He made it! After 13 weeks and Lord only knows how many miles marched and "Aye, Sirs!" shouted, he graduated on Friday, March 14th at 10:00 a.m. on Parris Island. We arrived back in SRQ on Friday night, and he has been enjoying lots of food, time off, and time with friends and family. He is here in Sarasota for at least 10 days. He has requested the opportunity to work as the local recruiter's assistant, which is something the Marines will allow for a period of 21 days. If he is successful in recruiting just one person, he will advance to Lance Corporal (and his pay increases), so he's motivated to do that. We'll know more this week if that will happen or not.
Graduation was awesome, of course. View a short slide show here. Enjoy!
If you want to reach Michael, his email address is mlevij@gmail.com. Michael will attend follow-up training in North Carolina for 3 weeks (when he leaves Sarasota). After that, he goes to Twenty-Nine Palms California where his orders are to serve as a Tactical Network Specialist. In other words, his job will involve installing and maintaining computer networks. Where? Who knows? They are networks to maintain everywhere, including Iraq, so my guess is that he could end up anywhere. Now you know about as much as we do...!
I'm not sure if Michael will continue this blog or use his Facebook page. I'll keep you posted on that. A huge thank you to everyone who sent cards and letters. Michael said that letters from home are hugely appreciated, so you all played a part in keeping his spirits up and motivating him to keep going! Thank you all.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Countdown to Graduation
We got another letter from Michael, but before I recap details, let me just ask all those of you out there who believe in prayer to remember Michael and his platoon in these last two weeks. They are undoubtedly well trained but may also be fatigued. Some may even be injured, but they aren't about to tell anyone if they can help it. At this point, they want to graduate with their platoon! An injury could mean they are "recycled" (pulled out to heal and then put back into another platoon--full of guys they don't know). As you can imagine, this is their worst fear.
There are also several critical tests that they MUST pass in the next 10 days or so, or they do not graduate: The final Physical Fitness Test, the final Drill, the final written test, and several others before the culminating test of Marine boot camp--the Crucible. The Crucible is a 54-hour grueling round of war games, night marches, very little sleep, very little to eat, barriers to cross, all the while under simulated fire. So, like I said, if you're a praying person--please send up a prayer for all of them. Those who are still left in the platoon have worked incredibly hard to make it this far. I can hardly wait to scream my head off for all of them on graduation day.
Now, a few highlights from what had to be one of the craziest letters from Michael so far. I swear I hardly recognize him! In this 5-page letter (yes, five pages! Don't worry--this is the Reader's Digest version), he goes into great detail to describe "Basic Warrior Training," which is a week of field training:
"The least I can say about it is that it was dirty! We slept in sea huts in sleeping bags, elbow to elbow with other recruits (80, to be exact). After a day of land navigation [they had to find their way around with a compass], we had nighttime navigation. Both were really fun--the nitty gritty of boot camp I've been waiting for. But the real fun was yet to be had. The next morning we jumped into low and high crawls and more sand in more places I didn't know existed. Did I mention it rained all night the night before? Yeah, to start the course we had to take an ice bath...with sand...everywhere! It was great!
"Then the next day, we had what was called the combat endurance course--3.5 miles or more high and low crawling under barbed wire, through more icy sandy pools. Not to mention if you submerge your weapon, you're going back to the beginning. So after what seemed like 3 or so hours, we emerged from the beaten paths, basically trained warriors, ready for more.
"Soaking wet, boots to head, covered with mud, we went back home and had the first meal in the chow hall we'd had in what seemed like a week--after we showered, of course. And that was yesterday. Yesterday was Saturday. Saturday is BURGERS! (and fries, with chili and cheese, and chocolate milk! ) I LOVE it.
"But not as much as I love the fact that all we have left is this week (which is finalizing financial stuff and getting our ORDERS--WORD!) and our practical applications test, written test, personal fitness test (all three are next week) and Final Drill--the day we leave for the Crucible. Can you tell I'm stoked? Stoked to get out of here!
