When you were in Basic Training...

[1069]

... what kinds of letters did you want?
I mean, what kinds of things did you want people to write to you about?
Just news of ordinary day-to-day family life, or "news" news (like, national news), or casual, funny, jokey letters, or "we're-so-proud-of-you" type letters, or... what?
And was it very important to you to get letters daily, or did you prefer your family just write you when they actually had something to say (I know recruits do push-ups for letters, and I wonder if a recruit might resent having to do a bunch of push-ups for a letter that's mostly just fluff)?
Besides stamps and letters and mailing labels, is there anything else you would've liked to receive in the letters? Like photos?

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[apdst]

... what kinds of letters did you want?
I mean, what kinds of things did you want people to write to you about?
Just news of ordinary day-to-day family life, or "news" news (like, national news), or casual, funny, jokey letters, or "we're-so-proud-of-you" type letters, or... what?
And was it very important to you to get letters daily, or did you prefer your family just write you when they actually had something to say (I know recruits do push-ups for letters, and I wonder if a recruit might resent having to do a bunch of push-ups for a letter that's mostly just fluff)?
Besides stamps and letters and mailing labels, is there anything else you would've liked to receive in the letters? Like photos?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Any kinda letter was great.

 

[jamesrage]

When I was in basic training I got letters from family and friends telling me how they were doing. Usually its only when one of the letters had perfume or a picture of a female friend in a bikini that the drill sergeants made me do push ups. I didn't mind the push-up, you do a lot of push-ups in basic so the ones you do for such letters are no big deal.


The only letters you shouldn't write are break up letters those should wait until after basic.Because in basic training the drill sergeants at least in my day rode your ass how Jody(fictional character used to represent the guy who steal's his friends chicks while they are away at basic) was going to steal your woman and that your woman was going to have stretch marks around her lips from sucking too much dick and how she was going to make sure is really clean before you got home so you don't smell other men on her or the cum on her breath.

 

[Captain America]

Whatever you write make sure you don't mind the rest of the company reading it.

Letters are good. It's kinda crappy when the other guys get a lot of 'em and you don't get any. The most important thing is to write and write often. If it's to your man, it never hurts to pump up his manly ego a bit as all the other dudes are reading it too.

Our whole company used to "grade" the "Dear John" letters with a red pen and then send them back to the beotch that jilted our brother-in-arms. That was always kinda cool.

Jody sucks.

Good on you for writing. I know any letter will be appreciated. Keep 'em comin' too. Every day if possible.

 

[jamesrage]

Jody sucks.

I wonder if there actually was a person named Jody and who was the first drill sergeant to use Jody's name.

 

[1069]

Whatever you write make sure you don't mind the rest of the company reading it.

Letters are good. It's kinda crappy when the other guys get a lot of 'em and you don't get any. The most important thing is to write and write often. If it's to your man, it never hurts to pump up his manly ego a bit as all the other dudes are reading it too.

Our whole company used to "grade" the "Dear John" letters with a red pen and then send them back to the beotch that jilted our brother-in-arms. That was always kinda cool.

Jody sucks.

Good on you for writing. I know any letter will be appreciated. Keep 'em comin' too. Every day if possible.

No, it's my kid.
It's just hard to think of things to write every day.
He wrote, "Be careful what you write because they read everything".
I thought he meant his drill sergeant or something, but now, yes, I think he means the other guys in his platoon will read his letters, so don't write anything babyish that will embarrass him.
When he was in juvie I wrote him every day, but this is harder.
Back then, his main problem was boredom, and I sent him things to help kill time: sudoku puzzles, crosswords, etc. Now, I hardly think he's bored or has time for such things.
But he asks me to write every day, and I was just wondering, for those of you who were in basic training, what sorts of things would be the most encouraging things to hear on a daily basis.
It's amazingly difficult to think of what to say.

 

[WI Crippler]

Honestly I think my mom wanted me to write to her more than I wanted her to write to me. Being an only child, I always felt as though my mother was overbearing(which is likely true, since I was the only one she could worry about). Basically just getting a letter from my mom(she always sent along the well wishes of everybody else) was nice, just to have something to read at the end of the day and know how everybody else was getting along. But some guys are alot closer to their moms than I am, so they may value a letter from mom moreso than I did. I probably wrote to my mom once a week just to summarize what we did and how I was doing, and she sent me a letter 3 times a week or so, which was more than enough for me. But some guys, you could tell they were dejected if they didn't get any mail at the end of the day. The only ones that get ragged on, are the ones who get g/f letters, with lipstick and perfume on them or moms that send cookies/candy treats.

