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Friday, August 26, 2011

Greg’s Fourth Letter:

                                                                    Mon Aug 15
                                                                    Fireguard: 0100-0200

Dad and Sandy
Last week we finished BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) and we started ARM (advanced). I qualified BRM with a 30 out of 40. I’m pretty sure its still sharpshooter but its 4 shots off what I did before, but it was also very windy that day.
In ARM we shot our weapons with red dot scopes which are really cool.
With iron sights, once you have a sight picture, you can’t lift your face from the buttstock because it can throw you off. but with the red dot, you can because the [sight] moves with you. Whatever that dot is on, is where the bullet will go. It also made aiming a lot easier.

Today we would be firing at night and using tracers, but we can’t because the range is too dry.
Thursday and Friday we’re throwing grenades  : )    [-happy face]
Tomorrow we have a clothing issue. I think we get our dress blues and berets.

Drill sergeant Carroll is the combatives instructor so when we have free time, he’ll take us to the classroom to sprawl.
Today we got 3rd platoon involved, they’re “Death Dealers”. I’m up to about 150 lbs now and I went against some guy who had to be 165-175 lbs. I won by making him tap : )  It’s a pretty good way to relieve stress.

I don’t know how or why, but my platoon keeps having bad hiccups and messing up pretty bad. We’re possibly going to red phase again. White phase is much easier, the drill sergeants aren’t always around and certain leaders are assigned. But we didn’t get our phones. We lost this weeks streamers on our flag, a couple peoples bunks weren’t right so instead of flipping the mattress he threw the whole bunk frame.
We also get to pay for other drill sergeants mistakes, We were late to chow because we got carried away in combatives our drill sergeant is the ref and keeps track of time, so we realized we gotta go to the chow hall so we march there.
(We don’t need a drill sergeant for marching places in white phase) but when we got there, the battery that goes in after us was there and wouldn’t let us pass so by the time we got to eat, drill sergeant Crawford shows up and starts screamin’ at us to get back to the bay.
I had about 5 mins to eat. Chow is at 1800, and since we were late, he made us stand in formation outside until Final Call which is at 2000. Lights Out is at 2100, but instead of giving us our hour of free time, we loaded the big LMTV convoy.
I’ll find out in a few hrs if were in Red Phase again or if our punishment is done. Stuff like that happens a lot, we usually get ‘smoked’ and have to do pushups or some type of PT [physical training], but I think they’re starting to catch on that it doesn’t bother us anymore.

Saturday the 1st sergeant allowed [us to have] 30 mins on the phone, but our drill sergeants left early that day and they’re the only ones with the keys to unlock the phones  : (    [-sad face]    and yesterday we weren’t getting them with how mad they were.

-Aug 16-
Our platoon is pretty screwed right now because of a couple retards. I was a battle buddy for someone at the hospital and we saw an ambulence and I remember saying “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was going to our battalion” and we got a ride back, and guess what… it did.
Turns out a couple people were playing around and someone had a big ball of blankets and threw them at a kid on the ground and smashed [his] head into the ground. He has a seizure and was biting his tongue so hard it was bleeding and he wasn’t responsive.
He’s fine now but our guidon flag is gone.
We’re treated like Day 0’s again and I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t get my phone for a while.
Soldier1 was the one in the ambulance and Soldier2 is the one who threw the blankets. I think Soldier2 is getting kicked out and could look at jail time.

-Aug 17-
Soldier2 and Soldier1 seem like their fine. I don’t know whats going on with Soldier2 and Soldier1 is back, and fine.
Yesterday we got our Class A uniform fitted and got berets.
Today we went to the range with our helmet and armor and fired 10 rounds in standing, kneeling, and prone from behind cover. It’s how we would fight if under fire.
Tomorrow we do IMT (individual movement training), where we move toward the targets and provide cover fire for the ones moving. I think were gonna do urban ops training too where we clear buildings.

Friday and Saturday we throw grenades  : )
I still wouldn’t expect a phone call Sunday  : P    [-tongue sticking out]
I don’t think we’ll get that until blue phase. I talked to a few girls a little bit ago, it felt good to talk to them… haven’t done that in a while. In person is different then in letters. I get paid too but other then that, nothing good is happening.
Today on my PT test, I did 65 push-ups and 64 sit-ups and ran my 2 miles in 13:50.
I’ve improved a little, but I don’t think I’ll improve much with the push-ups and sit-ups because once you get that high, [the number we do in our exercises] doesn’t really push that.
I’ll sign off now cause I’d like to get a letter back.

Love ya and miss ya lots
-Greg-

P.S.
There’s another adjustment to the address. Can you let everyone know and post it on my fb please, it’s to help make sure the letters come to this Delta Battery and not the other ones.


[edited; some names removed  by Dad]

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