Fort Jackson Summer Camp June, 2007

Last year I went to Fort Jackson for JCLC Carolina. It's a camp that I was able to attend through the Junior ROTC program at my school. I had so much fun there and did really well in the competitions, so my instructors decided I should go again this year. I will be leaving on June 16th and will be there until the 20th. This year I will come back with many pictures and stories. Here's what I brought back from last year's experiences.

The following are the actual journal entries I kept with the exception of the italicized print in parentheses which were added later as my commentary.

Day 1, Monday June 11:

We showed up at camp before most other schools. our cabin was open but we didn't know it so we sat outside for like 5 hours. when we went in, i unpacked some of my stuff and ppl continuously got moved around. i thankfully stayed at the bed and locker i started with. i met a few ppl. got Fire Watch and Clean up lists together and then had to redo them three times b/c the STUPID chaperone didn't know what to do. omg. so gay. read my bible. took a cold shower at 10 pm-lights out. and did fire watch for an hour and a half.(basically all you do is pace back and forth in the barracks w/ a flash light) then passed out. -Byrd

Day 2, Tuesday June 12:

We're getting fussed at by the "chaperones". This is all BS. W/e. Today i did the wall repel. twice. It was pretty cool. (i started out wrong both times and ended up hitting the wall at the top the first time and flipping upside down 30sumthin feet in the air the second time and got up, well, i was parallel to the ground, and repelled down like a pro the rest of the way) Then I did this 10 Station thing answering all kinds of questions and stuff. I think I did pretty good.(it tested a lot of military knowledge) Then we hiked all the way back and ate lunch.(it was the longest walk i have ever taken. and after lunch we had to go all the way back) I called so many cadences. :) I had to carry the flag a couple of times. (the "guide-arms-bearer" who i called flag boy, disappeared for a little while and i grabbed the flag because we had to have someone carry it.) Next- Land Nav. I did compass. We did everything perfect, but we didn't have our directions.(i used the compass in a group of 4. one guy went up ahead to scout for any markers, points we were supposed to find and two people trailed behind counting steps. we went exactly where we were supposed to go but our first point did not have any directions for our group so we used another group's directions and it led us straight to the exit) Me and Poteat have gotten a lot closer now.(My, shall we say, interest while at camp. he seemed to like me as well.) I met Logan and Will.(Logan had been in a leadership position the day before so i had seen him around adn i had heard of will through Poteat.) I saw some Airport ppl too. (they were in the other company so i almost never got to see them)We also did a couple different tests.( i did very well :))Me and Poteat sat by each other at this Math and Science thing.(we made one sided pieces of paper and battery powered cars. tipper adn Poteat had the fastest car there and me and my partner dude had a retarded spastic car that merely twitched and wouldn't go anywhere) I know things wont work out-NC- but I'm worrying anyway.(Poteat's from a school in NC) Magan and Kristina were flirting w/ him i think.(2 of the girls in my cabin) But what about Aaron?( a guy i kinda like(d) that goes to my school) I might get my hair done tomorrow. :)( a lot of the black girls were doing other girls hair and i wanted mine done so it wouldn't keep going in my face) -Byrd

Day 3, Wednesday June 13:

We were supposed to go to sleep at 9 and its after 10.(while i was writing this obviously)We picked Drill Team members this morning. We wont do well because we don't know what we're gonna do. I got to call cadences. again.We fired a simulation like i did before.(I did that once before at the front of ft Jackson) I did pretty good. Poteat and Magan seemed to hang around each other a lot. I got jealous. We did like video game shooting. I drove a hummer thing and killed Poteat more than once.(in the game obviously) :) and didn't know it was him until after the game was over and we had gone outside. Got a little sunburned.(it looked like blush) Did the biathlon. (where you have to run and then do marksmanship. 3 stations, 5 rounds at each station and 3 targets. biggest about size of baseball worth 1 pt for hitting it, middle target size of 50 cent piece 3pts for hitting, and small target size of a quarter 5 pts.) I had some asthma problems but I was alright. I did really good. my score was 30 total. 5pts(station 1), 14pts(station 2), 11pts(station 3). Top score I heard was 55. I took 30 minutes though. We ate and then went canoeing. Me and Poteat were selected to be the demonstrators. it was fun. and funny.:)I asked him if he and Magan were talking. He didn't know what I meant. He says he kinda does like her. She is pretty. At supper, right after drill, Magan said she doesn't like him like that. She wants me to tell him i like him. NO WAY!! Zach Scheper had a seizure yesterday.(While i was writing i realized that i didn't record that the day before so i stuck it in there randomly. as i tend to things. i had just gotten down off of the repel tower for the second time and was walking away when i heard a man yell from behind me. i turned around and saw a boy having a seizure. i stepped closer to see who it was and found out it was Zach. the only other person from BCHS in my grade. everyone else was a year below us. the adults sent the kids away from the area and towards the bleachers. 1SGt Mitchell asked if anyone knew the kid and if anyone went to his school. i told him i did so he called me over there by Zach while the medics were taking care of him and i had to answer all these questions. when we were through and they loaded Zach into the ambulance, i went to walk away and i started having an asthma attack. thankfully i had my inhaler. that was only the third time in my life I've had an asthma attack when i wasn't running.)Oh, canoe, we had a race and me and Poteat would have won, but I burned myself out at practice. (we came in third)On the way back from canoeing, I tripped and stumbled so much! (I later found bruises everywhere) Poteat let me have some of his water because mine was empty. Back at the barracks at night i was reading my Bible and a girl wanted to read w/ me. we ended up praying with Jazmine(my friend in the top bunk next to me.)Then I prayed w/ a group of about 10. wow. I got to use a phone to call my daddy today. and i think were doing ropes course tomorrow. I miss Poteat. Met Etta and April and played w/ my poof ball pillow w/ Jazmine. :) -Byrd

