Today is not a Training Day. Please make sure to pass along from these letters anything you want, because I only have time to write to one person and only barely that.
All recruits look forward to three things: chow, church and hygiene. We get about an hour a day also to square ourselves away, and this time is often taken away because someone was stupid so we scuzz (sweep the floor with small hand brushes) instead. That sounds like this:
DI: Scuzz brush to bulkhead! (wall)
Us: Scuzz brush to bulkhead aye ma'am good evening ladies!
DI: Ready?
Us: Pain!
DI: Move!
Us: Discipline!
For church on Sundays we get a huge block of free morning square away time. I use mine to iron my cammies, fix myself, then go to religious education and then Mass.
Things are very hard but much better. The initial shock has worn off and things are falling into perspective. At first we'd wake up the first few days just trembling, but now it's not really any big deal.
Training Day 4
Samek's (that my rack mate) and my crowning moment yesterday night was finding extra lunches. Sometimes we don't go to chow hall; we get these box lunches that have – always – one small sandwich, a pear, an under-ripe orange, two celery sticks and two small carrots, one hard boiled egg, and one granola bar. So my bunkie and I are the GI recruits, meaning we take out the trash all the time. We were told to take like 11 boxes of them to the trash. So we stole all the granola bars and are trading them for favors.
Yesterday we did some more martial arts training and we got to beat up and stab dummies with our rifle butts and bayonets, while screaming either inanely or "Marine Corps!" We had to march a few miles to get to the training area.
People don't talk about boot camp for the same reason you don't talk about war: there either isn't anything to talk about or there is too much. It can't be explained – you'd have to be there. I can't tell you what it's really like here because it sounds awful and abusive but it's really not. You sort of shut down, and scream "aye ma'am" and "no ma'am" as loud as you can and that's all.
I do like it here but it is really hard; please continue to send letters. I won't be writing for a little while now I think because I need to study and practice my rifle drills.
Yesterday we did some more martial arts training and we got to beat up and stab dummies with our rifle butts and bayonets, while screaming either inanely or "Marine Corps!" We had to march a few miles to get to the training area.
People don't talk about boot camp for the same reason you don't talk about war: there either isn't anything to talk about or there is too much. It can't be explained – you'd have to be there. I can't tell you what it's really like here because it sounds awful and abusive but it's really not. You sort of shut down, and scream "aye ma'am" and "no ma'am" as loud as you can and that's all.
I do like it here but it is really hard; please continue to send letters. I won't be writing for a little while now I think because I need to study and practice my rifle drills.
Training Day 3
It's hard to believe I've only been here a weekish, and not either forever or just got here.
At boot camp, there are only two different levels of voice: "Shut your fat mouth" and "Open your stupid mouths." There are two separate speeds – "fly" / "step it out" and "DO NOT RUN." All of our gear is "trash". There are no pronouns – recruits don't get those. They are disgusting creatures, all civilian-y, and the only difference between us and civilians is we once thought, "I might be able to become a Marine."
The days are very regular so don't be too shocked at a lack of content here. The recruits wake up at 3:45 a.m. and during the night is the only time we have a watch because we take two-hour rifle security watch posts. That report sounds like: "Good evening ma'am! Recruit Snider and Recruit Samek reporting as rifle security watch for Platoon 4000. There are 58 M16-A2 service rifles properly secured to the racks and on safe. There are 58 seabags properly secured in the containment area. There are 58 footlockers properly secured. There are 56 USMC recruits asleep in their racks and 2 on rifle security watch. Today is Training Day 3. Good evening, ma'am."
It becomes easy to memorize MASS amounts of knowledge verbatim when you yell it constantly while going place to place.
DI: The three types of flags.
Recruits: Ma'am, the 3 types of flags are storm, post and garrison, ma'am!
Etc.
We all look like we have chicken pox because of the gnat and flea bites. Dozens and dozens of pink itchy spots. You put hand sanitizer on it, on everything, because it's easy to get infected here. My hands and arms are covered in cuts and bruises from grabbing and moving heavy things and my rifle quickly all the time. Everyone's fingers are bandaged. The DIs congratulate each other each time they get a recruit to 'drop' (to say she wants to go home) but doing so is a long and awful process. I guess that's the DIs job though.
After we got up today, we dressed Marine boot camp style – "Put on your boots. 30-29-28-27-" etc. for each item. The countdown is as fast as the numbers can be said. Then we went to PT – an exhausting time, I assure you.
There are classes 'n' stuff. Write more later. Love!! Keep sending gossip!
At boot camp, there are only two different levels of voice: "Shut your fat mouth" and "Open your stupid mouths." There are two separate speeds – "fly" / "step it out" and "DO NOT RUN." All of our gear is "trash". There are no pronouns – recruits don't get those. They are disgusting creatures, all civilian-y, and the only difference between us and civilians is we once thought, "I might be able to become a Marine."
