Away In The Marines

Bay Fest 2008

2008-07-06T07:07:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone,

Training is constant and has been for the past 3-4 weeks. There never is a day where we dont do something to prepare us for our deployment. We found out the dates we leave for training in Louisiana and our deployment dates. We leave for Louisiana between the 25th and 27th of July, and will return after three weeks.

We had some much deserved time off for the 4th of July. Let me tell you, military bases know how to celebrate our nation's independence. Fireworks happen every night this weekend after the concert. The bands playing were Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins, 3 Doors Down, Live, and Everclear. I saw Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins, and 3 Doors Down. They were all amazing, but the country bands had a much bigger stage presence and more exciting show than the rock band 3 Doors Down. Again, they were all awesome. I included a video here to show you my two favorite groups I saw. Enjoy.

Snorkeling

2008-06-08T01:00:00.005-05:00

Another long week of work, and another fun weekend. This week I was enrolled in the MRAP course. The MRAP is a newer vehicle which is slowly replacing the HMMWV. The MRAP is larger and can transport 9 people including the driver and vehicle commander. This weekend was a blast. Elsworth and I went kayaking with a guy who just walked up to us and asked if he could tag along. He is a pretty cool guy. His name is Randall Wilcox. Anyways, we went snorkeling in Kaneohe Bay after we Kayaked to Coconut Island...the island where some of Giligan's Island was filmed. The snorkeling there was great! We saw a ton of different fish and more of them than we ever have. Here are some videos! Enjoy!

2008-06-04T00:32:00.001-05:00

Hey ya'll. This past weekend I went sky diving with my best friend Maxwell. He and I had a blast jumping out of a perfectly good airplane...Check out the video.

2008-05-12T01:19:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone,

I decided I would keep this going so that you can kinda keep up with everything I have going on. Hawaii is sweet. No matter where you are on the island it is beautiful. Its even beautiful here on base. I am schedualed to leave for Iraq in late September or early October. Before that we will be doing our final training in Louisiana. I am not training for artillery either. When we deploy our mission is Convoy Operations. Basically we do security for vehicle convoys. The base here is nice. I begin my first set of training this week at a rifle range. I'm not exactly sure what it is about but I will fill you in later on that. I have to be up at 03:30 so I will end this short.

Surprise! Another letter arrived!

2007-11-27T07:57:00.000-06:00

I guess he's getting very anxious to graduate as we received another letter yesterday. So, here's the latest from "recruit Huck", our soon to be Marine :)

"It's Thursday morning about 0930. I can hear the motorun (motivational run) going on... families screaming, clapping, whistling, and platoons chanting and clapping as they run past. It's rough to hear it going on because time is going by so slowly. All anyone wants is to be at family day or graduation.

I just finished taking another practice Prac test. It's gotten to the point where I will read, 'What is the policy...' and I already know the answer is "C", tobacco is not permitted in DOD buildings or vehicles.' It's the same for about 60% or more of the test. It's drilled into our heads so much and we take so many tests.

Last night we had a pretty good PT. We marched over to the chow hall and did crunches in the front lawn and the other half of the platoon did pull ups. After about ten minutes we switched. I got a pretty good workout and felt some awesome pain. We all know the Marine Corps saying, 'pain in weakness leaving the body.' My body is really starting to take shape so I'm excited. After PT we received our MCMAP belts (Marine Corp Martial Arts something.) It feels so good to wear them. To you, you'll probably see a belt, but to us recruits it's something we worked hours and hours for; striking pads, getting struck by fellow recruits, getting thrown to the ground, and much more. One thing that I love about the Marine Corps is you have to earn just about everything. Once you receive what you've earned, (a belt) you feel so proud to wear it knowing you worked hard for it and really did earn it. Anyways, I'll continue this letter later.

We had drill this afternoon and sucked. We're a hell of a lot better than first phase but still not where we should be.

Well, it's Friday now. Oh my goodness do I have news. Today I had a working party at the Generals building. It''s a building full of offices with high ranking officers including the Brigadier General of MCRD. It was pretty sweet, but only ten of us were able to work there.We were hand selected because there are so many officers and high ranking enlisted Marines that our drill instructors wanted ten of the most trust worthy and alert recruits. It was sweet. [That's our Michael :)]

After our working party we ate afternoon chow and got hair cuts. My hair is so long... probably like 1/3 inch - at least. Then when we got back from hair cuts we went to PT and we did a mock PFT (personal fitness test.) I did better than great. I did awesome! Improved by two pull-ups to put my total at 14, 20 more crunches for a total of 131 in two minutes, AND I cut 2:20 off of my run time for a total 3-mile time of 24:40. Man o' man was I excited! I still am. Now we're doing more practice Prac tests. I'm waiting for my test to be graded. Wow, I missed 5 out of 139. I am on a roll today. Did someone pray for me or something?

Well, I need to get back to studying. Only 13 days until graduation, 12 until I see Mom and Dad, Kyle and Theresa. You'll be hearing from me again soon - as usual. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. I miss you.

Love, Mike"

It appears that this letter was sent the day prior to the last one. It doesn't matter since I'm thrilled to hear that things are going so well for Michael.

I need to keep moving here. Doing laundry and getting things ready to pack - AGAIN! I'm so excited I couldn't sleep last night. Went to bed at 1 am and woke up at 6 am. We will leave for Omaha tomorrow morning at 6 am. I can't believe we're actually flying out to San Diego tomorrow morning!! This has been a somewhat long 13 weeks. All I can say is Thanks be to God and to you for all your support and prayers. Couldn't have gotten thru this without all of you!

Love - Julie

Last Letter from Boot Camp

2007-11-25T21:47:00.000-06:00

This is the final letter from boot camp - written Sunday, November 18, 2007:

"Dear Everyone,

Today is Sunday! We only have eleven days until family day and twelve to graduation. So, this will be my last letter. However this will not be the last post. I plan on having Mom type up a final post on her thoughts of me and graduation. I will also put up a final post on my thoughts of graduation and of being a Marine. If anyone has sent a letter after this I hope I receive it but may not.

Thank you all for checking the blog, but more importantly thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I couldn't have made it without them. I'm sure I'll see some of you in a couple of weeks. I miss you. Semper Fidelis.

Love,
Mike"

I have to add that Ken and I had a wonderful visit with Katie, Ryan and Kyle in New Jersey. Just got home to night and are gearing up for our visit to San Diego. Leaving bright and early Wednesday morning. You have no idea how excited we are to see Michael this Thursday!!!! I'll write my thoughts when we get back. Thanks again!

Love,
Julie

Third Phase Is Interesting.....

2007-11-20T08:24:00.000-06:00

Ahhh.. another letter arrived yesterday. I can't believe we'll be getting ready to fly out to San Diego NEXT WEEK!! I've got several lists of things I want to take out. Michael already gave me explicit orders of what civie clothes to bring. Geez, these Marines are strict :) I love it!! Anyways, here's the latest............

"I'm back in the waiting room at Dental. It's approximately 0630 on Tuesday morning. I have a follow-up on my oral surgery. I've been feeling pretty good but still have a little trouble eating and I bleed quite a bit when I brush. I'm sure it's normal and nothing to worry about.

Well, our days are interesting here in third phase. Whenever someone in the platoon messes up pretty bad, the Drill Instructors mess up our house. They put a different shoe in different places, (right boot in the shower, left boot in the whiskey locker, right shower shoe in the back of the house, etc.) They make us dump our bags and place different items at different areas of the house and our least favorite, rip off all name tags and markings from hangers, bags, canteen and more. Oh, I almost forgot they make us take all the linens off of our racks. After that they give us either eight or ten minutes to fix the house. There's quiet chaos as everyone scrambles to get their gear and racks made. It's happened four times since we've returned from up north. It really sucks, but what do you do? If only those few people who keep screwing up got dropped.....life would be so much easier. Oh well.

Well, I'm going back to full duty. I hope I get out of here soon. I believe we get hair cuts today. My hair is getting pretty long! We started getting our high and tight cuts last week. They look awesome. Last night when I was shaving a couple of guys commented that I look bigger than when I came - "stockier" is the word they used. They say my neck, arms, chest, and back all look more defined. So maybe you'll notice some change. Mom, I know you were looking forward to seeing me all buff. (yeahuuh... that's my man !) When I look around there are a lot of us that are stockier than we were when we showed up and stood on the yellow foot prints. Chelsea (my cousin for those who don't know the family) sent pictures of when our family took a trip to Colorado this past summer. They're taped to my foot locker so I look at them everyday. I look at myself in those photos and really see how much I've changed. You'll still recognize me but I feel that I've changed a lot. And, not just physically.

We have classes in our house with SDI SSgt. Smack over life values. We talk about family, friends, co-workers, life at home, future jobs, work life, habits, alcohol, tobacco, rape, abuse, having kids, managing money and time, and a whole lot of other things. Some of what we talk about I let in one ear and out the other simply because I don't agree, or don't want to change or need to change an aspect of my life. Other things I really take to heart and plan on using or applying to my life. Yesterday evening we talked about suicide. In the situation given we the recruits narrowed it down to having problems at home. Then we spoke about life at home for awhile. SDI gave us a lot of good info on how to keep a good relationship with your wife, kids, and extended family. He also talked about keeping everyone happy by providing for them. It was a pretty deep conversation and I took a lot of it to heart. I realized that this is one of the reasons the marine corps exists. They teach us more than how to kill or defend, but how to save, care for, and protect others, ourselves and our families. The ARMY doesn't do that. Sweet!

