So, What did the Preps do today?
So, where to I begin? The next 18 training days will be very full for your basics. It is always a challenge for us photographically speaking because much of their time these first days will be spent in briefings and in-processing to the Air Force. In between they will be literally be learning the basics of what they will need to function as members of the military. So, what did they do today. Well, the got up early and were drug tested. They spent the morning in briefings on subjects like theater procedures (they get most of their briefings in the theater as well as honor lessons, knowledge tests, etc.), fire and safety, honor, customs & courtesies. They had lunch, then it was more processing. They had their ID photos taken, WebGuy took their portraits, they set up their mail boxes (more about that in a minute), and they started marking their laundry and learning how to set up their rooms. All pretty mundane, but also necessary. Here are some photos from the day.
How did they look you ask? All in all they look good. They are learning many things in a very short amount of time. Some of it is sticking and some isn't. They were chosen to come here for a reason though. They have what it takes, we will just have to see if they know that yet. We will all get to watch them grow and mature over the next few weeks.
Now, I know you have some questions just from looking at these blog photos. The obvious one is, what are the colored vests? They are called Pinnys. You have probably seen them used as football and basketball scrimmage vests to tell the sides apart. We use them to help the staff identify basics who are limited in some fashion from physical activity. Here is the prep school color code. Blue = no above the waist exercise, Green = no below the waste exercise, Yellow = self paced exercise, red = no exercise. They don't necessarily mean there is an injury, mostly it's a precaution, and it's usually temporary, so don't worry. The training staff is just being careful.
Next subject...
Here are a few notes about what you should and shouldn't expect from our BMT coverage. Do expect daily photos of your Basic's squadron. Do not expect daily photos of your Basic. Even though there are only 231 basics we cannot get everyone at everything. Furthermore, please do not expect equal coverage of squadrons daily. Each squadron goes through different activities on any given day. Some activities will be full of opportunities for us to get a lot of photos. Others won't. If your squadron is going through something such as Security Clearances, there won't be many photos posted of that for the day. If they're going through something like the dentist, or the tailor shop, there will probably be more photos. Our goal is to provide a window through which you can see the prep school year. We think you will find that it all comes out in the end. Thank you for your understanding and also for the many positive comments we have already received via Facebook. We read everyone.
That being said, tomorrow (like today) will be a light photo day. Actually today wasn't that light. We actually took over 1000 photos, but most of them were the portraits we took of your basics which you will get to see at the end of BMT ;-). Tomorrow is literally all briefings morning to evening with a break for meals. There will be some training in the evening during which we may be able to get some photos, so don't sit on your computer. Saturday will have lots of photo opportunities and we will be out to cover them all.
So, that's it for now. The sun is setting and so am I. There are about 200 photos from today up in the gallery with lots more to come on Saturday.
Nite!