Someone I'm close to started boot camp 2 weeks and 2 days ago. He signed up for infantry so he wont be finished until May 11th.
He wrote once already and I've written back. Still I stay constantly worried about how he is and how he will be once he graduates and gets stationed somewhere. Anyone else been through something similar? Any suggestions to make the time go faster for either of us?
Thanks in advance.

2/10/2007 11:49:41 AM

A boyfriend to keep you company?

2/10/2007 11:51:25 AM

haha I'm not interested in a boyfriend right now, but thanks for the suggestion.

2/10/2007 11:52:28 AM

Pwnt my heart.

2/10/2007 11:54:31 AM

tell him he's going to Iraq.....cause he is

2/10/2007 11:55:22 AM

I know. He knows.

Danny- you have experience here. will he go crazy if I write him ALL THE TIME? haha will he be completely annoyed?

does the time drag like this for the entire 3 years??

2/10/2007 11:58:30 AM

no, letters are what soldiers look forward to in Boot camp, the more the merrier!

and he'll/ we'll really appreciate your support

2/10/2007 11:59:30 AM

well I'm glad for that- I had written 11 letters before I got his first one, so now I'm sending them a few at a time so he'll have something every day.

this is a lot harder than I thouht it was going to be, and I'm afraid it will only get worse.

I finished reading the novel Dear John last night by Nicholas Sparks. Not the thing to be reading right now.

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 12:01 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2007 12:00:54 PM

what is your relation to him leann?

2/10/2007 12:06:01 PM

I'll definitely have some questions to post later today.

2/10/2007 12:10:39 PM

well that's an intresting story...

he was my first love- first everything. We kept in touch over the years and dated sporadically. When he found out I was unhappily engaged, he signed up for the army and came into town for one last visit. We had lunch and he asked me point blank if I was happy. The next day I ended my engagement. The guy I was supposed to marry was completely controlling and thought abuse was acceptable. Anyway, we talked every day after that, even the night before he was sworn in. It's kindof confusing I guess but I'm waiting for him to get out so we can be together. It's always been him. So really, no relation yet, to answer your question.

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 12:35 PM. Reason : clarification]

2/10/2007 12:11:51 PM

he seems like a good guy. Glad the Army has someone like him.

2/10/2007 12:34:19 PM

Just keep reminding that the Army recently made BCT easier. Maybe that will help a bit. Either way, keep the letters going, he'll appreciate it.

2/10/2007 12:36:16 PM

I thought that too but obviously training for infantrymen is no joke- at all.

I continue to write- today I bought a roll of 100 stamps. maybe that will last a little while.

2/10/2007 12:37:15 PM

He may not have a lot of fun while in BCT, infantry specific training, etc. but if he is a hard charger with the right mindset, he'll get through it with little problem.

2/10/2007 12:43:38 PM

He said they're going to make him a squad leader. he's so stubborn and strong-willed it'll be perfect for him. leadership is one of his abilities he never took seriously before.

I hate sundays because the mail doesn't run.

2/10/2007 12:50:54 PM

Squad leader? Good for him. I have a friend that just came back from boot camp. His normal leave was something like 7-10 days after boot camp before reporting to his next assignment. He somehow managed to get almost a full month of leave though. So he's still here. I think, but I'm not sure.... that he was awarded extra leave for something having to do with him being a squad leader... Look forward to leave when he gets home!

2/10/2007 12:57:29 PM

he gets the basic 14 days of leave after boot camp and possibly another 14 days for something else- I have no idea. I'm saving my sick days from school so that when he gets out we'll be able to spend time together. He promised to take me to a Braves game.
I also might go up to the family weekend in early April if I'm allowed to. I still don't know what the restrictions on that are.

2/10/2007 1:00:52 PM

Quote :

"tell him he's going to Iraq.....cause he is "

2/10/2007 1:09:26 PM

Quote :

"tell him he's going to Iraq.....cause he is"

2/10/2007 1:11:01 PM

geez thanks for the encouragement.

2/10/2007 1:11:30 PM

now now guys. he might be going to afghanistan

2/10/2007 1:14:27 PM

Quote :

"tell him he's going to Iraq to fight for........cause he is"

2/10/2007 1:14:46 PM

^^ True, at least thats what I'm hoping for next.

2/10/2007 1:15:23 PM

are you guys in the army??

2/10/2007 1:17:43 PM

i just got back from fort benning, ga where my bestfriend graduated from bootcamp for army infantry. Is he staying in bootcamp for 18 weeks too? theres nothing you can do to stop worrying because their job has the highest death risk but know that he is accomplishing something few people in this world could ever do. my buddy is doing airborne school at fort benning(graduated friday starts monday) then is going to be stationed at fort bragg for a few months before he is shipped out im sure

2/10/2007 1:21:16 PM

he's at fort benning too. he went into the program on Jan 25 and wont be out til may 11. then 14 days and then who knows.

2/10/2007 1:25:31 PM

^ The thing I wind up having to tell most of my non-military friends, and my family too actually, is that the Army is going to do what it wants to do, when it wants to do it, and you're largely along for the ride. They're actually doing a lot these days to try to help out with Soldier stability, but with the current demands and OPTEMPO, uncertainty about the future is life.

I think its more of a bitch for those left behind than those in the middle of it.

"Buy the ticket, take the ride"
"We'd be fools not to ride this strange torpedo to its natural conclusion."

