Version 21 is dedicated to the Air Force I love in honor of field training. Three F-22s fly into the sunset while an airman salutes on the opposite side. The Air Force symbol appears in the center accompanied by the new USAF phrase: "No one comes close."

TRANSMISSION || RETURN WITH HONOR
DATE || kinyoubi 07.20.01 [TD 29]
MUSIC || Macross 7, Starlight Dream

I'M HOME!

Left Lackland at 8 AM and got back to Austin about 10 AM this morning after I convinced my roommate to take me to the supermarket, where I ran from aisle to aisle staring at all the food. ^^;; Moonsong-tachi...that Gackt picture is the best homecoming present I could have asked for. ARIGATOU! Neesan, I don't know what's going on with you, but please be safe, all right? I know I can't keep policing you. There's some stuff you gotta figure out for yourself. Just be conscious of what you're doing. Everyone who sent me mail, a big thank you. That mail got me through to the next day every evening.

I'm exhausted, physically and mentally, and totally drained. The past month has been an experience...I can't really find the words to describe it, but I'm definitely a different person from the one that departed 29 days ago to Lackland AFB.

If I want to speak seriously, I think going to field training would be the best thing I've ever done. 100% from my heart, I believe that. I didn't get DG or SP or any awards at camp, but that doesn't matter. I learned things about myself and pushed myself more than I could ever imagine, and made 25 new best friends. Yes, it was grueling, yes, it was hard, and yes, there were many, many times that I just wanted to throw my warrior handbook in the air and say, I quit. But I didn't. And I'm glad.

I know a lot of people from my det were expecting me to get DG at camp. I guess that's expected, and for the first part of camp, I was actually kind of worrying about not getting DG and letting people down, so to speak. If I didn't get DG, maybe their image of me would be bumped down a slight notch and I wouldn't get the respect that I wanted. Last semester, my ROTC effort wasn't exactly...stellar. But then I got around to realizing that why the hell am I hung up on something so trivial as that, anyway? If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, life goes on. And Boris was right. Going to camp isn't about getting DG or SP. It's about the experience. It's about getting to really know yourself. It's about teamwork and overcoming trials.

Most of you know that I'm usually a pretty serious, philosophical person (comes with the English major, I guess). I have a tendency to get frustrated with people who don't take things seriously, and that was what I was most worried about when I went to camp. I've come back knowing that I have conquered that in myself, and that in fact, maybe sometimes being lighthearted is better than being so serious. [QS, that won't change the fact that I'm still...staid XD]

I didn't learn much about the Air Force while I was there. But I learned that I do in fact love the Air Force. I learned that there are people out there who love it just as much as I do. I learned that there are some people out there that I would be willing to die for, if necessary, not only for the mission, but because I care about them. I learned what it is to be the best leader I can.

Captain Kevin Hetrick
CTA Matthew Herndon
Patrick Applegate
Keith Beatty
Ami Bhatt
Eric Boyes
Crystal Flogerzi
Shane Garrison
Jeremy Gould
Laderis Harper
Ryan Harris
Mary Hill
Ryan Kramer
Mike McCarthy
Thomas Mueller
Jonathan Murray
Kevin Price
Evan Ray
Dan Ridlon
Paul Rowney
Aaron Sampson
Stephanie Sayre
James Shields
Andrew Stein
Paul Swaim
Alison Thomas
Joshua Thompson

THANK YOU for everything, and GOOD LUCK!

TIME || 1713 hrs...when is chow? ^_~

TRANSMISSION || FIELD TRAINING
DATE || mokuyoubi 06.20.01
MUSIC || Macross 7, Try Again
DESKTOP || Kiryuu Touga and Saionji Kyouichi, Shoujo Kakumei Utena

Well, I'm off.

Tomorrow I depart for Lackland Air Force Base for a month of fun at field training. I appreciate everyone who's wished me luck, and I hope to be able to write back to some people, if I ever get any free time.

It's kind of strange...I'm not really nervous, just kind of a mix of excitement and anticipation. I want to do my best at field training...I know I'm a good cadet, and I know I can do a good job. It's just the matter of the first few days and finding my way around and seeing what I can or can't do. It's all a matter of perspective, really.

