Week #4 DONE! (well, almost)

Wednesday night, a cool thing happened up in the boardroom. Earlier in the day, Jason Cawthon, was awarded the Navy-Marines Medal of Valor in a ceremony at the Marine Corps Museum. I think that's the proper name of the medal. Jason is in my section and is currently an active duty Marine Master Sgt. During his last tour in Afghanistan, he risked his life to attempt to save the lives of fellow Marines. He saved four Marines and a K-9. Unfortunately, two of the Marines he saved did not survive. Jason is a 23 year veteran of the Marines, is due to be promoted to Master Gunnery Sgt (E-9), and will be deployed back to Afghanistan after the Academy. Kevin Harford, also of my section, is a NYPD Lt. and a member of the Bag Pipes Unit. Anyway, we heard Kevin practicing ion the hallway and he said that he was going up to the Boardroom to play the Marine Corps Hymm for Jason on the pipes. It was so cool! I captured it on my cell phone but unfortunately, can't download it. Windows on my laptop won't play it.

Scott Gay, also in my section, is a Captain from the Sheriff's Office in Augusta, Georgia. Last weekend, one of his officers was shot and killed while answering a domestic call. Kevin also played Amazing Grace on the pipes to honor the fallen officer.

Last night, my section hosted a tasting of Alaska smoked salmon and Wisconsin cheese in the Boardroom. Kris Sell from Juneau, Alaska had her husband send the salmon while Dan Hess from Rhinelander, Wisconsin provided the cheese. Good stuff!

I doing today's entry early because, as soon as class lets out at 3:00 ish, I'm hitting the road for a quick, and un-planned, trip home. The trip to Gettysburg got canceled because of the forecast of snow so that kinda worked in my favor. Be back late Sunday night.

Challenge Day

Today was one of our weekly challenges. Instead of doing a so many mile run, today was the Cyclone. Sorry, no pics...I realized I forgot my camera about the time I got down to the locker room to change. Didn't have enough time to go back and get it. Anyway, 20 minutes of intense circuit work. Basically, bust your rear end for 30 seconds, 15 second break while you move on to the next station, bust you butt for 30 seconds...you get the picture. Everybody made it through it but that gym gets crowded with 250 + people in there. We also got to wear our challenge shirts for the first time. They are a lot nicer than the regular cotton t-shirts.

This afternoon, we had our enrichment seminar. This one was good. Mike Durant came and spoke to us about his experiences and capture in Somalia. He's a very dynamic speaker and I thought it was a great presentation. For those who don't know, he's the helicopter pilot that was shot down and taken prisoner. They made a movie about it called, "Black Hawk Down".

After a quick trip to the local Wally World, I'm back doing laundry (I've got it down to a science...Weds and Sat.).

Thanks to Greg (246) for the words of encouragement.

I promise to do better on the pics.

Not a good day

Got some bad news from home that I'm having to deal with so I don't feel like posting anything about today.

Cyclone challenge is tomorrow.

Week #4

Week #4 started today and all we heard all day long was how great the New York trip was and that the amount of food they had at Carmine's was unbelievable. I'm glad that the ones who went had a great time.

Col. Vance invited the media class out for dinner tonight and it was good times. We went to a Mexican place in the mall at Fredericksburg called Margarita Bar and Grill. Food was good, the company was good, and we all got away from the dorm for a few hours. That's the Col. sticking his head out from the back of the picture.


The Monday Night Football party was tonight but by the time we got back, most of the crew had already called it a night. I think most are still recovering from the trip.

I've got some research that I have to do for a group project in my Leadership class thats due Thursday. I finished my policy for the Media class yesterday, so I just got the one for photography and I'm done (I think). Mid-terms start next week.

Another Saturday Night...

Football Saturday, I'm proudly wearing my UT Orange, and my Vols came up short, again. At least the first half was interesting. Unfortunately, Alabama showed up for the second half.


Other than that, its dead around here. Yeah, I know...I could've been at Carmine's enjoying the open bar. Its not like I didn't want to go but, $#!+ happens.


Definitely have to work on my papers tomorrow.

Week #3, DONE!

