The last letter I posted is it until I get Stan's AIT address. Yesterday,Friday afternoon I was able to talk to him for about 2 hours though. Stan is now his Platoons PG and so he's in charge of the phones when the DS leave for the weekend. He told me he just tells the guys as soon as they get everything done he'll let them have their phones. Stan Said the 15 k ruck march went fine. He was a little disappointed that they only made them carry 30 lb. packs though. He told me a part of the march they call it the "Stairway to Heaven". But he just giggled under his breath when they got to it because it was this little rolling hill. I asked him if he wanted me to text him some pictures of real Mountains to show the guys. At end of Basic each platoon has an army combatives competition and who ever their winners are they send to the Battalion tournament. Stan says it's a mixture of wrestling, marshal arts and modern combat moves. Stan won first place for his weight class in the whole Battalion!! I guess each cycles the DS have 6 special coins they can give to any soldier they think deserves it, Stan received one of them:) He told me that he got huge friction burns on the tops of his feet from the mat they were fighting on. The tournament was the day before the ruck march so he said having the sores on the tops of his feet was the only bad part. The 4 soldiers that won the army combative tournament were invited to sit at the DS table during chow time they were able to actually take their time and enjoy their food. Stan was really happy because they got ice cream. lol When Stan's Platoon came back from their march it was night time. And it was really awesome because it was all dark but there was a huge 60' flag draped over this indoor balcony with lights shining on it. And there was an M-16 with a helmet and more flags propped up. He said it was a really neat feeling to finish the final march and be called a soldier. Oh yeah....They can finally say HOOAH!!! The next morning all the soldiers that finished their training and that will graduate next Thursday were able to eat a special breakfast. (I can't remember what it's called) Stan said it was nice because they could talk and enjoy their food.
Stan says, all that's left is cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. They're in the process of checking all their gear in. And then Lot's of drills and practicing for graduation day. I can't believe that in 2 days I'll be flying to Georgia to see him. I've been planning, cleaning and packing for weeks now. I'm so ready to hug my soldier. I'm one proud Army wife! The next post will be on graduation. THERE WILL BE PICS! :)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sept. 9th, 11th 2010
The time here has been moving a little slow. With 2 fireguard shifts a night I have been very tired. It has made the days go slow. It's hard to pay attention when all you try to do is stay awake. There were 18 out of 52 in our platoon that failed the PT test. They have to do 35 push ups and 47 sit ups and run the 2 mile in at least 16:30. If all of them don't pass this next Monday then we keep these fireguard shifts until the end. At this point I know there will be 3 to 5 that won't pass. It's like they have no heart. On guy cries almost every night when we try to motivate him to workout. When they act like that it makes it hard for me to care if they make it or not. If they are that week then I don't know if I'd want them fighting beside me. It's sad because these guys have had 7 weeks. If they can't move themselves around, how could they move anyone off the battlefield? Almost through this week. Next week is Hell week. We only have a the last couple of marches, the Raider challenge and some Battle Drills left. Then once we make it all through that we will start turning stuff back in. The DS are having us strip the paint off the kill zone and repaint it and the door. Next cycle our Barracks will be the "Black Panthers."
Today was a total waste of time. Well not completely. We got up and did PT for about 1 1/2 hrs. But from then on all we did was clean our weapon and one one hour class on the 50 cal. Machine gun. So all day we pretty much cleaned our weapons. We haven't fired our weapons for about 4 days. The past 4 days we have cleaned them probably 8 hrs. not counting all day today. So today went slow:( Tomorrow makes me a little nervous. We go to the range and do battle drills. It is where we bound from one place of cover to another while shooting targets. This will be the first time with live rounds. The part that scares me is you get paired up and some guys don't hold their weapons in a safe direction. Some don't realise that when they get down and roll they wave their weapon over in your direction. There are mistakes all the time in practice. So you can see why I'd be a little scared that we have live rounds shooting targets. The good part is there will be a DS behind everyone while we do this. That way if anyone gets flagged they will tackle them.
Well here it is 9/11. I still remember on my mission we were teaching a family and they showed us on T.V. what was going on. I still can't believe they did that on our own soil. There is a concert tonight somewhere on base. They came in and did a locker inspection and whoever had clean lockers and passed their PT test could go. (My locker is always clean) We were allowed to buy pop and "real" food. I'm so excited.
OK, You want some real dirt? We had a 12K ruck march. That's about 7 miles. We always have 2 or 3 people fall out. The fake injuries are to many to name. Always 2 or 3 people trip and fall. It's only 40 lbs. on your back. When we do anything there is always a first formation. And its crazy how if we're doing something that everyone wants to do we have about 195-200 guys present for training. when we do anything hard there will be 160 to 170 present for training. (unless it's required) Only the last ruck march is required. There is no talking because we always try to be silent when moving. We walk 3 to 5 meters apart and we're staggered. It's so the enemy can't shoot a lot of us if we come in contact and so that one grenade will only get one soldier. My legs and back have been fine, but the first ruck march my right shoulder hurt so bad. I don't even know why. It was one of the worst pains ever. That was the shortest march, but it seemed like the longest because all I could think about was my hurt shoulder. Thank the Lord my shoulder has been fine for our last few longer marches. It hasn't hurt at all. We always carry our weapon in our hands too. I qualified expert with the hand grenades today. 7 out of 7! The 1st throw 30 meters you throw it into a circle and it can't roll out. The 2nd you crawl up to a bunker and toss the grenade inside and role away. The 3rd you throw it inside a sand bag circle 30 meters away on one knee. The 4th you are laying down behind a log on your back. You throw it up hill and aim for a dummy. The 5th you trow it at a truck about 40 meters away. The 6th while laying down you stand up fast and throw it about 30 meters. Then the 7th they ask you questions about the grenades. We threw the real live ones and, boys and girls, "it was so loud".
Here's a list of the kinds of grenades we've learned about:
Frag: Kills and Mames
Red: Starts fires and destroys weapons
CS: Gas for riots
Smoke: Marking and signaling
Silver: Smoke concealment and screening
You will never guess what I got to do tonight. It's Sept. 11th and Fort Benning had a concert. I just got back. I ate Pizza, candy bars, Ice cream and drank Soda. IT WAS GREAT:) I might be sick tomorrow and then I will join the sick call Rangers club. j/k It was good and worth it. There was a country band they were ok. Nothing to special. Then a female country singer. A little better, but she sang with her nose. The hard part for me was seeing the Dads playing with their children and men with their wives. I miss you sweetheart. Two more weeks!
This next week is Hell week. It cant be that bad we're already done with all the hard stuff. (Shani: I'm guessing the Army's definition of Hell is cleaning your gun over and over for hours non stop lol) I have heard after the last ruck march is when they finally call you a soldier. Maybe then we will be allowed to say Hooah?
I will probably call you on Sunday, but just in case I don't (they have done that to us before) You can write me now up to he 17th. After that don't send anything. I'm so excited to see you. I keep thinking of you under my arm for 2 whole days. Won't that be nice? By the way, we had a moment of silence for all the people we lost on Sept. 11th. It was a real touching moment. Then we all enjoyed a good time. I miss you. It won't be long now.
Today was a total waste of time. Well not completely. We got up and did PT for about 1 1/2 hrs. But from then on all we did was clean our weapon and one one hour class on the 50 cal. Machine gun. So all day we pretty much cleaned our weapons. We haven't fired our weapons for about 4 days. The past 4 days we have cleaned them probably 8 hrs. not counting all day today. So today went slow:( Tomorrow makes me a little nervous. We go to the range and do battle drills. It is where we bound from one place of cover to another while shooting targets. This will be the first time with live rounds. The part that scares me is you get paired up and some guys don't hold their weapons in a safe direction. Some don't realise that when they get down and roll they wave their weapon over in your direction. There are mistakes all the time in practice. So you can see why I'd be a little scared that we have live rounds shooting targets. The good part is there will be a DS behind everyone while we do this. That way if anyone gets flagged they will tackle them.
Well here it is 9/11. I still remember on my mission we were teaching a family and they showed us on T.V. what was going on. I still can't believe they did that on our own soil. There is a concert tonight somewhere on base. They came in and did a locker inspection and whoever had clean lockers and passed their PT test could go. (My locker is always clean) We were allowed to buy pop and "real" food. I'm so excited.
OK, You want some real dirt? We had a 12K ruck march. That's about 7 miles. We always have 2 or 3 people fall out. The fake injuries are to many to name. Always 2 or 3 people trip and fall. It's only 40 lbs. on your back. When we do anything there is always a first formation. And its crazy how if we're doing something that everyone wants to do we have about 195-200 guys present for training. when we do anything hard there will be 160 to 170 present for training. (unless it's required) Only the last ruck march is required. There is no talking because we always try to be silent when moving. We walk 3 to 5 meters apart and we're staggered. It's so the enemy can't shoot a lot of us if we come in contact and so that one grenade will only get one soldier. My legs and back have been fine, but the first ruck march my right shoulder hurt so bad. I don't even know why. It was one of the worst pains ever. That was the shortest march, but it seemed like the longest because all I could think about was my hurt shoulder. Thank the Lord my shoulder has been fine for our last few longer marches. It hasn't hurt at all. We always carry our weapon in our hands too. I qualified expert with the hand grenades today. 7 out of 7! The 1st throw 30 meters you throw it into a circle and it can't roll out. The 2nd you crawl up to a bunker and toss the grenade inside and role away. The 3rd you throw it inside a sand bag circle 30 meters away on one knee. The 4th you are laying down behind a log on your back. You throw it up hill and aim for a dummy. The 5th you trow it at a truck about 40 meters away. The 6th while laying down you stand up fast and throw it about 30 meters. Then the 7th they ask you questions about the grenades. We threw the real live ones and, boys and girls, "it was so loud".
