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!)
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