Visit with the Family

I know that I am a little late on this post, however, I have good reason.

Over the President's Day break I was able to visit with my family in Clarksville, TN. We all flew into Nashville and met up there. We were able to visit Ft. Campbell, look at housing options, and even visit with one of the brigade chaplains on post.

One side note, while I was at the Charlotte airport I visited the USO. These people absolutely rock! They took care of all of us who were there, and helped everyone feel welcome and appreciated.

Even if I had not been able to visit with my family, that visit with the chaplain would have made the trip worthwhile. We were able to talk about the post, the area, the brigade, the different battalions, and expectations.

I will be honest with you, PT (Physical Fitness Training) was a concern for me. The 101st Airborne are known for being in great shape. They have to be! Some of the things that they do regularly would give some people panic attacks. Therefore, they have set their own PT standards very high.

Now, I do not mind working hard, I had to drop 70 pounds just to get into the Army, and I have never been much of a runner. That being said, for me to just pass a standard PT is quite an accomplishment when you consider have far I have come in my fitness.

My main concern is that I do not want to be a liability to the battalion to which I am assigned. I know that I will be one of the older folks at the PT formation, but that is no excuse. I also know, simply because of our schedule here at school, that I will be able to continue to improve my PT a little bit, but it will not be drastically different than it is now.

I really just wanted to know how the PT standards are applied. The chaplain was able to reassure me that as long as I am demonstrating that I am continuing to try, and that I am not quitting, that I should be fine and accepted. That was an overarching concern. I want to get off to a good start in reaching the troops in my battalion. I do not want them to be disappointed in their new chaplain.

In any case, we really liked the Ft. Campbell area and the post. Everyone that we met was really nice, and authentically seemed appreciative of the Army. We also found some REALLY good restaurants. Some of them I will probably have to avoid if I am going to continue to pass my weigh-ins.

I have included some pics. We have a diagnostic PT test tomorrow AM. It is suppose to be really cold. I passed my weigh-in this morning with about 20 pounds to spare, not that I am looking to put those back on.

Blessings.