 

[Captain America]

No, it's my kid.
It's just hard to think of things to write every day.
He wrote, "Be careful what you write because they read everything".
I thought he meant his drill sergeant or something, but now, yes, I think he means the other guys in his platoon will read his letters, so don't write anything babyish that will embarrass him.
When he was in juvie I wrote him every day, but this is harder.
Back then, his main problem was boredom, and I sent him things to help kill time: sudoku puzzles, crosswords, etc. Now, I hardly think he's bored or has time for such things.
But he asks me to write every day, and I was just wondering, for those of you who were in basic training, what sorts of things would be the most encouraging things to hear on a daily basis.
It's amazingly difficult to think of what to say.

I dunno. Maybe just jot down the daily things you do around the home and neighborhood and keep him in the loop. Something that keeps him tied to sanity. If you're going to paint a room, ask him what color he would suggest. Is the lawnmower sputtering? Ask him if he has any ideas how to make it run cleaner. Is your neighbor's dog barking and keeping you awake? Ask him to bring over his tape recorder and record the dog for you and then do a very loud playback, to the neighbors, over his booming speakers, as THEY tried to sleep. Tell him you want him to trim the hedges when he gets home because they are looking pretty rough.

You know. Stuff like that. Something that will give him the feeling that even though he may be a thousand miles away at that given moment, it won't last forever. There is always family and home and that home belongs to him and he's an important part of it, STILL. Sort of a light at the end of the tunnel. An escape.

Does any of that make sense?

 

[apdst]

No, it's my kid.
It's just hard to think of things to write every day.
He wrote, "Be careful what you write because they read everything".
I thought he meant his drill sergeant or something, but now, yes, I think he means the other guys in his platoon will read his letters, so don't write anything babyish that will embarrass him.
When he was in juvie I wrote him every day, but this is harder.
Back then, his main problem was boredom, and I sent him things to help kill time: sudoku puzzles, crosswords, etc. Now, I hardly think he's bored or has time for such things.
But he asks me to write every day, and I was just wondering, for those of you who were in basic training, what sorts of things would be the most encouraging things to hear on a daily basis.
It's amazingly difficult to think of what to say.

It would be a good idea to encourage friends and family to write. Anything that isn't totally depressing makes good letter fodder.

 

[1069]

I dunno. Maybe just jot down the daily things you do around the home and neighborhood and keep him in the loop. Something that keeps him tied to sanity. If you're going to paint a room, ask him what color he would suggest. Is the lawnmower sputtering? Ask him if he has any ideas how to make it run cleaner. Is your neighbor's dog barking and keeping you awake? Ask him to bring over his tape recorder and record the dog for you and then do a very loud playback, to the neighbors, over his booming speakers, as THEY tried to sleep. Tell him you want him to trim the hedges when he gets home because they are looking pretty rough.

You know. Stuff like that. Something that will give him the feeling that even though he may a thousand miles away at that given moment, there is always home and that home is his and he's a part of it. Sort of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Does any of that make sense?

Yeah. That's pretty much the tack I've been taking.
When he left, he insisted that nobody touch any of his stuff until he got back, and I assure him in every letter that nobody has touched his stuff and that everything is just the way he left it (even though it stinks, and I'm dying to do some of his laundry).
I assume BCT is somewhat disorienting. He sounded disoriented, especially at first (I believe he's starting to get his bearings now).
I'm trying to create a reassuring sense that, although he's stepped out of the world he knows temporarily, that world is still waiting here just like he left it, and we're saving his place for him.
So, I guess I'll just keep doing that.
It's hard to keep it light-hearted, but I'm trying my best.

It would be a good idea to encourage friends and family to write. Anything that isn't totally depressing makes good letter fodder.

Yeah, I've given his address to select family members.
His friends are scumbags. If he didn't get their addresses before he left, I'm not going to take the initiative and put him in contact with them.
He hasn't asked me to do so.
I'm really hoping this will be an opportunity for him to make new friends, with a better class of people.

