The End of the Adventure

This is it! The final week at COT...the end of this particular adventure. Monday was rather unremarkable. We had our last PT session, which consisted of a 35-minute easy run. With 330 people all on the track at once, it was rather ridiculous. Also, we had our second parade practice, the first having been on Friday. Since I was among the masses, it was pretty easy: just stand still for most of the ceremony, and then follow instructions for the rest. Basically, we did a few rounds of saluting, marched in a big circle to show off our stuff to the crowd, and said the Oath of Office once more to reaffirm our commission and commitment. Easy stuff. Very warm in the Alabama sun. Our shiny black shoes particularly soaked up the sun -- it felt like my feet were in an oven.

On Tuesday, we had our second round of LRC. By then, my flightmates had recognized that I enjoy and am pretty good at climbing all over things, so I often was given the role of "scout" or something similar. I'd get to climb or be hoisted up a wall or pole or rope or whatever it was so I could scope out the rest of the obstacle and try traversing it alone. It was fun! It also led to some very strangely placed bruises. Before each obstacle, we Sidewinders decided to be extra cool and standardize our Camelbaks in Sidewinder style: we arranged them into the letter S. It looked spectacular. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it, so just imagine 16 black backpacks arranged on white gravel into a giant S. Impressive.

Later that night was the Dining In, which is a huge tradition in the military. We had a "Combat" Dining In, so we all wore ABUs for our last time. We saw this as an opportunity to roll up our sleeves and get Sidewinder (Sharpie) tattoos again, and this time, even Capt Raley participated! Throughout the night, we were all careful not to break any rules of the mess for fear of the grog bowl, a toilet bowl filled with very alcoholic punch. That wasn't the bad part about it, though; the scary part was the thought of performing all of the procedures required for anyone sent to the bowl. If I remember correctly, it involved at least 4 about-faces, addressing the president and the mess, and turning the cup upside-down over your head to prove the drink was gone. It was particularly fun to see some of the flight commanders being sent up there for various "offenses." Another highlight of the evening was watching a game of crud, which is essentially full-body-contact pool. I'd like to try it sometime!

A spectacular show of Sidewinder spirit

The next morning, we got to sleep in until 0630! Unfortunately, by that point, we were all accustomed to waking up at 0440, so I kept waking up between 0500 and 0630 because I kept having dreams that we were late. Some of my other flightmates said the same thing happened to them. Yet more evidence that they train you the way they need you to be trained. Wednesday was the day of our individual evaluations with the flight commander, so for much of the day we just sat around in the flight room, patiently waiting our turns. Some people were smart and brought cards, so we were able to start up a few games of Euchre. It was also prime time for my fellow card-playing flightmates to make fun of my Minnesotan accent. They refused to believe that mine is actually very, very little compared to many of the people I know at home, so they teased me relentlessly.

Other flightmates found alternate ways to keep occupied.

That night was our flight dinner. All of us, including Capt Raley, were able to dress in civilian clothes and meet at an Italian restaurant in Montgomery. Some of the guys thought it would be funny to tell the waiters that it was Capt Raley's birthday. She did an excellent job at playing along when the free cake arrived; she even cooperated and graced us with a speech saying how sincerely "pleased" and "honored" she was to be spending her "23rd birthday" with all of us.

Thursday was the beginning of the end. We had to go through a lot of the final outprocessing that day, which was an interesting (and, of course, hilarious) experience because it meant Capt Raley had to come to the dorm. As she moved from room to room, each pair of roommates would enthusiastically call the room to attention. She would shake her head and maybe make some sarcastic remark and then continue on with her briefing as if we weren't behaving completely ridiculously. By the time she came to my and Lt Luu's room, the last room, at least 6 other Sidewinders had hidden themselves in preparation for her entrance. When she stepped over the threshhold, we all stood and shouted, "ROOM TENCH HUT!" It was spectacular, full of oomph. Later, we lined up in the hallway to call the hall to attention when she exited a different room. It was impressive to hear immediately back-to-back, "ROOM TENCH HUT!" "HALL TENCH HUT!" Ridiculous? Yes. Fun? Undoubtedly.

Stalking the hallway, waiting for Capt Raley to emerge...

That afternoon was the awards ceremony, which was essentially the graduation ceremony. There was a great slideshow of some of the best pictures from all of COT. That was probably the highlight. Also, awards were given to top performers in athletics, academics, and overall. Additionally, the top 10% of the class received Distinguished Graduate certificates from Col Koch; my roommate and I each received this honor and were able to go up on stage and shake the colonel's hand, which was pretty exciting. Afterwards, back at the flight room, we all received graduation certificates from Capt Raley. She even did a mock ceremony for those who demanded some pomp and circumstance. The most exciting part for me was receiving our Air Force RMOs, which are totally awesome.

Getting a certificate is fun!

Friday morning was the final bit of graduation, the parade. At first it looked like the weather would not cooperate, but after a brief downpour, things cleared up enough for the parade to go on. The field may have been a little soggy, but we were still able to march and look sharp for all the guests that had come.

Griffin 2 Squadron stays in step...

...says the Oath of Office...

...and celebrates being officers.

One last chance to say goodbye to friends...

One last chance to be among Sidewinders...

And one last chance to show the Falcons who's boss.

And that was the end of COT. Three flights later, I was back in Rochester, away from all of the friends and memories I had made in Alabama. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I was really blessed to make so many good friends; it truly did feel like a family. I know the Air Force was the right decision for me; now I just have to get through 4 years of medical school. Speaking of which, tomorrow is the day I leave to begin the trip to New York. With any luck, I will be all moved into my new apartment in the Bronx on Saturday. Big Apple, here I come!