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To everyone:

Happy thanksgiving all. BMT has been stressful, but I seem to be getting through it okay. I’m giving it all my effort, and it’s paying off. Here’s what I’ve been through so far:

0 week - From the moment I got off the bus to that next Sunday at church, I was being yelled at for pretty much every wrong thing I did. Meals were about 30 seconds long–As soon as I sat down, I shoved food into my mouth and that was it. I won’t even lie, I wept a little that first time I went to BMT church. But it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

1st and 2nd week - We learned to march, fold clothes to Air Force BMT regulations (6 inch shirts and towels, underwear and socks in equal thirds, etc) More yelling, more pushups. I can do 59 pushups in 2 minutes now, up from the 25 I did when I first showed up at BMT. I can also do about 40 sit ups if I do them correctly. During this time I was selected as A-Flight guide, so when you come down to see me during graduation, I will be in front of my flight, behind the Guide-on (flag/banner carrier) and our Training Instructor (TI).

3rd week - Alot of classes, alot of physical conditioning. I’ve been on top of my game for the most part so I haven’t been dropped on my face too much.

4th week - Physical Readiness Training (PRT) evaluations and tests. I can run the mile and a half in 11:27 now. I scored 95% on our BMT written test, which is considered excellent (90% or higher). I passed all my other examinations (Bearing & Discipline, Drill, Reporting to an officer). I’ve been failing my Maintenance of Standards (MOS) inspections, which is an inspection of my living area, wall locker, clothing drawer, and security drawer (which holds all of my personal effects), but I’m working on getting all that stuff in order for next week. I should be great.

And now I’m in my 5th week - WARRIOR WEEK… or it should have been. It’s been raining alot down here, and Warrior Week takes place out in a quasi-wild area of Lackland AFB. It rained so much that we were evacuated back to the Squadron (dorm) on Monday night, just to come back on Tuesday and resume training. Tomorrow I get to stand in a gas chamber, where I walk in with my gas mask into a chamber with real tear gas inside. First I walk in with my gas mask, then I’m ordered to take it off and stand in line and answer a question, all the while maintaining my military bearing (i.e. not freaking out and showing that I’m choking on gas). If I get that question wrong, I get to stay in the chamber for a little while and get another chance. It’s not as bad as it sounds, it’s a requirement to pass BMT and I see lots of people graduating every week, so if they can do it, I can too.

Next week I’ll be Airman Olaes. I can’t wait to see those of you who are coming to watch me graduate BMT. I might still not yet be part of the operational air force, but this is probably the toughest part of being an Airman.

I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the letters dad, mom. For those of you who don’t know my address, don’t worry about it, because I won’t be at this address for too much longer since I will be graduating and won’t be part of the 320th training squadron after that. If you want to send me mail before next friday, though, get in touch with my dad. He has my address.

I also want to take this time to thank everyone else who has known me, for better or for worse, all my friends I haven’t talked to in a while, as well as those I’ve done wrong. I think BMT has really changed me for the better, because I’m finally doing something I want to do and that thing is actually important. But what I want to say is that I would not have made the necessary steps to be where I am today had it not been for the influence of all the people who have touched my life. I thank all of you.

Anyway, I love you all, family and friends. The main reason I joined the military is because I want to use my skills to maintain and possibly upgrade the quality of all of our lives. I know that by joining the military I will be able to put my skills to use in a big, big way. I’m hoping one day in the not so distant future to be able to work on projects involving space travel, but in the immediate future I want to apply my skills to eliminating terrorist communications. I will see all of you soon, if not next weekend then during Christmas/New Year for sure. I am coming home for christmas and will be sure to drive up to Oakland for a part of my 2 week forced leave.

Take care,
Thomas Joseph Olaes, soon-to-be Airman First Class