First week here

Okay, I've been here a week so I can more safely give my opinions towards Cherry Point.
I will start out by saying if I get stationed here I would not mind what so ever, the base does
not have a lot to do and you hear the sound of afterburners 24/7 but neither of those things
are too bad. Taxi (or your POV if you're so lucky) off base and there is plenty to do, as far as
the afterburners go, that's something you just get used to over time. Things about Cherry 
Point that I do enjoy so far, they're basically everything; My instructors are both awesome,
my room mates are good guys, the barracks and liberty policy are both laid back and best of
all, the weather is really nice. I even am more involved here. Yesterday, Thursday the 12th I
volunteered for the special Olympics half marathon to run the torch to the site of the events.
And also yesterday was also field day, something that if you've been reading along you already know
all about, but for those of you that have not, its where you clean every square inch of your
room. Well here unlike Pensacola you're not at your room for the actual inspection (at least
we were not today) which is and isn't a good thing. Obviously if you are at your room for the
inspection you know imidiatley if you passed or not, here the anticipation is killer. All of us
(C-School Marines) we're at the theater receiving a very good class on leadership and the
Marine Corps leadership traits (J.J.D.I.D.T.I.E.B.U.C.K.L.E) than watched the Movie "We we're
Soldiers" because it, 1) Includes the leadership traits and 2) has LOTS of close air support.
Well, during the movie we get word the Field Day results are in the lobby and we bum rushed
it to find out how we did. Room 233 got a Satisfactory which is actually good because we we're
informed 9/10 times you fail your first field day. Its about 12:30 now on Friday and we're secured
(let free) for the weekend and I do not have many major planes because in 2 weeks my Dad and
very good friend Nick are coming to visit me. I know this post is relatively short but I am going
to try and crank out a post at least once a week. Thanks for reading and Semper Fi.

Arriving at Cherry Point.

Every Marine, no matter how long they've been at a duty station readily anticipates his or her orders to the next duty station. Well it was my last few hours at NAS Pensacola, I was sitting watching some movie about demonic possessions eagerly awaiting 1500 to hop in my taxi and go to the Airport. Well jumping ahead to about 1545 I am sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to Atlanta and eventually my connecting flight to New Bern. I eagerly run around getting drinks from the overpriced Newspaper store and look for other Marines I knew from NASP. I get my vitamin waters and run into another Marine from my class who was going to Little Rock AFB for C130 C school, we chatted a bit than they called for my flight to be boarded and I made my way to the gate. I boarded my plane with my WAY oversize carry on bad and found my seat. I sat down and put the bag between my feet and waited for other passengers to sit next to me. A few minutes later the captain comes over the PA and tells us that the plane was full and that meant I had the row to myself. Naturally I threw my bulky backpack onto the seat and sprawled out. The flight attendant stopped and said if I needed anything at all to ask her, I graciously thanked her and she moved on. Well about 45 minutes into the flight she comes by with the drink cart and asks me what I wanted to drink, I respond "Coke" and she fires back "want some Jack with it?" Halfway through my Jack and Coke listening to my music loving life the captain comes over the PA again and announces we were making our initial decent. I downed my rather strong drink. After we had landed and made our way to the gate, It was time for some chow. I walked over to the BK and got my chicken tenders and was rushed back to the gate. Boarded the (much much smaller) plane and sat down. The plane was just about finished boarding and I was under the impression I had the seat to myself again. The door was about to close when a lady rushed onto the plane and sat down next to me. I was bummed but she turned out to be a nice very grateful American. I slept most of that flight. Arriving at New Bern (The birth place of Pepsi) I needed to change into my Service Alphas for check in. It was my impression I would arrive and get checked right in and get to go to sleep. Well all changed over we got our taxi and hit the road to Cherry Point. Upon arrival we paid and we're directed to where we needed to check in. We walked into the NCO hut to get our orders signed and get a room. Much to our dismay we we're picked over with a fine tooth comb by the duty NCO, after synchronization we finally got our rooms and got to go to sleep. The next morning my good buddy Fornal and I explored the base, before leaving we stepped into the duty hut to sign out with the NCO, he asked us when we arrived and our MOS, turns out he is our instructor and REALLY got us off to a running start. The rest of the day we Fornal and I sat in the common room and watched TV and messed around on facebook. all is well to this point and tomorrow we start class. Less than 2 weeks we will be in the fleet loving life! Semper Fi and my apologies for such a long delay on this next post.

