CWT

I'm not sure when the Navy adopted the CWT; it has been a part of Navy culture the whole time I've been in uniform. I speculate it dates from the age of sail and the British empire, perhaps even from ancient navies. I'm sure the Army, based on stories I've heard, has also adopted the CWT. Businesses large and small, impressed by what the military has done, also seem to have adapted the CWT for civilian use.

For the uninitiated, CWT stands for "Colossal Waste of Time."

I need to be clear; the week ahead has some very valuable agenda items. Uniform fitting (today) and issue (Friday) are quite important. I don't think it would look right for me to be forward deployed in flip flops, shorts, and my pink and black Elvis shirt (as comfortable as I might be dressed as such). I actually think I'll enjoy having good boots and the latest Army camouflage uniform working in the harsh desert environment of Iraq. The brief about pay was informative (every service member in Iraq and Afghanistan gets additional pay and benefits) as was the brief from legal (although most of it I'd heard before, it was a good refresher). But, I think the Navy has managed to pack about a day and a half worth of good stuff into a full week. It is apparent that the current system is designed for someone who hasn't done any of the "required" preparation before reporting to this mandatory first stop. I suppose, like all good bureaucracies, we've decided to subject everyone to the same system so we don't have anyone fall through the cracks and show up to the Army unprepared. Oh well, it's not the first time I've been subjected to such a system and I know it won't be the last.

On the plus side, it was nice meeting my fellow IAs. Quite a few of us are going to do what I'm going to be doing - which still isn't clear to me but I know we are all going to the same place because we got fitted for Army uniforms instead of the Navy desert uniforms like the rest of the group - so we'll be together for the rest of our training. Others are doing quite a variety of other jobs going lots of other places. One officer sitting next to me has five MONTHS of training before she departs. Shoot, by the time she heads over, I'll be about half way through my tour! So, while I was a little melancholy writing yesterday, in the grand scheme of things, perhaps what I'm doing won't be so bad.

But then again, immunizations are tomorrow...

Cheers, Pearl