Oh I forgot! I did pretty well on the A-line (rifle range). [Here he goes into some detail about how he did on this part. I think this was where they had to shoot at moving targets from varying distances. If he performed well enough on this, it could move him from "sharpshooter" to "expert."]
"In any case, I'm really excited to be DONE with this...this...there really is no other word for it other than Hell. Basic Warrior Training was the last big obstacle before the Crucible, and as far as I'm concerned I'm basically done (save for the Crucible, of course.)"
For the entire next page, he rages about the "mothers of America" who have made things too soft for the recruits by babying their children (I'm not sure which mothers he is referring to here, but I'm going to let it slide for now!!) He goes on about how "dumbed down" recruit training is as a result. (Who IS this kid??) I'm not kidding--this part goes on for 2 pages!
He ends up with a few details about coming home and signs off --
"Love from Hell, Recruit (soon to be Marine!) Johnson"
There are also several critical tests that they MUST pass in the next 10 days or so, or they do not graduate: The final Physical Fitness Test, the final Drill, the final written test, and several others before the culminating test of Marine boot camp--the Crucible. The Crucible is a 54-hour grueling round of war games, night marches, very little sleep, very little to eat, barriers to cross, all the while under simulated fire. So, like I said, if you're a praying person--please send up a prayer for all of them. Those who are still left in the platoon have worked incredibly hard to make it this far. I can hardly wait to scream my head off for all of them on graduation day.
Now, a few highlights from what had to be one of the craziest letters from Michael so far. I swear I hardly recognize him! In this 5-page letter (yes, five pages! Don't worry--this is the Reader's Digest version), he goes into great detail to describe "Basic Warrior Training," which is a week of field training:
"The least I can say about it is that it was dirty! We slept in sea huts in sleeping bags, elbow to elbow with other recruits (80, to be exact). After a day of land navigation [they had to find their way around with a compass], we had nighttime navigation. Both were really fun--the nitty gritty of boot camp I've been waiting for. But the real fun was yet to be had. The next morning we jumped into low and high crawls and more sand in more places I didn't know existed. Did I mention it rained all night the night before? Yeah, to start the course we had to take an ice bath...with sand...everywhere! It was great!
"Then the next day, we had what was called the combat endurance course--3.5 miles or more high and low crawling under barbed wire, through more icy sandy pools. Not to mention if you submerge your weapon, you're going back to the beginning. So after what seemed like 3 or so hours, we emerged from the beaten paths, basically trained warriors, ready for more.
"Soaking wet, boots to head, covered with mud, we went back home and had the first meal in the chow hall we'd had in what seemed like a week--after we showered, of course. And that was yesterday. Yesterday was Saturday. Saturday is BURGERS! (and fries, with chili and cheese, and chocolate milk! ) I LOVE it.
"But not as much as I love the fact that all we have left is this week (which is finalizing financial stuff and getting our ORDERS--WORD!) and our practical applications test, written test, personal fitness test (all three are next week) and Final Drill--the day we leave for the Crucible. Can you tell I'm stoked? Stoked to get out of here!
Oh I forgot! I did pretty well on the A-line (rifle range). [Here he goes into some detail about how he did on this part. I think this was where they had to shoot at moving targets from varying distances. If he performed well enough on this, it could move him from "sharpshooter" to "expert."]
"In any case, I'm really excited to be DONE with this...this...there really is no other word for it other than Hell. Basic Warrior Training was the last big obstacle before the Crucible, and as far as I'm concerned I'm basically done (save for the Crucible, of course.)"
For the entire next page, he rages about the "mothers of America" who have made things too soft for the recruits by babying their children (I'm not sure which mothers he is referring to here, but I'm going to let it slide for now!!) He goes on about how "dumbed down" recruit training is as a result. (Who IS this kid??) I'm not kidding--this part goes on for 2 pages!
He ends up with a few details about coming home and signs off --
"Love from Hell, Recruit (soon to be Marine!) Johnson"
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sharpshooter! OOH RAH!
