In Between Time.

BOLC II ended on the 23 of April and I doubt we were much better as leaders for it. BOLC II did however give us the opportunity to meet new people and develop friendships, which was the best part of the six week course. I'm certain it has its benefit for direct commissionees and other new Lieutenants who were 'lost', but for most of us it was frustratingly simple. BOLC II did however have its highlights:

*Shooting with the CCP was good. I think the Cadre set us up for failure when we practiced without our full kit on, but most overcame the awkwardness of it and qualified on the M-4.

*MOUT Training was cool with the sim rounds, and it would have been nice to actually plan an urban operation at Liberty City during the FTX.

*Combatives: Too bad we only had a week of this. I would suggest they allow officers to actually get to level 1 certification.

*24 Hour Ops at the FTX was worthwhile as it uped the tempo and allowed us to work and plan our own missions. The 24 hour tempo was interesting in that you saw Lieutenants fall apart due to lack of sleep and energy. Too fun. LT Russo and I would begin chanting, "No one is going to sleep tooonight". Its not that we weren't tired, but to taunt the already weak was too much fun.

Despite these highlights, the cadre it seemed at times went out of their way to make the training about them and not the future officers they were in charge of mentoring.

As soon as BOLC II was over most of us went in separate directions to either home or directly to our BOLC III post. My BOLC III begins July 1st so I thought I would drive to St. Louis and fly home for a weekend as I had four days to get to Ft. Knox. The weekend that I was home made me feel like a rock star with my kids and went by way too fast. Unfortunately I still had to report to Knox despite the two months I had in between schools.

I reported to Knox and was instantly put to work for the two weeks I planned on being there before I took some leave to be with Bethany and the kids for our new arrival. I was put on radio and OPFOR duty for a class that was doing their FTX. I was able to pick up some pointers from the Cadre and received a sneak peak into what they were looking for. The bottom line was this: they are not afraid to recycle you if you cannot demonstrate a high level of competency.

While there I was also informed that if I wanted Ranger School after BOLC III there would be no issue with getting it. While I planned on doing whatever I could to get a slot for the school, the certaincy of getting a slot if I wanted it was and is sobering. It is in the back of my head every time I do PT or want to have a day off from PT.

Coming home has been therapeutic. I was able to be a witness to our third child's birth, and I don't think anything can make you feel closer to God than seeing his children enter this Earth life. We indeed, have a great responsibility to nurture and raise our children in the right way or we will be answerable to the Lord. Breonna is a beautiful baby girl that came into this life weighing 8'lbs 1oz. She has a full head of dark hair (much like Hannah, but even more so). She also has full lung capacity as she screamed for about five minutes straight after she was born. Clearly she was not emotionally ready to come out. Who is though? I know I wasn't, I couldn't walk for a year, and it took me two to even speak.

Bethany is home and she is doing great. She is such a trooper for having kids and is certainly the best mom I know. How she can manage the chaos that comes from each one of them and stay sane is testament to her ability as a mother. Although for a couple weeks I was the rock star Dad the kids wanted to be around, it didn't take long for the girls to want their mom again. Understandable so, as she is their anchor and knows each one of them so well and what they need. I'm just the comic relief in their lives.

It's amazing how fast my time has gone here. In just a few short weeks we will be packing everything up and departing Ogden. I will be headed back to Knox to begin BOLC III, while Bethany and the girls will be off to Calgary to spend my time away with family. I wish the summer with them would never end, but it must for us to progress and move onward. What makes leaving even harder this time though is the fact that my time will be measured in months and not weeks like before. For all intents and purposes this will be much more like a deployment for my wife and kids than anything else I've done so far. I'm just grateful for a loving and supportive family that will take in my wife and kids while I am away. I know it eases the hardship on my kids and certainly my wife. We couldn't do this with out you all (you know who you are) and your sacrifices for us do not go unnoticed.

I'll let you all know how BOLC III is when I get there. Until then, GO WINGS!