DONE

Greetings friends,

Just wanted to let you all know I am done with my basic training for the military. A time to reflect.

Reflections on Basic Combat Training:
- Overall, very good experience
- I learned a lot about myself
- I learned a lot about others with different backgrounds
- I value patience a lot more
- Things such as social media take up way too much of our time
- life is peaceful without a cellphone (yes even in the midst of basic)
- writing letters is a lost art and is something we should all do more often, it is so nice to receive letters
- everyone needs to give 110% all of the time no matter what
- listening is the best way to learn, not talking...
- I could go on and on...

Reflections on Basic Music Course:
- playing music is liberating
- the scary/busy way of life came back little by little
- It was nice to be treated as a human being again
- having fun is the key to everything

There is much more I learned but the most important is being optimistic. You have to have a positive attitude. If you do that, things go by faster and easier. Not only that, you have fun! Yes you can have fun low crawling with a heavy sandbag going the distance of 3-4 volleyball fields one way. hehe

I am glad to be back... This Summer 2009 blog is now retired.

Take Care and thanks for reading!

Daniel

One Week Left

What else is there to say?


HOOOAHHHH

One Week Down

Greetings friends,

So one week of training is done with at the USA School of Music. How wonderful it is. A recap:

- I play drums everyday
- My chops are coming back and are getting stronger
- I am really diggin on Steve Gadd
- I bought an iPod Touch and I can listen to my music again!

Ok... only one bad thing, I hit muscle failure on my PT test for situps, therefore not passing it. However I am quite confident I could pass it this instant. As I reflected over why I didn't pass, I realized my bad technique. I am going to have my roomate hold my feet for two minutes tonight and I bet I get close to 70 and I only needed 53 to pass... maybe next time I will simply take my time and think before I take the test, absolutely ridiculous. However the good thing is I am doing my mandatory PT, which I was going to do anyway... so my days are filled with workouts and music. This is the life!

Daniel Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D
USASOM Class 005
1420 Gator Blvd
Norfolk, VA 23521

MUSIC SCHOOL!

Aight peeps,

As you may know,I am currently at the Army Music School, which is great. Yet it is bitter/sweet. It feels so great to play music again, really great! But... I haven't played for a couple of months and my chops are not as good as they use to be. Of course this is natural, but also frustrating, but it is also inspiring me to practice, which is needed.

It is hot and the beach is awesome... Take care folks, I need to go workout and then practice practice practice.

PEACE!!!

Daniel

PFC Heier, Daniel D
USASOM 009-005
1420 Gator Blvd
Norfolk, VA 23521

DICK, BOOM, DONE!!!!!

Greetings Friends,

Well get this, this is the first blog, besides the very first one, where I am actually updating the blog on my own! A shout out to my friend Aubrey who was so kind to upload my blog letters onto the blog. I am very thankful for that.

Ok.... since the last blog, there are a few hilarious BCT moments. Here comes the first.

Best Quote Ever to a Drill Sergeant:

You need to know the background first.

- Sunday Morning
- Sleepy soldier against wall locker with cap covering his eyes
- drill sergeant walking around cutting sleep soldier throats with a magic marker

My buddy Clements (the sleepy soldier) is resting his eyes (wink wink) on Sunday. Drill Sergeant comes up to cut his throat (with a magic marker of course.) Clements doesn't see who it is, so he says this.

"WHAT THE F*CK DICK!?!?!"

He sees it is a DS and he gets up and stands at parade rest immediately. Good thing it was a DS that was here only temporarily, lol. Any other DS would of have smoked that ass until fully cooked.

Who says that to a DS and gets by with it, wow, that is awesome. Any future soldiers going to BCT, I dare you to try it out.

Second funny happening:

This is probably the closest I have been to witnessing someone that could compete with any video on America's Funniest Home Videos.

My buddy Alderson and I are toeing the line for the final accountability before we go to bed. I am in the middle of telling him the story of how a calf kicked me in the groin (somehow it was appropriate.) I am mid story and Alderson says, "Stop, we need to watch this because this could be really funny."

There was a soldier using his weapon as a golf club to hit the orange cones around the kill zone. Potential to be really funny. Well he goes up to cone two. Takes a huge back swing, as he does this, a soldier walks right up behind him and the buttstock of the weapon cracks him in the temple of the forehead and he falls like a ton of bricks. Alderson and I burst out laughing (partly because the guy getting hit constantly tried to start fights but was all talk and to scared to throw down a punch.) We were crying from laughing so hard. It was the funniest moment at BCT. The soldier was ok, however he did go to the hospital that night....

