Bradley is a sailor! He had Battle Stations on Thursday and Friday and we received the call from him last night that he not only passed, but his division received the highest score of any of the recruit divisions at Great Lakes! They get to carry a special flag at PIR (Pass In Review - aka graduation)to show their excellence. We had read that this was a tough challenge but Bradley told us that he fell asleep standing up because he was so tired! LOL He was manning the valves for the fire fighters, and a group had gone before them and left everything on. So all Bradley had to do was turn off the valves when they were done, so he got a 15 min catnap while he was waiting. That's our boy - sleep anywhere. He said that his division had earned some extra freedoms now and that the last week was mainly down time. No more inspections, PT or drills. Just stretching and flexibility exercises to keep them from losing all the muscle they built up. He said it's boring now. After all the stuff they've done, you'd think it would be a nice break, but no, he's bored. They got to go to the Exchange last night where the phone banks are, so we had a nice hour-long conversation with him. After that they were going to be able to use the computers and eat. There are restaurants and stuff there too, so they could eat some different food than they've been living on. Bradley also said he'd be able to call us Saturday and maybe Sunday too. Ryan wasn't home when Bradley called so he definitely wants his shot at talking to his brother. Only 6 days til we actually see him!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Latest Letter from Bradley...
"Dear Family, Hi! How are all of you? Today is my 5-5 Day, just 2 more weeks. I had Gas Chambers today - that really sucked! It was my division and our brother division doing it for a total of 163 people, in a room no bigger than our basement (NOTE from Melissa: It's only a half-basement so not very large). We all had gasmasks on our face. We were in rows of 18 so we got to watch everyone else do it in front of us. I was second to the last row. they would have each row move up to a red line and tell us to take off our masks and hold them up in the air with one hand and cup our other hand under our moths to catch all of the drool and snot that pours out LOL
Let me go back to the beginning. The way they make the gas is on a hot plate, they drop 3 tablets on it (tear gas) and it smokes up real bad, then when there's a big cloud of smoke they turn on the fan to spread it around the room. So, if you're close to the hot plate then you'd get it alot worse than anyone else. I was 4 people away! That's about 7 feet. When I stepped up to the line, my skin started burning all over my head and neck. The instructor told us to take our masks off, and at first it didn't hurt at all, just a slight irritation but all at once it kicked in. My eyes were on fire, like insane amount of pain! I couldn't breathe because I was coughing so much. My eyes were pouring and it felt like my eyes swelled up 3 sizes. We had to stay in there for 40 seconds and we had to say our name and our division number and we had to keep our eyes open or else we had to redo it til we got it right. And keep in mind we had to wait for everyone to do it and some people were messing up. It was bad. I can't describe it but you feel amazing once the effects wear off LOL.
On a serious note, I have this weird rash on my left side, I went to the doctor here and they diagnosed me with shingles. I don't know much about it but they kept calling it a disease but they also said it's nothing to worry about. But I could go blind from it when I'm older and it breaks out around my face. They said it's not typical in young people and mine is bad and only seen in the elderly. IDK, this sucks. As you can tell, I don't know much about it. (NOTE from Melissa-I will be writing to him with more info about shingles and reassure him that he's not going to go blind from it.) They gave me some cream for it and its starting to go away.
But anyways, tonight is my 6-2 day. I'm almost out of this hell hole LOL. All I got left is a PFA test and Battle Stations. So basically I have 5 real days of boot camp left and my RDC's are being nice to us. They joke around with us and give us more freedoms..I gotta go I love you all,
Love Bradley
P.S I went to church"
MB: Wow - our poor recruit! I left out a few gory details about the body fluids from the gas just FYI, for those that thought it was too graphic! We are so excited about his PIR...only 9 days away. We're heading to Great Lakes early to make sure we can sit close and get a good look at him.
The PFA is the Physical Fitness Assessment and they need to pass that to graduate. If they fail, they get sent back 2 weeks and will have to try again. Battle Stations is the final boot camp test. It is a twelve hour long simulation of battles, crises, and ship life. When they're done, they get to trade in their "recruit" hats for real "Navy" hats and are officially able to call themselves "sailors". So, we're almost at the end and I know Bradley is SO ready to move on to A-school. Keep in in your prayers-hopefully he'll breeze past these last 2 weeks!
