Our Daughter Entered the Army ~ An Update ~ Part 3

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Army Boot Camp, Daughter Enters Army, Daughters in the Army, writers, writing

Here is Installment Three bringing you up to speed with what our daughter is doing at Army Basic Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, scroll down to the links below.

Letter Two Dated July 14, 2012 ~ Summarized

 Notes in parentheses are mine.

“One week down! It’s been kinda a roller coaster since we got here. Not that bad physically at all, until recently. The purpose of the beginning phase in Basic is to learn how to work as a unit. Many people DO NOT understand that concept.

Last night before dinner chow, one of the females mouthed off big time. So after a heavy helping of broccoli, cheese, and rice casserole, we went to our bay (barracks) for some quality time with our Drill Sergeant and M-16 rifles for physical training . . . just squatting with it above our head, then holding it in one hand straight out. I’m getting in shape tho!

(That sounds miserable!  I’m sure my broccoli casserole is much better than the Army’s. Sorry honey, I couldn’t resist the bad joke.)

Yesterday we went to what to what is called “Victory Tower.” It includes a 50-foot rappel tower and several rope confidence courses. That was when the cadre found out I went to Mountain Warfare School. I got the course done pretty quickly and then just had to wait.

(When Amanda was in ROTC, she was selected to attend Army Mountain Warfare School and Winter Mountain Warfare School in Vermont. She is the only female in the history of UCLA’s ROTC program to be selected to attend both sessions. I’m not bragging here . . . just stating the facts. Well, I guess I am bragging a tad.)

Last night after Victory Tower and before chow, the females in my bay unanimously voted me as “Bay Boss.” I honestly didn’t think many people liked me, but I guess I’ve helped out everyone in some shape or form.

(Amanda is like that.)

Getting started as “Bay Boss” was stressful. I was up most of the night getting everything prepared for the morning.

The weather is insane here. Seriously hot and crazy thunderstorms. The other day it dumped rain on us and we had to sit in the classroom soaked and freezing.  We learned to not complain about the heat anymore.

I miss you guys. I also miss my cell phone. 🙂  It’s been liberating having a break from all technology though. Only nine weeks left!”

(We miss you too Amanda!)

I need to set the record straight. I know what you all are thinking . . . “The Army took Robin’s novel away from Amanda because it contains pornographic material.” Geez people! What kind of novelist do you think I am!?

The cadre takes away ALL reading material. In the first care package I sent her, I threw in People Magazine and the book about the surfer-girl whose arm was bit off my a shark. She wrote to me they took those away too because the soldiers have to EARN the privilege of reading material. Wow. They are tough.

Related articles

• Our Daughter Entered the Army ~ An Update
• Our Daughter Entered the Army ~ An Update ~ Part 2

Our Daughter Entered the Army ~ An Update ~ Part 2

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Army Boot Camp, Daughter Enters Army, Daughter in the Army, writers, writing

For those of you just joining this series about our daughter Amanda joining the Army, click here.  Your comments and support of her efforts, and my worry, are heartwarming and we thank you.

Amanda shipped off to Army Basic Training on July 2^nd. We spoke to her several times before her phone was taken away. We received a form-letter from her on July 12^th. The first real letter from her arrived on July 14^th. I kid you not; we checked the mailbox hourly in anticipation of word from her.

I forgot to tell you something in the first of this series; Amanda finished reading my manuscript on the trip to Fort Jackson. She called me when she arrived at the base and said, “Mom . . . your book made me cry three times.” This is heady praise coming from a girl who didn’t cry at the end of Old Yeller.

Letter One Dated July 9, 2012 Summarized

The notes in parentheses are mine.

“Day Three is officially over. It is pretty easy in terms of getting yelled at or smoked. We are split up almost 100% of the time by gender. I sleep in a bay (barracks) with 60 girls, who are called females in the Army. I don’t think I have ever spent this much time with females in my life.

(Robin’s first note here . . . let’s not forget she is ONE of our THREE daughters.)

Amanda leading a night land navigation exercise in the rain when she was in ROTC.

The military stuff is easy.

