Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Another Surprise
Ben got let go early instead of being shipped to N.C.! He's arriving midnight at LAX tonight (12/15) and will be home until 1/3/10. So feel free to bug him while he's here. :-)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Fort Bragg
Ben texted today and told us that he's being shipped to Ft. Bragg, N.C. sometime today and he may not be able to come home for Christmas. Possibly deployed by Jan. Please pray for him.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Mmmm...
Ben's in RIP holdover and is not going well. He is not allowed to tell his family/friends anything about what he's doing. Everything is quite covert. His morale is very low. Please just remember him in your prayers, for health, for physical & mental strength to endure whatever circumstances he's in...much beyond what we could imagine. Pray that God will sustain him with His grace & mercy and he will feel the prayers covering him. He's very disappointed/frustrated that he cannot come home for Thanksgiving. He will get the time off but is not allow out of the state of GA. However, he will have 2 week break for Christmas. Yea! You can contact him via e-mail (bawrestler@gmail.com), Facebook, or cell phone. He does not have regular internet access and but will get back to you when he can. :-) Right now, he has the evenings & weekends off. But after 6 pm PST, he will not be reachable because he cannot use his cell phone inside the barrack.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Off to RIP holdover!
Life's been pretty boring for me when we have off days (Ben here). Some good friends I made here got shipped off to Italy after Airborne School was over. :-( They may get deployed by Christmas! Now, I have to find some other decent people to make friends with again, this is not an easy task here in the Army.
Yeah, Airborne was kinda boring. Jumping out of the airplane was not as exciting as expected. I just step off the plane, float around, then land. There's not much to it. There's no way anyone can ever break a leg doing this. I got a perfect landing on my first jump but the last one sucked! What killed me was the 5-8 hr wait time they make us sit around with our gears on and can't do anything! No talking, no napping/sleeping (3 sec with your eyes closed is considered a nap; sleep, 5 sec), no bathroom, no eating...you get the point. Awful. They promised us 8 hr sleep the night before....yeah right! More like 3-4 hr. Well, I'm glad it's over and I got my wings.
My dad came out to my Airborne graduation on Oct 30 but the plane that the Air Force sent over broke down (typical). We had 2 companies trying to graduate at the same time due to poor weather. So the plane kept on having problems. I didn't graduate until the following Tuesday, and my Dad have to get back to work, so he missed the ceremony. But I got off the base & spend the weekend with my dad.
This past weekend, we got off on Friday for a 4 day weekend due to Veteran's Day. In the Army, you need 4 consecutive training days, so they give us the weekend prior off. And there's absolutely nothing to do here. I had to do guard duty on Sunday from 6 am - noon, so there goes my chance to go to church! My ipod blew up and my laptop went home with my Dad last weekend (so my load is lighter as they told us we have to run to RIP with our bags after Airborne).
We will finally get shipped off tomorrow morning (11/10), to RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program - a mini Ranger School) holdover. The actual RIP will start in January, so we're in holding 'til then. Everyone is real nervous; some just show it more than others. There seems to be hundreds of rumors going around that holdover really sucks. People say that holdover is much harder than RIP because they want to weed as many people out as possible. The program is >200% over capacity and only 10-15% will make it through. Yikes! You can get dropped for small infraction like a missed taped dog tags or something trivial like that. Blah. They may take my cell phone away too. It doesn't seem to be worth it, but if RIP starts right away, we wouldn't get Thanksgiving & Christmas off. That would really suck.
I don't know. This whole Army thing is wearing on me. I'm super excited to be home for Thanksgiving, despite the short time & lack of people I may not see. But I guess that's a given. I also have realized how much prayer I have behind me, and I am so very thankful. I think there's more than I can ask for and will need all of it. I'm not all that mentally strong, and that's where RIP will get me. I'm not looking forward to this whole process, but people have waited for years to get to RIP, so I'm gonna do my best and see how far I can get. Maybe I'm making this whole process and my life more difficult than it is. But I have to realize that many people have gone through this and survived.
I miss home like crazy though. Last night, I scrapped my right ankle pretty bad (thorny bush ran into me), right above my still swollen ankle. I hope that won't effect anything in the weeks ahead. It looked like a really bad cat scratch or lashed. Looks cool though, but now is not the time. Ha, ha. Well, I think that's pretty much it for now. Write to me when I have an address. Love ya all much!
Yeah, Airborne was kinda boring. Jumping out of the airplane was not as exciting as expected. I just step off the plane, float around, then land. There's not much to it. There's no way anyone can ever break a leg doing this. I got a perfect landing on my first jump but the last one sucked! What killed me was the 5-8 hr wait time they make us sit around with our gears on and can't do anything! No talking, no napping/sleeping (3 sec with your eyes closed is considered a nap; sleep, 5 sec), no bathroom, no eating...you get the point. Awful. They promised us 8 hr sleep the night before....yeah right! More like 3-4 hr. Well, I'm glad it's over and I got my wings.
My dad came out to my Airborne graduation on Oct 30 but the plane that the Air Force sent over broke down (typical). We had 2 companies trying to graduate at the same time due to poor weather. So the plane kept on having problems. I didn't graduate until the following Tuesday, and my Dad have to get back to work, so he missed the ceremony. But I got off the base & spend the weekend with my dad.
This past weekend, we got off on Friday for a 4 day weekend due to Veteran's Day. In the Army, you need 4 consecutive training days, so they give us the weekend prior off. And there's absolutely nothing to do here. I had to do guard duty on Sunday from 6 am - noon, so there goes my chance to go to church! My ipod blew up and my laptop went home with my Dad last weekend (so my load is lighter as they told us we have to run to RIP with our bags after Airborne).
We will finally get shipped off tomorrow morning (11/10), to RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program - a mini Ranger School) holdover. The actual RIP will start in January, so we're in holding 'til then. Everyone is real nervous; some just show it more than others. There seems to be hundreds of rumors going around that holdover really sucks. People say that holdover is much harder than RIP because they want to weed as many people out as possible. The program is >200% over capacity and only 10-15% will make it through. Yikes! You can get dropped for small infraction like a missed taped dog tags or something trivial like that. Blah. They may take my cell phone away too. It doesn't seem to be worth it, but if RIP starts right away, we wouldn't get Thanksgiving & Christmas off. That would really suck.
I don't know. This whole Army thing is wearing on me. I'm super excited to be home for Thanksgiving, despite the short time & lack of people I may not see. But I guess that's a given. I also have realized how much prayer I have behind me, and I am so very thankful. I think there's more than I can ask for and will need all of it. I'm not all that mentally strong, and that's where RIP will get me. I'm not looking forward to this whole process, but people have waited for years to get to RIP, so I'm gonna do my best and see how far I can get. Maybe I'm making this whole process and my life more difficult than it is. But I have to realize that many people have gone through this and survived.
I miss home like crazy though. Last night, I scrapped my right ankle pretty bad (thorny bush ran into me), right above my still swollen ankle. I hope that won't effect anything in the weeks ahead. It looked like a really bad cat scratch or lashed. Looks cool though, but now is not the time. Ha, ha. Well, I think that's pretty much it for now. Write to me when I have an address. Love ya all much!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Airborne School
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for writing me, keeping me in your prayers, and supporting me. Oh, this is Ben if you haven't figured out yet. My mom decided I should write a little something on Airborne School since I haven't written home or anything. So here's a glimpse into the Army's easiest school...
Because we graduated Basic and all that stuff we aren't "trainee's" so to speak so we have a lot more freedoms. My parents left my computer and cell phone here so it's been a great privalege to have them. I've caught up with many friends and all so it was very motivational. Unfortunitly, it'd make me think of home and all ya'll so much more. Anyways, this school is 3 weeks long. The first week is Ground Week. Second, Tower Week. And third, Jump Week. We only train Mon through Fri so I've really only been training for 10 days. They've been long ones though. Our mornings would start around 0445 and ends around 1800 (0600pm). And next week we'll put everything into practice.
Ground week we learned how to properly exit the aircraft and the 2 types of aircraft they use. We also learned how to land properly from any direction with any wind current. They went over all the details and nonsense no jumper really needs to know except how to exit and land. One SGT Airborne (our instructors) describe jumping out of a moving aircraft to throwing a cigarette butt out the window of your car while going 60mph. Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting. Tower week brought us off the ground a little bit. We did more landing practice from a swinging harness, from elevated platforms, and the works. And to practice our aircraft exits we had a zip line, so to speak, in which we hooked our harness up. So these past few weeks have been nonstop craziness. We run everywhere and as soon as we master one activity, its on to the next.
Jump weeks starts next Monday promptly at 0345; meaning wake up at 0300. Kill me now. There's a lot of rumors going around, as always, on what will happen during the week. But were supposed to get in 5 jumps in order to earn our wings. However, many companies have only been doing 3. There are 2 types of jumps. One's called a Hollywood jump with just a parachute and reserve; and the other is called a combat jump, where we have a ruck sack attached to our legs and a weapons case on our left side. So were supposed to do one of each and one night jump at the minimum. Bravo company, one week ahead of us, is behind already so our jumps will be pushed back unfortunately. And word has it the Air Force sent a lot of crappy broken down birds so there's been a lot of maintenance on them instead of jumping.
