It never seems to end...

We went to the chow hall after the EGA Ceremony for a Warrior's Breakfast.  Since we arrived here on June 16th, we've eaten what we got and we've eaten fast.  Today is different.  Today we got to eat as much as we wanted and take as long as we wanted.  It might have been the best meal I've ever had.  SSgt Askew came over and sat with us and laughed.  I asked why he was laughing and he said because he knew we were well trained and then he asked us how he knew.  He then said because we didn't even realize that we were all sitting straight up, heels together, left hand on left knee and right hand shoveling food.  He was right, it had just become second nature.  I felt 6'2 and bulletproof.  It's hard to explain, I just had this sense that no matter what happens in the future I knew I could handle it because I made it through this.  An added bonus this morning was that I got to meet Capt Dale Dye.  He apparently comes to the Warrior Breakfast whenever he's in town to congratulate the new Marines.  

After breakfast we need to begin the preparation to graduate and leave the Island.  It starts right away.  We get back to the squad bay and it is time to clean the rifles which are filthy.  Everyone is exhausted from the 54 hour grind of the Crucible.  The Heavy brings out a solvent in ammo cans to clean the bolt carrier groups.   He tells us that this is how we'll do this from now on.  So we spent hours scrubbing our rifles and never really getting the grime off and there is far easier way to do it.  I wish I could say I'm shocked but it's all just par for the course.  After we clean the rifles, we bigin breaking down the squad bay.  We end the day prepping our uniforms.  When it is finally time to sleep, everyone just passes out.

On Sunday, I decided to go to church.  I haven't gone to church since I've been here.  I didn't particularly care for the guys who "found Jesus" while we were here.  These guys quoted the "yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" lines a little too often for my taste.  I think going to war will be a lot closer to the valley of the shadow of death than boot camp.  Besides, Sunday morning was the only time we had all week to just read letters or write letters, so I took advantage of it.  Considering all of this I found church moving on this Sunday.  I honestly felt the presence of something greater than myself that morning.  I don't know if it was the comradeship of the other Marines, the sense of accomplishment, the relief, God's holy spirit touching me...  I don't know.  I just know that I tears flowed from my eyes and I wasn't sad. 

After church, we gave our rifles a quick cleaning and that's when all Hell broke loose.  Private Blyce (no longer Recruit Blyce) lost his bolt carrier group.  That means he lost the bolt, the cam pin, the firing pin and the bolt carrier.  That means his rifle will not work.  What it also means is that he can't turn his weapon in.  When the Heavy questioned him, he said he didn't know what happened to it.  This guy is literally the gift that keeps on giving.  He left the bolt carrier group in the solvent.  So that was easy enough to find.  Unfortunately for Blyce, he wasn't smart enough to just put his firing pin, cam pin and bolt in his pocket till he found it.  Instead he put the loose pieces into his rifle which fell out. We have swept and cleaned the squad bay twice in the time between cleanings.  The Heavy wanted an explanation.  Blyce who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, couldn't give him one.  First he kept saying "This recruit doesn't know, Sir!"  We are Marines now and can say I and Drill Instructors are enlisted so you don't call them Sir!  When the Heavy screamed this at him, Blyce attempted to correct himself by saying "This Marine doesn't know, Sir!"  The Heavy responded to this by sending Blyce flying six feet through the air after an open palm thrust to the chest.  When Blyce got up the Heavy was on top of him and struck him again.  All the while the Heavy yelled "I'M NOT GOING TO JAIL BECAUSE YOU LOST YOUR WEAPON!!! BUT I WILL GO TO JAIL FOR KILLING YOUR DUMB ASS!!!" It never seems to end around here...