Let me go back to the beginning. The way they make the gas is on a hot plate, they drop 3 tablets on it (tear gas) and it smokes up real bad, then when there's a big cloud of smoke they turn on the fan to spread it around the room. So, if you're close to the hot plate then you'd get it alot worse than anyone else. I was 4 people away! That's about 7 feet. When I stepped up to the line, my skin started burning all over my head and neck. The instructor told us to take our masks off, and at first it didn't hurt at all, just a slight irritation but all at once it kicked in. My eyes were on fire, like insane amount of pain! I couldn't breathe because I was coughing so much. My eyes were pouring and it felt like my eyes swelled up 3 sizes. We had to stay in there for 40 seconds and we had to say our name and our division number and we had to keep our eyes open or else we had to redo it til we got it right. And keep in mind we had to wait for everyone to do it and some people were messing up. It was bad. I can't describe it but you feel amazing once the effects wear off LOL.
On a serious note, I have this weird rash on my left side, I went to the doctor here and they diagnosed me with shingles. I don't know much about it but they kept calling it a disease but they also said it's nothing to worry about. But I could go blind from it when I'm older and it breaks out around my face. They said it's not typical in young people and mine is bad and only seen in the elderly. IDK, this sucks. As you can tell, I don't know much about it. (NOTE from Melissa-I will be writing to him with more info about shingles and reassure him that he's not going to go blind from it.) They gave me some cream for it and its starting to go away.
But anyways, tonight is my 6-2 day. I'm almost out of this hell hole LOL. All I got left is a PFA test and Battle Stations. So basically I have 5 real days of boot camp left and my RDC's are being nice to us. They joke around with us and give us more freedoms..I gotta go I love you all,
Love Bradley
P.S I went to church"
MB: Wow - our poor recruit! I left out a few gory details about the body fluids from the gas just FYI, for those that thought it was too graphic! We are so excited about his PIR...only 9 days away. We're heading to Great Lakes early to make sure we can sit close and get a good look at him.
The PFA is the Physical Fitness Assessment and they need to pass that to graduate. If they fail, they get sent back 2 weeks and will have to try again. Battle Stations is the final boot camp test. It is a twelve hour long simulation of battles, crises, and ship life. When they're done, they get to trade in their "recruit" hats for real "Navy" hats and are officially able to call themselves "sailors". So, we're almost at the end and I know Bradley is SO ready to move on to A-school. Keep in in your prayers-hopefully he'll breeze past these last 2 weeks!
Monday, July 13, 2009
The long awaited phone call...
We waited and kept our phones on us at all times on Wednesday, because that's when Bradley called the first time and we missed it. But no call from an unknown 847 area code on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Yesterday, we were sitting around after lunch trying to decide what to do with the rest of the beautiful day when the phone rang. It was an 847 number that I didn't recognize. So glad I answered - it was Bradley! He sounded good but stuffy. Says he's been sick twice since he's been there and is catching something again. Guess that's what happens when there are 80 guys all crammed into a relatively small room. I asked about the "racks" - Bradley got a bottom bunk, which he likes, because it's easier when they have inspections. He's passed them all so far and has one more running test this week. This week is the tear gas test, too. They actually send the guys into a room full of gas. Ugh. He'll get through it I'm sure but it doesn't sound like something I'd ever want to try. When he was home, he had to go to the recruiter's office once a month for a meeting. At the last one before he left, there were some recent graduates and they told them that they also shoot them with a Tazer and mace them in the face in a "Z" pattern. Hopefully they were just trying to scare them!
We asked about Hell Week - and he said it was no big deal. They just had physical tests, inspections and drills all in once week. I thought it would be something awful. Not that all that exercise and testing isn't hard enough but I was glad to hear that it wasn't worse.He said his feet are better and the only reason he put off going for medical help is that some guys did get sent home for bad athlete's foot or put on light duty which sets them back a month. He wants out of boot camp on time - says he is bored just because of the routine. Gee - the military has a routine?!? Didn't think that was a big surprise but when you're 19, I guess everything is a surprise.
