The first one was written Monday evening, June 23rd, after he had gone through "Black Friday" the week before, which is the day when the platoons meet their senior drill instructors, along with junior drill instructors (called killer hats!). It's a pretty intense day; not too much was said about it! I'm not sure I really want to know details, anyway. :) He said Sunday morning worship was "amazing" even though the "message wasn't too deep, but what can we expect?" It was interesting to see that both he and Aaron commented on that. Praise God that they both have such a solid foundation of biblical teaching! He said the singing was good and he knew all the songs except for one. "It was I think the first time I have actually truly appreciated everything I have at home and at FBC, and all the little petty problems were instantly put into perspective -- it brought tears to my eyes, and for the first time I truly understand why people in our church choke up during the singing -- I was right there with them."
Life is all about discipline and drill and everything is counted down..."you have 10 seconds to shave the left side of your face. Stop. Next. etc." If only I had known that technique when he was growing up.... :) He is enjoying drill (not surprising to us!) and is getting used to being screamed at for other people's mistakes. (Apparently he hadn't made any blunders yet...) He said that his spirits are good and that he's excited and determined. "I think boot camp should be downplayed, because nobody would go if they really knew how it was...no lies." ...a tiny glimpse into how difficult the days were....
The next letter arrived on Saturday and was more upbeat...also longer! He said they have started being able to have some free time, for which he was grateful; they even were allowed to shower and hygiene by themselves without a DI yelling at them! Oh, what a blessing the little things are! They were IT'd for the first time -- "It was bad, but could have been a lot worse." He always has been an optimistic kid! [IT means "extra attention and extra PT (physical training)" ... it's NOT a good thing!] He was sitting in line for medical when he wrote the first part of the letter; he said the reason for that was "they can't figure out how I got to be so good looking. Either that or they are checking to see if I should be placed on a diet. I tend to think it must be the former." By the end of the letter the results of that exam were still pending, but he had been handed a slip of paper with his vitals...height - 5'7", weight - 196 lbs, waist - 41", neck - 15"...."good call USMC, that's ALL wrong. Whatever - their problem!" Okay, how anyone could measure him and get 5'7" is way beyond me!
He says that time is passing quickly and that he can survive as long as he keeps his head up and doesn't let them get inside his head. "Once you get used to the routine, it's not really all that bad. I hear people complaining constantly, but I disagree. What I said before about it being all bad and whatnot...I was being dumb." He has resigned himself to getting through it as quickly as possible with the lowest profile possible! He said he keeps his mouth shut and does what he's told. Isn't that what we've taught them to do from the beginning...first time obedience??
The instructors have split them up into four ability groups and work them at their level. He says that if you're willing to work, they'll train you. He knows that his turn at being IT'd is coming...it's just a question of when, not if. They have hours of instructional time and he enjoys that. He's learning a lot about himself and his abilities and is ready for the challenge. One of the lines that made me smile: "I do appreciate how Will - the guy who can't go 20 minutes without checking his email, MySpace, facebook, digg.com, i-hacked.com, etc. now does not even have a watch, and is resorting to writing long letters." At first I was surprised to get 3 letters in a week, but as I thought about it I realized that this is a kid who started talking early and hasn't quit yet! All those times when he would go on and on and on about whatever was on him mind, I had no idea that I would appreciate his ability to communicate later on. It's an amazing thing, to see what I considered, well, not exactly a blessing, turn into such a huge blessing! God is good.
Not being able to graduate with Aaron is disappointing, but he is taking a measure of comfort in the fact that in the end, they'll both be Marines. It's good not to linger on the disappointments -- it takes too much energy.
And not that he's counting the days, but "Right now I'm 8.8 percent done with boot camp. Only another 91.2 percent (78 days) left." He commented on the fact that he's slimming down and tanning and seems to be losing some of the boyishness in his face. Being able to march around in desert cammies, combat boots and a cover (cap) amazes him...knowing he's not pretending anymore (I can still picture him marching around with a bucket on his head and a wooden rifle in his hands), but that this is the real deal.
He closes with a description of some IT that went on in the platoon that evening (quarterdeck was covered in sweat and tears -- not his...) and then says, "Bring it on...let's find out what I'm made of. It's going to hurt like crazy, but there's only one way to graduation. The results of my diet situation are pending, but I'm expecting to do it for a little bit. It's funny that their punishment just motivates me to be better, stronger, faster. I'm just ready to get this done. And the hustle and bustle really, really pumps me up."
While this truly is the hardest thing he's ever faced, we know that God will use it in his life to teach him lessons he must learn in order to be a man, and in that we rejoice. Our through the Bible in a year reading plan has us in Psalms now, and just this morning I read,
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD Of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You." Psalm 84:11-12
We appreciate your interest in and prayers on behalf of both William and Aaron. God is doing His work in their lives and I know they will be better men as a result!
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