My graduation is scheduled for next Friday the 30th, but we'll see how that goes. The military just loves to hold all the precious information till the very end, and change it as soon as they put it out to us. So I hope to be done by next Friday. Rumor has it that upon graduation we pick up our bags and run to RIP, a pre-ranger course anywhere from a few blocks to 5 miles away. Once I get there I'll be briefed, hopefully, on what will take place. But I'll be downloading most of my extra stuff to my dad, meaning I'll be getting rid of my computer and books and everything else I won't need in order to make the run and survive day zero. Haha. The school is currently making a transition real soon if it hasn't already happened. They are extending the program from 4 weeks to 8 due to the increase of slackers getting into the Battalions and the near 200% overstrength groups. So I could be the last 4 week class, or the first 8 week class after Christmas leave. I'm really hoping I will be granted to go home for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas, but like I said, nobody knows anything.
Well, I think thats it for now. Thank you again for the love and support. If you'd like to email me my address is bawrestler@gmail.com. Thank you again and I'll be talking to ya'll soon.
- PFC Guido
I am the Infantry! Follow me!
Because we graduated Basic and all that stuff we aren't "trainee's" so to speak so we have a lot more freedoms. My parents left my computer and cell phone here so it's been a great privalege to have them. I've caught up with many friends and all so it was very motivational. Unfortunitly, it'd make me think of home and all ya'll so much more. Anyways, this school is 3 weeks long. The first week is Ground Week. Second, Tower Week. And third, Jump Week. We only train Mon through Fri so I've really only been training for 10 days. They've been long ones though. Our mornings would start around 0445 and ends around 1800 (0600pm). And next week we'll put everything into practice.
Ground week we learned how to properly exit the aircraft and the 2 types of aircraft they use. We also learned how to land properly from any direction with any wind current. They went over all the details and nonsense no jumper really needs to know except how to exit and land. One SGT Airborne (our instructors) describe jumping out of a moving aircraft to throwing a cigarette butt out the window of your car while going 60mph. Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting. Tower week brought us off the ground a little bit. We did more landing practice from a swinging harness, from elevated platforms, and the works. And to practice our aircraft exits we had a zip line, so to speak, in which we hooked our harness up. So these past few weeks have been nonstop craziness. We run everywhere and as soon as we master one activity, its on to the next.
Jump weeks starts next Monday promptly at 0345; meaning wake up at 0300. Kill me now. There's a lot of rumors going around, as always, on what will happen during the week. But were supposed to get in 5 jumps in order to earn our wings. However, many companies have only been doing 3. There are 2 types of jumps. One's called a Hollywood jump with just a parachute and reserve; and the other is called a combat jump, where we have a ruck sack attached to our legs and a weapons case on our left side. So were supposed to do one of each and one night jump at the minimum. Bravo company, one week ahead of us, is behind already so our jumps will be pushed back unfortunately. And word has it the Air Force sent a lot of crappy broken down birds so there's been a lot of maintenance on them instead of jumping.
My graduation is scheduled for next Friday the 30th, but we'll see how that goes. The military just loves to hold all the precious information till the very end, and change it as soon as they put it out to us. So I hope to be done by next Friday. Rumor has it that upon graduation we pick up our bags and run to RIP, a pre-ranger course anywhere from a few blocks to 5 miles away. Once I get there I'll be briefed, hopefully, on what will take place. But I'll be downloading most of my extra stuff to my dad, meaning I'll be getting rid of my computer and books and everything else I won't need in order to make the run and survive day zero. Haha. The school is currently making a transition real soon if it hasn't already happened. They are extending the program from 4 weeks to 8 due to the increase of slackers getting into the Battalions and the near 200% overstrength groups. So I could be the last 4 week class, or the first 8 week class after Christmas leave. I'm really hoping I will be granted to go home for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas, but like I said, nobody knows anything.
Well, I think thats it for now. Thank you again for the love and support. If you'd like to email me my address is bawrestler@gmail.com. Thank you again and I'll be talking to ya'll soon.
- PFC Guido
I am the Infantry! Follow me!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Surprise!
Ben showed up at the house on Sat. 10/17. Wow, I almost had a heart attack! I could not believe my eyes! What is he doing at home? We just saw him last week at his Graduation!
Now that he's done with Basic Training, the rules are much more relaxed. He gets nights & weekends off, & Columbus Day off. So he decided to shock his family & friends. However it was not without travel stress of :
1. missing his original flight (the Army kept him way longer than expected),
2. the rescheduled flight required him to spend the night at the airport for an early flight next morning,
3. his ride back to the base flaked out on him, (but fortunately I was able to find him a shuttle to take him back to the base late Monday night),
4. he had not eaten since he left home Monday mid-day and everything was closed by the time he got back on base at 11:30 pm. And they don't have vending machines. Sorry! :-(
Even though he tried to visit as many friends as possible, not all was able to connect up with him. It was really nice for him to be able to see his friends face to face. He loved shocking many of his friends when he drove up to SLO Sunday evening for the night.
It was a quick 2+ day trip but he'll tell you it's all worth it. (He even asked me to give him a hair cut). He said, 'Make sure you don't mess it up!" How can you mess up cutting 1/8 inch of hair?
It was great seeing him. His ankle is still swollen but he's in good spirits. He started Airborne School yesterday (10/14). It will go 'til the end of October. Keep praying for complete healing & no other injuries during jump school. Thanks!
Now that he's done with Basic Training, the rules are much more relaxed. He gets nights & weekends off, & Columbus Day off. So he decided to shock his family & friends. However it was not without travel stress of :
1. missing his original flight (the Army kept him way longer than expected),
2. the rescheduled flight required him to spend the night at the airport for an early flight next morning,
3. his ride back to the base flaked out on him, (but fortunately I was able to find him a shuttle to take him back to the base late Monday night),
4. he had not eaten since he left home Monday mid-day and everything was closed by the time he got back on base at 11:30 pm. And they don't have vending machines. Sorry! :-(
Even though he tried to visit as many friends as possible, not all was able to connect up with him. It was really nice for him to be able to see his friends face to face. He loved shocking many of his friends when he drove up to SLO Sunday evening for the night.
It was a quick 2+ day trip but he'll tell you it's all worth it. (He even asked me to give him a hair cut). He said, 'Make sure you don't mess it up!" How can you mess up cutting 1/8 inch of hair?
It was great seeing him. His ankle is still swollen but he's in good spirits. He started Airborne School yesterday (10/14). It will go 'til the end of October. Keep praying for complete healing & no other injuries during jump school. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Graduation
It was a very nice ceremony on a cloudy day - perfect weather! We were told to be there by 7 AM (i.e. 4 AM CA time) to get a good seat! I don't know how we pulled two-4 AM mornings (one for the day of departure), but we did it! The graduating guys had to be there super early with only couple of hr of sleep, so we couldn't complain too much. The ceremony started at 10 AM.
It was a simple ceremony with very nice marching band performance. They also had smoke clouds with attacking squad teams and big booms! I'll post the pictures soon.
We went to the National Infantry Museum where Ben was our tour guide and explained all that they did during training. Even though he didn't get much sleep the night before, he was very patient with all our questions. Matt & Jacob got to shoot a M16 & M4 (respectively, 30 rounds each) at the museum. It was fun.
Now that they graduated, the barracks are cleaned out. So he could stay with us. He's just so happy that his family came & brought his laptop & cell phone so that he could video chat & text his friends. We hung out, had Krispy Kreme donuts, candy & junk food! The Lord blessed us with perfect weather when we're there. We took a trip to Atlanta's Aquarium and saw the only whale sharks & manta rays in captivity! It was really cool. It was strange for him to wear his civilian clothes for the 1st time in 13 weeks!
So now what? He is at Airborne holding until ready to be transferred to Airborne School. He's not sure when that will happen - the earliest is on Oct 8. Airborne training is 3 weeks long.
Then he may go to Assault weapon school (or something like that, 2 weeks) or RIP (mini Ranger School-6 weeks). For now, he'll have to wait and see if the Army will allow him to swap the RIP for the Assault school. Hence we don't know when he'll be back home for his 10 day leave.
Many of the other graduates went home for their 10 day leave and then go to their assigned posts - Germany, Hawaii, or elsewhere. Many of them suspect they will get deployed soon. Yikes! Overall, besides his swollen ankle (~ 70% healed), he looked pretty good.
If you want to contact him, the snail mail address may not get to him anymore. I'll posted the new one here when he gives it to us. He LOVES to get mail! He thanks you for all your love & support. It really help him to get through this tough period. He saved all of them! But now, he'll have internet access to his e-mail & Facebook on the weekends (contact me for his e-mail address & cell phone#), and may be nights. I believe the rate is $8/hr for the internet! But he has unlimited minutes on his cell phone on weekends.
It was a simple ceremony with very nice marching band performance. They also had smoke clouds with attacking squad teams and big booms! I'll post the pictures soon.
We went to the National Infantry Museum where Ben was our tour guide and explained all that they did during training. Even though he didn't get much sleep the night before, he was very patient with all our questions. Matt & Jacob got to shoot a M16 & M4 (respectively, 30 rounds each) at the museum. It was fun.
Now that they graduated, the barracks are cleaned out. So he could stay with us. He's just so happy that his family came & brought his laptop & cell phone so that he could video chat & text his friends. We hung out, had Krispy Kreme donuts, candy & junk food! The Lord blessed us with perfect weather when we're there. We took a trip to Atlanta's Aquarium and saw the only whale sharks & manta rays in captivity! It was really cool. It was strange for him to wear his civilian clothes for the 1st time in 13 weeks!
So now what? He is at Airborne holding until ready to be transferred to Airborne School. He's not sure when that will happen - the earliest is on Oct 8. Airborne training is 3 weeks long.
Then he may go to Assault weapon school (or something like that, 2 weeks) or RIP (mini Ranger School-6 weeks). For now, he'll have to wait and see if the Army will allow him to swap the RIP for the Assault school. Hence we don't know when he'll be back home for his 10 day leave.
