A MOTHERS PAGE
OK....this is something like a journal that I decided I would like to do to document what I am feeling as my only child and son goes off to Basic Training.....I am going to make an entry in here each day until he returns.....
Here is a little background........ He was married earlier this year and attends college. He joined the National Guard and he will be gone for 8 weeks to Basic Training and then another 8 weeks for his AIT training.......He will be at Ft Sill Oklahoma and then on to Ft Leonardwood for the last 8 weeks......My husband and I both have full time jobs and my daughter in law will still be attending college and working.......so we probably will not get to see him until this is all over......
January 5th 1999
Well, he came by to say goodbye to me. I took the weekend off so we could spend time together. We went out and ate....played cards......went to the movies......ate some more....went bowling.....just fun things......I guess what I am feeling right now is bittersweet because on one hand I feel very proud and on the other hand I feel scared. I am praying that God is with him on his journey and keeps him safe. He is a very special man.....and he is still my baby. He is a very strong,intelligent and kind person, a kind of person that all mothers want their children to be. I know in my heart that this will probably be good for him. It seems like yesterday that he was learning to walk. AHH.....my mother always told me that they grow up so fast and now I believe her. Funny thing is I did not get sad when he got married, I guess that is because I love my daughter in law with all my heart. I am just a little misty eyed right now. I am also thinking....they better not be mean to him!!....lol
January 6, 1999
He called today...He was waiting on the bus to arrive to take him the last leg of his journey to Ft Sill.....He sounded very tired and far away but he sounded in good spirits....I thank God for keeping him safe....I didn't sleep last night at all....I kept wondering if I had done everything I could to prepare him for adulthood....If only we knew then what we know now....
January 7, 1999
I now have a bald son.....he had tons of curls when he was little....haven't talked to him but he was scheduled to get the buzz this morning...his beard is also history...lol...I bet Sgt Carter has already yelled at him too!!Sometimes children really push your buttons and you yell at them but if someone else yells at them, you get mad? LOL
January 8, 1999
Well guess who I talked to tonight! He called me (well ok the line was busy at his house) and I asked if he had been yelled at yet and he said yea I been yelled at alot! When boys are small they will hug their mothers and say I love you.....then they go thru the adolescent stage where NO WAY!! Now that he is older he is coming back around and it makes you feel really good to hear them say I love you without you saying it first!
January 9, 1999
Life seems to be getting a little more interesting for him now, he was running before daylight to get into formation and fell into a 4ft deep concrete trench....hurt his leg and scraped his hand...he says his leg is ok....I think they need to put some light on the subject!! I can't wait to get his address so I can write...He said to start writing letters now so that when we get his letter with his address, then we will have some to mail and he will get alot of them!
January 10,1999
He called right before his 8 o'clock bedtime, said he went to Church this morning and even sang! I think it gave him strength because he said when the minister talked about mothers, fathers, and wives he cried....and he said he wasnt the only one......God be with all these young men and women away from home.....
January 11, 1999
Today was the last day of zero week....now the hard training begins, he was very happy that he got the last of his shots, he said that they line up 8 at a time against a wall and then tell you to face the wall and drop your pants, then they walk behind you and stab you with the shot, he said his rear is still sore from the penicillin shot a few days ago, seemed depressed but was glad and nervous at the same time that the week was over. He thought the obstacle course looked fun and that the chemical warfare exercise would be *interesting*
January 12, 1999
Received a letter today...he sounds pretty homesick...can't send packages or pictures to him yet, actually can't even send a letter cause he will not have his addy until next week...He said they expect you to already know how to do everything without explaining anything and then will yell at you for not knowing how...but he also said he guesses that is their job...I think that is a good attitude to take...he also said he thinks his drill seargant will be a short lady...I thought well he can just act like it is his mother......LOL...I know the real training has started cause he did not get to call tonight...may be a week now before we can talk to him
January 13,1999
After I updated last night, he called Molly and he had only one minute to talk(and yes they stand there and time you)and he gave her the address so we can write to him, she said you could hear others in the background giving their families their address also...I am going to ask him if there is someone who is not getting any mail and I think I will write to them also...anyway so I wrote a letter and then got dressed and my husband asked me where I was going (it was only 2AM) and I said I am going to the post office to mail this letter! I wanted him to get it as quickly as possible. He did not call tonight and who knows he may be sleeping in a tent somewhere..anyway another day done!!