Here's a list of the kinds of grenades we've learned about:
Frag: Kills and Mames
Red: Starts fires and destroys weapons
CS: Gas for riots
Smoke: Marking and signaling
Silver: Smoke concealment and screening
You will never guess what I got to do tonight. It's Sept. 11th and Fort Benning had a concert. I just got back. I ate Pizza, candy bars, Ice cream and drank Soda. IT WAS GREAT:) I might be sick tomorrow and then I will join the sick call Rangers club. j/k It was good and worth it. There was a country band they were ok. Nothing to special. Then a female country singer. A little better, but she sang with her nose. The hard part for me was seeing the Dads playing with their children and men with their wives. I miss you sweetheart. Two more weeks!
This next week is Hell week. It cant be that bad we're already done with all the hard stuff. (Shani: I'm guessing the Army's definition of Hell is cleaning your gun over and over for hours non stop lol) I have heard after the last ruck march is when they finally call you a soldier. Maybe then we will be allowed to say Hooah?
I will probably call you on Sunday, but just in case I don't (they have done that to us before) You can write me now up to he 17th. After that don't send anything. I'm so excited to see you. I keep thinking of you under my arm for 2 whole days. Won't that be nice? By the way, we had a moment of silence for all the people we lost on Sept. 11th. It was a real touching moment. Then we all enjoyed a good time. I miss you. It won't be long now.
Friday, September 10, 2010
September 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th 2010
It was so nice to hear your voice (Shani: He got to call earlier)That's what keeps me going. It's you sweetheart, I promise:)Well you and turning to the Lord on the hard days. We are so blessed. It's so nice to have a beautiful wife who supports me at home. You keep me going in the right direction. Thanks for being so strong. It motivates me. I'm a little nervous for Monday. There's a really nice 18 year old kid named Canon in our platoon. He is really strong. He'll be the one to beat. I wish Monday would hurry up and get here. I am the fastest guy in the company. I run and 11:30 2 mile. The closest guy is 30 seconds behind me. I'm still a few points away from my max in both the sit ups and push ups. If you score 100 in all 3 category you get points above the 300 score. I need to do 77 push ups, 82 sit ups (in 2 min.)and a 13:18 2 mile run. For every push up and sit up over the max I get a point. Every 7 seconds under 13:18 I get a point. My goal is to get a 325 score. ha ha we'll see;)
Once this week is over I won't have to work out so much. Then I won't be so tired and sore.
Today we practiced throwing fake grenades. Next week we get to throw real ones:)
We worked on more room clearing and tactical movement in combat. We learned about two big saw machine guns. We shoot them tomorrow. They will shoot 200 rounds in a matter of seconds!
Sorry if I bore you with all the little things I'm doing. Some of them are more exciting when I write them. It depends on what kind of mood the DS are in. They can make it fun. If the DS are in a bad mood it's normally because the privates are not motivated and they walk around (not run) or talk when they are not supposed to. Then it gets bad for all of us.
I was glad to talk to you again and have a little more time to actually enjoy it. There's a new date when you should stop sending letters. Sept. 10th after the 10th don't send anymore mail. The nice thing is we should be in blue phase and I should be able to call you more. We can still write when i get to AIT, but I will have my phone and laptop so we can e-mail and stuff. The last couple of weeks here at basic I'll still write you because I know you like all the mushy stuff I say. lol It will be so nice to hold you again. I keep thinking of graduation and family day. I keep picturing you on my arm. That will be nice. If only it were longer than two days:( i hope you can come out to AIT too. Maybe in the middle to break things up a bit. It will be nice to have you come see me. I have to think of things to look forward to.
We went to blue phase today. It was just like when we went to white phase. The only difference is that the DS don't come around as much anymore. Only one stays around in the whole company.
By the way thy aren't going to let us call home on Sunday. I know when I called you before I told you we would. One DS tells us one thing and another says something else. They said if anyone scores a 300 on the PT test from our platoon on Monday then they can have ice cream at dinner. We'll see, they change their minds from day to day.lol
Oh...we shot AT4's today (Anti Tank Weapon) It shoots a rocket out. It's hand held on your shoulder. It will penetrate 14' of steel. What it does is it goes through the metal then it has a delayed explosion and it uses the metal it penetrates for shrapnel. So it not only stops the tank, but it kills everything inside. Pretty crazy. we also shot grenaids launchers. They mount underneath our M-16s or M4s. I hit 4 out of 5 at 100 meters. That was fun. We only shot chalk practice rounds. They did shoot 2 real grenades though. They also shot 2 real AT4 rounds at an old tank. It was cool to watch it explode. I shot the AT4 5 times. They had a 9 mm with a tracer round for us to practice with.
-Sept 5th-
I am on my 2nd fireguard shift tonight.It's 3:30 in the morning. There were 6 shifts before me that were supposed to do 5 loads laundry each shift. No one has done a single load. Everyone is so lazy! I'm going to tell them to morrow they are all Blank Blanks. Oh man...Foot ball season has started. Next week if I get my phone, if I get it all day??? I' might have a second to call Richard and find out some scores. In AIT I should be able to watch some games. We'll see.
It's Sunday night and I'm sorry I couldn't call you. I don't understand the DS sometimes. They tell us one thing and then they change their minds. It will be nice to just get out of here.
The PT test is tomorrow and I have 2 fireguard shifts tonight. Anyway I hope I can get some sleep tonight. This is what I've been working so hard for. If you haven't noticed when I have a lot of down time. Like right now, because of the PT test we don't to much so we can recover and relax. But that's when I think about you and home even more. Thank you for taking care of our cute little family.
-Sept. 7th-
I took the PT test yesterday. They haven't told us our scores yet. I know what I got though. I scored a 297 or 298. I was one push up and two sit ups away from a 300! I did score the highest in the platoon. The 2nd highest in the company. I'm a little upset at my self. Then after the PT test our DS were so mad at our platoon because 20 guys didn't pass. After he smoked everyone. He made me the PG. Not that I wanted the job. This means way more responsibility. YES! Just what I need. lol So much for staying under the radar. (Shani: uhmm...Duh..honey you can't have PT scores like that and stay under any type of radar!)
We go to the range a lot this week. We throw real grenades and shoot the big machine guns. We have been clearing real rooms now with blank rounds. That's pretty fun except you see how easy a soldier or two would die if they know you're coming and are prepared. We have a 7 mile march and our last march is the 9 mile next week. For the next few weeks we'll be staying very busy.
I can't wait to see you. I miss my cute kids. I hope you're all being good. I'll have mom bring you home something cool if you keep being good kids:) I will keep writing each week so you know whats going on. I love you all.
P.S. I"m so tired of shaving everyday!
Once this week is over I won't have to work out so much. Then I won't be so tired and sore.
Today we practiced throwing fake grenades. Next week we get to throw real ones:)
We worked on more room clearing and tactical movement in combat. We learned about two big saw machine guns. We shoot them tomorrow. They will shoot 200 rounds in a matter of seconds!
Sorry if I bore you with all the little things I'm doing. Some of them are more exciting when I write them. It depends on what kind of mood the DS are in. They can make it fun. If the DS are in a bad mood it's normally because the privates are not motivated and they walk around (not run) or talk when they are not supposed to. Then it gets bad for all of us.
I was glad to talk to you again and have a little more time to actually enjoy it. There's a new date when you should stop sending letters. Sept. 10th after the 10th don't send anymore mail. The nice thing is we should be in blue phase and I should be able to call you more. We can still write when i get to AIT, but I will have my phone and laptop so we can e-mail and stuff. The last couple of weeks here at basic I'll still write you because I know you like all the mushy stuff I say. lol It will be so nice to hold you again. I keep thinking of graduation and family day. I keep picturing you on my arm. That will be nice. If only it were longer than two days:( i hope you can come out to AIT too. Maybe in the middle to break things up a bit. It will be nice to have you come see me. I have to think of things to look forward to.
We went to blue phase today. It was just like when we went to white phase. The only difference is that the DS don't come around as much anymore. Only one stays around in the whole company.
By the way thy aren't going to let us call home on Sunday. I know when I called you before I told you we would. One DS tells us one thing and another says something else. They said if anyone scores a 300 on the PT test from our platoon on Monday then they can have ice cream at dinner. We'll see, they change their minds from day to day.lol
Oh...we shot AT4's today (Anti Tank Weapon) It shoots a rocket out. It's hand held on your shoulder. It will penetrate 14' of steel. What it does is it goes through the metal then it has a delayed explosion and it uses the metal it penetrates for shrapnel. So it not only stops the tank, but it kills everything inside. Pretty crazy. we also shot grenaids launchers. They mount underneath our M-16s or M4s. I hit 4 out of 5 at 100 meters. That was fun. We only shot chalk practice rounds. They did shoot 2 real grenades though. They also shot 2 real AT4 rounds at an old tank. It was cool to watch it explode. I shot the AT4 5 times. They had a 9 mm with a tracer round for us to practice with.
