Spring FTX

This past weekend, our student warrior and his battalion went back to good ol' Ft Jackson for Spring Field Training Exercises.

Friday night and early Saturday morning brought severe storm and tornado warnings to the SC/NC area.
This somewhat cramped their style, but they soldiered on.

He was acting platoon leader for Bravo Platoon, and as such had to brief his troops on the mission ops, and then implement them.
Their Cadre threw him a curve with a mid-course operational change.
They were to attack and capture a bunker.
"I didn't screw it up too bad Dad. Some of the other guys got yelled at by the Cadre. (their officers and NCO instructors)

The weather curtailed a lot of the planned activities.
The battalion was heartbroken to be moved indoors on Saturday night, instead of making camp and sleeping outside all night.

They were forced to eat pizza, and watch the Final Four semifinal games instead, inside a nice warm dry gym.
When the going gets tough......

Hard to believe he will only have two more FTX before graduation and commissioning next Spring.

As you can see, these young men have formed some lifelong friendships over the last three years.
They will all attend a month long evalution and training process along with all of the other rising Senior ROTC cadets in the U.S. this summer at Ft Lewis Washington.
Their performance, coupled with their G.P.A and PT fitness scores will determine whether they get the job they want when they enter the full time Army.

The Battalion at ASU is highly regarded within the ROTC program.
This is always apparent at FTX, where there are several other programs involved.
The Cadre always includes several Special Forces veterans, and service at App is regarded as a good slot to fulfill your training obligation.

Time is slipping by us, all too rapidly.

Much ado about nothing....

My apologies to the Bard.

It is not for us to question whether or not anything of consequence has happened of late!
Verily and forsooth, your scribe has just been busy earning his daily bread!
And alas, feeling somewhat old and tired.
Heavy sigh!

After having escaped (pronounce S-Cape-ED) any bad cold or Flu for these many years anon,
I seemed to have been smitten by one of the little blighters.

First our Man at Arms came home for the Easter Festival with it.
Then the Queen of the Manse, the Lovely Felicia appropriated it.
Now the part time King of the Castle has been moping about with it for some days now.

Tis a nasty Beastie, stealing away with your energy, and leaving you unfulfilled.
Somewhat akin to the Thane of Cawdor's late father's sprite.
"I ain't got no body!" can still be heard, in a lamentable minor key.

Time is passing us by as well, dear kinsmen.
It is now officially spring, and most of our fruite trees hath bloomed.
The weekly ritual of the mowing of the lawn hath started.
My first quarter of merchantile activities is past, and I am still gainfully employed.

Two young bairn are still waiting to arrive on the scene.
(Act III, scene one the next generation)

We eagerly await their coming!

Our drought is in actuality over, even though our scurrilous and self serving Lord's and Ladies
of the Fiefdom are telling us we cannot wash our cars or dogs, water our yards, and the like.
Fie on them!
All of the local lakes and stock ponds are at normal levels, and rain is forecast for the rest of the week.

As a latter day poet might put it "We don't need you to tell us which way the wind blows!"

Just don't let them tax the wind. I would not put it past them.