Snippets from our latest letter (today) from Michael:
"Great news! I shot sharpshooter (211 points--out of 250 possible) on the range. Only 9 points from expert. Oh well...."
"This coming week is Team Week, and I'm celebrating by going to medical for my knee and back to dental for my fillings....Yeah, I forgot to tell you I got fillings a couple weeks back. Lovely. It was actually pretty funny. The young dentist I had was crackin' jokes and telling funny stories the whole time. Next week is A-Line/Basic Warrior Training. A-Line is where we shoot at moving targets, and the score we get could affect our range score. But I'm confident."
(He goes on here to describe what they are doing for the next couple of weeks.)
"I'm almost out. And that's the most exciting news. I know why they call it three months of hell now. It's not the physical. It's the mental. As in, all these kids can't get over their own pride or egos to just get 'the job' done, 'the job' being ANYTHING the DIs tell you to do, nothing more, nothing less!!! Can you tell I'm agitated?"
"Anyway, I'm out. Love you, Michael"
"P.S. Can't wait to see everyone."
"P.P.S. We took range for the series, not the company, but we were so close. The one thing this platoon as done right!"
Sounds like he's hanging in there. I'll let you know if we hear more this week. A couple of people have wondered if there might be kids in his platoon who get no letters. I've written and asked Michael to let me know and send me names!
"Great news! I shot sharpshooter (211 points--out of 250 possible) on the range. Only 9 points from expert. Oh well...."
"This coming week is Team Week, and I'm celebrating by going to medical for my knee and back to dental for my fillings....Yeah, I forgot to tell you I got fillings a couple weeks back. Lovely. It was actually pretty funny. The young dentist I had was crackin' jokes and telling funny stories the whole time. Next week is A-Line/Basic Warrior Training. A-Line is where we shoot at moving targets, and the score we get could affect our range score. But I'm confident."
(He goes on here to describe what they are doing for the next couple of weeks.)
"I'm almost out. And that's the most exciting news. I know why they call it three months of hell now. It's not the physical. It's the mental. As in, all these kids can't get over their own pride or egos to just get 'the job' done, 'the job' being ANYTHING the DIs tell you to do, nothing more, nothing less!!! Can you tell I'm agitated?"
"Anyway, I'm out. Love you, Michael"
"P.S. Can't wait to see everyone."
"P.P.S. We took range for the series, not the company, but we were so close. The one thing this platoon as done right!"
Sounds like he's hanging in there. I'll let you know if we hear more this week. A couple of people have wondered if there might be kids in his platoon who get no letters. I've written and asked Michael to let me know and send me names!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Only 4 weeks to go!
Clips from Michael's latest letter:
"Parris Island is absolutely beautiful. During that three-mile run yesterday, we were crossing marshes with a view of the distant beach. I was hoping we would have a chance to roll down that way, but we turned around...It is strange how it's juxtaposed to such a harsh "society." It's hard to explain, but just think about the platoon marching and then doing something wrong and getting yelled at and/or pitted for it. All the while, there's this amazing scenery surrounding us: pines, oaks (really old ones), marsh, savannas, etc. And the weather here reminds me a lot of Florida's. Could be cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon. And it's really humid here."
He goes on to ask us to look up the average temperatures for this time. He wants to know what to expect for the "Basic Warrior Training" week when they have to camp. He included some "bullet points" on another paper:
Finally--IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENDING PACKAGES: The DIs won't let them have the powdered Emergen-C mixtures. It comes in other forms, including tablets and gels. And, he says, "Don't bother with power bars. We have a half a footlocker full, and we only get these on occasion." They may earn more of that privilege later. I'll keep you posted.
Finally, say a prayer about his job assignment. He says he's interested in avionics. We are praying that God will open just the right door for him, wherever that may be.
