Week 5

Week 5 was basically the longest week of the session. It seemed like every day and night had something going. I think the PT instructors were bent on retaliating on the 100+ that went to NYC. PT on Monday involved running out to the five level parking structure and splitting into two sections of 25…one section detailed to a routine of 20 squats, sprinting up four flights of stairs on the NE side of the structure, 20 pushups, then a sprint to the NW side and repeating the routine on all four sides of the structure. After a one minute break, we switched with the other group and did 100 yard sprints up the parking garage ramp and band work, then jogged down the ramp and repeated the sprints for 10 minutes straight. Brutal, torturous, medieval…but a great workout.

The IACP hosted a dinner at the Officer’s Club at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. It was a quick meal with a good speech by the IACP rep. After 5 straight weeks of chow hall chicken, most, if not almost all of the class, was hoping for something other than chow hall chicken…nope.

Speaking of food, 5 weeks of chow hall food without seasoning starts to wear on people.

Wednesday was a “challenge day”, which meant a 3.2 mile run on the roads surrounding the FBI Academy. The runs used to be on scenic trails, however last year unexploded ordinance was discovered and the Marines closed the trails. Everyone completed the run; however, several suffered injuries from the run. Nothing major, but some were hobbling around. A group of us enjoyed another post-challenge “touch” football game. Joe from Ohio still looks like he can play LB for any D1 school.

Wednesday afternoon saw an enrichment seminar presented by Mike Durant, the Blackhawk helicopter pilot who was shot down and captured by Somalia warlords in 1993. Mike was held captive for 11 days and sustained gruesome injuries. His crew was killed. It was interesting to hear his story and learn firsthand how political mistakes by those in Washington lead to our troops unnecessarily being without the resources they need. He talked about the importance of leaders being those that can make decisions. If you are afraid or can’t make a decision, you have a tough time being a leader. His definition of leadership is “taking people to places they otherwise wouldn’t go”.

Wednesday night took the class to the National Peace Officers Memorial at Judiciary Square in DC. It was cold and rainy, but no one seemed to care. A somber ceremony was held. The senseless murders of officers in Southern California by the cowardly idiot were on many of our minds.

Thursday saw a third day of PT. What we thought would be a recovery day turned into a basic 20 minute circuit of strength conditioning followed by taking planking to another level. Most of us went to that spirit world EJ talks about. A 4 on 4 basketball game followed the PT workout and revenge was taken on EJ. A Valentine’s Day meeting was held in the Boardroom later in the evening.

Friday is get-away day with many heading home for the 3-day weekend. As a sendoff for Section 4, we’re “lucky” enough to have PT as the last class on Friday. We’ve been warned that a proper beginning to a 3-day weekend includes a healthy breakfast and a full-body workout. Gee, lucky us.
We’re halfway through the session and the importance of networking has been taken up a notch as stories and department experiences are being discussed more now that we’re comfortable with each other. The second half of the session should be a great learning environment.

The picture of the two men at the table is kinda cool...one guy is from the US Border Patrol and the other from the Tijuana (Mexico) Police Department. Both great guys.