Many of the other graduates went home for their 10 day leave and then go to their assigned posts - Germany, Hawaii, or elsewhere. Many of them suspect they will get deployed soon. Yikes! Overall, besides his swollen ankle (~ 70% healed), he looked pretty good.
If you want to contact him, the snail mail address may not get to him anymore. I'll posted the new one here when he gives it to us. He LOVES to get mail! He thanks you for all your love & support. It really help him to get through this tough period. He saved all of them! But now, he'll have internet access to his e-mail & Facebook on the weekends (contact me for his e-mail address & cell phone#), and may be nights. I believe the rate is $8/hr for the internet! But he has unlimited minutes on his cell phone on weekends.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Part 3 - Making of an infantryman
Well, we pushed off and got hit with and IED (improvised explosive device). We had to carry 3 or 4 guys, and their rucks for awhile. And this was the beginning of the bayonet, a tradition passed down, cycle after cycle.
The first real station, we had to carry the 2 biggest guys on stretchers. Next station was to carry full sand bags to another location. Keep in mind we still have our heavy ruck, raining weather, up and and down the hills, and through forest. Next was the tires. One 150 lbs. and the other human goods tire that was literally as tall as me! By this time, we caught another platoon, but the big tire rolled off into the woodune and was a disaster! Then we had to hump mannequins and ammo cans full of sand. Lastly, the most painful was the two logs. All this accumulated to about 4 miles. An UPU was finally awarded for chow, but h-e-l-l was not finished. No earlier than 2100 hour, we started the final 8 miles of FTX.
It was still pouring, we were doing 12 or 15 min. miles, crazy fast. It was hill after hills. After about 4 miles in, right before 'stairway to heaven' (3 huge hills one after another), we stopped for a water refuel break and an emergency. God showed His mercy on us and gave someone a high temperature. Heat casualty. Fell out. 106.8 temperature. Poor guy! Rushed to the hospital and still not back. But due to that, the whole company unloaded their rucks and finished with the rubber duckies, flick, camel back, and PC. We swapped out our M4's for the rubber duckies or plastic M16's, our flick includes 2 canteens, 3 M4 double mag pouches, grenade and flash pouches, and our PC is our patrol cap. So the last 4 miles were a lot easier, and finally, just before 0100 hour, we arrived at Honor Hill. They had smoke grenades, flares, flashes, pretty much all the leftover ammo from FTX going off as we walked in. When I walked through the gates, it looked like a tribal ceremony. They had torches, 2 bonfires, tall wooden gates... so that night, we became infantryman. Finally! We got our cross rifles and congratulated by many honorable men. We finally made it! I made it! It's done!
We finally go back around 0300 and had to wake up at 0600. However, it was an easy day. I actually didn't feel like an army robot that day.
We've been cleaning our equipment in the last few days so they can be turned in by Mon or Tue. Last night, dinner chow was burgers, pizza and all that great terrible stuff! And even ice cream! But it didn't stop there. They took us to a classroom where we ate while watched you tube videos and a movie. That was heaven! Especially after the past 12 weeks, the DS have been easing off too. Well, may be they're still recovering too. I saw one of them limping after the ruck, amazing huh? The movie we saw was 'We were Soldiers' or something like that. It was based off of Charlie I-50, the first graduating class. It's a good movie. Our company doesn't get many privileges like others because of its prestigious and honorable history. Kinda cool, huh? Well, my hands are tired, so I'm gonna go. Hope to talk to you soon. Love ya guys!
PFC Guido
I am the infantry! Follow me!
The first real station, we had to carry the 2 biggest guys on stretchers. Next station was to carry full sand bags to another location. Keep in mind we still have our heavy ruck, raining weather, up and and down the hills, and through forest. Next was the tires. One 150 lbs. and the other human goods tire that was literally as tall as me! By this time, we caught another platoon, but the big tire rolled off into the woodune and was a disaster! Then we had to hump mannequins and ammo cans full of sand. Lastly, the most painful was the two logs. All this accumulated to about 4 miles. An UPU was finally awarded for chow, but h-e-l-l was not finished. No earlier than 2100 hour, we started the final 8 miles of FTX.
It was still pouring, we were doing 12 or 15 min. miles, crazy fast. It was hill after hills. After about 4 miles in, right before 'stairway to heaven' (3 huge hills one after another), we stopped for a water refuel break and an emergency. God showed His mercy on us and gave someone a high temperature. Heat casualty. Fell out. 106.8 temperature. Poor guy! Rushed to the hospital and still not back. But due to that, the whole company unloaded their rucks and finished with the rubber duckies, flick, camel back, and PC. We swapped out our M4's for the rubber duckies or plastic M16's, our flick includes 2 canteens, 3 M4 double mag pouches, grenade and flash pouches, and our PC is our patrol cap. So the last 4 miles were a lot easier, and finally, just before 0100 hour, we arrived at Honor Hill. They had smoke grenades, flares, flashes, pretty much all the leftover ammo from FTX going off as we walked in. When I walked through the gates, it looked like a tribal ceremony. They had torches, 2 bonfires, tall wooden gates... so that night, we became infantryman. Finally! We got our cross rifles and congratulated by many honorable men. We finally made it! I made it! It's done!
We finally go back around 0300 and had to wake up at 0600. However, it was an easy day. I actually didn't feel like an army robot that day.
We've been cleaning our equipment in the last few days so they can be turned in by Mon or Tue. Last night, dinner chow was burgers, pizza and all that great terrible stuff! And even ice cream! But it didn't stop there. They took us to a classroom where we ate while watched you tube videos and a movie. That was heaven! Especially after the past 12 weeks, the DS have been easing off too. Well, may be they're still recovering too. I saw one of them limping after the ruck, amazing huh? The movie we saw was 'We were Soldiers' or something like that. It was based off of Charlie I-50, the first graduating class. It's a good movie. Our company doesn't get many privileges like others because of its prestigious and honorable history. Kinda cool, huh? Well, my hands are tired, so I'm gonna go. Hope to talk to you soon. Love ya guys!
PFC Guido
I am the infantry! Follow me!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Part 2
This one guy who manned the M240B (first at 6 o'clock but got moved to the 2 o'clock after many mess ups), called movement and said a terrorist captured on of our sergeants. Everyone was yelling, 'Don't shoot!' 'Give him an ultimatum'.... we already had 2 teams out flanking the 3 of them within 30 seconds of contact (really fast for us) and ready to overtake the terrorist, when BAM! One single burst form the 240B! Though it was a blank round, it would have killed them both. We now call that person the 240 sniper. Morale of the story - you can't snipe with a machine gun. Duh!
Another short story. Every night, I fall asleep to the sound of arty rounds, small arms, and flares. When the DS attack, they use flares and simulated artilleries and whole bunch of stuff. Wicked cool when you are on guard and have the NODS (night optic device). You see it in green, just like the video games!
Near the end of the week, we had to get rid of all our ammo so we worked on MOUT (military operations urban training) i.e. room clearing, squad movement, etc. At the end of the day, we did a company attack on 4-5 houses against invisible DS. It was way unfair, but fun. People got lit up by saws and bravos (M240B) all that good stuff. But the real action started and ended on Friday.
Friday began pretty uneventful. Police calling our area, chow, checking our gear, sorting expended rounds...Then all h-e-l-l broke loose (pardon the language, I'm not sure what to replace it with) at about 14 or 1500. Company formation, just as we were about to set foot back home, it started to rain, making our rucks, clothes, boots, and everything else waterlogged and heavier. We were already wet from the night before, and sandy, so it made everything worse.
Another short story. Every night, I fall asleep to the sound of arty rounds, small arms, and flares. When the DS attack, they use flares and simulated artilleries and whole bunch of stuff. Wicked cool when you are on guard and have the NODS (night optic device). You see it in green, just like the video games!
Near the end of the week, we had to get rid of all our ammo so we worked on MOUT (military operations urban training) i.e. room clearing, squad movement, etc. At the end of the day, we did a company attack on 4-5 houses against invisible DS. It was way unfair, but fun. People got lit up by saws and bravos (M240B) all that good stuff. But the real action started and ended on Friday.
Friday began pretty uneventful. Police calling our area, chow, checking our gear, sorting expended rounds...Then all h-e-l-l broke loose (pardon the language, I'm not sure what to replace it with) at about 14 or 1500. Company formation, just as we were about to set foot back home, it started to rain, making our rucks, clothes, boots, and everything else waterlogged and heavier. We were already wet from the night before, and sandy, so it made everything worse.
He's Official
After not hearing from Ben for almost 2 weeks since his 'camping' trip, we got a 6 page letter today! We were all very anxious to know how he survived the trip. I will detail the letter part by part. I just wanted you to know that he made through this very tough training exercise & is now an official infantryman! Thank you for all your prayers & letters. It really made a huge difference in helping through this experience. (I'm just going to re-type his letter because it's kind of hard to summarize. Besides, it was fun to read them; at least for me).
From Friday, Sept. 18 Guess who just emerged from the Georgian Woods! Yup! You guessed right - me! It's been a long week! 7 days, 6 nights; miles after miles, hills after hills. Blank (yes, that's what we shot, kinda hard to 'practice war' with live rounds) after blank. 33 started, 33 finished. Ready for my "Story of OSUT" ? Sorry for all the acronyms (One Station Unit Training - includes basic training (BT) & advanced individual training (AIT))? It's a long story.