He's ready for A school and actually thinks the Hull Tech job will be ok because he will get to do different things instead of just one job every day. Some days it may be fire fighting, other days it might be welding, plumbing or HVAC. So, hopefully it'll be what he thinks and he'll enjoy it.
I asked about the 6 year enlistment and he says his contract states that it is only 4. Brad told him to read through it again because from what we've read, HT is a 6 yr commitment. The contract will say 4 years with a 24 month extension or something along those lines. Hopefully he knows what he's signing.
He got his orders for A school and it will be at Great Lakes again, and he'll get some time off on weekends when they're not in class. He has to report on August 1st - the day after PIR...but we're still hoping he get to check in, and then the Chief will give them the day off. We won't know til he after graduation but we're keeping our fingers crossed. If not, Bradley also told us that he gets to have his phone and will get email access when he gets to A-school, so we'll have more contact with him, which will be nice. His training is 117 days...but that is the minimum. From what Brad & I have read, Hull Tech training is difficult because the scope. They have to learn so many things and have many tests. Failing any of them puts you back 2 weeks and some kids have been in HT training for 5 months. So, time will tell. Since this is 'hands-on', and he has matured, I think he'll buckle down and work harder. This is a boy who never studied, rarely, if ever did homework, and generally avoided doing anything in school but hanging out with his friends. I hope he takes this seriously and works hard. If he does poorly and gets discouraged, his old self would throw up his hands and give up. Hopefully the tough, brave sailor Bradley will dig in and excel. We're proud of him no matter what, but I want him to continue to be proud of himself and KNOW that he can exceed his own expectations. I think this experience is going to do wonders for his self-esteem and help him realize that he is smart and strong and capable of doing anything he sets his mind to. We'll remind him anyway :)
Brad asked him about the food - Bradley said it's "like school food only way better" LOL He's lost 14 pounds so far and says a lot of people only lost 5 or 6 lbs. I'm guessing he had more to lose since he wasn't in Navy shape when he left. He is probably much more muscular and lean than he was...and he had to lose 15 pounds before he left so he's probably changed a lot compared to the last time some family and friends got to see him. He passed the sit up and push up tests and this week is the final running test. He was slow on the first one even though he ran fast at home and with the recruiter.. we told him it was probably because he's so darn tired now and he has been sick, which doesn't help. He says the shoes hurt too - they fit him with shoes to help his semi-flat feet so the arch hurts. Hopefully he'll dig in and run hard. I know he doesn't want to go back 2 weeks.
He loved shooting. Told us he was one shot away from getting his Sharpshooter rank. He can re-qualify when he gets deployed and he says he's going to do that. What little boy doesn't like guns? Guess my big boy is no different. He says they got to shoot 9mm and shotguns. Sounds like he liked the shotgun better!
It felt like we had so much to say and ask and there just wasn't enough time.Although we did make time to tell him we missed him and how proud of him we were. It sounds like he's actually proud of himself for a change - which was nice to hear.
Of course there were still things I forgot to ask so hopefully he'll be able to call again or will answer them in a letter. It made our day to talk to him and can't wait to see him at PIR. Only 14 days to go!
Yesterday, we were sitting around after lunch trying to decide what to do with the rest of the beautiful day when the phone rang. It was an 847 number that I didn't recognize. So glad I answered - it was Bradley! He sounded good but stuffy. Says he's been sick twice since he's been there and is catching something again. Guess that's what happens when there are 80 guys all crammed into a relatively small room. I asked about the "racks" - Bradley got a bottom bunk, which he likes, because it's easier when they have inspections. He's passed them all so far and has one more running test this week. This week is the tear gas test, too. They actually send the guys into a room full of gas. Ugh. He'll get through it I'm sure but it doesn't sound like something I'd ever want to try. When he was home, he had to go to the recruiter's office once a month for a meeting. At the last one before he left, there were some recent graduates and they told them that they also shoot them with a Tazer and mace them in the face in a "Z" pattern. Hopefully they were just trying to scare them!