January 14 1999
No word today, I was thinking about all the mothers who have sons and daughters in foreign countries, it must be sheer agony mixed with pride....and thinking about the wars that were fought and all the men and women who died......we owe them so much...I knew that already...but never really realized how much until now...
January 15 1999
I guess no news is good news...I do wonder several times a day what he is doing and if he is doing ok...March 18th is graduation...seems so far off and I know it does to him also.....miss ya
January 16 1999
Still no call and still no letters....I guess they have them pretty busy, just as well so time will go by quicker...I sent him a scratch n sniff in his letter today...I had a burger for lunch and I took some ketchup and put a little on the page and a little mustard as well...let it dry and then wrote scratch and sniff to see what I had for lunch.....LOL.....he should get a chuckle out of that
January 17 1999
Still no calls....I guess that means everything is fine....is almost 2 weeks now....seems to me like it is going slow but I hope to him it is going fast...I am proud of myself because I have not missed a day yet writing to him...and I won't until he comes home...but then I think I will write him a few more and send them to his house and tell him I am just in the habit...lol
January 18 1999
No phone calls.....no letters....hmmm....I hope his drill seargant lets them have a call soon! I would think it would be hard to be a drill seargant because you have so many people come in and then leave...It would be hard not to get attached to them...Drill sargeants are people also and I am sure it is hard to be tough sometimes...I know they would never admit that! They do have a big responsibility...Anyway love ya and miss ya still!
January 19 1999
2 weeks to the day....one fourth over...I read the news reports daily on the net....I find that I read more about the unrest in other countries now cause I wonder if he will have to go there...I guess you can't just sit and worry about it...anyway whatever you are doing son....I miss you
January 20 1999
His wife received a letter today..was good to hear from him...he said that it was stressful when you first got there because they yell at you and everyone is running around in a panic but after you get used to it, its not as bad...he also said he hoped they let them do laundry cause their clothes were really smelling bad..lol..he has a sore throat, swollen glands in his neck and a headache...but he said that several of them did...he has to run 2 miles in 13 minutes..It was so good to see his handwriting...I told him not to worry about writing me cause I knew he would not have time...oh and also he said he is a PFC(private first class) now and that really all that meant was he got paid more....lol
January 21 1999
You know the thing that really stands out in my mind after reading his letter today was that they have to fold their underwear to a perfect 6 inch square...I am just trying to imagine how to do that..LOL...their socks must be rolled just right and the little strings cut off their clothes..He said that they will get to spend the day before graduation with family and he is looking forward to that...He ran 2 miles in 13.30 minutes and was happy with that considering that there were 179 people running around the same block...They just all got out in the street and ran...I know the street can't be that wide...They must be able to do it in 13 minutes so I don't think that will be a problem...I guess it was kind of like a marathon...he did 46 pushups in the specified time...but he said that he actually did 56 but the guy counting them decided not to count the first 10 because he did not like his form.....lol...bet he was just jealous...he said that they have had to do a ton of pushups because if someone makes the drill sgt mad then the sgt tells them he is going to burn them and makes them do pushups until they can not do anymore......ouch....my arms hurt....and he also did however many situps he was supposed to do in 2 minutes...he said that he is ranked on the physical test at number 11 out of 180 people.....excellent I think...
January 22
out of town...no entry
January 23
out of town...no entry
January 24 1999
I got home and had 3 letters from him....hehe..he says he is well and appreciates all the letters he gets more than anyone knows...One day he got 8 and his drill sargeant had him do pushups until everyone else got their mail...lol...He is looking forward to Graduation and Family Day(the day before)...he says his day starts at 4am so if we can be there then he can spend more time with us...lolol....4AM? well..maybe 4:15.....