Day 1 - We all had our rucks packed day(s) prior so we weren't rushing too bad. We got transported to a very far away range where we ate a UPU (you pick up a breakfast delivered from the DFAC (dining facility) so it was an alright breakfast). Then after being lead in a series of exercises and battle drills, we had to run 1/4 mile and engage targets. Platoon with the most hits got a streamer for their platoon guide on. We didn't win it, but its probably the last time I'd fired a live round for awhile. We then got trans to our FTX (field trainig exercise) site. And that, is pretty much wraps up day 1.
Next few days, we didn't leave our site, but don't remember doing very much. I'd say 80-90% of the time, were spent pulling security. That means nothing more than sitting with your back to the ruck, watching. The hardest part was not falling asleep. As soon as contact was made, we called out the 3 D's (description, distance, direction), went up to 100% security, if not already, went prone, and scanned our sector for movements. DS's (drill sergeants) tried to probe security, changing scenarios, etc. Every breakfast & dinner, we got UPU's. We carried 4 MRG's on us for lunch and were even allowed to buy fum & sunflower seed! That made thing go by way faster!
We set our perimeter up like a triangle. 10 0'clock to 2 o'clock is the side that is most likely to be attacked. But we did it wrong and it faced a woodline. 1st squad was from 10 - 2 o'clock; 2nd squad (my guys) took up 2 - 6 o'clock; 3rd took 10-6 o'clock; and 4th intermingled. There were 3x M240B (a huge machine gun) that splits out 7.62 and brings comfort to whomever is firing it (meaning massive fire power). The M249 Saws were spaced everywhere. My line got 2 (as it got attacked the most). And everyone else kinda just filled in. The 6 o'clock got the most attention. They were always calling contact and had to be manned 24/7. Ok, so now you know what we kinda look like. Now for the rest of the story.
From Friday, Sept. 18 Guess who just emerged from the Georgian Woods! Yup! You guessed right - me! It's been a long week! 7 days, 6 nights; miles after miles, hills after hills. Blank (yes, that's what we shot, kinda hard to 'practice war' with live rounds) after blank. 33 started, 33 finished. Ready for my "Story of OSUT" ? Sorry for all the acronyms (One Station Unit Training - includes basic training (BT) & advanced individual training (AIT))? It's a long story.
Day 1 - We all had our rucks packed day(s) prior so we weren't rushing too bad. We got transported to a very far away range where we ate a UPU (you pick up a breakfast delivered from the DFAC (dining facility) so it was an alright breakfast). Then after being lead in a series of exercises and battle drills, we had to run 1/4 mile and engage targets. Platoon with the most hits got a streamer for their platoon guide on. We didn't win it, but its probably the last time I'd fired a live round for awhile. We then got trans to our FTX (field trainig exercise) site. And that, is pretty much wraps up day 1.
Next few days, we didn't leave our site, but don't remember doing very much. I'd say 80-90% of the time, were spent pulling security. That means nothing more than sitting with your back to the ruck, watching. The hardest part was not falling asleep. As soon as contact was made, we called out the 3 D's (description, distance, direction), went up to 100% security, if not already, went prone, and scanned our sector for movements. DS's (drill sergeants) tried to probe security, changing scenarios, etc. Every breakfast & dinner, we got UPU's. We carried 4 MRG's on us for lunch and were even allowed to buy fum & sunflower seed! That made thing go by way faster!
We set our perimeter up like a triangle. 10 0'clock to 2 o'clock is the side that is most likely to be attacked. But we did it wrong and it faced a woodline. 1st squad was from 10 - 2 o'clock; 2nd squad (my guys) took up 2 - 6 o'clock; 3rd took 10-6 o'clock; and 4th intermingled. There were 3x M240B (a huge machine gun) that splits out 7.62 and brings comfort to whomever is firing it (meaning massive fire power). The M249 Saws were spaced everywhere. My line got 2 (as it got attacked the most). And everyone else kinda just filled in. The 6 o'clock got the most attention. They were always calling contact and had to be manned 24/7. Ok, so now you know what we kinda look like. Now for the rest of the story.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wrestling Tournament - by Mark Guido
Ben has gone through a lot during basic training and he shared many stories and this one was fun to hear him tell.
They had a wrestling competition in his platoon. He has some advantage as a wrestler, but since they do not break down by weight class, they pretty much have to wrestle whoever no matter what size difference there is, and most guys are much bigger than him. They broke up into two teams and have each team on opposite sides of the mat. One person from each team goes to the center and they wrestle. The goal is to either get your opponent to tap out or drag them to your teams’ side. If you can drag your opponent to your side, you can tag another team member and then he can get on the mat and help you out for 10 seconds. So during these ten seconds, it is two on one but when the ten seconds are up, the first wrestler gets off the mat and the second one takes over.
So Ben is in the center and his opponent came out and Ben handled him fairly easily and made him tap out pretty quickly. Then they send another opponent out and Ben has a harder time and was able to get his opponent close to his side, but not close enough to tag another teammate. Then the other guy gets the upper hand and gets Ben to his side of the mat and tags a teammate. Now there are two guys on Ben but he holds them off for the ten seconds and the first wrestler leaves. Ben is able to move his new opponent to his side of the mat but again not quite close enough to make a tag. Ben looses ground as he gets dragged to the other side of the mat and again another tag is made and it is Ben against two one more time. Well Ben holds on for the ten seconds and is left with one to wrestle and as Ben moves this guy toward his side, his opponent just grabs Ben’s neck and start to chock him. Ben holds on as best he could but could not break free. Unable to breathe he finally gives in and taps out. Just as he does, the sergeant runs over and knocks the opponent off Ben and sends him flying. He then yells at the guy for doing an illegal choke move. Ben is a bit upset because they did not give him the win even though the guy cheated.
Friday, September 4, 2009
No brownies, please!
Now they are able to receive goodies from home. But they will tell (beg) you not to.
At first, the DS gets the package and put it in the middle of the floor of the barrack, and 30+ guys just dive right in and devour in less than a minute. Then he thought that it's too easy for them, so he thought of a contest. Normally, it's doing sit-ups and push-ups. But this time, DS got creative! They are to go to a hill, bring a huge tracker tire (weighs over 100 lbs) down to a designated spot, and get back within certain time. Well, not knowing what the contest was, everyone in Ben's group volunteered him because he's good at sit-ups & push-ups. Since the tire is too heavy for him to carry, he had to rolled it down the hill, but made terrible time. He came in second to the last, then his group got smoked for that. So that was bad!
They got a new DS the other day. He made Ben do extra 25 pushes just because we used address label for the envelope. They'll think of anything to make him work for it.
Some good news, because he and his teammates came in first out of the whole company, on a physcial training test through an really touch obstacle course, they were given a 6 hr pass. Unfortunately due to the time difference, he couldn't reach many of his friends. I talked to him while he was bowling (interrupted by his turn about every 15 seconds!) away and having pizza, in an A/C room!
He's asking for prayer for this week because they are training (camping) out in the woods from Sat (8/12) 'til Thur (8/17). It'll be very tough not only physically, but emotionally as well. They will not have any hot meals or letters. Please pray for protection from the elements, good weather (it will really suck when it rains), strength & endurance from lack of sleep and food. Pray that he will feel the presence of God & endure this whole process. He is also very concerned about the 12 mile ruck march. They have to be able to carry their own pack, which could weight 60-80 lbs. They march at a fast pace over a rough terrain. They are in full battle uniform ('fatigues' pants/shirt, body armor, helmet, weapon, canteen/water, etc.) It really adds up, and in Georgia's humid weather! The most exhaustion will come from the legs and lower back. And with his swollen ankle, it certainly does not help. We know he is strong, but this is no cake walk for him.
At first, the DS gets the package and put it in the middle of the floor of the barrack, and 30+ guys just dive right in and devour in less than a minute. Then he thought that it's too easy for them, so he thought of a contest. Normally, it's doing sit-ups and push-ups. But this time, DS got creative! They are to go to a hill, bring a huge tracker tire (weighs over 100 lbs) down to a designated spot, and get back within certain time. Well, not knowing what the contest was, everyone in Ben's group volunteered him because he's good at sit-ups & push-ups. Since the tire is too heavy for him to carry, he had to rolled it down the hill, but made terrible time. He came in second to the last, then his group got smoked for that. So that was bad!
They got a new DS the other day. He made Ben do extra 25 pushes just because we used address label for the envelope. They'll think of anything to make him work for it.
Some good news, because he and his teammates came in first out of the whole company, on a physcial training test through an really touch obstacle course, they were given a 6 hr pass. Unfortunately due to the time difference, he couldn't reach many of his friends. I talked to him while he was bowling (interrupted by his turn about every 15 seconds!) away and having pizza, in an A/C room!
He's asking for prayer for this week because they are training (camping) out in the woods from Sat (8/12) 'til Thur (8/17). It'll be very tough not only physically, but emotionally as well. They will not have any hot meals or letters. Please pray for protection from the elements, good weather (it will really suck when it rains), strength & endurance from lack of sleep and food. Pray that he will feel the presence of God & endure this whole process. He is also very concerned about the 12 mile ruck march. They have to be able to carry their own pack, which could weight 60-80 lbs. They march at a fast pace over a rough terrain. They are in full battle uniform ('fatigues' pants/shirt, body armor, helmet, weapon, canteen/water, etc.) It really adds up, and in Georgia's humid weather! The most exhaustion will come from the legs and lower back. And with his swollen ankle, it certainly does not help. We know he is strong, but this is no cake walk for him.
An Example
Ben got a 3 hr pass today and he called home! His ankle is still pretty huge & swollen, and the ringworm on his face flares up now and then and its getting pretty huge. But if he takes time off to go see the doctor, he may be on profile & may get a restart. But...he came in the in the top 10% on the PT (physical training) test and was given leave to go to a high school football game tonight! He's not a football fan, but anything off the base is nice.