We asked about Hell Week - and he said it was no big deal. They just had physical tests, inspections and drills all in once week. I thought it would be something awful. Not that all that exercise and testing isn't hard enough but I was glad to hear that it wasn't worse.He said his feet are better and the only reason he put off going for medical help is that some guys did get sent home for bad athlete's foot or put on light duty which sets them back a month. He wants out of boot camp on time - says he is bored just because of the routine. Gee - the military has a routine?!? Didn't think that was a big surprise but when you're 19, I guess everything is a surprise.
He's ready for A school and actually thinks the Hull Tech job will be ok because he will get to do different things instead of just one job every day. Some days it may be fire fighting, other days it might be welding, plumbing or HVAC. So, hopefully it'll be what he thinks and he'll enjoy it.
I asked about the 6 year enlistment and he says his contract states that it is only 4. Brad told him to read through it again because from what we've read, HT is a 6 yr commitment. The contract will say 4 years with a 24 month extension or something along those lines. Hopefully he knows what he's signing.
He got his orders for A school and it will be at Great Lakes again, and he'll get some time off on weekends when they're not in class. He has to report on August 1st - the day after PIR...but we're still hoping he get to check in, and then the Chief will give them the day off. We won't know til he after graduation but we're keeping our fingers crossed. If not, Bradley also told us that he gets to have his phone and will get email access when he gets to A-school, so we'll have more contact with him, which will be nice. His training is 117 days...but that is the minimum. From what Brad & I have read, Hull Tech training is difficult because the scope. They have to learn so many things and have many tests. Failing any of them puts you back 2 weeks and some kids have been in HT training for 5 months. So, time will tell. Since this is 'hands-on', and he has matured, I think he'll buckle down and work harder. This is a boy who never studied, rarely, if ever did homework, and generally avoided doing anything in school but hanging out with his friends. I hope he takes this seriously and works hard. If he does poorly and gets discouraged, his old self would throw up his hands and give up. Hopefully the tough, brave sailor Bradley will dig in and excel. We're proud of him no matter what, but I want him to continue to be proud of himself and KNOW that he can exceed his own expectations. I think this experience is going to do wonders for his self-esteem and help him realize that he is smart and strong and capable of doing anything he sets his mind to. We'll remind him anyway :)
Brad asked him about the food - Bradley said it's "like school food only way better" LOL He's lost 14 pounds so far and says a lot of people only lost 5 or 6 lbs. I'm guessing he had more to lose since he wasn't in Navy shape when he left. He is probably much more muscular and lean than he was...and he had to lose 15 pounds before he left so he's probably changed a lot compared to the last time some family and friends got to see him. He passed the sit up and push up tests and this week is the final running test. He was slow on the first one even though he ran fast at home and with the recruiter.. we told him it was probably because he's so darn tired now and he has been sick, which doesn't help. He says the shoes hurt too - they fit him with shoes to help his semi-flat feet so the arch hurts. Hopefully he'll dig in and run hard. I know he doesn't want to go back 2 weeks.
He loved shooting. Told us he was one shot away from getting his Sharpshooter rank. He can re-qualify when he gets deployed and he says he's going to do that. What little boy doesn't like guns? Guess my big boy is no different. He says they got to shoot 9mm and shotguns. Sounds like he liked the shotgun better!
It felt like we had so much to say and ask and there just wasn't enough time.Although we did make time to tell him we missed him and how proud of him we were. It sounds like he's actually proud of himself for a change - which was nice to hear.
Of course there were still things I forgot to ask so hopefully he'll be able to call again or will answer them in a letter. It made our day to talk to him and can't wait to see him at PIR. Only 14 days to go!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 03 - 3rd Letter From Bradley
This letter came today 7-7-09. What a surprise. We are so glad to be getting letters on a more regular basis! Again...here are excerpts from his letter dated 03 Jul 09.