-Sept 5th-
I am on my 2nd fireguard shift tonight.It's 3:30 in the morning. There were 6 shifts before me that were supposed to do 5 loads laundry each shift. No one has done a single load. Everyone is so lazy! I'm going to tell them to morrow they are all Blank Blanks. Oh man...Foot ball season has started. Next week if I get my phone, if I get it all day??? I' might have a second to call Richard and find out some scores. In AIT I should be able to watch some games. We'll see.
It's Sunday night and I'm sorry I couldn't call you. I don't understand the DS sometimes. They tell us one thing and then they change their minds. It will be nice to just get out of here.
The PT test is tomorrow and I have 2 fireguard shifts tonight. Anyway I hope I can get some sleep tonight. This is what I've been working so hard for. If you haven't noticed when I have a lot of down time. Like right now, because of the PT test we don't to much so we can recover and relax. But that's when I think about you and home even more. Thank you for taking care of our cute little family.
-Sept. 7th-
I took the PT test yesterday. They haven't told us our scores yet. I know what I got though. I scored a 297 or 298. I was one push up and two sit ups away from a 300! I did score the highest in the platoon. The 2nd highest in the company. I'm a little upset at my self. Then after the PT test our DS were so mad at our platoon because 20 guys didn't pass. After he smoked everyone. He made me the PG. Not that I wanted the job. This means way more responsibility. YES! Just what I need. lol So much for staying under the radar. (Shani: uhmm...Duh..honey you can't have PT scores like that and stay under any type of radar!)
We go to the range a lot this week. We throw real grenades and shoot the big machine guns. We have been clearing real rooms now with blank rounds. That's pretty fun except you see how easy a soldier or two would die if they know you're coming and are prepared. We have a 7 mile march and our last march is the 9 mile next week. For the next few weeks we'll be staying very busy.
I can't wait to see you. I miss my cute kids. I hope you're all being good. I'll have mom bring you home something cool if you keep being good kids:) I will keep writing each week so you know whats going on. I love you all.
P.S. I"m so tired of shaving everyday!
Aug. 27th 2010
This small note was written on a little piece of paper from his pocket note book.
I found this paper in my notebook. I think it was my pretty Sophie that drew on it. for me. It made me happy Sophie. I love you. I am sitting in an open grass feild. We had a 5 mile ruck march this morning. It's sprinkling and they are worried about someone getting struck by lightning. We are camping out tonight. Not as fun without my wife and kids. Today we learned and practiced what to do if you come under attack when you are in a wedge squad attack.
I found this paper in my notebook. I think it was my pretty Sophie that drew on it. for me. It made me happy Sophie. I love you. I am sitting in an open grass feild. We had a 5 mile ruck march this morning. It's sprinkling and they are worried about someone getting struck by lightning. We are camping out tonight. Not as fun without my wife and kids. Today we learned and practiced what to do if you come under attack when you are in a wedge squad attack.
Sept. 1st, 2nd 2010
We Shot with scopes on our weapons today. We stayed on the range all day. It's mignight and we just got back. Let me tell you a little about Nic at Night. It was late at night. They marched us down a tunnel. Then When the light turned green we crawled around the fence that had a simulation grenaid. explosion. Then under the barbed wire fence and over the log. All while they shot live bullets over our heads. When they shot white flairs into the air we had to stop and hold very still until they went out. Then we crawled as fast as we could again. Your ol' Dad took 3rd place. Not bad for 29 years old. Every event is a competition between 3rd and 4th platoon.
Private Marks is going to come to church with me on Sunday. He's from 4th platoon so I don't get much time to talk to him. He came up to me and said, that you and his wife had become good friends. They got to talk to have their phones forever on Sunday. I can't figure our DS out. Today I asked one about our phones. You're not supposed to do that. Anyway he said,"you didn't get to call home on Sunday." Like he hd no idea. Well I get to call you Thursday and hopefully Sunday too. We'll see. (Shani: I talked to him Thursday, but not Sunday)
Thanks for your encouraging thoughts. I'm here just learning as much as I can. Remember Shani you will always be my girl and my sweetheart. I feel bad because I hear so many of these guys talking about cheeting on their wives while they're away. There are lots:( They just have no idea what they could have. I promise to always be faithful.
IIt's late. We have PT training in front of the general tomorrow. Oh...by the way we can't say Hooah! yet. Not until we are soldiers. After the 15k ruck march.
Thanks again kids for all the pictures. I love all of you. We havn't been alowed to try the shakes at the PX yet. I will try the Oreo one you recomended to me if I ever get the chance. I didn't end up missing the run when I was on CQ. They let me go change. CQ is pretty much Fireguard, but it's down stairs at the company desk. So if anyone comes in the night to check on things. There is always a job that goes along with it. Like sweeping or washing the cement off.
Sept. 2nd- I have tried to send you at least 2 letters a week, but they have kept us busy. We just had a locker inspection and surprisingly our platoon did pretty good. I had a shirt and socks not folded from last nights laundry. The rest of my locker was clean so they let me off. We learned more combative moves today. All of today was gaining the dominant possition. I can't remember if I told you about the night vision we've been practicing with. You can see so good! They hook onto our ACH (army combat helmet) It goes over one eye. (your dominant) Then we have lazer scopes on our weapon. You can see and shoot anything. The night vision has inferred on it too, So you can see heat. But you can't use it all the time because it makes it easy for the enemy to see you. We have been night shooting the past two nights. We have qualifications for night shooting next week.
Lately there has been long nights. We can't write on fireguard anymore because guys aren't doing their jobs. As you can see we don't have that many privleges. I love to look at all the pictures you've sent me. You would have to send me one of you in a swimsuit! (Shani: HELLO..It was from the neck up!)You are so cute. We're down to the last month till I see you. I can hardly wait. I wish you could bring all the rugrats, but it'll be nice to just spend some time with you. I'm glad my Mom and Dad are coming. They know we're going to need some time alone right? lol
How are the bills? Are you able to pay for everything? If not don't worry when I come home I'll get some good jobs rolling again. I will probably ask you all these questions again on the phone so you won't have to worry about writing them. I love you, be safe. You're my life, Love Dad
P.S. You kids stop growing up so fast.
Private Marks is going to come to church with me on Sunday. He's from 4th platoon so I don't get much time to talk to him. He came up to me and said, that you and his wife had become good friends. They got to talk to have their phones forever on Sunday. I can't figure our DS out. Today I asked one about our phones. You're not supposed to do that. Anyway he said,"you didn't get to call home on Sunday." Like he hd no idea. Well I get to call you Thursday and hopefully Sunday too. We'll see. (Shani: I talked to him Thursday, but not Sunday)
Thanks for your encouraging thoughts. I'm here just learning as much as I can. Remember Shani you will always be my girl and my sweetheart. I feel bad because I hear so many of these guys talking about cheeting on their wives while they're away. There are lots:( They just have no idea what they could have. I promise to always be faithful.
IIt's late. We have PT training in front of the general tomorrow. Oh...by the way we can't say Hooah! yet. Not until we are soldiers. After the 15k ruck march.
Thanks again kids for all the pictures. I love all of you. We havn't been alowed to try the shakes at the PX yet. I will try the Oreo one you recomended to me if I ever get the chance. I didn't end up missing the run when I was on CQ. They let me go change. CQ is pretty much Fireguard, but it's down stairs at the company desk. So if anyone comes in the night to check on things. There is always a job that goes along with it. Like sweeping or washing the cement off.
Sept. 2nd- I have tried to send you at least 2 letters a week, but they have kept us busy. We just had a locker inspection and surprisingly our platoon did pretty good. I had a shirt and socks not folded from last nights laundry. The rest of my locker was clean so they let me off. We learned more combative moves today. All of today was gaining the dominant possition. I can't remember if I told you about the night vision we've been practicing with. You can see so good! They hook onto our ACH (army combat helmet) It goes over one eye. (your dominant) Then we have lazer scopes on our weapon. You can see and shoot anything. The night vision has inferred on it too, So you can see heat. But you can't use it all the time because it makes it easy for the enemy to see you. We have been night shooting the past two nights. We have qualifications for night shooting next week.
Lately there has been long nights. We can't write on fireguard anymore because guys aren't doing their jobs. As you can see we don't have that many privleges. I love to look at all the pictures you've sent me. You would have to send me one of you in a swimsuit! (Shani: HELLO..It was from the neck up!)You are so cute. We're down to the last month till I see you. I can hardly wait. I wish you could bring all the rugrats, but it'll be nice to just spend some time with you. I'm glad my Mom and Dad are coming. They know we're going to need some time alone right? lol
How are the bills? Are you able to pay for everything? If not don't worry when I come home I'll get some good jobs rolling again. I will probably ask you all these questions again on the phone so you won't have to worry about writing them. I love you, be safe. You're my life, Love Dad
P.S. You kids stop growing up so fast.
Aug. 29th, 30th
This Sunday has been pretty slow. We did most of our cleaning last night. All we had to do is wax the kill zone. We're not supposed to sleep, but it's so hard not to. So we take turns watching and we take power naps. We have to just to survive.