Man, I took two more practice prac tests today. The first one I didn't miss any questions and the second one missed .... like 10 or so. I don't remember but the test had 139 questions on it. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm not worried. They are constantly drilling knowledge into our heads and it obviously pays off.

We still haven't left to get our hair cuts yet. I'm anxious if you can't tell. Time has been going by very slowly since we've returned from up north. I don't know if it's because I'm excited to see family, graduate, or if it's because I'm so anxious to get out of this place. Either way all involve time and time continues to drag on.

Well it's Wednesday now. Yesterday I had a working party at the picture place. It was awesome. We walked in and two nice ladies greeted us, showed us around, informed us of our jobs and tasks to accomplish and then showed us to the RADIO!! Oh my goodness. It was great. From 1000 to 1600 (4:00 pm), 6 hours, we listened to country and hip hop and two rock songs. It was glorious to hear music. After our working party we returned to the house and the rest of the platoon was learning how to tie ties.....a full windsor. Sorry, I probably should have mentioned earlier there were 6 recruits including myself who worked at the picture place. Well, I'm standing in line now waiting to take my picture for my military ID. Well, the line is moving. I'll wrap this up so I can send it out today. I miss you.

Love, Mike

According to the Training Matrix this week includes travel arrangements for home today. Tomorrow is a 2 mile run and whatever the DI feels needs to be done during DI time. For sure Prac test and Drill will be at the top of that list. Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) Michael will take the Prac test (a written and a hands on test required for graduation.) This is the knowledge they've been studying and working on from Marine Corps history to first aid and how to report when they board a US ship. They they get to do something fun - repelling. I don't think Michael is afraid of heights so he should enjoy that. Friday is a big day - the final PFT. This is a must to graduate. The guys have been working on this the past 10 weeks and they'll find out who the top man is in PT. Saturday is the company commanders final inspection. He will come thru the company and look at everything - their beds, lockers, the house, and they'll be asked questions - some of them about their knowledge. They'll have their weapons also and will be doing some drill movement during this inspection. All of this to prepare for the battalion commander's inspection next week.

Well, Ken and I are flying out to New Jersey tomorrow to have Thanksgiving and an early Christmas with Katie and Ryan (daughter and son-in-law.) Kyle (our #1 son) will be joining us on Thanksgiving Day. I'm VERY excited!! We'll come home Sunday the 25th, have 2 days to re-group and then fly out to San Diego Wednesday, the 28th. Life can't get any better than this can it??

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. If we receive any more letters I'll update you when we get back.
Love to all and God's blessings for a wonderful turkey day!

Julie

Getting excited about Marine life

2007-11-17T10:01:00.000-06:00

Second letter - hopefully in the order it was written:
"Today I was on light duty so I did not do the PFT. About a dozen, maybe more of us stayed back at the house and cleaned the head. After the platoon returned we went to class. The class was on defensive driving. Oh boy! After class we marched straight to chow. Chow was hamburgers, corn on the cob, salad, an apple, glass of milk, stale french fries, and a peanut butter sandwhich. I only ate half the corn and didn't eat any of the apple because my mouth just can't take it yet. I'm still in quite a bit of pain especially in the morning. Oh well, I'll get through it. I've gotten this far, I won't complain about a sore mouth.

After chow we went back to the house and studied. We took practice tests and had them graded. I only missed 2 questions out of 78. The two that I missed I had to write fifteen times. I feel pretty confident on this prac stuff. The other part or portion of the prac test is oral. We go into a room full of dummies and perform three of nine scenarios of first aid. They are all pretty easy and we repeat the steps everyday so........not worried.

Well I thought I'd give you an update on the platoon. We started with 98 recruits and right now we have 90. Two might be getting dropped to PCP because they couldn't do enough pull-ups on the PFT today. We are still living in the same house as we did in first phase. Other than that everything is the same. Just a little extra gear with our dress uniforms for final inspection and for graduation. YAY!!! Well, that's about it from here for now. You'll be hearing from me again shortly. I miss you.

Love, Mike"

Letter #3 -

"It's Saturday night the 10th. (hey, he finally knows what day it is) I'm SO motivated! Senior Drill Instructor came out of his office when I was looking at this photo album and startled me. 'Got any questions Huck?' Of course I have questions. He has the same MOS I do and I'm looking at pictures of cannons, boxes of powder, and huge rounds the cannon fires. I got quite a bit of knowledge from him. I told him I was getting motivated just looking at the pictures and he said,'yeah, you're just seeing a few pictures. There are a lot better times a picture can't capture.' Man am I excited. I want to do the same thing. I'm going to buy a cheap camera and take a bunch of film with me and make photo albums to share with family , friends, my kids and maybe even my grandkids someday. I have to get ready for hygiene inspection. I will continue this tomorrow.

Sunday! This morning started by waking up at 0500 and getting dressed, made racks, head call, squared away the house and got ready to leave. All 90 of us recruits accomplished this before 0530 and we left the house. We marched over to class (I know, I thought the same thing - class on Sunday?) which was over interim guard. This week each day a platoon will have guard and walk around the base while the other platoons have working parties. After class we returned to the house and cleaned for about 20 minutes. Then we went to chow. Chow was same as it's been since processing. I ate fruit this morning! It hurt quite a bit but it was tasty. I tried something new.... peanut butter in between two pancakes. It's really good. I wanted to try something new because after two months of plain pancakes you need a little change. See ya in a couple of weeks.

Love, Mike"

Oh my goodness, Ken and I are chomping at the bit to see Michael. We keep hearing things from other Marine parents on-line that many of the recruits are calling home. I hope we are here if and when he calls. I'd be devastated if I missed it. Haven't heard his voice since we dropped him off on Labor Day :( It's good to hear him sounding so upbeat about his future in the Marines.

We will be flying out to NJ to see Katie and Ryan on Wednesday - Sunday. I'll post any new letters when I can. Then we'll be flying out to CA the following Wednesday, Nov. 28th for Michael's graduation. The time really has gone by rather quickly.

As always, thanks for your prayers, encouraging words and thoughts as we are approaching the final weeks of boot camp. We couldn't have gotten through this without all of you!

Love.................... Julie

Oral Surgery? OUCH!

2007-11-17T09:35:00.000-06:00

Ahh... Phase III must be good and a little more relaxed as we received 3 letters from Michael yesterday. Boy that makes for a great day here :) Here is the latest.

"It's Friday morning and I'm in a waiting room waiting to go into surgery. Yes, I said it.... surgery. I'm having oral surgery to remove two wisdom teeth. I'm fifth in line so I have a little bit of time to write. I'll be sure to fill you in on how it goes. I do know that once I get out of here I go to medical for pain killers and then I'm on bed rest for the remainder of the day. So, it will be nice to sleep all day, but I'll be in a lot of pain and eating a lot of crappy food. Soft diet food here on base is terrible. Well at least that's what I hear.

Holy Crap!! I feel awful. I can't feel anything right now. I feel really tired, drowsy, weak, etc. I've got blood all over my teeth and lips but I don't feel any pain yet. My whole face and neck is numb. It's a really weird feeling. It feels great to lay in my rack in sweats. For pain killers I've been given 800 mg. ibuprofen and vicodin. I'm guessing I'll be in a lot of pain.

Well so far this week we have studied for prac. exam about 6-8 hours. We were issued our dress uniforms on Monday. Tuesday I swam. Wednesday... I don't remember what we did on Wednesday. Swim qual. was pretty easy. I passed 4, 3, and 2 and we don't get to try swim qual 1 here at boot camp. Basically we dressed in camies, boots, put on flak jackets, kevlars, and packs, and a rubber rifle. We had to step off of a 10-ft. platform swim 25 meters and then get out. Then we had to swim 25 meters again. After that we took our packs off and swam 50 meters with our weapons slung around our necks. That wasn't too bad, just tiring. The final test was victim drag. A victim in the water holds onto two packs and you grab him by his flak jacket and drag him 25 meters.

Thursday began the celebration of the Marine Corps birthday. We sat in the bleachers on the parade deck and watched troop formations which included a Marine marching band, the cake cutting, recognition of the oldest and youngest marine present and the reading of General Lejunes birthday message. The cake was enormous! It took five marines to carry it. I

don't remember if I told you but Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Smack and I have the same MOS (job) 0811 Fire Direction Control. My MOS schooling is 6 weeks long and will be at Fort Sill Oklahoma. Senior Drill Instructor put out a huge photo album of photos of himself and other Marines from when he was over seas. He has pictures of himself with several different cannons, small arms (M-16s, SAW machine guns), pictures on ships, helicopters, and plenty more. It's exciting to think of all the cool places I might get to go. I remember when we took a vacation to Florida and toured a battle ship.... to think I might live on one for a couple of weeks is neat. Plus think of the places I can go. I'm starting to get excited and motivated. Well that's all I have right now. Happy Birthday to all Marines and Marine parents reading this.