So the last day of the work week Friday, TGIF right?

Well My Friday was a nice one, for the most part. It started later than usual at around 0700cst with me waking up and starting my day vacuuming the floor getting every little detail covered for our room inspection. Than the norm, shaving getting dressed and so on. This Friday may have been a wee bit too relaxed for because as the Gunnery Sergeant and Sergeant were walking down the hall I was still pulling my belt on. Now as I stand outside my room at parade rest waiting for inspection, I'm approached and snap to attention announcing "Room 158, ready for inspection." This room inspection went a little longer and more detailed than the others but a relaxed conversation brewed up about little things in my room. As my wall locker was being checked I learned I needed a ticket from the dry cleaners hanging up to represent the absence of certain articles of my uniform, and my favorite, Gunny asking me why I had lots of almost empty cans or Copenhagen in my freezer, and my humorous response, "saving em for a rainy day Gunnery Sergeant" Where that response came from I'm not sure but it was enough to get a laugh out of him and it not being an issue. From there I was passed and went outside to be marched up to the schoolhouse. It was our class picture day, we had the most extensive picture I would say, deciding we wanted to put a LOX cart, an ejection seat, guidons and the front half of an f/14 fuselage in the picture. Being Friday it was a half day but AL division had something else in store for us for the rest of the school day... We put on a car wash to raise money for the Marine Corps Ball here at NAS in Nov which I wont be at, and I had the same reaction as most of the other Marines in the platoon, why do we have to do this if none of us will be here? Its because none of us wanted to be labeled a blue falcon (if you don't know what a blue falcon is look it up) by our mentors and instructors. Well the bus ride over was the same as any other bus ride with a bus full of Marines, lots of sing a longs and yelling out the window, which I always love! So we roll up to the spot where we're washing cars and get set up. not 10 minutes after being there cars were already pulling in. 5 hours later and very sunburned we we're done. BACK on the bus. this time the music was not as good but none the less 30+ Marines WILL sing along. We got back to NAS and after a few normal procedures I was back in my room attacking the rack like it stole my ice cream when I was 4 years old. That night we ordered wing zone and had a great dinner. Like I said, all in all a good day.

Saturday, well Saturday was typical weekend. stayed around the barracks most of the day, played video games but Saturday night we walked over to the beach to take pictures, had some good ones too! If you look at my Facebook you'll see them because I have to many and the internet is too slow to upload them again successfully

Today, (Sunday) Laid back, everyone else went to Corey Station for haircuts but I had a nasty headache so i opted out and will just get a barracks cut here. Tomorrow is a relatively big lab for me so wish me luck!

Last Thursday of the Month

So last Thursday of the month, Thursday is field day and to those that don't know what field day in the Marine Corps is, its where you clean your room so thoroughly someone (such as the inspecting SGT) comes through with a white glove and can't find any dust. Well being the last Thursday of the month that makes tomorrow the last Friday of the month, obviously. Well the uniform of the day here at NAS Pensacola is service charlies on the last Friday, one of the more dress uniforms. Well at boot camp I was issued all my uniforms but we got them in the wrong part of the year so they went on standby in the uniform bag. Fast forward 4 months, after staying in the uniform bag through the rest of boot camp and MCT they were finally resurrected and hung up in my wall locker. Now, 2 months later I need to wear them. A wrinkled uncreased disaster they took up much of my evening being prepared, time needed to be cleaning my room. Well after my shower, i put my room mate (Campbell) in a headlock all in good fun. His reaction was to flail like an idiot and threw me right into the padlock loop (I don't know the exact name of what I am trying to define so I will take a picture and post it below) but it cut me pretty good. Next thing to do that is not cleaning is to go to the quarterdeck (lobby) and ask the SDO for a band aid, he looked with no luck and gave me some toilette paper. Getting back to my room, my room mate (a certified combat lifesaver[Wise, not Campbell]) decided using GermX to disinfect it. The result was me cursing like a sailor, but at least its disinfected? So we than decided to look up funny videos on You Tube. Don't forget that our room has yet to be cleaned...and its quarter after 9, granted we keep our room really clean but dust is inevitable. This is more or less the side of the Corps that you do not usually see but is also just as necessary to our well being. I do not really know when our room will be cleaned but i guarantee you this, before our 7:30 (yes we get to sleep in tomorrow) room inspection it will be immaculate.