Week #3 is officially in the books! Its pretty much a ghost town up here on the 7th floor. I think me, Jake, and maybe 1 or 2 more are the only ones here. Everybody else either went home for the weekend or went on the New York trip. Since I didn't do either, I'm going to try and complete two papers this weekend. Both are policy type papers: one for Col. Vance's media class and one for Bob May's photography class. That should pretty much get me caught up. I still have a group project in my leadership class but we haven't started that one, yet.

The knee is actually starting to feel a little bit better (just a little bit). Don't know if its actually healing or if its just all the ibuprofen I've been eating.

Other than that, there ain't nothing going on.

Day 20

Section #3 had a cookout tonight. I got an invite because my roommate is in section #3. On the menu tonight, along with the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, etc., was venison (deer). They allow hunting here on the base and one of the guys got him one the other day. It was really good. The cookout didn't last long, though. Its starting to cool off here and there was some wind coming off of the lake. Plus, they forgot to buy beer.

One more day and week #3 is in the books. The New York trip is this weekend and the buses leave out tomorrow night. This trip is supposed to be one of the highlights of the academy and its put together every session by the New York academy alumni. I really wanted to do this trip but the costs for this trip went way beyond my budget. The Philadelphia trip is later in the session and I'll be doing that one. I'll probably spend the weekend working on a couple of papers. I think if I get these two done, I'll pretty much have all my individual work finished.

Tomorrow is a short day; PT, Leadership, and Legal. Should be out of class by 3:00.

Day 19

Our trip to the Law Enforcement Memorial got cancelled by the Academy Director due to weather. No pics; sorry.

I forgot to put in yesterday's post that I had my "talk show interview" in my media class yesterday. Col. Vance divided the class into three sections and of course, I was in the first section. Our media class is actually in a small TV studio/classroom in the Madison Building. This talk show was on-camera, under the lights, the full experience. This first assignment, not graded (Thank God!), was a talk show type interview conducted by the Col. Most of the guys in my group did really well with the interview. Most, except me. I said something during my interview that the Col. made me wish that I didn't say. He jumped all over that one and it was a difficult recovery. Then, I got tongue-tied. It wasn't pretty. Of course, it was recorded. I was going to try and put the video in this post but I can't get the video to play on my laptop.

This morning was our second challenge run; 2.6 miles through the Lunga Lake recreation area. I made this run but it wasn't easy. My knee is not doing me any favors. I didn't quit and I wont quit. I don't want to disappoint anybody. My plan was to take more pictures than I did but, things don't always go as planned. I did get the two shots of the class on the track just before we started.

Looks like tonight is laundry night, that is if I can find a couple of washers and dryers that aren't being used. I don't want to be up at midnight doing wash.

Days 17 & 18

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Pretty much just back to class. Oh yeah, we did have "the dreaded fire drill". Remember the fire drills back in elementary school? This was the same deal. At least it was a pretty day.

We did have a Monday Night Football party last night down in the atrium. Basically, we traded a meal credit for some real food (BBQ, pizza, etc.). For a buy-in of $5.00, it was pretty much all the beer you could drink. I got to see my Dolphins play (and lose, again).

Today in my photography class, the cameras were handed out. Nice cameras, too! Nikon D300 with four lenses and a flash. Basically, its mine for the next eight or so weeks to do with whatever I please. I plan on using it, a lot! I took this class to learn how to use one of these so here's my opportunity.

Tomorrow is our 2.6 mile run. My knee is still giving me problems but I'll make this one just like the last one. After that, we have a mandatory "enrichment seminar" from 2;30 -4:30. An early dinner after that and then we load the buses for a trip to the Law Enforcement Memorial. This is one of the things that I definitely wanted to see while I was here. One of the guys in my section has been picked to play "Taps" in the ceremony. I'll take the Nikon with me so we'll see if I've learned anything yet.

Probably wont post again until Thursday so, stay tuned!

Thanks to Mike (246) for the N/A seal.

Day 16

Another pretty day here at the N/A. Not much going on around here. I just finished working on my three labs for PT. I'm not quite finished with them but, they'll get done.

