So, the first week has come to a close. NMPS was relatively painless. There was 225 Navy personnel active and reserve who were getting ready to deploy, so I was ready for a madhouse, however the folks there know their stuff and got all of us through medical/dental and pay by Thursday afternoon. I got more shots, filled out more paperwork, started my pay up and got my uniform issue. I was also cleared for deployment, so that means I am officially cleared by the Navy to deploy to Afghanistan.
There was one other LDS person in our group, so we became instant buddies. HM1 Forrest is heading to Afghanistan as well, but is Ft. Riley, KS doing his Army training. (HM1 = Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer First Class). We will both be serving in the western provinces in AFG which means we will run into each other on occasion. YAY!
So, yesterday I arrived at Ft. Bragg after a lovely four hour nap on a bus. It's huge here and nothing important is within walking distance. We are staying in the oldest barracks on base which were built in the 1970s and are pretty sparse when it comes to amenities. But the heat works, the showers are hot and I have a "real" bed I'm sleeping on. I took a couple of photos of my room so you could see my new home for the next three weeks. I've added a couple of homey touches, like a rug on the floor and a curtain for the window, so the sailors on the second deck in the building next door don't get a free peep show.
So, my muscles are hurting from all the PT we've done this week. Navy PT is intense, but the NMPS staff was trying to acclimate us to Army PT. I just hope I can keep up and that my body quickly adapts.
It's been fun meeting all the people I'm gonna be working with and seeing in AFG. We have Army, Air Force and Navy all living the same old barracks. We are from all over the world--England, Japan, Hawaii, Cuba--and all over the US. Everyone seems pretty cool and I'm looking forward to starting to train together.
Well, this is it for this week. Let me know if you have questions. See you next week!
7 comments:
Christine,
What do we do if we want to send you a package? Are you able to receive them where you are - and will it be possible to send you anything while you are in AFG? We love you and are thinking of you often and praying for you always!
Love,
Liza
BTW...I love all the pink mixed in with your army gear. Good stuff!
This is such a great way to kep everyone in the loop and to keep in touch! I wish I would have thought of this for my 2 deployments...lol
Well I am happy to hear that things have been smooth sailing thus far. I have been though NMPS twice but it wasn't until the second time around that they had all the kinks worked out :)
Just chant to yourself "PT is good for me" while you are going through your training. It won't help much with the pain but eventually you may believe it...lol
Stay safe and keep us posted when you can.
Happy Holidays
IT1 Vickers
Wow! Your quarters are like the MTC all over again (except no bunkmate).
You sound amazingly busy as usual Christine. I am always happy to get your updates. I wish you well.
Love ya Sis.
Hermana Siebach (Sharlene)
Dear Christine,
Thanks for the email AND for this blog! A picture is worth a thousand words and helps us folks "on the outside" to better understand what you and so many others are doing for us. I feel like I'm "sharing" your adventure with you!
(Like Eliza, I, too, wonder about packages to you...?)
You are such an important part of our lives and we want you to know that our love and prayers go with you--wherever you may be! Please take care and thank you again for doing this blog. We love you!
Love,
Teresa, Phil and the twins!
Just don't name your teddy bear Mohammed.
I was going to leave a comment but now I'm laughing so hard at Cheryl I don't have anything left to say!!
We miss you, Christine! Thanks for keeping in touch!
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