Thanks for the hair gel. I don't need any more as we just made a PX call and I bought 3 more bottles. We re-gel our hair several times a day with a LOT of gel. There can be no flyaways and the buns have to look like they are held up by magic—no bobby pins or hair ties or anything else like that can show. So those bottles we go through FAST.
I'm having a good time. We won initial drill, meaning we beat Platoon 4001 (the scores were close – it was 63.7 to 63.5) and will march in front of them with the series guidon (a red flag). It was a moment of victory that awarded us a lot of hell from the DIs, who were making sure we knew nothing had changed and we were still recruits. I'm glad we won though. It would have been a lot worse if we hadn't.
We are in Phase II now and Swim Qual Week has started. It's really not that hard to swim in the water in cammies – they can be sort of filled with air and they kinda float. Anyway, we all jumped off a ten-foot thing into the water, swam 25 meters, etc. Piece of cake. Some girls didn't pass; one somehow almost dislocated her shoulder. Weird.
Rifle range is next week. Gonna go study knowledge now. The test is coming up.
I got like over 100 birthday cards. A class of first graders made me cards too which greatly added to the numbers. And just so you know, the present you sent was great. DI Sgt. Sagullo's exact words were "How cute, Snider. Now start pushing." SUCCESS!
(Rose's mom here: I gift-wrapped a little sample packet of moisturizer that I picked up at Whole Foods, decorated the tiny present with stickers and included it in a letter.)
P.S. Funniest thing just happened. You're supposed to run for any DIs hatch to open it for them. So a DI comes in, looks around and starts to walk out. I go booking it for the hatch and out of nowhere she starts SPRINTING for it. Luckily I beat her. Afterwards everyone in the squad bay just cracked up. I have NO idea why she decided to do that. She didn't say nothing or crack any expression or anything!
Sunday. Not a Training Day. The Day after TD 17.
Initial Drill and Game Day, where we compete for the series guidon (flag) with Platoon 4001, is only 2 days away. I hope we’re ready. We spent a while drilling this morning. A ditty is something you say aloud or in your head to remember your steps.
DI Sgt. Sagullo: Half step…
Recruits: Pause!
DI Sgt. Sagullo: March!
Recruits: 30-15! (and we start half-stepping)
DI: … Okay, what is my ditty?
Rct. Mulherron: 30-15.
DI: So you take a full 30-inch step, then kick out a 15-inch step. Half of you— I don’t even know what you’re doing. You should kick it out and then pick up a half-step. You prance, like a damn pony. Don’t make me change your ditty to "like a pony."
That would be the best ditty ever!
Then later we turn to square away time and Davey bangs on the DI hatch.
Davey: Good morning ladies! Excuse Recruit Davey, Drill Instructor Sgt. Sagullo ma'am!
DI Sgt. Sagullo: What, Davey?
Davey: Recruit Davey requests permission to know that if these recruits signed the church roster, do they still have to go?
DI: …. Yes.
Davey: Aye ma'am, good morning ma’am.
DI: Davey!
Davey: Aye ma'am!
DI: Are you telling me you're turning into a damn heathen now?
I don’t know why, but it was dead funny.
Religion is an expected thing. "Heathens" have to shut their "fat mouths" and so on to let the rest of us pray and do devotionals etc. properly. Catholics are the best because mass is long. It ends after square away time already ended, so when we get back, the house has already been field-day-ed (thoroughly cleaned) by the other religious recruits who get back sooner. Suckers!
Every Sunday we are weighed in. I'm at 133 lbs now – lost 10 lbs and I swear that I’m eating excessively.
It’s easy to screw things up for everyone. One recruit doesn't do her hair? Then all recruits take down and mess up their hair.
The days are going by fast. Miss you guys.
DI Sgt. Sagullo: Half step…
Recruits: Pause!
DI Sgt. Sagullo: March!
Recruits: 30-15! (and we start half-stepping)
DI: … Okay, what is my ditty?
Rct. Mulherron: 30-15.
DI: So you take a full 30-inch step, then kick out a 15-inch step. Half of you— I don’t even know what you’re doing. You should kick it out and then pick up a half-step. You prance, like a damn pony. Don’t make me change your ditty to "like a pony."
That would be the best ditty ever!
Then later we turn to square away time and Davey bangs on the DI hatch.