I think SLS helped a lot, both years. Going as a TAC gave me a perspective on how my CTAs and FTOs are going to think. I know the mind games they're going to play, because I played those with my JROTC cadets. It gives you a sense of confidence and control, really, because I know what they're going to try to do to me and what they expect of me. I don't know if that's good or bad. It's kind of hard to realize that now I'm on the other side. Instead of yelling at cadets, now I'm the cadet being yelled at.

Anyway, enough of my random philosophizing. My theme song for camp is Try Again, by Fire Bomber from Macross 7 (of course). It's the song that really summarizes the upcoming month...the if you don't succeed, try again motif. I really like this song. If it could defeat Protodeviln, it'll certainly work for me. ^_~

Thanks to everyone again, and I'll see you in a month!

YOSHI! IKUZE! RADICALLY FIRE!

~Gerald

TIME || 0005 hrs

TRANSMISSION || *_*

I just watched episodes 22 and 23 of Utena.

MIKAGEEEE!!!!!

Ok I'm done now.

Mikage: XD

TIME || 0134 hrs

TRANSMISSION || PRODUCTIVITY
DATE || kayoubi 06.19.01
MUSIC || Hide, Beauty and Stupid

I have been productive today. Today, I:

• borrowed my friend's car and took her to work
• went out to lunch
• went to Wal-Mart and bought safety pins
• went to Mars music to look at acoustic guitars
• went to the post office and got stamps
• checked my email
• checked my snail mail
• stripped my low quarters of shoe polish
• shined my shoes
• watched 2 episodes of Gundam X

My chaoticempire.org layout needs redecorating. *thinks* Maybe I'll do a Cowboy Bebop one.

I have now watched the entire Black Rose arc!!!!!!!!!

Mikage: XD

Chat tonight, minna! Don't forget! ^_^ If I'm late, don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can. Let's all try to make it so I can get to talk with everybody before I leave!

~Ger

TIME || 1855 hrs

TRANSMISSION || PREPARATIONS
DATE || kayoubi 06.19.01
MUSIC || Gackt, EMU ~For My Dear~
DESKTOP || Mikage, Shoujo Kakumei Utena

This song never ceases to give me chills. I think I've gotten over its more serious effects, but still everytime I listen to it, it's an intense emotional experience. Maybe it's just Gackt, or maybe it's just me. Heh.

Anyway, I've gotten to the pre-preparation stage. All my underwear and undershirts and socks are in a pile in the corner of my room along with my starch and iron, and there's some crap piled up on the suitcase. I need to shine my shoes, or at least try to. They look terrible, after a week of walking in the grass at SLS. That was one thing we didn't have to worry about at Ft. Hood, because there wasn't any grass, just sand and dirt.

A friend suggested we go out to eat today, but he hasn't called me back or IMd me so I'm thinking he forgot. Maybe I'll take the bike out again today and ride around. I rode my roommate's bike yesterday around Riverside, listening to Fire Bomber on my headphones. XD Exciting stuff.

Laurel, I read the last Animorphs book yesterday. *cries* NOOOOOOOOOOOOO ;_; It was awesome. I mean, like anime awesome. I WANT MY ANIME!!!!! Though the last half of the book seemed more OVA-ish than anything else...but the ending was good. It was great. ^_^

Neesan, did your computer die again? ^^;; You haven't been on.

Mearl, you're BACK!! We all missed you! Glad to hear you had a fun time, especially asking for the toilets in Japanese XD XD

Shi, thanks for the birthday card! ^_^

Anyway, I must go dig up more manga translation people and email them for permission. QS, I think that's an awesome idea if we can pull it off. Laurel, have any ideas for layout?

~Ger

TIME || 1034 hrs

TRANSMISSION || UTENA
DATE || Nichiyoubi 06.17.01
MUSIC || B'z, Kienai Niji
DESKTOP || Sivil, Macross 7
WINAMP SKIN || Command and Conquer

Today I spent rediscovering the rest of my Japanese music list and my computer. Pretty sad considering I've only been away a week. Think of what will happen after I come back from camp *shudder*

Anyway, I was watching some of the Utena eps Laurel sent me...from the curry episode to the first Touga/Utena duel. I can't remember what numbers those are, but that should put me right up to the beginning of the Black Rose Arc.

MIKAGEEEEEEEEEE

XD

Err...that's all I have to say right now. The floor of my room is a mess. I have uniforms all over the place ><;;; It's going to be hell to clean once I do start folding and packing for camp...oh well.

