I signed into the Direct Commissioned Officer Course (DCC) last Sunday, 3 Oct. The fantasy world in which I've been living the past 10 weeks is long gone. No more maid service or wireless internet. Hell, I do a happy dance when I can get enough of a cell signal to sneak in a static-filled call to Doug before bed. (No, Mr. AT&T man, I cannot hear you now....). I am, however, blessed to have four wonderful roommates -- nobody snores, nobody cries, and they were nice enough to give the old lady one of the bottom bunks. At this stage of the game, you celebrate the little things!
The first two days were filled with painfully boring in-processing (i.e., filling in the same exact forms I filled in 12 weeks ago at Ft. Lee ..... although I'm pretty sure neither my husband's name or SSN has changed since then, I still had to write it on at least 35 DA forms anyway). The saving grace of all this in-processing is that we had a few excellent early-morning PT sessions. And when I say "early morning" I mean in formation at 0415. These Infantry guys who run this course are freaking nocturnal.
Wednesday and Thursday we were bussed out to one of the training areas for our Combat Lifesaver Course. It was a great course taught by retired Army medics, with one full day in a classroom (i.e., Death By Powerpoint) and one full day of hands-on instruction. Combat Lifesaving techniques require you to disregard everything you've ever learned in any first aid or first responder course. The only focus in saving someone's life in combat is to first control the bleeding, and second to fix a collapsed lung. That's it. No CPR, no checking for spinal injuries, no pain management. Just slap a tourniquet on so they don't bleed to death and then get them the hell out of the line of fire. The medics (hopefully) take care of the rest. That was another one of those "holy crap .... I'm not in New Hampshire anymore" moments. :)
After we were all given our shiny new "Combat Lifesaver" certification cards, we returned to post and rushed through all of our various cleaning details (yes, I'm cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors on a regular basis these days) and safety briefings before the long weekend. Because Monday is a federal holiday, the Army gave almost everyone Friday off as well so we could have a four-day weekend. The second I was released, I was in my car headed north of Atlanta, to the campground I left Doug & the pups in the week before. I'm now on day 3 of the 4 day weekend and I think I might actually be caught up on sleep! Next week, we start with radio communications, then learn modern combatives techniques (woohoooo!), then head to the range for the beginning of our Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) training. I am definitely looking forward to less paperwork and more time getting dirty next week!
So yeah, I realize there's like a 5 week gap between the last blog and getting here to DCC. The final four weeks of class were split between the final topics of Legal Assistance (e.g., drafting wills, family law issues, consumer protection laws) and International/Operational Law (e.g., rules of engagement, Geneva Convention application). Then the final PT Test and graduation. Mom & Dad drove down to Charlottesville for graduation, so it was nice spending some time with them before I head clear across the country.
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| The obligatory Doug and Jen picture! |
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| Mom and Dad after JAOBC graduation |
Graduation was short & sweet, and Mom and Dad were glad they came. I was one of four Honor Graduates (top 5% of the class academically) and won the TJAGLCS Award for Excellence (highest grade in a particular subject) in both International/Operational Law and Administrative Law. The final PT test was also a success, and I met my own personal goal. (Scores range from 1 to 300. My personal goal was to exceed 290. I got a 291. Goal met .... until the next one anyway!)
The day after graduation, we loaded up the RV, corralled the pups, and headed south toward Benning. The Army gave us three days to get there, so Doug planned an excellent adventure for the trip (he earned his Best Husband in the World title for this one!). Our first stop was in southern Virginia at Fairy Stone State Park, where we set up camp, took the pups swimming and did some hilly mountain biking. Then the next morning, it was off to Croft State Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina where we set up camp, took the pups swimming and checked out some fun mountain bike trails. The next day, we headed further south, to Fort Yargo State Park just northeast of Atlanta, where we set up camp, took the pups swimming, and rode some awesome mountain bike trails. (Notice a pattern??). I must admit I am amazed at how awesome the parks are down here, and how much we are loving the riding down here. New Hampshire will always be home, but we are psyched to be able to explore all these new trails, all with such different terrain than we are used to. We finally moved the RV and the whole pack down to the Uchee Creek Campground on Fort Benning today (we took the pups swimming today, and hope to check out the trails tomorrow!). It's run by the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate (MWR) and is just 7 miles from my barracks room. Doug will live here in the RV with the pups and I'll visit whenever I can (or whenever I want to use his high-speed internet connection or cable TV). :)
That's it for now. Hopefully the next 5 weeks here at DCC will be exciting enough to post more often, and I'll have time to do that on weekends. A few of you have asked for my address here. I supposedly can receive mail (although it is yet untested) until 10 November at:
1LT Jennifer Norvell
Direct Commission Course, 2-11 IN
BLDG 76, McVeigh Drive
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
Funny seeing the pic of you and Doug and seeing you in uniform and he in his civies. Congrats!
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