Field Training - Chap school week 6

After the academic first four weeks of Chaplain school, we began phase II, preparation for RMTEX -- four days of field training to get us ready to serve with Marines. We said goodbye to two Chaplain Candidates and welcomed three Rabbis. We were issued packs, camping equipment and a gas mask.

On Monday, October 28th we headed to another part of Fort Jackson in the forest. We setup our bivouac (camping site). There was a warehouse, which we didn’t use much, we set up a command tent and 15 two-person tents. We had one porta-potty for all the guys, and Ms. Short had one all to herself. :)  We also setup a male hygiene area for shaving, brushing teeth, changing and the liberal use of baby wipes (no showers in the field!)

Home sweet Home for 4 days

MREs - we ate pre-packaged "Meals Ready to Eat." My favorite was Maple Sausage, which came with coffee, peanut butter and crackers and of course the water activated heater element!

Obstacles to Overcome

The first three days, we engaged in various team building events and Confidence courses. Here's some pics...

The first morning, we had a series of obstacles that we had to figure out and conquer as a team.

 

This one we had to climb a straight wall using a board and then lower teammates to a "bridge." We could touch any of the white parts and had to use wooden boards to make the bridge span. Also the black rubber around it was like "hot lava" -- you touch you die!

 

 

Here's Jamil again trying to reach a pillar with a board in the next challenge.

 

 

Here's Jason and Rabbi Baumann in an interfaith board hugging committee, I think :)

 

 

In this scenario, using wood boards and balance, we had to get everyone plus the injured "Corporal Green" from one side to the other over the two framed obstacles....without touching any white parts!

 

 

Next we had some training on how to use our IFAKs (Individual First Aid Kits) in a battle situation. After being shown how to use it, a team of four entered a simulated battle space to locate, pull to safety and apply first aid to a mannequin whose legs were blown off. 

 

 

Here is our bad ass Gunny!

 

 

 

I think it was the second day, we arrived at this structure. It was a 35 foot high series of (slippery) wooden beams that we had to climb up...

 

...and then flip ourselves over...

 

and climb back down!

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Later, we climbed up a tower and then climbed down underneath a rope.

 

Here was a race. Inclined rope climb up an obstacle and down a rope on the other side. I got some serious rope burn on this one!

Maruszewski and Hoeppel go head to head!

 

 

Nice face, Ryan!

Fisher and Commander Moore race!

One of the events was called the "5 Walls." we were split into teams of 4. Our task was to get our team over 5 walls. The first wall most people were able to climb over. The second wall was harder. by the third wall the team had to start planning how to get everyone over. Two people would be helped up and sit on top of the wall to pull people over.

Holly gets a little boost from teammates

Orthodox priest Father Chris and Ryan Krause prepare to pull a teammate up the wall. 

Dave and Francisco help up Tony

Some used ropes to get over the higher walls

 

Ryan Krause gets a step up.

Rabbi Cosmov walking up the last wall!

 



 

 Other obstacles were like being at a playground...

This one we had to rope climb over a wall...

 

 

...then climb across a metal pole to a rope and climb down.

 

\

 

This one was easy...

 

We then wiggled under barbed wire in a sand pit

 

 

Here's Jon aka Zeus (my roommate from ODS) hurdling over obstacles followed by Jamil (my roommate from Chap school)

 

This next one looked easy...

 

We had to swing on a rope and land on top of a wooden beam without falling off....

 

And then....the "Weaver!"

 

 

Oh boy. This one we had to climb over one beam, and underneath the next and then over the next all the way up and all the way down....

 

 

Day 3 -- Repel Tower! 

Before sunrise we headed to the repel tower. We ate some MREs for breakfast and waited for the sun. Then we were instructed to tie on a "Swiss Seat" rope harness. We trained briefly to repel down a small inclined wall.

 

 

 

Then, we climbed up the 40 foot repel tower! 

 

 

First we were clipped in and had to lean over an Say "Repel on Lane 4", to which our belay replied "Belay on Lane 4"

 

Then we climbed over the edge onto a ledge and had to lower ourselves into a "sit" position with our legs perpendicular to the wall. It was scary the first time.

