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
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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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