He's officially in AIT (advanced individual training) and is doing more interesting & fun stuff - drills like ambush maneuvers, going into a room with 4 other guys with guns to secure the room, etc. He said it's fun but it's also scary when you don't know what's on the other side of the door (like you see on TV). He's working in groups and one guy is from Camarillo, Wilson. He's a real nice (big) guy and they work well together. Wilson helps him out on those 8-10 mile ruck marches. They will both going into Ranger training in the future.
Last week after 'Family Day', they got pounded pretty hard. He gave an example of getting smoked: DS saw a weapon that was unsecured, he took it apart, and scattered it. He then put sand in every nooks & cranny there is in the gun and got it all muddy, and put more sand on it. They have to clean it, reassemble it, and run back to the camp in 3 minutes. They have to run twice as fast to make it.
Next Sat, they have to spend a whole week camping out in the woods, doing training and battle drills, night time exercises). Please pray for that. It'll be a very tough week.
He's officially in AIT (advanced individual training) and is doing more interesting & fun stuff - drills like ambush maneuvers, going into a room with 4 other guys with guns to secure the room, etc. He said it's fun but it's also scary when you don't know what's on the other side of the door (like you see on TV). He's working in groups and one guy is from Camarillo, Wilson. He's a real nice (big) guy and they work well together. Wilson helps him out on those 8-10 mile ruck marches. They will both going into Ranger training in the future.
Last week after 'Family Day', they got pounded pretty hard. He gave an example of getting smoked: DS saw a weapon that was unsecured, he took it apart, and scattered it. He then put sand in every nooks & cranny there is in the gun and got it all muddy, and put more sand on it. They have to clean it, reassemble it, and run back to the camp in 3 minutes. They have to run twice as fast to make it.
Next Sat, they have to spend a whole week camping out in the woods, doing training and battle drills, night time exercises). Please pray for that. It'll be a very tough week.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Chow Time
I'll be posting some stories Mark brought back from Ben. Some more interesting than others. But this will log them all here on the blog.
Eating suppose to be a pleasure in life. But not in the military.
They march everywhere, including to the Mess Hall. You would think after 9 weeks of the same routine, they would be able to march properly. But apparently, this is a skill that some soldiers have a hard time acquiring. So they get smoked. Some of them just do not care if they get smoked or not nor do they care about anyone else in the platoon. They think they know it all. That is extremely frustrating to Ben.
They have about 8 minutes to eat a meal without talking. They have to sit with their feet at a 45 degrees angle with heels touching. They could only look down at their food, and have to eat their fruit first. So if they spend 5 minutes to peel an orange, then only 3 min left to eat the rest of the meal. So bananas are a hit there! When they drink, they have to close their eyes first then tilt the glass. They have chocolate milk now, so that's a nice treat. Still no forks!
Once DS caught someone drinking with their eyes open, they immediately stopped him from eating and throw his food all over the floor! He was told he's done eating and to clean up his mess.
Eating suppose to be a pleasure in life. But not in the military.
They march everywhere, including to the Mess Hall. You would think after 9 weeks of the same routine, they would be able to march properly. But apparently, this is a skill that some soldiers have a hard time acquiring. So they get smoked. Some of them just do not care if they get smoked or not nor do they care about anyone else in the platoon. They think they know it all. That is extremely frustrating to Ben.
They have about 8 minutes to eat a meal without talking. They have to sit with their feet at a 45 degrees angle with heels touching. They could only look down at their food, and have to eat their fruit first. So if they spend 5 minutes to peel an orange, then only 3 min left to eat the rest of the meal. So bananas are a hit there! When they drink, they have to close their eyes first then tilt the glass. They have chocolate milk now, so that's a nice treat. Still no forks!
Once DS caught someone drinking with their eyes open, they immediately stopped him from eating and throw his food all over the floor! He was told he's done eating and to clean up his mess.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Family Day pix
Mark was able to see Ben last Sat & Sun during their "Family Day" leave. Ben was so thrilled to be able to video chat with some of his friends. Even though he only was able to get only 2-3 hr of sleep the night before, he didn't want to nap his free time away. Here are some pix when they were lined up right before their leave.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
He made it!
Ben survived the 8 mile march with 80 lbs. of gear on his back on Friday! (That's 2/3 of his body weight!) Praise God! His ankle is still swollen but it's much better now. At least he can walk on it.
He didn't know if he was able to get 'Family Day' off until Sat morning - and we weren't sure if Mark will be able to see him if he goes to GA, but we took the chance. In the military, they don't tell you much until it's time. Ben called home at 4:45 AM on Sat (8/29) and told us he got the time off!! It was good that Mark took the chance & now he can 'relive' Ben for couple of days. I was so excited for him that I couldn't go back to sleep. I was very thankful that God had allowed him to have the break.
So for the last two days, he had a 12 hr leave each day to go to the movies, eat normal food, use cell phones & surf on the internet. But he got only few hr of sleep because of training exercises in the middle of the night! Because of the time difference, it was hard to get hold of all his friends. Some of you got to talk to him and it was real blessing. He misses all of you very much.
So he's done with Basic Training now and will start AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) tomorrow and it's suppose to be tougher. If all goes well, he's on schedule to graduate on Oct 2. Then he'll be off to Airborne School then the Ranger Program. He'll be allowed to leave after that's all done - may be in Dec???
For now, he will get even less sleep & personal time so he may not be able to write much. But he asks you to keep the mail coming because that may be THE motivational event of his day.
Thank you for all your love & prayers! It helps to keep him going!
He didn't know if he was able to get 'Family Day' off until Sat morning - and we weren't sure if Mark will be able to see him if he goes to GA, but we took the chance. In the military, they don't tell you much until it's time. Ben called home at 4:45 AM on Sat (8/29) and told us he got the time off!! It was good that Mark took the chance & now he can 'relive' Ben for couple of days. I was so excited for him that I couldn't go back to sleep. I was very thankful that God had allowed him to have the break.
So for the last two days, he had a 12 hr leave each day to go to the movies, eat normal food, use cell phones & surf on the internet. But he got only few hr of sleep because of training exercises in the middle of the night! Because of the time difference, it was hard to get hold of all his friends. Some of you got to talk to him and it was real blessing. He misses all of you very much.
So he's done with Basic Training now and will start AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) tomorrow and it's suppose to be tougher. If all goes well, he's on schedule to graduate on Oct 2. Then he'll be off to Airborne School then the Ranger Program. He'll be allowed to leave after that's all done - may be in Dec???
For now, he will get even less sleep & personal time so he may not be able to write much. But he asks you to keep the mail coming because that may be THE motivational event of his day.
Thank you for all your love & prayers! It helps to keep him going!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Alert!!!
Ben took 5 days off from writing and we really missed it at home! Here's the letter from 8/15:
They spent the night out in the woods, dug a hole & water proofed it. It was a long and interesting night. But it got better. Next morning, they had to ruck back 3.3 miles with about 80 lbs of gear. Well, he got smoked because the DS didn't think he was going fast enough. So he made him run instead. Then he rolled his ankle along the way and they had to carry him in a litter. Then they dropped him so he felt bad and got up. Then they forced him to run again. So by the time he got back, his foot was bent in and so swollen that the DS thought it was broken. So he spent the rest of the time at the doctors getting x-rayed and all. So he's on profile until Monday. Thank goodness he didn't break anything.
Then I just received a phone call from him today (8/23). He sounded very depressed & worried. The platoon went back into Red Phase (didn't say why). He will be off profile tomorrow & will be made to run again. He is very concerned that he will pass out during whole bunch of test they are suppose to go through this week to determine if they are eligible for Family Day. He's calling to tell his Dad not to go to to GA because he may not be able to get it. :-( So I'm asking your prayer support through out this whole week while he go through bunch of PT tests (Mon-Thur). May his ankle heal quickly & not get any worse & survive the week. He'd mentioned that he might have to start Basic Training over again if he doesn't pass his tests. Oh mine, how awful will that be?? He's been looking forward to this 2 days off for along time! But remember, God is in control of his life!
They spent the night out in the woods, dug a hole & water proofed it. It was a long and interesting night. But it got better. Next morning, they had to ruck back 3.3 miles with about 80 lbs of gear. Well, he got smoked because the DS didn't think he was going fast enough. So he made him run instead. Then he rolled his ankle along the way and they had to carry him in a litter. Then they dropped him so he felt bad and got up. Then they forced him to run again. So by the time he got back, his foot was bent in and so swollen that the DS thought it was broken. So he spent the rest of the time at the doctors getting x-rayed and all. So he's on profile until Monday. Thank goodness he didn't break anything.
Then I just received a phone call from him today (8/23). He sounded very depressed & worried. The platoon went back into Red Phase (didn't say why). He will be off profile tomorrow & will be made to run again. He is very concerned that he will pass out during whole bunch of test they are suppose to go through this week to determine if they are eligible for Family Day. He's calling to tell his Dad not to go to to GA because he may not be able to get it. :-( So I'm asking your prayer support through out this whole week while he go through bunch of PT tests (Mon-Thur). May his ankle heal quickly & not get any worse & survive the week. He'd mentioned that he might have to start Basic Training over again if he doesn't pass his tests. Oh mine, how awful will that be?? He's been looking forward to this 2 days off for along time! But remember, God is in control of his life!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Lacking Personal Time
Just got our last letter from Ben saying he has very little to no personal time, so he will not be writing for awhile. He wants to spend the time reading His Bible instead. Can't compete with that! I assume he should be in blue phase by now.