My knee is still FUBAR and since I can't run right now, I decided to go out walking and loosen it up that way. My first stop was at Hogan's Alley. If the pics don't look that good today, I didn't have my camera with me and used the one on my phone instead. Hogan's Alley is a neat place. Unfortunately, I've been told that we can't take pictures of it. I did mange to sneak a picture of the sign, though. Don't tell the FBI Police. The best way to describe it would be like a small town square. Real buildings and streets to simulate real conditions during training. There's a bank, a post office, a pharmacy, a movie theatre, and even a used car lot. There was also a couple of really nice houses in that particular area. I guess they're used for training but I'd definitely live in one of them.

I then walked back out to the main roadway and started walking. Ended up at the gate on the other end of the complex near the DEA Academy. I didn't realize until the other day when I was leaving the base via the back gate that the DEA Academy was part of the same complex. I'm sure that if my Chief comes up for my graduation, he'll be visiting there since he just retired from the DEA. By the time I made it back around to the dorms, I figured I covered between 2-2 1/2 miles...maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Anyway, as I'm sitting here typing this out, my knee doesn't seem to hurt as much as it did earlier.

Like I said, not much going on around here today but, we have a busy week ahead of us.

Thanks to all of you who are following this and/or have replied. Mike (246). I couldn't email you back. You can contact me at jkelly5817@gmail.com.

Section 2 BBQ

Today was an absolutely beautiful day at the Academy.

I decided to get away for a couple of hours and drove down to Fredericksburg to pick-up a few things. Along the way, I got to sit in two parking lots. The first was called I-95 South. The second was my alleged detour...US-1 South. Traffic here is horrible. Anyway, I did make it back in time to put on my UT Orange and see the team run through the "T". Apparently, it was the highlight of the game. I didn't stay to watch.

I didn't stay because it was time to go to our section BBQ. For those who do not know, the 247th (and every session) is divided up into sections of about 40-50 students each. We have six sections and I'm in Section #2.

There is a beautiful recreation area on the base called Lunga Lake. It has thousands of wooded acres with numerous campgrounds around the lake. We had our picnic in the FBI Recreation Area.


The pictures do not do this place justice.

A good time was had by all who attended. Plenty of food, adult beverages, and relaxation.

Since I stayed up late last night (actually, it was very early in the morning) working on a paper and I'm doing laundry while I'm authoring this post, tomorrow will probably be a stay around the lounge area and watch football day.

Monday starts Week #3.

Week #2, DONE!

Today was a short day as far as classes go. We only have three classes on Fridays...the three today are every other week. Next Friday will be my other three classes. Most of the instructors want out of here early on Fridays to try and beat the traffic so they'll ask us if we want to start back after lunch at 1:00 instead of 1:30. That gets us out of class by 3:00, if not sooner.

Won't be doing much this weekend except trying to get a couple of papers done. And, of course, laundry. My section is having a BBQ tomorrow out at the lake. That will be fun. Real food and adult beverages! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I'm gonna have to miss the UT-LSU game on the TV. LSU is #1 so it probably won't be pretty. I'll post some pics. I'll be the one wearing the UT Orange. GO VOLS!!!

Lucky #13

Last night was Flag Night in the cafeteria. Its a night where all the students gather under their respective state flag and meet new agents that will be assigned to their state. Its also a great time to go around and visit with everyone, trade patches, pins, etc. Although I didn't give away all the patches I brought with me, a bunch of them are gone. I also collected a bunch to take home with me. I thought it was great that some departments have lapel pins as well. My lanyard is getting heavy with all the pins on it. I was trading patches with one of my academy mates and found out that he previously retired from the department in Florida where I grew up and where both my Dad and my Uncle worked. He even said that he remembered my Uncle.

One of the pictures is of me with Vaclev Nemec. He is in my section and is from the Czech Replublic. The group picture is of some of us from Tennessee.

Today was back to class. It did nothing but rain all day.