We have Nic at night tonight. It goes long into the night. We crawl under wire and through obsticals while they throw flash granades all around us. They also shoot over our heads with live 50 caliber rounds. Don't worry,I will keep my head low. I think I'll be fine. I gave that letter you sent me for a soldier not getting any mail to my battle buddy. He had a pretty rough week. He was sick, but is doing much better now. He has been working lots harder too. He said, "thanks" for the letter.
On my 1st PT score I had a 270 and 2nd place in the platoon and 3rd or 4th in the company. My 2nd PT score I got a 291. Still 2nd in the platoon, but second in the company. 1st place scored a 294. on the 6th will be the final test. This is the one that counts. I'll give it all I've got. I love ya.
We have Nic at night tonight. It goes long into the night. We crawl under wire and through obsticals while they throw flash granades all around us. They also shoot over our heads with live 50 caliber rounds. Don't worry,I will keep my head low. I think I'll be fine. I gave that letter you sent me for a soldier not getting any mail to my battle buddy. He had a pretty rough week. He was sick, but is doing much better now. He has been working lots harder too. He said, "thanks" for the letter.
On my 1st PT score I had a 270 and 2nd place in the platoon and 3rd or 4th in the company. My 2nd PT score I got a 291. Still 2nd in the platoon, but second in the company. 1st place scored a 294. on the 6th will be the final test. This is the one that counts. I'll give it all I've got. I love ya.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
August 25th 2010
I went to the shooting range the past two days. Since I am on duty squad we load and take care of all the food, supplies, trash and just about anything you can think of. In the past two days I have helped load over 43,000 bullets into magazines. Only 210 people have shot that many. I will be glad when this week is over. It does make the time go by faster though.
PT test today. I'm trying for a high score. I will see where my preparation has taken me. The final PT test is on the 6th of Sept. Then I will know if I have to work out even more. I will let you know. If you don't pass on the 6th they will let you retake the test every other day. There will be a lot of other people taking the test on these days. The test on the 6th is the most important one. It's the test score for graduation.
Sounds like you keep yourself and the kids very busy. Thanks for letting me know whats going on. I sure do love you all. Well, I'm going to go back to sleep now. I get about 1 more hr.
We had our 2nd PT test today I scored a 291. We also went over tactical combat maneuvers out of the wedge formation. The week is half way over. I can't wait. Duty Squad is no fun. Tomorrow is qualification on the range.
(Aug. 26th the next day)
I shot Sharp Shooter. 32 out of 40. I did pretty good. The range we practiced at was on a slower timer than the one we had today. There were only 2 people in the whole company who shot expert. That's 36-39 out of 40. No one shot Hawk Eye 40 out of 40. Most people barley passed 23 out of 40. (Shani: Most of those young kids or city guys have probably never shot a gun)The 50 & 75 meter targets flip up for 2 sec. The 100 and 200 meter targets are between 6 to 8 sec. They all flip up and down. If you miss or don't shoot, to bad. You only get one shot per target. 20 on a sand bag laying down supported. 10 laying down unsupported. 10 kneeling down.
It's midnight and we have a long road march tomorrow and we spend the night in the field. I'm so excited to march in the morning, do drills all day and sleep in the field all dirty. (sarcasm's much lol)
Like I said earlier we have duty squad all week so we have extra work. It's not as bad as it sounds. By Saturday night we will be done with duty squad week. Then I will be happy.:)
I'm still gearing up for that final PT test on the 6th. It's harder than I thought. (to get 300 out of 300) Pray for me, Thanks.
For this week on duty squad we ride around in the back of a big truck. It's like a cattle truck. While everyone else gets bused around to wherever it is we're going. They pack us in like sardines. It's not to hot when we're driving.
Hey Kids listen to this, In the next two weeks Dad gets to throw a grenade and blow something up. Then I get to shoot a great big machine gun that shoots lots of bullets very fast. Mom tell the kids how fast. I also get to practice clearing houses and buildings. Does that sound like fun? Thank you all for the cool pictures you made me. They make me so happy. Dad is doing so good, so you kids be strong and happy for mom. Okay? I think I can call you on Sunday night. (Sad to say no phone call)
Sweetheart, do you remember when we were dating and I would come and visit you up North for two or three days. This is way to long. It seems to be making us even closer so it will be worth it. I have always loved how when I come home you come over and give me a big hug. I love it when you kids come and hug me too!
Can you remember all the fun times we had in our trailer? (we lived in a mobile home for 4 years) It really wasn't that bad. We weren't house broke that's for sure. We could just relax and listen to our crazy neighbors fight or start their really noisy truck and rev the engine in the middle of the night. lol Think of how much the Lord has blessed us with now. That lets us know how much we owe him. I look forward to more anniversaries you plan though. They turn out better than mine. Maybe you should have two years to my one. It's just a thought:) I like to think back on the last one. We had so much fun. It makes me happy. Good times are coming soon.
(Aug.29th)
I am up on Fireguard tonight again. We just got back from our overnighter and 5 mile march. We have one more 7 or 8 mile and then the 15 k. (9.3 miles) for the final march. We also have one more 3 day 2 night overnighter.
I walk to church now that we're in white phase. It's about 4 blocks. Between 3 battalions that's 1,000 soldiers each (3,000 soldiers) there are about 2oo that go to church. It's so nice to have time to go. It's 2 hours that I can be a little bit comfortable. It's just soldiers mostly, but sometimes when a soldier graduates or something they have their wife there. Senior couples and missionaries are there to help teach.
I can't check text messages. I might on Sunday if we get our phones and chargers.No one here has tried to sleep in the lockers yet. We had our bat trashed the other day. Some guys never wash their stuff or they leave crap all over the place. Like their soap, toothpaste, boots and anything you can think of. So just picture a room with 60 bunk beds 60 lockers, backpacks, 120 laundry bags, shoes, boots, bedding and lots of other crap that goes in our bags, just thrown all over the place. All the beds and mattresses are on their sides and all over the room. Lockers are turned upside down, so you have to refold and re stack everything. I have to find my boots and shoes and hope that some moron next to me didn't leave his laundry detergent out. Because if it is they pour it into your boots. Our DS broke one of our windows while doing all that. He was even more pissed off because he has to pay for that.
We don't get anymore sleep in white phase then we did in red. On laundry guard we just wash whoever leaves their laundry bags out before they go to bed. No suicide watch in our bay yet. We have a few sick rangers though. I didn't get to take anything for my head ache that I had after the gas chamber. I would have if I went to sick call, but then I would have been as sick call ranger. I took a private named Degreef to church today. He liked it.
Aug. 29th (SUNDAY)
I hope I get to call you tonight. At church today guys graduating had their wives there. I was jealous. I want you to be here so bad. I know our two days will be so nice. I hate being apart from you. (Shani: Just a few more weeks Hon!)
PT test today. I'm trying for a high score. I will see where my preparation has taken me. The final PT test is on the 6th of Sept. Then I will know if I have to work out even more. I will let you know. If you don't pass on the 6th they will let you retake the test every other day. There will be a lot of other people taking the test on these days. The test on the 6th is the most important one. It's the test score for graduation.
Sounds like you keep yourself and the kids very busy. Thanks for letting me know whats going on. I sure do love you all. Well, I'm going to go back to sleep now. I get about 1 more hr.
We had our 2nd PT test today I scored a 291. We also went over tactical combat maneuvers out of the wedge formation. The week is half way over. I can't wait. Duty Squad is no fun. Tomorrow is qualification on the range.
(Aug. 26th the next day)
I shot Sharp Shooter. 32 out of 40. I did pretty good. The range we practiced at was on a slower timer than the one we had today. There were only 2 people in the whole company who shot expert. That's 36-39 out of 40. No one shot Hawk Eye 40 out of 40. Most people barley passed 23 out of 40. (Shani: Most of those young kids or city guys have probably never shot a gun)The 50 & 75 meter targets flip up for 2 sec. The 100 and 200 meter targets are between 6 to 8 sec. They all flip up and down. If you miss or don't shoot, to bad. You only get one shot per target. 20 on a sand bag laying down supported. 10 laying down unsupported. 10 kneeling down.
It's midnight and we have a long road march tomorrow and we spend the night in the field. I'm so excited to march in the morning, do drills all day and sleep in the field all dirty. (sarcasm's much lol)
Like I said earlier we have duty squad all week so we have extra work. It's not as bad as it sounds. By Saturday night we will be done with duty squad week. Then I will be happy.:)
I'm still gearing up for that final PT test on the 6th. It's harder than I thought. (to get 300 out of 300) Pray for me, Thanks.
For this week on duty squad we ride around in the back of a big truck. It's like a cattle truck. While everyone else gets bused around to wherever it is we're going. They pack us in like sardines. It's not to hot when we're driving.
Hey Kids listen to this, In the next two weeks Dad gets to throw a grenade and blow something up. Then I get to shoot a great big machine gun that shoots lots of bullets very fast. Mom tell the kids how fast. I also get to practice clearing houses and buildings. Does that sound like fun? Thank you all for the cool pictures you made me. They make me so happy. Dad is doing so good, so you kids be strong and happy for mom. Okay? I think I can call you on Sunday night. (Sad to say no phone call)
Sweetheart, do you remember when we were dating and I would come and visit you up North for two or three days. This is way to long. It seems to be making us even closer so it will be worth it. I have always loved how when I come home you come over and give me a big hug. I love it when you kids come and hug me too!