He should be finishing up Basic Infantry by the following Friday 8/28. He then gets two days of 'leave' where he's released for about 12 hours Sat & Sun to civilian life! He needs to return by 9 pm to keep his cot warm on both days & not go beyond 50 mile radius. His Dad will go out there to bring him a little piece of 'heaven' - his laptop. So expect him Facebooking with you.
He will formally graduates on Oct 2. Until then, I believe he's going to air borne school.
Did I mention that he'd gained about 20 lbs now! With little sleep & food, most people would lose weight but he did just the opposite. I guess he didn't have much wight to lose to begin with.
He's asking for prayer about his attitude & relationship with several guys, particularly with Dunlap, the new Christian. It's been difficult for him to get along. No specifics to mention but apparently they are arguing & fighting more these day. Please pray for peace, patience & understanding. Ben is trying very hard to be the light & salt. I could imagine the environment is not very easy for him.
Thanks for keeping taps on Ben with me. It's been rewarding to see how he has grown - physically & spiritually.
He should be finishing up Basic Infantry by the following Friday 8/28. He then gets two days of 'leave' where he's released for about 12 hours Sat & Sun to civilian life! He needs to return by 9 pm to keep his cot warm on both days & not go beyond 50 mile radius. His Dad will go out there to bring him a little piece of 'heaven' - his laptop. So expect him Facebooking with you.
He will formally graduates on Oct 2. Until then, I believe he's going to air borne school.
Did I mention that he'd gained about 20 lbs now! With little sleep & food, most people would lose weight but he did just the opposite. I guess he didn't have much wight to lose to begin with.
He's asking for prayer about his attitude & relationship with several guys, particularly with Dunlap, the new Christian. It's been difficult for him to get along. No specifics to mention but apparently they are arguing & fighting more these day. Please pray for peace, patience & understanding. Ben is trying very hard to be the light & salt. I could imagine the environment is not very easy for him.
Thanks for keeping taps on Ben with me. It's been rewarding to see how he has grown - physically & spiritually.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Duty Squad
Ben was on 'duty squad' this past week - pretty intense. It's a long description if you care to know.
Here what it means: every week, a different squad from a different platoon has to set up all training events, UPU's (meals that are deliverd) and all that jazz - and last week was his turn.
They were doing BRM (basic rifleman marksmanship) so they had to set everything up for the event. He and 6 other guys had to set up the ranges, targets, ammo, and everything before the company showed up. That was a work out! One day it hit 90 degrees before 0900! He said he loaded more mags of ammo than..all of Iraq has ever seen. One day, he shot over 250 rounds, and that's just him. Imagine loading all that. Then they had to stay later and clean up lunch, brass and ammo, police the range, and some more.
One morning, they were woken up 30 min earlier by a siren from a mega phone, and told to change into ACU's & IBA (heavy flak jacket w/ metal plates. a.k.a body armor). The duty squad had to run around to all 4 different PT (physical training) fields and set up stations. One with disassembled weapon, 2x m4's, 240B, and 2x saw. Then they set up a medical station where people treat a dummy and carry it 1/4 mile. There was also ones with radios, tire flip, and log run. After it's all set up, they ran back to the company and ran with the rest of platoon to the different stations only to be timed and worked, all with no food. All this ended by 0745! And to top it off, the company did a leadership training course (that was suppose to be fun, but tiring). They were in and out of the water, trying to accomplish different scenarios.
Whew! It was pretty tough, but he got through it! They might transition into Blue phase this week!
Here what it means: every week, a different squad from a different platoon has to set up all training events, UPU's (meals that are deliverd) and all that jazz - and last week was his turn.
They were doing BRM (basic rifleman marksmanship) so they had to set everything up for the event. He and 6 other guys had to set up the ranges, targets, ammo, and everything before the company showed up. That was a work out! One day it hit 90 degrees before 0900! He said he loaded more mags of ammo than..all of Iraq has ever seen. One day, he shot over 250 rounds, and that's just him. Imagine loading all that. Then they had to stay later and clean up lunch, brass and ammo, police the range, and some more.
One morning, they were woken up 30 min earlier by a siren from a mega phone, and told to change into ACU's & IBA (heavy flak jacket w/ metal plates. a.k.a body armor). The duty squad had to run around to all 4 different PT (physical training) fields and set up stations. One with disassembled weapon, 2x m4's, 240B, and 2x saw. Then they set up a medical station where people treat a dummy and carry it 1/4 mile. There was also ones with radios, tire flip, and log run. After it's all set up, they ran back to the company and ran with the rest of platoon to the different stations only to be timed and worked, all with no food. All this ended by 0745! And to top it off, the company did a leadership training course (that was suppose to be fun, but tiring). They were in and out of the water, trying to accomplish different scenarios.
Whew! It was pretty tough, but he got through it! They might transition into Blue phase this week!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tank Killer
He's now known as PFC TK Guido. Not a bad nick name for Ben blowing up the old tank!
Did you know that there are different kind of Basic Training? Apparently, what Ben's doing is Infantry Basic which some said it's much tougher than the regular Basic.
Every DS has their own 'mail rules'. He's more than happy to do the 25 push-ups/letter for the one motivational event of the day! Big packages & colorful envelopes worth more! When someone has to do 150 push-ups, they all chip in and help, so no worries. Besides, he did 95 pushes while having a 104 temperature!
He's now in White Phase which he said seemed like he has less personal time than before. But for his platoon doing well, he got a 5 hr pass & 2 phone calls. He called home & called his friends that were on the way up to Hume. It was a blessing that he got to talk to many friends in one phone call! Thanks to all of you who have written to him. He's been very busy and have little time to return all the letters. So please be patient with him. He'll eventually get to you. You can read here to catch the latest.
He had his first GFT (ground fighting tactics) on Jul 31 and was matched up with a guy that's about 175 lbs and Ben almost had him! Way to go! It sounded similar to wrestling. Then they had a dual tournament where he had to go through 4-5 guys that's obvious much larger than him, but he never quit. He was pulled out later because this other guy did an illegal move on him, but he hung in here. He'd surprised many, many people.
They had a reclass in which some guys left the platoon, and that gave more student leadership opportunities. He was chosen to be an alpha team leader. What that means is he gets a sergeants patch & is in charge of 3-4 guys, a squad. He asked for prayers for wisdom & courage to lead & perform above standard. Also please continue to remember Dunlap. He didn't tell me any details this time.
Til next letter. Have a blessed day!
Did you know that there are different kind of Basic Training? Apparently, what Ben's doing is Infantry Basic which some said it's much tougher than the regular Basic.
Every DS has their own 'mail rules'. He's more than happy to do the 25 push-ups/letter for the one motivational event of the day! Big packages & colorful envelopes worth more! When someone has to do 150 push-ups, they all chip in and help, so no worries. Besides, he did 95 pushes while having a 104 temperature!
He's now in White Phase which he said seemed like he has less personal time than before. But for his platoon doing well, he got a 5 hr pass & 2 phone calls. He called home & called his friends that were on the way up to Hume. It was a blessing that he got to talk to many friends in one phone call! Thanks to all of you who have written to him. He's been very busy and have little time to return all the letters. So please be patient with him. He'll eventually get to you. You can read here to catch the latest.
He had his first GFT (ground fighting tactics) on Jul 31 and was matched up with a guy that's about 175 lbs and Ben almost had him! Way to go! It sounded similar to wrestling. Then they had a dual tournament where he had to go through 4-5 guys that's obvious much larger than him, but he never quit. He was pulled out later because this other guy did an illegal move on him, but he hung in here. He'd surprised many, many people.
They had a reclass in which some guys left the platoon, and that gave more student leadership opportunities. He was chosen to be an alpha team leader. What that means is he gets a sergeants patch & is in charge of 3-4 guys, a squad. He asked for prayers for wisdom & courage to lead & perform above standard. Also please continue to remember Dunlap. He didn't tell me any details this time.
Til next letter. Have a blessed day!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Man Down
There hasn't been too much news from Ben lately so nothing to post. He's probably busy writing to his friends instead. :-)
However, he called this past Sunday to give us a quick update. First, their platoon was finally out of the Red Phase! And since their platoon is doing really well amongst the others (winning some sort of awards), they were given extra privileges. We come to find out that the platoons move in phases all at the same time, so even they were doing well, they cannot move forward to the next phase. He had a 4 hr leave so he went and got a hamburger, soda and candy. They were not allowed off the base but can freely roam around.
The other excitement he had was he got sick the week before from lack of sleep & extraneous physical activities out in the hot sun. He had a fever of 103 and the action started! The 'man-down' drill. He was stripped (down to his undies) and packed him up in ice in every nooks and crannies on his body. They rushed him to the hospital & give him an IV. After 1/2 day, they took him to the infirmary and he spent 2 days there. They took the IV out and left a big hole and blood was squirting everywhere on the floor! But he got some really good R & R during that time. He was able to eat well and normally (no time limits) and even got to watch 'Transformer 2'. He said that was a real blessing from the Lord!
Other than that, he sounded well and said he has 4 more weeks to go in BCT (basic combat training) and then off to AIT (advanced individual training: infantry). There's a small ceremony for the BCT but there's a large graduation event on Oct 2. The whole family will go out there and celebrate with him.
However, he called this past Sunday to give us a quick update. First, their platoon was finally out of the Red Phase! And since their platoon is doing really well amongst the others (winning some sort of awards), they were given extra privileges. We come to find out that the platoons move in phases all at the same time, so even they were doing well, they cannot move forward to the next phase. He had a 4 hr leave so he went and got a hamburger, soda and candy. They were not allowed off the base but can freely roam around.