"Parris Island is absolutely beautiful. During that three-mile run yesterday, we were crossing marshes with a view of the distant beach. I was hoping we would have a chance to roll down that way, but we turned around...It is strange how it's juxtaposed to such a harsh "society." It's hard to explain, but just think about the platoon marching and then doing something wrong and getting yelled at and/or pitted for it. All the while, there's this amazing scenery surrounding us: pines, oaks (really old ones), marsh, savannas, etc. And the weather here reminds me a lot of Florida's. Could be cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon. And it's really humid here."
He goes on to ask us to look up the average temperatures for this time. He wants to know what to expect for the "Basic Warrior Training" week when they have to camp. He included some "bullet points" on another paper:
Rifle Week is next week. Pray that he passes this because you can't graduate if you don't qualify for marksmanship!) He says his platoon is "seriously the most undisciplined platoon." (Hmmm. Is it true or just some kind of motivational head game the DIs are playing with them?)
- "Took initial Physical Fitness Test. Run time was 21:42 (I think that's for 3 miles), 97 crunches, 9 pull-ups."
- "Finished Class 3 in swimming."
- Their old Sr. Drill Instructor is back. Looks like they replaced a couple others.
- "I love Saturday noon chow: Burgers, chili cheese fries, and other greasy stuff that's no good for you."
- "I'm so ready for rifle week."
Finally--IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENDING PACKAGES: The DIs won't let them have the powdered Emergen-C mixtures. It comes in other forms, including tablets and gels. And, he says, "Don't bother with power bars. We have a half a footlocker full, and we only get these on occasion." They may earn more of that privilege later. I'll keep you posted.
Finally, say a prayer about his job assignment. He says he's interested in avionics. We are praying that God will open just the right door for him, wherever that may be.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Short update via Costa Rica
Zoe McLuhan (family friend who is in language school in Costa Rica) got a letter from Michael. Michael reports that the gas chamber was "fun." (I'm assuming he was being a little sarcastic.) The good news is that he survived it. He said it felt like bits of fiberglass all over his skin. He also said that he loved the part where he got to rappel. I'm assuming he is serious about this part since he's done a good bit of rappeling and has always enjoyed it. That's it for now...
Friday, February 1, 2008
More news from Michael
Finally! After 2 weeks another letter from Michael arrived today. In this letter, he answers a lot of questions that we sent to him, so I'll try to summarize. He says that he was definitely "DQed" (disqualified) for not being 100% upfront from the get go, though he did tell all later. I guess it was too late for the Marine's way of thinking. His new assignment is "the highly esteemed position of 'open contract.'" (Basically, he still doesn't know.) He thinks he'll find out during Marine Week (the last week of boot camp) and he adds "Don't worry--it won't necessarily be infantry."
When he gets home, he wants to "sleep, eat, watch TV, run and work out," and he has an "hour-long, candle-lit bath planned!"
He goes on to report that all of the Drill Instructors for his platoon have been temporarily relieved because of "a lack of...I guess experience, in disciplining young recruits." I'll quote him...
Other than that, he writes,"I'm still cool." He says his marksmanship instructor is "awesome, very funny." He says his knee hurts. He is "stoked." And he "can't wait to graduate!" By his count, he is 5 and 1/2 weeks away.
Requests: 1) Something for serious coughs. 2) More Emergen-C! 3) Protein bars are cool but not a must.
Thank you all again for cheering Michael on. I know it is a big boost to him!
When he gets home, he wants to "sleep, eat, watch TV, run and work out," and he has an "hour-long, candle-lit bath planned!"
He goes on to report that all of the Drill Instructors for his platoon have been temporarily relieved because of "a lack of...I guess experience, in disciplining young recruits." I'll quote him...
So until tomorrow we still don't know who will be replacing them permanently...My only disappointment is that we might get the old DIs back...Hectic times, it's bringing the platoon down. And that makes things worse because we already suck and are the worst platoon in the company. We had the lowest initial test average (88%). Everyone else was in the 90s."