 

[DeeJayH]

I would suggest orchestrating the mailings. By that i mean everybody should not send him mail on Sat & Wed. You get a few days per week to tell him how proud you are of his turnaround, and others get to send on other days of the week. This way everyday he could get a letter or two, instead of all letters on 1 day / weelk

 

[celticlord]

No, it's my kid.

Whatever you write, don't do the whole "I'm so proud of you son" bit....save that for when he graduates.

Normal stuff is the way to go. Neighborhood gossip is best, particularly if you can come up with some good smack about whatever girl dumped him and broke his heart. Payback stories like that do wonders for the ego!

 

[Binary_Digit]

I agree with everyone else. Between boot camp and aircraft carriers, just getting mail once in a while kept my spirits up, even if they didn't say anything substantially more than just, "Hey what's up?" Mail call was probably the number 1 thing I looked forward to the most. Just having your name called is a reassurance that you're not alone and that people haven't forgotten about you. So it's better to send lots of short letters over time than to send a few long letters less often.

The content of the letters is only important in the sense that they should generally be positive. Of course it's fine to fill him in about negative things if they happen, but try to word it in such a way that it doesn't compel him to feel helpless or powerless about it. He needs to know that he can focus on his boot camp life and that the people he cares about back home will be just fine in the meantime.

If there's nothing new to talk about, just chat about your day-to-day life back home. I always enjoyed reading about simple daily things that we normally take for granted, like they washed the car, the new South Park episode is hilarious, last night's dinner was particularly good/bad, whatever. Even though talking about the weather is cliche, it works. Because the most important thing is that he got a letter, not that it's overflowing with amazing news.

You're a good mom to be concerned about this and ask around for advice. He WILL appreciate you for it.

 

[1069]

Dang, he didn't call me today.
I guess maybe his platoon got in trouble and lost phone privileges.
I did, however, get another letter written and sent. Thank you all for the ideas.

 

[WI Crippler]

Dang, he didn't call me today.
I guess maybe his platoon got in trouble and lost phone privileges.
I did, however, get another letter written and sent. Thank you all for the ideas.

How often do they get to call these days?

When I went through I got 2 phone calls. A 30 second call to tell them that I made it there ok, and a second one 7 weeks later to make travel arrangements for graduation, since the weeding out of non-hackers was mostly done by then and other than an unforseen injury(or act of stupidity), most of us were likely to graduate on time.

 

[bhkad]

... what kinds of letters did you want?
I mean, what kinds of things did you want people to write to you about?
Just news of ordinary day-to-day family life, or "news" news (like, national news), or casual, funny, jokey letters, or "we're-so-proud-of-you" type letters, or... what?
And was it very important to you to get letters daily, or did you prefer your family just write you when they actually had something to say (I know recruits do push-ups for letters, and I wonder if a recruit might resent having to do a bunch of push-ups for a letter that's mostly just fluff)?
Besides stamps and letters and mailing labels, is there anything else you would've liked to receive in the letters? Like photos?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Send a newspaper and see if he likes it.

 

[1069]

How often do they get to call these days?

When I went through I got 2 phone calls. A 30 second call to tell them that I made it there ok, and a second one 7 weeks later to make travel arrangements for graduation, since the weeding out of non-hackers was mostly done by then and other than an unforseen injury(or act of stupidity), most of us were likely to graduate on time.

WTF??
That's terrible.
They're supposed to get to call every Sunday.
But apparently this is a privilege that is easily lost, if anyone in the platoon messes up.
He called a number of times- various times and days- from reception. I was surprised how often he was able to call. Then he told me he was sneaking out of his barracks to use the phone. :doh

Well, it's obvious there will be no phone call today.
Hopefully, I'll get a letter sometime this week.

He's told me his "graduation date" already, but I would like some official acknowledgment of that before I go ahead and buy plane tickets.
I am hoping there will be some official word on graduation from someone other than him, at some point.

 

[WI Crippler]

WTF??
That's terrible.
They're supposed to get to call every Sunday.
But apparently this is a privilege that is easily lost, if anyone in the platoon messes up.

Well I don't know if that is a difference between Army boot and Marine boot, or the fact its been 10 years(Holy ****, really?) since I went to boot camp and things change over time. Its probably as you say, someone ****ed up and they lost privileges temporarily.