Day 12

Hobbled my way through the first challenge run today. It wasn't pretty but I did run the entire thing. The last half mile really hurt. Hurt so much that I ended up going over to medical after the run. They checked out the knee and told me the good news and the bad news. The good news is that there's no damage to me knee...said its just tendinitis or "anserine bursitis" of the pes anserinus tendon. The bad news is, its gonna hurt like hell. The told me to load up on the ibuprofen and ice it. Said the cause is most likely my flat feet. Well duh! I'm a cop.

The rain held off until we were just finishing which was good. Conditioning wise, I think I'm all right. I'm not the best but I'm not the worst either. Fighting through the pain is going to be one of my bigger challenges.

My paper for Buddy's class was on forensic entomology. I asked one of my detectives what I should do my paper on and that's what he told me to do, so I did. I actually learned something. Hope Buddy likes the paper.

Flag night is tonight. I brought alot of patches with me...hopefully, I'm not taking them back home with me.














It's me in the last two pics. I can't even remember who I gave my camera to for the picture of me crossing the line but thanks!

Week #2, day 11

Got the forensics paper finished yesterday. Thanks for the info on the website for the APA style. Next paper will be the 2nd leadership paper. Gotta get started on it soon. Jake is in the class with me and he's already started his. Also had my first media class today with Jim Vance. This was one that I was worried about but I'm better after today's class. Col. Vance seems to be good guy and it looks like the class is going to be fun.

First challenge run is tomorrow and I'm not doing too good. I went out and ran 2.5 miles last night and then did the elliptical in the cardio room afterwards. Everything was good. Got up this morning and my left knee is throbbing. I hobbled around here all day. Having PT today didn't help much either. I've already told a couple of the guys that I'm gonna make all these runs if they have to drag me. I'm NOT going home without that Yellow Brick. I've already loaded up on the Ibuprofen and I'll be rubbing "old man" creme on the knee tonight. Weather is not looking good for tomorrow...90% chance of rain is the last I heard. Looks like its gonna be a wet one. I'll take the camera with me and take some pics.

Week #2

Today's a holiday so there are no classes and not much going on around here. I just finished my paper for my Forensics class although I have no clue what APA style is. Anyway, I finally got to step outside of the building for a little fresh air. The weather has been great all week but its starting to cloud up a little now. I did some walking around the buildings trying to take a couple of pics...still not sure what we can take pictures of and what we can't but the camera police hasn't said anything, yet. Deer are everywhere around here and they're pretty tame, even compared to the ones back in the Ridge. I just about walked right up to one outside of the Jefferson Dorm. About the time I had my camera ready, it ran away.

The New York trip is sold out so I won' be doing that one. The price kept going up on it and I just don't have the $$$ to do it. The Philly trip is still open, though. Its alot cheaper, too!

For the 246th...thanks for the replies! The pool is still closed and it doesn't look like they're going to get it opened up this session. Right before we got here, they had a major flood down there when a pipe burst. Its cleaned up but OSHA won't let them open it up.

Here's just a couple of the pics I took. I guess I still can't prove that I'm here because I'm not in any of them. Maybe next time.

Days 8&9

For the most part, its pretty quiet around here. Alot of my fellow students went home for the long weekend. There were also a couple of groups that went to DC yesterday and some more are going today. I slept in yesterday (that was nice!) and then started doing some research for my Forensics paper. I'm a little worried about the papers and getting them done. Maybe if I get most, if not all of my work done early in the session, I can relax later on and enjoy myself. Right now, I'm not relaxed.

Physically, I'm not doing that good either. Apparently, I tweaked my back on Friday during our fitness assessment. To say that I'm in pain right now would be an understatement. To try and loosen it up a little, I went and did 2 miles yesterday afternoon followed by some time on the elliptical. When I went to shower afterwards, I noticed blood on my socks. Needless to say, no running today.

Watched the Vols game in the lounge last night. There I am, all proud in my UT Orange. To my surprise, there were several people there pulling for UT. Oh well, at least we didn't get beat too badly.

I think I'll be spending some time in the library today trying to find some resources for my paper. I texted David Stephens for a suggestion for my Forensics paper and he suggested entomology. For those of you who don't know what that is, its the study of bugs. Thanks David. I'm also going to try and take some pics today around here. They are real strict about what can and can't be photographed. I'll try to post a couple of them later.