I miss you guys! Love, Mike

Crucible Mission Accomplished!

2007-11-13T13:16:00.000-06:00

Our latest letter from Michael sounds very upbeat. Our son has been tested and refined and I can't wait to see our soon to be Marine! Here's what he said:
"It feels good to be back down south. Church is not starting for about an hour so I thought I would begin to write. The Crucible kicked ass! It was hard as hell but the feeling when we finished left about half of us in tears. I can't even begin to tell you what all we did because it's all just a blur to me.

The sleep deprivation wasn't really that bad. By the time we got to the reaper (the last part of the crucible) we were all so motivated you'd have thought we were all buzzed on energy drinks and power bars. The food deprivation was rough for some people though. People just didn't know how to ration their food properly to last 3 days. I did pretty well. I ate the little stuff first, the main meal for afternoon chow, secondary meal before evening chow, skipped evening chow and ate anything else before our night evolutions.

The night evolutions consisted of a course that fire teams went through with different tasks. Our first night evolution was a patrol. We patrolled up a large hill and hidden in the grass were field instructors. They would say, 'contact 12 o'clock' and as a fire team we would rush the enemy. Then they whistled. A whistle means a mortar is incoming and we had to hit the deck, laying over our weapons with our faces in the dirt. When we reached the top of the hill there was a bunker with SAW machine guns firing. We rushed the bunker and then the course was complete. Our Second Evolution was a lot harder. We went over and under barbed wire, jumped fences, walls, fell into trenches, crawled through tunnels, and ended by rushing a pill box. The cool part was the whole time real mortars were going off around the course and blanks again were being fired from two SAW machine guns and M-16's. It was sweet. My adrenaline was pumping too. Being the fire team leader is also neat because I call out all the orders for our fire team to move and stop or how to execute an obstacle.

Thursday evening we slept under the stars. No tents, just sleeping bags. It was cold! We woke up, got dressed, packed our sleeping gear and stepped out. The hike to the reaper was about 4-5 miles. It was dark the whole way there so I don't know where we went. We stopped at the base of the reaper and were given an apple and Gatorade. We also changed our socks because our feet are the most important thing to us. By the time the whole company finished the sun was rising behind the mountains and the reaper was visible. When you looked at it the only thing you thought of was, 'Oh crap!' When we walked to the base you heard people throughout the platoon saying one of three things.....'Oh my God!', 'I can't do this', and the most common, 'Oh shit!' I'm not going to lie, the mountain was really steep. Our platoon stayed tight and everyone pushed the pack of the person in front of them. It was team work at it's best.

The way it went was the first hill was really long and steep. Then it leveled off and then the second hill started. The second hill was fairly short but still steep. It again leveled off and then we were stopped at the base of the third hill. Our platoon formed up, we put our weapons at port arms, and waited. On the signal our platoon guideon was raised high in the sky and everyone gave their loudest war cry and we rushed the hill. It was awesome!! When we reached the top about half the platoon and I broke into tears. It was by far a defining moment knowing you'd just completed three of the hardest days of your life.

The hike back sucked but it was great when we got to the house because we were able to hygiene properly for the first time in 3 days. Furthermore, the warrior's breakfast was next on the agenda. Breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, rice with eggs and veggies, steak, bagels, pancakes, and a slice of cake. Then on the salad bar were cereals of all sorts. On the tables were A-1 steak sauce, Tabasco sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. We had ice cream machines working too. It was delicious. We all ate way too much food.

Well, so now Third Phase starts. I'll be sure to write and let you know what all is going on. Church is about to start. I miss you guys!

Love, Mike"

There's a P.S. to Mom asking that I bring his digital camera and I-pod to graduation. He says he NEEDS to hear music :)

He also sent a letter to his Dad:
In this letter Michael reports, "As for my rifle range score, it went up! During field week we had moving targets and close range fire qualifications. Apparently I did REALLY well that my score was raised to Sharpshooter. My badge is cool too. You'll see it at graduation."

Ken asked if we'd see him on Thursday morning (before graduation) at the motivational run. Michael drew a diagram showing us approximately where he'd be in the platoon line-up. (Only Michael would do that!) He said that by the second and third mile he may be back a little further though :) He says he's definitely not the strongest runner there, but still does well.

Yep, I received a letter too :)-

I'd sent him a letter with a special prayer about the crucible. It explained how I'd be right there with him all the way. Michael received that letter and prayer the day before the crucible. I told him to fold it up and stick it inside him helmet. He'd never really thought of me going thru boot camp like that but now can only imagine. He said, "Oh man, did I cry!"
He'd gotten another mail call that night and received a TON of mail. He says, "I only read one from you, one from Dad, and two from Pastor Art! I cannot believe what the church did and REACH too! That put me in tears as well. OH! I got a letter from Si Jambo too. That was exciting to read."

Inside the envelope with letters to Ken and I was a dog tag. One side has the Prayer of Salvation on it. The other side has Joshua 1:9 on it: "I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified, or discouraged; for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go." I'm anxious to hear the story behind the dog tag. I'm wondering where he got it and whether or not he was able to take it with him on the crucible.

One final note...
I debated writing the parts of Michael crying. I don't tell you that to embarrass him but to let you know how much all of your prayers, thoughts and letters have carried him through the past weeks of boot camp. Most notably, throughout the Crucible. I'm sure that we can all remember moments in our lives when we've been brought by tears. A "real" man is not afraid to cry!

Until the next letter or some other important tidbit of info you might be interested in..... TTFN and love you all!

Julie

See video of Michael's platoon

2007-11-05T23:52:00.000-06:00

Woo Hoo!! The platoon video is up. You can see Michael with his platoon. Go to this link:
http://www.devildogs.info/Lima%20Company.htm

You may have to click on 3251 (Michael's in Lima Co, Plt. 3251) You'll see him in the second row from the botton kind of behind one of the DI's. Dang he looks good!

Julie

Michael watches fires that burn the Crucible

2007-11-05T08:21:00.000-06:00

We received a letter from Michael last Friday. It was postmarked Oct. 30th. He was writing about the week prior - Field Week (Oct. 21-27). Here's the latest...........

"This week has been CRAZY! Monday morning we woke up went to chow and then started our first hike. We hiked about 2 miles with our packs which weigh about 60-75 lbs. with new gear and MRE's packed for the next couple of days. We stopped at a range where we were given instructions on how to operate a SAW249 machine gun, a safety brief on the SAW249 and then fired a string of about 20 rounds. It was AWESOME. Then our next period of instructions were over the AT4 AKA bazooka. We got a safety brief and then fired a tracer round. The company high shooter was supposed to fire a real round and blow up a gag tank (?) but the weather conditions prevented that from happening. After that we continued on with more hiking. Four miles or so later we arrived at our final destination - the top shelf. It's a big flat area. We ate our afternoon chow and then set up our tents.

Our platoon was the first platoon out of the whole company to have our "house" (lines of tents) set up. It took us awhile, but we finished and then PT'd. As they (various exercise stations) are found everywhere we split half of the platoon doing pull ups on the pull-up bars while the other half did crunches and sit-up exercises. We switched four times, each cycle lasting about 5-8 minutes long.

The next thing I remember doing is hygiene. That was interesting! There is a 3-ft high wooden fence forming a square. Inside the square are racks. We took our blouse and shirts off and shaved and brushed our teeth. For our shower we wiped our faces, arms and chest with a wash cloth using water from our canteen. It was definitely something new. We then had evening chow and hit the racks - well not racks, but sleeping bags.

I had not fire watch, but guardian angel watch. On the perimeter of the shelf there are fox holes (holes about 5 feet in diameter and 2 ft. deep). Another member from my fire team and I sat in there and watched for anyone entering our area or anything unusual happening. After an hour of that we went back to sleep.

Tuesday we learned hand and arm signals first thing in the morning.Then our fire teams did a short patrol using them. It was sweet and I started feeling like a Marine...moving around all tactical and stuff :) After that was gas chamber.

Our gas masks are the M40 gas masks. Basically it's just like you see on TV. A small room and smoke. I didn't throw up and was not fortunate enough to experience snot pouring out of my nose. Then all hell broke loose!

A wild fire started getting really close to base so we were evacuated. Our tents were packed and all our gear got loaded into a convoy of 7-ton trucks. Then we hiked back with just our LBVs and rifles. We arrived on base in the early evening, say between 4:00 and 5:00. We got to our house and unpacked all our gear and then repacked it, making sure no gear was lost or left behind. The sky by this point was a dark brown and the sun was still above the horizon. We ate chow (MREs) in the house. We then got to properly hygiene and hit the racks. Once the lights were turned out I watched the fires from my rack. They were just like you see on TV in the news and movies. Helicopters from Miramar were busy protecting the base too. Although it was a little scary, it was very neat to witness. Wednesday and Thursday went on as planned. The fires got within a mile of our house but were contained in time. We had to wear dust masks to prevent breathing in the ash in the air. By Friday it looked like it had snowed. Wednesday and Thursday we received classes and experienced live combat fire at moving targets. It was pretty fun. Then on Friday we had pre-qual and qualification. I feel I did pretty well. Because of the fires we missed alot of field week. We packed all our stuff up on Wednesday and were ready to leave base to head south, but it never happened. Then there was talk about us leaving on Saturday but that didn't happen either.