Ok that is all... enjoy...

Daniel Heier

Best Quote Ever

Time to set up a scene.

-It is Sunday (day of rest) in the barracks
-Soldier (Clement) is resting his eyes with the PT beanie cap over his eyes

OK, so we really aren't supposed to be sleeping, but we all do on Sunday. So sometimes the DS like to play a game by slicing your throat with a marker. So the DS did exactly that. However, the soldier didn't see who it was. Uh oh...

The solder reacts by saying, "What the fuck up Dick!!"

Yes, this was said to the DS. Then the soldier noticed quite quickly who he was talking to. Stands up and goes to parade rest.

Wow! I wish I could have been there to see it, but nothing really happened.

Luckily he said it to new DS and not some of the older ones. That could have been a world of hurt. Yet, it still makes for a good story.

This will be close to my last blog. I may have one more for my BCT experience. I am just amazed at how fast the time has gone by.

I am actually excited to read my own blog so I can remember what I wrote. I have only heard good feedback, and if you don't like it, that is just too bad.

Also, thanks to everyone for the prayers and support. Looking forward to talking to everyone soon.

Peace out,
Daniel D. Heier

I just had one of my first musical conversations in a long time! It was with Dearborn (fellow Army bandmember in my company). We were just naming off jazz albums and influences left and right. Not only that, he was naming drummers off like he studied drums for years. Amazing. Then he said, you know Roy Haynes? I'm like, "I have a story for you!!" Then I shared my experience with Roy Haynes. Wow. This was amazing.

So there has been one little thing I have been meaning to share and it is this. I find this one little fact interesting and funny. In fact, you would probably like to know the fact and for me to stop dancing around it, but I am not. I will lead into this "interesting" fact with some facts about me.
*I am super calm
*I have dark circles around my eyes
*I normally have blood shot eyes
*I love peanut butter

OK, here it is... (drum roll)...
Fellow battle buddies have given me the nickname "Fester", as in Uncle Fester from the Addams Family Movie! I think I need to watch Addams Family again. OK, so the nickname hasn't really stuck. Two people called me Fester and I never really talk to either, but what I find interesting is how the two people that call me that never talk, therefore they came to this nickname under their own thoughts. Coincidence or not? You tell me.

So, I have officially thrown two grenades. I will not lie, it wasn't that big of a thrill. Most likely I felt that way because I really threw them far and didn't feel much of the grenade to make me think, "WHOA, DUDE!" But on the other hand, I can say I threw a couple of grenades. Next time it would be more cool if they had a car or something to throw it at, just like in the movies. HA! Dream on, Dan...

All right. A shout out to the only Asian in my company, XIONG! Not only is he Asian, he lives in Minneapolis. So we are neighbors!

So you may like this. When we "toe the line", we do weapons count and such before bed, basically accountability, we try to have fun with it. Two nights ago, we all had our shorts like Steve Erkyl. Yep, 45 guys with shorts pulled up over their belly buttons. Isn't that just dreamy?! Last night we did segregation formation for toe the line. Yep, all of the blacks, Mexican, and our lonely Asian XIONG on one side and Whites on the other. The DS got a kick out of it.

My time here is almost done. Hip, Hip...HOORAY! So that being said, you all who write me, if you send mail make sure it arrives to me no later than July 21.

Rock on, my blog reading friends.

Peace & Love,
Daniel D. Heier

BAM!

Today, I saw/short some powerful weapons. Wow! That is all I have to say...

Just kidding.

So, I started off shooting the M203 (grenade launcher). We shot basically big grenade paintballs. Basically, it was like shooting a super nerf gun. After that we went to shoot the AT-4 (bazooka). I shot only tiny tracer rounds, but tracer rounds look awesome! It was like watching a red laser beam, kind of like on Star Wars.

After that I shot M240B, a.k.a. big ass machine gun. I shot up some tanks with those. Then the saw M249 (a.k.a. little ass machine gun). That was fun too.

Nothing topped the grand finale, the 50 cal, a.k.a. the weapon you don't want to mess with. This weapon is so powerful. I was 6-8 feet behind it and you could feel the weapon's power. Shooting this weapon was like riding a roller coaster while listening to the song "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago. Why that song? Well, we had to shoot 5 round bursts. Well the speed of the bullets being shot was equivalent (or close) to the eighth note pulse in the song. Since I had to shoot 5 round bursts and the opening to "25 or 6 to 4" has five eighth notes for the riff, it was perfect! And it was so wonderful to think of the music of Chicago, what a great band.

Afterwards, a select few soldiers were able to shoot live rounds from the AT-4, M203 and the claymore. We saw some big explosions.

