What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2005

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What I Did On My Summer Vacation2005

• A Retrospective

Jared Mason
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Hi, kids! Im Jared, the author and artist of
this graphic novella. I did this book for a
college course, Advanced Exposition, a class that
focused on Creative Nonfiction. I was inspired to
use more graphic art by my professor, Dr. Bob
Broad. He said hed like to see me push my
artistic talents. So, Dr. Broad, I thank you. I
also feel it necessary to thank my folks for
unending support, theyve always believed in me
which helped me believe in myself. At the risk
of sounding Chaucerian, I feel the need to
include this short disclaimer. This piece covers
a very intense time of my life, Basic Combat
Training for the US Army. Soldiers may be
disciplined and professional, but those training
to become soldiers are unformed and rough. I warn
you now there will be colorful language, bodily
fluids, and other very human elements. I feel
obligated to include it all to be as honest to
reality as possible. So, pour a drink, light up
a smoke, and enjoy.
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This is Missouri. The 24th state to join The
Union. The Show-Me state. Home to the Gateway
arch. Its motto is Let the welfare of the people
be the supreme law. Its a pretty decent,
Mid-west, down-home kind of state. The outlined
shape there is Ft. Leonard Wood. Named for a
Major General whose career spanned 40 years. Wood
was a Harvard graduate, a surgeon, and the
commander of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry better
known as the Rough Riders. Ft. Leonard Wood now
stands home of a Chemical corp. school, an
Engineer corp. school, a Military Police corp.
school, a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) academy,
and Basic Combat Training school.
Ft. Leonard Wood is more affectionately known by
its inhabitants as Lost in the Woods, mainly
because that is how you feel when you are there.
There are trees everywhere, in the summer the
humidity is outrageous and the mosquitoes are the
size of pterodactyls. Ah, its inhabitants. I was
only there temporarily but for the poor bastards
that have to live there full timeI cringe at the
thought. Some of those poor souls are the Drill
Sergeants. Men and women that are respected
throughout all of the Army. They have their own
creed that they must learn and live by as Drill
Sergeants. Of course this is how we met them
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Being in 3rd Platoon of C. co. 3rd Battalion 10th
Infantry Regiment meant that my two Drill
sergeants were DS Peek and DS LaPorte. DS Peek
had a very particular way about him. The way he
would motivate us was not to yell and scream all
of the time, but to tell us how easy it was for
him to do things.
DS LaPorte looked like Elmer Fudd and sounded
like he was from Providence, RI. He made it very
clear that he didnt want to be a Drill Sergeant
I didnt want to be a Drill Sergeant. I opened my
e-mail one day and I had a letter saying I was
going to Drill Sergeant school. Look, just get
through this and you can move on to the real
army. Stead of this training bull shit.
Look, man. Its too easy. I do 20 reps of 250lbs
5 times a day. You just have to push yourselves.
Im like a freight train.
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• Some of the lessons they taught us came with
  intense physical strain and we learned our
  lessons.
• Although its not a comprehensive collection of
  things learned at Basic Training, these are some
  of the lessons that Ive held onto and kept dear
  to my heart and the stories behind them. All of
  these things are lessons I learned that the Army
  taught me inadvertently. Of course I learned all
  of the regular Army things like how to kill using
  a multitude of weapons and my bare hands, how to
  run and run and run and run, first aid,
  navigation, urban tactics, and how to camouflage
  myself and move through the woods undetected.
  These were the un-written lessons the Army
  doesnt have manuals for.

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Lesson 1 Sometimes, Going Through Hell Feels
Really Good.
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The CS Chamber
At the end of one of the first weeks of Basic we
all got marched out to the CS chamber after lunch
one day. 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, tear gas.
We were all stuffy from the Crud so none of us
were really thinking straight and just about
everyone was sniffing and coughing from
congestion.
I was in the last group of soldiers to go into
the small brick building. We didnt know exactly
what to expect but we knew it was bad, there were
people that ran out of the chamber before they
were supposed to. They got lumped in with us at
the end.
Break the seal of your masks and re-seal them.
It was like diving into a pool
cough
cough
We hear you like running. Well, for that, take
off your masks, hold them over your heads and
sing the Army Song.
cough
cough
cough
Of Tabasco Sauce.
We all felt awesome, and none of us were
congested anymore.
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Lesson 2Be Aware of What Goes Into Your Body
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One of the more fun aspects of military training
is the physical challenges and obstacle courses.
On a sunny day almost a quarter of the way
through training we learned all about the COC
Tomorrow, were going to the COC. The COC is long
and hard, the COC will break you off and leave
you sore.
But because I was screaming the whole way
through, when I went into the soup for the
under-over logs
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So after finishing with the cargo net box, the
one rope bridge, the two rope bridge, the CS
Hill, where we donned our masks and run up hill
going over-
walls, the rope swing onto a log, the drainage
tubes, the balance log series, under the barbed
wire, and up a rope,
I wasnt feeling very well.
It was the only time I vomited in my three months
in Missouri. As I watched my scrambled eggs and
rice from breakfast flow down the gravel covered
hill, I felt bad ass.
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Lesson 3Keep Your Mind Occupied
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Its way too hot.
Just dont think about it.
Whose Kevlar?
I dunno.
Sucks for them.
Its widely accepted that if a soldier is given
projectiles and a receptacle, this game WILL be
played. Its a worthless activity that is
engrained into us all. Step 1 pick up rock.
Step 2 Throw rock at something. Step 3 Repeat
for anywhere between 1 minute to hours on end.
Hey, has anyone seen my Kevlar?
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Lesson 4How To Sleep Anywhere
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I have fallen asleep in some pretty strange
positions and locations but the most extreme way
Ive ever dozed can be summed up in two
words While walking. I was in the hallway,
then I was further down the hallway. You learn
to work around comfort.
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• If you really want to know what its like, you
  have to join up and go through it. Watching all
  the Army movies that Net Flix has wouldnt give
  an accurate depiction. Taking a Boot Camp class
  at the YMCA isnt anything like it. Its more
  than just exercise, its the separation from your
  family, the camaraderie amongst your fellow
  soldiers, its the pushing yourself to become
  something more than an everyday citizen. Its
  learning how to look at a situation and know you
  can get through it. Its learning the cost of a
  safe nation, knowing that you may pay that price,
  and if necessary being willing to foot the bill.
• Until next time,
• Take care.