Post 15

Dear Family,
Yesterday we went to the pool to qualify for first level of swim qual. The facilities were very nice. It was pretty easy we wore cammies and had to swim 25 meters jump off of a high board which was about 20 to 25 feet up then we had to tread for 4 minutes and finally another 25 meter swim. I don't know if you remember how bad I am at treading but they gave us some pointers and I was able to tread for four minutes with barely moving my arms hands & legs. The technique is to life up your head to the sky and breath in deeply and then hold for five minutes (I think he meant seconds) and then quickly breath out and in a full lung capacity and hold it and slowly move your arms and legs to keep a little balance the fasteryou breath and the faster you move the quicker you sink. Same with our swimming we did the dame breathing technique to stay a float better. So any ways I was the second one done and I qualified without a problem. Now I have four or three more levels I can qualify at. Later day we got to do the confidence course which was a lot of fun. Basically it is a big obsticle course with some elements peaking at 40-50 feet which was quite interesting people kept messing aournd though so we ended up running a lot probably close to two miles or so when you add all of the sprints and double timing in place. I got to do the "climb for life" pictured on the front of this paper it is probably 40-60 ft long you go about 20 ft on your stomach then flip over and do 20 up side down and then another 20 after they have you take your fee off of the rope and switch hangs in a differentdirection and get your feet back on to the rope wire thing. Today we got to go to McMap again today we learned three moves to get out of choke locks and we learned two different choke holds. I ama little sore from hitting the deck so many times and got a head ache from hitting someone elses head on the way down. The deck though is made of a pit of cut up tire pieces it doesn't hurt very much at all. I also have a little head ache from the choke hold since they were blood choke holds instead of air choke holds which means instead of killing someone by suffication which would take close to two minutes we cut off the blood supply to the brain via the croaded (sp) arteriec in the neck so they are either dead or pass out in the max of eight seconds. They later we got to have our (medical) physical which means more shots currently my butt still hurts from the butt shot. I know you kno how bad I hate shots but I am getting better. I don't panic anymore two at a time we kind of just walk a line they prick yu and you continue down the line. For those of you keeping track at home that is now eleven shots in the arms, three in the butt and four vials of blood that they have given or taken at book so far and we have anoher battery when we get back from up north. The butts shots if you are wondering two more bacillin (sp) part of they penicillin family and one antibiotic coctail. Then I also get a flu mist up both nostrils. Before we go up north we have a lot to do when have a Pxcall, museum tour, pogil sticks, PFT (physical fitness test) up noth orientation series inspection and finish packing all before Saturday morning. To say we aren't busy would be a lie. To answer moms question yes I do know about Assassin they play it a lot at whitewater and it takes place in the winter too, I believe. To Grandma Peiffer my address doesn't change when I go up north it just takes longer to get t me and I am only able to receive it the first two weeks up there the second to I am not able to since I am in the field the whole time sleeping on the dirt. To the rest of you and mom & grandma I am over my bronchitis and my ear has healed thanks to your prayers I still have what is effectionately know as the boot camp slug through which is minor cold and little slug in the lunds well for no I need to sleep.

I LOVE YOU ALL
BEN