0820 MDT
I put these clips up late last night, so I'm reposting them now.  When I say 049 and 051 are dark, I mean it.  However, if any of you hi-tech parents can download it and lighten it up...

Clip 06Jul001 - (Basics walking into Arnold Hall - Play time 1 min 21 secs)
Clip 06Jul002 - (Basics walking into Arnold Hall - Play time 57 secs)
Clip 06Jul004 - (Basics walking into Arnold Hall - They have Squadron I flag - Play time 1 min 51 secs)
Clip 06Jul049 - (Basics walking down theater steps - Play time 15 secs) Darker footage)
Clip 06Jul050 - (Basics walking in entry way of Arnold Hall - Play time 25 secs) Wider shot)
Clip 06Jul051 - (Basics walking down theater steps - Play time 10 secs) Darker footage)

0830 MDT
Also, last night I found a couple photos I was looking for.  I knew I had taken a handful of other photos.  One stuck in my head because a female cadet in Guts yelled to me, "Hey, are you the guy purring photos on the website?  Can you take a photo of my buddies!"
I did.  So here is that photo and a handful of others.

.

0840 MDT
This will be a light day because I have back-to-back meetings most of the day.  I don't think I'll be able to get up to the Cadet Area today. 

1105 MDT
I have been receiving dozens of questions from readers.  I try to respond to the ones I know the answer to, but many fall under the jurisdiction of the Academy and its agencies.  When that's the case, I try to throw out some feelers to people I know to get the answers but its very time consuming since for every question I answer, 20 stack up in the queue.  So, I'm sorry for the hundreds who have asked questions and have not received answers.

With that wimpy caveat, I did get an partial answer to the heaviest question.  Mail.

Many wrote that they received their first letters from their Basics written Sunday and Monday, and they reported they had not received any mail yet.
I sent the NCOs who run the BCT scheduling the following question:
"I'm receiving recurring calls and emails from Basic parents that Basics are not receiving mail.  So I can put heir minds at ease with an official answer, what is the mail policy for BCT"?

The response was:
"I can assure you they are receiving mail.  I watch squadrons go down there everyday…  "

WebGuy's Personal Unofficial Comment:

Now having worked BCT as a cadre member back in the 80's, I remember that I tried to get the Basics down to the Post Office as much as possible, but if the time between events was compressed and we were running late, we would have to skip it.  The first few days in particular, with all of the activity and hectic schedules, it was tough to get the Basics to the mailboxes.  So, my guess is that many flights got to the Post Office over the weekend, but many did not.  It was not some purposeful "secret haze", but just compressed time or an unintentional oversight by a particular cadre member.

I hope that helps. 

1830 MDT
Finally back at my desk.  Boy, I'm sorry for the terribly light day. 

Also, I wanted to let you my entry from this morning wasn't a complaint about getting questions.  I just feel bad I can't get back to people with the answers.  What I'm going to do is compile some of them and send them en masse to a contact over in BCT.  He may be able to get back with some of the answers.

It's raining here again.  For a state that has been in a drought, this much rain is unusual.

I'm working on tomorrow's schedule right now.  Oh boy!  A SAMI tomorrow!

1840 MDT
Tomorrow's schedule is posted.  Other than the SAMI, it looks like more of the same.  Squadron G gets to go to the Dental Clinic tomorrow afternoon.

1850 MDT
I received a number of comments that even though their cadet was not in picture posted earlier on, it was great to see the basics smiling.  I can tell you, when they get into the areas where they are not in the presence of the cadre, they have fun together.  If you watched the clip in from the Lectinar where the moderator asked them to stand and tell something about themselves, , you see how they can laugh.  The photo above is in Arnold Hall before the briefing started.  The moderator was waiting for the remaining people to come in and he told them to relax.  They are a riot to watch.

I see them sitting next to people they did not know a week ago, who are now their best friends.  It's a blast.

And remember: In their minds they're thinking, "Woo hoo!  One week done already!"

1900 MDT
Good night.