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 1:54 PM. Reason : ,]

2/10/2007 1:53:49 PM

My parents wrote me twice a day when I was in basic. It was seriously one of the only things I had to be happy about. Even if you don't have anything to say, it doesn't matter. Talk about whatever.

2/10/2007 2:02:56 PM

should of joined the Marines.....Army backs them up.....

Quote :

"then 14 days and then who knows."

we have been trying to tell you he is going to Iraq!

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 2:35 PM. Reason : W]

2/10/2007 2:34:12 PM

I don't want to think about that so I've managed to block that part out until now- thanks.

3 months and 1 day until graduation... I have a feeling counting down days will make them go more slowly.

2/10/2007 2:40:56 PM

then he has 14(maybe 28) to get married and then you get preggers before he deploys

2/10/2007 2:50:16 PM

2 words:

naked photos.

of course everyone else will see them too, whether he wants them to or not.

but it will brighten the 5 minutes a day gets to read letters.

"blood, guts, sex and danger
i wanna be an airborne ranger"

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 2:53 PM. Reason : *]

2/10/2007 2:52:11 PM

^^ if that happened they wouldn't deploy him?? hmm....
I couldn't do that to him. He's training for this because he wants to do it. He wants to go. Now if he changed his mind...

^ haha I'm sure he would enjoy that, but I'll leave those kinds of things to his memory and imagination.

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 3:10 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2007 3:04:21 PM

worst decision to make EVAARRRRRRRR!!!!. i was in the Army. i did basic at fort jackson in sc. it was a cool experience, but there was no war going on. and being he's signing up for INFANTRY he's destined for combat. i see those arabs fighting till the end the very END meaning generations and generations of fighters.[i][b]

2/10/2007 3:16:09 PM

he still deploys(i think) but he gets more money being married and haven a kid

2/10/2007 3:16:24 PM

I'm supportive of what he chose to do. I know he will grow a lot through the experience. But at the same time I wonder what in the world he was thinking.

2/10/2007 3:18:40 PM

just look at it this way. The harder boot camp training is, the better prepared he will be in battle which will make things easier

2/10/2007 3:35:00 PM

good way to look at it- thanks.

2/10/2007 3:39:47 PM

Quote :

"2 words: naked photos. of course everyone else will see them too, whether he wants them to or not. but it will brighten the 5 minutes a day gets to read letters."

These words make every Soldier

Quote :

"I'll leave those kinds of things to his memory and imagination."

These words make every Soldier

2/10/2007 3:40:30 PM

The only people who go for the infantry are the dumb ones and the fucked-up psychotic ones


you better hope he's the former and not the latter

2/10/2007 4:13:12 PM

gee- that's a nice generalization.

2/10/2007 4:16:43 PM

nice and true

2/10/2007 5:07:42 PM

not so much. i know plenty of people in USMC infantry--both officer and enlisted--that are neither dumb nor fucked-up and psychotic (unless you count being driven to and deriving satisfaction from killing bad guys).

i know several former enlisted infantry Marines who are now commissioned officers and in aviation now. for what it's worth, I've found flight school to be more challenging than mechanical engineering at NCSU was (not more conceptually difficult--just more challenging).

2/10/2007 5:16:08 PM

Quote :

"^^ if that happened they wouldn't deploy him?? hmm...."

No, they would still deploy him if you got the baby rabies.
Then you'd be a fat dependapotamus just like every other stereotypical military wife.
Don't do it. Children are humans, not collateral.

2/10/2007 5:30:19 PM

^^ USMC is different from Army.


You have to be a badass to be a Marine, in any respect. To be in the Army... well let's just say that in the Army the infantrymen aren't exactly the cream of the crop.

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 5:32 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2007 5:31:45 PM

^

I'll reference my earlier story about the Marines having a negligent discharge with an AT-4.

2/10/2007 6:01:57 PM

Quote :

"Quote : "2 words: naked photos. of course everyone else will see them too, whether he wants them to or not. but it will brighten the 5 minutes a day gets to read letters." These words make every Soldier Quote : "I'll leave those kinds of things to his memory and imagination." These words make every Soldier "

Exactly.

Quote :

"no, letters are what soldiers look forward to in Boot camp, the more the merrier! and he'll/ we'll really appreciate your support"

Also dead on - when I was at BCT as Fort Sill (home of the field artillery!) we only got a few minutes of personal time a day for the first several weeks. Even if he doesn't have time to write letters mailcall is where it's at - letters mean everything when you're in basic. It SUCKS day in / day out, then you get letters and forget where you are at least for a little while.

Just pray he gets mail daily, otherwise life could suck for him if he gets like 10 letters in one mailcall

2/10/2007 6:12:45 PM

Its true though, if you're naked in a Soldier's letter, its probably worse than being on the internet.

[Edited on February 10, 2007 at 6:21 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2007 6:19:30 PM

I am not trying to be mean, but long-distance relationships--especially with young people who have recently joined the military--usually don't work out. But you did not mention whether the relationship is romantic or not.

The next time you write your guy, tell him to try to get a new MOS--preferably one that transitions well to a high-paying civilian job. I mean, why in hell did he sign up for infantry anyway? If it's gung-ho shit, it can get old fast--trust me.

BTW, Amsterdam718, I went through basic training and AIT at Fort Jackson, too. Unfortunately, it was during one of the worst heat waves South Carolina had ever experienced. Guys were dropping like flies from heat exhaustion, but I made it through the training and my tour of duty honorably, thank goodness.

2/10/2007 6:39:34 PM