The other excitement he had was he got sick the week before from lack of sleep & extraneous physical activities out in the hot sun. He had a fever of 103 and the action started! The 'man-down' drill. He was stripped (down to his undies) and packed him up in ice in every nooks and crannies on his body. They rushed him to the hospital & give him an IV. After 1/2 day, they took him to the infirmary and he spent 2 days there. They took the IV out and left a big hole and blood was squirting everywhere on the floor! But he got some really good R & R during that time. He was able to eat well and normally (no time limits) and even got to watch 'Transformer 2'. He said that was a real blessing from the Lord!
Other than that, he sounded well and said he has 4 more weeks to go in BCT (basic combat training) and then off to AIT (advanced individual training: infantry). There's a small ceremony for the BCT but there's a large graduation event on Oct 2. The whole family will go out there and celebrate with him.
Friday, July 24, 2009
HEAT missile
Ben had the opportunity along with 4 other trainee (out of ~150) from his company to shoot an old tank with AT-4 HEAT (high explosive anti-tank) missile! He not only hit it, he blew it off the track & destroyed! :-) He made sure that the $200+ missile didn't go to waste! That was real exciting!
He was mad that they didn't pass the night navigation test. They were to find 3 points, given distance and direction, march there and record the number on the post. They managed to find one point, but not good enough. The day time was much easier though. They were also shooting M203 grenade launcher (he had one on like it on his air soft rifle), but it was alot harder than it he thought, definitely not as exciting as the AT-4. He is not happy that he's still in Red Phase because of the rest of his platoon is messed up.
Remember his friend Dunlap? Ben met him at the the San Jose training before he got shipped off. He was seeking and Ben re-introduced him to the Lord. He wants to learn about the armor of God (Eph 6:10). Last Sunday (7/12) in service, he accepted the Lord and was baptized!! What a blessing! They are still studying the Purpose Driven book & going to church together. Praise the Lord!
He was mad that they didn't pass the night navigation test. They were to find 3 points, given distance and direction, march there and record the number on the post. They managed to find one point, but not good enough. The day time was much easier though. They were also shooting M203 grenade launcher (he had one on like it on his air soft rifle), but it was alot harder than it he thought, definitely not as exciting as the AT-4. He is not happy that he's still in Red Phase because of the rest of his platoon is messed up.
Remember his friend Dunlap? Ben met him at the the San Jose training before he got shipped off. He was seeking and Ben re-introduced him to the Lord. He wants to learn about the armor of God (Eph 6:10). Last Sunday (7/12) in service, he accepted the Lord and was baptized!! What a blessing! They are still studying the Purpose Driven book & going to church together. Praise the Lord!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
150 Push-ups!
I'm sure Ben is not complaining about the 150 push-ups he has to do for the 6 letters he'd received - 25 per letter, the other day. It's all from family members though. He's wondering what happened to his friends? But I'm sure they'll come sooner or later. People are NOT used to sending snail mail in this fast paced life in CA.
They work them Mon-Sat, 6 days non-stop from 0400 - 2100 with 1 hour night shift. Oh, how he's misses uninterrupted sleep! His platoon is still getting smoked due to the kids not cooperating - shorter meal time, more smoke sessions. That's making this experience miserable for everyone.
On the bright side, he is learning to do land navigation during daytime & nighttime. Shooting M4's, 240 B's, 249 SAW (?), and M16 with the 203 grenade launchers also is in the works.
He also reports that he is doing The Purpose Driven Life & Bible with a battle buddy & taking him to the protestant church on Sunday. :-) So please remember that in your prayers. His name is Dunlap.
They work them Mon-Sat, 6 days non-stop from 0400 - 2100 with 1 hour night shift. Oh, how he's misses uninterrupted sleep! His platoon is still getting smoked due to the kids not cooperating - shorter meal time, more smoke sessions. That's making this experience miserable for everyone.
On the bright side, he is learning to do land navigation during daytime & nighttime. Shooting M4's, 240 B's, 249 SAW (?), and M16 with the 203 grenade launchers also is in the works.
He also reports that he is doing The Purpose Driven Life & Bible with a battle buddy & taking him to the protestant church on Sunday. :-) So please remember that in your prayers. His name is Dunlap.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Mail is Gold
Ben finally got his first mail on Friday (7/10). Hoo! Hoo! The mail actually came in on Thur at 9:30 pm but the lights were out at 9 PM. It took about 5 days for letters to get from TO to GA. He was thrilled. Mail is so precious to them since they could have no other outside contact at this point. So keep you fan mail going!!!
They had their first APFT (army physcial fitness test) on 7/10 and he came in first out of 33 guys in his platoon. That comprised of 2 min push-ups (86), 2 min sit-ups (76), and 2 mile run (14:14). I guess the physical training isn't too bad for him. But the language...his DS used "F" words 180x in 15-20 minutes. That's got a hurt the ears!
The kids in his platoon are driving him crazy. Many don't want to be there where as he does. When they learn how to be clean, then they won't get smoked anymore! Then, he will be able to go to Bible study or see the chaplain once his platoon is out of the 'red phase'.
On a good note, the Bible's been opened up a lot more, and several guys have come to him with questions. He ask you to pray that God will use him, and for him to be open and share his knowledge with others. He found a "Guide Post" magazine the other day so that was good. Someone was trying to convert him to Islam the other day.
His normal day begins at 0430-0500 hr with a granola bar or milk then off to PT (physcial training). After PT, they change into ACU's and sometimes full battle rattle (flack vest, helmet, camel back, vest, etc) then do their training. Have MRE (meals ready to eat) or lunch, continue training, dinner, then lights out at 2100 hr. They have to do 1 hr guard duty at night. Then it starts all over again.
He has to do a lot of laundry because all the sweating during training they do. It completely drains him with full gear. He is at a whopping 117 lbs. now!
They had their first APFT (army physcial fitness test) on 7/10 and he came in first out of 33 guys in his platoon. That comprised of 2 min push-ups (86), 2 min sit-ups (76), and 2 mile run (14:14). I guess the physical training isn't too bad for him. But the language...his DS used "F" words 180x in 15-20 minutes. That's got a hurt the ears!
The kids in his platoon are driving him crazy. Many don't want to be there where as he does. When they learn how to be clean, then they won't get smoked anymore! Then, he will be able to go to Bible study or see the chaplain once his platoon is out of the 'red phase'.
On a good note, the Bible's been opened up a lot more, and several guys have come to him with questions. He ask you to pray that God will use him, and for him to be open and share his knowledge with others. He found a "Guide Post" magazine the other day so that was good. Someone was trying to convert him to Islam the other day.
His normal day begins at 0430-0500 hr with a granola bar or milk then off to PT (physcial training). After PT, they change into ACU's and sometimes full battle rattle (flack vest, helmet, camel back, vest, etc) then do their training. Have MRE (meals ready to eat) or lunch, continue training, dinner, then lights out at 2100 hr. They have to do 1 hr guard duty at night. Then it starts all over again.
He has to do a lot of laundry because all the sweating during training they do. It completely drains him with full gear. He is at a whopping 117 lbs. now!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Lazy Platoon
Ben is now CLS (combat life saver) certified after he gave & received an IV and pass a written test. They needed to do that to graduate. He said the IV experience was not as bad as he thought - he just closed his eyes. It's amazing what you could accomplish thing you didn't think you could do as a civilian (or even want to try)!
They've been receiving mail starting July 6, so the morale seemed better. But they inspect the content of every letter & have to do 25 push-ups for every letter they receive. But it's all worth it.
He is complaining that his platoon has bunch of stuck-up high school graduate that don't like to take orders. They are selfish & lazy and is keeping the whole platoon in the Red phase forever!
When you write, he would love to hear about your civilian life, and he says he'll tell you about things that explode and immature kids and 'unfortunately they don't really add up to exploding immature kids'!(ha, ha) His mailing address was posted on July 3. Thank you!
They've been receiving mail starting July 6, so the morale seemed better. But they inspect the content of every letter & have to do 25 push-ups for every letter they receive. But it's all worth it.
He is complaining that his platoon has bunch of stuck-up high school graduate that don't like to take orders. They are selfish & lazy and is keeping the whole platoon in the Red phase forever!
When you write, he would love to hear about your civilian life, and he says he'll tell you about things that explode and immature kids and 'unfortunately they don't really add up to exploding immature kids'!(ha, ha) His mailing address was posted on July 3. Thank you!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Gas chamber, claymore & more
Visiting a gas chamber is really an educational experience that is not expected! No fun at all! He's also not looking forward to the first aid training - giving & being given an IV by fellow trainee (ouch!). But he is learning about claymore & gets to shoot one off!
He is really missing CA, home life and all the good stuff that goes with it - didn't he mention this already? (no TV, music, In-n-Out, forks, letters, song in his head). It's quite depressing for a young fellow (or anyone for that matter).
May be when you write, mention a song that you like (include the words so he can sing along), may be that will help!
Hanging in there, Ben!
He is really missing CA, home life and all the good stuff that goes with it - didn't he mention this already? (no TV, music, In-n-Out, forks, letters, song in his head). It's quite depressing for a young fellow (or anyone for that matter).
May be when you write, mention a song that you like (include the words so he can sing along), may be that will help!
Hanging in there, Ben!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Missing Civilian life
Ben got in trouble for listening to a fellow trainee. DS emptied out everything in his locker - it took him 2 days prior to get it nearly perfect before it got trashed! :-(
He is missing In-n-out, driving, junk food, forks, music, tv...etc. He is trying to figure out what to do during his time off at the end of Sept, which is pathetic. He has about two - 12 hr leave, but can't travel beyond 50 mile radius. No partying overnight!! But he is realizing that everything he's going through is to prepare him for war, so he is going his best.
