Sometimes I wonder if the internet can ever be redeemed. I just found a couple of links on a older blog of mine, and I have taken them down. Sorry if you saw them. I have a spam filter installed which catches most of the filth that wreaks havoc on blogs, but I guess I’ll have to be more careful from now on. If you notice anything please notify me via e-mail and I will track it down and spam it.

In the mean time things are going well here. It finally rained today and it has been raining for hours. I am settling in quite nicely here at RAFB and currently we are preparing for our shop’s field exercises, which will begin in 2 weeks. Lots happening, but I’ll have to talk later. Weekends are far too short here.

It has been a long time coming, but I have left Fort Gordon, Georgia and am taking some well earned time with friends and family. After I graduated on March 12, I have been waiting on my orders for transfer to Warner Robins, Georgia. I was on guard duty during the week but still had my weekends off. After waiting for almost a month, I got my orders and left on April 9 with everything packed up into my small car. Now that I am home with access to high speed internet at my leisure I finally had the opportunity to update this site. I am going to explain in better detail about what my job is like and what my schedule will be in future posts. In the mean time, I have updated my pictures and some of my links. Enjoy!

I updated my previous post so that the links that I listed are now clickable. Enjoy! Also, here is a neat website I ran into one day. Have fun watching the videos posted here:

Do Something Amazing

Looks like some changes might be taking place in S.W.A.T.S. (Satellite Wideband and Telemetry Space Systems). As far as I know right now, the school is considering taking two of the blocks out of the twelve block course. These blocks also happen to be the hardest blocks in the course! Hopefully these changes will take place in time for my class to take advantage of them. Eventually the S.W.A.T.S. course will be merged with Ground Radio to combine both job fields. This course will be moved to Keesler AFB, the base where I took EP and the base where Ground Radio is currently being taught. Both of the current courses are in the process of being rewritten, and our teacher showed us a draft course outline which will be 23 blocks long. This could be good for us and it could be really bad for us. The good would be if they let us take advantage of the course precompression so that we can skip a few blocks and graduate early. Then we would be sent back by our assigned unit to get the updated CDC’s or specific training on the radio equipment we will be working on. The bad would be if they made us go through the current S.W.A.T.S. course and then come back to take the updated, combined course. If the latter happens, one benefit would be that by the time I got out of the Air Force and applied for a civilian job, I would have had so much training that I could pretty much be guaranteed a job making well over six figures! Chances are good though that my course will be the former case or some variation of it.

It is getting colder here, which makes morning PC pretty rough. My knee flared up from an old high school injury, but it seems to be doing better. So far everything is on par for me to phase up to phase 4, which is my last phase up stage. I will then be more free to get my stuff done on the weekends. I have had a tough time making everything fit into a tight schedule and an extended weekend curfew will be nice!

Every day it seems like Georgia is feeling more like “home” (away from home). Moving never was my favorite pasttime, but the military saw fit to drag me around the country for a while. I can’t complain because it’s free; I will just be glad to be able to settle down for a while in more comfortable quarters.

I cannot believe that it has been two months since I updated my blog! Most of the time seems like a blur to me. My EP class went very well and I have completed my first stage of tech school. Now, since my work at Keesler AFB is done, I have moved. My new location is Fort Gordon, Georgia, an Army post about fifteen minutes south of Augusta. Fort Gordon is a much larger base than Keesler was, and it has a lot more to do. It has bowling, golfing, paintball, go-karts, fishing, a movie theater, horse-back riding trails, and a full-sized PX and Comissary. The only problem with big bases, however, is that you cannot walk anywhere. Everything except the movie theater is about a twenty minute walk from our squadron. Hopefully I will be able to get my car over the holidays and bring it back to Georgia along with some other necessities (movies, cd’s, computer, x-box, etc.). Hey, what can I say? It gets a little boring here during the weekends, and everything around here costs money to do anyway. Well, I arrived on October 14 and it was quite apparent that this squadron is more relaxed than Keesler. I have not started class yet because they only start new classes every two weeks. I never got a roommate when I was at Keesler, but now I have three roommates. The experience is definately unique. Most of the time all goes well, but on the weekends everybody basically stays up late. I am doing this because I finished watching a movie on my computer and two of my roommates decided to start a poker game since they have to be in the room by midnight. We have down Fridays, which means that every other week we get Friday off. This Friday I went to the mall in town with three of my friends from Keesler to pick up some clothes and shoes from Abercrombie and Aeropostale (I never could understand why someone would pay $28.00 for a T-shirt or $75.00 for a pair of jeans, but it’s their money, not mine). Today we went bowling and go-kart driving. The weather here is much nicer and the nights are quite cool. I think the heat is basically gone for the year. I had a fun time and enjoyed being able to just relax.

Here are a few links to information about my class as far as I know right now. I have heard that changes are in place which will affect my class and possibly change my graduation date. With the old course schedule my graduation date will be some time around the middle of March. We will be getting about 12 days off for Christmas and New Year’s to come home. I have not yet found out where my first active duty station will be, but I should know sometime around block four.

