We shot so many types of weapons that by the time I was done I did not care that my primary job in the Marine Corps had nothing to do with holding a gun. The coolest thing I got to do was throw a grenade that makes a nice boom. The final test at Marine Combat Training is called the FEX or Field Exercise which consists of hiking 9 1/2 miles to a big patch of dirt where you have to dig a whole and then sleep in it for a day and a half. After that you hike down to a mock


base that resembles the ones we have in Iraq. You do patrols and do what they call QRF or Quick Reaction Force which means when we get attacked by Iraqis we get called to run out there and shoot blanks at them. The night of the FEX it started pouring rain into our tents and we fell asleep in puddles. The next morning all the combat instructors told us we looked miserable and welcomed us to a grunts life. I didnt understand the welcome considering I didnt sign up to be a grunt. Marine Combat Training was by no means fun in any way, shape or form. The only cool thing was that one of my combat instructors was from Vallejo, CA who was a scout sniper and he was a wise man. I felt like Frodo talking to Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. But Marine Combate Training was not the end for me. Soon after I graduated I flew off to Norfolk VA.
Arriving into Norfolk was great because it was freezing cold and I was wearing my California boy attire. The ride to Virginia Beach took about twenty minutes to get to this beautiful base. This base is actually not beautiful at all. It reminds me of the first scene in Silence of the Lambs where Clarice is running through the woods in Quantico. I figure any place that reminds me of Silence of the Lambs can not be a good thing. The living facilities are quite nice though, I would say on par with a small apartment/big dorm room. It's nice to be living in my room however I room with a Lance Corporal who used to be a Sergeant that got demoted because he got in too many fights. I wake up in the middle of the night because his alarm clock goes off and he sleeps right through it because of his experiences in Iraq he has aquired being a heavy sleeper. Lucky me.
As you can see I am in a nice part of Virginia however the Virginia females are just not the same as the ones from California. When I introduced myself to my class all the females were laughing and came to talk to me after. They reminded me of a petting zoo, treating me like I was an animal surrounding me like I was fresh meat. I can honestly say I am not attracted to any females in the Marine Corps. The Navy however, has some good looking females but I am under the impression they dont like what I have to offer. Every morning we march to this place called the NMITC or Navy and Marines Intelligence Training Center which requires a security clearence to get into the building. You get an ID badge that makes you feel special for about a half an hour then you get over it.
I have not classed up yet so I don't do anything besides pre classes which are funny because the Sergeants who teach them have the most dry humor in the world. My class which is the Black Team picks up on January 5th. I have only heard that classing up is depressing because classes last all day and you have to study a lot. The good thing about classes though is that it involves a lot of public speaking and you can incorporate a lot of humor into them so I do so whenever I can. We still PT here all the time and learn Martial Arts while the Navy runs around the track about four times and calls it a day.
This place kind of feels like High School sometimes because people actually date here which seems like a complete joke. I have not taken one couple seriously here so they kind of don't like me. I ask them questions like "Are you two lovers?" And they look at me like I am a Nazi asking a Jew for his papers. I hope to have more stories and pictures for you in the future but please stay tuned because I hear there is a twist to next weeks episode.Spencer "The FUNK lord of USA" Schultz

9 comments:
:o)
I'll be waiting with baited breath.
Hey Boot Breath,
I was in the real Marines. Save your money and buy some real port holes. Wearing those windshields would make any woman look bad.
Uncle
If I were to write about my first few months of military life it would have gone very similar. Except we always thought that the Navy women were the ugly ones. Maybe if you had joined the "real" marines you'd be having a better time.
Very entertaining as always. Good to hear you have a better living arrangement over there. Can't wait for the next post.
How can you dear uncle Aaron call you boot breath????
Can you wear your contacts at all during your classes or do you have to wear those oh so attractive glasses all the time?
Very funny, son. Always remember you inherited your sense of humor from me and your Grandpa Goodwin.
The picture of you shows the value of those braces your parents paid for not so many years ago. And yes, you have your mother's genes as to sense of humor. So if you have your mother's genes whose genes does she have.
I wear my contacts...everyone relax
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