 

Then the idea was to push off the wall as you release the brake hand and hop down the wall.  Very cool. I repelled three times.

 

Next we headed to some rope obstacles,  Climb a rope bridge...

 

 

..head first climb on TOP of a rope...

 

...unless off course you can't stay on top....

 

Rabbi "KB" Kaiserblueth making it look easy!

 

After the "two rope bridge" we had to climb down a 40 foot cargo net.

 




The Rabbis prayed hard for us that day! 

  

After a lovely afternoon in the gas chamber we got to meet a marine General Simmons, who gave us a talk about what he needs from a chaplain.

 

Day 4 - Land Navigation

 

The last day was a day of land navigation. We were given a map and coordinates and had to plot the points and calculate azimuth (angle) and distance to travel to each point. My team found 4 of 5 points after walking 9 miles. We packed up camp and got our 60-70 lb packs ready for the evening "hump" home from the Night Nav site.

 

In the evening, after a shared MRE dinner, we did Night Navigation. We had to maintain "light and noise discipline" -- limited use of flash lights with red lens and virtually no conversation. The target coordinates were a lot closer but it was night. It was amazing how well you can see at night once your eyes get used to it. My team located all five points after about 4 miles of walking. We used the "fire roads" to our advantage which made it easier.

 

After all teams reported back we donned our large packs with our "assault" packs (little day packs) and marched 2.5 miles back to base camp. It was a grueling end to a 17 hour day. The amazing thing was that we all made it back. I would have bet that many of us would have fallen out and not be able to go any further after a mile. But working together and encouraging each other, we were able to keep going. As the Gunny said, "The mind will fail before the body does."

 

 

--- Next blog -- will be about the end of Chap school and my cross country trip! Stay tuned! ---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start of Chaplain School

I left ODS in Newport and drove down to New Jersey. I got to spend a couple hours with Kelly and my new niece, Morgan Grace. I stayed over in Toms River and headed toward South Carolina the next day.  I stayed in a hotel in Emporia, Virginia close to North Carolina.The next morning was Sunday, so I went to mass at St. John the Baptist, in Roanoke Rapids, NC. It was a nice, little Church. There were maybe 150 people in church. I saw a couple ushers at the doors as I walked up. I noticed they were Knights of Columbus, so I introduced myself (dressed in slacks and a polo shirt) and asked to see the priest. The Knights brought me to the sacristy where Fr. Pius grabbed my hand and welcomed me in. He was from Africa and had been the pastor there for four years. I asked to concelebrate and went out to the altar with Father. I noticed how happy the people were to see their priest; he had been on vacation a couple weeks. It was nice to see a small, tight-knit Catholic community (since we have mostly very big parishes in New Jersey). I concelebrated mass and helped distribute communion. Fr. Pius gave a good homily and asked me to say some words at the end of mass. I told the people a little about me being in training to be a Navy Chaplain and encouraged them to listen to where Good Shepherd was leading them.

After mass, I drove down to Fort Jackson. It is a huge base, with a department store, food store, golf course, and a number of lakes. My class of chaplains is housed at Jack’s Inn, a set of on base apartments. They are nice:  two bedrooms, little kitchen, little dining room, porch and living room. It has internet and a nice flat screen TV. I signed up for a free month of Netflix. Oh yeah.

We all arrived okay and got situated. We were a bit anxious since Marine Gunnery Sergeant Morton [who was to lead our class and PT] was totally intimidating. However, when we arrived at class, the Class Officer, Lieutenant Commander Moore, and Gunnery Sergeant may it clear that they would be treating us like adults. It was quite a refreshing change from ODS.

Classwork and Physical Training (PT)

The first few weeks of Chaplain School are very academic. We PT at 0530 usually three times a week and most of us do additional PT. The Gunnery Sergeant seems to enjoyed “massacring” us at PT. We started Intro to “GunneyFit” during the second week. He enjoys CrossFit type workouts. My heel started hurting more and more, so I went to medical and the doc put me on limited duty – no running or jumping – for 10 days. I also was put on Anti-inflammatories. This stunk since I had to work out separately.

