Special Insert: Recap From The Begining

It's about 1:30 and I needed a study break so I decided now would be a good time to play catch up on the posting.

Week 1 (8-11 Sept):

As with most events in the Air Force everything is began with a briefing. The trend I've began to notice is that the bigger the event, the longer the briefings. The start of UPT was no exception. We officially started on 8 Sept, the day after Labor day. We had multiple commanders come at talk to us telling the class how this would be the most difficult year of your life, so far. Then we had every on-base organization come and give us their spiel about how they can help us get through the year. These briefings pretty much went on for the next two days. Most of the briefings had already been given when I came here last fall so there wasn't too much new information.

On Thursday we started Aerospace Physiology. This is the part where they scare you by telling you all the effects flying can have on your body. We started off by talking about personal survival; basically talking about how to survive if you had a crash landing and had to survive for a few hours or a few days while a rescue team came for you. It was fairly straight forward and they even make the equipment (radios, signaling mirrors, beacons, ect. ) "Army proof". Army proof simply means the instructions are written on the specific piece of equipment, making its usage, "So easy, the Army(caveman) could do it!"

The photo is of our class practicing using the MK-13, a signal flare, early one morning during the survival section of Aerospace Physiology.

Once we got through all that they gave us a multiple choice test, which I was a little disappointed in because when do you have to multiple choice in the wilderness? I later wrote in the course critique that they should drop us off for the weekend outside of Del Rio city limits and make us survive on our own for a night or two. If we survive the weekend without needing help, we pass. If you have to call for help on your cell phone, maybe you should just be a Finance Officer.