Force history, preventing discrimination, managing diversity, dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment, AF pay, leave, and other fun stuff. Some of it is really interesting; some of it is really boring.
This week we started Physical Training (PT) hard and heavy. Monday was lots of strength training (three sets of different kinds of pushups, three sets of situps, three sets of crunches, so and so forth). I hurt . . . . . still!!! Tuesday, we ran two miles, which I finished without stopping once! Of course, I'm still hurting from that. Yesterday, because we had done a blood drive Tuesday night, we only did endurance training (OUCH!), and today we had a physical competition called a "MiniMac" with the staff. I sprinted a 1/4 mile lap during the relay race! THAT WAS HARD!!!! I slowed down some, but I did manage to do it.
It's been interesting here, for a number of reasons. Seeing the group dynamics form, watching people learn to deal with the pressure (it's called "professional pressure"), and pushing myself to achieve have all been interesting. We keep reminding ourselves that we only have three more weeks and it's all over. During this time, however, the staff is attempting to make us all over into Air Force officers. I am no longer just an American citizen--I am an officer in the United States Air Force. It's a weird feeling. I feel like I'm being totally revamped.
Anyway, that's my update from COT. If you want to write me, my e-mail here is kraig.smith@maxwell.af.mil.
Kraig
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