Letter #1 received 2-3-12

January 20, 2012
HEY SWEETS, I LONG FOR THE DAY WE RETURN TOGETHER. I HAVEN'T BEEN ALLOWED TO WRITE BUT I HAD TO START TONIGHT. I WOULD BECOME ABSENT MINDED AND FORGET A LOT IF I WOULDN'T START NOW. I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE MY HANDWRITING TO THIS "RECRUIT STYLE" ! ALTHOUGH I DON'T HAVE TO WRITE LIKE THIS TO YOU IT'S GREAT PRACTICE! AS YOU MAY HAVE RECEIVED, I SENT A LETTER HOME TO YOU. I HOPE YOU HAVE IT BY NOW. I FOUND OUT I GRADUATE MARCH 9TH. NOT THE BEST DATE FOR YOU I KNOW BUT THAT'S WHAT WE GOT.


I'LL START FROM THE BEGINNING. I WAS TAKEN TO DIA AFTER MEPS AND WAS MADE GROUP LEADER FOR TRAVEL. FOUR OF US TRAVELED TO RTC (RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND). I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CARRYING ALL THE INFORMATION AND LEADING US TO THE PLANE. MYSELF AND THREE OTHER FEMALES TRAVELED AND ONE GOT LOST ON THE WAY BUT WE LANDED JUST FINE. WE HAD A MEAL CHECK FOR $23 SO WE ATE AT THE MACARONI GRILL IN THE AIRPORT. WE ARRIVED LATE AND MY NERVES STARTED TO SET IN. AS I SAT ON THE FLOOR WITH 100'S OF OTHER RECRUITS I NEVER REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT SITTING "CRISS-CROSS APPLESAUCE" WAS. DAILY WE SIT LIKE THIS, ON THE FLOOR AND WITH MY HIPS IT'S UNBEARABLE! AT O'HARE I MUST HAVE SAT IN SILENCE FOR 2 HOURS WAITING FOR THE BUS. WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO! FINALLY I ARRIVE. JUST LIKE I IMAGINED. A LOT OF YELLING AND CUSSING. WE WENT THROUGH PAPER WORK, PHYSICALS AND BRIEFINGS ALL NIGHT. A LOT OF LINES. THE FIRST WEEK IS CALLED "P" WEEK. I HAVE 5 "P" DAYS. (I'M WRITING THIS NOW ON P-5).


I'M KINDA TIRED FROM THE LONG FIRST DAY. ALMOST 48 HOURS UP STRAIGHT. AS I'M SITTING IN A CLASSROOM-LIKE ENVIRONMENT AT A DESK WITH A GROUP OF OTHER MALE RECRUITS, I SEE ACROSS THE WAY A SECTION OF MEN BY THEMSELVES. (BY THE WAY I'M WAITING TO GET MY DITTY BAG (PT CLOTHES, UNDERWEAR, ETC.) NO UNIFORM YET) THESE GUYS ARE BEING HAND CHOSEN BY A PETTY OFFICER RESEMBLING A SHORT CHRIS ROCK! HE WALKS OVER TO OUR GROUP NOW SEEMING TO BE LOOKING FOR MORE. HE BEGINS TO ASK PEOPLE TO STAND UP FOR: ASVAB SCORE OVER 60 (MINE WAS 66), EXCELLENT SWIMMER (GOT THAT TOO), AND 12 MIN MILE AND HALF (I'M GONE). SO I SIT DOWN AND I'M PASSED OVER. DANG! NOT SURE WHATS THIS FOR BUT I WANTED IN. I GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND THIS TIME THOUGH HE IS WITH A CHIEF. THEY NEEDED 2 MORE GUYS. HE CALLED ME FAT A COUPLE TIMES, ASKED ME THE QUESTIONS AGAIN, THEN OUT OF NOWHERE HE ASKS MY AGE? "TURNING 27, CHIEF!" I SAID. "YOU'RE IN!" I'M IN? IN WHAT?? THIS STARTS MY JOURNEY IN DIV 917!