Tuesday night, the fires I saw was the crucible burning up. We are still doing the crucible, it will just be a little different. We may not hike the reaper (a really steep mountain), may not do obstacle courses (they're a bunch of coal and ash now), and may not sleep on the shelf where crucible recruits sleep. However, most of the crucible is patrolling and it is done here on the base. So that won't change and we have another obstacle course here on base as well. We'll see what they have us do. Well that's all I got for now. WAIT! Meals and food I ate.....

I don't remember everything but there are some things you may ask.... 'would he ever eat that before now?' I ate cranberries (I never ate cranberries), rye bread plain, chicken with mushrooms and black olives, jambalaya (which I LOVE), and Dad, I ate clam chowder. (Ken loves clam chowder) Hey when it's all you have to eat, you'll eat it. Alright, now that's all I got. Time is running short and I'll be seeing some of you soon. Hope to hear from you. I miss you all so much!"

Love, Mike

Ahhh... he sounds good doesn't he? Won't it be great to hear all the little details and other stories Michael will have to tell when he's home? We haven't heard how the Crucible went but I'm assuming that since we didn't get a phone call all went well. They're really toughening him up! I'm having a hard time getting a sense of excitement over shooting a bazooka or even shooting at live targets. Must be a guy thing! Thank goodness we've got guys like this to protect us.

I have to thank everyone out there for all the prayers that were lifted up for Michael this past week. I am truly humbled by this. Last Sunday night REACH (our church's youth worship team) gave a concert and dedicated a song to Michael since he couldn't be there to perform with them. It was the song "Joy" by Newsboys - a song that Michael always wanted the band to play. Pastor Art and our church family have prayed endlessly for Michael as I know many others have as well. He was truly covered in prayer during the Crucible. I know that God has one hand guiding Michael forward and another hand pushing him toward to the final goal. I'm sure Michael knows that he could not have gotten this far without the support of his fellow recruits and God's presence working through them.

Ok...this is Swim Week for the recruits. I see on the schedule that today and tomorrow is uniform issue. Oh boy! Can't wait to see him in those dress blues and the awesome hat :) Wednesday and Friday are MCMAP test (?). Saturday is Defensive driving and Series PFT (personal fitness training?) Only 4 weeks to go! We'll be seeing him in 25 days!

Until the next letter comes............ love ya' all! Julie

Phase II - Week 4 - Crucible

2007-10-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

Per my Marine in cyberspace:
The culminating event, 56 hours of little food or sleep where recruits are pushed to their limits, which to their surprise might be a lot farther than they thought. The recruits will patrol with day packs (a lot lighter than full packs) about 40-60 miles going from event to event including: team building exercises, day/night fire team assault courses, live fire combat marksmanship, a lot of blanks shooting, field movement exercises, the re-supply exercise (Bastilone's Hill) which was probably the worst one. They will get about 6 hours of sleep total, 3 on each night, and 3 MREs total for the two days they spend out doing the exercises. After their second night's sleep they get up early, pack everything up, and hump out to the reaper (about 5-6 miles.) Here they will stop in Mountain Town and get a break with an orange and some juice before they head up. Then they start. They don't run up it, like I've heard, they "hump" up it just like everything else... it's just so steep for so long that some people just look at it and automatically give up in their minds. You'll go up one steep portion only to be greeted by another steep portion once you reach the top of the first one, and so on and so forth. Anyways, after they reach the top they get a motivational speech from their SDI, and they make the hump back to Edson Range as 3rd phase recruits. From there, they will have the warriors breakfast which... I would need a whole new post to describe that, but to a recruit..it's Heaven on Earth. Then they will get their stuff all cleaned up and ready to go back to supply so that they can get bussed back down to MCRD the following day.
This just about sums up Phase II of training. A lot of the assault courses are actually a lot of fun with actual battle sounds being played out on loudspeaker, crawling under barbed wire, jumping walls, moving from covered position to covered position. Another unofficial competition is setting up hooches on both field week and crucible week. The first platoon to get them all set up wins... good team building exercise. And again, that's an unofficial competition, doesn't count towards honor platoon, just like pugil sticks.

Campin' Out - Marine-Style

2007-10-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

What a great day!! Another letter was in the mailbox today - I will again print it as written:

Dear Mom & Dad,
It's Sunday. This will be my last letter for the next week because we leave base and camp out in the hills all week. Field Week will be interesting. We sleep under the stars in tents, eat MRE's 3 times/day, go through the gas chamber, fire machine guns and many other things. Yesterday we had about six classes in the afternoon. One was over camouflage. We learned how to apply paint, how to make natural camouflage out of leaves, sticks grass etc., and learned how to find cover. I have to say, I looked bad ass in camie paint. We also learned about distance estimation, wild life we'll encounter, operation of the SAW249 machine gun and operation of a grenade launcher which attaches to the M-16A2. I'm excited.
I qualified on rifle range just fine. We had a couple who did not qualify so they get another chance on Monday.
The 8-mile hike yesterday was sweet. It wasn't as hard as the 5-mile hike but was definitely longer..... Our packs felt a lot heavier by the end. My hips really hurt today. I think it is because of my pack. My feet are fine though - no huge blisters, just a little achy... what do you expect after a hike though?
Oh, we received dog tags Friday night. We got a whole speech about the legacy of dog tags. They symbolize the identity of a warrior so if his body is found, his body can be returned home for a proper burial. We were all so excited to received them. Our Senior Drill Instructor put them on us individually like a ceremony. It was sweet. Also, now that we qualified on rifle range we can be taken out of boot camp and sent to war at anytime. But, that will only happen if World War III started, so I'm still planning on graduating Nov. 30th.
I don't really have much else to say. I know.. I've received quite a few letters with lots of questions so I'll give you the low-down on our platoon as of now. Currently, we have 93 recruits in one long room we call home. I haven't had a chance to get to know everyone mostly because there are some guys I don't want to get to know for whatever reason, but I do know every one's name. We eat 3 times a day and the food ain't bad. I've lost 18 pounds since the start of recruit training. Sorry to disappoint all of you who were hoping to see me all huge and ripped when I got home, but it just ain't happening. In fact, hardly anyone is looking more buff just the guys who lost a lot of weight. I will probably look similar to what you saw me as when I left. I'll just stand and walk a little differently and have shorter hair. Well, I don't have anything else. Thank you all for the letters! I miss you all.
Love, Mike

Ok, I have to add a little note............ Aren't you all smiling? I'm SO proud of our guy. Who in their right mind enjoys an 8-mile hike with a 50-60 lb. pack on his back? Or who is excited to get their dog tags so that their body can be sent home for a proper burial? Even if Michael doesn't think he's ripped, losing 18lbs. is a major physical change! I know he'll be a different looking person when we see him. Maybe his body will be smaller but I think his heart will be 10 times bigger because of all the letters and love we've all been sending his way. As always, thank you everyone for your prayers and support. Words cannot explain how much this means to us.
I found out today that he will be graduating on time (Lord willing) and that means that next Tuesday - Thursday he'll be enduring the 56-hour Crucible. Following is an excerpt from an article written by a Marine parent:

"The purpose for the crucible is to purify by turning up the heat and removing the dross (impurities). The definition of "dross" is:
-Waste or impure matter
- The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal
-Worthless, commonplace
Symomyms of Crucible include: Difficulty, adversity, burden, challenges, distress, hard time, hardship, load, ordeal, rigor, severe test, tribulation, and trying time.
The Crucible our boys are about to "enter" is their "Main Event" on the road to becoming a United States Marine. This event will underscore the need for, and importance of, engaging in teamwork to overcome the various trials they must face. The cahallenges will demand the best of their mental and physical strengths. This exercise will, in many ways, reflect the stresses associated with life on the field of battle. The boys will encounter and overcome what appear to be insurmountable tasks and obstacles. The entire process lives up to the name: Crucible."

Exerpt from an article written by Steve, Proud Parent of Raw Material sent to the Man Factory

Julie

Phase II Rocks!

2007-10-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

We received 2 letters this past Tuesday, October 23rd. I tell ya, there's nothing like opening the mailbox to find a letter with Michael's handwriting on it. It's reassuring to know that he's still able to write and it gives me joy to get a glimpse of boot camp from his perspective. As you will read, he sounds very upbeat and this phase is obviously better than the last. Sit back, picture Michael lying on his rack in his scivies with pen and paper in hand........

