Hello Everyone,
I figured since I can't train for a month I would give you another update about my stress fractures and the potential course of action. As of right now, I am scheduled to remain at Ft. Benning until my stress fractures are gone. According to the Chief of the Physical Therapy Program (LT. Colonel) it could range from 1 to 3 months. I could handle 1 month I think. It would suck....but I could manage. If we start getting into month 2 or 3.... it's safe to say I would be miserable.
You cannot rehab/physical therapy stress fractures. Like a bad hangover, only time will heal. So, I was told that in order to be sent to a physical Therapy program, I would have to complete Convalescent leave. Con. leave, would allow me to come home for 30 days to rehab on my own. After 30 days, I would go back, get re-evaluated and then either restarted to week 4 or 5 or go to a physical Therapy company until I'm completely healed.
The problem is this however.....
You know there are rules in place to prevent injury, electrocution, fire, death, etc? And yo always wonder why the rule is so stupid/simple. Well, it's because people are dumber that the rock. You shouldn't have to tell someone not to tie a rope around their neck, yet people still do and some people die. Common sense ladies and gentlemen, common sense..... Well, receiving Con. leave is a Hail Mary....Doug Flutie.....He did it! Flutie Did it! type of moment. My company assigned 5 people to con. leave last cycle, and all 5 came back and quit! So what's the solution? No more con. leave. Thanks JERK!
So basically, I need a miracle. I need my DS's to agree that I would benefit from con. leave and not come back and quit. Once they agree, they must get the First Sargent to agree with them. Once he agrees, then the Captain must agree and sign off for it. Hoo-Ray...........
Obviously, I'm worried about the possibility of being stuck here for potentially 3 months doing absolutely nothing. So Hughes and I go and talk to DS "B". While he made no guarantees whatsoever, he did calm me down a little. He said it's definitely a topic of conversation, and will be considered. He also said he has no problem supporting either of us if he needed to. Hughes and I are in literally the exact same position, at the exact same time, with the almost exact same thing. His stress fractures are only in 1 knee.
So where does this leave me? Let the waiting game begin! The only thing I really have in my favor is my degree and age. Hopefully the fact that I'll be 24 next week will help with a positive outcome for me. And hopefully it works out for Hughes as well.
That's pretty much all I have for now. Obviously I will keep you all updated on any decisions. My chances are low, but "you're sayin there's a chance" and I'll take it.
Until Next time,
SPC Martin
PS - Up to 48 letters!!!! Didn't get one tonight though and it ended my streak.
:( (mom added the face)
Note from Mom: Did you notice - He hasn't signed his last 2 letters Embrace the Suck -
Please write to him - I know he is really counting on you all to help him through this - how ever it turns out - if he stays or gets to come home to rehab.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
RESULTS................Tues. July 27th
Hey Everybody,
Well, as the header explains, I got my results today. How you may ask if I was supposed to be throwing grenades? Well, about 30 seconds before we left, I was told to stay back and not train. GREAT! So at this point, I'm in limbo. I didn't go to sick call for my results because I was supposed to train, and now I'm not training, and no way to go to sick call.....
The was the case until I found out that a kid who had eye surgery a couple weeks ago had an appointment today. He needed a battle buddy and I luckily was picked to stay with him. So we head to the clinic and I take this opportunity to take care of my business. Smart right???
About 4 hours later(1200) I finally get seen. I sit down in the chair and the physician Assistant pulls up my results.
"Swelling....blah....blah......Signs of stress fractures in both medial tibia's"
So, I have stress fractures in both my knees, which was causing the pain in my leg. FML
So the PA puts me on a 30 day No Training profile. I can't do anything physical with my legs until August 26th which at that point, I will be restarted if the days work in my favor. It is also 2 days before family day, and I have no idea what would happen then.
There is a 1% chance of me receiving convalescent leave which would allow me to come home for 30 days and rehab at home. Basically a miracle needs to happen in order for that to take place. The company hates convalescent leave because soldiers have come back and then quit. Thanks Assholes!
Most likely, I will end up hanging around the bay all day.......everyday.....for 30 days while everyone else is training. I'll be stuck w/the guys who want to quit, who want to leave. All I know is that I"M NOT QUITING! I've already devoted too much time and effort to let this shit keep me from finishing. I'll do whatever I have to for that Blue Chord. and Cross Rifles.
So I'm gonna do my best to stay motivated! And I'm counting on you all to help me!!
I wish I had better news......
SPC Martin
PS Looks like I'm going to miss MLB playoffs and a good portion of the Football season
PPS - Finally got Katie's letter....somehow it got mis-sent but I got Brianna's pictures and she's still the cutest niece in the world!!!
Well, as the header explains, I got my results today. How you may ask if I was supposed to be throwing grenades? Well, about 30 seconds before we left, I was told to stay back and not train. GREAT! So at this point, I'm in limbo. I didn't go to sick call for my results because I was supposed to train, and now I'm not training, and no way to go to sick call.....
The was the case until I found out that a kid who had eye surgery a couple weeks ago had an appointment today. He needed a battle buddy and I luckily was picked to stay with him. So we head to the clinic and I take this opportunity to take care of my business. Smart right???
About 4 hours later(1200) I finally get seen. I sit down in the chair and the physician Assistant pulls up my results.
"Swelling....blah....blah......Signs of stress fractures in both medial tibia's"
So, I have stress fractures in both my knees, which was causing the pain in my leg. FML
So the PA puts me on a 30 day No Training profile. I can't do anything physical with my legs until August 26th which at that point, I will be restarted if the days work in my favor. It is also 2 days before family day, and I have no idea what would happen then.
There is a 1% chance of me receiving convalescent leave which would allow me to come home for 30 days and rehab at home. Basically a miracle needs to happen in order for that to take place. The company hates convalescent leave because soldiers have come back and then quit. Thanks Assholes!
Most likely, I will end up hanging around the bay all day.......everyday.....for 30 days while everyone else is training. I'll be stuck w/the guys who want to quit, who want to leave. All I know is that I"M NOT QUITING! I've already devoted too much time and effort to let this shit keep me from finishing. I'll do whatever I have to for that Blue Chord. and Cross Rifles.
So I'm gonna do my best to stay motivated! And I'm counting on you all to help me!!
I wish I had better news......
SPC Martin
PS Looks like I'm going to miss MLB playoffs and a good portion of the Football season
PPS - Finally got Katie's letter....somehow it got mis-sent but I got Brianna's pictures and she's still the cutest niece in the world!!!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Bone Scan and Crap
Mon. July 26th
Hello my Faithful Followers! You are all my sheep! HAHA!!!
So I will get straight to the point. To start out, I had my Bone Scan today and it went well, in the sense that I was able to get it done a day early. Other that that, I don't officially know what my prognosis is. If I honestly had to guess.....I don't think it's looking good for me. In my scan, I noticed these "white blobs" ( approx. 3 or 4) in areas of my leg where I know there could be issues. From what I've heard from people who have had the scan, the radiologist's look for these "blob" as a sign of stress fractures.
I go back Wednesday to get my official results. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I will be restarted because of stress fractures. So how has that affected my mood???? Well......I'm PISSED!!!! Honestly, today brought me down a lot. I want to be able to graduate with my platoon, but it appears as if God has a different plan for me right now.
The thing that really sucks about all of this is that if I do have fractures I'm shut down for 30 days. So I would spend a month here NOT training! My company would move forward, and I'm left behind to rehab....which also means that at the earliest, I would graduate in early November....
While all the speculation I have been doing has me down a little, I have also been trying to spin it in a brighter light. This is what I have....
1) Another months pay not spent
2) A chance to improve my push ups and sit ups to 100
3) Opportunity to learn more about perseverance, determination
4) God has a plan that I don't understand, and eventually I will
5) I signed up for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I've graduated, no matter how long it takes.
6) Maybe I'll leave a greater impact at a new platoon/company.
So I'm working with that right now. It's just that I'm expecting/preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. When I get the official results, you all will definitely know what's going to happen. As of right now, I would say family day may be in jeopardy, but I probably won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest.
On a brighter note, tomorrow we are throwing grenades! I'm really excited for that for 2 reasons. One, it's a F****** GRENADE!!! and Two, it's a point in training that keeps me from repeating the previous week! So, if I get restarted, I shouldn't go back at all. I should pick training back up in this week when I'm healthy.
Other than that, just keep praying that I'm Okay!
This Time "REALLY EMBRACE THE SUCK"
SPC Martin
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!
Hello my Faithful Followers! You are all my sheep! HAHA!!!
So I will get straight to the point. To start out, I had my Bone Scan today and it went well, in the sense that I was able to get it done a day early. Other that that, I don't officially know what my prognosis is. If I honestly had to guess.....I don't think it's looking good for me. In my scan, I noticed these "white blobs" ( approx. 3 or 4) in areas of my leg where I know there could be issues. From what I've heard from people who have had the scan, the radiologist's look for these "blob" as a sign of stress fractures.
I go back Wednesday to get my official results. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I will be restarted because of stress fractures. So how has that affected my mood???? Well......I'm PISSED!!!! Honestly, today brought me down a lot. I want to be able to graduate with my platoon, but it appears as if God has a different plan for me right now.
The thing that really sucks about all of this is that if I do have fractures I'm shut down for 30 days. So I would spend a month here NOT training! My company would move forward, and I'm left behind to rehab....which also means that at the earliest, I would graduate in early November....
