LTC, pt 6

Family Day

Amazingly enough, the four weeks came and went quickly it seemed and Danny was finally done with LTC.  As I had mentioned earlier, my mother-in-law (mil) and I were able to go and see his graduation ceremony and spend extra time with him.  We arrived the Saturday night (July 9) that weekend.  While he couldn't leave to see us that night, we did get to talk to him, and I got to spend the evening getting to know my mil better.  The next morning (Sunday, July 10), we went to Ft. Knox for the Family Day.

"While Cadets practiced for their graduation at Brooks Field, their families were in nearby Waybur Theater for a presentation about what it means to be a part of the Army family.  They were given a chance to ask questions of Major General Mark McDonald, commanding general for U.S. Army Cadet Command, and his wife, Connie.  The families then watched a video that allowed them to see their Cadets in action while at LTC. ... before the presentation, families collected information at booths, free gifts and could scale a rock wall if they chose, to get a taste of what their Cadets had done."

... and btw, my mil climbed that rock wall, just because, in all of about five minutes on the hardest side they had ... she's pretty hard-core.  (I wish I had the picture but it happened so fast, I only got it on her camera, lol).  And they definitely like to give you freebies.  They had pens, pencils, highlighters, candy, cups, pins, folders, binders, frisbees, footballs, key chains, lanyards, booklets, pamphlets, cds, mouse pads, hats, backpacks, and even baby onesies, lol.  After the presentation around lunch time, they let the cadets loose and we got to see Danny!  and he got to spend the entire afternoon/evening with us!  we went out to eat for lunch and mostly just relaxed and talked at the hotel.  I had really missed him, and I think he missed me too. :)

reunited! yay!

... think we're happy to see each other? (haha, it looks like I'm holding on for dear life)

Graduation

We had to take Danny back to his barracks Sunday night.  Monday morning we went to see the graduation ceremony.  We got to hear the band, they handed out awards, gave a couple speeches, and had the cadets march past the stage in their platoon formations.  It was nice and short and simple (as one of the speakers mentioned, "Follow the three B's: Be Bold, Be Brief, Be Gone!"). Afterward, we got free punch and cookies as we rejoined Danny and met some of his fellow cadets and his drill sergeants, who were still jokingly harassing the cadets, and by lunch, it was over and we were on our flight home by late afternoon.  Two of Danny's siblings picked us up at the airport and we were able to spend the evening together before everyone had to head home.

All in all, I think Danny really gained a lot from his experiences at LTC.  He learned a lot and gained a lot of confidence and leadership skills, and he learned that even when things were hard, this is what he wants to do and this is what he's good at.  ... and hopefully these four weeks better prepared both of us for when he goes to five weeks of the Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC) next summer.

Third Platoon - the ribbons each signify an event that the platoon won against the other platoons; third platoon got 6 out of 8 total ribbons.

... these cadets were posing in some of the exercise positions they had to do everyday.

Congrats on finishing Leader's Training Course, Danny!

LTC, pt 5

Platoon Photos

Alpha Company, Third Platoon
(Danny is in the center of the second row from the back, roughly)

Second PT Test

One more physical fitness test to see how far everyone had improved over the last month.

Rites of Passage

(okay, this I'm taking straight from the blog, because it explains it well enough and shows that he's kind of a dramatic writer, considering he's writing for an army training blog, and well, it's kind of funny, haha)

"There comes a day toward the end of a company's time at the Leader's Training Course when, under a dark, early morning sky, Cadets are given a moment to celebrate with a ceremony known as the rites of passage -- an event that marks the official end of formal training.  After a 6.2-mile road march starting at 3:15 am, the bleary-eyed, sweat-soaked Cadets made their way to Memorial Grove, where music greeted them.  Tunes ranging from Eminem to Toby Keith blared over the speakers, but were quickly drowned out by the motivating shouts of the Cadets.  Exhaustion could be heared in their voices and seen on their faces.  Just as the sun began to peek, giving the sky a purple hue, the Cadets fell into formation for the ceremony.  Under the shadow of trees, seven Cadets, reciting the seven Army Values, lit torches with a symbolic flame from the past, always remembering those who came before them.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, Cadets received an Army Values tag."

LTC, pt 4

Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) Training

Cadets were trained in basic rifle marksmanship while at LTC.  They learned basics first on rubber, or fake, M16s, then moved to real rifles, learning how they worked by disassembling and reassembling them.  They also spent time at the the shooting range learning how to aim, zero in, and fire properly during target practice.

Obstacle Course

Cadets spent a day going through an intense obstacle course to build physical fitness, confidence and teamwork.  (... you'll have to ask Danny what exactly these obstacle are, the blog never specifies... it looks like a lot of crawling under and over things and swinging from ropes, but I'm sure it's probably a little more involved than just that, lol).

Squad Tactical Exercise (STX)

"The squad tactical exercise was the capstone training event for the Leader's Training Course, combining skills Cadets had learned throughout LTC. ... STX is intense training for three days in the woods.  ... There were 20 lanes in the mock exercise, each approximately 200 to 400 meters long.  The mission for each was broken into three area: planning, practicing and executing.  The tactical lanes were meant to provide real-life scenarios for Cadets of experiences they could face in their future military careers."  Fortunately for the exercises, they use paintball guns which are not only safer (obviously) but also help show instantly whether or not someone got hit.  "Although at the end of the day it's just paint on their uniforms, STX is meant to get Cadets in the combat mindset."

... guess they had some leftover purple smoke, haha.

I think she got hit, lol.

... this is either helping a wounded comrade or searching an enemy ... those pictures all look the same...