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Hi All – I wanted to give you a quick recap of my first week at Chaplain Officer Basic Training (CHOBC). Overall, its been a good week, filled with many new experiences. Instead of giving you a day by day account, I thought it would be best to provide you all with some highlights. btw, after this note, it is my plan to semi regularly update a blog (site TBD). For security reasons I need to get the blog cleared by one of the school chaplains before it goes live – standby for that.

Bzzzzzzz….

I think it has to be a life long memorable experience for anyone getting their first military haircut. Enlisted troops sit down in a chair and get shaved as part of their in processing. Officers have the privilege of taking themselves over to the barber to meet their destiny. So, during lunch Tuesday, I visited one of the Post barber shops with one of my classmates, Bernie.

Bernie went first, and decided to get his heat shaved down all the way. As I awaited my turn, a drill sergeant came in. He gave us a look that indicated some bewilderment as to who we were (we were in civilian clothes that day) and why we were there, but he seem pleased to see lots of hair coming off Bernie’s head. As his locks were dropping, Bernie caught one in his lap and looked at it curiously, almost scientifically, and somewhat mournfully. I think he realized at that moment that his days of having hair, long or short, were gone for the foreseeable future.

When it was my turn, I observed that, unlike most barber shops, where the chair faces the mirror, here, the chair face away from the mirror. I honestly think it is to lower the psychological impact of what is taking place. As I felt my hair come off in clumps, I made the decision to not look and see what was happening. After the “stylist” was finished, she handed me a mirror to inspect her work – as if there could be something wrong with the way she cut my hair to 1/8″. I looked as briefly as possible, then got up to pay. The bargain basement fee for this aprox 7 mins and 30 second haircut was $7.30. There is a comforting symmetry there somehow. See the attachment for a good look at a new man.   I know for some of the guys getting this email, this is no big deal – y’all have had this look for some time.  For me – whew – its a brave new (and chillier!) world. 

PT

Most days this past week, we had to get up around 4:00 or 4:30 AM to assemble. The earliest day was Thursday, when we were up around 3:20 AM for our diagnostic physical training (PT) test. That’s where we do push ups, sit ups, and run around a track to see how far we need to progress to pass the Army standards. I know some of you don’t like PT. Imagine trying to do these exercises at 4:30 AM, for a test. I did fine, but some soldiers really struggled. For their efforts, they have received a special invitation to do bonus evening PT sessions.

The Quiz

Friday, we were told to be in formation by 4:45 for PT. When we got there, surprise! No PT, but instead, we had been randomly selected that day for a unit urinalysis drug test, more fondly known as the Whiz Quiz. Large containers of water were brought in. We were told we were not going anywhere until we drank enough to produce a sufficient sample. There is no way to cram for this test except to drink lots of water. When you are ready, a military authority has to observe you from start to finish.  Some newer soldiers had not done this before, so you can image how uncomfortable they felt. Most guys reading this note know the term “stage fright.” Multiply that x10. One soldier told me later he had to drink 12 canteens of water before he was able to “take his exam.” I’m guessing he did not drink much the rest of that day.

The Cadre

Some of you are wondering what we do here every day. In simplest terms, we are learning to be soldiers, and we are learning to be Army Chaplains. Our class is led by two groups, collectively called “the cadre.” First, there are three sergeants who are in charge of drilling us in the ways of a soldier. So far, lots of basic stuff like how to salute, stand at attention / parade rest / etc., how to march and maneuver, how to pack and march with a helmet, body armor, a full ruck sack, etc. We’ll be doing more interesting things later. These three sergeants have demonstrated a good balance of being tough, yet with an appropriate amount of fairness and understanding.

In addition to the sergeants, there are the three Officers who are Chaplains. Their mission is to train us in the role of being an Army Chaplain. This first week, they have not had a lot of airtime, but I think as the course progresses, we will be spending more and more time with them.

The Class

I’ll say more about my fellow chaplain classmates in a later blog, but in short, I am very impressed with them. They come from a wide range of denominational backgrounds. Ages are from mid 20’s to late 40’s. About ½ have prior military service, from nearly all branches of service. Some have seen combat in Iraq, and a few are special forces trained. And, very interestingly to me, all have experienced a distinct call to this ministry. I have taken a lot of comfort in hearing their stories, and knowing we are all here for basically the same reason: to minister God’s grace to soldiers. I heard one fellow chaplain’s story while we were standing in line (we did a lot of that in week one!). It took a significant family tragedy – he lost his wife and daughter in a car accident – for him to seek God and ultimately to hear His calling. This was a very sobering discussion, but reminded me again that God will use all manner of circumstances to awaken someone to His voice.

That’s all for now – more later. I will send a link to the blog once I get it squared away. I appreciate your emails, thoughts, and prayers!

Blessings,

Bob