It was odd to have four off days in a training environment. I was so accustomed to more restriction, however I needed to constantly remind myself that I was now an AMEDD Officer, which was much different the NCO I once was.
We kicked off week 2 day 1 with PT (more PRT). I was starting to realize the bizarre weather that Oklahoma presents. At one moment, the weather will be a manageable 32 degrees, the next the wind is blowing at 20 miles an hour, piercing through the uniform. This was the norm for rest of training. After PT we traveled to the CIF (Central Issue Facility) to receive our TA-50 (field gear) necessary for the training we’d be conducting on week three. Upon return, we received our gas masks (yay).
Day 2 consisted of more PT and more classes
Day 3 we marched over to “4700”, the welcoming center for Ft. Sill. Here we received our ID cards, spoke with finance, DEERS (Insurance), travel, transportation, etc. Soldiers will all become familiar with the aforementioned systems as they make up the Army’s Human Resources, if you will. It felt nice to have a CAC card again, so that I’d finally be able to access online military mediums. Upon completion, Soldiers were transported to the hospital to medially in-process.
Those who needed vaccinations received them, and those who had received vaccinations without paperwork, still received them. The military struggles to access various health records, rendering some troops frustrated with receive more than one dose of various vaccinations.
Day 4 we received more classes and PT
Day 5, again, was more classes with an emphasis on shooting and land navigation. I volunteered to lead a group of soldiers through land-nav as I am moderately equipped with the knowledge to navigate a terrain.
Day 6 we a free day, which allowed my roommate and I to go to various on-post buildings to receive necessary services. I turned in my NCO Dress Blues to have them modified into Officer Dress Blues – another good chunk of change to meet the Army’s needs. All Commissioned Officers are responsible for the purchase of their clothing, which quickly added up over the span of the course.
Day 7 was Sunday, which allowed for religious accommodations. The next week was “field week”, where we would spend the majority of the time in the (wait for it) field. I was anticipating this week, as the drawl of classes had become tiring.