Other than that, he writes,"I'm still cool." He says his marksmanship instructor is "awesome, very funny." He says his knee hurts. He is "stoked." And he "can't wait to graduate!" By his count, he is 5 and 1/2 weeks away.
Requests: 1) Something for serious coughs. 2) More Emergen-C! 3) Protein bars are cool but not a must.
Thank you all again for cheering Michael on. I know it is a big boost to him!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Bad news....Good news
Hi everyone, Sorry for the long posting. We got the following letter from Michael last weekend (Saturday, Jan. 19th). He asked us to post it on this blog, but we waited because we were trying to clarify a very important part of his letter. It is still a unclear to us, but the gist of the news is this: Michael told us that he has been disqualified for the top secret security clearance that would allow him to go to the cryptological linguistic training he wanted to do. Needless to say, we have been concerned and puzzled. After talking with his recruiting officer, we have confirmed that he has indeed been disqualified, but the reasons are unclear still.
Michael attributed it to his not being 100% upfront when he first arrived about some of his past "sins." (The Marines give you a chance to "fess up.") But his recruiting officer said that if that were the case he would have been disqualified on "moral grounds." Even if it is on moral grounds, unless there's some indiscretion we are not aware of, we don't know of anything that should have kept him from this clearance.
The recruiting officer said that Michael's file, however, says that the disqualification was on "personal" grounds. Bottom line: We just aren't sure! What we do know is that his 5-year commitment may be reduced to 4, depending on whatever new job he ends up doing, and he loses his sign-on bonus. He does have the opportunity to make a lateral move into the linguistic program after two years of service. And, according to Michael, there are still security jobs that he can apply for--just not top security. So, it doesn't make much sense to us, but that's what we know for now.
We did not hear from Michael this week, so this is all we know. Following is the rest of Michael's letter that he asked us to post here! In spite if this bad news, he sounds surprisingly upbeat. He is in week 6 of 13. 7 weeks to go. Pray that he is not injured. Pray that he qualifies in his fitness test this week and rife marksmanship, which is next week. Say a prayer that this job situation clears up. Thanks!
2008, Jan. 13
Mom and Dad, What I'm about to write I'd appreciate you to please transcribe onto this blog you were talking about...
I've been swamped and my free time is taken up by necessary duties that don't get done in time. Even today, Sunday, when we have 3 hours in the morning and one at night, I'm spending the three in the morning trying to save some(well, actually all of us) the shame, embarrassment, and absolute horror because of what Senior might do of forgetting knowledge, not being up to par on physical standards or not knowing drill, sticks, or MCMAP [martial arts]. I spent the better part of free time this morning making a chart of which recruits were good at which fields and which recruits were lacking and needed help. Posted it on the cork board over the Scribe's desk. I hope people us it.
Well, I rambled a bit.... Anyway, you can add that part to the (following) blurb:
Dear Everyone,
First let me start by saying thank you for the supporting letters and cards. It's nice to know pressure [is] riding on me to graduate now. Just kidding!
Well, I'm sure what most people want to know is "What is it like?" There's only one word to describe it: Unreal. By now, most of you have heard about what I've done so far, and what's to come in training. But things don't always go as planned. For one, our schedule was thrown off because nearly everyone in the company was sick so we didn't get to do some things like "Pugil Sticks One." or set up our checking accounts until this last week. And since then much more has changed.
[THIS IS WHERE HE EXPLAINED ABOUT BEING DISQUALIFIED FROM HIS JOB, AND HE ENDS BY SAYING HE IS NOT SURE WHAT HIS NEW ASSIGNMENT WILL BE.]
For now I'm focusing on what I'm doing every day. We have two tests at the end of this week. One is a 100 question multiple choice, written exam. The other is a MCMAP test.
And speaking of this week, it's called "swim week," and so far it's awesome. Today we did PT in the morning (1.5 mile run and other stuff too) and reviewed for the MCMAP test for Friday. Then we swam in full gear. First, we walked back and forth, then jumped off a platform, and also swam around. Yesterday was simply swimming with cammies.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...Apparently, I've been getting a lot of questions my parents can't answer, so I'll try to tackle 'em.
