Arriving at Fort Lost in the Woods...

...otherwise known as Fort Leonard Wood. It's affectionate knickname is glaringly accurate. Welcome back, ahhhh.

Now that my dramatic yelp has subsided I'm feeling a weird mix of nostalgia and repulsion that only a trip back to your basic training site can accomplish.

Let me take a few steps back to Friday before I go into good old Missouri. The orders came in fast and within an hour of waking up I was told it was time to leave. There were some heavy goodbyes mixed in with a bit of tears as what was left of our company made their final farewell. I'm amazed at how close everyone became within 17 days. I've never been involved with a group that stuck so closely together in the military, let alone the civilian world. Numerous times I saw higher enlisted soldiers vehemently sticking up for the lower ranks and protecting some of the more disorganized people.

Once the farewells were finished I was put on a bus with 6 other people from my platoon and carted to the airport. I was angry to find out that Northwest airlines was charging my friends an unbelievable 80 dollars for having an extra bag with them. No one warned us of this and two of the guys didn't have enough money to make the payment. I encourage everyone to boycott Northwest for their absurd fees, and completely unprofessional and rude staff they have.

At this point our female Major stepped in and tried to get the fee waived, with no luck. She then offered to pay for the two guys who couldn't. Yet again I was surprised and impressed by the group of people I was with, especially the Major. She was actually set to go home because she has Asthma, but requested that it be waived so she could serve. It's hard not to admire that type of dedication and fortitude.

After this we were off through security, where I was fortunate to get one of those ridiculous random screenings they love to dish out. Thoroughly felt up, we headed for the food court and said our final farewells.

In typical Army fashion, I took the most complicated route to get to my final destination. From South Carolina I went to Chicago, had a three hour layover, then went to St. Louis and had an hour layover, then flew into Fort Leonard Wood. The Chicago airport was impressive, sort of a mix between an upscale shopping mall and a museum. One part had a life size replica of a Brontosaurus, while another one had a huge corridor with a collection of pastel panels that would light up as you walked by.

The last plane I took into Fort Leonard Wood was by far the smallest I've ever been on. When we landed it felt like it was going to do a roll. Never was I more happy to be on the ground, though Missouri certainly wasn't my first choice.