Davey: Good morning ladies! Excuse Recruit Davey, Drill Instructor Sgt. Sagullo ma'am!
DI Sgt. Sagullo: What, Davey?
Davey: Recruit Davey requests permission to know that if these recruits signed the church roster, do they still have to go?
DI: …. Yes.
Davey: Aye ma'am, good morning ma’am.
DI: Davey!
Davey: Aye ma'am!
DI: Are you telling me you're turning into a damn heathen now?
I don’t know why, but it was dead funny.
Religion is an expected thing. "Heathens" have to shut their "fat mouths" and so on to let the rest of us pray and do devotionals etc. properly. Catholics are the best because mass is long. It ends after square away time already ended, so when we get back, the house has already been field-day-ed (thoroughly cleaned) by the other religious recruits who get back sooner. Suckers!
Every Sunday we are weighed in. I'm at 133 lbs now – lost 10 lbs and I swear that I’m eating excessively.
It’s easy to screw things up for everyone. One recruit doesn't do her hair? Then all recruits take down and mess up their hair.
The days are going by fast. Miss you guys.
Training Day 16
Yesterday November 9 is when I got about 30 cards all at once. They first got passed to me (the DI calls "Snider" and you say "Aye ma'am on the way ma'am" and run up, alligator-slap it, and say, "Recruit Snider, all mail received, aye ma'am, good evening ladies") but after seven or so she got sick of THAT and just started chucking my mail all around the squad bay. Only had time during the square away time to read one or two because I was busy methodically tightening my "A" cammies (a set of dress cammies -- ours are just jungle greens that we iron and starch and never wear) and cleaning my rifle because we had a Senior Drill Instructor Inspection today.
Let's talk about that.
We all stood in line in front of our footlockers at parade rest. One by one – I was like almost last because we are in alphabetical order – The SDI Sgt Radetsky marched up to us. You said, "Good morning ladies, Recruit Snider" and performed a tricky little number with your rifle called inspection arms that basically involved you exactly pulling the bolt to the rear, looking to make sure it's clear, and stopping at port arms (held in two hands). If you fucked it up, you failed the "Rifle Manual" part. If you passed, the SDI took the weapon, inspected it, and asked some questions – I got "What is your rifle serial number?" and "Who is your company first lieutenant?" Then you took back your rifle, executed an about face, she inspected your uniform and moved on.
My scores:
Rifle Manual: Average (this is good)
Knowledge: Above average
Uniform: Average
Overall: Above average
But get this: Most of the platoon either failed or got Below Average and the DIs were PISSED! As soon as the SDI was off deck they flew off the handle. Anyone who failed grabbed all her stuff – seabags, mollie packs, full muster war gear, footlockers, day packs, Kevlar helmets, garment bags, hygiene bags, shoes and boots and DUMPED it all into a mess in the quarterdeck.
As for the rest of us, we tore up the house on command. Racks were stripped, footlockers and other shit moved to the containment area (laundry room/gym) and back again, etc. etc. After an hour or so they relented, kinda, said we had 7 minutes to make everything perfect, and went into the DI house and shut the door.
After that, we went to chow and because it's the Corps birthday, we had cake. The DIs are pissed about that too. We don't rate cake.
We do a lot of echoing. Like if a DI is calling for a recruit, it would sound like:
DI Sgt. Sagullo: Recruit Snider!
Recruits: Recruit Snider! Report to Drill Instructor Sergeant Sagullo as ordered!
Snider: Aye ma'am on the way ma'am!
Recruits: Aye ma'am on the way ma'am!
This is all done to make sure the recruit she wants hears her and she hears they are coming.
Tomorrow we have a 3-mile hike with our gear, and rumor has it tonight the DIs are gonna fuck with our rifles. I seriously love my rifle. I think I've bonded with it, and can't wait for grass week – 7 days of shooting, 7 hours per day!
I wouldn't say I'm enjoying myself, but I sort of am in a weird way. It's not that bad … ha ha someone was sprawled out or something and now we have to spend the rest of square away time standing up. I'm gonna wrap this up since it sucks to write standing.
Write!
Let's talk about that.