While all the speculation I have been doing has me down a little, I have also been trying to spin it in a brighter light. This is what I have....
1) Another months pay not spent
2) A chance to improve my push ups and sit ups to 100
3) Opportunity to learn more about perseverance, determination
4) God has a plan that I don't understand, and eventually I will
5) I signed up for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I've graduated, no matter how long it takes.
6) Maybe I'll leave a greater impact at a new platoon/company.
So I'm working with that right now. It's just that I'm expecting/preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. When I get the official results, you all will definitely know what's going to happen. As of right now, I would say family day may be in jeopardy, but I probably won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest.
On a brighter note, tomorrow we are throwing grenades! I'm really excited for that for 2 reasons. One, it's a F****** GRENADE!!! and Two, it's a point in training that keeps me from repeating the previous week! So, if I get restarted, I shouldn't go back at all. I should pick training back up in this week when I'm healthy.
Other than that, just keep praying that I'm Okay!
This Time "REALLY EMBRACE THE SUCK"
SPC Martin
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLIE!!!!!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Hey Everybody!
Currently, the leg is behaving, lets hope it stays this way until Tuesday. I'm able to rest it all day for the most part since I am on a no running profile. I still have a dull throbbing in my right leg which is what has me concerned. Either way, whats done is done, and I'll find out soon enough I guess.
On a brighter note, today we went to the Firing Range! We worked with both the iron sights and the Red Dot Optic Sight. Overall, my grouping (How close 5 shots are to each other) was very good. It seems I may be a natural shot, but a lot still needs to be accomplished, and I still have A LOT of rounds left to fire. It was fun to finally get out with my platoon and get some training in after spending Monday and Tuesday at sick call. Basically for the next 2 weeks I will eat, sleep, drink with my rifle. EVERYTHING revolves around our M-4 from here on out and I'm really looking forward to it assuming everything goes according to plan.
Other than that, not much has really changed. I will say though, that yes MOM, that is Me in that picture. 227 is my battle buddy. He's 17 and from Sacramento. The good thing is that he's more mature than a good number of the other guys in my platoon. By this I mean.....the 22 yr. old guy who is a pathological liar! Seriously, he lies about EVERYTHING! He just doesn't know when to stop. Supposedly he has 3 girl friends, and told one of them in a letter that he is currently in a hospital in Afghanistan after an IED exploded and he was hit by shrapnel... Well, you can imagine DS "W"'s reaction when he saw this letter......He read the letter out loud to all of us and pointed out all the bull shit. I was actually surprised at how in control DS was considering he's been there and has seen his buddies die. It was pathetic at best. The kid now constantly gets ragged on for his "Afgan Tour" by every company. We have what's called "PNN". Also know as the Private News Network. The PNN is how we disseminate information among other platoons and companies. Let me tell you, word spreads FAST!
The next morning, my entire company knew. 3 days later, the companies down the hill (much further ahead than us) knew. Needless to say, he can't go anywhere without someone saying something involving that story. It's hilarious! Anyway, that kid is being discharged much to the satisfaction of all the DS's he has pissed off/lied to over the past 4 weeks, OH, and the fact that he is a restart, oh and tried to forge his PT test.... One more jerk/ass---- out!
Mom, I did order pictures. I did the DVD and like the $30 - 40 bundle that has I think 2 8X10, wallets and something else. Feel free to order more if you want. Maybe the class yearbook.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
1.) received a letter from Heather in Belize. If you haven't sent me one yet, you are in trouble......
2.) Grandma, every letter makes me want pie.
3.) NL WINS!!!! Suck-it Joe
4.) Breakfast has become my favorite meal
5.) Mom, be prepared for French toast
6.) Granny Smith Apples make my day
7.) PNN is how the MJ story started (note from Mom: that's when Matt said the word out was Michael Jordon was killed in an auto accident)
8.) RIP Steinbrener...... I still despise the Yankees
9.) Id love to sit on a patio and drink a beer
10.) You know you're in the Army when....You're told to "F--K Off" for doing exactly what you were told to do......
Love you All,
"Embrace the Suck"
SPC Martin
Currently, the leg is behaving, lets hope it stays this way until Tuesday. I'm able to rest it all day for the most part since I am on a no running profile. I still have a dull throbbing in my right leg which is what has me concerned. Either way, whats done is done, and I'll find out soon enough I guess.
On a brighter note, today we went to the Firing Range! We worked with both the iron sights and the Red Dot Optic Sight. Overall, my grouping (How close 5 shots are to each other) was very good. It seems I may be a natural shot, but a lot still needs to be accomplished, and I still have A LOT of rounds left to fire. It was fun to finally get out with my platoon and get some training in after spending Monday and Tuesday at sick call. Basically for the next 2 weeks I will eat, sleep, drink with my rifle. EVERYTHING revolves around our M-4 from here on out and I'm really looking forward to it assuming everything goes according to plan.
Other than that, not much has really changed. I will say though, that yes MOM, that is Me in that picture. 227 is my battle buddy. He's 17 and from Sacramento. The good thing is that he's more mature than a good number of the other guys in my platoon. By this I mean.....the 22 yr. old guy who is a pathological liar! Seriously, he lies about EVERYTHING! He just doesn't know when to stop. Supposedly he has 3 girl friends, and told one of them in a letter that he is currently in a hospital in Afghanistan after an IED exploded and he was hit by shrapnel... Well, you can imagine DS "W"'s reaction when he saw this letter......He read the letter out loud to all of us and pointed out all the bull shit. I was actually surprised at how in control DS was considering he's been there and has seen his buddies die. It was pathetic at best. The kid now constantly gets ragged on for his "Afgan Tour" by every company. We have what's called "PNN". Also know as the Private News Network. The PNN is how we disseminate information among other platoons and companies. Let me tell you, word spreads FAST!
The next morning, my entire company knew. 3 days later, the companies down the hill (much further ahead than us) knew. Needless to say, he can't go anywhere without someone saying something involving that story. It's hilarious! Anyway, that kid is being discharged much to the satisfaction of all the DS's he has pissed off/lied to over the past 4 weeks, OH, and the fact that he is a restart, oh and tried to forge his PT test.... One more jerk/ass---- out!
Mom, I did order pictures. I did the DVD and like the $30 - 40 bundle that has I think 2 8X10, wallets and something else. Feel free to order more if you want. Maybe the class yearbook.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
1.) received a letter from Heather in Belize. If you haven't sent me one yet, you are in trouble......
2.) Grandma, every letter makes me want pie.
3.) NL WINS!!!! Suck-it Joe
4.) Breakfast has become my favorite meal
5.) Mom, be prepared for French toast
6.) Granny Smith Apples make my day
7.) PNN is how the MJ story started (note from Mom: that's when Matt said the word out was Michael Jordon was killed in an auto accident)
8.) RIP Steinbrener...... I still despise the Yankees
9.) Id love to sit on a patio and drink a beer
10.) You know you're in the Army when....You're told to "F--K Off" for doing exactly what you were told to do......
Love you All,
"Embrace the Suck"
SPC Martin
MATT CALLED ........Sunday evening 7/25/10
Hi everyone,
We received a call from Matt Sunday night, we kept getting disconnected, low battery and then the DS told them to hang up - apparently one of the soldiers was not following orders and once that was cleared up - they were able to continue their phone calls for 10 more minutes.
Matt said the swelling in his legs has gone down some - not all the way. When we asked him if he was in pain, he said it would say it was between a 1 and a 2.
He did get to go to the firing range last week. Matt said he was about 90% accurate with his firing. Having never really fired guns in the past - we are thinking that this is a good start - he wants 100%. We will see.
He was going to try and get his MRI done today, Monday, because on Tuesday they are going to be working with grenades and his DS told him he didn't want to miss that. He is hoping that if he has the MRI he will know something by Wednesday.
His options are - if he does have stress fractures - he could be sent home to STL to recoup for 30 days and then report back for evaluation and if everything is OK - he can start up with the next group when they start week 5 of training.
He said Bravo Co. doesn't usually do this, they would keep him on base and find work for him to do while he recoups.
There is still the possibility that he could receive a Medical Discharge depending upon what the MRI says. Hopefully everything is OK and his completion of Basic Training is just delayed by a month or so. You just never know.
Matt said that when he went to sick call last week, he thought they would just give him some ice to put on it. Not the case here. The fact they they are willing to spend the $ on an MRI for his legs and not just send him home or make him keep training at full speed is a good sign. Apparently they do not give out aspirin, ibuprofen, they just have to work through sore muscles, strains, etc.
Matt is concerned, but sounded good.
Please continue to keep him in your prays.
Thanks everyone,
Diana (mom)
We received a call from Matt Sunday night, we kept getting disconnected, low battery and then the DS told them to hang up - apparently one of the soldiers was not following orders and once that was cleared up - they were able to continue their phone calls for 10 more minutes.
Matt said the swelling in his legs has gone down some - not all the way. When we asked him if he was in pain, he said it would say it was between a 1 and a 2.
He did get to go to the firing range last week. Matt said he was about 90% accurate with his firing. Having never really fired guns in the past - we are thinking that this is a good start - he wants 100%. We will see.
He was going to try and get his MRI done today, Monday, because on Tuesday they are going to be working with grenades and his DS told him he didn't want to miss that. He is hoping that if he has the MRI he will know something by Wednesday.