"Nothing sounds better right now than a mocha from Si Jambo (our local cafe.) It's about 4:00 am Monday morning. We've been here for more than a week now. This will be my second letter to go out since I've been here. The mail boxes are packed full! I don't know how soon this will get out. Well, one week down! Saturday we arrived at Camp Pendleton sometime in the afternoon. The drive up was beautiful! When we arrived we got off the buses and headed for our new house. The houses here are only two levels high, but we got stuck on top again. I don't really remember what we did other than set up our house. Sunday we had church which was nice and free time for the rest of the morning as usual. Our afternoon was spent at supply getting our packs, flak vests, kevlar helmets and sleeping bags. ALL AFTERNOON! Boring... Monday through Friday was the same thing everyday - no joke. We have what's called Grass Week. Basically we go to these outdoor classes in bleachers with an overhang and learn how to fire our M-16 A2's. We are taught rules, condition, techniques, positions, and much more. After some class time we have what's called "snap in" time. "Snap-in" is just snapping into a position we learned and practice perfecting it. This takes place in front of the bleachers.
There is a huge half circle with two barrels in the middle. The barrels are stacked on top of each other and have targets painted on them. I would say we had class about 4-6 hours/day. The rest of the day was spent doing what needed to be worked on... drill, hair cuts, etc. Tuesday we had a 3-mile hike. It was very easy and uneventful. everyone made it. There were no huge hills, but it was quite warm. Our 5-miles hike was on Saturday. The 3-mile somewhat prepared us but not enough. The 5-miles hike was cold and rainy. Then we had to climb some steep hills about 50-60 degree incline. We had a half-way point where we stopped and changed socks and got our canteens filled. The second half was much harder than the first half. Plus we were down in a valley so the scenery was dirt and dead plants. Oh boy!
Yesterday (Sunday) we had church and spent our afternoon in a core values class with our drill instructors and snapped. Today and all week we fire our rifles. I'm so excited as is everyone else. Good news!
I've been promoted to a fire team leader. I'm in charge of 3 people and make sure the four of us are always ready, hygiened, packed and good to go. It's evening now and today rocked! I shot pretty damn good for the first day. I didn't figure my score because I don't know how to do that yet, but I do know I hit the bulls eye at 200 meters, 300 meters, and 500 meters. My first 2 shots at 300 meters were black (bulls eye) and my first 3 shots at 500 meters were black also. The 200 meters were not as good because I had an unaligned weapon. After 15 shots of close range fire I adjusted windage, rear elevation, and the front side tip. Tomorrow should be even better and hopefully it won't rain again.
Well, I am going to end this. I hear they pick up mail once or twice a week here but we'll see. I'll try to write again before Sunday. Miss you all."

Love, Mike

Letter #2 - Dear Mom & Dad,
It's Tuesay night. Almost everyone is asleep except fire watch and a few other recruits. Today at rifle range I was switched to shoot in the afternoon with recruits who did not shoot well yesterday. It's kind of a confidence booster but you can't let it get to your head because anything can happen. I didn't shoot as well as I did yesterday but I feel more confident. I had some wind to deal with in my kneeling and ESPECIALLY my standing position. Because I wasn't shooting as well my coach gave me a few extra clips of rounds to practice with. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I feel so bad that I haven't been sending letters, but our time here is so minimal. I've written almost every letter in my rack after lights out. And I try to keep short because I really need sleep. It's a sacrafice I am willing to make. Well, from our last hike I've noticed that I have 5 blisters now, the tips of my toes don't have feeling anymore, and I did something really weird to my chest. I have a bruise from my pack on my collar bone, only now it's a bruise which went numb. And not just the bruise but about half of my left pectoral. I can still move fine, it just feels like your mouth does after getting novacaine. Other than that, life is going good. I'm off to bed. I miss everyone very much. Thank you for your letters too!
Love, Mike

Phase II - Week 3 - Field Week

2007-10-22T08:50:00.000-05:00

As expected we have not received any letters from Michael this past week. I'm sure they're keeping him busy. Here is what I know he's doing this week per my Marine friend out in cyberspace:

Here the recruits will go out to the field and set up hooches where they and a "hoochmate" will sleep. Hygiene out there is......well, I'm guessing they have to learn how to relieve themselves in the wilderness. I'll have to get more info on then from Michael :] He'll have lots to do this week including a night infiltration course, a day assault course, land navigation, patrolling, gas chamber and MOPP gear training. He'll also have combat marksmanship (yep, he's firing again this week.) This is all in preparation for the crucible coming up next week, when he's evaluated on all he's learned.

Tomorrow Michael will go into the gas chamber. I know he was excited and nervous about that. Please keep him covered in prayer and keep sending letter. He needs your encouragement and support more than ever this week and next. Thanks everyone!

Julie

Phase II - Week 2 - What's he up to?

2007-10-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

There's a Marine who has given us boot camp parents some great info as to what our guys are doing. I thought I'd share some of it with you. He says the mail from our recruits will slow down while they're up north. They have a lot more to do - they have field equipment to get ready and they also have to clean their weapons. Weapons cleaning has to be done, if the rifle fails the marine fails in his job. The Marines have now added training/learning about the Squad automatic weapon and the AT 4 which is an anti-tank weapon that can be used against buildings. This adds about 30-40 hours to the training during field week, and the crucible week.

Last week -Week 1 - Grass Week - The moved up north, set up the house and got other equipment that they'll need for this phase of training. Daily activities are basically the same as they were at the depot. Wake up, hygiene and get ready for training. Even though they have a chow hall, now they get to eat some MRE's. Meal Ready to Eat is the correct name for them but some of the guys call them Meals Rejected by Everybody, or Meals Refusing to Exit!!! :) Yummy..... The recruits "snapped in" with their PMI (Primary Marksmanship Instructor.) He's more laid back and allows the recruits to relax a bit so they can learn better.

Last week was Marksmanship I. They spent a lot of time on this cause every Marine is a rifleman, and this is where they teach them to be the best in the world. They learned the firing positions, the correct way to align the sites, how to breathe, and how to adjust the sites for their rifle. A lot of this is done before they ever step foot on the live fire range. Then they will zero their rifle. It is a long process for some and for others it's easy, but they will have a coach and the DI's to help them do it.

They had 3 and 5-mile "humps" (that's marine for hiking with heavy packs), with a full combat load (kelvar helmet, flak jacket, and a LBV (load bearing vest.) The 5-mile hike is harder than the 3-mile since they add hills to this one.

Week 2 - This week he's spending all day Monday -Thursday at the rifle range. They will split them up and have half of them pulling down in the pits, while half of them fire, then they switch out around midday. Thursday will be qualifying day. Whatever they shoot that day will determine what badge they get. The DIs won't pressure them much this week because they want them to be able to concentrate on shooting. The 8-mile hike isn't as hard as the 5-mile only because there are fewer hills. They will probably get a 5-10 minute break on this one too, where they drop packs sit down and drink water. They usually try to do the hikes in the morning when it's not too hot yet. Marksmanship week and Grass week are probably the two easiest weeks of training.

I'll let you know what he's up to next week. Please keep in mind that Week 4 is the Crucible (Oct 30-Nov. 1.) This is a culminating event of 56 hours of little food and sleep where recruits are pushed to their limits. Mark your calendars so that you can keep Michael in your prayers. I have no idea how he's feeling and hope that he's getting over his bronchitis. This has to be bringing him down but I know he'll never admit it. He's tough!

As always, Ken and I (and Michael) appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. I'm missing him more than ever right now but know that God is watching over him for us. Until next time........
Julie

Finally...Another Letter and Phase II Begins

2007-10-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

We received a letter from Michael yesterday. He starts out with some news about another recruit in his platoon... "This past week has been rough. One of our recruits who didn't want to be here stopped participating all together. So, Tuesday the boys in blue came and cuffed him and he is spending 3 months in the brig. They asked him if he wanted to go to the RSP (Recruit Separation Platoon) but he cussed them out."

He hasn't written for awhile as his platoon was busy preparing for Initial Drill (Sep 29). Unfortunately all that hard work still put them in last place - the losers - the booger platoon. Michael says, "The drill master went up to Senior Drill Instructor and told him we were the worst platoon, so Senior said, "I don't give a sh__, you tell me who the worst platoon is when we get out of chow, or class, you tell me who is the worst platoon when someone walks into my house and my platoon sounds off with more volume and intensity and passion than any other platoon in the company..." and then a few more vulgar swear words. We all felt better after that. So this past week we found it in us to sound off louder than any platoon in the Lima company."

This past week he did log drills, close combat fighting, pugil sticks II, and Initial Physical Fitness Test. He said log drills sucked, close combat was sweet, he lost his pugil sticks match because he was fighting against two guys both of which were over 180 lbs, and he kicked butt on the PFT - he did 13 pull-ups, 101 crunches, and a 25:00 3- mile run. However, he threw up 3 times after the run. He just wasn't feeling well all day.

He continues writing the next day........"Today is a new day. We start second phase today! We changed our guide-on flag from yellow to red, we unbutton the top button of our blouse, and we blouse our trousers. Blousing the trousers is simply rolling them a certain way so you see the tops of our boots."

He went back to medical to take care of his sickness once and for all. He wanted to get some meds before heading up north for Phase II. He'd been told by some 3rd phase recruits that if you go to medical up north you are more than likely getting dropped. There are so many things happening everyday that if you miss one day you are screwed. So... while sitting in medical he writes about the "kick ass day yesterday."