Day 7

Well, week #1 is finally over. Its been a hectic but fun week overall. I've met several people this week from different parts of the country and the world. One guy that I met today is from Austin, Texas. He told me that he knows Carl Webb. Turns out that this guy used to work for the National Park Service in Scott County.

Our section had our fitness assessment today. It just verified what I already know...I'm old and fat. Okay, I'm not as bad as some but not as good as some either. I did make my required 1.5 mile run with time to spare. My pace has consistently been a 10 minute mile. Its slow but its consistent. I ran just a little bit quicker that that and finished at 14:41. We had to do it in under 18:00 to qualify for the Yellow Brick Road. I also did okay in other parts of the assessment. The records are safe.

I just completed writing my first paper for my Leadership class. One down and I don't know how many more to go. But I'm going to make it.

Its going to be a long weekend up here. Since Monday is a Federal holiday, there are no classes.

Hopefully, next week will go by quick.

Day 6

I'm trying to think of another way to refer to the days other than, "day1, day 2, etc..." Oh well, I've got plenty of time to think about it. Went to my first forensics class this morning. I think this is going to be a really good class and I'm sure I'll come away from it knowing alot more than I currently do. The instructor for this class, and so far for all of my classes, have been very engaging and personable. They all realize that we're just cops and that some of us have been out of school for many years. Its pretty much, show up for class, do the work, make an effort, and you'll be fine. I hope so anyway.

Evidentiary Photography: I took this class pretty much so I could learn how to use a real camera. The instructor is a little bit different, not in a bad way. He's older, I would say much older than my other instructors and what I would consider a lab geek, not that there's anything wrong with that. He comes across very dry and monotone and then, out of nowhere, he cracks a joke. I hope to learn alot out of this class but I have to admit, it was hard to keep from yawning.

Tomorrow, and every Friday is a short day. We're done at 3:30. First thing though will be my PT assessment. I should be alright. I already know that I'm old and fat. And the 1.5 mile run won't be a problem. I've been regularly doing 2 miles for some time now. We'll see how it goes.

Day 5

Today was an easy day...easy because we didn't have any classes. That's the case every Wednesday. I think the rest of the session, Wednesdays are reserved for our fitness challenges and for mandatory "enrichment seminars". Today was pictures, reimbursement, and library orientation. Tomorrow, I have two classes that I haven't been to yet; Overview of Forensic Science for Police Administrators and Managers and Evidentiary Photography. I also have my Leadership class and my Legal Issues (Law) class. Its a full day...start at 8:30 and finish at 5:30. We'll see what the two new classes bring.

Day 4

First day of classes and no one really knows what to expect. Jake and I really never paid that much attention to each other's schedule but it turns out that we have two classes together. My first class was Leadership for Law Enforcement. The instructor has a sense of humor. He got everyone of us in the class. He starts out by putting up his PowerPoint slide with a bunch of definitions. At the bottom of the slide it says "1 of 212". He starts going through it really quick and then changes slides before anyone can even begin taking notes on the first slide. He does the same thing on the second slide. WTF? Third slide says something to the effect of "Okay, the joke's over, GOTCHA!" Holy $#!+ He's standing down there laughing at us! Then he says "relax". Turns out he's a pretty cool guy. A couple of papers and a group presentation. Doesn't look like it s going to be too bad.

Class #2: PT. Some lab assignments, a couple of physical fitness tests, and a 30 question multiple choice final. Should be easy. Oh yeah, the "Yellow Brick Road". The Yellow Brick Road is the final challenge event of the session...6.1 mile run and obstacle course. Oh well, I have 10 weeks to prepare. First timed run is Friday: 1.5 miles in under 18 minutes.

Class #3: Contemporary Issues in Police and Media Relations. This is the class the Chief asked me to take. This should be interesting. Its actually in a small TV studio. The instructor wasn't there so we only had to sign in and pickup our books. From the looks of it, this class is going to be alot of work.

