"It's amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy."- George 'My Best Friend's Wedding'
Now, I believe I have mentioned a few times before about how much I hate the stupid bull-shit the army puts me through. (Like how all four years my husband and I were on active duty, we couldn't get stationed together. Even though we were almost bankrupt because we had separate housing bills and they didn't pay us enough for two different living arrangements.) But I really think they have reached a new and awesomely terrible level this weekend...
Friday:
My sergeant calls me at 7 o'clock in the morning, asking where I am. I tell him I'm home, duh. But he then says I'm supposed to be at the company, getting on the bus to go down to Tacoma. He explains that we have a three day training weekend at Ft. Lewis, and we're staying down there the whole time. I practically tear his eyes out through the phone of course, because I knew NOTHING about a three day weekend, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about staying down at Ft. Lewis. To top everything off, he told me that I had to come down, because it's required training, but Friday was really nothing more than getting our rooms in the barracks and a quick briefing on the next day's schedule. So basically, I would be going down to Ft. Lewis at 7 in the morning, and then sitting around all day. I told him to go to hell. He may be my squad leader, but we're the same rank, and I have been in the army longer. The Commander (he's a major) called me later and told me that he would "let it slide because I didn't know", but I had to be there for the first formation in the morning so I could take a PT (physical training) test. I said "yes sir" and all that crap. Goodnight.
Saturday:
3:30AM I get out of bed and get into my PT uniform. Now, one fact about getting out of the army and then getting back in: If you've lost anything in between, it's going to be about a year before they replace it. I got dressed into the only pieces I have of the uniform--t-shirt, windbreaker, PT reflector belt, and shorts. I don't have the winter parts. Another fact you should know: IT WAS 23 DEGREES OUTSIDE THAT MORNING!!
Anyway, I got to the base an hour later, and couldn't find the barracks they were staying, so I called and got shitty directions, AND FOUND OUT MY SQUAD LEADER HAD TOLD ME THE WRONG TIME TO BE THERE!! I could have slept for another HOUR AND A HALF!!! Ahem, so I finally found the place and met up with my platoon. It was too cold outside to have people standing in line waiting to do pushups, so they had us all cram into the men's barracks and do our situps and pushups between the bunks.
That was okay, I guess, but then... then we had to go outside and run two miles in the cold. I am not particularly vulnerable to the cold in any way--in fact I like to think of myself as slightly more attuned to it than most. BUT 23 FUCKING DEGREES!!! I don't care where you're from, that's too cold to be running around in shorts. You're breath freezes in your lungs when you inhale!! Needless to say, I did horrible, and got frost bite on my knees and on two of my toes. The skin is all purple and I can't feel it. *rubs at feet* My poor little toes...
Then, after the PT test, the test-takers didn't get a chance for breakfast because our Commander didn't think to tell the dining facility that we would be a little later than the rest of our company... So we starved.
Then--THEN, we sat in the barracks for three hours, only to find that the training had been called off. The people that were supposed to learn everything on Friday so they could teach us, I guess didn't get certified. So... let me break this down for you: WE WERE THERE FOR NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL. I thought maybe this was my chance and I could just go home, but nope. The Commander wanted us to stay until the next day because "That's what the training schedule says". We were just supposed to hang out and go to the gym or the store or whatever.
Now, I get two nights a week to spend with the husband, and Saturday night is one of them. I was not going to just sit back and let them take away my Saturday night with hubby for nothing, so I talked to another one of the squad leaders in my platoon, and asked if she would vouch for me. She said hell yeah, and I was off. (She reads my fanfiction, so we're good buddies, lol.)
It didn't end there though, because I have an idiot squad leader. You ever heard the expression "out of sight, out of mind"?? Well, the military coined that phrase. If an officer doesn't see you, he forgets about you. So I was good, until numb-nuts decided to go ask the Commander of he'd seen me. I get a call about 7:20 at night, my sergeant asking where I was, and why I wasn't in the barracks. I had to remind him that I already said I was going home, and because they had failed to tell me about the overnight and then screwed me with no training, I was going to stay home. I only got about four calls after that with him asking me stupid questions. I should be the fucking squad leader. He doesn't know shit.
Sunday:
I wake up, 13 messages on my phone. THIRTEEN!! All from my squad leader because he can't connect the dots. He said I needed to be there because they were cleaning and loading the bus to go home... Uh, what?? At least he didn't talk to the Commander again. The last two messages were from other sergeants saying they had shut him up with a detail (meaningless job that higher ups won't do). Yay. And then one last message in the afternoon from the supply sergeant telling me I had to come in sometime to schedule a few make ups days.
Synopsis
Now, let me put this all in a concise paragraph for you to put in perspective how stupid this weekend was: Friday, harassing phone calls for me to get to the company to get on the bus for a weekend they didn't tell me about. Then, Saturday, 3:30 in the morning, driving around the base for 45 minutes, and then finding out I didn't have to be there for another hour, so I could have slept more. PT test and frost bite because supply hasn't gotten me my winter uniform. Then, no breakfast and an afternoon of nothing because my higher-ups are fucking idiots, so I've DRIVEN DOWN FOR NOTHING. Then Sergeants trying to get me to stay for nothing and for no reason. THEN more harassing phone calls all evening from a sergeant who doesn't know his ass from his elbows. Then more phone calls on Sunday from the squad leader, him freaking out because I'm not there to load the bus and go home?? Is he fucking retarded? AND THEN, finding out it was no problem at all to schedule make up days. I could have just skipped the whole thing and had a nice, quiet weekend with no frost bite.
