Letters from Boot Camp - Episode 2

Here is the latest installment of excerpts from David's letters - just received yesterday, but written March 13.

This week has been pretty crazy! Yesterday we were at the pool half of the day doing our swim qualifications. I passed everything, no problem. I actually had fun in the pool, it was a good change of pace from our normal activities. So swimming is done for me, but some of our guys failed and have two more days to qualify or else they get dropped back to Echo Company. Today was pretty nuts. We did all of the high obstacles. Two of the harder ones we did were The Slide for Life and the Stairway to Heaven. You should look them up on YouTube. Mom, I'm sure you would love to do these obstacles, LOL! (Note: I'm terrified of heights. Here is a YouTube link to Recruit Training - Week 4.) 

We had initial drill on Sunday, which is a really big deal. We got 4th place but our Senior Drill Instructor thought we did really well and thought we should have gotten 1st or 2nd place. The Day before that, to motivate us for initial drill, they had the Commandants Own Drum and Bugel Corps along with the Silent Drill Platoon put on a show for us on the Parade Deck. It was awesome!

Being here is still kind of sureal for me, but it is starting to kick in that I am going to become a United States Marine, and it's a great feeling. Sometimes at night I have dreams that I am back at home hanging out with all of my friends and then I wake up in my rack and it takes me a few minutes to realize where I am. The first time it happened I was soooo confused for like 5 minutes until I realized it was all a dream and then I got pissed for a few minutes, LOL! But I'm all good - you don't need to worry about me :)

By the time you get this letter I will most likely be up at Camp Pendleton. We leave on Saturday (March 17). Now that we are officially Phase 2 recruits we get to unbutton our top button and blouse our boots. One step closer to the final product! It is crazy to think that in less than two weeks we will be half way done!

I've decided that the first meal I am going to have [when I am on leave] is HyVee Chinese, and the second meal is going to be El Rodeo.

So here are some things you guys can pray about for me:

1. The last prayer leader meeting we had on Tuesday night the chaplain encouraged us to start sharing the Gospel in our platoon. I have just been praying every night that God would give me that opportunity.
2. I have been sick for the last two weeks and it hasn't been too bad, but the last two days it has gotten significantly worse. I don't want to go to medical because then I will miss at least one training day.
3. Please pray for my Drill Instructors - they need it the most!

I have about a million more things I want to tell you, but it is time for me to wrap this up. Keep updating my Facebook please.

Love,

David

Company B recruits learn bayonet techniques

Some news about Bravo Company at MCRD San Diego. There are photos and they quote a recruit from Platoon 1029 - David's platoon!

Company B recruits learn bayonet techniques

Letters from Boot Camp

We have received two letters from David. In his last letter, he asked me to "keep blowing up my Facebook with updates." So here are some excerpts....

"I went to church on Sunday and it was awesome! The chaplain is a great preacher. I was chosen as a prayer leader for my platoon, which means every night we are given 5 minutes of evening devotion and I lead it. Also, every Tuesday all of the Christian prayer leaders get together for an hour and have a meeting with the chaplain. During that time we pray and read bible verses and talk about how God is working in our lives here at boot camp..."

"There are a lot of things that suck...The DIs (drill instructors) yell and spit all over your face and your tray. Every single thing that you do every single day is counted down by a DI. For example, we get 300 seconds to shower and shave, 60 seconds to go to the bathroom, 30 seconds to change our clothes, 100 seconds to make our racks. If you don't get it done on time you go to the quarterdeck at the front of the squadbay and get IT'd where you do jumping jacks and push ups for at least 5 minutes straight."

"Physical training isn't so bad. I actually enjoy doing the daily workouts. I also don't mind drill - I actually kind of like it."

"Did I mention I was given 7 shots in one day? That was by far the worst night."

"The two things I look forward to every day are chow and bed time. The chow is not all that great, but I'm always so hungry that I eat  my entire tray."

"I'm not homesick, but I do really miss junk food, my bed, girls:), and HyVee Chinese!"

"I could really use a news update - It's as if we are completely cut off from the outside world."

"Don't worry about me - things aren't so bad here. I'm actually starting to get used to it."

"Let everyone know that I would really appreciate letters from them. They have no idea how much a simple letter can lift my spirits. Also, please be praying for me and my platoon and my Drill Instructors."

 - Love, David

Note: The Marines ask us not to post the recruits addresses on Facebook or other public websites, but I am glad to email David's address to anyone who would like to send him a letter.  

88 Days and a Wakeup

So the adventure begins....

