One year ago I was 4 days into my NA experience....I had no idea what was going to happen from there, but now that I am a year removed I can provide some perspective.
First off, there is NOT one day that goes by that I am not in contact with a classmate. Weather it be an email, a text, or a Facebook post. Our entire class still uses our original email distribution list to ask questions about policies or equipment or whatever. It’s so cool to have these resources from people all over the world and the connection of our time at Quantico. We also use our group Facebook page to keep up with promotions and other news from our class.
Once I got home, within a few weeks I was at my state FBI NA re-trainer connecting with grads in my area. Some of them I knew, many I didn’t. I still keep in contact with a lot of them and that connection is absolutely priceless. I have even had friends go through now and some still scheduled to go. It’s like reliving it all over again.
My NA experience is pretty well documented here, but I am here to tell you that it is still going strong! I have received emails, messages, all kinds of questions from this blog! I love it, keep em coming if you need anything.
17,000 views so far!!
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Home/Reflections
Graduation was over a week ago and feels like it was months ago already. Pretty much all of my classmates are home and I’d estimate 95% are already back to work. I wouldn’t expect anything less from this group. They are an industrious, hard working, salt of the earth group of people. I was consistently blown away by the caliber of people in my session. If you are going to the NA, I’m going to guess you will have the same reaction. There aren’t many gatherings of law enforcement professionals in the whole world that are more impressive then an NA session. You will see.
So the last week is pretty relaxed. You have one final day of class on Monday where you let the instructors know how they did or what they should do differently. Tuesday is Yellow Brick Run-tons of fun. Wednesday is rehearsal for graduation, Thursday is family day, and Friday you are done! Most people move out of the dorms starting Tuesday and Wednesday. You don’t have to be at much after that. So if your family is coming, get a hotel close to Quantico so you don’t have to battle traffic to get here for your mandatory stuff. Make sure you book this early, those rooms fill up fast for the last week of your session with everyone's boss and family coming to see them graduate.
Traffic getting in and out of the academy is pretty tough on graduation day, so make sure you and your family get here early. Seating inside of the auditorium is pretty full, beg borrow and do whatever you have to, to get tickets for you family. Remember, there is an overflow area for guests that has plenty of room, so everyone who comes will get into the academy.
Now that I have been back to work and reflected on it a bit, I am sad that I won't be seeing these guys every day. I am glad to be home, but I am already missing the NA and all that it offers. If anyone has any questions or needs any advice about going, feel free to email me. I'll do my best to help.
Thanks to all of you for reading and responding. I was completely shocked by how many people told me they were reading this blog. The stats on the back end weren't wrong I guess!
Be safe! Thanks again,
A
These guys were great.
My team!
5:00 am Blue Brick Crew! We struggled together!
An idea of how crowded it gets during graduation.
I am very proud of our session for raising the most money ever by an NA session during our silent auction. It was a tremendous effort and speaks volumes about our session. We beat the last record by well over 8k I think!
Me a few days later-on vacation! Sorry, I couldn't resist! If you must know, I was on my way to a massage on the beach!
Just to be fair, this was me last Friday driving across Indiana and Illinois on my way home. Talk about a change of scenery.
So the last week is pretty relaxed. You have one final day of class on Monday where you let the instructors know how they did or what they should do differently. Tuesday is Yellow Brick Run-tons of fun. Wednesday is rehearsal for graduation, Thursday is family day, and Friday you are done! Most people move out of the dorms starting Tuesday and Wednesday. You don’t have to be at much after that. So if your family is coming, get a hotel close to Quantico so you don’t have to battle traffic to get here for your mandatory stuff. Make sure you book this early, those rooms fill up fast for the last week of your session with everyone's boss and family coming to see them graduate.
Traffic getting in and out of the academy is pretty tough on graduation day, so make sure you and your family get here early. Seating inside of the auditorium is pretty full, beg borrow and do whatever you have to, to get tickets for you family. Remember, there is an overflow area for guests that has plenty of room, so everyone who comes will get into the academy.
