Mid-Point PT Test !!

23 Feb 09
Monday

It was a good day today!! We did not have our mid-point physical training (PT) test last Friday due to the cold weather, so they postponed it until this afternoon. And the weather was perfect for it. We shifted the class schedule today in order to make room for the PT test in the late afternoon. Which means class started at 0630 and we quit at 1400 (2 pm) to head out to the exercise field and track. Overall, I did very well, scoring personal bests in all three events. I completed 70 pushups in 2 minutes, and then 55 sit-ups in another 2 minute period, and finally ran the 2-miles in 15.35 min. My total score = 258 (out of a possible 300). A minimum score of 180 is required to pass, and anything over 270 is absolute stud level. So I'm close!

We're headed on a field trip tomorrow to Charleston, SC (about a 2-hr bus ride) to see Fort Sumpter and some other Civil War sights. I understand we will also visit an Air Force base to have lunch and then a briefing on the ceremonial receiving of the caskets of our fallen Soldiers when they are transported home. We will be in the belly of one of those huge Air Force transport planes, but cameras are a no-no. So I can't post any shots of that experience, but I'll let you know how it went.

I wanted to finish today's post by telling you about one of our lectures this morning. We talked about the moral implications of "killing" and how a chaplain may need to counsel Soldiers struggling with the reality of what Soldiers are trained to do on the battlefield: kill people and break things. We discussed several true events in Iraq and then watched video taken from Army helicopters engaged in battle with enemy insurgents. We watched as the high calibur rounds of the helicopter's machine guns literally obliterated several trucks--with men inside. It was clear that no one inside survived, and it was hard to watch. The lesson was loud and clear. What do you say, and how do I help that Soldier who comes to me and is fearful he is now going to Hell for what he's done? It's a tough call and a moral/ethical/spiritual issue that they want us to sort out long before we ever need to answer that question. (We have to write a paper on this issue due in 2 weeks)