His options are - if he does have stress fractures - he could be sent home to STL to recoup for 30 days and then report back for evaluation and if everything is OK - he can start up with the next group when they start week 5 of training.
He said Bravo Co. doesn't usually do this, they would keep him on base and find work for him to do while he recoups.
There is still the possibility that he could receive a Medical Discharge depending upon what the MRI says. Hopefully everything is OK and his completion of Basic Training is just delayed by a month or so. You just never know.
Matt said that when he went to sick call last week, he thought they would just give him some ice to put on it. Not the case here. The fact they they are willing to spend the $ on an MRI for his legs and not just send him home or make him keep training at full speed is a good sign. Apparently they do not give out aspirin, ibuprofen, they just have to work through sore muscles, strains, etc.
Matt is concerned, but sounded good.
Please continue to keep him in your prays.
Thanks everyone,
Diana (mom)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Sick Call ...... Tuesday, July 20th
Hey Everybody,
By now, I'm sure Mom posted something about talking to me on the phone Sunday night. It was very, very nice to be able to talk to Mom and Dad and catch up for a little bit. During that call, I had mentioned that I was going to go to sick call because my shins were swelling and you could push them down and leave an indentation......I'm no doctor, but I know that's not normal. This had been going on for a week and so I decided to miss a day and go to the doctor.
This may have been a mistake, I'm not sure exactly..... Since it was my shins, they took X-rays of them. While looking at them, there were no obvious problems, however the physician's assistant did not like how my Tibia's (yes, both of them looked in the X-ray. So now they are checking for stress fractures.... I have a bone scan on July 27th which will determine if I have any fractures in my legs.
If I do have stress fractures, I will automatically be a "dead man" (can't do anything) for 1 month and be restarted with another company. Or, I could be medically discharged and try again in 6 months (I think) If I was restarted, I would start at my last point of training, so I would have to wait for a company that is in week 5.
Basically, what I thought would be a minor deal, now has the potential to kick me in the face and throw me completely off track. Part of me is freaking out, because I don't want to have to stop. And the other part of me is trying to figure out the next step.
Currently, they put me on a week long profile to see if it improves. I'm not allowed to run/jump/ruck march, which HOPEFULLY will help with swelling and recovery.
Either way, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY, that I don not have stress fractures!!! I'll do my best to keep you updated on what happens from here on out.
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
Mom/Dad
-Don't worry, whatever happens, I know I'll be able to make it through.
Love you both,
Matt
By now, I'm sure Mom posted something about talking to me on the phone Sunday night. It was very, very nice to be able to talk to Mom and Dad and catch up for a little bit. During that call, I had mentioned that I was going to go to sick call because my shins were swelling and you could push them down and leave an indentation......I'm no doctor, but I know that's not normal. This had been going on for a week and so I decided to miss a day and go to the doctor.
This may have been a mistake, I'm not sure exactly..... Since it was my shins, they took X-rays of them. While looking at them, there were no obvious problems, however the physician's assistant did not like how my Tibia's (yes, both of them looked in the X-ray. So now they are checking for stress fractures.... I have a bone scan on July 27th which will determine if I have any fractures in my legs.
If I do have stress fractures, I will automatically be a "dead man" (can't do anything) for 1 month and be restarted with another company. Or, I could be medically discharged and try again in 6 months (I think) If I was restarted, I would start at my last point of training, so I would have to wait for a company that is in week 5.
Basically, what I thought would be a minor deal, now has the potential to kick me in the face and throw me completely off track. Part of me is freaking out, because I don't want to have to stop. And the other part of me is trying to figure out the next step.
Currently, they put me on a week long profile to see if it improves. I'm not allowed to run/jump/ruck march, which HOPEFULLY will help with swelling and recovery.
Either way, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY, that I don not have stress fractures!!! I'll do my best to keep you updated on what happens from here on out.
Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin
Mom/Dad
-Don't worry, whatever happens, I know I'll be able to make it through.
Love you both,
Matt
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Note from Mom - Matt's Birthday
Hi everyone.
August 5th is Matt's birthday. Just wanted to let everyone know. Please send him cards - NO TALKING/SINGING CARDS - also NO food, candy, cookies etc. you will get him and his whole platoon SMOKED - This is not fun.
Regular cards are fine - It takes about 7-10 days for him to get a letter when I mail it so plan accordingly - it would be nice if he got a whole bunch of cards for his birthday since he won't get to celebrate at all. Mail now, tell him to open on Aug. 5th.
Thanks everyone for all your letters - these are really appreciated by Matt.
Diana
August 5th is Matt's birthday. Just wanted to let everyone know. Please send him cards - NO TALKING/SINGING CARDS - also NO food, candy, cookies etc. you will get him and his whole platoon SMOKED - This is not fun.
Regular cards are fine - It takes about 7-10 days for him to get a letter when I mail it so plan accordingly - it would be nice if he got a whole bunch of cards for his birthday since he won't get to celebrate at all. Mail now, tell him to open on Aug. 5th.
Thanks everyone for all your letters - these are really appreciated by Matt.
Diana
Monday, July 19, 2010
Red to White??? --- Friday, July 16th
Hello Everybody!
I'm writing this letter on my own personal free time before lights out for the first time since I came to Ft. Benning! So that means good news-- We made it to White Phase! We are already enjoying the privileges. Tonight at Chow, we were given 12 tables to sit at and eat without the DS's telling us when to get up. To give you an idea at how big this is, when we first started weeks ago, we were only allowed to sit at 4 tables. As mentioned above, we have finally received 1 hour of personal time, so currently I'm doing laundry and writing this letter.
This week has flown by! I can't believe Friday is almost over. As my earlier letters said, we focused on Land Navigation this week. However, me and my team sucked hard core last night on the actual test part. We didn't pass either event.... During the day, we plotted our points wrong on the map,and at night we screwed up our first point. Either way, I'll probably have a counseling session on it, an that should be it, but we'll see.
Today was really relaxed. We got back around 00:00 last night so we got to sleep until 06:00, which meant no PT this morning, which is good for my blisters. After chow, we started cleaning our lockers and bay for our first inspection by the First Sergent. We made it through pretty clean, only a few minor things that need to get cleared up among the platoon. We also received our Red Phase Counseling which included peer reviews. We review the people in our squad. There are 14 people in each squad, so we have 4 squads. The peer evals. rank each member of the squad and has room for comments. 1 is the best and 13 is the worst (you do not rank yourself). Overall, I had about 3 or 4 - 1's, same with 2's a couple 5's and one 8. I guess I pissed that person off or something..... I don't know..... Either way, DS "B" looks at me as a leader within my platoon as well as a few other guys. I'll take what he sees in me more seriously than a peer review. Since DS "B" thinks I'm squared away, he picked me and 4 others from my platoon to go and meet with the Battalion Commander who is a Lieutenant Colonel. So my group and the other groups from the other platoons sat down and talked with him about Red Phase. What was good/bad/could be improved, etc. That was about an hour long meeting, and I feel like we were able to accomplish a lot (maybe not for our company), but for future one's at least.
So from all this today, I learned that I'm doing just fine, but there is still room for improvement (there always is). DS "B" is looking for me and a few others to really step up and lead, which I have been doing, but I know where I can get better, now. I have to set the standard and follow it day in and day out no matter what bullshit happens. The good new is this though....almost all the guys causing problems are leaving this next week! They are either being restarted, ( redoing red phase) or discharged. This will definitely help out my platoon.
I have been receiving letters almost everyday! The exception has been when we were out late in the field doing Land Nav. Today I received 7 letters and it was AMAZING!!!!! You all have been doing such a great job keeping me updated on the Cardinals, Fantasy (Oz), News, etc. Your are keeping me sane, especially Aunt Molly! (I show these to everyone!) So with all the mail I have been receiving, I figure now would be a good time to answer questions and commentary in no specific order.
1.) I am in 2ND Platoon
2.) I have lost 4 pounds & weigh 195 lbs. My stomach is much tighter. I feel like I've lost about 15 lbs., but have also gained a lot of muscle.
3.) The only women I see, are the one's who serve me chow......
4.) LeBron to Miami!! Not surprised really, but it will be interesting to say the least.
5.) Cardinals.........STEP IT UP!!!
6.) Lindsay, keep kicking 13 yr old ass, HAHA!!!
7.) There is hot, humid, hot and humid, and then Ft. Benning!
8.) Next week we start firing our M-4's.
9.) Good to hear the kitchen is ALMOST DONE!
10.) Allie, you are drafting my Fantasy Football team. You and Oz need to talk.
11.) August 28Th will be AMAZING!!!
12.) Anything can be made into a sandwich
13.) There are thousands of soldiers training here each day. This is a very active base.
14.) I placed 8/9 out of 56 on the APFT test this past Monday.
Oh, and before I forget.... I have a cool story to tell, which really made me think and reflect on some things. Here it is.....