Class #4: Legal Issues Impacting Law Enforcement Operations. Another really good instructor. He made everybody happy...NO PAPERS! Just a midterm and a final. This is going to be a constitutional law class and very interactive. This will be a good one.

Tomorrow is pretty much a free day. Pictures in the morning and library orientation after lunch. Looks like I'm done for the day @ 2:15.

Day 3

The day started off slow but picked up real quick. Jake and I still haven't met our suite mates but I do know this; four guys sharing one bathroom doesn't workout real well. We're gonna have to figure something out. After breakfast and homeroom, I tried to go through drop/add. The Chief told me he wanted me to take a media class while I was here. Problem is, my schedule was set a few months ago and the media class wasn't one of my choices. So, I go over to the communications section to try and add a media class. All of the classes are full. I'm so screwed! They do however, put me on a waiting list for the class. So I go back to homeroom trying to figure out my next move. About 15 minutes later, my phone rings. They've got an opening. So, back to drop/add. I get the class added but have to drop a class that I really wanted to take because of the time blocks where the classes are scheduled. Probably for the best anyway. The class that I dropped was one of the more difficult ones on my schedule. By now, its lunch time and time for me to tackle my other problem: the check. I go up to the credit union, tell them my sob story about the check, and basically beg them to cash it for me. The cashier takes the check to her boss, who must have seen the desperation in my face. She tells the cashier to cash the check for me. Its gonna be a good day. Time to inhale my lunch before going back to homeroom. In the short time that I've been here, I must already be acquiring a taste for the food...I didn't think it was half bad today. Afer lunch, it was back to home room but we really didn't do much. They dismissed us just before 3:00 and told us to be back for dinner at 5:00.

Tomorrow is the first official day of class. Let the fun begin!

Day 2

I'll try to start posting some pictures as soon as they tell us where we can and can't take pictures. Today was pretty uneventful. Slept in late and missed breakfast. Lunch was ok for cafeteria food. They've promised us some formal dinners where we'll get to eat real food so we'll see. Watched some football and worked out again. Dinner tonight was actually a little better...okay, it was a lot better than last night. I still haven't met my two other suite mates but I'm sure its just a matter of time. We had a mandatory meeting where we had to wear our uniforms. A sea of khakis and dark green polos. They have promised us a long and hectic day tomorrow. Everyone says that after we get through the first week, it'll get better.

It'll be early to bed tonight...breakfast at 6:30 and we have to be in homeroom at 7:30. Hopefully, I can get the check thing taken care of too.

Day 1

I made it! The FBI National Academy. For the next 11 weeks, I'll be studying (and running) my rearend off. Sounds tough but I know I'm gonna make it. I got here about 1:30 on Saturday to check-in. From what little I've seen, this place is awesome. Its also very confusing. Every building is connected by tunnels so, you never really have to go outside. First thing after arriving, I was greeted by an FBI agent (actually, a soon to be FBI agent). They're also in school here and they have new agents meet the N/A students and help them carry in their luggage and help them get registered. After that, it was to my room. 7th floor. I walk in and my roomate is already there. I was expecting an international student since I kinda volunteered to room with one but to my surprise, I have an American roomate. Jake is from a small department in Minnesota. So far, were getting along pretty good but, 11 weeks is a long time.

After getting my stuff to the room, it was time to buy my uniforms. That's where I ran into my first problem. The City combined all expenses that have to be paid to the FBINA on one check and made it payable to the FBINA. Nobody's fault but, I found out that's not gonna work. So far, its money out of my pocket and I don't have alot of it. Hopefully, I can get it straightened out Monday when the bank opens.

Next came the tour of the facility. I was totally lost. After the tour, dinner (cafeteria food). I decided after a little while that I would go workout a little. This is where I ran into problem number 2. I got lost trying to find the gym. After about twenty minute of going around in circles, I finally found the right tunnel that took me to the gym. Go in, find my locker, everything is good. The cardio room is actually outside of the gym in an unattached building. So I go outside and its raining. Its also cold. Sucks to be me but, I go to the building and workout for about the next hour. Nice equipment, flat screen TV's on the wall. Its all good. Get done, have to go back outside to get to the main building...its pooring.

It'll get better...