White Space

Ft Lewis, WA

While at our first leg of our trip in Norfolk, VA we had been warned about tracts of empty time in our follow-on Army commands.  The Army always trains as a unit; in the past, the units (e.g. platoons and so forth) would be assigned to a color.  The schedule for the larger unit would be placed on a large white board.  When your unit had nothing assigned you ended up with "white space," i.e. down time.

Last week we went to the small arms range to do individual quals on the 9mm pistol.  Our roughly 60 person group was finished by noon.  But we had to also qualify in nighttime shooting, which began at 5pm.  We were the recipients of 5 hours of white space.  I can assure you there is not much to do on a remote shooting range surrounded by forests and roads that go to nowhere.  In all honesty we had been told to bring books or something else to occupy the time, but after the M16 range experience in which we were essentially soaked or muddy through and through, I balked.  Also, I didn't want something encumbering me when I got into my stance to shoot for qual.

Today is Superbowl Sunday and we had nothing scheduled.  Many went to church services this morning.  We then turned our weapons in because we have a lot of white space this week.  In fact, our next evolution is Tuesday evening, then followed by Thursday day.  White space is frustrating for a variety of reasons: it adds time to our deployments for one.  Our 34 day stay here in Ft Lewis is accomplished in 18 days in the Navy run course at Ft Jackson, SC.  That is 16 days less one would stay downrange, 16 days one could spend with one's family.  On top of that one must realize that the group I am with is comprised of trauma surgeons, critical care doctors and nurses, and other high-tempo occupations.  These people tend to be "Type A" personality people.  It is anathema to sit around waiting for several days for ... the next evolution.

(As an aside, we got to watch the superbowl in a warehouse where the ECRC (Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center) liaison is housed.  The officers bought pizza and sodas for all hands and we got to see the Saints beat the Colts - WhoDat!).

One good thing about white space is that I have gotten to know my peers pretty well.  This is a very talented bunch of people of very high quality.  Our group seems hand picked by my estimation.  Our commanding officer, Fred, is a former Marine infantry officer and current orthopedic surgeon based out of Camp Pendleton, CA.  I was assigned the executive officer mainly based on my new rank of Commander - I am a former line officer as well, a Surface Warfare Officer - in my previous life.  We also have a former Navy SEAL who is doing a burn fellowship at Brooke Army Hospital in TX, Chris.   I knew Chris from his time at Bethesda Naval Hospital when he was a surgical resident and I was a critical care fellow.  Joe sleeps in the bunk adjacent to mine - he is a general surgeon, trained at Cornell and has recently done 3 months of volunteer work as a surgeon in Uganda.  We have an anesthesiologist from Camp Pendleton, Tom; an internist from Pensacola, several critical care nurses, a psychiatrist, and many others, too many to mention.  We have 70 or so Navy folks and 70-ish Air Force here (most of them are going to Iraq).  The Air Force mission is communications and other secret stuff that they can't tell me much about.  Interestingly, they have a scientist-mathematician in their group.  I can guess what they are up to from my background in Intelligence.

In getting to know my peers I have found out that a handful have new first babies at home or about to be born.  These guys - understandably - tend to be the most frustrated with the copious white space because they'd rather be at home seeing that first smile, or at home supporting their wives with the upcoming delivery.  Makes sense!

During white space time one tries to come up with interesting ways to kill time.  While at the 9mm range I wandered around the range site and marveled at the fauna, very different than the mid-Atlantic up here in the Pacific NW.  The continuous wetness here generates lichen like you wouldn't believe, as well as moss and other furry green stuff.  In my gloved hand above I am holding a lichen ball.  But you can only stare at lichenous substance for so long before you get frustrated that you are just wasting freakin' time.

I will throw in a variety of photos in this post:


Inside the classroom - Land Navigation

Road leading to the barracks

Inside our bunkroom






























                                              Land Nav - out on the range