NAVY BOOT CAMP

Comment

Comment by MarkM on December 25, 2009 at 8:05am

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wish all of you the best during this special season. I hope you all hear from your kids soon.

Comment by MarkM on December 25, 2009 at 1:26am

We got a "letter" from Mark today. My wife got some questionaires off N4Ms, which is a great idea. You can customize it and your kid just answers the questions with yes or no answers. These kids don't know how to write letters,s o this helps a lot!

Anyway, he is doing well and was put on ship's staff, which is a good thing. He is hoping to call home for Christmas...it depends on how they did on a test Wednesday. Keeping the fingers crossed.

Comment by Gingerman357 on December 24, 2009 at 8:55pm

Grin, chuckle, chuckle. Ho, Ho, Ho.

Comment by Nick Maccarone on December 24, 2009 at 7:09pm

Steve, don't worry the RDC's know how to slap that attitude right out of the best of our sons and daughters!! Patrick is home on leave now having PIR'd on 12/4 and we are enjoying him and the stories he tells of BC. He also was one of the cocky kids (even at age 21) and he is anything but that now!!! He was a white surfer dude from CA who when he wasn't surfing he was snowboarding and that comes with attitude. He learned very quickly that it was not worth it to run his mouth at the wrong people. Hope you have a Merry Christmas. Your son will be a strong man when you see him again and your buttons will be busting!!

Comment by Gingerman357 on December 24, 2009 at 5:33pm

Merry Christmas All.

Just mailed my Christmas letter to our sailor at BC. It's not his first away from home, but the first in a really strange environment.

The only communication we've had from him is the form letter, where he said he guesses he's "stuck." Then a couple of calls for info for his security clearance, where there was someone who had their compassion shot off in Iraq standing behind him telling him to keep it short. No letters.

He asked, in the form letter for a copy of a somewhat gloomy poem, "Invictus." I sent it to him, but in tonight's letter, I sent "If," by Rudyard Kipling.

My worry about him is that he's always prided himself on being a smart-ass who no one picks on. When he was little, he walked around with a "Kick Me" sign on his back, and then he took Judo and Fencing, and he started carrying himself totally differently. Went to a high school dominated by a Salvadoran gang (MS13). He's 6'4" tall, and so white he makes gym socks look grey. He didn't have minute of trouble.

So I'm worried that this attitude may be a problem in BC. Given some authority, he could be a total jerk. I don't know. Could be just what's needed, but my experience of leadership is that it's easier to pull a rope than push it, and He's one who might choose pushing.

Enough of this! Merry Christmas! I'll say Happy New Year next week. We all have cause to celebrate right now!

Comment by Scott L. Waller on December 24, 2009 at 4:28pm

We got Brians form letter today. It was great even though there was not much from him. It's Christmas eve and it was a great relief for his wife to get this letter.

Comment by David on December 24, 2009 at 9:26am

We got a call this morning, and Mom was home to get it. Yeah! Is still leaving for Goose Creek on Saturday, not sure when but thinks it is morning. Still says that BS is the Wednesday before grad.

Comment by Steven S on December 24, 2009 at 9:05am

Good Morning Dads!
Scott and others. Keep writing! My son. like Dan's, arrived in GL Dec.1. We got our form letter about 4 days after "the box" did. The box came about Dec5. Be careful with that box. That pair of dirty underwear right up on top will kill the mood real quick. Now, that form letter from the Navy is pretty cool after the kid being gone for a week or so. There will be a couple of lines that they can write you on the bottom of it. Mine use part of his to tell us he had to go "pee". We knew he was ok when we all laughed reading that. This Tuesday, Dec22, we got our first letter. Jayme said that they were told the week before that they would get to call home, so he didn't write us. When that call didn't happen he began to write. He too probably hasn't written a word since high school. Yesterday he was able to call and got his mom at work on her cell. 23 days after we dropped him off. I bet most of them put too much faith in that promise to call home. The calls are used as rewards. The better they perform, the longer the call. I try to remind myself to take the "high road". Your still parenting, or setting the better example. So try to write something every day. Just put yourself in their shoes. Jayme said the worst part so far was the first two
weeks. But the 15 letters that we there for him on the first mail day were the greatest. He finished his call yesterday telling mom to keep the mail coming. Mine too did nothing but text text text. Mom said the boy was talking talking talking and sounded great.
On some days I just print the sports page. Others some stupid graphic that he always enjoyed. Just keep something going in there. They have no outside contact at all unless you send something. Three days ago I was in the same state you are in. I was wondering which one of his girl friends was getting all the mail and calls. Just like when he was home. :)

Comment by Dan (Zach's Dad) on December 24, 2009 at 7:49am

Scott, I definately would not take it personal right now ~ if at the end of the 9 weeks, then do, but right now, they are not given a lot of time to write letters. :( Most of the time, I write about anything and he loves it! I also try to get his mind on the future, always look ahead! I try to ask him as many questions as possible, ie. after PIR do you want to go to Gurnee and walk around, or go to downtown Chicago and walk around or stay in a hotel with a pool? Granted I know the answer already, however, it makes him think about something else but what he is doing! Zach with the facebook was the same way ~ his sister is still that way! I can post something on there, a serious question, and natta, never an answer, but if a friend leaves a comment, ILU or something they would have 2 hr dialog! :) its kids i think.. not like when we grew up.. never aloud in the house all day until dinner time, up hill with no shoes int he winter.. hehehehe ;) *keep writing* remain positive ~ He will write you! :)

Comment by Scott L. Waller on December 23, 2009 at 11:32pm

Dan, I could hardly get him to answer me on my space when he was on it. His sister and her three girls all are writing him so he should be busy with all the letters. His brother and sister gave him a nick name when he was little and his nieces all call him by that name. I told my daughter to not include that in his letters for now.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 673
• 674
• 675
• 676
• 677
• …
• 830
• Next ›
• Page