Travel The World

' Bivouac' is an event near the end of basic training when you deploy to the field for several days.  My unit deployed on a Sunday evening in late January when the temperature was unseasonably warm.  By the end of the week, we were operating under blizzard conditions and with subzero temps.  As a matter of fact, the ground was so frozen at that point,  we couldn't even dig out our tent pegs during teardown.  In between deployment and recovery, we participated in various trainings both day and night.  One of my 'fondest' memories, besides the elements, was being hit with gas every night.  The usual procedure involved a DI putting a CS Riot cannister on the end of a pole, popping it, and then inserting the pole into one of the two-men pup tents.  The challenge for those inside the tent was to wake up quickly enough to don your mask and avoid the worst effects of the gas.  We were getting hit so often that I actually started sleeping with my mas...

Here are some photos of my actual company/platoon during M-16 Rifle disassembly/assembly instruction and firing of the M203 Attached Grenade Launcher. What I notice most about that first picture is how everyone looks so similar what with wearing the same uniform and having shaved heads. I also remember a lot of sniffing and coughing due to the effects of training outside during an Ozark winter. During grenade launcher training, we were trying to hit an old tank (moving on a rail left to right) as we fired at it. We each got only one round to fire since we didn't have to qualify with this weapon. What I remember most about this was maximizing the one round I had. Like everyone else, I missed terribly but my round flew ahead of the main body of the tank and hit the barrel itself! We knew this because we saw a flash where the round had struck. The training DI told me it was the first time he'd ever seen anything like that. One more observation. In the very last section of...

On my first day in the Army, I flew out of Beckley, WV (my first time ever on a plane), with a destination of St. Louis, Mo. In St. Louis, I boarded a bus for Fort Leonard Wood, about a two-hour ride which gives you more than enough time to contemplate your fate. Now, what many of you who've never been in the Army don't know is that you don't immediately go to your basic training unit upon arrival. Instead, you spend three-five days in a reception center where they issue your uniforms, gear, etc. One of my 'fondest' memories of that time was receiving my vaccinations. We walked down a line between technicians with 'guns' who shot us several times in each arm. I think I received more than 20 vaccines that day! Anyway, several reception center tasks are shown in the scans below. Have no doubt, though, the pictures don't convey the fear we all had nor the exhaustion from being on a non-stop schedule.

Some more from my ND trip. The first picture is of the ND War Memorial (apparently the name has changed but I don't care). In the background, you can see the Hesburgh Library. As I've mentioned in past posts, there are numerous additions to the library since I was a student. There is an Au Bon Pain on the ground floor along with a "Scholar's Lounge." On the second floor, there are reading areas with comfortable chairs and other conveniences. I'm not sure how much of this is necessary, especially considering the high cost of tuition these days.

I joined the Army in December '81 and immediately shipped off to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.  At the end of basic training, every graduate receives a sort of yearbook that displays trainee photos as well as photos of events that occurred during the training cycle.  You also receive a 45-rpm record that includes the "sounds of basic training."  Below is a picture of these items.  I will post scans from the yearbook in the following posts.  

  Just a few miscellaneous photos of areas near the Grotto and central part of the campus.

Notre Dame has two lakes, St. Mary's and St. Joseph's.  The pictures below are exclusively of St. Mary's.  As I walked around the lake, I also saw Carroll Hall and an old basketball court I'd played on several times.  I'm glad to see it was still there after all these years.

Just some miscellaneous ND pics before I resume more thematic ND postings.  The first picture shows an archway leading to a new area of the campus between the old dorms on the South Quad and the Eck Visitor Center/Hammes Bookstore.  Once again, this did not exist in my time.  A cute little fellow in the next picture.  S/he was drinking water left behind by the hose and, like the rabbit, was amazingly calm in my presence.  Finally, you can see "West Lake Hall" or what used to be called the Old Security Building back in the day.  It's just behind and to the right of the Rock for those of you who might not remember it.  I certainly remember it, though, because it's where I attended my very first class at ND.  It's also where I spent countless hours studying while waiting to be dispatched as a SafeWalk employee.     

Of course, no visit to Notre Dame would be complete without a stroll past some of the more iconic buildings such as the administration building with the Golden Dome and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  I've enclosed a better picture of the former (from a previous trip) when there wasn't any regilding ongoing.  As a bonus, I've also included a picture of a tiny rabbit that didn't seem scared at all when I approached it.  He was just hopping around on Friday evening as I walked towards the Lafortune Student Center (which was unfortunately closed).  During my four years living there, I saw plenty of squirrels but never a rabbit.  Go figure.  

I had to visit the building where I'd attended most of my classes.  Its name is O'Shaughnessy Hall and is where the College of Arts and Letters is located.  In picture #1, you can see the main entryway of the building.  The 2nd pic reveals the hallway leading to the Classics Department on the second floor.  Now, this is interesting.  I'd heard over the years the Classics Department had expanded from having one of the smallest enrollments when I was there to being one of the bigger departments in the College.  In the final picture, you can see an entire hallway dedicated to its offices and meeting rooms.  I didn't see any other department with comparable space as I toured the rest of the building.  It's good to know that the Classics still has a strong presence at least at my university. P.S. I ran into my former professor working hard in her office in that hallway.  We had coffee while catching up the next day.

When I was a student at Notre Dame, the campus wasn't as large as it is now.  It pretty much consisted of the North and South Quads; I lived in the larger, South one.  There were also several buildings/structures between those two quads and on the edges of the main campus.  The layout seemed sensible at the time.  However, today, I feel as if the administrators have overbuilt in their desire to stand out from other universities.  The additional buildings seem to comprise a sprawling urban area with no organizational plan.  Honestly, I don't like it, especially when comparing it to the past.  Anyway, here are three pictures of the South Quad as taken from one end of it.  Most of the buildings that line the quad are dorms along with a dining and athletic facility.  I remember my friends and I trudging through the snow in this quad to get to classrooms that were inevitably far away (but not as far as today).  Good memories.

After viewing the football stadium, I headed straight for the library.  I spent a lot of productive time there during my college days, especially on the 9th floor where the Classics materials used to be stored (they're on the 8th floor now).  The pictures below begin with the obligatory shot of the 'Touchdown Jesus' mural.  Rumor has it that he sometimes raises his arms higher during football games to exhort the team to fight harder.  The next picture shows an electronic floor guide (inside the elevator) to library materials; this is the first time I noticed this feature.  Picture 3 is of what may be the actual desk I sat at all those years ago while studying.  It sure looked old enough to be the one.  Number 4 shows the view that would often distract me from my studies.  And, finally, picture 5 has the rows and rows of bookshelves on the 9th floor.  I wish my home library was so nice.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pictures, especially...

The first thing I saw upon visiting my alma mater (for the first time since 2011) was the famous Notre Dame stadium.  Needless to say, it looked very different from when I was a student there back in the 80s and even since my last visit.  The "Campus Crossroads Project" led to the addition of three buildings to what had previously been a vintage bowl-shaped stadium.  In the pictures below, you can see these buildings along with two gates commemorating Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz.  Other gates were named after Ara, Dan Devine, etc.  Funny, I walked all around the stadium and couldn't locate Brian Kelly's gate.  Oh well, enjoy!