****"Dear Family, I've sent you at least 4 letters by now. I don't know why it is thing so long for the letters to get to you. A lot has been going on here. I'm exhausted. Its
's our 4-1 today, well yesterday was (weekends don't count as days in boot camp). We did alot 2 days ago. We had this thing called 'marlinspike'. It is a replica of a smell ship and we all had to work with the lines. We had to get the ship docked and ready to go in 12 min. It was insane! A lot of yelling. Not by the RDC's but by each other. Yesterday we had a PI WTI (Physical Inspection and Weapons Turnover Inspection). It was a long inspection! The PI is basically - an officer comes in, usually a petty officer, but we had a Chief. He inspects our clothes, boots and everything on us and asks us each aone question about Rank and Recognition (chain of command, collor devices, sleeve insignia). The WTI is basically - properly turning over a 9mm with a question along with it. The whole thing was about 2 1/2 hours long! Standing at attention the whole time. It sucked! I got one hit because i got a question wrong. But some people failed the inspections and they're going to get 'AZMOED'. (sent back to 2-1 day) LOL. So far we have had 10 people Azmoed out. Most of them for medical reasons, but a few got kicked out because they were'nt following orders. One kid (well he was 27) left during our 2- week. He said he couldnt take it any longer.
Its the 4th of July tonight, we can hear the fireworks (thats all we can do). It sucks, our RDC's left early so they can go see the fireworks. I can only get 4 tickets for graduation (so everyone gets an equal opportunity).
I might be able to make 1 phone call a week if I'm lucky. If everything goes good with the inspection then we get a phone call. But that's if everyone does well, all 80 of us. And we cant get any compartment hits. My RDC's say we are the worst division in the ship (score and team wise). Our scores are low and we constantly fight with each other. So we are not going to get any special rewards. But everything is fine here.
Its our 4-2 day and 5-1 is the beginning of 'hell week'. I cant wait because I'm really bored. I don't get frustrated with the things we do here (constant marching, drill practice, etc), I'm just bored...even when we IT. I'm just tired of it. But I'm almost done, just 4 more weeks.
Hopefully you will get my call this week. We might get to make it on Wednesday (if they let us). But tell me whats going on in the world. We have no contact with the outside world. It feels like this place is the world and there is nothing past the gates. LOL
Well write me a lot, because I can only send letters on Sundays.
Love you all, Bradley"****
Well we are all proud of Bradley! And from the letter it sounds like he is determined to get thru it all. Not letting it get to him. Poor tired kid :) His PIR (pass in review = graduation) is set for 7/31
Everyone feel free to write to him. Just include dates so he can organize his letters. I guess they get letters in a bunch...not daily.
****"Dear Family, I've sent you at least 4 letters by now. I don't know why it is thing so long for the letters to get to you. A lot has been going on here. I'm exhausted. Its
's our 4-1 today, well yesterday was (weekends don't count as days in boot camp). We did alot 2 days ago. We had this thing called 'marlinspike'. It is a replica of a smell ship and we all had to work with the lines. We had to get the ship docked and ready to go in 12 min. It was insane! A lot of yelling. Not by the RDC's but by each other. Yesterday we had a PI WTI (Physical Inspection and Weapons Turnover Inspection). It was a long inspection! The PI is basically - an officer comes in, usually a petty officer, but we had a Chief. He inspects our clothes, boots and everything on us and asks us each aone question about Rank and Recognition (chain of command, collor devices, sleeve insignia). The WTI is basically - properly turning over a 9mm with a question along with it. The whole thing was about 2 1/2 hours long! Standing at attention the whole time. It sucked! I got one hit because i got a question wrong. But some people failed the inspections and they're going to get 'AZMOED'. (sent back to 2-1 day) LOL. So far we have had 10 people Azmoed out. Most of them for medical reasons, but a few got kicked out because they were'nt following orders. One kid (well he was 27) left during our 2- week. He said he couldnt take it any longer.
Its the 4th of July tonight, we can hear the fireworks (thats all we can do). It sucks, our RDC's left early so they can go see the fireworks. I can only get 4 tickets for graduation (so everyone gets an equal opportunity).
I might be able to make 1 phone call a week if I'm lucky. If everything goes good with the inspection then we get a phone call. But that's if everyone does well, all 80 of us. And we cant get any compartment hits. My RDC's say we are the worst division in the ship (score and team wise). Our scores are low and we constantly fight with each other. So we are not going to get any special rewards. But everything is fine here.
Its our 4-2 day and 5-1 is the beginning of 'hell week'. I cant wait because I'm really bored. I don't get frustrated with the things we do here (constant marching, drill practice, etc), I'm just bored...even when we IT. I'm just tired of it. But I'm almost done, just 4 more weeks.