Now, big explosions leads me to the next topic, the almighty fart. The fart is a mystery to me. One minute, it is the grossest thing on earth, the next minute, it is funnier than Larry the Cable Guy. So funny, that people would go, "Larry the Cable Guy? Who is that?"

I say this only because a lot of soldiers have been busting ass. Now, one factor has to be put into consideration, the MRE (meals ready to eat). They do a number on the body.

Now for anyone reading this and thinking, "Gross, I can't believe Dan is writing about this!" I say, "Shut up! You laughed at farts and I have put up with this for 6 weeks and you have to find humor in every situation. Even when you feel like you are being choked to death by the fumes of one's butthole."

My new meaning of fart: Fumes At Random Times. OK, enough with that... I will never write about the fart again...

Oh yeah, the Bible is a great book. It has been quite helpful. Anyways, peace out my friends reading this blog...

Peace & Love,
Daniel D. Heier

Happy July 4th!! Well, by the time any of you blog followers of mine read this, it will be much past July 4th, but I hope you all had a safe and awesome July 4th!

The July 4th celebration here was a lot of fun! We all marched to the field singing cadences, and once we were at the field, we were given free reign! (with limits of course). There was music playing over the loud speakers. Good music, then as I sat there, "Separate Ways (Worlds apart)" by JOURNEY!!!!! came on the radio!! My buddy could not have explained it better when he said I had an orgasm when the song came on. I was air drumming the whole time! Wow! I love music, but especially Journey!!!

To hear Steve Perry's vocals, the rockin' bass line or Ross, the melodic keyboard parts of Cain, the rippin' guitar of Schon, and of course the rockin' drummin' of Steve "machine gun" Smith! Separate Ways is definitely one of my favorite drumming songs. Them fills are killer!!!

I laughed as people went on sugar highs because of pop and candy bars, well some had multiple so they were really wired. Thank goodness caffeine or sugar doesn't affect me that much.

The 282nd Army Band provided music for the event as well. They didn't really come through the PA, so they were hard to hear. As I walked closer with my "battle buddies", I started conducting, completely giving away that I am a music nerd. Could I be more obvious?

The fireworks show was really cool, a lot of fun and pretty colors and shapes. Oh yeah! As they called off the states as they entered the Union. Don't worry, Minnesota and South Dakota, I screamed with all my heart and soul for all of you! Rock on!!

The only way this night could have been better is if a beer was in my right hand and another in my left. Something seems amazing with a beer in each hand. That day will come soon enough! Actually, this night would have been better if I was on the gig with the Army Band. That day will come soon enough as well.

You know, there are a lot of soldiers in BCT here at Fort Jackson. Thousands of them. Unfortunately that made the lines for the port-a-potties a little long - yet in the massive crowd, I saw a good ole Grant Beaman from my unit back in SD.

Today will bring more training and a movie with one of our DS. That should be fun.

I hope all is well back home. Take care!

Peace & love,
Daniel D. Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

BAM! I'm back from the 3 day/2 night camping trip (well, training in the field). It actually turned out to be a 2 day/1 night trip for some reason. Which was nice, because there was a lot less sitting around, and more training!

Training was fun. It was training for different tactics you would actually use in Iraq or somewhere like that. We are all green, but it wasn't bad considering it was all our first time.

The field march there wasn't bad. It was 5-6 miles or so. The last mile or so was a little tough because the sand on the roads was super soft. You know, the sand you just sink in. It was like walking in a big dust storm too (but not too bad). Actually, more like stagnant dust.

So I managed over the camping/field trip to get some wart or big bump on my knee. It huts like a SOB. It doesn't bother me much, only when I kneel on it, so the kneeling shooting position sucks for me.

Now the positive of this darn bump or wart. We did a shit load of push-ups this morning, about muscle failure. Now when you can't do push-ups regularly, you can drop to your knees. Well, my right knee said no, so I did all of my push-ups the way you are supposed to, except towards the end I wasn't breaking 90-degrees with my arms. See, positive in everything. Just have to not focus on the negative and use the flaw, injury, etc. to make you stronger (physically or emotionally).

I cleaned my weapon for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That was time consuming.

Folks, let me tell you how awesome my roommates John, Pat, and Wyatt are. They wrote me the other day and they said when I get home, they will have a jug of peanut butter with a bow-tie ribbon thing AND beer from Great Waters. Heck yes!! Now if that isn't awesome, what is? Oh, I love my roomies...

Well, time to turn in my weapon for the weekend. Ciao!