Day 4, Thursday June 14:

Supposed to be company 1SGt. Brittany Glover got it. I missed board meeting.(i was selected for it which says a lot. the board meeting is the only way you could become an honor cadet and even have a high rank in the battalion. I didn't know i was selected to go until the next morning when the meeting was already over and they already had their ppl.) Am up for Iron Woman tomorrow.... go figure. Did high ropes.( so awesome. climb up a wooden pole by the staples sticking out. go across a rope bridge. then you have a cable above you and one beneath your feet. go across that and you come to a cable under your feet and ropes hanging down that you have to reach out to. next you walk across a pole. then its the most fun part. the zip line.)Got pep talked by Magan.(she kept telling me to tell Poteat that i liked him and i tried to tell her he liked her not me.) Ate. Got told not to tell him.(she talked to him at chow and he said he wouldn't try to start a relationship w/ n e 1 at camp because it wouldn't work, long distance) Did leadership challenge. (We were awesome)1st Squad.(I yelled 'what squad are we?' and they answered "first squad" over and over :)) Teamwork. ( hands in. 1-2-3- TEAMWORK!)We cool.(everyone got a nickname: Spiderman, Goldilocks, Spotter Boy, Flag Boy, Teddy Bear, Big Boy, Cap, Flag Boy, Crackhead, Pretty Boy, and Brookland Cayce-me.) Ate. Talked w/ 1SGt Mitchell at chow. Did drill.(it was so-so) Got stressed. Cried. Went to nurse.(Leila from airport was there and she hugged me and i cried on her shoulder. She so has cool points.) -Byrd

Day 5, Friday June 15:

Woke up. Formed up. Did drill practice.(once again, still so-so) ate. Drill Competition.(we messed up so bad) changed(into pt uniform). hung out w/ Magan. Did Iron Woman: 4 push-ups, 26 sit-ups, 9:00 on mile run.(minute faster than ive ever done. it rained when we lined up on the starting line. I never stopped and never walked. i got my breathing under control while running. never been able to do that before.) Came in last overall. but gave it my all.(everybody was cheering for me when i crossed that finish line) Didnt get an award at awards ceremony. I got first place in knockout in front of almost whole camp.(some ppl ,including Poteat and my friend Lexis, were doing water balloon toss outside.) At the end, ppl w/ talents went up.(i wanted to go up there. i sing. i went up. i didn't know what song. when i picked my song, i asked the Major in charge if i could go last and that it was important. he said yeah and b4 i went he told every body to form up. he anounced taht a young lady wanted to sing the national anthem.) I sang Star Spangled Banner In FRONT of EVERYBODY.( my first solo ever. I've always wanted to sing teh national anthem to a crowd.) I love this camp. EVERYBODY was cheering so loudly!(all night and even the next day ppl were telling me how good it was. it was a tear jerker for me.) -Byrd

Day 6, Saturday June 16:

At 3:17 in the morning, SGt Bennet woke all the girls on my side of the barricks up because one girl stopped fire watch early. we were all yelled at and threatened and i had fire watch at 4:30 til 5:30. i also had to do clean up. adn have all of my stuff packed and on the bus before formation which i had to be in by 5:55. so every time i walked by my locker i would change an article of clothing or pack sumthing so i wouldnt get in trouble for not doing fire watch. after clean up i got a bunch of ppls numbers and email addresses. then we had to go do graduation. i could see my dad from where i was standing. after we marched off teh field, i gave so many hugs to all teh other cadets that i knew i would soon be missing so much. i had everything about camp stuck in my head the rest of the day adn into the night. marching cadences, etc. i was on the phone w/ James until like 11:30 when we were both getting really tired so we called it a night. -Byrd