Travel Day

Not much to report this pre-Day One.  Flying in the uniform of United States Air Force officer has its perks.  When I went through security, I kept setting off the detector. Had I been wearing anything less than a uniform, they would have done a full body cavity search on me. I went through five times before they realized that I still had on my watch. Thank you, Mr. Attentive TSA Guy. As I was gathering my things, another TSA guy said, “Thanks for your service, sir.” Being a nice guy, I answered back, “Thanks for YOUR service.” He paused, and responded, “Yeah, but you guys have much cooler toys!”  I couldn’t wreck the moment and tell him I was a chaplain…

In Charlotte, as I waited for my connector and watched the Grizzlies go down in flames, I saw a young Air Force enlisted guy. Doing the good “Chaplain” thing, I went over to him and asked how he was doing. He seemed so glad that an officer was addressing him in a civil tone of voice. Its moments like that when I realize the role – and value – of a chaplain to the average troop. They are so happy to have someone pat them on back and ask how they are doing. A smile from an officer goes a long, long way.

I landed in Columbia, and took a cab to the base. Fort Jackson is the largest Army facility in the country. 52% of all male soldiers and 80% of all female soldiers are initially trained here. All in all, they train over 55,000 soldiers a year. One of its many functions is to house the Joint Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center. As a result of the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC – don’t ask how that equals BRAC; it just does!) closings, the military decided that all the chaplains should be trained in one facility, rather than three separate ones. There is now one building with three wings, one for each branch. So while we all train separately, we share the same general facility (ie, there is one set of chapels, one break room, etc). 

I am housed at the Fort Jackson Inn, a military housing facility across and down the street from the school house.

The Fort Jackson Inn (my room faces the back)

My room is outstanding! It is a like a Residence Inn room, with a kitchen, dining area, living/study area, and a separate bedroom. No roommate! This is truly awesome. And did I mention daily maid service?

Dining Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

Bedroom TV and Armoire

I got to my room at about 1830 (6:30 PM), unpacked, and made myself comfortable. I had a microwavable chili package I brought from home for dinner, and time for bed. I have no idea what’s coming tomorrow.