Now that I have been back to work and reflected on it a bit, I am sad that I won't be seeing these guys every day. I am glad to be home, but I am already missing the NA and all that it offers. If anyone has any questions or needs any advice about going, feel free to email me. I'll do my best to help.
Thanks to all of you for reading and responding. I was completely shocked by how many people told me they were reading this blog. The stats on the back end weren't wrong I guess!
Be safe! Thanks again,
A
These guys were great.
My team!
5:00 am Blue Brick Crew! We struggled together!
An idea of how crowded it gets during graduation.
I am very proud of our session for raising the most money ever by an NA session during our silent auction. It was a tremendous effort and speaks volumes about our session. We beat the last record by well over 8k I think!
Me a few days later-on vacation! Sorry, I couldn't resist! If you must know, I was on my way to a massage on the beach!
Just to be fair, this was me last Friday driving across Indiana and Illinois on my way home. Talk about a change of scenery.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Goosebumps
Today was so much fun! I had a great time visiting with classmates as we showed my family around the academy. My kids loved it and it was nice to share it with my wife. Now she finally had an idea of what I was talking about for the past 3 months.
I have goosebumps. I can’t believe this journey is almost over. I feel sad, accomplished, refreshed, nervous, excited, slightly anxious. Real life is coming quick.
I wanted to be here and I would say that 95% of the people here wanted to be here as well. That makes a difference. I felt it in our discussions, I saw in the presentations. People here are no joke, they earned this and deserved it. They gave it the effort it deserved. I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of so many quality professionals. I’m blown away by the level of talent here.
At the same time...I am ready to go home. I will miss not having to shop, clean, or take care of everyday things like cooking! But I have neglected my family long enough, I owe them for their sacrifice in the biggest way. I need to make up for my absence!
For those of you that are coming here, I have tried to leave you some practical advice in other posts. I want to make sure that you take advantage of everything here, so I want to tell you this: DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Sign up for it all, no matter what. You have one shot at this experience and it is difficult to get her, so you owe it to those who didn’t make it, to try it all. Do all the extra stuff you can, go on on the trips you can, eat all that crazy stuff on International night...live a little! Enjoy it, you owe it to yourself and your department.
Right before I got here I got a new radio as a part of our radio project. I plug it in every night to charge, when it goes in, it’s red. In the morning it’s green. It works, right? One day I plug it in and it turns yellow...I think, oh crap, this thing is already broken. I didn’t mess with it, I just left it, it was yellow for hours! I finally looked it up, the yellow means it is re-conditioning the battery for maximum life and charge. That’s what the NA is. I have been re-conditioned to last the long haul. My batteries are recharged and it’s time to get back to work. First though...I am going on a little vacation haha!
Take care, thanks for reading, and if any of you need anything from me or my area, please let me know! Ask any questions if anyone is coming here in the future. Take care and be safe!
Adam
Steps 13,002 = 5.77 miles
Out for the last dinner!
Classic!
So good to have these guys here today!
I have goosebumps. I can’t believe this journey is almost over. I feel sad, accomplished, refreshed, nervous, excited, slightly anxious. Real life is coming quick.
I wanted to be here and I would say that 95% of the people here wanted to be here as well. That makes a difference. I felt it in our discussions, I saw in the presentations. People here are no joke, they earned this and deserved it. They gave it the effort it deserved. I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of so many quality professionals. I’m blown away by the level of talent here.
At the same time...I am ready to go home. I will miss not having to shop, clean, or take care of everyday things like cooking! But I have neglected my family long enough, I owe them for their sacrifice in the biggest way. I need to make up for my absence!
For those of you that are coming here, I have tried to leave you some practical advice in other posts. I want to make sure that you take advantage of everything here, so I want to tell you this: DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Sign up for it all, no matter what. You have one shot at this experience and it is difficult to get her, so you owe it to those who didn’t make it, to try it all. Do all the extra stuff you can, go on on the trips you can, eat all that crazy stuff on International night...live a little! Enjoy it, you owe it to yourself and your department.
