My Teddy Bear is an M16 (AIT)

This is a continuation of my Journal after Basic Training.

AIT(Advance Individual Training) JOURNAL


20 November 2008

Well…Damn. I’m posting once again. I believe I was lied to. Maybe not LIED to…but played a horrible trick. AIT is no pleasant romp in a park, where I can study my craft, be it mechanical or creative filmmaking. Here, we were welcomed with a similar feeling of the first weekend of Basic Training. Sergeants yelling and a hour long “Smoking” in a large sandbox for absolutely no reason. They love to show authority. Got to show those pesky Privates who the boss is! They call it making sugar cookies. Bald heads and sand everywhere!

25 November 2008

We’ve started classes and once again *sigh* issued warrior equipment. Helmets, rucksacks, sleeping backs, canteens, ect. I thought I was rid of that junk. At least our warrior tasks are limited here in AIT land. We will be doing a few road marches, but nothing to really complain about. We get our laptops and ect. It brightened my spirits knowing I can call family every night. Though, I’m curious if I’ll drive family crazy calling every other night, whining about life. I miss home, but being able to contact them every night will get this fiasco over with.

2 December 2008

Week three and life hasn’t been too bad. We have been continually “smoked” for the last few days after Thanksgiving break. Our platoon is not functioning as a well oiled machine. The pistons do not want to fire in the proper order.

But, I really don’t care. Things are fine actually. I get frustrated with pawns who don’t want to take the extra step at the beginning. They would rather fall behind and backtalk to the Queen. A mighty dangerous move in my opinion.

Though, I never did win at Chess.

I utilized my Thanksgiving break well. I sat on my butt and ate cinnamon rolls. Bugged the family with phone calls all through the weekend, spending money in stupid places. The fresh air of temporary freedom intoxicates a person into doing stupid things.

Anyways I’m finished with my class in “The Principles of auto vehicles.” I’m starting to really enjoy the work here. AIT has its moments “of suck.” But, the education factor is what keeps my head up. I consider the classroom my safe haven from everlasting darkness. Two more weeks and my x-mas exodus begins. Booyah! Kiss my butt soldiers! I’m going home and being a human again! I’ll be like meat loafs first and second albums. Straight out of hell and back again! Like a slingshot. Home for a second and pulled right back into this army life.

NO SLEEP! I’m burning every available minute I’ve got! Skiing, running (because a P.T. test awaits me when I get back. I cant let myself fall back and fail a physical test. I haven’t yet.) Driving all over the grand Gem State. I’ll be a movin’ and shakin.


Dec 10 2008

Looking at dates you begin to realize how short life really is. I still have this time capsule of an idea of what home is like. I feel like the idea of going tubing down the Boise river isnt too far fetched. That walking around in a short sleeve shirt minus the long john underwear would be considered okay. Riding Bikes and watching brightly colored explosions in the sky was only a few days ago. Time stopped...in my head.

It saddens me. I missed my favorite season. Fall. The greatest season. Corn mazes, Halloween and pumpkin accessories. The season of dying and horror The season for sitting outside in the cool air. Breathing it in like a cold beverage. The season for flue shots that don’t work.

Speaking of flues. I had a fever yesterday night. Everyone told me I looked either really pissed or about to pass out. I had flue symptoms a few days prior but I refused to go to sick call. I made it through Basic Training. I can do it here as well. I don’t want to be considered a "sick call ranger." If you miss too many hours here, you end up being pulled back a few weeks. I'd rather stick it out and enjoy my graduation, like the rest of the others. But, I gave in because I couldn’t even think straight enough to pick my meal at the salad bar. I put carrots on top of my potato salad.

Dec 11 2008

All drugged up on Robitusion and cold relievers, things are looking brighter. Last night I had to walk back in the thickest rainstorm I've ever experienced. Interesting way to end a sermon. With a little punch from God. The rain drops were the size of quarters. Its still raining as I write, a full day later. This morning I woke up, put on my P.T.s and was told by the fuzzy beyond practical use sound system (I swear I could tie cans with string and get a better sound) to form up outside. Now rain hadn’t let up at all since the night before so everything was either soggy or covered in 3 inches of water or more. We marched out to the field and we started calling exercises in cadence. Once we got to the push up I realized my wallet was in my jacket pocket. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" I then proceeded to reluctantly dip my face and jacket into the dirty water repeatedly (because was unlucky enough to get a puddle where I happened to land in formation) Ha! I dot have to say that it makes me feel better knowing that the doofuses who bring their phones wherever they go are the ones really hating this moment. I just had to dry a few Apt Pupil Films business cards. They might need a new phone!

Eight more days till X-mas exodus. Then I get to play the Steve Martin game. Rush home for the holidays using any means necessary. No sleep, no time between flights, costing you a butt load of cash to make it happen.

Dec 16 2008

Well it seems the closer Christmas gets, the darker our days become. Literally and figuratively. The nights get longer but our sleeping schedule gets shorter. Im not sure if its the lack of sleep or if I'm just lopped into yet another self destructive platoon. But, lately our egos have gotten the better of us. They fight back against each other. Alpha male bullcrap. I don’t understand it. People need to pretend that their tough and intimidating. They are completely unresponsive to even the most reasonable orders.