I did do abs this past Friday. We warmed up and then were tasked to do as many rounds we could of:

• 30 second planks
• 30 second each side planks
• 20 flutter kicks
• 20 jack knifes - laying down and lifting legs and upper body straight up
• 10 push jacks – like a push up, but in the middle you spread your legs and bring them back to center.
• 20 planks with side crunches - bring one leg at a time up to your armpit
• 20 side twists – on the ground , legs up, torso at 45 degrees, arms in front, rotate twisting side to side
• 20 russian prayers – on the ground, torso at 45 degrees, hands folded in prayer while you kick your legs out almost like bicycles
• 20 leg lifts
• Two point planks 15 seconds each side – front plank but lift one arm and opposite leg off the ground.

I did 2 rounds and then a third round dropping each number by 5 (so 25 sec planks). The Gunny brought out ammo cans that some people used in some of these exercises like jack knifes and then ran down to the edge of the field with the ammo cans and back up hill. Some of these chaplains are nuts (very fit).

Our Daily Schedule

After PT, we go to the schoolhouse for worship at 0730. We have different “labs” are basically chapels for each faith group. We have an Orthodox priest who say morning prayers, three liturgical protestants, me and the rest are non-liturgical protestants. I usually say mass in the morning, though I have joined the non-liturgical guys for praise and worship. Some folks have joined me for mass. It is cool that we are learning to appreciate each other’s beliefs and practices.   That is probably the coolest thing about this time together. I am growing as we hang out and pray and discuss faith and ministry together. In John 17, Jesus prayed that all would be one. Maybe one day, we Christians will be united.

Right now I am struggling with how the Lord interacts differently with different groups of people. There is clearly some authentic worship expressed by the different groups. However each group acknowledges times when they have seen what appears to be lack of authenticity in worship.

Classes are from 0800-1600 or 1700. We have had to do three reflection papers and have two exams. We have been having some fun going out to dinner and barbecuing on the weekends in between. During the second week, we encountered the Government Shutdown, as did the rest of the country. Our civilians had to go home without pay. They were able to come back the following Tuesday. An ethics professor from the Naval Academy, a captain, was not allowed to travel, so we had to move our ethics classes to the end of training (hopefully). We found out at the end of week three that our “field trip” was cancelled, because we had no travel money. We were supposed to go to Mayport naval base in Jacksonville, Florida and Parris Island Marine base.

This week we celebrated the Navy's 238th birthday. The actual date is October 13, 1775. He we are in the break room.

Navy Chaplain School Class 13030 Bravo company

Columbus day is this weekend, we have liberty all weekend long. Most chaplains went to visit family or other places, like Charleston. I am enjoying some free time, relaxing. A group of us had homemade taco bar last night. Yum.

A bunch of us at Chilis

Some chaplain dudes at Fuddruckers.

Not sure what we are doing this week in lieu of the field trip. In two weeks we have Field Training. Four days in the field (somewhere in the woods on base), a confidence course, land navigation and a distance hike. We supposedly end the hike with a pizza party. Then we have teams week where we gather tools useful for ministry in the fleet. Graduation in November 15.

After Graduation

After Graduation, I will head back to New Jersey to pack, then drive to San Diego. I will be in San Diego until January 10, then I will go to Pascagoula, Mississippi to meet up with the ship. Eventually, we will get back to San Diego, which is the homeport for USS America. 

My Experience at ODS (Officer Development School)

Well, I survived the five weeks of Officer Development School. My class, 13100, consisted of 106 officers. They were JAGs, Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Pharmacists, Psychologists, Nuclear Instructors, and 19 Chaplains. We were divided into two companies: Oscar and Papa (pronounced Pah PAH).

Our class officers were: Lt. Washington and Lt. Randle. Our Class Chiefs were both women: Chief Sowinski and Chief Nestle. So, Lt. Randle and Chief Nestle were in charge of Papa company.

ODS students in King Hall in PT uniform.

typical night studying, polishing shoes...

or getting uniforms ready.