"We started our day with chow and then classes. We had Marine Corps History 6 followed by Interior Guard II. From class we marched straight to the Confidence Course. We did three of the obstacles: Stairway to Heaven, Tough One and Slide for Life. Stairway to Heaven is the obstacle you see in movies. It looks like a giant ladder made of logs which spread farther apart as you climb higher. It goes about 35-40 feet in the air but you don't climb all the way to the top. Tough One was my favorite because it was the hardest for me. You begin by climbing a 25 ft. rope and then grab onto two logs and pull yourself up and thru another log above the one you are holding. Then you walk across about 20 ft. of logs spaced one foot apart from each other. I looked down and my heart started racing. Then once you get across you climb another ladder. Once at the top of this ladder you reach between the logs to grab a rope. Rope in hands, wrap your right leg around the rope and swing out. So... between 35 and 40 feet in the air holding onto a rope, hand-over-hand yourself down. I was SO scared because of the height, I was shaking furiously. But with some encouraging words and a deep breath I did it. There aren't very many safety precautions....no safety nets, no harness, no helmets...just your strength, camies and a cover (hat). One of our recruits was at the top of the first rope and fell! The Drill Instructors told him to get up and go to medical. So he hobbled off to medical. I felt bad for him. The final obstacle was Slide for Life. This is also one you may have seen on TV. There are 3 ropes attached to a tower. Climb up the tower and mount the rope. Lean forward and pull yourself down face first. At half-way point let your legs down so you are hanging by your hands only. Kick your legs up and crawl down feet first. If you fall at any time you are going to be very wet as there's a pool of water under the ropes. It was sweet! Once we finished we double-timed back to our house and showered. Then we had noon chow. From noon chow we went to our first water course. We put on camies (no boots) and swam 25 meters in shallow water. After that we walked to a platform about 8-9 ft. in the air and stepped off. There is a certain way you walk off... arms crossed, feet crossed, look up, look down, and step. Then we had to tread water for 3 minutes followed by a 25 meter swim in 12-ft. deep water. The worst part is that your hands cannot come out of the water at anytime. But our gear makes it really easy to swim. "

"The Lord works in mysterious ways! I'm still at medical and I have bad news and cool news. The bad news is that I have bronchitis. Here is the cool news...... So you know how I've been thinking about why I joined, right? Well I had to get blood work done and I went in the room and there is a young girl sitting a a desk who asks me for my SSN. She tells me to walk over to a room and I do. She steps in and says, "I'm only 13 days older than you." Weird, a girl in the Navy only 13 days older than me is going to be doing blood work on me. She asked where I'm from and she said she too is from a small town. Then she goes on about how she misses the small town life, farms, country music, etc. Then she asked what I did after graduation. I told her and she though it was awesome. I told her how I wasn't sure why I joined and she simply said, "yeah you do." She went on explaining why I joined and it made sense. I feel so much better because of her. Well, I am back at the house and I've been put on bed rest. So I get to sleep the rest of the day. It is currently 14:00 (2:00 pm). I miss you all. Keep sending letters/cards!"

There was talk that he would get phone calls this week but it's not guaranteed. He said, "Mom and Dad's phone service is retarded and won't accept collect calls." Sniff! I think that means he's tried to call us and couldn't get through!

While sitting waiting for church to start he continues on....."Well, I don't know today's date for sure. It's somewhere around the 28th, 29th, or 30th. Katie and Ryan, congrats on 3 years of marriage... I know that was this past week. I can't remember if there are any birthdays or not. Oh, a special thanks to those who sent pictures... they're taped in my foot locker. Also thank you to everyone who has written me letters. I received quite a few this week and I will try to respond to all of them but it may take some time. Another thing is I am not sure how mail works once we go up north. I'll try to find out. I am going to try and write more people. I miss..........." (I guess the church service started) He adds a P.S. --- Last night at mail call I received the most mail out of our whole platoon - 14 cards/letters. I was SO excited! Thank you all so much!! Am sorry to say I will not be able to answer all of your letters and I will have to cut back because up north time is short. Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart. Feel free to send pictures.

There you have it. I hope I haven't confused you too much with the sequence of events. I was a little confused myself as he started and stopped writing several times throughout the 5 pages that he wrote. At least we all know that he's thrilled to be getting so much mail. Keep up the good work everyone! I think I'm just as happy as Michael knowing how much all of you love him, that you care enough to take time to write to him. I hope this upbeat letter is an indication that he's turned a corner and is truly enjoying this step in his journey. I recently received some awesome info about what he's doing during Phase II. I will write that for you soon. Until next time.......thanks everyone for your love and support. It means so much to Michael, Ken and I. We love you back!

Julie

Sending Mail Information

2007-10-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone......... we haven't received any letters from Michael since my last posting. However, I did find out that it's VERY important that we NOT send any mail that can bring attention to the DI. That means no colored envelopes, nothing on the outside of the envelope, etc... This may seem extreme but we don't want Michael to get any undue grief from receiving "goofy" mail. If you've already sent something like this (as I have) don't worry about it. From now on please send letters in a plain white envelope. If you send a card, just choose a white envelope. I know our Hallmark store is good about switching a colored one for a white one. Others will too.

I understand that Michael is VERY busy now that he's in Camp Pendleton for Phase II. I will share more information about that soon so that you have a better idea of what he's up to. I'm expecting fewer letters because of his busy schedule but will always let you know when I hear from him.

Julie

Michael Got Mail!!

2007-09-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody........we received 2 letters from Michael today. Yes, he got mail!! I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that he's finally feelin' the love :) Here's the latest:

Doodoo (Michael said it another way) hit the fan there. The senior DI sent everyone to medical who was coughing. Michael said he and about 30 other guys went to medical after morning chow while the rest of the guys went to close combat training. Michael and the other "sickies" were cleaning the house when the others got back. They were huffing and puffing, soaked in sweat, and looked like they'd just seen the freakin' boogie man. They went to chow and before they entered the chow hall their platoon flag the guide carries was rolled up. It won't be put up until the guys put out. His platoon continues to look terrible marching compared to the other platoons.

The instructor for First Aid III is awesome. He reminds him of Cuba Gooding Jr.

Friday gave Michael a whole new outlook on boot camp. Mail call #5 gave him 4 letters. He says, "it was so nice to read letters and Mom's frickin' novel. Don't worry Mom, I hope you keep writing me like that because it's great to know how home is." He then answered a couple of my questions - "No, I'm not getting ripped yet. Everyone says you get buff once you go up north. I've lost 7 lbs though." Breakfast consists of fruit, eggs, waffles or pancakes, a cinnamon roll and ham, sausage, or bason. Lunch, they're required to eat salad and fruit, then a meat and veggie and dessert which is usually cake or brownies. (I'll bet they aren't his favorite peanut butter brownies) Dinner is the same as lunch.

He said it was really windy and cool that day. They ran a 2.5 mile S&E (strength & endurance). "We ran about a quarter of a mile, then stopped and did an exercise. When I say ran I mean ran and when I say exercise I mean push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, bicycles, and many others. I felt great!" He goes on........

"Tonight we got our stuff thrown everywhere. War bags, hangers, knowledges, and then only 2 minutes to shave, brush our teeth, and shower, all because recruits are retarded and don't sound off. I don't really care though.......I still don't want to be here. When I told my father I was joining he said, "What have you done?" Then he later said, "I ruined his dream of me becoming a musician because he thought that was my dream." Well, I'm starting to believe him. What have I done? Am I really supposed to be here? Why did I quit music? I have no motivation here at all. I wake up everyday and get told to do things and I feel I just do it because I have to....like I'm just going through with the motions... with no purpose. People sending letters keep telling me to stay strong and everything. I'm not going to give up but I'll probably think for the rest of my life, "What if I didn't join?""

His second letter was written on Saturday -
"Things are looking better today. It rained all morning so we did drill in our house. Alot of recruits were IT'd though. IT is Incentive Trainig. Basically it's going to the pit by yourself. You get IT'd for making a mistake over and over again. I would say about 20 guys or more got IT'd. Fortunately, I wasn't one of them. "

"Tomorrow is Sunday! If it weren't for church I don't think I could get through boot camp. Almost everyday we spend an hour talking about different things as a platoon with our senior DI. We've talked about suicide, depression, combat situations, goals as a platoon, and other stuff. Senior DI SS Smack is a pretty cool guy. He's an ideal Marine. He has the look, voice, and presence of a Marine. He has served overseas twice and then decided to be a parent and start his children (recruits) on his path."

