15 January 2024

Cold days are coming, the snow has been falling all morning where we are. My daughter got to experience snow for the first time, that’s wonder, it may be the last snow in awhile as we’re moving further South. The amount of snow we’ve already gotten is probably considered a blizzard for here. When the snow is falling I have to reminisce about my days at Fort Drum. Since getting out of the Army I’ve spend most of my time in the South, snow went from being a part of my everyday life to once every couple of years and I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen more than two inches of snow. One of my fondest memories is doing land navigation in about four feet of snow, even my tall self struggles to step out of that much snow. I’ve said before that I love land nav, walking through the woods combined with math. When the Army does land nav, they give a couple different coordinates and the soldier has to go to those places where there will be a little placard with a symbol or letters on it. We’d write down the symbols for the different locations and return back to base. The problem with the military is the hurry up and wait system, we’re often training for a certain amount of time rather than to complete a goal. When I returned with the answers to my coordinates, the sheet was graded, I was given new coordinates and sent back into the woods. It was at that time that I walked far enough in to not be seen and I made a little home for myself sitting and eating snow. Those were good times.