The first two weeks were like a nightmare. We started at 0400 Monday morning outside our hatches (rooms) in PT gear (Yellow Navy athletic shirt, Navy blue shorts and Sneakers.) I was mostly delirious this whole week due to lack of sleep, lack of coffee and stress. I would wake up at 3:45 or 0400 most days, I would shave and make my bed (this required precision 45 degrees mitred corners).  

Creative bed making...how to get it tight and sharp corners?

We would muster (gather) in the hallway and make sure our uniforms were matched perfectly. This make that shoe laced were laced the same, laced were tucked in, glow belts on, and all in sweatshirts or no sweatshirts. We had to match (regardless of who was cold or hot.)

We would do PT exercises usually at 0500 most mornings on the football field. We would be sweaty, wet and covered in black astroturf pellets. Then we would either run over to the chow hall and have 15 minutes to eat (after everyone got their food), or we would go to head and hygiene first in 20 minutes and then go to chow.

The rest of the days included going to an auditorium and trying to stay awake during briefs on Navy benefits or Classes on history, Naval warfare, Rank Structure, Navy Law, etc. There were the occasional urine test, medical exam and immunizations and administrative task.

Class at Perry Hall. Notice the empty seats. 

That is because a large group of students are standing trying not to fall asleep!!

We had no freedom to go to the store or anywhere without a buddy and permission. I ran out of shaving cream, but couldn’t just go to the store for a couple days. I was frustrated.

That weekend we had “on base liberty.” So we could go to the uniform shop, commissary (food store), "NEX" - Navy Exchange (department store/pharmacy), the Internet Café or the “liberty center,” which had a bowling alley, video games, computers, pool tables and food different from the galley. 

There was a little prayer room on the (2nd deck 2nd floor) that I had permission to say mass in. Each weekend I went to the base chapel for the 0900 Catholic mass. It gave me comfort and strength to go on. 

Some cool training

In the second week, we start wearing Khaki uniform. This can be worn anytime in normal work (Not formal occasions, I’ll explain later). The inspection leading up to this was nerve racking. We had to know our "knowledge" - ranks, Sailor Creed and hymns, and various things we were learning. We gathered at 0500 in Kay hall and were quizzed and our uniform and military bearing was inspected.

We stood at attention while we were inspected.

Lt. Patron grilling Chaplain Dan Chester 

(cool guy btw -- we were interviewed at the Pentagon in the same group.)

Our Division officer and Papa company standing at parade rest.

We did a 3^rd class swim test which included jumping off a 10 foot platform, do a 5 minute dead man’s float (can take breaths), and a 50 yard swim.

We did firefighting training. Were we sat in class for a few hours. Then we dressed in full firefighter gear with SCBA – Self Contained Breathing Apparatus and grabbed a fire extinguisher and went into a dark, smoky room with a kitchen fire. Then in groups of five, we grabbed a fire hose and went into a darker, smokier room to fire a 5-foot high, 20 foot wide  (propane) fire. It was super-scary and hot and sweaty. My mask kept leaking air so I thought I was going to suffocate. However when I came out I had 30 minutes of air left! Did I mention we were so tired that we were almost falling asleep standing up?

Learning how to tackle a runaway firehose!

Trainer explaining what we are about to do...

In full firefighting gear, we had 5 people on each hose, carefully step into a dark, smoky room to fight a 20 foot wide (propane) fire! Note that the door is a typical hatch on a Navy ship.

We also did Damage Control training on the “USS Buttercup” a free-floating trainer that is a 2 deck ship floating in a 30,000 gallon pool. We sat in class to learn about firefighting aboard ship. Then we put on boots and got training in how to plug a large hole or secure a hatch with a rubber gasket and wood 4x4s. This was a lot of fun. We were floating around in 4 feet of water trying to assemble wood to close a hatch that had more water flooding in. In the second go around, my team waited and waited and there was about 5 minutes left until the ship “sunk.” SO I asked the Damage control guy if my team were needed. Turns out that a compartment in the corner had a hatch that was leaking. SO my team was ready to go, we climbed down the ladder, grabbed the wood, assembled the brace structure and hammered the wood shims into place – just in time to save the ship!!! High fives all around.