Can you remember all the fun times we had in our trailer? (we lived in a mobile home for 4 years) It really wasn't that bad. We weren't house broke that's for sure. We could just relax and listen to our crazy neighbors fight or start their really noisy truck and rev the engine in the middle of the night. lol Think of how much the Lord has blessed us with now. That lets us know how much we owe him. I look forward to more anniversaries you plan though. They turn out better than mine. Maybe you should have two years to my one. It's just a thought:) I like to think back on the last one. We had so much fun. It makes me happy. Good times are coming soon.
(Aug.29th)
I am up on Fireguard tonight again. We just got back from our overnighter and 5 mile march. We have one more 7 or 8 mile and then the 15 k. (9.3 miles) for the final march. We also have one more 3 day 2 night overnighter.
I walk to church now that we're in white phase. It's about 4 blocks. Between 3 battalions that's 1,000 soldiers each (3,000 soldiers) there are about 2oo that go to church. It's so nice to have time to go. It's 2 hours that I can be a little bit comfortable. It's just soldiers mostly, but sometimes when a soldier graduates or something they have their wife there. Senior couples and missionaries are there to help teach.
I can't check text messages. I might on Sunday if we get our phones and chargers.No one here has tried to sleep in the lockers yet. We had our bat trashed the other day. Some guys never wash their stuff or they leave crap all over the place. Like their soap, toothpaste, boots and anything you can think of. So just picture a room with 60 bunk beds 60 lockers, backpacks, 120 laundry bags, shoes, boots, bedding and lots of other crap that goes in our bags, just thrown all over the place. All the beds and mattresses are on their sides and all over the room. Lockers are turned upside down, so you have to refold and re stack everything. I have to find my boots and shoes and hope that some moron next to me didn't leave his laundry detergent out. Because if it is they pour it into your boots. Our DS broke one of our windows while doing all that. He was even more pissed off because he has to pay for that.
We don't get anymore sleep in white phase then we did in red. On laundry guard we just wash whoever leaves their laundry bags out before they go to bed. No suicide watch in our bay yet. We have a few sick rangers though. I didn't get to take anything for my head ache that I had after the gas chamber. I would have if I went to sick call, but then I would have been as sick call ranger. I took a private named Degreef to church today. He liked it.
Aug. 29th (SUNDAY)
I hope I get to call you tonight. At church today guys graduating had their wives there. I was jealous. I want you to be here so bad. I know our two days will be so nice. I hate being apart from you. (Shani: Just a few more weeks Hon!)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Foxtrot 3/47 slide show!
I tried to make the slideshow a post, but the edge of it kept getting cut off. So I put it down on the bottom of the page. There's not one picture of Stan (that I could see) but on the very last slide is a picture of our facebook page and one of my posts is on that. lol Anyway it's still really fun to see everything they've been doing, and to see the guys Stan's been working with. Enjoy!
Friday, August 27, 2010
August 25th 2010
Shooting is on thursday this week. Today is Wednesday it's 01:05 in the mornig and I'm on fireguard. In practice all this week I have been shooting 31-36 out of 40. That's sharpshooter range. If I shoot a little bit better I could get expert.
I'm part of duty squad this week. It's a lot of work. We load everything up in the truck to take for the whole platoon. It's not just a small pick up truck. It's a big 26 foot bed semi trailer!
I think my battle buddy (let's call him pvt.Santos) is getting better. He might just make it. I told him if he dosen't get it together, move faster and start trying then he's going to be here for a long time. That got his attention.
Have a good weekend. I love and miss everyone.
I'm part of duty squad this week. It's a lot of work. We load everything up in the truck to take for the whole platoon. It's not just a small pick up truck. It's a big 26 foot bed semi trailer!
I think my battle buddy (let's call him pvt.Santos) is getting better. He might just make it. I told him if he dosen't get it together, move faster and start trying then he's going to be here for a long time. That got his attention.
Have a good weekend. I love and miss everyone.
Aug. 22nd 2010
I was so excited to talk to you. Sorry we got cut off. (Shani: His battery died) I liked talking to the kids too. They are doing so good. I hope after talking to me they'll be alright. I know sometimes it makes Todd sad. I'm up for fireguard tonight from 10:00-11:00 and then 4:00-5:00. The 1st sergeant just came in and checked on us. They check in now and then to see if anyone is falling asleep on duty. The other night a female captain came in to check. I'm always nervous, because I have to keep my battle buddy awake. Anyway this week will be very busy. We will be shooing almost everyday. We have M-16 qualifications on Thursday. 20 shots prown supported (that's resting on a sandbag) 10 shots prown unsupported (laying down without a sandbag)
10 shots kneeling on the ground. The targets will be fliping up and down from 75 meters to 300 meters. 75 meters stay up for 3 seconds, 150 meters stay up for 4-5 meters seconds, 200 meters 5-6 seconds, 250 meters 6-7 seconds and 300 meters 8 seconds. Sometimes two come up at once and you have to shoot them both in the time. 23-29 out of 40 shots you qualify. 30-35 out of 40 you get marksman. 36-39 sharpshooter and 40 out of 40 eagle eye. I will let you know how I do.
Wendesday we have our 2nd PT test. I will see if all these workouts are paying off. Maybe I can talk longer next Sunday.
I think we test for Blue Phase this coming Saturday. I hope so because we would get so many more privleges. I am excited to see you when I graduate. I hope you don't make any plans with anyone while I'm with you. I don't care if you hang out with others when you drop me off, but I just want to spend my free time with you and my parents.
I am trying to rest my body before the PT test on Wednesday. I hope someone (or me) won't mess up and get smoked. Normally unless you mess up bad they don't smoke you before a PT test. We'll see.
10 shots kneeling on the ground. The targets will be fliping up and down from 75 meters to 300 meters. 75 meters stay up for 3 seconds, 150 meters stay up for 4-5 meters seconds, 200 meters 5-6 seconds, 250 meters 6-7 seconds and 300 meters 8 seconds. Sometimes two come up at once and you have to shoot them both in the time. 23-29 out of 40 shots you qualify. 30-35 out of 40 you get marksman. 36-39 sharpshooter and 40 out of 40 eagle eye. I will let you know how I do.
Wendesday we have our 2nd PT test. I will see if all these workouts are paying off. Maybe I can talk longer next Sunday.
I think we test for Blue Phase this coming Saturday. I hope so because we would get so many more privleges. I am excited to see you when I graduate. I hope you don't make any plans with anyone while I'm with you. I don't care if you hang out with others when you drop me off, but I just want to spend my free time with you and my parents.
I am trying to rest my body before the PT test on Wednesday. I hope someone (or me) won't mess up and get smoked. Normally unless you mess up bad they don't smoke you before a PT test. We'll see.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
August 18th 2010
This day Stan was able to call and talk to me for about 8 min. he wrote this later that night. I won't share everything, but here's a bit of what he said to me;)
It was so nice to hear your voice. I love to hear your voice. Of course guys like me are always missing their sweetheart. You keep me pressing forward. It's only been one month. The longest we've ever had apart since we met.
We all took a survey tonight, it had questions on it like; are you feeling sad, depressed or stressed out. A) Not at all B) Sometimes C) Always. There are about 30 questions like that. A lot of soldiers are young and this is the first time they've ever been away from home. It reminds me a little bit like when I went on my mission. Since then I've learned to relax, do what I need to do and let the time and training take care of itself. Don't worry about me, you know i never get depressed. I have to much to accomplish to get depressed. Even as hard as it has been it's really not that bad. I think I had a harder time the first 4 months of my mission. This is like a walk in the park compared to that. Just a little more physical. The rope climb wasn't hard. My arms are in pretty good shape and I still have calluses on my hand from work. They are going away though. To answer your question, We can perform 1st aid, just not CPR. In a fight all we can do is a C.A.T. (tourniquet) When we're not under fire we can do other things.
I scored a 270 out of 300 on my 1st PT test. My goal is to score a 300 + . It's been difficult because I work out at night in my personal time and then in the morning they push us pretty hard. It makes my morning workout lots harder because I'm so tired when I wake up. I'm a little upset about tomorrow because I might not be able to go on the run because of CQ duty. It's like fire guard, but it's downstairs in front of the whole battalion. My barracks are on the top floor (3rd).
We had combatics with pugal sticks today (like huge cotton swabs). We also learned some moves with the bayonet on our weapon.
My feet are fine, I wore moleskin for the 1st two weeks while waiting for my boots to break in. Now I don't get blisters. I still put mole skin on when we go a long way. My platoon color is black. We are called the punishers. We don't have a mascot, but there is a picture kind of like a Jolly Rodger on the floor in the kill zone. It's a white Alien skull with green eyes and 2 M-16's crossed behind it. Pretty Scary looking.
I competed in the obstacle course. There was a group of 8. The one with 4 guys was the confidence course. I was picked to be on the team, but when we got there another kid went instead. At the first of the course there are 2 ropes you have to climb. One up and the other down. Then there are 6 walls one after the other 6' , 7', 8', 9' , 10' and 12'. Then each team has to help each other climb each wall. Only 3 guys could be on top of a wall at once. It was really sad because he could barely pull himself over the 1st wall. We took last. Our DS were not happy with the team our platoon picked.
Don't worry about me getting hurt and not graduating. I'm being very careful. Keep praying for me. Most smoking's are only about 10 to 15 min. Some have been 45 min. to 2 hrs. ! Those are not fun. I look at it like this though. I probably would not have pushed myself that hard and I am just getting stronger. A lot of guys don't even last 5 min. They just lay on the ground and whine. These are the kids I worry about passing their P.T. tests.
