Last PT

Although I had just got back from visiting friends in Atlanta at 1:45 pm, I took off for PT at 3:10 pm. This is my very last one since I'm spending Friday with my Mom and I leave for the hotel on Monday. It's coming down to it.

We started off with a jog, then did a sets of push-ups, flutter kicks and burppies. And then we ran around the 1.25 mile block... uphill for nearly the first half. They were going to do three laps, but by the end of the first my stomach ached and my mouth was very dry. I opted to walk while they went around again, and then to join them on the third. After a while I walked to join them before they returned... and ran a quarter of it with them. But then they decided that was good for the day when we got back to the starting place in the park.

The rest of the time was spent doing push-ups and crunches, along with other exercises. We got rather wet, grassy and dirty out there on the field. :)

When I said goodbye back in the office, I realized it was the last time until I was there to ship out. I shook my recruiter's hand and gave Thomason and Baugh hugs goodbye. And then I left the quarterdeck. :)

Goodbye, NRS Bellevue! You guys have given me a jump start!
Bravo Zulu, Shipmates.

PT & PQS Test

I went early to the 1530 PT today in order to finish those pre-test questions with my recruiter. We did PT... lots of stuff. Warmed up with those elephant jumping-jacks I did at my first PT, so long ago. We did lots of lunges, sprints & mountain climbers, tons of push-ups... it's my recruiter's favorite thing... and crunches, curl-ups, bear crawls, standing jumps, more push-ups... and we were tired by the end of it.

The Personal Qualification Standards test went really well. It's an advancement test to E-2... questions about rank recognition, customs & courtesies, ship & aircraft recognition and even first aid. Missed 7 out of 103... mostly aircraft stuff... two others were incorrectly marked on the answer key and I fixed them. :)

After the test I filed everyone's re-certs and I didn't get home until 1900 or so.

Final Monthly Meeting

I've come to the end of these DEP meetings, finally. And as the RCPO, I led everyone in the creed and taught a new recruit our entering and exiting procedures (designed to get us used to Naval procedure for boarding and exiting a ship).

We had a visiting chief today, as well as our district chief. The former made our ears ring after a few recruits were found to not know the General Orders. They won't let me sound off anymore, because they think I know it too well. But it's always nerve-racking to do it in front of everyone. Oh well. I suppose I'll get my share of nerve-racking in a few weeks.

The teaching focus today was on the final five weeks of boot camp...
week 1: processing, week 2: physical training, & week 3: confidence course, were covered last month, which I missed because I was fishing with my Dad in Westport.

We learned today: week 4: weapons training & initial PT test; week 5: sounded kinda vague - something about figuring out where you're going in the Navy; week 6: shipboard damage control & the gas chamber; week 7: Battle Stations & final PT test; week 8: prep for graduation.

After that we talked about the Naval Reserve and how that would be something to consider whenever our enlistments expire.

Twenty days...