We all stood in line in front of our footlockers at parade rest. One by one – I was like almost last because we are in alphabetical order – The SDI Sgt Radetsky marched up to us. You said, "Good morning ladies, Recruit Snider" and performed a tricky little number with your rifle called inspection arms that basically involved you exactly pulling the bolt to the rear, looking to make sure it's clear, and stopping at port arms (held in two hands). If you fucked it up, you failed the "Rifle Manual" part. If you passed, the SDI took the weapon, inspected it, and asked some questions – I got "What is your rifle serial number?" and "Who is your company first lieutenant?" Then you took back your rifle, executed an about face, she inspected your uniform and moved on.
My scores:
Rifle Manual: Average (this is good)
Knowledge: Above average
Uniform: Average
Overall: Above average
But get this: Most of the platoon either failed or got Below Average and the DIs were PISSED! As soon as the SDI was off deck they flew off the handle. Anyone who failed grabbed all her stuff – seabags, mollie packs, full muster war gear, footlockers, day packs, Kevlar helmets, garment bags, hygiene bags, shoes and boots and DUMPED it all into a mess in the quarterdeck.
As for the rest of us, we tore up the house on command. Racks were stripped, footlockers and other shit moved to the containment area (laundry room/gym) and back again, etc. etc. After an hour or so they relented, kinda, said we had 7 minutes to make everything perfect, and went into the DI house and shut the door.
After that, we went to chow and because it's the Corps birthday, we had cake. The DIs are pissed about that too. We don't rate cake.
We do a lot of echoing. Like if a DI is calling for a recruit, it would sound like:
DI Sgt. Sagullo: Recruit Snider!
Recruits: Recruit Snider! Report to Drill Instructor Sergeant Sagullo as ordered!
Snider: Aye ma'am on the way ma'am!
Recruits: Aye ma'am on the way ma'am!
This is all done to make sure the recruit she wants hears her and she hears they are coming.
Tomorrow we have a 3-mile hike with our gear, and rumor has it tonight the DIs are gonna fuck with our rifles. I seriously love my rifle. I think I've bonded with it, and can't wait for grass week – 7 days of shooting, 7 hours per day!
I wouldn't say I'm enjoying myself, but I sort of am in a weird way. It's not that bad … ha ha someone was sprawled out or something and now we have to spend the rest of square away time standing up. I'm gonna wrap this up since it sucks to write standing.
Write!
Training Day 14
Happy Birthday to me! Fifteen minutes after I turned 21 I woke up to start the day.
It was actually a really good day. The major event was the confidence course – a 3-hour obstacle course that involves entirely heights. And amazingly? I was confident! And I successfully completed all the obstacles we got to! Usually I'm terrified of heights but today I did, among other things:
Log climb: Three logs in succession, each set higher than the last, where you climbed on the first one (3 ft high), stood up, LEAPED to land 5 feet forward on your stomach on the 2nd (6 ft high) and did the same for the 3rd (9 ft high) then climbed up on it and dropped down.
Monkey Climb: You scramble up a telephone-pole-like thing that's about 20 feet high then, balancing on a single rope while holding onto another one that's above your head, you cross over a water obstacle. Then you slide down a rope to the ground.
Among others! It was very exciting that I DID it!
Little drill today. We had some classes and at supper I snuck an extra dessert as a birthday present to myself so I had pudding AND jello. I need to study and work out, all the time I can afford.
It was actually a really good day. The major event was the confidence course – a 3-hour obstacle course that involves entirely heights. And amazingly? I was confident! And I successfully completed all the obstacles we got to! Usually I'm terrified of heights but today I did, among other things:
Log climb: Three logs in succession, each set higher than the last, where you climbed on the first one (3 ft high), stood up, LEAPED to land 5 feet forward on your stomach on the 2nd (6 ft high) and did the same for the 3rd (9 ft high) then climbed up on it and dropped down.
Monkey Climb: You scramble up a telephone-pole-like thing that's about 20 feet high then, balancing on a single rope while holding onto another one that's above your head, you cross over a water obstacle. Then you slide down a rope to the ground.
Among others! It was very exciting that I DID it!
Little drill today. We had some classes and at supper I snuck an extra dessert as a birthday present to myself so I had pudding AND jello. I need to study and work out, all the time I can afford.