So tonight we had a motivational speaker come and talk to us about teamwork. The guy is part of a NASCAR Crew and (I think his name was Ken) works in the pit. What he had to say, is not what was important tonight. What was important was his 9 year old son. Me and another guy from my platoon were helping this guy set up everything before his speech. One of the other men there was kind of his wing man and was also helping set up. During a little break in the setting up, the wing man started talking about Ken's son and how he has always wanted to meet a Soldier because he thought they were AWESOME (which we are). So over comes the little 9 year old and we get introduced as Soldiers to him. The kid's eyes just open wide and his mouth drops to say,
"Oh, man! That's SO COOL!!!!! It was awesome to see how excited he was, and it also made me think a little bit more about the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we're kids, we still have that innocence where everything and anything can be cool. (Seriously, Rat Tails used to be cool).....Anyway, when you're growing up, there are always certain things that you are drawn to. Like me, I always was fascinated by Sirens, and police cars, and baseball. As you get older, it seems like these interests/fascinations fade a little as you begin to accept more of the reality of the situation and not the fantasy of it. But this kid helped me find that fantasy part again. He helped me find/realize why things seem so cool as a kid. I don't think we should ever forget why we are drawn to certain things. If anything, we always need to remember why they were important in the first place. Never lose sight of why things are "cool". Sometimes I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a 9 year old. The world would be a better place!
"And that's all I have to say about that"
SPC Martin
PS - Happy Birthday MOM!
PPS - Happy Birthday Ben!
I'm writing this letter on my own personal free time before lights out for the first time since I came to Ft. Benning! So that means good news-- We made it to White Phase! We are already enjoying the privileges. Tonight at Chow, we were given 12 tables to sit at and eat without the DS's telling us when to get up. To give you an idea at how big this is, when we first started weeks ago, we were only allowed to sit at 4 tables. As mentioned above, we have finally received 1 hour of personal time, so currently I'm doing laundry and writing this letter.
This week has flown by! I can't believe Friday is almost over. As my earlier letters said, we focused on Land Navigation this week. However, me and my team sucked hard core last night on the actual test part. We didn't pass either event.... During the day, we plotted our points wrong on the map,and at night we screwed up our first point. Either way, I'll probably have a counseling session on it, an that should be it, but we'll see.
Today was really relaxed. We got back around 00:00 last night so we got to sleep until 06:00, which meant no PT this morning, which is good for my blisters. After chow, we started cleaning our lockers and bay for our first inspection by the First Sergent. We made it through pretty clean, only a few minor things that need to get cleared up among the platoon. We also received our Red Phase Counseling which included peer reviews. We review the people in our squad. There are 14 people in each squad, so we have 4 squads. The peer evals. rank each member of the squad and has room for comments. 1 is the best and 13 is the worst (you do not rank yourself). Overall, I had about 3 or 4 - 1's, same with 2's a couple 5's and one 8. I guess I pissed that person off or something..... I don't know..... Either way, DS "B" looks at me as a leader within my platoon as well as a few other guys. I'll take what he sees in me more seriously than a peer review. Since DS "B" thinks I'm squared away, he picked me and 4 others from my platoon to go and meet with the Battalion Commander who is a Lieutenant Colonel. So my group and the other groups from the other platoons sat down and talked with him about Red Phase. What was good/bad/could be improved, etc. That was about an hour long meeting, and I feel like we were able to accomplish a lot (maybe not for our company), but for future one's at least.
So from all this today, I learned that I'm doing just fine, but there is still room for improvement (there always is). DS "B" is looking for me and a few others to really step up and lead, which I have been doing, but I know where I can get better, now. I have to set the standard and follow it day in and day out no matter what bullshit happens. The good new is this though....almost all the guys causing problems are leaving this next week! They are either being restarted, ( redoing red phase) or discharged. This will definitely help out my platoon.
I have been receiving letters almost everyday! The exception has been when we were out late in the field doing Land Nav. Today I received 7 letters and it was AMAZING!!!!! You all have been doing such a great job keeping me updated on the Cardinals, Fantasy (Oz), News, etc. Your are keeping me sane, especially Aunt Molly! (I show these to everyone!) So with all the mail I have been receiving, I figure now would be a good time to answer questions and commentary in no specific order.
1.) I am in 2ND Platoon
2.) I have lost 4 pounds & weigh 195 lbs. My stomach is much tighter. I feel like I've lost about 15 lbs., but have also gained a lot of muscle.
3.) The only women I see, are the one's who serve me chow......
4.) LeBron to Miami!! Not surprised really, but it will be interesting to say the least.
5.) Cardinals.........STEP IT UP!!!
6.) Lindsay, keep kicking 13 yr old ass, HAHA!!!
7.) There is hot, humid, hot and humid, and then Ft. Benning!
8.) Next week we start firing our M-4's.
9.) Good to hear the kitchen is ALMOST DONE!
10.) Allie, you are drafting my Fantasy Football team. You and Oz need to talk.
11.) August 28Th will be AMAZING!!!
12.) Anything can be made into a sandwich
13.) There are thousands of soldiers training here each day. This is a very active base.
14.) I placed 8/9 out of 56 on the APFT test this past Monday.
Oh, and before I forget.... I have a cool story to tell, which really made me think and reflect on some things. Here it is.....
So tonight we had a motivational speaker come and talk to us about teamwork. The guy is part of a NASCAR Crew and (I think his name was Ken) works in the pit. What he had to say, is not what was important tonight. What was important was his 9 year old son. Me and another guy from my platoon were helping this guy set up everything before his speech. One of the other men there was kind of his wing man and was also helping set up. During a little break in the setting up, the wing man started talking about Ken's son and how he has always wanted to meet a Soldier because he thought they were AWESOME (which we are). So over comes the little 9 year old and we get introduced as Soldiers to him. The kid's eyes just open wide and his mouth drops to say,
"Oh, man! That's SO COOL!!!!! It was awesome to see how excited he was, and it also made me think a little bit more about the light at the end of the tunnel.
When we're kids, we still have that innocence where everything and anything can be cool. (Seriously, Rat Tails used to be cool).....Anyway, when you're growing up, there are always certain things that you are drawn to. Like me, I always was fascinated by Sirens, and police cars, and baseball. As you get older, it seems like these interests/fascinations fade a little as you begin to accept more of the reality of the situation and not the fantasy of it. But this kid helped me find that fantasy part again. He helped me find/realize why things seem so cool as a kid. I don't think we should ever forget why we are drawn to certain things. If anything, we always need to remember why they were important in the first place. Never lose sight of why things are "cool". Sometimes I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a 9 year old. The world would be a better place!
"And that's all I have to say about that"
SPC Martin
PS - Happy Birthday MOM!
PPS - Happy Birthday Ben!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Land Nav. & Explosions! ........Wed. July 14th
Hello there desperate people clinging to my every word! HAHA!! I need you all, so keep reading and writing.
So far this week we have done Land Navigation (Tuesday) and Claymore/IED training today. Land Nav. was fun, especially when we got out into the woods for almost 2 hours without the DS's on our backs. We had two Land Nav. events. The first, was a day event. We had to find 5 points in the woods at varying distances ranging from 300 to 600 meters apart using just a compass and a heading. We found all 5 points on our map in about a hour and thirty minutes. Then we had a night Land Nav. event that involved 2 points. As you can imagine, it was pitch black. All we had was a red tinted flashlight and our compass. We found our first point, but not the second (we were off by 100 meters). Overall, it was a good day, but we got back late and I had their first fire guard watch at 0:00.
Today was also a pretty cool day. We finally got to see something EXPLODE!! We went over grenades, mines, anti-tank weapons. After the class, we went out to a field and watched 2 claymore mines explode. I was really surprised at how big the explosion was considering that a claymore isn't that big. I want to say it blew water about 200 ft. into the air!
After that, we had a couple classes on IED's. We saw some videos of attacks and learned about the different types. We then used that knowledge and walked through a makeshift "Baghdad (spell?) to patrol and search. It was a good practical exercise, and I hope to get more training on IED's.
I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday! We are almost done with 3 weeks!!! Next week, we start heading to the range and firing our weapons. The platoon has done a pretty good job so far this week, so we'll see about Red Phase ending. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
One last thing......For the most part, the food is good. We just don't get enough to make us "full"! So I'm sure I've lost some weight. How much? No idea, but I'm losing it day by day.
Today was Hot & Humid. I had sweat through my uniform by 07:30.... We had 2 guys go to the hospital today because of the heat, so add that to the tally.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've passed everything so far and seem to be finding a rhythm. Keep up the good work on the Letters!!!!!! I've been making quite a few people jealous!!!!
So far this week we have done Land Navigation (Tuesday) and Claymore/IED training today. Land Nav. was fun, especially when we got out into the woods for almost 2 hours without the DS's on our backs. We had two Land Nav. events. The first, was a day event. We had to find 5 points in the woods at varying distances ranging from 300 to 600 meters apart using just a compass and a heading. We found all 5 points on our map in about a hour and thirty minutes. Then we had a night Land Nav. event that involved 2 points. As you can imagine, it was pitch black. All we had was a red tinted flashlight and our compass. We found our first point, but not the second (we were off by 100 meters). Overall, it was a good day, but we got back late and I had their first fire guard watch at 0:00.
Today was also a pretty cool day. We finally got to see something EXPLODE!! We went over grenades, mines, anti-tank weapons. After the class, we went out to a field and watched 2 claymore mines explode. I was really surprised at how big the explosion was considering that a claymore isn't that big. I want to say it blew water about 200 ft. into the air!
After that, we had a couple classes on IED's. We saw some videos of attacks and learned about the different types. We then used that knowledge and walked through a makeshift "Baghdad (spell?) to patrol and search. It was a good practical exercise, and I hope to get more training on IED's.
I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday! We are almost done with 3 weeks!!! Next week, we start heading to the range and firing our weapons. The platoon has done a pretty good job so far this week, so we'll see about Red Phase ending. Keep your fingers crossed!!!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC Martin
One last thing......For the most part, the food is good. We just don't get enough to make us "full"! So I'm sure I've lost some weight. How much? No idea, but I'm losing it day by day.