Fort Gordon Home Page

http://www.gordon.army.mil/garrfp/sites/local/

Detachment 1, 338 Training Squadron

http://www.gordon.army.mil/338trsdet1/

S.W.A.T.S. Course Schedule

http://www.gordon.army.mil/338trsdet1/courses/ECABP2E13101AA.htm

This is the title of the class I am currently taking here.  It is the only class I will take at Keesler, and is about eight weeks long.  The class has eight blocks in it, which means eight tests.  It is very intensive, and covers a broad overview of electronic circuits, physics, math, and equipment troubleshooting skills.

Basically, my school days go like this:

0400 - I get up and get dressed, clean up my room in inspection order, and get my stuff together for school.

0450 - I go to the dining facility and pick up a breakfast to go (we can eat during class).

0510 - Everyone from my squadron forms up for accountability and waits lined up in column formation.

0530 - Reveille plays and they raise the flag while we all stand at attention and salute.

0535 - We begin our twenty minute march to school.  There are about 1200-1500 students in four different squadrons here, so it is pretty cool.

0600 - Class begins and we eat breakfast.

0700 - Break

0715 - Class

0825 - Break

0840 - Class

1000 - Break

1015 - Class

1045 - Lunch (We march back to our squadron area in Small Marching Units and eat at our dining facilities.)

1145 - Class

1315 - Break

1330 - Class

1500 - We form up as a squadron again and march back to our squadrons.

1520 - We are released to either change clothes for PRT or to prepare for open ranks uniform inspections.

1545 - We form up for accountability and then do open ranks or PRT.

1700 - We are released for the day to eat and do whatever else we want/need to do.

2200 - In my current phase this is the time I am required to sign into my squadron for the night.  I usually do not stay up much later than this.

 Last Tuesday I completed Block 1 of my class, which covered Direct Current Theory.  Our test had 30 questions and we were given one hour to complete it.  I got a 97% on my exam (only missed one question) and overall our class scored very well.  We are now an honor class, and are steadily pushing our way through Block 2, which covers Alternating Current Theory.  It is not as easy for me as the first block, but it is still just as much fun, and I am learning a lot.

Take a look at my USAF Pictures page to see what my new home is like.  There is also an informative website for my current base: http://www.keesler.af.mil/ which may have a few interesting pictures on it as well.  One of the links on the left is of Keesler News, our local base publication, and has several good articles in it, as well as activity schedules.

Hello everyone,

It seems only yesterday that I stepped off of the plane in San Antonio, Texas where my life was changed forever!  Since then, I have been going non-stop through basic training, drill practice, trying to stay awake, processing, marching, trying to stay awake, practicing band, cleaning up our dorm, trying to stay awake, folding clothes, studying, trying to stay awake…well, you get the picture.  Needless to say, graduation was truly a rewarding experience.  After six and a half weeks of physical and mental mayhem I had begun to wonder what it was like to have a life of my own.

The time that I shared with Mom, Dad, and Granny was a real treasure!  We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean on Friday and spent all of Saturday at the Riverwalk.  Saying goodbye was hard, but It helped me to look forward to Christmas Exodus (my time off for the holidays).  I left San Antonio on Monday, August 7 to go to Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi.  They told those of us who were going there for technical school that we had to go to our briefing at 0001 Monday morning (that is 12:01 AM).  Needless to say, sleeping Sunday night was not possible.  I dozed off in my dorm chair a couple of times, but did not really get to sleep.  Our travel briefing lasted about one hour and was basically for accountability and to pick up our medical files for transfer.  All we could take was three bags of luggage: our military duffle bag, our civilian luggage, and another bag which could be a garment bag or other suitcase.  I chose a rolling suitcase and had no trouble taking everything I had with me.  We then were assigned a bus and loaded our stuff and took a seat.  The buses were chartered and were very comfortable.  The trip lasted about 13 hours, which included two stops.  We stopped at 3:00 AM for breakfast at a roadside diner which had opened just for us.  Then we stopped at 9:00 AM for brunch at Shoney’s.  Both meals were covered by the Air Force and were very nice!  Then after brunch we watched Air Force One on the bus (It just happened to be the only movie he had).  We rolled in around 2:00 PM and went to a briefing to get our room assignments and to get our luggage dropped off. We had briefings for the rest of the day until dinner time.  The whole rest of the week was loaded with nothing but briefing after briefing and, you guessed it, trying to stay awake.  One main difference was that we were finally given the ability to think for ourselves and have a little bit of liberty.  The Air Force still has a 4-phase intro. program which gradually gives you more freedoms based on your ability to take responsibility for doing what you are supposed to do and being where you are supposed to be.  I will be phasing up from Phase I (two weeks long) to Phase II (also two weeks long).  I will finally be able to personalize my dorm room, wear civilian clothes on the weekends on base, and go off base in my service uniform (blues).