Training Day 13
Gas chamber today with CS gas. We got in and the room filled up and it stung along your neck and hands and ears and edges of the mask. There were like 30-35 girls in this smallish room, and they had us do a few things like jumping jacks. That was fine! I was nervous at first even though we practiced taking the mask on and off a lot already, but when I got in I found I was totally ok. We took off our masks, held our breaths, and shut our eyes until they said to put the masks back on. I fucked this up a little and didn't clear my mask properly (you have to exhale hard and hold down a certain spot on the mask) so I breathed a little gas but it wasn't awful. I cleared it in the next breath, and stood calmly by while the girl next to me FREAKED out, didn't put on her mask, collapsed on the floor, then ran for the door. They had to physically restrain her. Sucks to be her. "Failure to follow simple instructions" as the DIs always say.
They dragged in someone else at the start, too. You're going through that chamber whether you want to or not!
After we got out and stripped our masks my eyes teared up awful though. It was horrible. I must have gotten some CS in them from my cammies. Some of my platoon had to direct me to the place we stripped down. But I wasn't freaked about it! I just couldn't see.
Gonna wrap this up and send it. Don't want too long of a letter to be discovered and confiscated.
P.S. Our drill is way improving.
They dragged in someone else at the start, too. You're going through that chamber whether you want to or not!
After we got out and stripped our masks my eyes teared up awful though. It was horrible. I must have gotten some CS in them from my cammies. Some of my platoon had to direct me to the place we stripped down. But I wasn't freaked about it! I just couldn't see.
Gonna wrap this up and send it. Don't want too long of a letter to be discovered and confiscated.
P.S. Our drill is way improving.
Training Day 12
I received an inadvertent compliment from the new DI today. She was telling off the rest of the platoon when I was the only one volunteering to answer test question, and DI Sgt. Goodman goes, "Someone else besides Snider, 'cause it looks she's the only one that's going to graduate."
We did an obstacle course today – everything from leaping over logs five feet up to climbing a wall, ropes, flipping ourselves over bars, etc. It was very tough! A lot of people – actually everyone but three – didn't finish. I made it to the very last ropes obstacle, but Sgt. Sagullo had made me do the wall like four times because other recruits kept messing up, so I was too tired to climb the final 20 ft. rope. Oh well.
Can you do another mass letter? Just to let people know how I'm doing, that I can't write back and am very sorry about that, and thanks A LOT for the birthday letters.
When we 'muster' – which mean march anywhere – we wear our full muster war gear. This is a hefty harness w/ canteens, a moonbeam (flashlight), a glow strip for visibility, and a butt pack and drill belt with a poncho in it. We even take this to church. Yesterday in church religious ed we started The Shoes of the Fisherman – a very long movie. It was a blast. We get 4 hours square away time on Sundays, most of which I spend in religious ed and church. Worth it!!! You're away from the DIs. The Catholics get back last and we always return to exhausted-looking recruits, freshly scuzzed (cleaned/scrubbed) floors, racks that have been made and unmade and made and unmade for no real reason, etc. I'm happy I miss all of that. Go religion!
We did an obstacle course today – everything from leaping over logs five feet up to climbing a wall, ropes, flipping ourselves over bars, etc. It was very tough! A lot of people – actually everyone but three – didn't finish. I made it to the very last ropes obstacle, but Sgt. Sagullo had made me do the wall like four times because other recruits kept messing up, so I was too tired to climb the final 20 ft. rope. Oh well.
Can you do another mass letter? Just to let people know how I'm doing, that I can't write back and am very sorry about that, and thanks A LOT for the birthday letters.
When we 'muster' – which mean march anywhere – we wear our full muster war gear. This is a hefty harness w/ canteens, a moonbeam (flashlight), a glow strip for visibility, and a butt pack and drill belt with a poncho in it. We even take this to church. Yesterday in church religious ed we started The Shoes of the Fisherman – a very long movie. It was a blast. We get 4 hours square away time on Sundays, most of which I spend in religious ed and church. Worth it!!! You're away from the DIs. The Catholics get back last and we always return to exhausted-looking recruits, freshly scuzzed (cleaned/scrubbed) floors, racks that have been made and unmade and made and unmade for no real reason, etc. I'm happy I miss all of that. Go religion!
Training Day 9
MCMAP (martial arts training) is great. We learned how to fall properly, that loud dramatic way martial arts people have of doing it that makes it not hurt. I can now leap forward, somersault before I hit the floor and roll up onto my feet.
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