~Ger

TIME || 1528 hrs

TRANSMISSION || MILITARY

This is kind of an addendum to today's earlier post. I was reading my friend's blog about the Marines and I just felt like saying something on the subject.

In the military, there's inter-service rivalry. There's always been that. The Army has always thought itself superior to the Navy, and vice versa. The Air Force doesn't like the Army, and the Marines don't like the Air Force. It happens. Most of it is friendly and harmless, but not always.

I've met a few officers who don't like the other services, plain and simple. Especially the Army or the Navy. One Lt Col I met refered to the infantry as "army toads." While as an Air Force officer-in-training I personally like the Air Force better, I just don't think that kind of name-calling is necessary. The military is the military, and anyone who joins the military, for whatever reason, for whichever branch, is making sacrifices. Sure, the Air Force is more technological, or the Marines are tougher, or the Navy can swim better, but we're the same military. Why else is there a joint Chief of Staff?

Seriously, I don't like the rivalry. And I do it. I catch myself insulting other services and I feel bad. But everyone does it. Is it really necessary? Joking is fine. But when it gets to the point where people take it seriously, I think we need to take a step back and look at why all of us are in the service in the first place and realize that every man and woman wearing any kind of US military uniform has the same obligation to our country, regardless of service.

I respect anyone in uniform, enlisted or officer, bad leader or good leader, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, or National Guard. At least they had the courage to take the step. At least they were willing to make the sacrifice. I think that counts for something.

TRANSMISSION || SLS
DATE || 06.16.01
MUSIC || Gackt, Kimi no tame ni Dekiru Koto

I'M HOME!

It's been an exciting and incredibly exhausting week. For those of you who I didn't tell, I was away at SLS, Summer Leadership School, this week. SLS is a kind of "field training" that JROTC cadets go through, and I was there as a flight commander for the high schoolers. I kind of knew what to expect, having been a TAC at SLS last year, but this year was very different. For one, we were at Baylor instead of at Ft Hood where we were at last year, so we had to compensate for the lack of military facilities. Our commanders were also different, so it was a different kind of leadership than I'd experienced at SLS before. But it was a great experience.

I was Foxtrot flight commander and my flight did really well. The first day I was thinking, "what the hell did I get myself into???" They couldn't call cadence, couldn't stay in step, couldn't stand at attention worth anything, and the adjutants had no clue what they were doing. But by the end of the second day, I was beginning to realize that it COULD be done and that the bunch of sloppy marchers that were my flight could be transformed into something better. And they worked hard and proved themselves. I couldn't have asked for a better group of cadets. They were great.

We didn't win honor flight, but we won the drill competition. I was so proud. I had the greatest commander for the drill comp. He had memorized the drill sequence beforehand, but we were handed a new sequence to give to our flights. I was kind of like "oh shit, he has to memorize it all over again," but I shouldn't have worried. He memorized all 37 commands in one night, had the flight draw out a MAP of where they should go, and stayed well within the boundaries. We were the only flight that stayed within the boundaries out of 6 flights. Foxtrot also got the most distinguished graduates out of all the flights.

I think being flight commander at SLS prepared me very well for camp. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I WANT to be flight commander at camp. I'm going to report into my FTO and beg to be flight commander. It's the #1 position on my list.

Anyway, I got about 18 hours of sleep the whole week, averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night. I'm sunburned, my feet hurt, my knees ache, I didn't get a decent shower all week, all my belongings smell like sweat, and SLS remains the greatest thing I ever did, two years in a row. ^_^ how's that? When I get some good pictures from the other TACs I'll put some online. I didn't bring a camera so I didn't get any pictures.

Anyway, hi to all the mr.org folks and spleens, and everyone else I know and haven't talked to in a while. I won't be online much this week, having to get ready for camp and all, but I'll be on when I can.

Today was my birthday, and I'm dead tired, and we still have to catch the late showing of Tomb Raider. ^^;; I woke up at 4:45 this morning because that's when we usually woke the cadets up. Ugh. That is one habit I need to NOT break, because I'll be waking up about that time at camp. But I drank two cans of coke today, took a 40 minute shower, and had cake. I think I should be lazy as much as I can this week. I'm going to need it.

Anyway, this entry is way too long. Off to wash the dishes or something productive like that. Cadet Captain Gerald out. ^_~

TIME || 2112 hrs