Today was Hot & Humid. I had sweat through my uniform by 07:30.... We had 2 guys go to the hospital today because of the heat, so add that to the tally.
Overall, I'm doing well. I've passed everything so far and seem to be finding a rhythm. Keep up the good work on the Letters!!!!!! I've been making quite a few people jealous!!!!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Water Buffalo....... Monday, July 12th
Well, I've caught a few minutes to write this letter so here we go!
Yesterday (Sunday) was a somewhat easy day, however, with my platoon, we can't just quite make it through the entire day....While some of us were in the Bay Cleaning, others were doing things they shouldn't have, like writing letters. So DS "W" starts smoking us. Well about this time about 6 or 7 guys had just gotten back from religious services. They stood outside waiting for us to finish. Not so Fast.....DS "W" noticed this and then decided we needed to work on teamwork. How would we do this? Well, so we have this "water buffalo." It's this large container on a trailer that holds 500 gallons of Water. Our job, empty it while rolling it as we went yard. Then, once it was empty, we had to refill it, Doesn't sound to bad right??? Well.... when we refilled it, we had to use our canteen cups which hold 1 quart of water....it took us a little over 45 minutes to get it halfway and we left for chow. When we came back, we had to drink our Camel Packs and go refill them with the water in the buffalo. So we go over and find out that one of the guys who ALWAYS screws up, was at it again! This time he dropped a canteen cup in the buffalo and didn't tell anyone until a DS found it just floating inside. So since this is the water supply for the entire company, and it is now contaminated, we had to dump it again, bleach it twice, and refill with canteen cups......AGAIN!!!!
So that was part of Sunday, but I forgot to mention that today we had our first official APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). We had 2 minutes to do push-ups, sit ups, and then a 2 mile run. I did 37 push-ups, 60 sit ups, and get this a 13:50 2 Mile!!! I couldn't believe it....my first mile was 7:05 and my second was 6:45. I shattered any previous Personal mile time record with my run today! I guess going yard has it's advantages HAHA!! So I need to work on my push-ups, but I think a 300 PT score (100%) is definitely a possibility now. We do push-ups everyday and I know I can do more. Some of us are going to start putting our Kevlar Vest on before bed to work on them. That should get us squared away right? Other than that, we've just been in the classroom today going over Land Navigation. We were going to head out into the woods and work on it, but then it started raining and lightning so that got scratched. We're back in the classroom and we're having the written test on all of this after chow. Wish me luck! Even though you'll get this and I'll know already if I passed. HAHA.
Anyway, that's all I got for now
Love you All - keep writing
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
PS. Another teamwork exercise involved going yard while carrying my 220 lb injured battle buddy 1/2 way, and 3 others on the way there. My legs were as stable as my stomach would be after watching Rosanne sing Take me Out to the Ballgame.
PPS - Passed my Test!
Yesterday (Sunday) was a somewhat easy day, however, with my platoon, we can't just quite make it through the entire day....While some of us were in the Bay Cleaning, others were doing things they shouldn't have, like writing letters. So DS "W" starts smoking us. Well about this time about 6 or 7 guys had just gotten back from religious services. They stood outside waiting for us to finish. Not so Fast.....DS "W" noticed this and then decided we needed to work on teamwork. How would we do this? Well, so we have this "water buffalo." It's this large container on a trailer that holds 500 gallons of Water. Our job, empty it while rolling it as we went yard. Then, once it was empty, we had to refill it, Doesn't sound to bad right??? Well.... when we refilled it, we had to use our canteen cups which hold 1 quart of water....it took us a little over 45 minutes to get it halfway and we left for chow. When we came back, we had to drink our Camel Packs and go refill them with the water in the buffalo. So we go over and find out that one of the guys who ALWAYS screws up, was at it again! This time he dropped a canteen cup in the buffalo and didn't tell anyone until a DS found it just floating inside. So since this is the water supply for the entire company, and it is now contaminated, we had to dump it again, bleach it twice, and refill with canteen cups......AGAIN!!!!
So that was part of Sunday, but I forgot to mention that today we had our first official APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). We had 2 minutes to do push-ups, sit ups, and then a 2 mile run. I did 37 push-ups, 60 sit ups, and get this a 13:50 2 Mile!!! I couldn't believe it....my first mile was 7:05 and my second was 6:45. I shattered any previous Personal mile time record with my run today! I guess going yard has it's advantages HAHA!! So I need to work on my push-ups, but I think a 300 PT score (100%) is definitely a possibility now. We do push-ups everyday and I know I can do more. Some of us are going to start putting our Kevlar Vest on before bed to work on them. That should get us squared away right? Other than that, we've just been in the classroom today going over Land Navigation. We were going to head out into the woods and work on it, but then it started raining and lightning so that got scratched. We're back in the classroom and we're having the written test on all of this after chow. Wish me luck! Even though you'll get this and I'll know already if I passed. HAHA.
Anyway, that's all I got for now
Love you All - keep writing
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
PS. Another teamwork exercise involved going yard while carrying my 220 lb injured battle buddy 1/2 way, and 3 others on the way there. My legs were as stable as my stomach would be after watching Rosanne sing Take me Out to the Ballgame.
PPS - Passed my Test!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
And on the 7th Day, He Rested....
Sunday, July 11th
Hey Everybody!!
It's been a few days since I've written last. A lot of this mainly has to do with the long days and little sleep. Friday night, we had lights out at 2200, but I had to do laundry and work on laminating these cards for the platoon. I also had Fire Guard. All said and done, 1 hr 30 min. of sleep on Friday.... Also on Friday, I didn't get to eat dinner. I sat down with my tray and made a sandwich with Turkey, Pepperoni and cheese. I grab it and start smiling since chow is the best time of the day. At that moment, the person sitting across from me got up.
DS "W" took these two simultaneous, and unrelated events and put them together as proof that I was talking to the other guy. I don't even know who the hell that guy was. It was just bad timing. I couldn't even try to explain. I got yelled at, told to throw my food away, and leave. Without a word, a look, a pouty face, I turned and walked away. Trying to explain only would have made it worse.
This week we focused on first aid & MEDEVAC. We had a lot of classroom time which is boring and guys are always falling asleep. Trust me, you do not want to fall asleep.... We did more combatives' (learning to fight). This week we also lost our beds and lockers, which sucked. Same people always screwing up and getting the rest of the platoon smoked. This second week has given me a much clearer insight into who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in my platoon. The bad guys in our platoon have been responsible for the following....
- Countless "smoke" sessions
- 15 Counseling Letters (A paper trail of violations)
- Faking Injuries
- Faking their injury profile (Tells the DS what they can/cannot do)
- 8 almost fights
- 1 for suicide watch
- "Losing" the Company Commander's pen (it's the only pen he can use to sign govt. documents)
- Sneaking food and candy
- Stealing MRE's
- Buying Subway and Coffee when at sick call
-Taking old cigarette butts, pushing out the tobacco and rolling/smoking it with Bible pages.
I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings, but that's a pretty good idea of the shit that I and the platoon have been dealing with. There has been talk of extending Red Phase for our platoon if we don't get things figured out quickly. We just need to come together more as a team and start helping those who we know are struggling. So pray that we come together and don't become the platoon to fall behind already.
So that's all the platoon crap that's been going on. Today is just a cleaning day. Right now we have people waxing the bay floor while the Army music that pays during commercials is on repeat. DS "W" looks at it as motivational thing, which we do need right now.
I have received quite a few amount of letters and cards so far! I would say out of 56, I have received the 3rd most mail. KEEP IT COMING!!!! I want to receive the most!!! OZ----Fantasy Update????? Yeah, I'm calling you out !!! The letters have been great. I'm glad you all had fun on the 4th, it makes me miss just relaxing and hanging out, but what can I say, I'm here now and I'm doing well.
In case you're wondering if I have received your letters I will throw out some Thanks You's.
Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Barb, Aunt Molly, Aunt MJ and Lindsay (AWESOME JOB ON THE CARDINALS UPDATE!!!!)
Keep'em coming everyone!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
Hey Everybody!!
It's been a few days since I've written last. A lot of this mainly has to do with the long days and little sleep. Friday night, we had lights out at 2200, but I had to do laundry and work on laminating these cards for the platoon. I also had Fire Guard. All said and done, 1 hr 30 min. of sleep on Friday.... Also on Friday, I didn't get to eat dinner. I sat down with my tray and made a sandwich with Turkey, Pepperoni and cheese. I grab it and start smiling since chow is the best time of the day. At that moment, the person sitting across from me got up.
DS "W" took these two simultaneous, and unrelated events and put them together as proof that I was talking to the other guy. I don't even know who the hell that guy was. It was just bad timing. I couldn't even try to explain. I got yelled at, told to throw my food away, and leave. Without a word, a look, a pouty face, I turned and walked away. Trying to explain only would have made it worse.
This week we focused on first aid & MEDEVAC. We had a lot of classroom time which is boring and guys are always falling asleep. Trust me, you do not want to fall asleep.... We did more combatives' (learning to fight). This week we also lost our beds and lockers, which sucked. Same people always screwing up and getting the rest of the platoon smoked. This second week has given me a much clearer insight into who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in my platoon. The bad guys in our platoon have been responsible for the following....