Classes have started for my job training and are going well.  My job is AFSC 2E131 and is titled Satellite Wideband Communications Apprentice.  The training I will receive at Keesler AFB is E.P. (electronics principles) and is an eight week course.  It teaches all of the basics of electronics-yes all of them and is very accelerated.  The course is 37 hours and is accredited with a value of 18 college credit hours.  An associate’s degree is about 63 hours, so with the 3-4 credit hours I earned from BMT, I will be a third of the way toward a degree when I finish here around October 15.  After this course is finished, I will be transfering to Fort Gordon (yes, an Army base!) in Georgia for the remaining three months of my training.  I have heard that this base is very comfortable and should have more things to do than Keesler.  After seeing the destruction of hurricane Katrina first-hand, I am very grateful I was not here when it hit.  After over a year we are still taking volunteer opportunities to help out in the community to rebuild the city and clear out the wreckage which is strewn everywhere.  Many parts of the beach here are still closed because debris, waste and animal and sometimes human remains are washed ashore, making the area hazardous.  The dorms are like hotel rooms.  They have microwaves and refrigerators in each room and are about 20′x12′.  Each room is designed for three people, but they prefer two people per room. I currently have no roommates.  Room inspections are not nearly as strenuous as they were at BMT, but we still have them every so often.  I have had two of them, and on my second one a classmate of mine who lives down the hall from me told me that he had seen about five of our supervisors (Staff Sergeants, Technical Sergeants, and Master Sergents) had raided my room and asked where I was.  This freaked me out, so I reported to one of our squadron’s Master Sergeants to find out what had happened and they gave me an excellence report for the condition of my room!

I am thoroughly enjoying finally being able to get back in school.  It seems like forever since I have taken classes, but the course I am studying right now is exactly the sort of thing I have been wanting to learn.  Even though the class is accelerated, it seems as if I cannot absorb it fast enough.  The best part is that after trying to learn these things before, I am finally grasping it mentally.  I think the main reason is that I now have goals for my life and with those goals comes a purpose and drive to be successful.  I praise the Lord for all of the trials that He has brought me through thus far, and I look forward to the new adventures that He has waiting for me as I follow His will for my life.  Never have I felt more like this is exactly where God wants me-not only for the success He has granted me, but also for the seemingly impossible hardships which have made me stronger and more mature.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement through this new step in my life.  As I look forward to my career goals and consider all that has happened this year thus far, I know that I could not have done it alone.  Having a family which believes in me has made me even more determined to keep pressing toward the mark.  I think of you all often and look forward to seeing as many of you as I can over the Christmas holidays.  Until then, I love you all and pray that God will bless and encourage each one of you as He has done for me.

 With much thanks,

David Hill

Only 16 days left before I leave for Basic Training and time seems to be flying by. Jason Santoyo graduated from his Basic Training a couple of days ago and he is going on to Tech School. I have moved out of my apartment and I am living at Granny’s house. I also decided to take a small break from my jobs and I am done with those now, too. However, it is not like I will justbe sitting around doing nothing. There are so many activities coming up that my schedule is pretty well filled up!

As far as this blog goes…well, I would imagine that you began to wonder what was going on. I really do not have time any more, or at least for the time I will be going through my training, to be updating my happenings. I will be writing letters from Basic Training to keep the homefront informed, but other than that, after this entry, I am on Military Leave ;)

I love you all and thank you for your contributions, encouragement, and prayers. I will greatly miss all of you and will think of you often.

Crossing into the Blue,
David Hill

*Integrity First - Service Before Self - Excellence In All We Do*

In case you had not noticed, I have created a Blogger site dedicated to current and up-coming films.  I updated it today, so have a look and enjoy !  Follow the Movie Reviews link on the right column of this page under Fun Stuff.

Sorry to leave everyone hanging for so long, but my days have been kind of busy lately.  It is only going to get worse from here, but I will try to update my blog at least once a week until my shippout date.

My grandma is doing much better and she is home now recovering.  My mom spent a couple of weeks with them to help make the transition from hospital to home smoother.  Please continue to pray that her recovery will be full and that she will improve her mental and physical strength.  Pray also for Grandpa as he helps and encourages her through this.

Well, days are getting much shorter now and it seems that I have just about filled up every one of my remaining eight weekends.  I will be going on vacation with my parents May 10-19 to South Haven, Michigan.  I haven’t been there since before Sandy and Mike got married, so about ten years !  I am really looking forward to it because I also haven’t been able to take an actual vacation like this since I started working at UPS.  My vacation time never synchronized properly to allow for a vacation.  This will be my last big fling, so to speak, and just some time to relax and spend some time with my parents.

I got our church’s volleyball system repaired and set up last week, so we can finally start enjoying this beautiful weather we have been experiencing.  Everyone is excited, and I have been giving some basic lessons to improve their play skills because it has been a couple of years since we had a net.

 I hope everyone will forgive me for being a little lazy on my blog, but I’ll try not to leave you hanging like that again.  Have a great week !