2 AUG 2015 - The fire hose is on.

It's been a while since my last post. Here's a quick catch up since then:

1) Finished BOLC. Basic officer leadership course for the Army. Not bad at a all. You get a 2.5 month crash course on what it's like to be an Army officer. There's resources for BOLC all over the place so I won't go into too much detail other than to address a few main points.

The basic officer leadership course does three things: gives you a basic introduction to Army life so you don't look foolish when you forget to tuck your shirt in or forget to return a salute to a private. You'll also learn how to shoot firearms, learn the command structure, and where to go for resources you will need for your future career as an Army officer. You'll also get a chance to taste Texas cuisine and most importantly, NETWORK with other officers.

2) I've moved my family out here from California. I do question the strain on my family though. I won't go too far into detail with this.

3) The program has started and the fire hose as been turned on; The program directors literally equate it to drinking out of a fire hose which is started it at a trickle and as you're slowly gulping it down is turned on full blast. But the first rule of USAGPAN is that you DO NOT TALK (BAD) ABOUT USAGPAN.

And really I can't. It's a great program, The staff are phenomenal and the support system backing you is tremendous. There are resources for you everywhere in this program not just academically but socially and financially. The instructors have so far been amazing and everyday my mind is blown by how much more information they can pump into my head. I'm surprised by how often I get that "Hmm..." and "Ahh ha..." moment where you realized you probably could've killed a few of your patients a few times over. Thankfully, the human body is an amazing and resilient machine.

More to come...

28 February 2015 - Goodbye SoCal, Hello Texas.

It's finally happening. I've said my farewells, made peace with the fact that I was moving out of California, where I've lived my entire life, and made the drive out to San Antonio. The drive was pleasant; I wish I had more time to actually enjoy the scenery and explore a little bit.

I arrived to Fort Sam Houston to check in per orders; of course, there were still a few hiccups. I was supposed to get the ball rolling in terms of reporting in to my command, getting checked into temporary living quarters, oathing to Army, getting all my paperwork filed so I could get a new ID card, find housing, and start getting my pay and keep my family insured. Unfortunately, I checked in with my command, but the person I was supposed to see was gone for the day. It's probably just my case since the transition between branches has been so chaotic. So basically I'm here in the hotel until I can check in on Monday. Suck embraced. 

Lighter note, I did make a few stops on the way out to take pictures.

First stop, Davis-Monthan AFB and the Pima County Air Museum. I had a chance to stop by and take a tour of the boneyard. That place is massive, I've never seen so many fighters before. Definitely a must see for jet fighter junkies. Did you know they restored a mothballed B-52 from junk to fully functional in about 2 months and flew it out of there a week ago? That's nuts. Those things are older than I am and they still fly. They also had a bunch of A-10's parted out. Beastly planes they are. 

The drive from Arizona to New Mexico wasn't too bad. That is until I decided to divert from my originally planned route and went into the back country. I drove for about maybe 4-5 hours without reception hoping my GPS wouldn't lose signal, no phone reception the entire time. Stopped a few times in some one road towns and to take pictures of these giant satellites in the Plains of St. Agustin:

Cue X-Files theme. The truth is out there...

Of course, I made some contact with aliens and spent the night in Roswell:

The rest of the drive into through New Mexico into west Texas was pretty uneventful. The weather was getting gloomy and everything just felt run down and gloomy. I don't think I'd personally be able to live out in rural America. But the New Mexico sunsets sure are beautiful. The juxtaposition of the lonely road on to the landscape and the open skies is really something else. I could really disappear out here one day if I wanted to.

All that driving by yourself really messes with your head. You really start to feel lonely and insignificant. But that's why you go to have a good foundation at home, right? I'm going to miss my friends in California, but I'll see you guys later!

11 Feb 2015 - Orders are in, getting ready for the move.

As always, life as been pretty hectic so I'll do a quick update.

1) Everything that has happened up until this point has been nerve racking; transferring branches of service is not easy. It's been back and forth about who "owns" me, the Air Force Reserves or the Army. There's been paper work mix ups regarding who had authority to sign what which was easy to clear up. I've already signed my contract with the Army, but I guess it was an "illegal" contract since AFRC hasn't released me. Then AFRC didn't want to release me until I had orders from the Army, but the Army didn't want to give me orders until AFRC released me. Then AFRC didn't want to release me until I had an oath of commission into the Army, but technically I'm already oathed in as a military officer of the United States. Not a problem though. The Army will oath me in again when I go to BOLC. So basically I'm currently in a grey area where I belong in two branches.

2) The good news is that on 29 Jan 2015, I finally got the call from my recruiters saying my orders are in and I've been approved to attend BOLC with a report date at the end of February. I guess one month notice is gracious enough for the military and I've already turned in my two notice at my civilian employer. I'm in the middle of packing up my apartment right now and planning a small road trip while driving out to Texas later this month.

3) The great thing about USAGPAN that has impressed me so far is the guidance and the organization. What's really helped so far is the fact that they actually had a current student contact me as a sponsor/mentor. It's great to have a resource to answer your questions not only about the program itself but about life in general, such as moving, living arrangements, tips about BOLC, and other logistics. The other thing I find interesting is that the community is tiny; I've already made contact with a couple of future classmates online through various forums and boards.