If God willing, we're going to his graduation on Oct. 2. He will not be able to come home anytime soon because he will go to airborne training soon after that.
He is missing In-n-out, driving, junk food, forks, music, tv...etc. He is trying to figure out what to do during his time off at the end of Sept, which is pathetic. He has about two - 12 hr leave, but can't travel beyond 50 mile radius. No partying overnight!! But he is realizing that everything he's going through is to prepare him for war, so he is going his best.
If God willing, we're going to his graduation on Oct. 2. He will not be able to come home anytime soon because he will go to airborne training soon after that.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Ben's Address
It's a long one:
Roster#21 PLT 2nd Benjamin Guido
Charlie Company, 1-50 IN Regt
198th Infantry Brigade
9240 Treadwell Drive
Fort Benning, GA 31905-5919
Please write to him with your return address. He'll love to hear from you. He cannot receive food and other stuff, so only letters please.
There are 3 phases of Basic training - red, white & blue. He's in red now - red being the most strict. Blue means you graduated.
He has to take a shower in 2 min (his first one in 50 sec!), eat breakfast in 5 min. Here's description of a day - gets up at 3:30 am and go until 9:30 pm, then he has to do 2 people's laundry so they can sleep. Then have to do guard duty in full battle gear from 1 - 3:30 am, then get up at 4 am. He has 3 crazy DS (drill sergeant).
He seems to be doing better - got his M4 rifle (named Lucia) & 10 blank rounds. They are keeping him very busy with lots of soldier training stuff. The DS makes them do push-ups when they say 'thank you'. I'm sure he'll tell you lots of funny stories when you hear from him.
Roster#21 PLT 2nd Benjamin Guido
Charlie Company, 1-50 IN Regt
198th Infantry Brigade
9240 Treadwell Drive
Fort Benning, GA 31905-5919
Please write to him with your return address. He'll love to hear from you. He cannot receive food and other stuff, so only letters please.
There are 3 phases of Basic training - red, white & blue. He's in red now - red being the most strict. Blue means you graduated.
He has to take a shower in 2 min (his first one in 50 sec!), eat breakfast in 5 min. Here's description of a day - gets up at 3:30 am and go until 9:30 pm, then he has to do 2 people's laundry so they can sleep. Then have to do guard duty in full battle gear from 1 - 3:30 am, then get up at 4 am. He has 3 crazy DS (drill sergeant).
He seems to be doing better - got his M4 rifle (named Lucia) & 10 blank rounds. They are keeping him very busy with lots of soldier training stuff. The DS makes them do push-ups when they say 'thank you'. I'm sure he'll tell you lots of funny stories when you hear from him.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
PFC Guido
Private First Class Guido is finally looking like a soldier with his boots as well as his rank. They let him eat with a fork now (last week was spoon only). What luxury! He was thrilled to picked up a Bible sent by a church with people's writings in them. He misses home and his friends very much. He give his love to you all!
Pray for his adapting & adjusting to the heat, 'annoying people', lack of sleep, no friends, etc. It gets depressing at times (who wouldn't). He's been awake no later than 4 AM. That's basic training for you!
Pray for his adapting & adjusting to the heat, 'annoying people', lack of sleep, no friends, etc. It gets depressing at times (who wouldn't). He's been awake no later than 4 AM. That's basic training for you!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Words from Ben
Well, we're excited that we're finally heard from Ben - phone call & letters, all in the same day! We've not had contact with him for awhile. Funny, when he's away to college, it didn't seem to concern us as much. He did not talk too long on the phone.
Basically, he is doing as well as expected - can't expect much in basic training. He has to get used to a very rough environment - foul language like he'd never heard before (it's rubbing off on him too!). They march, stand, and lots of waiting.
The weather in GA, well you know, is very hot & humid. It's warm at 4:30 am & fiery fuurnace between 1500 - 1800 hour (2 - 6 pm). Not much sleep - sometimes have get up at 3:00 am and goes 'til 9 pm. The good thing is that 'food is great, but no talking in the chow hall and have to finish everything'.
He's asking for prayer for understanding, patience, and quiet times. He makes time to go to church on Sunday mornings. :-)
His basic training will actually start tomorrow 6/26. He may not be able to come home after training because he only gets the weekend off then they'll hold him for a week before airborne school starts again. :-(
When he gives us an address, I'll post it here. He says NOT to send anything but letters unless otherwise specified. He'll get in trouble if he receives other things.
He misses his home & friends. Please pray for quick adjustment & we know God will sustain him during this 'rough' time of transition.
That's all folks!
Basically, he is doing as well as expected - can't expect much in basic training. He has to get used to a very rough environment - foul language like he'd never heard before (it's rubbing off on him too!). They march, stand, and lots of waiting.
The weather in GA, well you know, is very hot & humid. It's warm at 4:30 am & fiery fuurnace between 1500 - 1800 hour (2 - 6 pm). Not much sleep - sometimes have get up at 3:00 am and goes 'til 9 pm. The good thing is that 'food is great, but no talking in the chow hall and have to finish everything'.
He's asking for prayer for understanding, patience, and quiet times. He makes time to go to church on Sunday mornings. :-)
His basic training will actually start tomorrow 6/26. He may not be able to come home after training because he only gets the weekend off then they'll hold him for a week before airborne school starts again. :-(
When he gives us an address, I'll post it here. He says NOT to send anything but letters unless otherwise specified. He'll get in trouble if he receives other things.
He misses his home & friends. Please pray for quick adjustment & we know God will sustain him during this 'rough' time of transition.
That's all folks!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Safe and Sound
Ben just got in GA and is safe and sound! Praise God! The weather is hot and humid there as expected. He has to wait for couple of hours for the bus to take them to their final destination.
Remember Me Video
This film was made by a 15 year old girl. It is the hottest thing on the Internet and on Fox News today. Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together, is 15 years old. There have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you missed it, here it is.
Watch all of it........and, pass it on!!
Watch all of it........and, pass it on!!
On his way
Ben should be on his way to GA this morning - finally. He is in charge of 4 other guys getting it there safely. He's flying Delta Airline at 6:15 AM.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ship tomorrow?
I was told that Ben went back up to San Jose today, waiting to be processed out tomorrow (Wed) and possibly fly out the same day or Thur. It just amazing how long this process takes and how efficient (not) the government runs - it's too scary to think about it. (This would not happen in a civilian work place, that's for sure). I'm guessing that it's been a painful 2 days for Ben just being pushed back and forth and not knowing when life will go on. And being a mom, it's awful knowing your child has nothing with him like a homeless person since Sunday. He has not called us with any update. Perhaps not wanting us to worry. Not exactly what I thought but guess it'll prepare me for the future. I do hope that it'll be sooner than later that he reaches his destination. The good thing is that he is in God's hand!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Gone but not gone
We dropped Ben off at the recruiter station by 10 AM on Sunday 6/14 in SLO. We missed church but thought it was important for us to be there to say 'Good-Bye'. He was supposed to be driven to San Jose and stay over night there, then fly to Georgia on Monday.
Well, I received a surprised phone call from Ben Monday afternoon asking for Whisky's phone number. He's a friend from Cuesta College. Good thing Whisky is around to rescue/help him out.
So this is what happened. Apparently, the government computer shut down so they could not process him in San Jose. So they (the Army) are sending him back to SLO and drive up again tomorrow and try it again. I don't know why they couldn't put him up for another night at San Jose. I just can't believe what a waste of time and tax payers' money when things like this happens. He has nothing with him, since they would not allow him to bring anything with him to basic training, just with the clothes on his back and 1 oz. of shampoo, no jackets, no cell phones, few bucks in his pocket.
Nice government job!
Well, I received a surprised phone call from Ben Monday afternoon asking for Whisky's phone number. He's a friend from Cuesta College. Good thing Whisky is around to rescue/help him out.
So this is what happened. Apparently, the government computer shut down so they could not process him in San Jose. So they (the Army) are sending him back to SLO and drive up again tomorrow and try it again. I don't know why they couldn't put him up for another night at San Jose. I just can't believe what a waste of time and tax payers' money when things like this happens. He has nothing with him, since they would not allow him to bring anything with him to basic training, just with the clothes on his back and 1 oz. of shampoo, no jackets, no cell phones, few bucks in his pocket.
Nice government job!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Graduation
Jacob will graduate from 8th grade at Redwood Middle School tomorrow 6/12. He will be attending Thousand Oaks High School in the Fall.
Matt have requested me to make some snikerdoodles for his wrestling BBQ tomorrow.
Matt will be going to the Agape Main Tour on 6/22. Jacob will be busy at wrestling practices & Silverfin Lacrosse Camp with Pat Smith.
Currently, I'm designing a website for a graphic designer, driving kids around to their activities and keeping up with the squirrels in the garden & regular stuff. I try to make time for daily devotions, but that is always a challenge, esp. after I turn on the computer.
Matt have requested me to make some snikerdoodles for his wrestling BBQ tomorrow.
Matt will be going to the Agape Main Tour on 6/22. Jacob will be busy at wrestling practices & Silverfin Lacrosse Camp with Pat Smith.
Currently, I'm designing a website for a graphic designer, driving kids around to their activities and keeping up with the squirrels in the garden & regular stuff. I try to make time for daily devotions, but that is always a challenge, esp. after I turn on the computer.
Monday, June 8, 2009
What is this all about?
Just checking out what blogging is all about. I'd figured it's time to learn to keep up with the technology.
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