Right before I got here I got a new radio as a part of our radio project. I plug it in every night to charge, when it goes in, it’s red. In the morning it’s green. It works, right? One day I plug it in and it turns yellow...I think, oh crap, this thing is already broken. I didn’t mess with it, I just left it, it was yellow for hours! I finally looked it up, the yellow means it is re-conditioning the battery for maximum life and charge. That’s what the NA is. I have been re-conditioned to last the long haul. My batteries are recharged and it’s time to get back to work. First though...I am going on a little vacation haha!
Take care, thanks for reading, and if any of you need anything from me or my area, please let me know! Ask any questions if anyone is coming here in the future. Take care and be safe!
Adam
Steps 13,002 = 5.77 miles
Out for the last dinner!
Classic!
So good to have these guys here today!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Family is Here/Grad Rehearsal
My family was lucky to get her yesterday, turns out the security line at our airport is getting slower! So after a run for it, they made it in the nick of time! On the connecting flight, United was nice enough to let the kids sit up front and “drive”!
Last night, the Boardroom was hopping! For some of us, it will be the last time we get to hang out. I had a great time with my classmates.
Today we received our yellow bricks, it was a highlight of the session. It signify’s our accomplishment and effort. We then lined up for graduation rehearsal and went through what to expect for graduation on Friday. Nothing terribly complicated.
I left right after and headed to my in laws. Had a great day hanging out around the house and celebrating my father-in-law’s birthday. Pookie is in the house as well, she is up north in DC with my Uncle Mark. Her friend Grace gets here tomorrow, so Friday we should have a nice contingent of my friends and family at graduation.
My bricks!
Section 3!
Dan and I. Long time follower of the blog! W!
The Iowa crew!
My Louisiana meal!
Can’t have Louisiana night without a Hurricane!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Yellow Brick Road-Lots of Pictures
The highlight of today was sneaking over to my nephew’s baseball game and surprising my kids! It was so good to see them and Sarah after all this time! I am glad they are here and I feel my time is winding down here.
Today we completed the Yellow Brick Road, a right of passage at the NA. It’s about 6.1 miles of trail runs and some obstacles at the beginning. It would have been glorious if the weather had cooperated, but it was cold and windy. I wouldn’t want it any other way though, it was tough! A few classmates didn’t fare as well, we had one break a wrist actually. I hope she is feeling better today, traveling with a broken wrist can’t be any fun.
Before I went to meet the family, I had a chance to eat at Louisiana Night! Well done fellas, well done. I had catfish, fried okra, shrimp, gumbo, the whole works! It was great fun and good company. I will post some pics of that stuff tomorrow.
Graduation rehearsal first thing this am and then I am headed to the in laws for the night. Tomorrow I am going to give the family a tour of the FBI Academy! Have a good day, A
Steps 22,147 = 10.5 miles
Carb Load meal provided by the FBI NAA and First Tactical. It was very good, shrimp were on point!
Hoover reading room in the library
Tile I received for finishing the triathlon challenge. Coolest piece of swag I’ve got so far!
Our triathlon group! Beasts!!!
Dessert at the carb load meal. Well done! Cake under the fondent was very good.
The big yellow brick!
Uncle Jeff and I! Aka Mr McCormick. He’s a big deal around here!
All over!
Group shot
The library.
Library.
Today we completed the Yellow Brick Road, a right of passage at the NA. It’s about 6.1 miles of trail runs and some obstacles at the beginning. It would have been glorious if the weather had cooperated, but it was cold and windy. I wouldn’t want it any other way though, it was tough! A few classmates didn’t fare as well, we had one break a wrist actually. I hope she is feeling better today, traveling with a broken wrist can’t be any fun.
Before I went to meet the family, I had a chance to eat at Louisiana Night! Well done fellas, well done. I had catfish, fried okra, shrimp, gumbo, the whole works! It was great fun and good company. I will post some pics of that stuff tomorrow.
Graduation rehearsal first thing this am and then I am headed to the in laws for the night. Tomorrow I am going to give the family a tour of the FBI Academy! Have a good day, A
Steps 22,147 = 10.5 miles
Carb Load meal provided by the FBI NAA and First Tactical. It was very good, shrimp were on point!
