Jane Wayne Day

My hubby's unit set up a Jane Wayne day on Camp Lejeune for all the wives this weekend. What is a Jane Wayne day, you ask? Well, it is a day where the unit plans different events where the wives can get a taste of what it is like to be a Marine. Each unit does things a little differently I think, but here is how our fun day went down...

First, all the wives dress in athletic gear. This is not a day to try and look really cute - you are going to get sweaty and be moving around in awkward positions. Some girls wore workout clothes, but Dustin really wanted me to wear his cammies. So, I wore his pants, green shirt, and his blouse (and trust me, it got hot!), and then my own tennis shoes :)

The unit provided us with donuts and water while they got everything set up, and it was a good time to mingle. I ended up talking school with the Master Sergeant's wife. She teaches on base, so we had a LOT to talk about getting ready for school to start up again.

Then we got to check out some static displays. We used night vision goggles to navigate through a dark tent, climbed up in some of the vehicles they use while deployed (and wow, those seats are high up there), played with the gun turret in one of the Humvees, and pose with some of the weapons. I managed to avoid the CFT station, but for ladies that were athletically inclined, they could enjoy some of that PT activity as well. Even though our Jane Wayne day started early, I have to say that I was really sweating by about 10:30! I definitely regretted sporting that long-sleeved blouse.

After the static displays we donned our flak vests and kevlar and loaded up another vehicle to try out some weapons. We went to an indoor simulated shooting range, where we got to try shooting simulated versions of the weapons our Marines use. It was nothing like the movies, because those things are HEAVY! I literally have bruise from propping the giant rocket launcher up on my shoulder! We also got to shoot the simulated machine guns and M-16 rifles. It was fun to try all the weapons out, but man, my arms are too weak to do that stuff!

After our shooting practice we headed back for some chow! My hubby was busy directing all his marines while they served us food. It's hard to believe they can cook so many things out in the field, without all the modern conveniences most cooks get used to using! After my long, sweaty day outside, I went home appreciating my hubby's job a little bit more, and so thankful that I work in a building with constant air conditioning!

If your husband's unit has a Jane Wayne day, I highly suggest you head out there, even if only to be able to take some awesome pictures for facebook!