Hopefully you will get my call this week. We might get to make it on Wednesday (if they let us). But tell me whats going on in the world. We have no contact with the outside world. It feels like this place is the world and there is nothing past the gates. LOL
Well write me a lot, because I can only send letters on Sundays.
Love you all, Bradley"****
Well we are all proud of Bradley! And from the letter it sounds like he is determined to get thru it all. Not letting it get to him. Poor tired kid :) His PIR (pass in review = graduation) is set for 7/31
Everyone feel free to write to him. Just include dates so he can organize his letters. I guess they get letters in a bunch...not daily.
Monday, July 6, 2009
June 23rd - Another letter from Bradley!
We got another letter from Jr last week before vacation. Here are some excerpts:
June 23rd
****"Dad, I got your letter. Ive sent 2 so far but my RDC's (recruit drill commanders) said that the Navy's mail system is the slowest out of all the branches. Things have been kinda slow lately. We're on our 2-3 day (week 2 day 3). The first week I was here didn't count.
I signed up to be a Bone Marrow Donor. I don't have to do it though. They take you to Missouri I think. IDK (I don"t know).
Five people got sent home because of medical issues. This kid got sent home because he almost died during our PFA (personnel functionality assessment?). And a few days ago during the running part of the PFA he dropped and it looked like he was having a seizure. He had to go to hospital. When he came back he said they told him he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his brain. Then about 4 days ago he dropped again for no reason in our compartment. Another guy passed out during chow because he was choking on food. He tried to eat regular food after getting his wisdom teeth pulled. Another kid fell out of his top bunk and dislocated his shoulder. I saw it happen because his bunk is right next to mine!
I found out that my division is a 'grad and go' (they immediately go on to their 'A' school after graduation), but I should go to A-school right across the street (at Great Lakes).
I've spent 2 nights on this letter, for some reason one of my RDC's are letting us write letters now. It's 9:15 pm and we're about to IT (intensive training). It sucks, we're going to bed wet tonight.
I heard Michael Jackson died today! That's crazy! My RDC wont tell me what happened though, so you gotta tell my why he died. Oh, send me a paper in the mail, please. Or just tell me everything that's happening. It's so dumb we gotta IT. We got 7 minutes left, we already did PT (physical training) today. I'm so tired. We gotta do it because these 2 kids got us a compartment hit. They messed up the watch log. So thats 100 push-ups. And another kid got a demerit because he was marching wrong.
Well it's one night later.... nothing happened. Well almost nothing.. We had an IT session this morning because we took 30min to brush our teeth, shave and dress. We shave everyday. We had 15 minutes, but it took all 83 of us 30 min. But oh well. IT only sucks while you're doing it.
We went to classifications today... I got stuck with HT (hull technician) as my job. I do alot of welding, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. Not what I wanted as my top choice. They said I could pick my job but that was a lie, and I might not get my bonus. My school is here, its 12 weeks long. I get free college, all 4 years. So if I decide I like what I do in the Navy then Ill get my business degree or whatever and maybe start a business with you.
They said I can change my job in 2 years, I kinda want to switch to SEABEES or Corman. My best friend here is going into the SEABEES as an Electrician. Both jobs work with the Marines. We've been handling guns, well just a 9mm (for now). Boot Camp is boring now, I know how to do everything. I just want to go to my A-school ... I'm sick of this place...LOL
Oh and those showers... we get 12 min for 40 of us to shower. There's 12 shower heads. We get 3 min for all 40 of us to use the washroom.. there are 18 stalls. Our racks are about 3 ft wide and about 6ft long! LOL I haven't gone to church yet, I've been too busy, I promise I'll go though." ****
We all (Brad, Melissa, Ryan, and Rebecca)wrote back to him and sent a News Paper also. Its great to hear from him. There is excitement when we check the mailbox. Especially later in the week as they usually write on Sundays.
June 23rd
****"Dad, I got your letter. Ive sent 2 so far but my RDC's (recruit drill commanders) said that the Navy's mail system is the slowest out of all the branches. Things have been kinda slow lately. We're on our 2-3 day (week 2 day 3). The first week I was here didn't count.