Hoover reading room in the library
Tile I received for finishing the triathlon challenge. Coolest piece of swag I’ve got so far!
Our triathlon group! Beasts!!!
Dessert at the carb load meal. Well done! Cake under the fondent was very good.
The big yellow brick!
Uncle Jeff and I! Aka Mr McCormick. He’s a big deal around here!
All over!
Group shot
The library.
Library.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Week 10 Begins-lots of Academy Pics
This post will be good for people who are coming here or people who wonder some things. I tried to upload some pictures instead of just explaining everything. I will post some more pictures of stuff around here for tomorrow's post.
We are officially done with all classes. Yellow Brick Road tomorrow, Grad rehearsal Wednesday, Thursday is family luncheon, and Friday is graduation! I hope to have a few final posts to give some other perspectives before I leave.
If anyone has any questions, make a comment and I will try to answer as best I can and maybe even find a picture for you.
This is breakfast, every day! Yup, no joke. That's turkey bacon and turkey links FYI. There is also fruit/veggies at the salad bar and toast. Oatmeal and cereal are also available.
On the weekends they bust out the waffle maker! They also have omelets on the weekends.
There is usually another area for breakfast that has something like this or a breakfast sandwich.
Apples and Bananas are usually here with some fruited water. Stock up, they are good snacks for middle of the day.
Dessert bar after lunch or dinner. Avoid! Except when they have soft cookies...if they aren't soft, put them through the toaster for a cycle. Thank me later!!!
Protein shakes-usually available at lunch. No idea what kind of protein they use. People dig these, I never tried it.
Lunch will have sandwiches or some sort or this as an alternative to the main hot dish. These are gyros and they aren't bad.
Every dinner/lunch has a pasta/pizza bar as an option. Never ate the pizza, have no idea how good it is.
The grill-hamburgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs-available for lunch and dinner.
Salad bar. Part of it.
Salad bar
Salad bar with lunchmeat if you want a sandwich. I enjoyed the tuna a few times
Pasta bar part 2. That chicken is a staple and very dry. You'll always see it!
My room, being lived in. Day to day, this is basically what it looks like.
You get one half of this and a drawer. I never used my drawer.
Bathroom you share with another room.
We are officially done with all classes. Yellow Brick Road tomorrow, Grad rehearsal Wednesday, Thursday is family luncheon, and Friday is graduation! I hope to have a few final posts to give some other perspectives before I leave.
If anyone has any questions, make a comment and I will try to answer as best I can and maybe even find a picture for you.
This is breakfast, every day! Yup, no joke. That's turkey bacon and turkey links FYI. There is also fruit/veggies at the salad bar and toast. Oatmeal and cereal are also available.
On the weekends they bust out the waffle maker! They also have omelets on the weekends.
There is usually another area for breakfast that has something like this or a breakfast sandwich.
Apples and Bananas are usually here with some fruited water. Stock up, they are good snacks for middle of the day.
Dessert bar after lunch or dinner. Avoid! Except when they have soft cookies...if they aren't soft, put them through the toaster for a cycle. Thank me later!!!
Protein shakes-usually available at lunch. No idea what kind of protein they use. People dig these, I never tried it.
Lunch will have sandwiches or some sort or this as an alternative to the main hot dish. These are gyros and they aren't bad.
Every dinner/lunch has a pasta/pizza bar as an option. Never ate the pizza, have no idea how good it is.
The grill-hamburgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs-available for lunch and dinner.
Salad bar. Part of it.
Salad bar
Salad bar with lunchmeat if you want a sandwich. I enjoyed the tuna a few times
Pasta bar part 2. That chicken is a staple and very dry. You'll always see it!
My room, being lived in. Day to day, this is basically what it looks like.
You get one half of this and a drawer. I never used my drawer.
Bathroom you share with another room.
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The highlight of today was sneaking over to my nephew’s baseball game and surprising my kids! It was so good to see them and Sarah after all...
-
This post will be good for people who are coming here or people who wonder some things. I tried to upload some pictures instead of just expl...
-
Today is officially my last day of real class work and it feels great! My group presented on Angela Merkel as a transformational leader. I t...
