Robert Update

Happy Wednesday, September 05, 2007

We received 2 letters from Robert on Saturday a week after he wrote them. Seems that they get mail and have theirs sent in a bunch once or twice a week. We were unable to receive his phone call on Sunday because our internet was down and the call would not connect. He is only aloud to try one number 2 times and then has to give up the phone. I will tell you that the hardest part of this experience is not being able to speak with him, even for a minute, to hear that he is okay for days and weeks at a time.

Highlights from his letters:

Aug. 20th
There are 8 68 Whiskey’s (those going to school for Medic Specialist) in his Company but only 2 in his Platoon which they have named “COLD STEEL”. He likes his DS (Drill Seargants) even though they ‘smoke’ them often. They took a physical fitness test in the morning and he passed with flying colors. They then ate ‘chow’ and then that is when he said the fun began. The DS push them past the limit and ask them if they want to quit. Robert wrote “All of us yell NO!, Cold Steel, ‘I will never quit, I will never accept defeat’, Whooa”. That phase in ‘ ‘ marks is in the Soldiers Creed, (kind of like the Boy Scout oath). “It was awesome! and I even passed some people up in the sprints and was cheering the whole way”. He says he was really sore and they have the obstacle course the following day.

Aug. 21st letter He writes:
“Oh My Gosh you guys,
Today was the best and worst day of all. Started off at 4:30 am with physical training, and mile (still sore from yesterday). After breakfast we changed into our Camo and Boots (long sleeves and pants) and did the Physical Endurance and Confidence Course. I am going to go over all the steps. The whole time we had to run screaming and chanting and even running in place when there was a line. The whole course is about a mile long with different obstacles:
1. Low-over wall (a 4 ft. wall you have to go over as low as possible).
2. One-big bar (a 6 ft. high and about 4 in. around you have to go across).
3. Monkey bars (bars that spin).
4. The water pit (1 ft. deep mud pit you crawl under logs through).
5. The netted plank (20 ft. high slab with net you climb up and down on. Two girls fell but they’re ok).
6. Sewer tunnel (a 2 foot tunnel 15 ft. long you crawl through).
7. The high wall (6 ft. wall you stand on to get over).
8. Rope bridge (like at Sopko’s).
9. One rope bridge (lay on a rope on your stomach and pull across it over a 15 ft. pit).
10. Combat walls (5 walls on a hill steeper than Hernia Hill – boys scouts know).
11. Rope swing (a rope swing over a 10 ft. trench).
12. Tires (30 ft. of tires we had to jump in).
13. Rope climb (rope 30 ft. high that I made half way up).
14. Wire crawl (crawl on your back under barbed wire).
The only thing I didn’t make was the rope climb. Then we had a rope competition and our platoon won! We were all hollering and going crazy, when 4th Platoon’s DS came over and yelled at us for hollering when our DS was telling us to stay motivated. A couple of our people said “awe, he’s just jealous”, He smoked the ‘stuff’ out of us.
After lunch chow we got our guns and learned how to do drills with them. Over all it was a good day. Keep the letters coming, I love to hear from all of you”.

Aug. 23
“Today we did a 3 mile ruck-march to a 60 ft. tower. We made a harness out of rope and rappelled a 20 ft. tower and a 60 ft. tower. Then we did a confidence course where you rope walk a wall, climb a ladder where the rungs are 3 ft. apart (these were to get to the top of the 60 ft. tower) then sewing across a 20 ft. wide pit, then climbing down a 60 ft. rope ladder. It was pretty sweet. Today we officially finished week 1, so we’re all in a pretty god mood.

Aug. 25th
He wrote us about the gas mask test that I had wrote about in the previous update email.

They are going to try and push the 68W’s through BT a week early because they are suppose to start the schooling Oct. 15th. Now remember that the the 68W’s were part of the group that got held up a week from starting BT to begin with. I guess that poor planning is something he will have to get use to.

You all have a great week, and please keep Robert and all our soldiers in your prayers.

Love,
Loretta