Week 3

The third week got better. We continued with classes. Had and exam and our summer whites inspection. Starting to get it a little…. We were given off base liberty, so we could go into Newport. My roommate, Chaplain Jon Maruszewski set up a lunch at the Mooring restaurant in Newport which was awesome.

A bunch of us in khakis and six ladies who wore summer whites outside of the restaurant.

Standing at the dock of the bay-ay-ay....

It got better...

Fourth and Fifth weeks were good. Being treated more adult. Still PT at 0500 and 15 minute chow during the days. But we were doing so well with no catastrophes that we were given more liberty, but still were in classes from 0800 until 1600 or so.

Class 13100 Papa Company with Class Officer, Lt. Randle and Class Chief, Chief Nestle.

Last week, we wore NWUs and prepared for graduation. Mom and Jill (big sis) came up for graduation. There was a nice reception at the "O club" officer club the night before. It was a great ending to a tough five weeks.

Here's the Papa flag. It stands for "P" in the alphabet and also means "Return to ship, heading out to sea." see http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=273

Sideboys posted and about to ring in the Commanding Officer and guest speaker.

Ready to start the ceremony.

Can you find me in the formation?

Mom Jill and me, in "choker" white - Dress Whites uniform.

GOT MY ORDERS!

Ok, gang, this is what I have been waiting for the official orders. I was getting a little nervous, not having them and training is only 2 weeks away. So here's the deal:

Got my Navy Orders!
1. Report to ODS officer school 18 Aug
2. Report to Chaplain school in September3. Report to San Diego in November4. Join up with the LHA-6 AMERICA and crew in Pascagoula, Mississippi in January.The ship is to be commissioned in March, where is To Be Determined. Then, the USS AMERICA will make its way to its homeport in San Diego, (which should be a great trip!)



In the meantime, I was just on a week silent retreat. I was really affirmed that I am going on mission like St. Peter and the Apostles to spread the Good News.

I have been running or exercising almost everyday, trying to get my body fat down to the required 22%. Right now I am about 27%. Ugh.

I am getting excited to finally be getting close to starting. I having been waiting since December when I was accepted!

So, now I am really doing my final packing and getting various details ready. Also, I have been visiting people - that has been great.

Keep praying for me on my journey - as it begins soon!

Chaplain Pat McPartland

***visit the ship's webpage.....http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/lha6  or find it on Facebook!

I broke 12 minutes today! My time in Limbo.

Goal 1: 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes.
Goal 2: long run 5 miles.

I have been running 3-4 times a week. I have been extending my long runs from 3.1 miles to 4 miles to 5 miles. I was able to run 4.9 miles this week so I am on the verge of goal #2. I want to be able to run 5 miles before starting training. Following advice (Thanks, Kim!), I have been varying runs: 2 miles, 3.1, 4, 4.5 and now almost 5.

Today I went for a run at 7:30. I felt pretty good. I did not eat  first, rather I just got up, got ready, drank some water and stretched. Then I walked for about 5 minutes and decided I would go for broke and do a fast run of 1.5 miles (the distance for the Navy PRT physical test) to see how am I doing in speed.

I started running and felt tight even after stretching, but my breathing felt very good. I was breathing regular (through the nose out of pursed lips) and I felt I was breathing deeply. So that was a good sign. I have a route mapped around the neighborhood in increments of .25 miles to see how I am doing. I was under 4 minutes at 1/2 mile and then I was about 7:50 for the first mile. I would do a "kick" at each 1/2 mile and run a little faster for about 2 telephone poles (thanks, Ray!). The last half mile was tough, it starts downhill and then a big climb up Terrace Ave to Donovan Drive. But a good metal song came on my MP3 player (Living sacrifice "Anorexia Spiritual" from album In Memorium) and I let out a little growl and pushed on.

I crossed my finish line at 11:50!! 10 seconds under my 12 minute goal! Boo Ya!
Now for my next goal: Break 11:30!!

