JRTC Completed

JRTC for the 1BCT is done.

JRTC is Joint Readiness Training Center, and it is located at Ft. Polk, LA. And 1BCT is my brigade.

We headed down toward the beginning of January and spent most of the month training and pretending that we were in Afghanistan.

The training was excellent. Although it was tough to be away from our families, we gained quite a bit by serving with one another in this type of an environment, and by working with trainers who had recently served in Afghanistan themselves.

As a brigade we were spread out across a large area. In my case, we stayed in large tents or metal frame buildings on cots. Our latrines were outdoor port-a-potties and our showers were down the road a ways. In this picture you can see a white tent down the road. The showers were 3 buildings down from that.

We had the opportunity to train in a variety of environments, including different personnel, role players, and interpreters.

One great benefit was to be able to work with Soldiers in a totally different scenario. This included chapel services. We had four while we were there and I was able to preach for two of them. It is encouraging to be able to share with one another while we are all in a situation that pushes us all to be our best.

I know that my unit did very well in the training and came home with a new focus on our upcoming training. I would appreciate your prayers as we prepare ourselves and our families for our pending deployment.