OCS Phase 0: 1st Drill of 3

Saturday was a beautiful day.  The field at Camp Rell is a wide expanse of flat grass, and to the south there is the ring of cherry blossom trees and Long Island Sound beyond.  As we were doing drill and ceremony exercises on that field Saturday, I stopped to listen to the singing of birds and to look up--there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  How I wished to be away at that moment!  From the moment I arrived I started to ask myself, 'What have I gotten myself into now?'  I believe that I can handle the physical challenges, but I have to mentally prepare myself to be the leader that they will require me to be.  I have my work cut out for me. There are three months of phase 0, each comprised of one weekend of drill.  Phase 1 is two weeks at Camp Rell in July, phase 2 is 12 months of weekend drill, and phase 3 is two weeks at Fort McCleland in Alabama, in August 2011.  I'll do my best to describe my progress in officer candidate school in this blog.  Or tell of my failure--phase 1 has a 50% failure rate.