- Countless "smoke" sessions
- 15 Counseling Letters (A paper trail of violations)
- Faking Injuries
- Faking their injury profile (Tells the DS what they can/cannot do)
- 8 almost fights
- 1 for suicide watch
- "Losing" the Company Commander's pen (it's the only pen he can use to sign govt. documents)
- Sneaking food and candy
- Stealing MRE's
- Buying Subway and Coffee when at sick call
-Taking old cigarette butts, pushing out the tobacco and rolling/smoking it with Bible pages.
I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings, but that's a pretty good idea of the shit that I and the platoon have been dealing with. There has been talk of extending Red Phase for our platoon if we don't get things figured out quickly. We just need to come together more as a team and start helping those who we know are struggling. So pray that we come together and don't become the platoon to fall behind already.
So that's all the platoon crap that's been going on. Today is just a cleaning day. Right now we have people waxing the bay floor while the Army music that pays during commercials is on repeat. DS "W" looks at it as motivational thing, which we do need right now.
I have received quite a few amount of letters and cards so far! I would say out of 56, I have received the 3rd most mail. KEEP IT COMING!!!! I want to receive the most!!! OZ----Fantasy Update????? Yeah, I'm calling you out !!! The letters have been great. I'm glad you all had fun on the 4th, it makes me miss just relaxing and hanging out, but what can I say, I'm here now and I'm doing well.
In case you're wondering if I have received your letters I will throw out some Thanks You's.
Dad, Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Barb, Aunt Molly, Aunt MJ and Lindsay (AWESOME JOB ON THE CARDINALS UPDATE!!!!)
Keep'em coming everyone!
Embrace the Suck!
SPC. Martin
Sunday, July 11, 2010
My Platoon....
Tuesday July 6th
Hey Everybody!
Today I figured I'd talk a little bit about my platoon. So far, we have a decent group with about 5 or 6 guys who are either lazy, an asshole, or a lazy asshole. For the most part, a large number of us have it together and rarely screw up. It's normally the same people doing stupid things over and over. Some have been stupid and talk back or pout to the DS, leading to us getting smoked.
Yesterday was terrible! We went yard I think around 15 times. Each time we go yard is about 1/3 mile. This alone, with push-ups, flutter kicks, vertical arm clap, etc. and your body is exhausted. When DS "W" is in charge, days tend to be like this. At least our platoon will be in shape.....
DS "W" also found it fit to have us disassemble all of our bunks in our bay each morning. Reassemble before bed and repeat. With all this, we managed about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night which is always rough when you get up at 0400. Our platoon is always hesitant to do something around DS "W" because it seems like no matter what we do, we get smoked. He definitely leads/trains by fear and punishment. Not exactly my style, but I'll manage...others won't though.
On July 4th my platoon/company did not get to enjoy any festivities, while many others did. I found this out at Mass on Sunday which was very refreshing. It was great to get away from the DS for about 2 hours and clear my head and just relax and count my blessings. it was some much needed rebooting time.
This week we're focusing on First Aid and Combat Survival Skills. Next week I believe we're doing Land Navigation and that should conclude Red Phase!
I do have a couple of guys that I get along with really well. Hughes and Hernandez were both in my reception platoon and we're in the same one now. They keep me laughing and help deflect/vent all the negative shit that the DS dump on us. For the most part, I get along with everyone, but I also call out people on the BS (may or may not be good....) Anyway, I think the first batch of letters is in and we'll get them before lights out. Hopefully I have at least one. I've really been looking forward to reading what's going on in the real world.
As long as I have time, I may respond individually, but we'll see. PLEASE KEEP WRITING
I LOVE YOU ALL
October 1st Countdown: 87 days
SPC Martin
Hey Everybody!
Today I figured I'd talk a little bit about my platoon. So far, we have a decent group with about 5 or 6 guys who are either lazy, an asshole, or a lazy asshole. For the most part, a large number of us have it together and rarely screw up. It's normally the same people doing stupid things over and over. Some have been stupid and talk back or pout to the DS, leading to us getting smoked.
Yesterday was terrible! We went yard I think around 15 times. Each time we go yard is about 1/3 mile. This alone, with push-ups, flutter kicks, vertical arm clap, etc. and your body is exhausted. When DS "W" is in charge, days tend to be like this. At least our platoon will be in shape.....
DS "W" also found it fit to have us disassemble all of our bunks in our bay each morning. Reassemble before bed and repeat. With all this, we managed about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night which is always rough when you get up at 0400. Our platoon is always hesitant to do something around DS "W" because it seems like no matter what we do, we get smoked. He definitely leads/trains by fear and punishment. Not exactly my style, but I'll manage...others won't though.
On July 4th my platoon/company did not get to enjoy any festivities, while many others did. I found this out at Mass on Sunday which was very refreshing. It was great to get away from the DS for about 2 hours and clear my head and just relax and count my blessings. it was some much needed rebooting time.
This week we're focusing on First Aid and Combat Survival Skills. Next week I believe we're doing Land Navigation and that should conclude Red Phase!
I do have a couple of guys that I get along with really well. Hughes and Hernandez were both in my reception platoon and we're in the same one now. They keep me laughing and help deflect/vent all the negative shit that the DS dump on us. For the most part, I get along with everyone, but I also call out people on the BS (may or may not be good....) Anyway, I think the first batch of letters is in and we'll get them before lights out. Hopefully I have at least one. I've really been looking forward to reading what's going on in the real world.
As long as I have time, I may respond individually, but we'll see. PLEASE KEEP WRITING
I LOVE YOU ALL
October 1st Countdown: 87 days
SPC Martin
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tear Gas, Obstacle Course and Marching
FRIDAY, JULY 2ND
Note: This letter was written by Matt a day before the last letter I posted, we received the letter yesterday, July 9th.
Hey Everybody!
Greetings again from Ft. Benning, GA where the heat will knock you out at 8:00 AM! That's right, we had a kid pass out at 8AM from the heat today before we ran the obstacle course. But really today started like any other. We got up at 0400 and cleaned, showered, etc and got ready for our first road march. We did 2 miles each way today and my heels are now covered in blisters. Oh well, it's part of my job now. We marched up to a different obstacle course and ran it a couple times. It will put you on your ass! After we ran it twice, we did a platoon competition where the best 10 from each of the 4 platoons competed against each other for the first platoon challenge. I was not a part of this. Why? Because I cannot climb a rope for the life of me. Anyway, my platoon finished in 2nd. Not bad, but in the Army you are just the first loser.
After the obstacle course we headed over to the confidence course. This has things that are about 50ft in the air and the only thing to save you is a large blue cushion...They make us do things like this to gain "confidence" in our ability to overcome fear - (mainly heights). There was one guy who froze on the obstacle. You climb up about 25ft. and then lean up against basically a light pole. You then have to walk across planks that are separated by about 2-3 ft. Once you cross the planks, you go up a ladder about another 20 ft. and then crawl down a cargo net. Well, this kid froze at the planks for about 20 minutes refusing to move. There is a net under the planks if you fall, but it's not that difficult to get across. We did a few more obstacles around the course and then marched back to base where we were finally shown how to clean our weapons. As as of right now, I can fully disassemble, clean, reassemble, and perform a functions check on my M-4 Rifle. I'm badass, I know!
So that was today, but let me tell you about yesterday.......
Yesterday was the gas chamber. They throw us into a room filled with tear gas and make us take off our masks. First when you enter, you're calm for the most part. You see the smoke through your gas mask and you breath and you're thinking "this isn't so bad..." WRONG!!!! Out of nowhere, any exposed skin starts burning. So just imagine razor burn on your sunburned skin. constantly burning sensation for about 5 minutes. First they make you pull your mask away and say your last name and last 4 digits of your social security number. You put the mask back, clear it and reseal the mask. Then they tell you to take off your mask and put on your helmet, put your rifle in your right hand, your mask in your left hand and put your left arm on the person in front of you. Easy enough right???WRONG!! The moment you take off that mask, it's like getting punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson and then have someone squeezing acid in your eyes. It's miserable, for some people. I only had to do it once, but others had to do it again for screwing up with either their helmet, rifle, etc. So it left me with some good stories!
First story involves my platoon. So they break us up into groups to organize the chaos. The first group pulls off their masks and this one guy immediately went down on his knees, dropped his helmet and had it roll to the other side of the room. His group had to wait until he gathered all his gear before they could leave. They were in there without their masks for at least twice as long as everyone else, and they were struggling. The next story involved a kid who literally walked in the the chamber, took his mask off, and passed out. I was in the bleachers when all the sudden I see the door slam open with the DS dragging this kid by the collar and dropping him in the grass while immediately walking back to the chamber... it was hilarious! And finally there was the kid who refused to go back. He screwed up in someway and the DS wanted him to go again and get it right. The guy didn't want to go. Solution -----DS grabs kid, drags him to the door, opens door, and throws kid in chamber with no mask on....sucks to be that guy.
The rest of the day the DS's smoked us like crazy. At least 3 hours of PT once we got back. It sucked bad, but at the same time it's good, because I'm feeling stronger overall. Almost all smoke sessions occur because people make stupid mistakes over and over. It's almost to simple to screw up, but yet, it happens everyday.
On thing that I have learned over the past day is that my company the 1/50 is supposedly the toughest of every company at Ft. Benning. We are already doing things that other companies don't touch until at least week 2 or 3. Apparently the 1/50 has a reputation around other bases as well. Hopefully that helps with my actual duty station. We'll see!
