Adam left the JAG school in Charlottesville, VA, the same day I flew back to Michigan. He drove down to Ft. Benning, GA, for the Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC), which is sort of like the Officer's version of boot camp. He's been down there in the warm Georgia sun for a week now, and is very very sore.
He was a little sad to find his accomodations very spartan after the comfort of the Marriott Residence Inn. Although the room is clean, it is very institutional--steel frame bed, locker, and a bathroom with no toilet paper. His first night was spent shivering, as his bed came with minimal bedding so he was cold the entire time he slept. His window rattles and the room shakes, for unknown reasons. Oh, and some guy down the hall spent a good hour during the night screaming. Bad dream? Night terror? Homesick? Pain? Adam didn't know, and was too tired and cold to go investigate. I asked him if that institutional feeling he got from the room (and the screaming guy down the hall) might suggest he actually is in some type of...institution.
He's now been down there for a week and while his living situation has improved--he bought blankets and toilet paper--his work day is brutal. Five mile runs just about every morning followed by all-day marches, carrying heavy packs containing thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Last night he called me at 7pm, so sleepy his voice was barely audible, to say that he was too tired to talk. He had to be awake by 3:45am this morning to be on a bus that would take him off-base for more marching and hiking. I've been setting my alarm in the mornings to give him a wake-up call; it's fast becoming the only time of day we have for conversation as he is so tired by the evening.
He is in a lot of pain and tells me I'm married to an old man. I tell him I'm just waiting for him to keel over so I can inherit his fortune.
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