January 29, 2012
SO WE FORM UP AS A DIVISION AND BEGIN PROCESSING. EVERYTHING IS FAST PACED AND UNDER STRICT DIRECTION. FOR EXAMPLE, ONLY 5 PEOPLE CAN USE THE HEAD AT A TIME AND YOU HAVE TO TURN IN YOUR RECRUIT PEN TO THE MA (MASTER AT ARMS) BEFORE YOU CAN GO. THE HEAD IS THE BATHROOM.  YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE. YOU CAN NOT USE THE HEAD IN YOUR SWEATS. A LOT OF RULES WERE TAUGHT AND MANY ARE QUITE SILLY. AFTER OUR BRIEFING, I STILL HAVE NO CLUE WHAT DIV 917 IS ABOUT. SO WE GO TO MORE BRIEFS (MEETINGS ABOUT RULES AND SUCH) AND THEN TO DITTY BAG ISSUE. I GET THE NECESSARY UNIFORMS FOR P-WEEK (THE WEEK 1 IN-PROCESS). THINGS LIKE PT SHORTS, PT SHIRTS, SHOES, UNDERWEAR, SOCKS, ETC. NO UNIFORMS YET. I ARRIVED WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT I TECHNICALLY DIDN'T START P-WEEK TIL MONDAY WHICH SUCKS BECAUSE WE SAT AROUND A LOT. DURING THIS FIRST WEEK, WE CAN'T BE BEAT/P.T.'D/I.T.'D (DO ANY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BEING LESS THAN PERFECT). WE HAVE TO BE CLEARED BY MEDICAL TO BE FFD (FOR FOR FULL DUTY). SO ALL WEEK LONG  (REALLY 10 DAYS  INSTEAD OF 7) WE SAT AROUND IN A LOT OF LINES, ON THE FLOOR, ON BENCHES, IN HEIGHT LINES.  REALLY BORING AND HORRIBLE ON YOUR BACK AND BODY.  WE ALSO MOVED INTO OUR TEMP. COMPARTMENT (OUR DORMS) THE U.S.S. PEARL. WE STARTED WITH 88 MEN. WE ALSO LEARNED TO HYGIENE (OUR SHOWER TIME WE GET ONCE A DAY). WE HAVE 88 MEN TO USE 10 SHOWER HEADS ALL WHILE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC RULES AND HAVING THE HEAD SPOTLESS AFTER. IT'S PRETTY MUCH NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. 


DURING THE FIRST WEEK, I WENT THROUGH A PHYSICAL AGAIN, DENTAL EXAM, SHOTS, EYE EXAM, AND HEARING TEST. GOOD NEWS, NO CAVITIES! I DID HOWEVER HAVE A FILLING REPLACE THAT WAS FALLING OUT. WE RECEIVED OUR FIRST SET OF SHOTS ABOUT 5 DAYS AFTER ARRIVING. WE STOOD IN A LINE AND (DEPENDING ON YOUR BLOOD WORK) GOT A SERIES OF SHOTS WALKING DOWN A LINE. I RECEIVED 5. THE LAST SHOT WAS THE WORST. THEY CALL IT A "PEANUT BUTTER" SHOT. ALL OF THE MEDS IN ONE SHOT IN YOUR LEFT BUTT CHEEK. I HURT FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS. I ALSO GOT THE FLU SHOT. I HAVE ALSO BEEN SICK FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS. CONGESTED, COUGH, FEVER, AND SORE THROAT. I WENT TO MEDICAL ON DAY 6 AND GOT SOME SUDAFED, COUGH DROPS, AND TYLENOL. AS OF TODAY, I AM FINALLY RECOVERING. WE FINALLY RECEIVED OUR UNIFORMS (NWU'S - THE BLUE DIGITALS) AT THE END OF P WEEK.


