Week Seven

Safety Bear

Fred eating a Balut Egg

The latest in Danish fashion

Matt, Me, David, and James

Tomb of the unknowns

Tim, Scott, and David

 Well week 7 is all but over. We had several things go on this week. Monday we had a break and had C.O.P.S. Kids day at the academy. These are children who lost a law enforcement parent in the line of duty. Some lost their parent just this past year; others have been coming for a few years. The kids come and have counseling sessions then we tour them around the academy, they eat lunch with us and then they play in the gym. This year Rex Leath, who is an Alaska State Trooper, had his department ship up their safety mascot, Safety Bear. I got to play Safety Bear and the kids loved it. They had an absolute great time. It was truly an honor to be able to interact with these kids and possibly help them through this time in their lives. Also this week was with Winged Monkey Assault Challenge. This was 30 minutes solid of circuit training. They had everything from kettle bells, tractor tires, push or pull sleds, dumb bells, power bands, and much more. The placed them in the infield of the track and also around the track. We had to keep doing things for 30 minutes continuously and rotate through the stations. This was a butt kicker. Then after that we had international night. A time to get to know our international brother and sisters and get a taste, literally of their culture. Every international student had a table set up with a sample of their cuisine and libations. This was a fun time. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed their selves. This weekend a few of us went to Arlington Cemetery. This was an amazing trip. To see all of the monuments and all the graves was truly breathtaking. Each was in its precise alignment with the others and just seems to go on forever. While we were there it was the celebration of the 150^th anniversary of TAPS. While there they had a gathering of several trumpet players from all over, some as far as California to celebrate TAPS. Most of the players where members of Honor Guards from various departments and organizations. It was something to hear as several trumpets at one time played TAPS. After this was done, several of the trumpet players were placed at various monuments around the cemetery and at Noon started playing from one end to the other TAPS in a wave of music throughout. While there we also saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Seeing this ballet of precise military movements and reverence was breath taking. The honor and reverence that these soldiers show was truly astounding. These individuals truly epitomize the heart and soul of the military.