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Life throws curveballs. Ones that can hit hard. But no matter how hard they come, it is how you react that makes a difference between enjoyable and happy time on earth, or a miserable and sad time. I do my best for the enjoyable time. Life is too short for the latter. Don't let the curveball hit you and dwell on the bruise, move on and let it heal. A bruise will be there no matter what, but if you don't learn to get out of the way next time, you didn't learn much.

*side note: I had not intention for a baseball analogy.

Life is wonderful. In order for it to be wonderful, we must learn from the miserable times. Deal with them, learn from them, and life will seem so much better when you realized you have made it through something tough and realize what we've been through, and realize there is a reason for the "miserable" times. Use those times as times of reflection.

Live. Love. Laugh.

Today is the last day of June!

So, another thing I have noticed about myself. I believe this came from not being able to use a cell phone. I love writing. It is a stress reliever for me. It is so nice to be able to write down how I feel. Not only that, I really think of what I write about. Like the old saying, think before you talk. Since I am not talking, I really think of what I write and make sure it makes sense in my head and that the message is conveyed clearly (I hope). I am hoping in conversation I will better be able to communicate. I also find myself being more open and honest when I write, a trait that is very important in any relationship (friend, family, girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, etc.) Writing is something I want to continue. I don't know how. I will have the school newspaper for awhile. Maybe I can write percussive articles. I think I would like to write more like how I write this blog. Personal thoughts. Humorous, serious, religious, etc. More perspective writing. Not forcing opinions, just showing mine for others to learn from or try or throw out the window.

Maybe I will write a book someday. I don't know what i would write about. It could be nothing but mindless, yet meaningful thoughts I like to ponder on. Maybe something like why humans can feel emotions, but can't explain them in words. Why do we understand when the emotions feel right, but don't when they feel wrong in our minds. A tongue twister for the mind... especially mine, so I probably won't write a book on that.

Books are too long to write, I am more of an article guy. Just get to the point and excitement right away.

I think I am starting to ramble. I have been sitting on my ass most of the day, so me writing this blog letter is killin' time.

I really want to play some rock 'n roll. Like Buddy Holly, Beatles, Ringo, Chuck Berry, etc. Then we can throw some Journey in. And... John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elliott Smith, Miles Davis (fusion era) and Elton John. What a combination of music. Yet, I just want to be on stage at a jazz club, being creative, have no plan, and just follow instincts. That is freedom! COMPLETE FREEDOM. Something that I haven't experienced in awhile. Even if I wasn't at BCT, there is still no freedom like the freedom experienced while playing jazz.

Music in general, but especially jazz, is such an escape from everything it is literally a whole new world. It is like flying with no assistance. Or driving with the windows down in perfect weather with a road that never ends. (Just sit back and enjoy the ride)

Have you ever sad and listened to music, closed your eyes, and just watched or imagined colors being thrown on a canvas in total response to the music? That is beautiful. I enjoy watching painters paint in response to music. It is an awesome thing, but it can be frustrating if you see something totally different in your mind, but it still captures the same energy. The same music affects people very differently.

I think I am going to pick up drawing again. I will enjoy that.

A class has started. Time to go and learn, and rest up. We have a big field march tomorrow, probably 6-7 miles long in the wonderful heat. Great time for reflection! Peace out my friends.

Daniel D. Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

About 5 soldiers and I are having a musical conversation about rap music. This is one of the first conversations where I feel out of place because I don't listen to rap. They drop names and I'm like, "Who?" I kind of want to listen to goochy man & lil' wayne.

Well, as you all know, Michael Jackson passed away. Man, I loved him with the Jackson 5. I need to listen to his solo albums. More on my list to buy.

I was a bit sad to hear of Michal Jackson's passing, since he had a tour in the works, I believe. It would have been cool to see how it would have turned out. R.I.P. Michael, and may your music live on.

Random: movies I want to buy when I get back -

1. Forrest Gump
2. The Graduate
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Any Simpson's Lesson
5. ROCKY!

This weekend for July 4th, we will get to eat pizza, pop & candy. I may have mentioned that in my last blog. I don't remember. But, I believe there is also a concert on July 4th, I wonder who it is?? I want Lynyrd Skynyrd to play for some reason.

Supposedly, today my platoon gets to watch a movie. We will see I guess!

Take it easy, you all! Peace!

Daniel D. Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Disney & AIDS

I am in training right now. It is 1443 hours. This morning everyone in the bay cleaned! I did a bunch of different things, but when I was in the latrine, I thought it was a mini gas chamber. Oh the smell of bleach...

