Capstone Complete!

Friday

20 Mar 09

It's over! They call the final big field event CAPSTONE, and we just got back. They took us out into the woods for three days and made us run through a few more classes (including this one on memorial services and ranp ceremonies for Soldiers KIA). I got to be the Chaplain for that exercise! We also had a few war exercises. They had explosions and other fun implements of destruction and kept us up late acting like we were being bombed. It was not a whole lot of fun. They woke us up every night with explosions yelling at us to get up and put on gas masks and helmets and body armor and get into the bunkers. If you did not make it in time (with all your equipment), you had to pay dead for that exercise. Oh well. All of our dead comrads miraculously resurrected for breakfast the next morning.

Here are a few pictures of the FOB (forward operating base) where we stayed. Here is what the tents looked like. As you can see, I was exhausted. I have to run for now, and will write more later. Please pray for me... I'm going home again this weekend for a quick turn-around. It is my dad's 76 birthday tomorrow, and I plan to be there with him to celebrate!