On another note, I would like to tell my niece Brianna HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!
I know it's not until the 5th, but with this being a letter and all, it will get posted after the fact.
I can't wait until I finally get some mail!!!!!
I Love You All.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
SPC. Martin
Note: This letter was written by Matt a day before the last letter I posted, we received the letter yesterday, July 9th.
Hey Everybody!
Greetings again from Ft. Benning, GA where the heat will knock you out at 8:00 AM! That's right, we had a kid pass out at 8AM from the heat today before we ran the obstacle course. But really today started like any other. We got up at 0400 and cleaned, showered, etc and got ready for our first road march. We did 2 miles each way today and my heels are now covered in blisters. Oh well, it's part of my job now. We marched up to a different obstacle course and ran it a couple times. It will put you on your ass! After we ran it twice, we did a platoon competition where the best 10 from each of the 4 platoons competed against each other for the first platoon challenge. I was not a part of this. Why? Because I cannot climb a rope for the life of me. Anyway, my platoon finished in 2nd. Not bad, but in the Army you are just the first loser.
After the obstacle course we headed over to the confidence course. This has things that are about 50ft in the air and the only thing to save you is a large blue cushion...They make us do things like this to gain "confidence" in our ability to overcome fear - (mainly heights). There was one guy who froze on the obstacle. You climb up about 25ft. and then lean up against basically a light pole. You then have to walk across planks that are separated by about 2-3 ft. Once you cross the planks, you go up a ladder about another 20 ft. and then crawl down a cargo net. Well, this kid froze at the planks for about 20 minutes refusing to move. There is a net under the planks if you fall, but it's not that difficult to get across. We did a few more obstacles around the course and then marched back to base where we were finally shown how to clean our weapons. As as of right now, I can fully disassemble, clean, reassemble, and perform a functions check on my M-4 Rifle. I'm badass, I know!
So that was today, but let me tell you about yesterday.......
Yesterday was the gas chamber. They throw us into a room filled with tear gas and make us take off our masks. First when you enter, you're calm for the most part. You see the smoke through your gas mask and you breath and you're thinking "this isn't so bad..." WRONG!!!! Out of nowhere, any exposed skin starts burning. So just imagine razor burn on your sunburned skin. constantly burning sensation for about 5 minutes. First they make you pull your mask away and say your last name and last 4 digits of your social security number. You put the mask back, clear it and reseal the mask. Then they tell you to take off your mask and put on your helmet, put your rifle in your right hand, your mask in your left hand and put your left arm on the person in front of you. Easy enough right???WRONG!! The moment you take off that mask, it's like getting punched in the stomach by Mike Tyson and then have someone squeezing acid in your eyes. It's miserable, for some people. I only had to do it once, but others had to do it again for screwing up with either their helmet, rifle, etc. So it left me with some good stories!
First story involves my platoon. So they break us up into groups to organize the chaos. The first group pulls off their masks and this one guy immediately went down on his knees, dropped his helmet and had it roll to the other side of the room. His group had to wait until he gathered all his gear before they could leave. They were in there without their masks for at least twice as long as everyone else, and they were struggling. The next story involved a kid who literally walked in the the chamber, took his mask off, and passed out. I was in the bleachers when all the sudden I see the door slam open with the DS dragging this kid by the collar and dropping him in the grass while immediately walking back to the chamber... it was hilarious! And finally there was the kid who refused to go back. He screwed up in someway and the DS wanted him to go again and get it right. The guy didn't want to go. Solution -----DS grabs kid, drags him to the door, opens door, and throws kid in chamber with no mask on....sucks to be that guy.
The rest of the day the DS's smoked us like crazy. At least 3 hours of PT once we got back. It sucked bad, but at the same time it's good, because I'm feeling stronger overall. Almost all smoke sessions occur because people make stupid mistakes over and over. It's almost to simple to screw up, but yet, it happens everyday.
On thing that I have learned over the past day is that my company the 1/50 is supposedly the toughest of every company at Ft. Benning. We are already doing things that other companies don't touch until at least week 2 or 3. Apparently the 1/50 has a reputation around other bases as well. Hopefully that helps with my actual duty station. We'll see!
On another note, I would like to tell my niece Brianna HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!
I know it's not until the 5th, but with this being a letter and all, it will get posted after the fact.
I can't wait until I finally get some mail!!!!!
I Love You All.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
SPC. Martin
Thursday, July 8, 2010
DS "W" ------------ Sunday, July 3rd
Hey Everybody!
Quick FYI, today sucked!!!! We basically PT'd and got smoked all day. Literally, with the exception of Chow, we were doing bear crawls, flutter Kicks, and anything else the DS could think of. Everyone has been hearing about DS "W" since day 1. He is no joke. The smallest things piss him off and he makes you pay. So he is a part of our platoon now. He had been doing some training and is back, ready to kick our asses. He made sure he did that today. He wore me out at 1:30....normally I don't start feeling really tired until after chow (dinner). Either way, I'm sure that I'll be plenty sore tomorrow on the 4th.
Speaking of the 4th, I know Ft. Benning has something going on, but we have been told of nothing. Sunday's are supposed to be laid back so I'll keep my fingers crossed, but as I normally do here....I expect the worst and hope for the best, and laugh when I'm right!!
Oh, I finally got to do laundry, which is how I'm writing this letter. it's near impossible to get a machine with 55 other guys needing to do the same thing. Everything gets drenched in sweat, dirt, sand, etc. It gets to be gross to say the least.....
With that in mind, I can say that I have made it through my first week of Army Infantry BCT and I still want to be here.
EMBRACE THE SUCK!!!!
Love you All
SPC Martin
Quick FYI, today sucked!!!! We basically PT'd and got smoked all day. Literally, with the exception of Chow, we were doing bear crawls, flutter Kicks, and anything else the DS could think of. Everyone has been hearing about DS "W" since day 1. He is no joke. The smallest things piss him off and he makes you pay. So he is a part of our platoon now. He had been doing some training and is back, ready to kick our asses. He made sure he did that today. He wore me out at 1:30....normally I don't start feeling really tired until after chow (dinner). Either way, I'm sure that I'll be plenty sore tomorrow on the 4th.
Speaking of the 4th, I know Ft. Benning has something going on, but we have been told of nothing. Sunday's are supposed to be laid back so I'll keep my fingers crossed, but as I normally do here....I expect the worst and hope for the best, and laugh when I'm right!!
Oh, I finally got to do laundry, which is how I'm writing this letter. it's near impossible to get a machine with 55 other guys needing to do the same thing. Everything gets drenched in sweat, dirt, sand, etc. It gets to be gross to say the least.....
With that in mind, I can say that I have made it through my first week of Army Infantry BCT and I still want to be here.
EMBRACE THE SUCK!!!!
Love you All
SPC Martin
Monday, July 5, 2010
Fun Day, Wednesday June 30th
Hello Everybody! Greetings from Ft. Benning, GA where the thermometer constantly reads H-E-L-L + 10...
Recently, we've been getting into more Army related tasks. Yesterday, we did the Eagle Tower where we repel down a wall. It was fun, but not as fun as I thought it would be. However, today was a different story. We had to take a 25 minute bus ride to our training today which was a leadership obstacle course. Basically we separated into groups and then had 8 minutes to accomplish certain tasks. All of them (about 10) have either a pipe, rope, wood, and we had to use only those items to accomplish our tasks. It gave the DS's a good laugh because of all the weird things people try and do to make it. I swear my group had at least 2 ideas the DS had never seen in two years!
The best part came though when we got to go "swimming." Half of the obstacles is on land, and the other half is over water. So if you fail, you fall in the water, which was amazing! The DS's made us swim around in it for about 15 minutes to cool down and then we had MRE's (meals-ready-to-eat) for chow. The great thing about MRE's when we have them, is that we got like 20 minutes to eat them instead of our usual 3 minutes whenever we eat. The time and relaxation is wonderful to say the least!
There are a couple things I left out of my first letter from BCT that I want to tell you all about. My battle buddy is the youngest person in our platoon. He's 17 and doesn't turn 18 until December! But we also have a good amount in common and he's not stupid! He's actually pretty mature for a kid his age which is a plus.
I took my first PT test and did 25 pushups in 1 minute. 31 sit-ups in 1 minute, and I ran a 7:40 mile. Not bad considering the DS had been making us do shoulder and chest exercises the previous two days to the point of muscle failure. I was really surprised by my mile time, considering just 3 months ago I was running a 9:30 mile. Look like P90X paid off a little!! So my mile time put me in the "B" group for PT. Basically, I'm in the second fastest running group. "A" is the fastest, then "B," "C," and "D." "D" is for those who can't run for more than like 5 minutes without being winded and start walking. Anyway, I'm proud of what I've done so far, and I know I'll only get stronger as the weeks pass.
You all have my address so start sending me letters!!! Update me on all current events! I'm going crazy not knowing what's going on in the outside world!
I Love You All!!
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
P.S. There is a rumor that Michael Jordan died in a DWI accident! Confirm or Deny PLEASE!!
Recently, we've been getting into more Army related tasks. Yesterday, we did the Eagle Tower where we repel down a wall. It was fun, but not as fun as I thought it would be. However, today was a different story. We had to take a 25 minute bus ride to our training today which was a leadership obstacle course. Basically we separated into groups and then had 8 minutes to accomplish certain tasks. All of them (about 10) have either a pipe, rope, wood, and we had to use only those items to accomplish our tasks. It gave the DS's a good laugh because of all the weird things people try and do to make it. I swear my group had at least 2 ideas the DS had never seen in two years!