Before that, I had a PT test. Now I was a bit pissed off because I am like 99.9% sure teh DS did not count about 15 or so sit-ups. I counted in my head. I counted by 10's and remember how many times I said 10 in my head. I will admit, I maybe got off count by 10, but I doubt it. I believe I had between 50-55 sit-ups, DS said 35. Oh well. I guess when they see 70 on my last PT test, they will be like:
"DAMN! 100% improvement!"
Where in reality it is 50% improvement. Whatever, let them believe what they want.

A couple of things I've noticed so far:

I'm not sure what to think of this one. Either scary or purely coincidence, DS Hayes and my dad whistle some of exact same "diddies". I don't know if it is a whistle my Dad learned from his DS. If so... weird.

Another thing. Does basic have a link with Disney movies? I have been wanting to watch a couple of movies: The Lion King and Robin Hood. Robin Hood I want to watch because of teh opening song that is whistled (we have an amazingly talented whistler in the platoon, Ben, so I thought of Robin Hood). And The Lion King for the song "Can You Feel teh Love Tonight". If you read previous blogs you will know why. GET THIS! The whistler, Ben, was singing The Little Mermaid. Everwhere I think: DISNEY!! Is this a sign? Yet, Forrest Gump jumps in as well. Actually, I would watch any Tom Hanks movie. That guy is hilarious, but Forrest Gump is at the top.

Okay folks, respond in teh comments box with an answer. Is Heier that weird of a last name? Every cadre says something like, "What the fuck kind of name is that?" It must be the three vowels in a row that gets them. However, I have noticed the farther south and east you live, the more "normal" your last name will be, or easier to pronounce. Sophisticated hicks in teh midwest, we rock!

U.S. ARMY backwards is YMRASU: Yes, Mr. Retarded Ass Signed Up! Some soldier said that and I started bustin' a gut. Oh how I love being in the band.

No one was shot at Advanced Rifle Marksmanship! Hooray for life! Proof that no one person still here is stupid and crazy. Just stupid or crazy.

I just thought of something to say, but I'm not going to say it.

Do you wanna know what it is?

Oh the suspense, I am going to leave it like that.

PEACE & LOVE,
Daniel D. Heier

P.S. During training, a DS asked what the name of some radio meant. ASEP I think is the name of it. Either way, a soldier in training gave the definition of AIDS. So today, we all received hands on training on AIDS. Wow!! Sadly this happens every day for that soldier, but this tops it all. AND - Hi Carey, from Patrick.

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Well, well, well...

It has been awhile since I last wrote a blog. So here is a blog.

Have you ever wondered where the word "blog" came from? The word has a weird natural state, like it should be grouped with booger, or blob (which could be a booger). Just a thought.

So I have finished four weeks of basic. Hooray! This last week we qualified in basic rifle marksmanship. Fun stuff! I managed to make sharpshooter.

It has really started to heat up here in SC. 100+ degrees with over 100% humidity. Now that is freakin' hot.

Other than that, same old stuff as before. Yay!

Don't Stop Believin' because the Wheels in the Sky Keep on Turnin' which the Lights Go Out in the City. And don't plant fruits and veggies in the Octopus's Garden.

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

What a Beautiful Morning!

As it is the middle of the fourth week of basic, I have learned something very important. Rather, I should say, re-learned.

The key to being successful is optimism. NEVER think negative thoughts. For example, my platoon went on a 4-5 mile road march to the range. Not a bad march, but toward the end it was uphill, downhill, etc. All I hear is "this fuckin' sucks", "I don't think I will make it", "I thought PG said only a little longer - she LIED!", etc... now this is coming from someone that probably scored much higher than me on the PT test. I'm like, "Wow, you negative Nancy!"

So the thoughts that went through my head:
- the song, "What a Beautiful Morning!" (not sure of the song title)
- good time for prayer
- think of family and friends
- music, rhythms
- anything positive!!!
It keeps my mind from psyching stuff out.

When we were practicing rifle marksmanship and I am not doing so good after a couple of shots, I think that target is shooting back at me (otherwise I have no reason to shoot back). Then I say something like...

"You little f*cker, you're going down now!" or "Yeah, don't worry, I was just messing with you."

It works! I really don't like the fact that I have those thoughts, but they work for now, and my rifle training is starting to wrap up. I had 10 more shots at a 175 meter target, and I needed to hit six to qualify. I only hit two out of the first six. Yep, I was pissed, said one of those lines, hit the next four with no problem. (these thoughts also keep my form in shape somehow)

Anyway, I always find ways to be positive and get myself through training easy. In times where everyone else is pissed, I am in a good mood. If smiles were allowed, I would also smile.