He continues on Sunday morning -
"It's Sunday morning. I'm sitting here waiting for church to start. I love Sundays! A typical Sunday starts with chow and then 4 hours of free time. During free time we can go to church or stay at the house and square away your things. After the 4 hours we have afternoon chow. Then we may do drill for the afternoon or other tasks but not PT, work or class. Then we have evening chow and field work. Field work is cleaning the house top to bottom front to back using a small 8" brush and rags. We polish silver in the head, sweep with the brushes, mop floors, scrub soap scum in the rain room, replace toilet paper, and other stuff. Then on Monday morning the company First Sergeant inspects our house and grades us on it. "

"We get our hair cut again this week. I believe we get it cut every 10-12 days. Once we hit 3rd phase we are allowed to grow a high and tight. Personally, I think I look goofy without hair......and my giant portholes don't help either. But, there aren't any girls here except on Thursdays and Fridays. We can't even look at them so.....there is no one to impress with your looks."

"In answer to another one of Mom's questions - Yes, I have been put in a leadership position. I have not been a guide or squad leader, but I was appointed to march a detail fo 10 recruits to church every Sunday. For that 1.5-2 hrs. I am in charge of those recruits. It's not much but it's something. We were assigned fire teams also. A fire team is a group of four of us who work together. A fire team is the smallest group we'll ever be with. It doesn't matter, even if we were fighting in Iraq, there would be fire teams patrolling a certain area and not one giant platoon. My fire team leader is an idiot and will probably get fired. I am second in command as the gunnery so if he gets fired I am next in line to take over."

"This coming week (current week) is going to be long and hard. We have Initial Drill on Saturday Morning. Initial Drill is marching with weapons in front of "judges." The platoon that wins gets bragging rights and the company flag. The losers get the shame, the pit, and the name "Booger Platoon." Knowing my platoon, we'll probably be the booger platoon."

"I'll keep writing if you keep writing. A letter everyday helps the morale. I miss you guys.
Love, Michael"

As you can see, Michael is having good days and bad days. Maybe it's good moments and bad moments. I'm sure that these same feelings are being felt by all the guys. Thanks to all of you who are sending letters. As Michael said, a daily letter helps his morale. Continue the prayers as well. He and his platoon will need them big time on Saturday. Oh how I hate to think of him having to go to the pit again. We know that Michael will march his heart out.

Julie

Michael's Depressed!

2007-09-25T07:39:00.001-05:00

We received another letter from Michael yesterday! I figured he was really homesick or something because we'd just gotten a letter on Saturday. My motherly intuition was right. As you read on you'll understand, as I did that the day he wrote was a tough one.

He had his first class in First Aid II. He learned how to dress different wounds he'll encounter on the battlefield. They watched a movie of an actual wound dressing being performed. He said it was kind of gross with all the blood and stuff. He goes on, "It was weird to think that I may have to perform this someday to my buddy standing next to me or even my buddy performing it on me. The reality is slowly starting to set in. " They also learned how to treat for an amputation, an open fracture, and object impalement.

They had another mail call...........still NOTHING.

Many Marines had told Michael that the thing he needs to worry about in boot camp are the mind games. Now he knows what they're talking about. He's more depressed each day. He's beginning to wonder why he's there. Why would he want to give up all the FREEDOM of civilian life? Back then he could eat, sleep, talk, run, walk, sing, drum whenever he wanted. Now he "wears camo-clothing everyday (and the same ones too), he eats when he's told, sleeps when he's told, pisses when he's told..........all that freedom is gone!"

He knows why he gave up that freedom....so that each of us could have the freedom we do. I am humbled by the fact that not only Michael, but thousands of other men and women have and will volunteered to give their lives for mine. We all know of someone else who did that same thing 2000 years ago. What an honor to have a son who is willing to give his all for ME, for YOU.

He has started to see the pride of the American flag. He realizes that all of his hard work there is what keeps that flag in the air everyday. His senior DI has talked to them about things to think about every time they see it, salute it, and when colors are played. It's brought a whole new meaning to it all for Michael. The senior DI was also quick to point out that they won't feel the full effect of what that flag stands for until they return from war.

The guys were told to make boot camp hard on themselves by removing the things they've had at home like magazines, electric shavers, etc. They area allowed to have these things but are urged to go without them. "Eliminate contact with civilian objects" his senior DI said. Michael said, "Oh well, so far I've had elimination from civilian mail. Oh well."

Ok, how can a mother not be sad for her son? I love him so much and don't understand why he's not getting our mail!! If/when you send a letter DON'T put anything on the outside of the envelope that might bring attention to the DI, such as stickers, drawing, etc. He will pay the price for that. Keep writing and pray that they'll deliver his mail soon.

Cool News, Good News, Bad News.........

2007-09-23T15:59:00.001-05:00

Received another letter yesterday. Here's the latest with Michael -

Cool News: He did the obstacle course (like the one you see in the movies, TV, etc). He said it's kind of easy if you don't think and ignore any pains or soreness your body sends to the mind.

Good News: He's feeling better. His fever is gone and so is the sore throat. Thanks everyone for your prayers. They're working! He fought with the pugil sticks (look like giant Q-tips) and he won his fight. Go Michael! I didn't think he could beat the doo-doo out of somebody, but I guess I wasn't giving him enough credit :) He's my H-E-R-O!

Bad News: They've already lost 2 recruits. One due to medical reasons and the other is being charged with fraudulent enlistment. Uh-oh. Also, starting this week the Senior Drill Instructor is going to start cutting recruits who are not disciplined. Michael isn't worried about cutting booted out, but is actually happy that they'll weed out some of the guys that are penalizing the platoon.

Michael needs mail!! While writing this letter they had their 3rd mail call and still NO letters came for Michael. Most recruits have now received something except for about 9 of them. He said they all look forward to it. When a recruit's name is called his face lights up like it's Christmas. The other guys were reading their letters during square-away time. Some were laughing, some looked shocked, one was crying - I think because it was from his girlfriend :) I was especially saddened when I read that part since I've already sent 4 or 5 letters and I know a few of you out there have too. Let's try to make up for lost time and if possible send Michael a card or letter this week. He needs to know that we're thinking about him.

Other News: He says "The Pit" is hell! They do push-ups for awhile and on the way down and up they say, "No Discipline!" Then they quickly get up and do jumping jacks for 60 seconds, then push-ups, then running in place with arms straight out in front of you, knees above the waist all while screaming. After doing this for awhile it is back to push-ups. The process is repeated for about 5-10 minutes depending on how much effort every one puts into it and how much punishment the DI thinks is warranted.
Classes are in full swing. So far he's had Marine Corps History I & II, First Aid I, UCMJ Customs and Courtesies, Request Mast, Terrorism Awareness, and Interior Guard I. He says they're all interesting and alot of info to take in.
Fire Watch duty occurs every 2 nights. Everyone has to do it. He and 3 other recruits are wakened sometime during the night to take a one-hour shift.

Tomorrow he begins Week #3. Be sure to check the Marine calendar to see what he's up to each day.

Julie

First 2 Handwritten Letters Home!

2007-09-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

Yep, you read correctly.....we received 2 letter from Michael today. I was so excited to read them but didn't want to do so until Ken and I could sit down together. Ok.....I couldn't stand it and called Ken to see if he minded if I opened just one right away :) I had no idea which one was written before the other and I think I chose the second letter. The one we read together tonight was much more upbeat. Anyways, here is the "real" scoop from Michael:

The first week was really long. All he did was sit or stand all day. Not a whole lot of exercise or walking. The worst part was the 5 injections he received. The last one was in the butt which he and his fellow recruits refer to now as peanut butter butt. He said it hurts really badly and feels like there's a lump of peanut butter stuck in your cheek.

He said nobody really remembers what they did each day cause they were so tired. He did know that he was in bed at 8 pm (6pm our time) and up at 4 am (2 am our time). Bedtime is getting better now. They go to bed around 9 pm and are up at 5 am. Every night he lays in his rack, lights go out and taps are played across the depot. It sounds like it's been pretty cool at night there. He says all the portholes (windows) are open and all the guys are freezing. They are allowed to sleep in just skivey drawers and a skivey shirt (underwear and t-shirt). His bedding consists of a sheet and blanket. Many of them are getting sick including Michael. He's had a sore throat and headaches for several days. One recruit in his platoon has pneumonia. None of the guys want to go to medical for fear of being dropped. They have to be "men".

Michael received his "birth control" aka his military eye glasses. Apparently that are very large, baby poop brown and so ugly no female would ever pay him the time of day :)

His least favorite part of the day is chow. He has to hold his tray just right, stand heel to toe and greet the DI's (drill instructors). Then, he eats as fast as he can, back straight, stomach against the table, only use his right hand, heels together, feet at a 45 degree angle, cup centered on the tray, tray on the edge of the table, don't talk and don't look around. DI's are always yelling at someone in the mess hall. Michael's only been yelled at once. However, he's been yelled at twice in the barracks. All in all......he's got a pretty clean record :)

He says boot camp is no ice cream social. It's really hard but mainly because his platoon is kind of stinky. They are the only company who has gotten in so much trouble that they quit drill one day. His second letter explained that on the particular day he wrote, his platoon couldn't march for the life of them. After hours of marching a few of the guys still didn't get it. When one doesn't measure up they all pay the price. After all the various punishments they endured that day they were sent to "the Pit" the following day. He didn't know what the pit was only that it was supposed to be REALLY BAD. He'd heard that usually one or two guys from each platoon will end up there. It's quite unusual for an entire platoon to be sent. OUCH! He must have survived it as we haven't received a call from the Marines.