Soo! We're in Unit 4 now in school, which is Liquid O2. A small bottle of LOX is 10x more volatile than a stick of dynamite, just a side note to let you know what I'm working with now. The method of transportation and filling LOX is all done by the LOX cart. A LOX cart is about 8 feet long by 3 feet wide, has a 50 gallon storage tank, a 15 liter transfer tank and about 30 valves all of which I have to memorize the names of I.E. Transfer tank filler vent line valve. The whole reason behind the existence of the cart is to fill the LOX converter! The LOX converter looks like an old school dive helmet painted green and its primary goal is to convert Liquid Oxygen into breathable gaseous oxygen, for pilots. The video which I happened to see "The Man from LOX" is an instructional video they used to show Airmen (not AF airmen but sailors in the aviation side are also airmen) in the 70's BE ADVISED IT IS GRAPHIC AT THE END! I will post the URL at the bottom of the page.

I guess I'm going to leave off now, but I will leave on this. Passed my Unit 3 test with a decent high 80s score. I'm on the heels of number one in class, but I'll soon take his class standing! Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9sIT6P_05I URL for the Man from LOX video

Thats what happens when i get flailed into this VVVVVVVV

Good times :)

Starting Class as an AME Marine.

Well, I've been here in Pensacola since January 25th and I Finally "Classed up" on the 14th, of March.. A quick synopsis of my life before I classed up. I arrived way past midnight from Camp Geiger School of Infantry Tired, Confused and very smelly (Granted I showered and had on all brand new clothes, smell lingers after a month in the field) I got to my room after briefs about everything from female sailors to haircuts and was ready to pass out. At this point it was about 3AM and I had to be up in 2 hours for formation, I was out like a light. I woke the next morning to meet my new roommates Martinez and Roy.  Martinez and Roy were both laid back mellow guys and I was glad to be with them and not someone who would try to make me order them pizza or clean the head. After the meet and greet I headed outside to go to all the briefings of the day. The first week you're here you are dubbed an INDOC and have many more freedoms than boot and MCT but at the same time have a whole hell of a lot of restrictions. After the day of briefs from various staff around the base we were released, I did not know what to do with myself. I was allowed to do (almost) anything I wanted. Well that whole week went by, Roy moved on to his C school and it was just me and Martinez in room 158. I was now in MAT (Marines awaiting training) Division and was living the life, getting up at 0700 everyday and finishing at 1430 (2:30 in non DB time) In the time from finishing INDOC; I got a new roommate (JP Wise a real good friend now), the other (Martinez) left for the fleet, did AWAT (Aviation warfare apprentice training) with my schoolhouse (AL) and got another roommate (Campbell for Canada) The day before I classed up, it was March 13th a Thursday and I had a 24 hour duty. The duty went smooth as usual but at 0700 the next day a Sergeant from my School house came to me and tells me I have to go to the schoolhouse as soon as I was relieved from duty. I was in one of those stupors, you know the kind where you haven't slept in 24 hours, thinking to myself, "man, now I can't sleep". Well needless to say 30 minutes after I was relieved I was walking up to "The Hill" where my schoolhouse was. I was so incredibly out of it on the way up, I almost did not salute the group of 10+ officers I passed on the way up! I get inside of the school and start looking for where I am required to go, I am wandering around upstairs when Chief Parker (my instructor) asked me what I was doing, "uhh well sir I am looking for Marine Admin, I class up today" (I was standing right under the sign that said "MARINE ADMIN") Chief looked at me and said "your in my class, come with me" He led me to a classroom full of sailors and Marines all of whom I recognized from AWAT and they all looked at me in shock wondering why I was still awake after pulling duty. I sat down and all I could think about was how I did not want to do PT today.. The class commenced and afterward Gunny Hart told us we did not have to PT with the rest of the schoolhouse, boy was I relieved. After class, (being Friday we got out at around 1100) I headed home. As soon as I got to my room I ate and passed out like a light. Sleeping for a solid 18 hours and waking up at 2100 sucks, especially when we had the McGuires run the next morning at 0430 haha. Well fast forwarding to now, I've been classed up a little over a week and can boast 2nd in class with a 94% GPA (It may not seem like much in just a weeks time but I've done 2 test's and Lab so its more than you think) We're currently studying ordnance devices that pertain to ejection seats and I can't complain what so ever, I am enjoying the class. The only thing I am not enjoying is the summer month PT schedule waking up at 0445 to run umteen miles before I am fully awake haha. Stay tuned!

Our room, I am on the left side single rack. We've since upgraded our TV

                                       
My roommate Wise and Me.