I've gotten used to not very much sleep. Yes, I did get a bunch of little irritations on my arms and neck from the gas. They lasted about 4 to 5 days. The worst was the head ache I had for 5 days afterwards. The heat is not to bad for me, but almost daily the ambulance picks someone up.
I get all kinds of questions like; Do you have more than one wife? Why don't you smoke or drink? ( Shani: Religion aside, duh!! lung cancer people) Why won't you sleep with other women? Why are you married? You wouldn't believe how many guys cheat on their women:(
No one in our unit has dropped out yet, but there are lots in others. A funny story: Some guys that quit came over to the lunch line and started to go in. The DS saw them and got mad. "Don't you ever go in front of a soldier in training",he said. Even when these guys quit they make them stay around for two or three months. They make them do all the crappy jobs. They always get everything last. They don't get paid either. The moral of this story...Don't be a quitter!
It was so nice to hear your voice. I love to hear your voice. Of course guys like me are always missing their sweetheart. You keep me pressing forward. It's only been one month. The longest we've ever had apart since we met.
We all took a survey tonight, it had questions on it like; are you feeling sad, depressed or stressed out. A) Not at all B) Sometimes C) Always. There are about 30 questions like that. A lot of soldiers are young and this is the first time they've ever been away from home. It reminds me a little bit like when I went on my mission. Since then I've learned to relax, do what I need to do and let the time and training take care of itself. Don't worry about me, you know i never get depressed. I have to much to accomplish to get depressed. Even as hard as it has been it's really not that bad. I think I had a harder time the first 4 months of my mission. This is like a walk in the park compared to that. Just a little more physical. The rope climb wasn't hard. My arms are in pretty good shape and I still have calluses on my hand from work. They are going away though. To answer your question, We can perform 1st aid, just not CPR. In a fight all we can do is a C.A.T. (tourniquet) When we're not under fire we can do other things.
I scored a 270 out of 300 on my 1st PT test. My goal is to score a 300 + . It's been difficult because I work out at night in my personal time and then in the morning they push us pretty hard. It makes my morning workout lots harder because I'm so tired when I wake up. I'm a little upset about tomorrow because I might not be able to go on the run because of CQ duty. It's like fire guard, but it's downstairs in front of the whole battalion. My barracks are on the top floor (3rd).
We had combatics with pugal sticks today (like huge cotton swabs). We also learned some moves with the bayonet on our weapon.
My feet are fine, I wore moleskin for the 1st two weeks while waiting for my boots to break in. Now I don't get blisters. I still put mole skin on when we go a long way. My platoon color is black. We are called the punishers. We don't have a mascot, but there is a picture kind of like a Jolly Rodger on the floor in the kill zone. It's a white Alien skull with green eyes and 2 M-16's crossed behind it. Pretty Scary looking.
I competed in the obstacle course. There was a group of 8. The one with 4 guys was the confidence course. I was picked to be on the team, but when we got there another kid went instead. At the first of the course there are 2 ropes you have to climb. One up and the other down. Then there are 6 walls one after the other 6' , 7', 8', 9' , 10' and 12'. Then each team has to help each other climb each wall. Only 3 guys could be on top of a wall at once. It was really sad because he could barely pull himself over the 1st wall. We took last. Our DS were not happy with the team our platoon picked.
Don't worry about me getting hurt and not graduating. I'm being very careful. Keep praying for me. Most smoking's are only about 10 to 15 min. Some have been 45 min. to 2 hrs. ! Those are not fun. I look at it like this though. I probably would not have pushed myself that hard and I am just getting stronger. A lot of guys don't even last 5 min. They just lay on the ground and whine. These are the kids I worry about passing their P.T. tests.
I've gotten used to not very much sleep. Yes, I did get a bunch of little irritations on my arms and neck from the gas. They lasted about 4 to 5 days. The worst was the head ache I had for 5 days afterwards. The heat is not to bad for me, but almost daily the ambulance picks someone up.
I get all kinds of questions like; Do you have more than one wife? Why don't you smoke or drink? ( Shani: Religion aside, duh!! lung cancer people) Why won't you sleep with other women? Why are you married? You wouldn't believe how many guys cheat on their women:(
No one in our unit has dropped out yet, but there are lots in others. A funny story: Some guys that quit came over to the lunch line and started to go in. The DS saw them and got mad. "Don't you ever go in front of a soldier in training",he said. Even when these guys quit they make them stay around for two or three months. They make them do all the crappy jobs. They always get everything last. They don't get paid either. The moral of this story...Don't be a quitter!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Aug. 12th 2010
This is a letter Stan wrote to his Parents:
Mom and Dad,
Thanks for your letter. Thanks for the help with my kids. That's nice dad gets to play basketball. I miss it already. I would rather work out playing a sport.
The nice cool Mtn. Sounds fun . It's nice and hot, Sticky and wet over here. Our platoon is getting. Some of these guys are growing up. There is a guy who has a bunk next to mine. He can adjust my back really good. It's nice to know the lord looks out for me. Because my back has hurt a little. We did Eagle tower today. We walked a two and three rope bridge. We slid on top of a tight rope. And repelled about 60 feet. I didn't realize how many people are afraid of heights. It took all day for 200 of us to get through it. The next 4 weeks will be fun. We get to go to the shooting range. And we'll get more privileges too.
I hope Shani keeps you updated. I love you Mom and Dad
Love, Stan
Mom and Dad,
Thanks for your letter. Thanks for the help with my kids. That's nice dad gets to play basketball. I miss it already. I would rather work out playing a sport.
The nice cool Mtn. Sounds fun . It's nice and hot, Sticky and wet over here. Our platoon is getting. Some of these guys are growing up. There is a guy who has a bunk next to mine. He can adjust my back really good. It's nice to know the lord looks out for me. Because my back has hurt a little. We did Eagle tower today. We walked a two and three rope bridge. We slid on top of a tight rope. And repelled about 60 feet. I didn't realize how many people are afraid of heights. It took all day for 200 of us to get through it. The next 4 weeks will be fun. We get to go to the shooting range. And we'll get more privileges too.
I hope Shani keeps you updated. I love you Mom and Dad
Love, Stan
Friday, August 20, 2010
Aug.16th 2010
All day today we learned more fighting moves. The army combatics are a combination of 4 different marshal arts. The difference is every move or hold is not just to fight someone off...it's to strait up kill them. Break bones, choke and dismantle people.
I think you figured out that I couldn't call you on Sunday. It makes me so mad, the 1st platoon who doesn't even have their red phase flag anymore (because they have been so bad) they just have a stick with no flag. Somehow their DS have still let them call home the last 2 Sundays. Maybe next week...I miss hearing your voices.
I still have the same battle buddy. I'll have him the whole time unless he goes home or gets recycled.
We can't sleep at all during the day. Some try during class, they end up working for it when they're caught. My boots are broken in now. For he 1st two weeks i wore mole skin. The 3rd week I got some small blisters, but not bad. It's all good now though. Hey if all you kids are keep being good for mom I'll bring you home some cool army stuff. Still no white phase. We have a test on Wed. I will let you know.
We go to the shooting range tomorrow. Remember don't write notes on the outside of the letters and only use white envelopes. Your letters are getting to me so just keep doing what you're doing.
(Note from Shani: I just put all his letters in white business sized envelopes with the address the way it is below. And I write the number 3 and his name on the back of his envelope it helps with the sorting.)
I think you figured out that I couldn't call you on Sunday. It makes me so mad, the 1st platoon who doesn't even have their red phase flag anymore (because they have been so bad) they just have a stick with no flag. Somehow their DS have still let them call home the last 2 Sundays. Maybe next week...I miss hearing your voices.
I still have the same battle buddy. I'll have him the whole time unless he goes home or gets recycled.
We can't sleep at all during the day. Some try during class, they end up working for it when they're caught. My boots are broken in now. For he 1st two weeks i wore mole skin. The 3rd week I got some small blisters, but not bad. It's all good now though. Hey if all you kids are keep being good for mom I'll bring you home some cool army stuff. Still no white phase. We have a test on Wed. I will let you know.
We go to the shooting range tomorrow. Remember don't write notes on the outside of the letters and only use white envelopes. Your letters are getting to me so just keep doing what you're doing.
(Note from Shani: I just put all his letters in white business sized envelopes with the address the way it is below. And I write the number 3 and his name on the back of his envelope it helps with the sorting.)
Aug. 15th 2010
Its Sunday now and we clean most of the day. We move all the bunks and lockers and scrub and wax the floors. Sometimes I get mad and get after guys, because some just lay around and don't do anything.
Church was nice. There were some good talks and lessons. It's nice to take the sacrament. Church is 2 hrs. There's not much to write because I haven't done anything. Our platoon had a pretty good talk tonight. I think we might start working together. It's about time.
Church was nice. There were some good talks and lessons. It's nice to take the sacrament. Church is 2 hrs. There's not much to write because I haven't done anything. Our platoon had a pretty good talk tonight. I think we might start working together. It's about time.
Aug.15th 2010
Today started out with the PT test. I did 67 push ups and 64 sit ups. i did 67 push ups and 64 sit ups. you only get two min. without resting. I can score better, but I' have been so sore. i ran a 11:45 2 mile. My total score was 270 out of 300. i will score a 300 in 2 weeks.