Ah friends... If you have actually made it to the end of this rant, I commend you. I hate parts of my life. Hopefully, when I finish my book, someone will publish it and I'll make some money and quit the army.
I hope your weekend was better than mine.
Cheers.
Friday:
My sergeant calls me at 7 o'clock in the morning, asking where I am. I tell him I'm home, duh. But he then says I'm supposed to be at the company, getting on the bus to go down to Tacoma. He explains that we have a three day training weekend at Ft. Lewis, and we're staying down there the whole time. I practically tear his eyes out through the phone of course, because I knew NOTHING about a three day weekend, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about staying down at Ft. Lewis. To top everything off, he told me that I had to come down, because it's required training, but Friday was really nothing more than getting our rooms in the barracks and a quick briefing on the next day's schedule. So basically, I would be going down to Ft. Lewis at 7 in the morning, and then sitting around all day. I told him to go to hell. He may be my squad leader, but we're the same rank, and I have been in the army longer. The Commander (he's a major) called me later and told me that he would "let it slide because I didn't know", but I had to be there for the first formation in the morning so I could take a PT (physical training) test. I said "yes sir" and all that crap. Goodnight.
Saturday:
3:30AM I get out of bed and get into my PT uniform. Now, one fact about getting out of the army and then getting back in: If you've lost anything in between, it's going to be about a year before they replace it. I got dressed into the only pieces I have of the uniform--t-shirt, windbreaker, PT reflector belt, and shorts. I don't have the winter parts. Another fact you should know: IT WAS 23 DEGREES OUTSIDE THAT MORNING!!
Anyway, I got to the base an hour later, and couldn't find the barracks they were staying, so I called and got shitty directions, AND FOUND OUT MY SQUAD LEADER HAD TOLD ME THE WRONG TIME TO BE THERE!! I could have slept for another HOUR AND A HALF!!! Ahem, so I finally found the place and met up with my platoon. It was too cold outside to have people standing in line waiting to do pushups, so they had us all cram into the men's barracks and do our situps and pushups between the bunks.
That was okay, I guess, but then... then we had to go outside and run two miles in the cold. I am not particularly vulnerable to the cold in any way--in fact I like to think of myself as slightly more attuned to it than most. BUT 23 FUCKING DEGREES!!! I don't care where you're from, that's too cold to be running around in shorts. You're breath freezes in your lungs when you inhale!! Needless to say, I did horrible, and got frost bite on my knees and on two of my toes. The skin is all purple and I can't feel it. *rubs at feet* My poor little toes...
Then, after the PT test, the test-takers didn't get a chance for breakfast because our Commander didn't think to tell the dining facility that we would be a little later than the rest of our company... So we starved.
Then--THEN, we sat in the barracks for three hours, only to find that the training had been called off. The people that were supposed to learn everything on Friday so they could teach us, I guess didn't get certified. So... let me break this down for you: WE WERE THERE FOR NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL. I thought maybe this was my chance and I could just go home, but nope. The Commander wanted us to stay until the next day because "That's what the training schedule says". We were just supposed to hang out and go to the gym or the store or whatever.
Now, I get two nights a week to spend with the husband, and Saturday night is one of them. I was not going to just sit back and let them take away my Saturday night with hubby for nothing, so I talked to another one of the squad leaders in my platoon, and asked if she would vouch for me. She said hell yeah, and I was off. (She reads my fanfiction, so we're good buddies, lol.)
It didn't end there though, because I have an idiot squad leader. You ever heard the expression "out of sight, out of mind"?? Well, the military coined that phrase. If an officer doesn't see you, he forgets about you. So I was good, until numb-nuts decided to go ask the Commander of he'd seen me. I get a call about 7:20 at night, my sergeant asking where I was, and why I wasn't in the barracks. I had to remind him that I already said I was going home, and because they had failed to tell me about the overnight and then screwed me with no training, I was going to stay home. I only got about four calls after that with him asking me stupid questions. I should be the fucking squad leader. He doesn't know shit.
Sunday:
I wake up, 13 messages on my phone. THIRTEEN!! All from my squad leader because he can't connect the dots. He said I needed to be there because they were cleaning and loading the bus to go home... Uh, what?? At least he didn't talk to the Commander again. The last two messages were from other sergeants saying they had shut him up with a detail (meaningless job that higher ups won't do). Yay. And then one last message in the afternoon from the supply sergeant telling me I had to come in sometime to schedule a few make ups days.
Synopsis
Now, let me put this all in a concise paragraph for you to put in perspective how stupid this weekend was: Friday, harassing phone calls for me to get to the company to get on the bus for a weekend they didn't tell me about. Then, Saturday, 3:30 in the morning, driving around the base for 45 minutes, and then finding out I didn't have to be there for another hour, so I could have slept more. PT test and frost bite because supply hasn't gotten me my winter uniform. Then, no breakfast and an afternoon of nothing because my higher-ups are fucking idiots, so I've DRIVEN DOWN FOR NOTHING. Then Sergeants trying to get me to stay for nothing and for no reason. THEN more harassing phone calls all evening from a sergeant who doesn't know his ass from his elbows. Then more phone calls on Sunday from the squad leader, him freaking out because I'm not there to load the bus and go home?? Is he fucking retarded? AND THEN, finding out it was no problem at all to schedule make up days. I could have just skipped the whole thing and had a nice, quiet weekend with no frost bite.
Ah friends... If you have actually made it to the end of this rant, I commend you. I hate parts of my life. Hopefully, when I finish my book, someone will publish it and I'll make some money and quit the army.
I hope your weekend was better than mine.
Cheers.