1) HOW ARE YOUR SPIRITS? My spirits are being kept up alright. I pretty much already went over this one though. So...moving on.
2) HOW ARE THE DIs FOR YOUR NEW PLATOON? Physically, the DIs are angels, unless you can consider the things they order you to do to your own body. The other morning I accidentally started humming the guitar riffs and drums for War Pigs, so my Senior DI made me stay in the up position of a push-up for about...well it seemed like 40 minutes or so. Not only that, he pulled my squad leader (my friend Jason) and the guide down with me. I like the other squad leaders though because they got down with me just because. That's teamwork!
3) ARE YOU LESS FRUSTRATED WITH THE OTHER RECRUITS NOW? I pretty much went over the frustration with the other recruits too. [He mentioned this in other letters.]
4) DO YOU EVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO HELP THE OTHER RECRUITS? I tried to help everyone by going around asking what people needed help on. Went over that already as well.
5) HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW ANYONE ELSE? I've been talking to some recruits here and there. The one who racks next to me is from Trinidad, and I met the son of one of the VPs of GE. His name's ?? (can't read what Michael wrote here). Other than that, I get on with the squad leaders and anyone else who can follow simple instructions.
6) WHAT'S THE HARDEST PART OF BOOT CAMP? The hardest part of boot camp is getting everyone to stop thinking about themselves and start functioning as a unit that does everything with "speed, volume and intensity" as the newly graduated from Alpha Company put it to our squad leaders and guides.
7) WHAT'S THE COOLEST PART? So far the coolest thing was the confidence course. It was like a playground. But who knows? Next week is Grass Week. After that is Fire Week (firing the rifle). There is much to look forward to.
NOT TO MENTION! We just got our desert cammies the other day, and our name tape, and U.S. Marines tape that goes on our uniform. There's something about seeing that in your hand...
2nd Phase here I come!
P.S. To all those I haven't yet written, I'm sorry! I'll try and get to you ASAP!
Michael attributed it to his not being 100% upfront when he first arrived about some of his past "sins." (The Marines give you a chance to "fess up.") But his recruiting officer said that if that were the case he would have been disqualified on "moral grounds." Even if it is on moral grounds, unless there's some indiscretion we are not aware of, we don't know of anything that should have kept him from this clearance.
The recruiting officer said that Michael's file, however, says that the disqualification was on "personal" grounds. Bottom line: We just aren't sure! What we do know is that his 5-year commitment may be reduced to 4, depending on whatever new job he ends up doing, and he loses his sign-on bonus. He does have the opportunity to make a lateral move into the linguistic program after two years of service. And, according to Michael, there are still security jobs that he can apply for--just not top security. So, it doesn't make much sense to us, but that's what we know for now.
We did not hear from Michael this week, so this is all we know. Following is the rest of Michael's letter that he asked us to post here! In spite if this bad news, he sounds surprisingly upbeat. He is in week 6 of 13. 7 weeks to go. Pray that he is not injured. Pray that he qualifies in his fitness test this week and rife marksmanship, which is next week. Say a prayer that this job situation clears up. Thanks!
2008, Jan. 13
Mom and Dad, What I'm about to write I'd appreciate you to please transcribe onto this blog you were talking about...
I've been swamped and my free time is taken up by necessary duties that don't get done in time. Even today, Sunday, when we have 3 hours in the morning and one at night, I'm spending the three in the morning trying to save some(well, actually all of us) the shame, embarrassment, and absolute horror because of what Senior might do of forgetting knowledge, not being up to par on physical standards or not knowing drill, sticks, or MCMAP [martial arts]. I spent the better part of free time this morning making a chart of which recruits were good at which fields and which recruits were lacking and needed help. Posted it on the cork board over the Scribe's desk. I hope people us it.
Well, I rambled a bit.... Anyway, you can add that part to the (following) blurb:
Dear Everyone,
First let me start by saying thank you for the supporting letters and cards. It's nice to know pressure [is] riding on me to graduate now. Just kidding!