As far as them sending confirmation of his graduation date, the date is pretty much set in stone for the platoon to graduate. I'm not sure how long army boot is, but if he gets past halfway I'd say its a good chance he makes it to his platoons graduation date. By then, the unfit are usually weeded out, and the recruits/privates start seeing the end of the tunnel and gets motivated to make sure they are doing everything they need to in order to make graduation. Only injuries or severe cases of dumbass prevent one from getting there.

 

[1069]

I'm not sure how long army boot is, but if he gets past halfway I'd say its a good chance he makes it to his platoons graduation date.

It's nine weeks, supposedly.
Then however long AIT is, but he's going somewhere else for AIT.

By then, the unfit are usually weeded out, and the recruits/privates start seeing the end of the tunnel and gets motivated to make sure they are doing everything they need to in order to make graduation.

I am being philosophical about it.
If he gets kicked out, I'm not going to shed a tear over it.
On the other hand, if he makes it, I'm not going to shed a tear over that, either.

The problem right now is that I'm worrying about two alternate future scenarios: one where he gets kicked out of the military, comes home, and roams the street being a hoodlum and endangering himself... and the other, where he makes it in the military and ends up being deployed to Afghanistan or somewhere, and possibly getting hurt.

Realistically, only one of those scenarios can happen.
But right now, as they both seem equally likely, I worry about them both.
I sort of take turns worrying about them.

But hopefully, nothing bad will happen, and everything will be okay.

 

[Captain America]

10, on "Ricky Sunday" you only got so much time to get your stuff done and sometimes a recruit has to decide if he wants to use that time standing in line buying pizza and soda or razor blades, or playing avideo game or standing in line to use the phone. Sometimes, the lines are very long. It's real easy to say, "Look! The snack bar line is short. I'll call next week."

 

[1069]

10, on "Ricky Sunday" you only got so much time to get your stuff done and sometimes a recruit has to decide if he wants to use that time standing in line buying pizza and soda or razor blades, or playing avideo game or standing in line to use the phone. Sometimes, the lines are very long. It's real easy to say, "I'll call next week. The snack bar line is short."

Oh, really? I didn't know that.
I didn't even know there were video games. Or soda.
It would be nice to think that maybe he isn't in trouble, and just got too busy to call.

 

[Captain America]

Oh, really? I didn't know that.
I didn't even know there were video games. Or soda.
It would be nice to think that maybe he isn't in trouble, and just got too busy to call.

Well, in my day, it was Pac Man. But Ricky Sunday was mostly spent smoking cigarettes because the "smoking lamp" was lit, or picking guitars with my fellow recruits, or eating junk food, or shopping for necessities, or spit shining my boondockers. The phone bank lines were long and the calls were expensive. Remember, a recruit has no cash. All he has is a "chit" (coupon money.)

But then again, I was in boot over 20 years ago. I'm sure everything has changed.

 

[bhkad]

10, on "Ricky Sunday" you only got so much time to get your stuff done and sometimes a recruit has to decide if he wants to use that time standing in line buying pizza and soda or razor blades, or playing avideo game or standing in line to use the phone. Sometimes, the lines are very long. It's real easy to say, "Look! The snack bar line is short. I'll call next week."

That's a big difference between the Army or Navy and the Marine Corps, btw. At Marine Corps Recruit Depot there is none of the above during Basic.

 

[jamesrage]

That's a big difference between the Army or Navy and the Marine Corps, btw. At Marine Corps Recruit Depot there is none of the above during Basic.

I think in the Army it depends on the basic training unit and the discretion of your drill sergeants. We didn't have Ricky Sunday in basic training and my basic training was almost ten years. And smoking was banned,this is universal in all army basic training units. It was strip and the floors(some of the basic training recruits weaseled out of some of this by attending church),do your laundry,shine your boots do work details and if you were lucky once in a blue moon you could make a phone call. Every now and then a fatman driving what was called a gut truck came by and sold,pizzas,gator aid and energy bars and what you were allowed to have was at the discretion of the drill sergeants.My drill sergeants most of the time banned our platoon from the gut truck when they did allow us to purchase anything from the gut truck it was gator aid and maybe a energy bar and this was on a day before a pt test. The drill sergeants that ran the other platoon usuakky allowed their recruits to go to the gut truck on days it did come by to purchase pizza,gator aid and energy bars and every now and then watch a movie.

 

[jamesrage]

Well, in my day, it was Pac Man.

I got to play video games in basic training too.
The MACS (Multipurpose Arcade Combat Simulator) for Super Nintendo - The Gamer Gene