I signed up to be a Bone Marrow Donor. I don't have to do it though. They take you to Missouri I think. IDK (I don"t know).
Five people got sent home because of medical issues. This kid got sent home because he almost died during our PFA (personnel functionality assessment?). And a few days ago during the running part of the PFA he dropped and it looked like he was having a seizure. He had to go to hospital. When he came back he said they told him he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his brain. Then about 4 days ago he dropped again for no reason in our compartment. Another guy passed out during chow because he was choking on food. He tried to eat regular food after getting his wisdom teeth pulled. Another kid fell out of his top bunk and dislocated his shoulder. I saw it happen because his bunk is right next to mine!
I found out that my division is a 'grad and go' (they immediately go on to their 'A' school after graduation), but I should go to A-school right across the street (at Great Lakes).
I've spent 2 nights on this letter, for some reason one of my RDC's are letting us write letters now. It's 9:15 pm and we're about to IT (intensive training). It sucks, we're going to bed wet tonight.
I heard Michael Jackson died today! That's crazy! My RDC wont tell me what happened though, so you gotta tell my why he died. Oh, send me a paper in the mail, please. Or just tell me everything that's happening. It's so dumb we gotta IT. We got 7 minutes left, we already did PT (physical training) today. I'm so tired. We gotta do it because these 2 kids got us a compartment hit. They messed up the watch log. So thats 100 push-ups. And another kid got a demerit because he was marching wrong.
Well it's one night later.... nothing happened. Well almost nothing.. We had an IT session this morning because we took 30min to brush our teeth, shave and dress. We shave everyday. We had 15 minutes, but it took all 83 of us 30 min. But oh well. IT only sucks while you're doing it.
We went to classifications today... I got stuck with HT (hull technician) as my job. I do alot of welding, electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. Not what I wanted as my top choice. They said I could pick my job but that was a lie, and I might not get my bonus. My school is here, its 12 weeks long. I get free college, all 4 years. So if I decide I like what I do in the Navy then Ill get my business degree or whatever and maybe start a business with you.
They said I can change my job in 2 years, I kinda want to switch to SEABEES or Corman. My best friend here is going into the SEABEES as an Electrician. Both jobs work with the Marines. We've been handling guns, well just a 9mm (for now). Boot Camp is boring now, I know how to do everything. I just want to go to my A-school ... I'm sick of this place...LOL
Oh and those showers... we get 12 min for 40 of us to shower. There's 12 shower heads. We get 3 min for all 40 of us to use the washroom.. there are 18 stalls. Our racks are about 3 ft wide and about 6ft long! LOL I haven't gone to church yet, I've been too busy, I promise I'll go though." ****
We all (Brad, Melissa, Ryan, and Rebecca)wrote back to him and sent a News Paper also. Its great to hear from him. There is excitement when we check the mailbox. Especially later in the week as they usually write on Sundays.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
A real letter!
Well, earlier this week we received a postage due notice from the post office. They didn't list who the object was from, so we had no clue. Today, out of curiosity, we went to the post office to see what it was that was going to cost us $.95. To our delight, it was a heavy letter from Bradley. He had managed to stuff a large booklet inside a small envelope and that's why it was too heavy for one first-class stamp. It was from the Navy Credit Union-he wanted us to read it and tell him what we think. His timing was eerie because i had written a letter to him this morning and had planned to mail it to him at the post office. Brad said to wait just in case the postage due was from Bradley...and it was :) So we added some stuff to the letter and got it off to him. It was so great to hear from him. We have been waiting for something of substance and here it was. Poor kid is exhausted. Said they work them hard from the time they get up til they go to bed. No free time at all except on Sundays and then it's only 4 hours. They either have to polish their boots, write letters, or go to church. It sounds like he hasn't been to church yet, which is disappointing, but he has to make his own decisions now. He said he has made some friends, but you can't count on any of them yet. There is some in-fighting in their division but Bradley says he thinks they kind of set the guys up to do that. Guess they break them all down before they build them back up and this is a side-effect. He says he just keeps to himself (big surprise!) and does what he has to do. He said he's not miserable, just really, really tired. I guess that's good, but I can't help but feel bad for him. He said that food's not bad, so that's something! :) Thousands of boys survive bootcamp, including my younger brother, so I know Bradley will too.
