July 3, 1997 - That Was a Pretty Good Day...

970703 - Today was one of the best days of boot camp yet! First, we had PT which consisted of the obstacle course and a 2.5 mile timed run. I made it through every obstacle on the first try and pretty quickly. Major confidence booster. Then was the run. I did it in 18:15; my personal best! After our PT showers, we found out who failed the exam...I PASSED!!! For the remainder of the day, I was on a high. The rest of the day was pretty normal w/ a class on Group Values (taught by a Presbyterian Chaplain), and a class on History VII. Then we had chow and prepared for inspection (tomorrow). We kicked some drill and learned about fraternization. After evening chow, we cleaned our guns inside and out (very cool!). A corpsman came by to evaluate those who could and could not go on mess duty next week. I can't. I don't know why not and I don't know what I'll be doing instead. I just hope it's not too awful. Right now I'm still feeling pretty good (especially since I got 2 letters tonight) even though I'm unsure about next week. 57 days left.

Boot camp was a lesson in extremes. It was not uncommon to go from the the peaks of supreme self-confidence to the depths of misery and discouragement, often within the span of ten minutes. Because of this, my description of July 3 as one of the best days in boot camp is no exaggeration. Up to this point, I hadn't even completed the entire obstacle course, despite several attempts. Doing it on my first try had been, if you'll excuse the word choice, a significant obstacle to my confidence. Making it through, especially when I was still uncertain of my fate from the mid-cycle testing, was probably the most significant success I had had in boot camp to date.

When I found out I had passed my test, I was elated. I have no idea what my score was (the Drill Instructors wouldn't tell us that, lest we get a big head for doing well), but I know I must have done pretty well. I know this because I was given the task of tutoring one of my fellow recruits prior to his make-up test. He had scored the lowest of the platoon, and once I started tutoring him, I wasn't too shocked. I have spent many years in education and have seen a wide range of intelligence levels and learning styles, but I have never seen someone who was as easily distracted as this recruit. It was very typical that I would ask him a question, he would begin to answer (and actually knew the answer), then would see another recruit and mid-sentence he would break off and strike up a conversation with the recruit. Eventually, I would be able to reel him back in, but the question, and the answer, were long forgotten. Somehow, though, he did pass the make-up test. In fact, the only recruit of the 20 who failed the make-up exam was recruit G_____, the same guy who thought the president was George Clinton. Fortunately, he passed the test on the third try and was able to come back to the platoon and graduated with us.

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