January 25 1999
I received another letter today!!! WOW thats 4 I have gotten now...but the snail mail is kinda slow...takes almost a week to get them!! He has moved up to rank 10 out of 170 in Physical Test area...BUT his Battle Buddy is dead last.....lol..well thats ok..The Battle Buddy as I understand it is your partner in everything you do and you kind of take responsibility for each other...if one gets punished then you both get punished...I think this could teach some very valuable lessons....patience comes to mind as well as team work and also helping to build someones self-esteem to help them better themselves and give them self pride which in turn will build your self esteem and pride...
January 26 1999
Did'nt hear from him today...hope they are keeping him busy...he got caught writing after lights out...they usually hear the drill seargant come in and then pretend they are asleep but this one snuck in....lol....and he got yelled at pretty good...I bet it woke up the whole barracks.....
January 27 1999
I received another letter today...he says his emotions are going up and down...missing his new wife and his family...if only he could not think about home and concentrate on what is going on there...I think it is much easier on his wife because she is at home around a familiar setting and familiar faces...he mentioned that he has been doing some strange stuff in his sleep...like waking up in a panic thinking the drill seargant is there and he is missing something and trying to find it when no one is there....I wrote him and suggested that he take every other night and just relax and get some rest and not worry about writing us after lights out...he said to keep writing daily because it would be devastating to him if he did not receive mail and he felt like we forgot him...oh son...
January 28 1999
I received another letter today...they had just finished the 2.5 mile run which he says they do every other day and then on the other days in between they do situps pushups crunches and leg lifts for 30 minutes straight if no one messes up and longer if they do...they then had to get their lockers ready for an inspection the next day and he said that they DO use rulers to measure to see if everything is folded correctly and is the right size..then they had a class on the history of the army...then they marched for 2 hours without their weapons...In this letter he seemed to be in better spirits but still is having trouble resting at night...he said he has woken up the past two nights at the foot of his bed with his feet on the floor and he barely remembers getting there...he needs to let his mind relax and not worry..I know before he went he did not think he would be homesick and he thought it would be easy..he has always been the type that is *macho*...seems like he has grown up so much more than when he left...
January 29 1999
Did not hear from him today....hope they have him busy doing something somewhere so he will not think about being homesick...I hope he is getting more rest when he goes to bed at night...When he talks about lights out and then getting his flashlight to write under the blanket it reminds me of the time when he was about 10 and he got a flashlight and went into the bedroom where his father was asleep....and he painted his fathers toenails with pink fingernail polish and all the time trying not to giggle too loud, but he pulled it off, OK I had to hold the flashlight...LOL..was kinda funny the next morning when we heard this scream from the bathroom...that started a war with my fingernail polish...it was missing several times...LOL...
January 30 1999
Well only about 45 more days until graduation...did not hear from him today....hopefully he can call tomorrow for 5 minutes...I can't wait to book out flight for graduation...It will be a lot of fun especially when his wife and I are in the bushes the night before hiding with binoculars trying to see him...lol...he told me in the last letter that the lady drill sargeant is the toughest one....I bet she has to be tough...and that asking a simple question quickly turns into a complete cussing out...he was also a little upset because the first week he was there did not count.....they consider that zero week...they had to fill out a form listing a name and addy in case they ever had to go knock on a door...he described it as morbid...I bet that would be the worst experience in the whole world!!
January 31 1999
well January is gone...so time is marching on....wow a rhyme....lol...He had a eye opening experience....he had just gotten up as all of his platoon had done.....they all went to the bathroom and when they came back out the 9 people who had left their lockers unlocked found all their belongings thrown all over the floor.....and he was one of the nine..the drill sargeant decided to teach them a lesson i guess..so he had 10 minutes to get everything folded back and put away....he said it usually takes about 40 minutes to get everything in order because of having to use the ruler when your fold your undies and roll your socks..lol..bet he doesn't forget that again....