PT (physical training) is also tough but he loves it. It feels like it lasts forever but at the end he feels like a million bucks....minus the military clothes and sweat.

They've already put him to work performing Fire Watch. It's a job where you wake up and walk around the house making sure everything is secure and everyone is in their rack. By the way.... Michael said the movie "Full Metal Jacket" is only 30% real........plus they leave out alot.......but he says that's Hollywood!

That's it for now. Michael misses everyone SO much and is looking forward to getting some letters from home. Please continue to keep him in your prayers - especially for healing from his illness, strength to endure the punishments handed to him, and a clear mind to take in all that the DI's are requiring of him. Until the next letter comes...God's blessings to you all.
Send letters of encouragement!

Julie

Boot Camp Address Correction

2007-09-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure it will make any difference but Michael's Recruiter, SSgt. Hall gave me this address for Michael:

Recruit Huck, Michael T.
3rd BN Lima Co. Plt 3251
36000 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3251

I would be surprised if there are any other Hucks there, but it would be good to put his first name on it also :)

Julie

First Letter Home From Boot Camp!

2007-09-15T17:18:00.001-05:00

Woo Hoo!! We finally got a letter from Michael today. It was dated Sep 9th so it took 6 days to arrive. Ken and I were so excited to hear from him. We sat down, excitedly opened the letter and there it was..........a form letter. Michael was able to write in 3 blank spaces.......... Dear Mom & Dad, Recruit Huck, and added his signature Michael.

Michael is in Platoon 3251 with Lima Company. There are 96 other recruits from various parts of the country who have come together to form one team. They have 2 Drill Instructors and 1 Senior Drill Instructor that are with them 24/7.

In addition to Michael's form letter, we received a letter from his Senior Drill Instructor, Staff Sergeant Smack of which I'll share some exerpts. He said Michael is undergoing a rigorous trainig cycle that will test him both physically and mentally. The first phase of training will take place at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, CA. Training consists of physical training, close order drill, water survival qualification and an introduction to military life. Extensive classes on Marine Corps history, first-aid, military customs and courtesies and military law will be taught.

The second phase of training takes place at Camp Pendleton, CA and consists of rifle marksmanship and field skills training. The last week of this training is considered the most challenging and difficult event in recruit training, "The Crucible Event." The event will be a defining moment in Michael's life. Upon returning to MCRD the remaining weeks will consist of final evaluations and administrative procedures and preparation for duty in the Fleet Marine Force.

Michael will be facing many obstacles and may experience periods of frustration especially during first phase. Positive and encouraging letters from relatives and friends will greatly contribute to his morale and attitude. High morale and a positive outlook are assets for a solid foundation and attributes to successful training. Your role in maintaining his morale and motivation which can benefit his positive development is vital and encouraged.

So, the time has come when we can all send Michael our good thoughts and wishes. Please address his mail exactly as it is here to prevent delay.

Recruit Huck
3rd BN Lima Co. Plt 3251
36000 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3251

I found an interesting website. http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/RTR/RTR_matrix.htm
It's a calendar of daily activities that Michael is going through at boot camp. Michael's scheduled graduation date is November 30, 2007. That means he is starting Week 2 tomorrow Sep. 16th.

I'll update when I receive Michael's next letter home.

Julie

First Official Day at Bootcamp

2007-09-06T17:25:00.000-05:00

Thursday, September 6, 2007

We dropped Michael off with his recruiter in Oshkosh on Monday at 5:00 p.m. He was able to see a few school buddies before his departure which was awesome.
Once we said our good-byes Michael was taken to a hotel in Milwaukee. He flew out to California Tuesday afternoon. I'm not exactly sure what the procedure was but Staff Sargeant Hall said he'd get to the base in San Diego this morning between midnight and 1 a.m. I understand he wouldn't be allowed to sleep for the first 2 days. He was traveling with 19 other recruits from Wisconsin. He is supposed to be writing us a letter to tell us he arrived safely and to give us his mailing address. I guess no phone calls. Anyways, as soon as I get that information I'll post it here so that everyone can send him letters of encouragement. He'll need it!!

I miss him but he left one of his favorite country CDs in the player in my van. On my way to work I turned on the radio and there it was playing his tunes. A nice surprise and a good reminder of Michael. Geesh.... always leaving stuff lying around. This time I'm glad he did :) Oh and speaking of leaving things lying around......yeah......... he left a pile of dirty clothes in his brother's room. Thanks for the memories Michael!

I'll keep ya' all posted. Till then, remember our guy in your prayers.

Julie

Thursday, August 30, 2007

2007-08-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

This is Mike's mom. He is teaching me how to update this so that all of you will know what he's up to while at boot camp. I'll do my best to keep you informed. This computer is awesome and he may not get it back when he comes home :)

I hope to update you at least once a week. It will depend on how many letters he sends home with new information.

Michael is getting VERY excited to leave. I can't say I'm as excited to see him leave but am happy to see that he's geared up for the upcoming challenges.

Julie

An Update...

2007-08-21T16:37:00.000-05:00

Well, here is the latest. I am shipping out of Milwaukee, WI for sure. I will be in Oshkosh on the evening of September 3rd to meet one last time with Staff Sergent Hall. Then he will drive me to Milwaukee later that evening. Once we arrive in Milwaukee I will stay the night at a hotel. Around 4:30 AM I will wake up and leave for MEPS. MEPS is a medical facility where all branches of the military send recruits to receive medical exams before they ship to boot camp. After my medical check is over, I will then be bussed to the airport. I will fly to California and this is where I am unsure of what exactly happens. From my understanding, I will hang out somewhere with other Marine recruits until about 11:00PM or Midnight. From there we are bussed to boot camp. The first week is not exactly boot camp. I have to see a doctor, dentist, get my hair cut, sign lots of papers, swear in, receive my uniforms, and lots of other things before I can even start boot camp. After this, we have an officer speak to us and introduce us to our drill instructors. And then they come out in their Smokey Bears and unleash hell. Well, this is all I have to give you right now. I am sure I will update you one last time before I leave. Thanks for checking up on me!

T-Minus Thirty Five Days....

2007-08-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

As of Today, August First, I have thirty Five days until I leave for boot camp. It has been a month so I thought I should update you all on what is going on.

I have started a more intense work out plan starting this week. I am running at least once a day. Maxing out three times a day on crunches, and doing some basic arm exercises. I am running more often now because I have to run another IST before I leave. The IST consists of a mile and a half run in under 11:30sec max crunches in 1:30sec and max pull-ups. I am in contact with a recruiter from Mankato to run this. Last week Kayce, Matt Chaffee, and Eric (Lance) came to visit me one last time before I leave. We had a great time together and a very sad goodbye.

This weekend the parents and I will be driving down to Iowa to see Kyle (my brother) and his girlfriend, as well as meeting her parents. It is going to be lots of fun as we are spending the weekend on a lake while boating and jet skiing. On August 16th I will be flying out to NJ to see my sister Katie and brother-in-law Ryan. Katie is pregnant and I want to see her before I go...if I do not, I do not know when I would see her next...it could be a really long time. I also hope to drive down to Iowa again to spend time with my cousin Ryan. He and I would like to go to a go-kart place in which the karts go about 40 mph. I am really excited. Other than that nothing else has changed. I am still working at Higley Ford everyday and enjoying it, I am still single, I am teaching drum lessons, and I am still playing with Reach. I will keep you updated with my shipping to boot camp as I am informed. For now, good bye.

2007-06-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

Hello Again,

So here is what is happening. I took Mom to a recruiter in Mankato and he kinda got her excited about the Marines. While we were there at the mall, she also bought a couple of books to learn more about the Marine Corps. Not only that, she and both got memberships to a local health club. She and I get up between 5:30 and 5:45 to go workout three times a week. She is defiantly making sure I am in ample shape when I get to boot camp. That is all I have for now. I'll keep you posted on things.

Leaving Sept. 4th

2007-05-31T10:59:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys,

For the past few weeks I have been looking for a job but not being able to land one. However, Tuesday I finally found one and I might also be doing some farm work for family that lives close by. Since I found work, I will not be leaving early. My boot camp ship date is set for September 4th. I will be sent to California to the United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego...it touches the Hollywood airport. I wont know my address until I get there, but again, I will post it on here so you can write me letters of encouragement while I am at boot camp. If you are ever in the Windom area, give me shout. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Mike

This Is Where It's At

2007-05-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

This is where it's at. I will keep this blog going to keep you updated on how my life is going as I take a new path into the Marines. I will do my best to keep you posted on dates, times, events, etc. as I am away at boot camp and serving elsewhere in the world.

I have had so many people ask me to write them letters while I am away I don't think I could write to everyone and I do not want to leave anyone out. Therefore, I will try to convince my mother to keep this going while I am at boot camp. I will write a letter to her and try to get her to put it up here. I don't know how often this will happen, but I will do my best to get something once a week. I will also have my address posted on here so you can write me letters of encouragement while I am at boot camp if you feel up to it. Thanks for your support.

Mike.