But, today will mark the last day in the next two weeks where I will suffer from their actions. I leave on Friday, but people will begin trickling out of the barracks for the next few days. I was unfortunate and had to purchase a ticket the morning after the first official flights leave. They require you to be on base till the day you leave. I'd love to leave early and explore the local area, but the army believes in babysitting. We are under strict watch.

One fellow went AWOL two or three days ago, one fellow shoved a knife in another’s face. One fellow threw another fellow into a wall locker and that fellow went to jail. Then of course some other fine folk got drunk and came back smelling of liquor. I understand the need to go and have fun, but consider me a stick in the mud. All I ever do is sit in the barracks and type on my computer. I'm trying to control my spending habits. I still need to pay off a 1000 dollar plane ticket home. Its worth it, though. I'd rather spend all of my cash in my account then get sent back to Basic Training land. That’s where they send you if you refuse to leave...or cant afford a ticket home. I hope that these next two weeks of break will create a positive effect on the others. I would like my last month back here in Jackson to be spent worrying about my training, not the ill behavior of my peers. I can’t fix them. If they didn’t learn discipline in Basic how are they going to learn it in AIT?

20 Jan 2009

its twenty days past the New Year and things are different. I had a good vacation at home. Not a whole lot has changed, but then again there has been a whole that has. Friends behaving differently, the living room furniture re-arranged, people coming around filling the space I left behind, people pregnant, people moving. Not that all these changes are all “bad” but some of them were definitely unexpected. I know I’ve changed as well, which is funny because I’ve always been known as the notoriously stubborn guy. The guy who won’t agree to do the littlest things for purist reasons. Now I think I’ve found a church that I’d like to return to when I get home.

Crazy huh? Yeah crazy.

Today is inauguration day for Obama.

President Obama.

They have the big screen blaring the ceremony in the day room. The last few weeks have been quick. At least quick enough for me to feel like time is moving forward. Inauguration came at me like a lighting bolt. I don’t think I’ll watch the event. I just don’t feel the need. I’ll watch it online sometime. I bet I’ll miss something interesting. I wonder how long it will take for the military to replace all the Bush pictures with Obama pictures. A week? A month? An hour? I’ll be checking.

There are claims that they will split the platoon in two. But, I haven’t seen any forward movement towards any sort of splitting of the platoon. There are always rumors floating about. Rumors with a track record of a lame horse winning the triple crown. Well, wasn’t Seabiscuit considered a lame horse at one time? Throw that analogy away. You get the idea. It hardly ever comes true. Anyway, if they did it would be beneficial for me, because the purpose would be to filter all the bad eggs out of the basket. Either way my final countdown is three weeks. I can endure stupidity a few more weeks.

There could be an opportunity for something called Hotel 8. I possibly could get offered extra training, but the lure of home is exceeding the extra active duty paycheck. I would train to retrieve downed vehicles in the field. Which could be good to learn. I don’t know. I’ll let my heart be my guide. Two weeks extra training would be required…possibly more. Which seven hundred dollars extra is your reward. I hope that I don’t make the criteria so that I don’t have to make the decision myself. I want to go skiing with grandpa instead. Break my leg and laugh happily about it as I sit in my room drawing illustrations and writing scripts. Get my short animation done. Eat my gas station burrito and drive my car legally.

Did I mention that during X-mas break they wouldn’t allow us to drive our vehicles? Crazy. I guess they want to cut down on drunk driving. Either way I broke the rules and did it regardless. You won’t expect me to sit idly by with all this cash and not think to fill my gas tank! 10 dollars folks! 10 dollars! That’s all it took to fill my tank. Bwahahaha!


22 Jan 2009

Just woke up for fireguard. My shift started at 2:00 and ends in two hours. Day three of Obama as president, and they have already changed the pictures on the walls. I just walked downstairs and saw for the first time the framed picture in our barracks office. You wonder how many different photos and different posses they went through just to get it right. If John Edwards had been elected imagine the turmoil they would go through with him. A whole cabinet dedicated to hair dressing. (I feel like the mutated rat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splinter. “I made a funny!” yeah, I’m aware the Edwards joke was corny)

I enjoy the late shifts here in AIT land. At least I can appreciate the “somewhat” solitude of being up alone. I can listen to the sounds of different people making cries in their sleep. I’ve heard people yell out for their loved ones. People laugh (which is creepy). People complain, which apparently doesn’t stop when the day ends for most of these people. People fight with their families. Fun stuff like that. The ambiance you receive from these old barracks really helps contribute to your imagination. From the crack and chipped brick walls to the broken tiles on the floor. This place is straight from a nightmare. And the lighting is not too bad either!

My buddy on fireguard decided to sleep. Which is a no no of course, but he is annoying so I feel like I got a good deal tonight.

This was my last post after I left for home and begun my life again.

By Chaz Gentry