We also did a rifle simulator training today. It is where you work on your breathing and your site picture. They have some really good ways to teach you. I think I told you we should be in white phase. I will find out if I can call you tomorrow. I am Excited for Sunday. I need to restart myself. I need a boost from church. The friend I took last week is not going this week, but another friend is coming.
We also did a rifle simulator training today. It is where you work on your breathing and your site picture. They have some really good ways to teach you. I think I told you we should be in white phase. I will find out if I can call you tomorrow. I am Excited for Sunday. I need to restart myself. I need a boost from church. The friend I took last week is not going this week, but another friend is coming.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Aug. 12th 2010
Shani: A letter and a phone call!!! It's like Christmas, only BETTER:)
This evening at about 10 to 7:00 my phone rang and the caller ID said, "STAN". My heart skipped a beat. It was so nice to hear his voice. He sounded a little horse, but in good spirits. He told me his platoon was finally able to pass off all their guys so they can pass from Red to White phase. But that they won't let them move on to white phase until all the other platoons in their unit pass too. He say's he's healthy and doing everything possible to stay out of Sick Bay.
Here's Stan's letter:
Hi my fun cute kids! I hope you had a good summer. When I come home I will put some grass in the backyard for you. OK. You can all help me. Then you can say you helped and tell everyone tat you are all hard workers. Mom told me in her letter that you are all being really good and brave. Thanks for helping mom. I love you kids and I loved the letters you sent me. You all did such a good job.
Guess what? I got to repell off a great big tower today. Twice as tall as our house
(60') It was fun. Then I climed across two rope bridges. Then I slid back across on top of one rope. It was as high as our house. I get to shoot my weapon next week. I will tell you how I do. I have the first real P.T. test on Saturday. I will tell you my score later. I have fireguard tonight in about 10 min. Only 4 hours of sleep tonight :( It's not to bad if we don't have to sit in a classroom. It's very hard to stay awake. The DS gave us one privlege; they said we can now get orange juice or chocolate milk at chow time lol It's not much, but I'll take it;) We should be in white phase right now, but there are still soldiers just doing their own thing. We have been learning more Army combatence this week. Lot's of good fighting moves.
Thanks kids for your nice letters. Grayden for the picture of our home, Todd for the picture of that Army hummer and Sophie for your sweet letter. You are so cute. And don't forget Layla's cute hand. It's getting bigger!
Hey, find out when Colton goes to BT. Tell him good luck and to start working out more. Even if he thinks he is doing enough. It's nice to be ahead of everyone. Yes, I am still thinking about airborn school. I won't know much more about it for about 3-4 weeks. Remember any pictures you snd I have to show them to the drill sergeants.(Shani: What kind of pictures did he think i would send??lol)Lot's of push ups for those fat letters. It's worth it though:)The pictures of our family turned out nice.
Shani, we have some special kids. I am glad this little obstical is just a short time. These times, though hard will only make us stronger. "The moment may be temporary, but the memory lasts forever." I don't remember where I got that. When times get hard I just close my eyes and thin about hugging my wife on graduation day.
There is a family day on the 29th too. It won't be long now.
This evening at about 10 to 7:00 my phone rang and the caller ID said, "STAN". My heart skipped a beat. It was so nice to hear his voice. He sounded a little horse, but in good spirits. He told me his platoon was finally able to pass off all their guys so they can pass from Red to White phase. But that they won't let them move on to white phase until all the other platoons in their unit pass too. He say's he's healthy and doing everything possible to stay out of Sick Bay.
Here's Stan's letter:
Hi my fun cute kids! I hope you had a good summer. When I come home I will put some grass in the backyard for you. OK. You can all help me. Then you can say you helped and tell everyone tat you are all hard workers. Mom told me in her letter that you are all being really good and brave. Thanks for helping mom. I love you kids and I loved the letters you sent me. You all did such a good job.
Guess what? I got to repell off a great big tower today. Twice as tall as our house
(60') It was fun. Then I climed across two rope bridges. Then I slid back across on top of one rope. It was as high as our house. I get to shoot my weapon next week. I will tell you how I do. I have the first real P.T. test on Saturday. I will tell you my score later. I have fireguard tonight in about 10 min. Only 4 hours of sleep tonight :( It's not to bad if we don't have to sit in a classroom. It's very hard to stay awake. The DS gave us one privlege; they said we can now get orange juice or chocolate milk at chow time lol It's not much, but I'll take it;) We should be in white phase right now, but there are still soldiers just doing their own thing. We have been learning more Army combatence this week. Lot's of good fighting moves.
Thanks kids for your nice letters. Grayden for the picture of our home, Todd for the picture of that Army hummer and Sophie for your sweet letter. You are so cute. And don't forget Layla's cute hand. It's getting bigger!
Hey, find out when Colton goes to BT. Tell him good luck and to start working out more. Even if he thinks he is doing enough. It's nice to be ahead of everyone. Yes, I am still thinking about airborn school. I won't know much more about it for about 3-4 weeks. Remember any pictures you snd I have to show them to the drill sergeants.(Shani: What kind of pictures did he think i would send??lol)Lot's of push ups for those fat letters. It's worth it though:)The pictures of our family turned out nice.
Shani, we have some special kids. I am glad this little obstical is just a short time. These times, though hard will only make us stronger. "The moment may be temporary, but the memory lasts forever." I don't remember where I got that. When times get hard I just close my eyes and thin about hugging my wife on graduation day.
There is a family day on the 29th too. It won't be long now.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Aug. 11 2010
We worked on our tactical team movements today. That's when we walk in a wedge or an I formation. We also learned all the hand signals for them. This was all after we carried a 40lb pack for 3 miles. It was pretty easy. We have an ambulence come pick up one or two soldiers just about everyday. Heat related stuff. So many video gamers can't take this physical stuff. We also trained on how to serch a person.
I love you all,
Stan
I love you all,
Stan
Aug. 8th 2010
It's Sunday again, I don't think they're going to let us call. Our platoon is still struggling with discipline. We did our regular Sunday cleaning. I took a guy to church with me today. I don't think he liked it to much. Maybe he will read the B.O.M. and pray about it.
Aug. 7th 2010
Well....I'm glad the gas chamber is over! Let me explain what they do. We first walk in with our masks on. Almost imediatly the gas burns your skin. My neck and hands, that was the part of my skin not covered. Then they have 15 people pull the mask away from their face and say their name and SS#. Then after those 15 people put their masks back on and clear them. (that means you blow the gas out and start breathing again) Then the 15 guys take of their masks again, put our helmets on and wait for all 15 people to put it on. Then they let us out. It seemed like an hour, but really it was only about 20-30 seconds without the mask. At this point I came out the door and every bit of snot I had in my nose was running down my face. It wasn't to bad, but its not something I want to do again. Later we had classes on what to do with all the different gases and nerve agents and chemicals.
Aug. 4th 2010
After PT this morning we learned how to respond to radio calls and how to call in an evacuation or whatever it is you need. Then we learned some more 1st aid. Did you know on the battle field you are never alowd to perform 1st aid. But I think if we weren't in a firefight, I'd still try. Sorry I've not been able to call. I hope this next Sunday. I don't think it will happen though. Our platoon will not work together. We're supposed to all work as an indivisual team right now. So many of those young kids are all for themselves.
On a good note we have the gas chamber tomorrow. lol I just want it to be overwith.
I learned about all the diffrent IED's today. I think it's the biggest killer of the American Soldiers in Afganistan and Iraq. They are pretty smart. They film all the times they try to kill us. Then they put them on the internet. We watched a lot of them, you could probably look some up online. Don't though it will probably scare you. (shani: ya think?)
We did a 5k march today too. With allour gear. We're getting ready for the 15k in 4 weeks.
On a good note we have the gas chamber tomorrow. lol I just want it to be overwith.
I learned about all the diffrent IED's today. I think it's the biggest killer of the American Soldiers in Afganistan and Iraq. They are pretty smart. They film all the times they try to kill us. Then they put them on the internet. We watched a lot of them, you could probably look some up online. Don't though it will probably scare you. (shani: ya think?)
We did a 5k march today too. With allour gear. We're getting ready for the 15k in 4 weeks.
Aug. 3rd 2010
I did basic combatics today. We will learn more and more moves everyday. All the soldiers did the obstical course and then we picked our 8 best and competed with the other platoons. our team came in 2nd. We tied with 2 other platoons. You start by low crawling, then you jump over a ditch, then you climb a rope about 15ft. High. Then you do the monkey bars, Log balancing, high knees, wall jumping, army crawlthrough the mud. Running and jumping and just about everything else you can think of.
These are pictures of Stan's unit, but not of his platoon so he's not in any of them.
Sorry they're so small I got them from the fb page and I couldn't get them to go any bigger.
( Stan Continued )
Lot's of people are hurting themselves. They don't listen to instructions and land wrong or they don't strech out first. Some just fake it so they can get out of training. What they don't understand in they have to make up the stuff they miss and if you don't you get recycled. My battle buddy hurt his leg so I have to carry his
M-16 and mine around all week. We will probably get sent back and put with another platoon. That means he starts all over at day one! I just keep praying, and please pray for me that I don't get hurt. You probably know, but our family day is the 29th of Sept. and Graduation is the 30th of Sept.