We also received his graduation information on Friday. He graduates bootcamp on Friday July 31st. He only had us listed as attending, so I'm wondering if they limited it to 4 people? We'll have to leave Nathan at home even though I know he misses Bradley and wants to see him. But that's a long time for him to sit still, so he will have to skip it. I wrote and asked him if more people could come so we'll have to wait and see. The Navy letter also said that most recruits will go straight from boot camp to training with no break. We were really hoping Bradley would have a day or 2 at home after bootcamp (or longer) but I guess he won't. Training is 8 more weeks, so he will be at Great Lakes until the end of September at least. After that, who knows.
At least we know he's basically ok, adjusting to his new schedule and life, and misses us. That was a nice bonus to hear :) We sent him stamps today so hopefully he'll continue to write and can respond if anyone else writes.
We'll keep you posted!
We also received his graduation information on Friday. He graduates bootcamp on Friday July 31st. He only had us listed as attending, so I'm wondering if they limited it to 4 people? We'll have to leave Nathan at home even though I know he misses Bradley and wants to see him. But that's a long time for him to sit still, so he will have to skip it. I wrote and asked him if more people could come so we'll have to wait and see. The Navy letter also said that most recruits will go straight from boot camp to training with no break. We were really hoping Bradley would have a day or 2 at home after bootcamp (or longer) but I guess he won't. Training is 8 more weeks, so he will be at Great Lakes until the end of September at least. After that, who knows.
At least we know he's basically ok, adjusting to his new schedule and life, and misses us. That was a nice bonus to hear :) We sent him stamps today so hopefully he'll continue to write and can respond if anyone else writes.
We'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Navy News!
We finally heard from Bradley - sort of. It was mostly form letters from the Navy, but on the bottom of one of the pages, after his mailing address so we could write to him, was a 3 line note. Basically saying that he was fine, and "even though we get yelled at from the time we wake up to the time we sleep, it's still kinda fun". LOL - Guess I made him immune to yelling by hollering at him all these years :) It was great to know SOMETHING, even though it wasn't much, it was a lifeline. We know he's mostly ok and now we have his address so we can write to him. for those of you that want to write to him, look on the right side of our main page for his address. I'm sure he'd love notes, stamps, phone cards etc.. They can't get any food there - so no homemade goodies. I was looking forward to sending that stuff, but guess it'll have to wait.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Official Navy Oath...
June 3rd - the big day. Bradley is being sworn in with 87 other recruits ar a Sox game tonight. The Navy set this up with the Sox, Navy Appreciation night, and they did this every years. The families are able to buy tickets for half-price, in the section where the recruits are sitting and after the ceremony, we can sit together. Of course, we live in the Great White North, so it took us over 2 1/2 hours to get down there, so we missed most of the ceremony. We did get to see Bradley and sit with him and this time, the other kids got to say Goodbye too. They called him away at the end of the 6th inning, so that's when we left. It was sad to see him go, but he was still fine with it all and ready to go.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Bradley's off to the Navy
Wow - here we were, all ready for Bradley to leave on June 3rd. Well, as ready as we could be. When he first enlisted and told us that he wouldn't actually be leaving until June, it seemed a long way off. But when it got to be May 30th, and we were having the combined "Bon Voyage/Graduation/3rd Birthday" party for all the kids, it seemed too soon. We had the party Saturday and on Monday, June 1st, Bradley received a call at 9:30 am from his recruiter telling him to report to his office by noon that day. He still had his braces on! So, after panicked calls to Brad asking him to come home, the orthodontist asking him to squeeze us in a day early and ASAP, and calls to family and friends letting them know he was lea=ving early, we headed out. Brad was lucky to be close to home and his boss let him leave, the orthodontist squeezed us in, and the braces were off by 11:00am. The recruiter was right up the street, so sadly, we drove him there and said goodbye. And I cried like a baby, while my sailor-to-be just laughed like I was nuts. He was fine with leaving - said he was ready and that leaving early didn't bother him. Brave or just hiding his real feelings? We didn't know but off he went.
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