The days are very regular so don't be too shocked at a lack of content here. The recruits wake up at 3:45 a.m. and during the night is the only time we have a watch because we take two-hour rifle security watch posts. That report sounds like: "Good evening ma'am! Recruit Snider and Recruit Samek reporting as rifle security watch for Platoon 4000. There are 58 M16-A2 service rifles properly secured to the racks and on safe. There are 58 seabags properly secured in the containment area. There are 58 footlockers properly secured. There are 56 USMC recruits asleep in their racks and 2 on rifle security watch. Today is Training Day 3. Good evening, ma'am."
It becomes easy to memorize MASS amounts of knowledge verbatim when you yell it constantly while going place to place.
DI: The three types of flags.
Recruits: Ma'am, the 3 types of flags are storm, post and garrison, ma'am!
Etc.
We all look like we have chicken pox because of the gnat and flea bites. Dozens and dozens of pink itchy spots. You put hand sanitizer on it, on everything, because it's easy to get infected here. My hands and arms are covered in cuts and bruises from grabbing and moving heavy things and my rifle quickly all the time. Everyone's fingers are bandaged. The DIs congratulate each other each time they get a recruit to 'drop' (to say she wants to go home) but doing so is a long and awful process. I guess that's the DIs job though.
After we got up today, we dressed Marine boot camp style – "Put on your boots. 30-29-28-27-" etc. for each item. The countdown is as fast as the numbers can be said. Then we went to PT – an exhausting time, I assure you.
There are classes 'n' stuff. Write more later. Love!! Keep sending gossip!
Training Day 2
I'm writing this on an exercise machine because this morning I was told … never mind, that was too hard. I'm doing better than before, but I got in trouble hardcore and may not graduate in time. Please ask Gunny if I might not get my MOS if I don't graduate on Jan. 12 or if it is locked. I wrote a lot of letters and didn't seal them, then accidentally left my footlocker open and the DIs found them. In one I wrote (jokingly) to tell Gunny to fuck off for sending me here. Now DI Sgt. Sagullo says she's putting me on rifle watch, (where you walk a post around our M16 rifles and keep them secured) and not letting me PT so that "you'll fail the PST (physical fitness test)". I have no free time now 'cause I'll be using it to study and PT so I don't fail, but ask anyway.
PLEASE LETTERS!!!!!
Tell people I'm stressed but having fun, and to write but I can't write back. I'm on the DIs 'destroy' list – they tear up my things and my bed and stuff, not other recruits – because of my footlocker and letters.
We drill a lot – in formations and marching, and are starting to attend etiquette, history and martial arts classes. We sound off ditties (like 'pick them up' and 'BOOT TOP HIGH!') during marches.
I'm homesick but enjoying myself. I'm in the rack (bed) closest to the DI door, so I don't get away with shit. Every morning they wake us up and we have 20 sec to get on line @ attention, then they count backwards from 100 as fast as possible, and all 59 girls have to be out of the heads (bathrooms) by then. I never make it! I wake up 20 mins earlier at 3:40 to go then. We do a lot of repetition – making all the racks in 5 mins then tearing them up and making them again. We call out "knowledge" (we'll be tested later) in formation (like "Ma'am, discipline is the instant willing obedience to all orders, self- reliance, and team work Ma'am.")
I'm trying to keep my head down.
PLEASE LETTERS!!!!!
Tell people I'm stressed but having fun, and to write but I can't write back. I'm on the DIs 'destroy' list – they tear up my things and my bed and stuff, not other recruits – because of my footlocker and letters.
We drill a lot – in formations and marching, and are starting to attend etiquette, history and martial arts classes. We sound off ditties (like 'pick them up' and 'BOOT TOP HIGH!') during marches.
I'm homesick but enjoying myself. I'm in the rack (bed) closest to the DI door, so I don't get away with shit. Every morning they wake us up and we have 20 sec to get on line @ attention, then they count backwards from 100 as fast as possible, and all 59 girls have to be out of the heads (bathrooms) by then. I never make it! I wake up 20 mins earlier at 3:40 to go then. We do a lot of repetition – making all the racks in 5 mins then tearing them up and making them again. We call out "knowledge" (we'll be tested later) in formation (like "Ma'am, discipline is the instant willing obedience to all orders, self- reliance, and team work Ma'am.")
I'm trying to keep my head down.
First Letter
In very shaky and hurried writing...
Dear Mom:
I'm sneaking this letter in; we aren't allowed to write home yet. Might not get to you. Can't keep a diary -- way too busy. We are on Friday Forming Day One. VERY HARD! Please email Mack at [email address]. Tell him I am having a really hard time and need him not to send what he was going to send. I really need encouragement letters.
Love you. Bye.
Dear Mom:
I'm sneaking this letter in; we aren't allowed to write home yet. Might not get to you. Can't keep a diary -- way too busy. We are on Friday Forming Day One. VERY HARD! Please email Mack at [email address]. Tell him I am having a really hard time and need him not to send what he was going to send. I really need encouragement letters.
Love you. Bye.
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