My Time in Limbo

This is a very interesting time. I am finishing up my 5 years at St. Joe's. I am living out of boxes. Less than a month to go and then some time off and retreat before reporting to Newport, RI for ODS training.

It is a hard time as many people come to start saying goodbye and tell me how they will miss me. I remind them to support the pastor and help the new priests through their first years as the parish helped me grow.

It is a good time - I have been going to families' houses for dinners and having some great conversations. I enjoy getting to know parishioners better, even if I can't get to know everyone.

The Knights of Columbus Council #4969 Toms River have been wishing me well and expressed their gratitude for my presence. Various people in the high school have affirmed my work. Karen Krenek had some great words to share, calling me "steadfast." She said that my faith is "unwavering almost to a fault." She appreciated my witness to the community. What a great complement.

I hope to get to dinner with some more families in June and look forward to seeing the seniors graduate tomorrow. I have known a bunch of them since 8th grade.

Pray for me, as this is tough time in limbo - between assignments. I am trying not to have "senioritis" and stay focused on the parish, while preparing for the future.

I am now off to say the 10:30 and 12noon masses on this great feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Peace!

Getting Ready....Running....Exercising. Thank God for the nice weather!

It's been too long since I have written!  Since my commissioning on February 17th, I've been getting ready.

Getting Ready to Move

I have been packing like a maniac. Trying to get my life organized into boxes labeled: "Take with me to the Navy,"  "Keep for Future Parish Use" and "Give away."  After talking to Chaplains Fr. Joe Coffey and Fr. Frank Foley, I realized that I won't be able to bring much with me. Fr. Joe told me, "Pat, just remember you have to lug this stuff wherever you go! So pack light."  Fr. Frank said pretty much the same thing. I thought I was going to bring a whole bunch of books on Scripture and Theology with me in case I needed them. However, I realized I can't really bring much. This will make me depend on God more. Imagine that.

I am surrounded by full and partially packed boxes. I have given boxes of books to the library and parishioners and clothes, etc to Ocean County Hunger Relief. I have more stuff to get rid of. Feels good to detach and declutter. It's is hard to let go, though.

I will be leaving St. Joe's on July 1st. Then training until mid-November. 

Getting Ready to Train!

I have been running and hitting the gym. Pushups and situps. Getting ready for the PRT physical test. I did a "mini-PRT" last Saturday and did 42 pushups in 2 minutes, 57 situps and then ran 1.5 miles in 12:07!!! I was very surprised at the situps (increased from 50) and the last 1.5 miles was 12:33. So I took off another 23 seconds!! Getting there. I am going to break the 12:00 minute mark!!

Today  ran the longest run so far 4.6 miles in 45.5 minutes. I want to be able to do at least 5 miles before August. 

My goal is to make it to the excellent range: 60 pushups 78 situps and 1.5 miles in 11:23 by August training. I still have a long way to go.

Thank you God, for the beautiful weather last week and this week. I ran 4 days last week in high 50s - mid 60s and it was bright blue skies and the trees are blooming. Awesome to run around Toms River this time of year!

Wish me luck!

An Officer in the US Navy!

On Sunday, February 17th, I was commissioned a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Navy. About 250 people stayed after the noon mass and were present as my recruiter, Lieutenant Mike Maher, swore me in. It was very exciting. I hadn't been that excited since my first mass here at St. Joe's!

Here are some pictures. Lt. Maher began by expressing his thanks for everyone that came. He said he expected just a few people so it was a bit overwhelming to see all the support. I appreciate the kind words he said about me.

 Then he swore me in by leading me in an oath:

"I, Patrick McPartland, having been appointed a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the United States Navy, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

After that, I was presented with a certificate stating that I had been appointed an officer by the President

Afterword, we have some light refreshments and many people congratulated me. I took some pictures with the Knights of Columbus Motorcycle Ministry members, whom I ride with. Then I gave them a blessing. My nephew, Brandon joined in some of the pictures.

I took some more pictures with my family, including my cousins Rosie and Rose.

Then some with mom and me....

Then a couple with me and Lt. Maher.

What a great event. People have been asking me about it the last few days. So many people support me in this journey. How awesome!