Category: Week 9

I slept in this morning. It was a nice treat. Hit the chow hall for lunch and then went to the gym. Had a great workout before our class bbq and party tonight. One of the guys was able to secure a live band tonight. The FBI approved the band to come in and play from 6 to 10. Should be a good time.

The band was great and the so was the company. It was nice for everyone to unwind and celebrate our last Saturday night here at the academy.

This morning was the final day of official classes. My first two classes consisted of final presentations from my classmates. There were some great presentations.

The weather was cloudy and we had snow flurries in the afternoon. The weather has been crazy this week – cold and sunny to cloudy and warmer. Sunday is suppose to be in the high 60’s.

The final class of the day was physical training. This was our last physical training day before the yellow brick road on Monday. Courtney finished off strong with fight club for the first half and weight room for the second half. Exercises included 36″ box jumps, bench press, shoulders, pull ups, rows and squats. The finisher was 4 rounds of sprints on the pad, squats and push ups.

After PT was over, Tony from Somoa, led us in a chant that is done before a sporting event back home. I was able to capture it on video.

Since this was our last class with Courtney, we gave her a gift from the class. She was given a pink onesie for her daughter that is on the way. The front said FBINA 275 and on the back it said Section 2. We also provided her patches from everyone in the class.

We are set up to run the yellow brick road on Monday. We got our numbered bibs today. This event will be 6.1 miles with 3 miles of obstacles. I am looking forward to the challenge.

One last haircut at Kim’s before graduation. We all went and the ladies were happy to see us. They wanted one more picture before we graduate.

We went to dinner after our haircuts. We wanted a celebratory dinner for completing all our class work. The freeway was completely stopped so we ended up at Fatty’s. I decided to go with the shrimp and crab legs. Maybe I ordered too much.

Light day today. Physical training was the highlight of the day. Courtney set up a 30 minute, 5 station workout that incorporated ropes, pull ups, skier machine, pushups, and core exercises.

Tonight we have the silent auction and the Marine Corp Officers Club. So far we have over 200 items available.

We had a great turnout for the silent auction. Our class raised $27,500 for charity. The money will be give to COPs (Concerns of Police Survivors). I was able to walk away with a couple items. I won an autographed cleat by Deondre Hall and a baseball bat engraved with our class number and logo.

We have made it to hump day of week 9. Today was mostly final presentations in my classes.

After lunch I had to present my last presentation on mindfulness. Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness are becoming popular in police departments across the country. I presented on a few simple mindful exercises that can be done in a law enforcement setting. The benefits can be reduced stress, lower heart rate, better breathing and better focus. All of these are useful to law enforcement. Mindfulness is about living in the moment.

Some of the other presentations were on essential oils, qigong, crystals, Kung fu, and yoga. All of these are alternative forms of wellness. They may not work for everyone but we now have an understanding of options that are out there.

Tonight we are heading to Paddy’s for dinner. Paddy is a retired marine that owns a restaurant in town. He is hosting a dinner for FBINA Class 275. He has bagpipers coming as entertainment tonight.

Woke up to a clear crisp 24 degree day. I started off with a vigorous 60 minute workout and the rest of the day was class room presentations.

At the end of the day we were invited to attend an AA meeting at one of the local churches. This was a suggestion by one of our instructors. She encouraged us to attend as a visitor so we would have a better understanding of what Alcoholics Anonymous is and how the meetings are structured. I must admit that I was a little anxious because I didn’t know what to expect. To my surprise, it was a great experience to see how the program has helped and continues to help so many people. I would be comfortable attending a meeting with someone that needed help or support. The experience gives you confidence and credibility with your friends, family or coworkers. I’m glad I went and shared the experience with a few of my classmates.

I woke up earlier than usual this morning. I had two presentations to do so my mind was wondering to both of those. The first presentation was on a controversial police shooting in Albuquerque, NM and the next one was a case study on Costco and how they implement emotional intelligence. Bill, Mike and I tackled the Costco presentation together.

During the afternoon session we listened to a debrief of the Route 91 mass shooting. I have heard this one before but it’s close to home so it just reminds you of how tragic the event really was and the impact it had on so many, including the law enforcement community.

After dinner we went to the Globe and Laurel for a social gathering. We try and go every couple of weeks. The location is owned by a retired marine. He is very police and military friendly. He is 94 and he served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He is there every night and is a gracious host. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a photo with him.

I was up until 0200 this morning. I went through and scanned all of the paper, documents and booklets that I received over the last couple months. It was nice to get rid of all the paper.

I had a great night of sleep. I woke up refreshed and ready to go today. It is cloudy and rainy again but me, Martin, Bill and Bill are heading to DC to tour the Newseum. Apparently this museum is closing down soon. I have heard that this museum is amazing and full of interesting items.

Berlin Wall.

The Unabomber’s cabin.

I have two presentations tomorrow so I will be preparing for those tonight. Once those are done, I’ll have one left on Wednesday.