Chaplain Mark Olson: Week 3 - Days 2-5 (Tuesday

What a week it has been! I am tired, sore, broken down, and loving it. If I had to use just one word to describe this week, it would be the word "comradery". There is nothing like sweating together, smelling together, struggling together, and sitting around and doing nothing together hour after hour, to bring a group of soldiers together into one unit. Here are just a few of the pictures from this week.

We put into practice what we learned on Monday in the classroom. We were given grid coordinates and a map. We had to plot a course on the map and find the exact location of that grid coordinate.

Here is our team after we found our first check point.

On our second day, we received instruction about IEDs and convoy operations. in this picture, Sgt. Loftin and Chaplain Crisp react after there vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. It was good to see this simulation and to get an idea of how to react when attacked.

In between activities we enjoyed MREs (meals ready to eat). There not as bad as they once were, but I am glad to be back to regular food again.

Chaplain Palmer shares from the Word of God in a demonstration of performing a field service.

Chaplains Crisp, Austin, and Palmer administer Communion to the troops.

Toward the end of our second day out, we were marching down a dirt road and I decided to just hold my camera up over my head and shoot a picture backwards over my head. What I expected to see when I looked at the picture was a group of tired and worn out soldiers, but what I saw instead was a bunch of crazy guys taking advantage of a photo opportunity.

My team here successfully performs land navigation at night.

Do I look tired? I was. We arrived back at camp the night before at midnight and were back up at 4:00 am. At the time of this picture, it was almost seven and we were preparing to move out for more training.

Here is my "battle buddy" Lt. Phipps. He is a great guy and will one day make a great chaplain.

Here is what we did most of the third day. It is call the "Hurry up and Wait" formation. I am now able to sleep anywhere at any time.

Leaning to high crawl, low crawl, and back crawl.

Practicing simulated movements under fire. The man leading is playing the part of the Chaplain's assistant, and the one following is the chaplain. Only the assistant is allowed to carry a gun, so the Chaplain has to stay close behind him.