It’s been a great couple of days! We did our road march on Friday morning, and that went well. We were out to the field about 0445, and marching by around 0500. We went about 2 miles before taking a break to drop our gear for a few minutes, and then we turned around and marched back. The rest of the day included classroom instruction which was not as interesting!

Yesterday I took a day trip down to Charleston. That’s one of my favorite cities. It’s the history of the place that intrigues me. It is one of the oldest cities in the United States, with buildings still standing from the late 1600s. The homes, churches and history of Charleston are incredible, and I encourage anyone who travels to South Carolina to take some time to visit. I went on a two hour walking tour through the oldest district of the city, and saw homes of famous Americans (for example, the home famous Confederate General Beauregard occupied during the Civil War), places George Washington had visited, old slave markets, and historic churches. It’s amazing to stand in a place and think that people have gone about their business in the same place for 350 years.

In addition, there is so much more to do. Last year I visited Patriot’s Point, which is across the harbor, and is home to old naval vessels including the USS Yorktown of World War 2 fame. There are great beaches in Charleston, old plantations, and lots of other things to visit.

This morning I’m going to church at Shandon Baptist Church. It’s a large church just outside the front gate to Fort Jackson. In the afternoon I may head down to visit the South Carolina State Museum.