Well, I'm sure what most people want to know is "What is it like?" There's only one word to describe it: Unreal. By now, most of you have heard about what I've done so far, and what's to come in training. But things don't always go as planned. For one, our schedule was thrown off because nearly everyone in the company was sick so we didn't get to do some things like "Pugil Sticks One." or set up our checking accounts until this last week. And since then much more has changed.
[THIS IS WHERE HE EXPLAINED ABOUT BEING DISQUALIFIED FROM HIS JOB, AND HE ENDS BY SAYING HE IS NOT SURE WHAT HIS NEW ASSIGNMENT WILL BE.]
For now I'm focusing on what I'm doing every day. We have two tests at the end of this week. One is a 100 question multiple choice, written exam. The other is a MCMAP test.
And speaking of this week, it's called "swim week," and so far it's awesome. Today we did PT in the morning (1.5 mile run and other stuff too) and reviewed for the MCMAP test for Friday. Then we swam in full gear. First, we walked back and forth, then jumped off a platform, and also swam around. Yesterday was simply swimming with cammies.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...Apparently, I've been getting a lot of questions my parents can't answer, so I'll try to tackle 'em.
1) HOW ARE YOUR SPIRITS? My spirits are being kept up alright. I pretty much already went over this one though. So...moving on.
2) HOW ARE THE DIs FOR YOUR NEW PLATOON? Physically, the DIs are angels, unless you can consider the things they order you to do to your own body. The other morning I accidentally started humming the guitar riffs and drums for War Pigs, so my Senior DI made me stay in the up position of a push-up for about...well it seemed like 40 minutes or so. Not only that, he pulled my squad leader (my friend Jason) and the guide down with me. I like the other squad leaders though because they got down with me just because. That's teamwork!
3) ARE YOU LESS FRUSTRATED WITH THE OTHER RECRUITS NOW? I pretty much went over the frustration with the other recruits too. [He mentioned this in other letters.]
4) DO YOU EVER HAVE THE CHANCE TO HELP THE OTHER RECRUITS? I tried to help everyone by going around asking what people needed help on. Went over that already as well.
5) HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW ANYONE ELSE? I've been talking to some recruits here and there. The one who racks next to me is from Trinidad, and I met the son of one of the VPs of GE. His name's ?? (can't read what Michael wrote here). Other than that, I get on with the squad leaders and anyone else who can follow simple instructions.
6) WHAT'S THE HARDEST PART OF BOOT CAMP? The hardest part of boot camp is getting everyone to stop thinking about themselves and start functioning as a unit that does everything with "speed, volume and intensity" as the newly graduated from Alpha Company put it to our squad leaders and guides.
7) WHAT'S THE COOLEST PART? So far the coolest thing was the confidence course. It was like a playground. But who knows? Next week is Grass Week. After that is Fire Week (firing the rifle). There is much to look forward to.
NOT TO MENTION! We just got our desert cammies the other day, and our name tape, and U.S. Marines tape that goes on our uniform. There's something about seeing that in your hand...
2nd Phase here I come!
P.S. To all those I haven't yet written, I'm sorry! I'll try and get to you ASAP!
Friday, January 18, 2008
They say that no news is good news. We hope that is true for Michael. No letters this week--at least not to us. Maybe you heard from him?
If you are interested, I'm posting a link here to the Marine training schedule. Michael is in Week 5 (Swim Week), the beginning of Phase Two of a three-phase training schedule. (Sorry--I couldn't get this to post as a hyperlink. Just copy and paste this URL into your browser window.)
www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/training/matrix/index.asp
THANK YOU to all who have written or sent packages to Michael. I know it means a great deal to him.
Finally, if you want to post a message on this blog for him, we'll make sure he gets it. Or, if you've heard from Michael and want to share an update, feel free!