The best part came though when we got to go "swimming." Half of the obstacles is on land, and the other half is over water. So if you fail, you fall in the water, which was amazing! The DS's made us swim around in it for about 15 minutes to cool down and then we had MRE's (meals-ready-to-eat) for chow. The great thing about MRE's when we have them, is that we got like 20 minutes to eat them instead of our usual 3 minutes whenever we eat. The time and relaxation is wonderful to say the least!
There are a couple things I left out of my first letter from BCT that I want to tell you all about. My battle buddy is the youngest person in our platoon. He's 17 and doesn't turn 18 until December! But we also have a good amount in common and he's not stupid! He's actually pretty mature for a kid his age which is a plus.
I took my first PT test and did 25 pushups in 1 minute. 31 sit-ups in 1 minute, and I ran a 7:40 mile. Not bad considering the DS had been making us do shoulder and chest exercises the previous two days to the point of muscle failure. I was really surprised by my mile time, considering just 3 months ago I was running a 9:30 mile. Look like P90X paid off a little!! So my mile time put me in the "B" group for PT. Basically, I'm in the second fastest running group. "A" is the fastest, then "B," "C," and "D." "D" is for those who can't run for more than like 5 minutes without being winded and start walking. Anyway, I'm proud of what I've done so far, and I know I'll only get stronger as the weeks pass.
You all have my address so start sending me letters!!! Update me on all current events! I'm going crazy not knowing what's going on in the outside world!
I Love You All!!
Embrace The Suck
SPC Martin
P.S. There is a rumor that Michael Jordan died in a DWI accident! Confirm or Deny PLEASE!!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Matt's address
SPC Martin, Matthew, E RN # 228
B Co., 1-50th IN, 198th IN BDE
9899 Second Armored Division Rd. BLDG 3570
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
(form letter said to put his RN# 228 in the left and right hand corner of the envelope.
B Co., 1-50th IN, 198th IN BDE
9899 Second Armored Division Rd. BLDG 3570
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
(form letter said to put his RN# 228 in the left and right hand corner of the envelope.
LET THE TRAINING BEGIN! Monday, June 28th
Well....where do I begin.....
Needless to say BCT (Basic Combat Training) started off with a bang, literally. The DS were firing blank artillery shells as we got off the bus. We got off the bus with all of the gear we accumulate over the past 9/10 days and carry it up a very, very, very large hill. Once on top of the hill, which led to a sidewalk, we had to carry our laundry bags over our heads for about 20 minutes, then push ups, then the bag again, etc., etc. Supposedly 5 or 6 people quit that night. Also that first night, we found out that our platoon is supposedly the hardest working PT wise of the company. Tonight, I can say that I believe that with all my heart.
For the most part, the days have been going by pretty quickly. We get about 45 minutes to eat each meal, and we've begun to know around what time the DS will smoke us (PT the shit out of us). I was lucky enough to have a lot of the guys that I liked from reception, who were in my platoon there, in my BCT platoon. There are however a few that I can't stand. Some are just assholes and others were smacked by God's stupid stick. People have been messing up turning right .... and Left.... Either way, it's 3 weeks of hell and I'm still here right??
Now I will get some of the "cooler" things. I have been issued my full battle rattle. I have my bullet-proof vest, Kevlar helmet, and my M-4 Riffle with a Red Dot Sight. It's bad ass to say the least. Last night I had fire watch and had to wear the complete uniform and patrol with my riffle. For the first time, I was able to look into a mirror and envision my life in the infantry. We will be doing some more things this week like Eagle Tower. This is where we repel down a
45 ft wall with a harness we tie ourselves. Lets hope I don't screw that up.......
Thursday of this week we will go into the gas chamber and I'm totally psyched for it............And then starting week 4, we will start going to the range everyday for 3 weeks! I know that will be fun.
Other than that, I'm just tying to get by the best I can. They PT us hard about 2 - 3 times a day with maybe another 2 - 3 time at smaller 5 - 10 minutes sessions. Most of this takes place in a rock covered area that symbolizes and feels like sand. I hate that damn pit and the other hill thy make us run. It accounted for 3 heat drop-outs today and 2 pukers.(Bradford knows exactly what I'm talking about). Please add those to the total so far. I've honestly last count on heat casualties, because it just happens every day. Oh and we also had 2 guys "try" to quit today, but the boat has sailed. In the middle of PT, one guy just stopped and stared flailing, saying "I know my rights, I Quit!" When about 4 DS surrounded him, he refused to do anything they told him. So he literally just layed on the ground and had 4 of his platoon members carry him back into their bay which is on the second floor. Personally, I would have dropped him....... The other guy tried to quit when we were running the Hill. He started towards it and then turned around and said "F**K this, I quit!" Every one's chance to quit is over.
Oh, since I started.... You cannot just "quit" the Army people. If you want to, the Army may discharge you, but at their own convenience. So if you quit your first day at reception, you will most likely spend the next 3 to 4 months at reception helping out with duties such as ... yard work, Facility maintenance, paperwork, or dining facility. You will spend more time doing that crap work then it would have taken to graduate BCT. You signed a contract, now hold up your end!! It's NOT that hard!!
I'll get off off my soapbox.......
Anyhow, personal time has been very hard to come by. I'm writing this letter as I do laundry almost 2 hours past lights out. Good new is though that I now officially have an address!!!! So start sending letters, and Mom you can send my phone charger!
Just remember to write my address exactly as it is written here.
SPC Martin, Matthew, E RN # 228
B Co., 1-50th IN, 198th IN BDE
9899 Second Armored Division Rd. BLDG 3570
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
(form letter said to put his RN# 228 in the left and right hand corner of the envelope.
Needless to say BCT (Basic Combat Training) started off with a bang, literally. The DS were firing blank artillery shells as we got off the bus. We got off the bus with all of the gear we accumulate over the past 9/10 days and carry it up a very, very, very large hill. Once on top of the hill, which led to a sidewalk, we had to carry our laundry bags over our heads for about 20 minutes, then push ups, then the bag again, etc., etc. Supposedly 5 or 6 people quit that night. Also that first night, we found out that our platoon is supposedly the hardest working PT wise of the company. Tonight, I can say that I believe that with all my heart.
For the most part, the days have been going by pretty quickly. We get about 45 minutes to eat each meal, and we've begun to know around what time the DS will smoke us (PT the shit out of us). I was lucky enough to have a lot of the guys that I liked from reception, who were in my platoon there, in my BCT platoon. There are however a few that I can't stand. Some are just assholes and others were smacked by God's stupid stick. People have been messing up turning right .... and Left.... Either way, it's 3 weeks of hell and I'm still here right??
Now I will get some of the "cooler" things. I have been issued my full battle rattle. I have my bullet-proof vest, Kevlar helmet, and my M-4 Riffle with a Red Dot Sight. It's bad ass to say the least. Last night I had fire watch and had to wear the complete uniform and patrol with my riffle. For the first time, I was able to look into a mirror and envision my life in the infantry. We will be doing some more things this week like Eagle Tower. This is where we repel down a
45 ft wall with a harness we tie ourselves. Lets hope I don't screw that up.......
Thursday of this week we will go into the gas chamber and I'm totally psyched for it............And then starting week 4, we will start going to the range everyday for 3 weeks! I know that will be fun.
Other than that, I'm just tying to get by the best I can. They PT us hard about 2 - 3 times a day with maybe another 2 - 3 time at smaller 5 - 10 minutes sessions. Most of this takes place in a rock covered area that symbolizes and feels like sand. I hate that damn pit and the other hill thy make us run. It accounted for 3 heat drop-outs today and 2 pukers.(Bradford knows exactly what I'm talking about). Please add those to the total so far. I've honestly last count on heat casualties, because it just happens every day. Oh and we also had 2 guys "try" to quit today, but the boat has sailed. In the middle of PT, one guy just stopped and stared flailing, saying "I know my rights, I Quit!" When about 4 DS surrounded him, he refused to do anything they told him. So he literally just layed on the ground and had 4 of his platoon members carry him back into their bay which is on the second floor. Personally, I would have dropped him....... The other guy tried to quit when we were running the Hill. He started towards it and then turned around and said "F**K this, I quit!" Every one's chance to quit is over.
Oh, since I started.... You cannot just "quit" the Army people. If you want to, the Army may discharge you, but at their own convenience. So if you quit your first day at reception, you will most likely spend the next 3 to 4 months at reception helping out with duties such as ... yard work, Facility maintenance, paperwork, or dining facility. You will spend more time doing that crap work then it would have taken to graduate BCT. You signed a contract, now hold up your end!! It's NOT that hard!!
I'll get off off my soapbox.......
Anyhow, personal time has been very hard to come by. I'm writing this letter as I do laundry almost 2 hours past lights out. Good new is though that I now officially have an address!!!! So start sending letters, and Mom you can send my phone charger!
Just remember to write my address exactly as it is written here.
SPC Martin, Matthew, E RN # 228
B Co., 1-50th IN, 198th IN BDE
9899 Second Armored Division Rd. BLDG 3570
Ft. Benning, GA 31905
(form letter said to put his RN# 228 in the left and right hand corner of the envelope.
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