Cruise, Week 1

One week down, three to go. We finished up our week with NSWG-4 and next week we'll be reporting in to one of the SEAL Teams here to do our other three weeks.

So the Special Boat Teams here have some pretty awesome PT going on right now. A couple of petty officers have created a program that resembles Crossfit but it is more like Crossfit on steroids with special emphasis on the lower extremeties to better enable the SWCC guys to take the bouncing of boats over the waves (a four hour mission in moderate seas can be the equivalent of going through 100 car crashes!). Yesterday's PT was an hour and a half long and completely wiped out everybodies legs with all the squats and other exercises. Today we did swim PT in the pool and that completely kicked my tail because I am not the best swimmer (can we say side-stroke almost the entire way?).

So you know how when you were little your mother would tell you not to stick stuff up your nose? Well in combat when someone is hurt their nose may be the easiest airway to keep clear and to do that you use a nasal tube. So to get the idea of what that is like each of us had one inserted in our nose yesterday as part of some medical familiarization training. After the nasal tubes it was off to lunch and then time to play around with IV's. Now I am not a needle and blood type person but after seeing the IV's done by a few guys I got my arm stuck with an IV and then stuck someone else (got them done first try :-D). Honestly I was expecting it to be a lot more disturbing to me, especially feeling the warmth of my blood pouring over my arm when the dude doing me forgot to apply pressure to my vein but it wasn't that bad.

This weekend should be pretty chill and then it is off to hang out with the SEALs so we'll see just high speed things can really get!

Cruise, Day 3

So flying wasn't that bad, and the first day was pretty chill since all we did was get to know each other (the eight guys doing this cruise) and settle in to our living arrangements. We actually are not staying on base but are instead in the Howard Johnson hotel right off base. Unfortunately we are responsible for our own food so hopefully there will be some sort of per diem coming in eventually.

So yesterday we went through a bunch of briefs on Naval Special Warfare Group-4 and did some PT that bore a great resemblance to the kind of stuff done at Crossfit. Today we did some more PT, watched some videos on the SWCC guys, and then got a ride in the 11-meter RHIB, which is a sweet board capable of cruising at around 40 nautical miles per hour (most boats are usually not capable of even half that).

Things aren't too bad when you get started around 0700 and you are done by about 1600. We'll have some longer days I'm sure, but for right now things are moving along nicely.

Summer Cruise

So in about seven hours I'll catch a plane to Charlotte and on to Little Creek, Virginia to do my "Naval Special Warfare Familiarization Training." I really don't know what I'll be doing still but I'll try to post up some info once I have a clue as to what it going on. Hopefully we'll be given enough to do so I'm not bored out of my mind but just in case I'm taking four books with me: "The Warrior Leader: You," "The Five Love Languages of God," "Mere Christianity" (to read again, this time more slowly), and "Desiring God."

If you want to get ahold of me I should be able to check my cell pretty regularly and may get some email access occasionally as well. I'll have my computer with me so maybe if I can get internet access then the emails should flow freely dependent only on my schedule.

Anywho, stay cool down in Atlanta, have a cold Coke for me and I'll see people when I get back (though if you happen to be up in the Hampton Roads/Newport News area between June 26th and July 21st let me know and if schedules permit we can hang out). Peace.

Summer Cruise Reading

So a week from today (Monday) I leave for sunny Little Creek, Virginia to hang out with 7 other midshipmen and men from one of the SEAL teams up there for four weeks. Right now I have no earthly idea what all I'll be doing so I plan on taking a couple books to work through (in addition to my Bible) and that's where you come in.

I am open to suggestions on what to read while I am there. I don't really care what genre it is in so long as it is good. Christian/secular, fiction/non-fiction, biographical, whatever. I'm just looking for good reads. I don't even care if it is something I have read before. Maybe I'll read it again.

So on the count of go, start shooting ideas my way. Wait for it...steady....GO!

Funny of the Day (from Boston)

So the fact that a man had to be restrained on a flight is not funny, but the comments at the bottom from the wife of the former police chief that did the restraining are a hoot:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/05/graying_duo_keep_passenger_in_check/

Kudos to the men who did something and shame on those who were unwilling to help.