Barry and Kay
If you are interested, I'm posting a link here to the Marine training schedule. Michael is in Week 5 (Swim Week), the beginning of Phase Two of a three-phase training schedule. (Sorry--I couldn't get this to post as a hyperlink. Just copy and paste this URL into your browser window.)
www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/training/matrix/index.asp
THANK YOU to all who have written or sent packages to Michael. I know it means a great deal to him.
Finally, if you want to post a message on this blog for him, we'll make sure he gets it. Or, if you've heard from Michael and want to share an update, feel free!
Barry and Kay
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Latest from Michael
I actually got to hear Michael's voice yesterday--several times! He called 4 or 5 times looking for names and addresses of people who have known him a long time. The security clearance process has begun! Today, we got a nice long letter. Here are a few highlights:
So far....so good. Keep Michael and Jason (who, by the way, made squad leader for Michael's squad) in your prayers. Michael says that he is the platoon scribe's assistant. They sound like they are both doing very well. They have a lot of folks sending up good thoughts and prayers for them. Thank you all!
Special Requests: Power Bars, Cough Drops, Emergen-C, pictures of friends and family and LETTERS
A bit of bad news. We lost one of our DIs (Drill Instructors). He had the funniest 'DIisms' like, "If, God forbid, you should graduate, don't tell anyone Drill Instructor C____ trained you. Tell them the chow lady trained you. That's all you're good for...chow and head calls." Or "If you ever refer to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor [the Marine Corp emblem] as the 'EGA,' so help me, Staff Sargeant C_______ is gonna jump out of a bush and bloodchoke you!" Ah, I'll miss him.He goes on to say that they messed up on their drill, prompting the Sr. DI to "released the hounds." They knocked over all their racks (beds), made them dump all their gear, and then gave them 7 minutes to clean it up. Michael is taking it all in stride.
I'm fairly excited about this upcoming week. Tomorrow, we start the confidence course...
So let me break down this Drill Instructor thing for you. Basically, you have the Senior whose kinda nice and more down to earth, but he has these two hell hounds that are on a constant leash. And every time we screw up (because when one person screws up, everyone screws up) the leash is let out a bit until finally you do enough things wrong he just lets go completely.
So far....so good. Keep Michael and Jason (who, by the way, made squad leader for Michael's squad) in your prayers. Michael says that he is the platoon scribe's assistant. They sound like they are both doing very well. They have a lot of folks sending up good thoughts and prayers for them. Thank you all!
Special Requests: Power Bars, Cough Drops, Emergen-C, pictures of friends and family and LETTERS
Saturday, January 5, 2008
1/5/08
Good news from Michael. His morale seems better in the letter we got yesterday, though he did say there were some quarantines going on at the base due to illnesses. Not sure exactly what that means, but we're praying that he doesn't catch whatever is going around.
He seems to be settling into his new platoon, and his buddy Jason has made squad leader. Michael seemed pleased about that because Jason is actually HIS squad leader. That also lets us know that they were both switched to this new platoon, so we're glad they got to stick together.
Hopefully, we'll get another letter today, but it sounds like he has precious little time for writing. He did ask for "cough drops, Tums, and Airborne" in his letter yesterday, so we shipped off a small package yesterday. Thanks a million to those of you who have told us you have written to Michael. I know it means the world to him.
More later.... ;)
Good news from Michael. His morale seems better in the letter we got yesterday, though he did say there were some quarantines going on at the base due to illnesses. Not sure exactly what that means, but we're praying that he doesn't catch whatever is going around.
He seems to be settling into his new platoon, and his buddy Jason has made squad leader. Michael seemed pleased about that because Jason is actually HIS squad leader. That also lets us know that they were both switched to this new platoon, so we're glad they got to stick together.
Hopefully, we'll get another letter today, but it sounds like he has precious little time for writing. He did ask for "cough drops, Tums, and Airborne" in his letter yesterday, so we shipped off a small package yesterday. Thanks a million to those of you who have told us you have written to Michael. I know it means the world to him.
More later.... ;)
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