WE MOVED AT THE END OF P WEEK TO OUR ACTUAL SHIP, THE REUBEN JAMES SPECIAL UNITS DIVISION. AT THIS TIME, I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY I'M SPECIAL. THE COMPARTMENT IS MUCH LARGER AND WE ARE AT 82 NOW. EVERYTHING ABOUT NAVY LIFE IS ABOUT BEING FAST AND ABOUT DETAIL. BOTH HARD TO DO AT THE SAME TIME. THERE ARE 5 OF US MARRIED, 6 WITH KIDS, 5 OVER THE AGE OF 26. FOR US IN THIS CATEGORY, THINGS ARE EASY. BUT WE ARE A TEAM AND WHEN ONE OF THE YOUNG ONES SCREWS UP, WE ALL ARE PUNISHED.  THIS SUCKS BUT WHAT DO YOU DO. WE ALSO HAVE A LARGE HEAD SO IT'S EASIER TO HYGIENE BUT MORE TO CLEAN. 


OUR WEEKS/DAYS ARE NUMBERED AS SUCH: WEEK 1 MONDAY = 1-1, TUESDAY = 1-2. I'LL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE THIS WAY FROM NOW ON. WEEK 1 CONSISTED OF OUR INITIAL PFA (PERSONAL FITNESS ASSESSMENT). I FAILED. :( ! I DID 50 CURL UPS, 38 PUSH UPS AND MY MILE AND A HALF WAS 15:30. SO I ONLY FAILED MY MILE AND A HALF. I FELT HORRIBLE (FROM BEING SICK). I HAVE TWO MORE CHANCES, ONLY THE LAST PFA COUNTS. I NEED TO BE AT 14:00 MINUTES. I BELIEVE I'LL PASS #2. 


WE DID MORE PT THIS WEEK WHICH I LIKE. I AM ALSO IN THE DIVISION EPO (EDUCATIONAL PETTY OFFICER). I CAN'T SEEM TO GET AWAY FROM TEACHING. KINDA COOL, KINDA SUX. IF WE EVER HAVE FREE TIME MY RDC'S MAKE ME TEACHER. NOT A LOT TO TEACH AND I CAN'T TEACH WHAT I WANT. BOOT CAMP HAS MORE DOWN TIME THEN I THOUGHT AND I DON'T LIKE IT. OTHER THEN THAT, IT'S BEEN MARCHING AND CLASSES ALL WEEK.


THERE IS SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT BUT REALLY ALL I WANT IS TO BE WITH YOU. I MISS YOU HORRIBLY. I BOUGHT YOUR CHAPSTICK TO REMEMBER YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND MY BED IS TOO SMALL. I DON'T FEEL IT'S GETTING EASIER. I CAN'T WAIT TILL 7-5 AND GRADUATION. LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL.      


ANDREW



NUGGETS (THINGS TO REMEMBER):

• GRADUATION MARCH 9 
• I FOUND OUT DIV 917 IS A STAFFING DIV. WE MARCH AND PERFORM AT MULTIPLE GRADUATIONS INCLUDING OUR OWN. THIS MEANS I MAY NOT MARCH ON BUT BE SOMEWHERE ELSE WHICH I HATE. I WONT FIND OUT TILL WEEK 2. I WILL KEEP YOU UP TO DATE.
• AROUND WEEK 5 I FIND OUT MY A-SCHOOL AND LIBERTY SCHEDULE (WHETHER I'M GRAD-N-GO OR I WILL SPEND TIME WITH YOU ON GRADUATION)
• MAIL
• I RECEIVED MAIL ABOUT DAILY (DEPENDS ON OUR BEHAVIOR)
• I LOVE MAIL AND CRY A LOT.
• I CAN ONLY WRITE ON SUNDAY AND SEND MAIL THEN AS WELL. SO I CAN'T SEND VERY OFTEN. SORRY.
• PHONE CALLS
• I GET THEM!!
• I CAN LOSE THEM ii (upside down ex. marks!!)
• SOMETIMES 10 MINUTES, SOMETIMES 30
• FOOD
• IT'S AWESOME!
• NOT LOSING A LOT OF WEIGHT BECAUSE OF IT.
• PRAYER
• KEEP SICKNESS AWAY
• PROTECT MY BODY AND JOINTS
• PROTECT MY WIFE
• MENTALLY FILL US WITH THOUGHTS OF EACH OTHER
• PATIENCE FOR ALL THE YOUNG KIDS HERE