YLOK Class XIII Day 3: Long Day, Long Blog

This is a picture of LeeAnne, the fearless director of YLOK, chatting it up with strangers on a backroad near Wynnewood, Oklahoma yesterday evening. We had enjoyed an informative and entertaining afternoon at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur and were ready to head to Tulsa for dinner. Unfortunately, we got delayed a bit by two unexplained phenomena. 

We always do our very best at YLOK to showcase the best parts of Oklahoma to our students. We make it a point to prove that we are a cutting edge place and full of new ideas. We did not expect to encounter the world's first fully invisible train, and right in the middle of Davis, Oklahoma, at that! You heard it right: The bells, blinking lights, and guard gates knew something we didn't about the status of the train tracks. For a solid thirty minutes, we sat behind a large line of traffic with no idea what was happening. We realized people were turning around and going the opposite direction, and that is how we came to find the ghost train. We sat and waited a bit longer. Then, once we realized we were going to be late for our dinner reservation, I decided to call the Davis Police Department. They were very kind and understanding (typical good ole' Okies), but they had no idea what was going on, and they had been getting calls about it all day. They gave us directions to Wynnewood on Hwy-77 and we got out of there. Just a few miles up the road, the pictured incident occurred.

"Hi. Is this normal?" said LeeAnne to the folks in the pickup in front of us at the intersection of the one-lane bridge and middle-of-nowhere-nothingness. We literally sat at that light for ten minutes. We really, really needed to be going. 

"We aren't from here. We've never..." The light turned green as the truck's passengers began to answer. LeeAnne ran back onto the bus and we sailed on through. We noticed about 20 construction workers sitting down watching us while we passed. I shook my head. We all just had to laugh. 

We didn't laugh when the toilet exploded. Ok, it didn't explode, but if it had, it would have smelled exactly like the bus did between OKC and Tulsa on I-44. And then the door locked itself, and some people really. had. tuh. go. We fixed it after throwing dynamite at it and doing an ancient voodoo dance.

That was the longest trip we'd had to take all week, and the longest one we'll take at all. We're glad it's over, but looking back, it really is kind of hilarious to remember all of it. We were too cranky from our early morning at Fort Sill to laugh at the time. Which brings me to the start of our third day of YLOK.

5:58 am PT

We did it. We made it. We're not soldiers yet, but we sure as heck respect them now, if we didn't already. The early rise itself is always enough to make me respect them. But the discipline instilled into every recruit's life does not stop there. It is absolute, and it is ever-present. What we did at Fort Sill was the smallest little snippet of what a soldier goes through at basic training.

We began our morning with very basic PT. Pushups, sit-ups, stretches, squats, you name it. It wasn't exactly easy, either! However, the drill sergeants skipped the running portion that they usually do with our group. Most of us were thankful. I was secretly disappointed. Oh well. I think one of the things that I thought was extremely special about what we did was that hundreds of other soldiers were doing the exact same workout that we were, but taking it much more seriously, obviously. It was amazing to think that many of them will go on to serve in our military and fight for our freedom, and even if some won't make it through training, I applaud them for being willing to serve.

After PT, we changed in the barracks into nicer clothes and headed to the chow hall where we ate breakfast. Afterwards, we headed to the EST gun range, which is a series of buildings that house virtual shooting ranges that serve as training for the actual shooting range. We had the opportunity to shoot repurposed M-4's at the turkeys on the screen. The students did a great job, too. I was impressed. When they weren't shooting, they were posing with the actual AR-15s that were available for them to examine.

When we were finished shooting, we went outside and had a Q&A session with our commander and drill sergeants. I think this was the moment when we became a real family. It's cheesy, but my fellow chaperones and I stood there and watched it happen in front of us as everyone began to realize how good they have it because of these men and women. Lieutenant Funk, the extremely kind man that led our tour, ended the session with a fantastic nugget of wisdom: "Look at us. We've made it this far because we worked for it. We earned it, and it was not easy. I see people come into the military day in and day out who don't think they can make it through their training, and we don't think they will either. But they do. They push themselves until they make it. It serves as a lesson: the only thing standing in the way of you is you." Just like that, we realized that the lessons learned in the military are relatable to anyone's life, and they are absolutely invaluable.

Then the most incredible thing happened: One of our students, Savannah Phillips, spoke up and gave one of the most heartfelt offerings of gratitude to the 6 men and women that had been with us all morning for their service to our country. I'm telling you, it moved me, and it moved all of us.

On a side note: I am telling you these stories in detail like this because I am simply amazed at what I'm seeing. I keep being moved and astounded by these students who are 4 years younger than me. This is by far the most appreciative, polite, and respectful group of PEOPLE I have ever encountered. I say that because there is an endless amount of gratitude that pours out of each of them, and me and the other two chaperones have received some major compliments from basically every single place we have gone about their gleaming attitudes. Thank you, parents. You've done something very right. I'm speaking on behalf of LeeAnne and Katie as well.

Fast forward, and we are at a giant virtual reality training center in a totally different part of Fort Sill getting to experience more parts of a soldier's training. This place is jam packed with giant screen, awesome sound systems, dark rooms with simulated terrains, and so much more. You can't get any closer to actually living inside a video game than this place. We got to see what goes on behind the scenes, as well as mess around with some of equipment.

I died rather quickly while driving a tank. That's why we hire a bus driver.

After that, we said goodbye to Fort Sill and grabbed boxed lunches at Atlanta Bread in Lawton. We ate on the bus and headed an hour and a half east to Sulphur for the Chickasaw Cultural Center. Many got some zzz's in, as demonstrated by Will. 

At the cultural center, we got to tour the realistic village that the Chickasaw's may have once lived in, and then we were able to participate in a really fun welcoming stomp dance. That is seriously always a highlight for people, and this time was no different. After that, we went inside the museum and were given a brief tour, along with a history of the Chickasaw people. Being Choctaw myself and an employee for my own nation, I rather enjoyed the experience, and even learned something new: Choctaws and Chickasaws were once one nation! If you've never been to that campus, you should really check it out sometime. They have done an outstanding job with that place. The grounds are immaculate, and the people go above and beyond with their hospitality. It was a great experience for everyone.

From here, you know the whole story about the ride to Tulsa, so let's pick back up at our arrival in T-town. Our only stop for the evening was the Blue Rose Cafe on the Arkansas River. Definitely a treat. We sat on the back patio on the lower deck and watched the sunset, along with several geese swimming up on the shore. We had fantastic burgers and chicken sandwiches. Again, our main waitress privately gave major compliments to us three chaperones about how gracious and polite the students were. We were gleaming. What an enjoyable way to wind down a long day.

We wrapped up dinner and check into the Hyatt in downtown Tulsa. Nearly everyone decided to go outside to the rooftop pool, but it didn't have any water. We made the best of it and sat in a giant circle and played games. Even LeeAnne, Katie, and I joined in. Then, there was a rather rude woman who must not have been having a great night, because she threatened to call 911 on us if we didn't leave (we had every right to be there and we were being incredibly quiet for such a large group). But we left anyway. It was fun. We laughed. And we just hung out in the giant lobby instead!

It was absolutely a fantastic day, but holy cow, we were all worn out by the end. And that is precisely why I am just now finishing this post. I hope you enjoyed another day in the life! Next post: Tulsa and Stillwater!

-Bryce Rowland