A Bittersweet Week

Week six has come and gone which means only 10 more weeks to go.

Our class was commended for a great job we did on this morning's long run. We started off running single file through the dry sandy washes at the foot of the mountain. It was mostly level but quite strenous since the sand was deep and soft (If you've ever tried running through the sandy part of a beach you'll know what I'm talking about). Then we lined up in four columns and ascended a steep paved road up the mountain. I guess the total distance was about 5 or 6 miles but the steep incline made it especially difficult. Although there were a few recruits that lagged behind the main group, our class as a whole did very well. We finished with some more trail running and a battery of pushups, leg lifts, and situps. Our sergeant complimented us on the effort and excused us from morning inspection for the third time this week.

On a sad note, we lost another recruit today for an academy rule violation. I don't know what the details are but rumor has it that it involved an accusation of inappropriate behavior or harassment with another recruit. The guy was dismissed in the middle of class and most of us were upset to see him go. He was known as the class joker but was truly a good guy and was among the top performers academically and physically. He had received his share of discipline but was making good progress on becoming more mature and serious about the academy. He was well liked by our instructors and by the class. I don't know exactly what the situation was and am not in a position to second-guess the sergeant's decison but I'll miss him and hope he'll be able to get back on his feet.

That brings our class total to 42. According to the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams, the number 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of the meaning of life (the difficulty in understanding this answer is that nobody knows what the actual question is). I'm hoping this number will be the final number of recruits in our class to graduate since it's becoming more difficult to cope the loss of each classmate.