Time for bed. Good night!

Daniel D. Heier

P.S. I heard something that I thought was impossible: a redneck with a lisp. WOW!! Imagine that, it is tough. And I heard it.

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

So a lot of bickering, fights, yelling, etc. (you know, elementary age bullshit) can go on at basic. Do you wanna know how I deal with it? Especially when fist fights break out? OK... here goes...

Of course we all know & love The Lion King. When a fight or something breaks out, I think of the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", and a big smile comes to my face as people start to beat the shit out of each other.

This week wasn't bad, but a lot of stupid shit went down, resulting in less sleep. Plus, all of the PT - I am definitely tired.

Well, I made 3 runs with the "A" Train. Now I am in the "B" running group. I just am nowhere near a 12 min/30 sec 2-mile.

This coming week, we will have a lot of rifle marksmanship training. That should be a lot of fun, since my marksmanship technique has been adjusted and fixed.

I am pretty sore today. Really sore, actually. Probably because we were smoked all day yesterday. IcyHot has become my #1 friend.

Anyway, I hope all is well back home.

Peace,
Daniel D. Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

All right, white phase of BCT has begun this week. I find something amazing about it. This is the week where I have gotten the least amount of sleep, and the mind games are coming out.

I was a bit worried once over details I can't go into, but it had nothing to do with me, yet everyone could have suffered.

We started Basic Rifle Marksmanship. Once my weapon was zeroed and mixed my technique a bit, my last three rounds were right in the circle, including one of the being dead center.

Hmm, what else... it rains a lot. And when it rains, it pours.

My sickness is almost gone. Yay for that!

Ohh... redneck jokes! Jeff Foxworthy can use these.

You might be a redneck if...
...your voice literally sounds like Goofy, just with the good ole' redneck accent that you can't understand.
...you drive a three-wheeler, get into an accident, literally rip your face off, get back in the three-wheeler and drive home as if nothing happened.
...your wife is disabled from riding a three-wheeler.
...you failed the ASVAB test... (I bet 6-8th graders could pass it!)
...you pronounce the number 3 like "thwee".

more to come.

OH!! I almost forgot. My platoon failed miserably on our company motto from teh switch from red to white phase. So much that First Sergeant changed our mascot from Bulldawgs to Fluffy Poodles. Our team color is also pink.

Drill Sergeant Hyde then had us change our motto and we had to use the melody from "Barbie Girl". Our motto goes like this:

"We're the fluffy poodles/ in a Delta world/ all taped in pink man /yeah this shit's fantastic/ you can stop and stare/ and mock us everywhere/ just know we'll beat you in pugils and combatives"

One fluffy poodle signing off,
Daniel D. Heier

P.S. Other funnies: Drill Sergeant Hyde likes to draw tattoos with sharpies and give nicknames. Blossom got a daisy on *his* cheek. I almost got the Hitler mustache, but I was too sweaty for it to draw on, so I ended up with nothing! Other nicknames: Blossom, Quaf, Dirty Sanchez, Rico, Grandma, and Teabag.

Also, we just had to sing "99 Bottles of Beer on teh Wall". At 4:41 A.M. to be exact. oh, the joys of BCT.

One more thing... the whole redneck numbers...

wun, toooo, thwee, fah, five, six, sevin, ate, nine.

The key to saying these "numbers" like a redneck is stress the vowels! Good practice would be to over-exaggerate the vowels. Sound them out for 2 seconds (of course in a real conversation it would be much less time).

So... recap...

long & stressed vowels is a good start to build your redneck slang. Also start making your voice sound like Goofy... put these together, and you're well on your way to talking like a redneck.

DONE.
Wow... this is a long blog.

Favorite DS Quotes

- "Dumb-dumbs"

- "Hey you crack babies!" and/or "hey you crack heads!"

People are crazy. People are immature. People don't think before they act. People do not pay attention and/or listen to instructions. People are hypocrites. People are power hungry. People want to kill.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are the people that I will get to practice my Basic Rifle Marksmanship with. OH SHIT!! They will have a loaded weapon right beside me. A little scary, yes...

Certain folks really want to kill people. It seems as though those soldiers who want to kill shouldn't be in the military. Why? I believe we protect and serve, and should only kill the "enemy" if absolutely necessary. I don't want to be a battle buddy with someone who simply wants to kill.

Moving on... I am learning a lot about leadership. Mainly the "how not to lead". People have very short tempers and when put into leadership it is their way or the highway, and they don't bother listening to their fellow peers. A leader needs to listen.

A leader needs to lead by example, and if necessary, use words. All I know is leaders in my platoon have been yelling "shut up" or "lock it up", and no one listens to that. In fact, it makes it worse.

