We had a diagnostic PT test today. It was freaking cold this morning. I couldn’t handle it. Damn is it cold in the mornings here. We woke up at 0500 hrs for a formation at 0600. I was kind of pissed off about that. I mean, I missed out on a half hour of sleep and it mattered all day. I was tired a lot today.

I was really surprised on the results of my PT test. I did 57 push-ups, 68 sit-ups, and ran two miles in 14:38 minutes. That was a major improvement compared to my last PT test. I credit it to going to the gym back home and running on the treadmill. Now all I have to do is do some more push-ups and sit-ups. And maybe improve the run a little more. I certainly passed and am very happy with the results.

As for the other Joes in the company, they didn’t fare too well. Some didn’t do too good on the push-up event, others on the sit-up event, and a lot of guys failed the two-mile run. The company commander wanted us to have a PT test to evaluate us and see where we were. It looks like a lot of guys are going to be doing remedial PT. Those that failed were going to be doing remedial PT while the other soldiers were released from duty. I might have lucked out. J

Afterwards we did some urban combat training. I think it’s very important because I think it’s what we’ll be seeing over there. Maybe, hopefully not. It was pretty routine, nothing new. It’s the same stuff I’ve been through before. I really didn’t learn anything. But it is good to refresh my memory and practice. I don’t want anything wrong to happen when I have to do the real thing.

Ate lunch in the mess hall this afternoon. Ham, mashed potatoes, corn & peas. Seems like we have mashed potatoes everyday. It’s all right I like mashed potatoes anyways. Breakfast is always the same, either eggs made to order, bacon, grits, biscuits & gravy, pancakes, fruit, cereal, milk & juice, and lots of other stuff. I never eat this good at home. I better watch what I eat. Hopefully I’ll be able to pay the gym a visit at night. If not I’ll just have to cut back on my food intake. I could eat a lot here.

We got our CIF, Central Issue Facility, in the afternoon. They gave us lots of new equipment. It’s unbelievable. I’ve heard before that you don’t get new stuff unless your either lucky or your getting deployed. Now I believe it. Everything I got today was brand new. The bulletproof vest I got today alone cost about $600 dollars! Just image all of the other stuff I got today. Whew, I wish I could sell this stuff!

The only problem with CIF is that it took forever. They took us all in alphabetically so I had to wait in line for a long time, since my last name begins with a ‘P’. That’s the way it worked in SRP yesterday too. I might have to change my name and add an ‘AAA’ to the beginning of my name until the completion of this deployment.

We got back to the barracks and started putting everything together. Lots of the stuff came in pieces. Other stuff was in bags that I had to open and put away. I’m got a new sleeping bag, poncho liner (which I love), two pair of desert boots, desert uniforms, a brand new pistol belt and load bearing vest, hats, and all kinds of other goodies. I’m getting too much stuff to carry! How could anyone go into combat like this!