Day 3

My new official wake up time is 0430. Yeah. We were in the hallway and ready to fall in at 0450 and went downstairs where we were met by a screaming drill instructor, wanting to know why we were dragging. We began learning the first elements of drilling. Drilling is the process of marching by which you efficiently move large numbers of people from one place to another. It is not NEARLY as easy as it looks! And it’s that much harder at 0515! We drilled for an hour and a half, and then went to breakfast. Meals are done – the first week, at least – in what’s called tight meals. That means that after you get your tray, there is a very specific way you have to file to the table. At the table, there are positions 1, 2, 3 and 4. You stand at attention until 4 says, “Be seated.” 2 and 3 pass a napkin to 1 and 4, everyone waits until everyone has had a chance to say a prayer, then 4 says, “Enjoy your meal.” Then you can eat. But you cannot talk. Or look around. You can only sit on the front 2/3 of the chair, with your feet flat in the ground and your elbows off the table. Then the race begins. The first two to finish get up and leave, and the last two have to collect the dirty plates and trays and carry them to the tray carriers. Very relaxing.

I have discovered that the yogurt here is kosher, as are the pre-packaged cereals. They also have fruit and NutriGrain bars, so I’m golden. Lunch and dinner are tuna (which I bring), yogurt, fruit, NutriGrain bars, and an occasional treat of an ice cream cone. How long is this program, again? Oh, did I mention that everyone MUST drink three glasses of water at every meal?

We went to the auditorium and were addressed by the lead Phys Ed (PT) instructor. He explaied what would be expected of us on Friday when we do our benchmark physical test (push-ups, sit ups, and 1.5 mile run). We then had a class in Customs and Courtesies (saluting, etc.) followed by a class in uniforms. I knew I had 10 minutes until the next activity, so I rushed up to the RAC and davened real fast, making it down just in time for us to march out for more drilling lesson, this time Directional Turning.

Following lunch, we all returned to the auditorium, where we were to meet our flight commanders. A word about the structure will be helpful. All of us are a class (Class 10-04). The class is divided into three squadrons (Falcons, Guardians, and Griffins). The squadrons are broken into flights, made up of 15-16 students. They are named by the alphabet, so the entire Class is made up of 19 flights, Alpha through Sierra. I am in Griffin squadron(YES! Gryffindor!! The Sorting Hat rules!!!!) and in Papa flight. Each flight has a Flight Commander (Flt/CC), who is an officer and a member of the staff. Yeah, the staff that has been screaming at us since we got here. They teach their flight all of their small classes (as opposed to the large auditorium classes) and he is their “den father,” in essence.

The program commander invited all of the Flt/CCs to come up front, and after introducing each one and their accomplishments, he announced, “Commanders, meet your flights” at which point they all JUMPED forward screaming, “Grab your things, Get up, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!” We were FREAKING OUT! In the midst of all this, a major walks through the madness and calmly and quietly says, “As you were – wait until all of these people leave.” No screaming, no yelling. What was going on?

When the auditorium emptied, he told us to follow him, and we walked upstairs to our flight room (our class room), which happened to be around the corner from the RAC where I daven each morning. When we got in, he asked us, “What is the difference between me and everyone else you saw down there?” We all said he wasn’t screaming and yelling. He explained that while he respects his colleagues, he disagrees with their approuch. He believes that this is primarily an academic program, and you don’t learn when you are scared. Rather, he wants us to do the right thing and perfrom out of a sense of pride and respect rather than fear. I literally thanked God.

We then divided out the jobs for the flight. The main person is the FOIC (flight officer in charge) – he is the flight’s president, in essence. I am one of the only two captains, but I am not eligible because chaplains are not allowed any leadership roles. We are advisors, not leaders. Additionally, we have education officers, saftey officers, drill officers, social officers… you get the idea. I am the Standardization Officer. Everything we do here has to look exactly the same. The books on our desks must be EXACTELY the same. Even the pens must be in the same place, and all facing the same direction. When we march with our flashlights on our hydration packs, they must face the same direction. It is my job to ensure that everything we do is exactly uniform.

After dinner, we went back to the dorm. From this point forward, once we leave our dorms in the morning, we are not allowed back until after dinner. We had a flight meeting, and I was asleep by 2330.