In-processing to Ft. Stewart, Day 1

Today was my first day of in-processing at Ft. Stewart in anticipation of starting my new job as the battalion surgeon with the 82nd Civil Affairs Battalion. In true in-processing fashion, it was not all smooth sailing. Let's start from the top:

I arrived at the gate at around 0745 this morning, only to be told that, while the DC area no longer used military decals on the cars, Ft. Stewart still does. Since DC doesn't have decals, I don't have any on my new car, which meant that I had to go to the main gate to go through a full inspection before I could get on base.

Even with that, I still arrived at Marne Reception Center, where all new arrivals sign in, around 0800, only to discover that I forgot my leave form. I thought it was still in a folder in the trunk of my car, but it wasn't. So I tried calling WRAIR to see if they could fax a copy over; unfortunately, the sergeant seemed to be incapable of operating a fax machine, because despite multiple claims of faxing it over, no copies ever arrived. So I drove home (about a 35 minute drive), found the pile of papers that included my leave form, and drove back to sign in. Success.

I was supposed to go to a safety brief at 1530, but instead, I was rescued by MAJ Ellis, the chief of preventive medicine at Ft. Stewart (everyone in PM knows everyone else, it seems). He took me to find my battalion, which after a few wrong turns, we did. There's a pretty sign in front of the building and everything (I didn't get a picture of it, but I will). The battalion commander is at a training course, so he wasn't available, but a few of the senior non-commissioned officers were there. They welcomed me to the battalion, which included giving me the proper left shoulder patch for my uniform:

So I am now officially part of civil affairs, and no longer part of MEDCOM (Medical Command). The fifteen minutes I spent with the two NCOs were probably the only useful fifteen minutes in my entire day. They explained who has arrived thus far (the battalion won't be officially stood up until September), what my job will be (I'll be in charge of the medical shop for the battalion, which includes me, a vet, an environmental science officer, medical logistician, and a slew of medics of various ranks and training), and where my office will probably be. I didn't see my office, but I am excited about the idea of having an office. Of course, as one of the NCOs pointed out, having an office means people know how to find you.

In all, a long and trying day, with a rewarding few minutes at the end. Compared to most in-processing activities, the rewarding few minutes at the end made it almost worthwhile.

Next step... PT at 0600 on Monday. Fun.