So I believe a leader needs to:
- have greater concert for others than his/herself
- lead by example, always do the right thing
- DO NOT let power to go your head
- control anger & temper
- listen to subordinates/peers/elders
- help those in need
- listen!! listen!! listen!!

These are just thought of mine when I wonder why any platoon can't straighten up. It all boils down to leadership. We need better leaders!

Well, well, well... Delta company may switch to white phase!! I hope so because red phase is old...

Much peace & love,
Daniel D. Heier

PFC Heier, Daniel D
D Co, 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Things I Miss

- Friends & family
- Music
- Beer
- Writing songs
- Laughing
- Piano & drums
- Knowing what's going on in the world
- Being able to walk away from stupid people
- Eating out!!

The Gas Chamber!!!!!!!! (evil laugh)

OK folks... today I went through the gas chamber at BCT. Basically it is the same as riot gas (probably the same stuff used at the RNC for those of you that attended). Except, I was in a closed building and the gas was probably 2-3 times more toxic, or harder.

I walked in with the mask on, no big deal, but I could instantly feel my face burn up (only the exposed skin) where I had open pores. Then we broke the seal and said a couple of things, then put the mask on. Then (evil laugh)...

They made us take off the whole mask and open our eyes and breathe. It was tough as hell to get any air in, because it was all gas, but I stayed cool, coughed a little, etc. Then, after 10-15 seconds, we were released outside (huge church choir sings, "AMEN!") My eyes burned, but everything quickly healed. LOL!!

I was just glad I didn't give the DS an excuse to throw me against the wall or make me breathe by physical force.

Man, did my sinuses clear up!! At least for the afternoon. My cold was gone, but now it is back... sad.

I must be allergic to the grass. I broke out in a rash and it constantly is getting bigger. Not good, so I am going to sick call, which sucks, but it must be done. Time to say goodbye to the rash.

Anyway, the gas chamber was all right. I don't want to do it again, but it was better than what I thought!!

until next time, much peace and love, and... write to me if you get a chance. You will help out with my physical training. Each envelope is worth 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups!

Daniel D. Heier


PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Music that is Popular at BASIC TRAINING

*Sponge Bob Square Pants (DS made us sing it)
*The Lion Sleeps Tonight (3rd Platoon males)
*My Girl (2nd Platoon males)
*ARMY SONG
*STOP! In the Name of Love (revised by DS)
version by the Supremes: "STOP! In the naaame of love, before I break your heart."
version by DS: "STOP! In the name of love, before I smoke you ass" (I found it quite amusing)

Songs that have been stuck in my head:
*Hey Jude (Beatles), Liverpool 8 (Ringo), Just Like Starting Over (Lennon), The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King), For Love (Ringo), Kokomo (The Beach Boys), Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles)
*Last but not least, the cluster chord of Drill Sergeants' voices! (John Cage would probably love it!)

OK, so there are a few music nerds in my platoon. So, we all sang Giant Steps (Coltrane) in the shower. Yes, I 8 people have to shower at the same time...


*Cadences
- They aren't great and no one starts the phrase on the downbeat. You step off with your left foot, so naturally, I think Beat 1 = left foot. I go crazy.
- Also, when people mark time, they speed up ridiculously fast... once again, I go crazy.
- One cadence had a descending melodic minor scale. It reminded me of "Hit the Road Jack". (What I do to amuse my brain)

I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY REAL MUSIC!!!!! AND LISTEN TO REAL MUSIC!!!!!

Peace & love,
Daniel D. Heier

WRITE ME LETTERS!

PFC Heier, Daniel D.
D Co. 3rd PLT
3rd Bn, 13th Inf Regt
5385 Jackson Blvd USABCTCoE
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-6110

Tidbit

Word of advice to those that may go to basic training: don't be the idiot who challenges a drill sergeant to a fight! YES, it happened and the drill sergeant will make sure he gets plenty of attention!

Thoughts & Happenings at Basic Combat Training

1. People in my platoon/company act like 4-year-olds. So.. to me, basic would not be that hard. (nor do I think it is tough really). But this could be an enjoyable hard-working experience rather than a miserable hard-working experience. These kids are babies. What is so freakin' hard about standing at attention and keeping your mouth shut?

2. I am pretty got at not being noticed. The drill sergeants don't remember my name yet, nor have I found one that can pronounce it correctly. I am going to keep it like that too!