Yesterday at precisely 1:45 p.m., David left for an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn near the Des Moines airport. I'm not sure why they insist on having all recruits stay overnight; I guess it's to prevent any going away parties that would impair the young men from getting up at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. We were allowed to take David out for dinner, so we enjoyed a leisurely dinner at Bennigan's and actually took him back home for a couple of hours of visiting before he had to be back, lights out by 10 p.m.

This morning an unexpected snowfall made for a slow drive to the MEPS at Camp Dodge, where I spent most of the morning waiting, and waiting some more. I was able to see David for brief moments between the various tasks he was required to do in order to finalize his enlistment process.


















For the second time, David took the U.S. Military Oath of Enlistment. As the officer stated in this video, "This is the big one!"

Families were allowed a very brief time with their newly enlisted recruits, after which the boys had lunch together. David made small talk with five other marine recruits who would travel together to San Diego. The boys were then taken into a room where they were briefed about their travel, and given papers that they needed to carry along.

Finally, they filed out, grabbed their coats and the few belongs they were allowed, and loaded the van to the airport. But before he got on the van he turned, hugged me, and said, "I love you, Mom." Then then next thing I knew, they were driving away.

88 days until I see him again.

First Snow 2012

Well, technically it wasn't the very first snow of the season, but it was the first one for which the snow blower came out of hibernation. It was the first that was snowball-worthy. It was the first that beckoned one almost 14-year-old girl to make snow angels. And it was the first that gave me an excuse to stay in my jammies - at least until afternoon.

Seriously? Is this January?

I haven't been in as big a rush to get out of work since they were giving away free 5 pound bricks of cheese at the courthouse in Litchfield, MN back in 1983. The temperature at 4:30 was 64 degrees! So I left my desk a mess and flew like a bat out of hell. I got home just in time for a brisk, 30-minute walk as the sun was setting, and the moon was rising. I even took the dog for a walk later. Could we just keep this weather? I wouldn't mind a no-snow winter!

Keeping it Real

So many blogs I read suffer from excessive sappiness. They convey to all of blogdom the illusion that the writer's life is one filled with raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and bright yellow packages tied up with string. In other words, perfection. I know better. I know that even the most gallant husband occasionally farts in bed. I know that kids screw up - sometimes badly - and then argue that you're the idiot. I know that a mother's heart doesn't always swell with pride - sometimes it breaks into pieces. I know that money doesn't grow on trees, and that hard work doesn't always pay off.

You may have noticed that this blog has been dark as of late. The last few months have been a bit rough, and I've struggled with what to write when everything isn't rosey. Sister Mary Patrick's words from 2nd grade haunt me: "If you can't say something nice don't say anything." Some of you have asked what has happened to the blog, and I've claimed to be too damn busy, which is partially true. The rest of the truth is that I'm worried that you really don't want to hear me whining about my problems. But this is where we are right now, so I'm choosing to occasionally expose a bit of what is real. It may be ugly. And even stinky. Here are the facts:

• The job that Al took in August lasted about two months. It was not a good fit, so he quit and has been a stay-at-home dad since. Al has been traveling through some dark days. Walking alongside him has not been fun. Some days I don't want to do it.
• Brent still doesn't have a steady job. Though he is amazingly able to get by on nearly nothing and can tolerate conditions that most of us wouldn't, I worry about his future.
• I found out on Thanksgiving that I'm going to be a grandmother!! Darrin and McKenna are expecting in July, and I couldn't be happier! But McKenna has been so sick, and I feel so helpless to know what to do for her. I just pray the cloud lifts for her soon.
• David's enlistment date has been moved up by 2 months to January 23. He's decided he needs to cram in all the partying he can in his remaining days of freedom, and that has led to some conflict at our house. Hearing the garage door open every night at 4 a.m. doesn't give me a very good night's sleep, so I'm a little cranky at times.
• Hannah, who is almost a dream child, is sensitive to all of this. It breaks my heart to see her cry when carelessly-chosen words are spoken.
• Work is as demanding as ever - maybe moreso. 10-12 hour days are the norm, and being a boss means not every decision I make is popular. The hospital has become the safety net for every social ill, and I worry about the safety of my nurses sometimes. Being the sole bread-winner has its own set of stressors, but I am genuinely thankful that I have a job at a time when many people do not.
• Food is my drug of choice, and I've be using it a lot more as the stress level has been higher. I've packed about 15 pounds onto my already pudgy frame, resulting in my highest nonpregnant weight ever. Ugh.

Those are the things I can share. There are other things that I will not share in case I decide to run for President someday. My theme for 2012 is Victory (see yesterday's post.) Victory implies a battle. Battles are hard, and dangerous, and scary. But therecan be no victory without a battle. So into the battle we go - sometimes unwillingly; sometimes nervously; sometimes scared out of our minds; and sometimes with hopeful enthusiasm. I'm trying to make it the latter.