(Amanda did four years of ROTC in college and knows a bit about the drill)

I don’t get yelled at ever. I just keep my head down.

Oh man, right now as I write this letter, two platoons in my bay are arguing about being quiet while trying to go to sleep. People are “shushing” each other thinking it keeps things quiet when it actually makes it louder. Every once and a while a f**k comes out and it gets rowdy. Hilarious.

Food here is awesome. Every night there are several sides, vegetables, and meats, with a full salad bar. We eat really fast but it doesn’t bother me. I eat healthy and just shovel it in. No table manners though!

(Good girl for noticing. We taught her well!)

Holy smokes it is hot here! But tonight we had an awesome thunderstorm. The air is thick in my lungs when I run, but I was the top female in my platoon in the diagnostic Physical Training test.

All in all, it hasn’t been bad. I’m just ready for training to start so they can see my potential and know I can do more than marching and push-ups.

XXX ~ A

P. S.  Madre, they took away your book. 😦  I won’t get to read it again until I am on the plane to come home.”

(My last note here . . . those Drill Sergeants are cruel! Don’t they know fine literature when they see it?)

 

 

Our Daughter Entered the Army ~ An Update

Tags

Army Boot Camp, Daughter in the Army, writers, writing

I wrote a post in July about dropping our oldest daughter, Amanda, off at the Army recruiting station to then ship off to Army Boot Camp at “Relaxin’ Jackson” ~ Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Your outpouring of support of Amanda’s decision to join the Army, and support of me as her weepy mother, warmed my soul.

I thought you might like an update on what is happening with Amanda. Because I like to write short-ish posts, I’ll give you the updates since her departure in serial form. I’d hate to lose you because I blathered on.

Boot Camp is an experience most of us will not, well . . . experience. Her insider’s view is interesting.

I hope our daughter’s face doesn’t look like this. Cover of Private Benjamin (Full Screen Edition)

We learned from her letters that Boot Camp isn’t far from what you see in the movies. Richard Gere from An Officer and a Gentleman and Goldie Hawn from Private Benjamin looked over Amanda’s shoulder while she wrote her letters.

After we dropped Amanda off, she and a hundred or so other recruits from all over Northern California were put up a local hotel. The next morning, the Army bused them to a Processing Center (makes them sound like salami, right?), where they “hurried up and waited.” She spent the day in a back-spasm-inducing plastic chair and waited her turn at the Processing Center.

Being the considerate and caring mom that I am, I gave Amanda a printed and spiral bound copy of my novel as a going away gift. To give you an idea of the length of her waiting-around-time at the Center, she read half of the manuscript.

The next day, the recruits were up at 0-dark-thirty to catch planes to various Army bases across the U.S.

Do you remember the horrific heat, humidity, thunderstorms, and flash floods the South endured in early July? Record-breaking bad weather greeted Amanda in a hot and sweaty embrace when she walked off the plane.

Her first week at Fort Jackson was what the Army calls “Reception.” Sounds like a lovely royal wedding party, but it was physicals, fitness testing, and more paperwork. Her phone wasn’t taken away . . . yet . . . and she called us several times.

Then, silence.

The next thing we received was a full-page form-letter.

 Dear ___________________:

            I have arrived safely at my Basic Combat Training unit, and I am in good health. My Drill Sergeants has given me some important information I need to pass on to you…………….

You get the idea. Amanda would never say “I am in good health.” But, she filled in the Dear _____________: with “Madre and Padre.” We are not Spanish, but all three girls call us that. Don’t ask. I don’t know why.

(My note here . . . I’m dying to edit the form-letter and send it back to the Army with a link to the Strong vs Weak Word series . . . but I digress.)

The letter goes on to say she isn’t allowed to receive contraband such as alcohol, food, candy, or porn. Now I ask you. What God- and Army-fearing mom sends their kid porn? Octo-Mom? Isn’t she a stripper now?

We knew from materials Amanda received before leaving, a comment on my post made by the wife of a Drill Sergeant, and from a friend of Omawarisan, we wouldn’t hear from Amanda again for weeks.

We didn’t.

Stay tuned. I’ll fill you in on what she wrote in her first letters.