These are pictures of Stan's unit, but not of his platoon so he's not in any of them.
Sorry they're so small I got them from the fb page and I couldn't get them to go any bigger.
( Stan Continued )
Lot's of people are hurting themselves. They don't listen to instructions and land wrong or they don't strech out first. Some just fake it so they can get out of training. What they don't understand in they have to make up the stuff they miss and if you don't you get recycled. My battle buddy hurt his leg so I have to carry his
M-16 and mine around all week. We will probably get sent back and put with another platoon. That means he starts all over at day one! I just keep praying, and please pray for me that I don't get hurt. You probably know, but our family day is the 29th of Sept. and Graduation is the 30th of Sept.
Aug. 1st 2010
Family,
It's Sunday today. I was able to go to church today. I am the only person out of 200 people that went to the LDS church today. Thats just our Fox Company. A lot of other soldiers from other companys where there though. There are a few of my Battle Buddies that are curious about our faith. So many people say they are one thing or another. I feel bad because some don't even have a clue what they believe.
I got into trouble today twice in the lunch and dinner lines. The 1st one was when I was holding the door for a DS (drill sergeant)and the door just bumped his shoulder. He got pretty mad and smoked me. Then at dinner I grabbed 3 cups of water rather than one cup of water and 2 cups of poweraid. They make a big deal over little things. Not much else to exciting happened today. We did a really thourow cleaning of the barics.
It's Sunday today. I was able to go to church today. I am the only person out of 200 people that went to the LDS church today. Thats just our Fox Company. A lot of other soldiers from other companys where there though. There are a few of my Battle Buddies that are curious about our faith. So many people say they are one thing or another. I feel bad because some don't even have a clue what they believe.
I got into trouble today twice in the lunch and dinner lines. The 1st one was when I was holding the door for a DS (drill sergeant)and the door just bumped his shoulder. He got pretty mad and smoked me. Then at dinner I grabbed 3 cups of water rather than one cup of water and 2 cups of poweraid. They make a big deal over little things. Not much else to exciting happened today. We did a really thourow cleaning of the barics.
Second letter Basic Begins
These are pics I got off the fb page. These guys are in Stan's company, but I didn't recognize Stan in either picture. Sorry they're so small I couldn't make them bigger.
We picked up our body armor today. Built proof vests. Got back packs, assault packs and our magazine and canteen belts. The belt holds, gernaids, a shovel and some other misc. stuff. all of our great is about 70 to 85 lbs. At the end of basic we have to carry it and the M-16 15 k about 9.3 miles. Now I want to tell you about our drill sergeants. We have the best 3. They are still very strict and when we mess up we get smoked (push ups). But they have a little different way of teaching than the other DSs. They believe in teaching with fun not so much fear. Don't get me wrong they still get after us. They are just trying to teach us everything. I don't remember if I told you about how we eat. We move through the line as fast as we can get our food, sit down and eat it all in about 5 min. We really just put it in our mouth and swallow. We always have 3 to 5 DS around us, just waiting for us to mess up. This is a story that happened to me:
I had chicken and they make you eat it with your hand (only the right hand). With your meal you get 2 cups of power aid. Anyway I whipped my fingers off with a napkin and a DS said, "you took to long cleaning your hands pour your drink on your tray and go. So I did. Sometimes all they want is for you to do what they say. Don't give them any attitude and they'll let you go. I'm looking forward to Sunday. At first I thought I might be going to the Baptist church again. But there's an LDS church I can go to.
The DS told us about all the competitions. There are 4 squads in our Battalion. We will compete with them all. Monday is the first. It's called the confidence course. I don't know anything about it. I'm going to tell you about some people that try to quit. The Army won't let you. They will...it just takes a long time. You can't just go home if you say, "I quit". You sit around here till they decide to do your paperwork. Some guys have been here for 9 months! They say the quickest way out of basic is to graduate.
My battle buddy is Portiriccan, he's a nice guy, but pretty lazy. He doesn't listen to instructions so I end up doing a lot of stuff for him. (Shani: because Stan gets in trouble if his battle buddy does something wrong) We have an obstacle course on Monday. They won't tell us what the obstacles are. You pick 4 people out of each platoon for a team. There are 52 people in our platoon. Thanks for letting me get into good shape before I got here. I'm the fastest and best PT score on the team.There are four platoons competing. I will let you know how it goes.
I love you all, Stan
July 22nd 2010 ( First One)
Shani,
I hope this time apart will just bring us closer together. This might be the way you get me to talk to you. ha ha I won't fall asleep. ( Shani: sometimes when I talk to Stan at night he falls asleep mid story)
Well, because you want to know all the details. Here goes. On the airplane to Atlanta I was next to a missionary that was going to Peru. He wouldn't shut his mouth and he knew everything there is to know about everything. After I survived that 4 hour flight, I then slept on the 2 hour bus drive. We got to Benning at about 8:00 PM. Then they scared everyone into turning in all their playing cards, knives, lighters, candy, tobacco and anything else that might be considered contraband. They finally let us go to bed at 1:AM, then they started our day at 4:Am. I only got about 1 hour of sleep because a soldier next to me started throwing up right when I fell asleep. I couldn't ever get back to sleep. By the way, Basic won't start tell Tuesday because this whole week is just processing.
We all got P.T. Uniforms, Bags, Camel Bac, and some other stuff. I also got 3 shots in the shoulder, blood drawn and the famous peanut better shot in my left butt cheek. I won't lie it hurt! The really bad part is it has been one whole day and it still hurts. That's pretty much the interesting stuff. I hope all is well at home. It's nice to know this life is temporary, but I hate to miss any of the fun things the kids do. ell the kids I love them. Remember don't send me any packages. Letters ONLY.
I love you all, Stan
Sweetheart and Kids,
I love you all so much. I miss everyone so much. Shani, I'm sure you do, but I want to remind you to tell the kids why this is so important to all of us. It's not just me that's in this. It's all of us. I hope you kids know you are a part of this. It's hard for you to not have your dad around and you might not understand why, Someday I think you will. I want you kids to know how difficult it is for your mom and I to be apart. We love each other a lot. I think? ha ha
The training is pretty intense. I thought Hell week in football was tough. We get up at 0400 in the morning everyday. We do muscle exhausting drills one day and running the next. We eat at 0700 or 0800 depending on how hard they feel like working us. Then randomly all day long we do push ups or sit ups. On average I probably do 3 to 400 a day. we also have to hold the position up, down or 1/2 push up for minutes sometimes. I haven't had to lay on my chest yet. Pretty close though. Every process of the army I have been to they weed a lot of guys out. I forgot to tell you we have fire guard almost every night. Tonight I will only sleep for 30 min. last night I got 3 hours. The night before 1 hour. It's all day and all night around here. Kids I got my M-16 today. I have to carry it around everywhere I go. I might name it Mindy after an old girlfriend. lol J/K
I hove you all, Dad
I hope this time apart will just bring us closer together. This might be the way you get me to talk to you. ha ha I won't fall asleep. ( Shani: sometimes when I talk to Stan at night he falls asleep mid story)
Well, because you want to know all the details. Here goes. On the airplane to Atlanta I was next to a missionary that was going to Peru. He wouldn't shut his mouth and he knew everything there is to know about everything. After I survived that 4 hour flight, I then slept on the 2 hour bus drive. We got to Benning at about 8:00 PM. Then they scared everyone into turning in all their playing cards, knives, lighters, candy, tobacco and anything else that might be considered contraband. They finally let us go to bed at 1:AM, then they started our day at 4:Am. I only got about 1 hour of sleep because a soldier next to me started throwing up right when I fell asleep. I couldn't ever get back to sleep. By the way, Basic won't start tell Tuesday because this whole week is just processing.
We all got P.T. Uniforms, Bags, Camel Bac, and some other stuff. I also got 3 shots in the shoulder, blood drawn and the famous peanut better shot in my left butt cheek. I won't lie it hurt! The really bad part is it has been one whole day and it still hurts. That's pretty much the interesting stuff. I hope all is well at home. It's nice to know this life is temporary, but I hate to miss any of the fun things the kids do. ell the kids I love them. Remember don't send me any packages. Letters ONLY.
I love you all, Stan
Sweetheart and Kids,
I love you all so much. I miss everyone so much. Shani, I'm sure you do, but I want to remind you to tell the kids why this is so important to all of us. It's not just me that's in this. It's all of us. I hope you kids know you are a part of this. It's hard for you to not have your dad around and you might not understand why, Someday I think you will. I want you kids to know how difficult it is for your mom and I to be apart. We love each other a lot. I think? ha ha
The training is pretty intense. I thought Hell week in football was tough. We get up at 0400 in the morning everyday. We do muscle exhausting drills one day and running the next. We eat at 0700 or 0800 depending on how hard they feel like working us. Then randomly all day long we do push ups or sit ups. On average I probably do 3 to 400 a day. we also have to hold the position up, down or 1/2 push up for minutes sometimes. I haven't had to lay on my chest yet. Pretty close though. Every process of the army I have been to they weed a lot of guys out. I forgot to tell you we have fire guard almost every night. Tonight I will only sleep for 30 min. last night I got 3 hours. The night before 1 hour. It's all day and all night around here. Kids I got my M-16 today. I have to carry it around everywhere I go. I might name it Mindy after an old girlfriend. lol J/K
I hove you all, Dad
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