Today was our “See You Later” ceremony. Can’t really call is a farewell as we will most likely be able to head home for Christmas and New Year’s, but we still said goodbye to our families as departed to training at Army Support Activity McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
Per his usual tradition, the Big Boss spoke a lot and didn’t really say all that much, thanking people who really didn’t deserve to be thanked for doing things they should simply be doing anyway as it is. The CSM, as always, delivered an excellent speech in his own way, and the Bigger Boss may have violated some OPSEC during his speech, but it was a nice and quick ceremony, providing us with a bit more time to spend with our families, or at least the ones that were able to be there.
It was a strange feeling getting on the bus knowing that we weren’t quite leaving our families yet, though it will probably be the last time that I see my mother before I leave. I am sure as we closer to our actual departure date the feelings of leaving will hit us, especially if family members aren’t around for that send off.
The trip down to New Jersey was rather uneventful and we spent the rest of the day getting settled into the barracks that will be our home for the next four to six weeks. This training will be a bit more ad hoc than our previous adventures down here, and we also have a few more restrictions while under the control of First Army and not RTC-East. We will find out more as we move through the process, and we start fully tomorrow with briefings and other readiness activities. Should be fun…
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