3. Today my platoon really got "smoked". Let's just say it looked like I stood in the rain, oh no, it was sweat... pretty gross... that is what happens when others don't listen. We did "motivators" (basically jumping up and down non-stop forever), the 8 count push-ups, squat while holding our weapon, and some exercise where we lay on our backs and act like we ride a bicycle. There was a lot more, it went on for like 2 hours.

4. OK, good thing about getting smoked, it well help greatly with my PT tests.

5. Funny quote the drill sergeant told us at the sexual harassment briefing.
scenario: idiot soldiers acting up (probably like my platoon). Female drill sergeant gets mad and yells: "YOU BETTER KNOCK IT OFF BEFORE I F*CK YOU!!" Male drill sergeant walks in and says (for her safety) "She meant, F*CK YOU UP!!"
Haha.

6. The food is surprisingly good.

7. Everyone is sick, and now I am getting sick.

8. The first phase will be really long at basic if my platoon continues to learn the "hard way".

9. I miss music. I heard a little of Led Zeppelin and absolutely loved the five seconds I heard at processing.

10. No one in my platoon should be allowed to eat sweets. The result goes something like this:
Constant running in place, push-ups, rollovers, and any goofy exercise to be created. Oh yeah, in a huge sand lot (similar to a beach) that is probably 3 volleyball fields long, right after a major downpour. Then we "got" to low crawl in wet sand, with a heavy sandbag, down and back. oh yeah. I got the elbows to prove it.

On a shorter note: basic is fine, it is just getting the non-disciplined to learn discipline.

Tidbits

- My Drill Sergeant is freaking hilarious. Not in a bad way. This guy could do stand up comedy. Seriously...

"You call that rain!? That is simply the wind blowing water off the clouds!"

Okay, you had to be there. But this guy will take an hour asking us questions about processing. Of that hour maybe 20 minutes of it is questions, the rest is like Bill Cosby. We were all laughing our faces off. I will try to not do that at Basic.

I have seen Grant Beaman a couple of times. He goes off to Basic on Monday (May 18). Wish us well!

- I supposedly go to Basic on Thursday (May 21).

- I recited the Soldier's Creed by memory in front of the Drill Sergeant. HOOAH!!

- Drill Sergeants are hilarious when they intimidate you. But I never laugh, however. I bite my tongue.

- My platoon and one other was told that we are half disciplined before, we went to basic! HOOAH!!

So... Processing is almost exactly like RSP (Recruit Sustainment Drill), just with a lot more standing and waiting. We had to buy some new running shoes, and it would normally take 2-3 days to break in my new shoes, oh not at processing, though. Try 2-3 hours. I believe between 4:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M., I sat for maybe one hour, otherwise I stood, marched, or did push ups. My stamina has definitely increased. We haven't been running yet, so I am curious to see how fast I can run a mile. Last time was 7 minutes and 8 seconds.

Tomorrow (Sunday, May 17), I will get to sleep in until 4:45 A.M.!! And... no fireguard, so I will sleep for nearly 8 hours... supposedly. Anything can happen. Things are going well! Next week I will be starting basic - then I will send you all my address.

Peace & love!

Greetings friends,

Wednesday the 13th of May, we (8 soldiers from SD) boarded a plane to the Windy City. Of course our flight was delayed due to weather in Chicago, therefore missing our flight to Columbia, SC, but we boarded the 7:30 P.M. flight, which turned out to be almost 9:00. We probably arrived to the processing station at Ft. Jackson around midnight. Due to everything that needs to be done, we did not sleep at all. But we are all holding up fine. All I can say about processing is if you don't have patience coming in, you will.

We are all studying our Smartbooks while we wait. Every once in a while a song pops into my head, which is nice. So far, songs of choice are "Octopus's Garden", "Fine Line", "Final Countdown", and last but not least, "Imagine". As I write this, Ringo's "Liverpool 8" is in my mind.

The weather down here is very nice thus far. Hope all is well back home. More updates to come!

Peacce & Love,
Daniel D. Heier

My Summer 2009 Blog

Hi Friends!

I created this blog in order to keep you up to date with my summer adventures. As you know (or don't know) I am a member of the 147th Army Band based in Mitchell, SD. This summer I am going to basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and then AIT training in Norfolk, Virginia.

With a little help from my friend Aubrey, I will be writing "blog" letters for them to posted on this very blog. This way I can do my best to keep you all up to date with whats going on in my life and my progress.

As soon as I find out what my address is, I will have it posted on my blog and if you would like to, write me! I will deeply appreciate it. I will most likely be my best/only way of communication. Besides, it is time to bring back snail mail. Honestly, what is better than receiving a hand written letter. I enjoy it!

Peace & Love,

Daniel