Monday Update

We received a couple more letters from William over the weekend and then another one today...so here's what's happening:

Wed., July 9
They had done the Confidence Course the day before; he said it made the Obstacle course seem "childish"...we looked it up online and it looked pretty intense! I can imagine he was pretty beat afterward...am anxious to hear more about it later. Teresa and I have been bemoaning the lack of details that are forthcoming about things we really want to know!! When we put Aaron's and Will's letters together, it helps us get a fuller picture of things. Anyway, his platoon was drilling like crazy to get ready for the Initial Drill competition on Saturday (haven't heard how it went yet.) The guys in his platoon who "don't know their left from their right" are driving him crazy...they're probably the cause of most of the IT'ing that's taking place :) The training is going along as it should; he's feeling the lack of individualism and freedom, which is exactly what they're aiming for before they begin to build them back up as a unit. This week (7/14-19) is the final week of Phase 4. After this week, they bus the recruits up to Camp Pendleton for 3 weeks, and he's looking forward to that. "Our time up in Pendleton is obviously going to be extremely hard, but I think it will go relatively quickly, and might even be fun at times." His days are counted not by the calendar, but by Training Days...it was T14 when he wrote. Sometimes he puts the date on a letter followed by a "?". I try to put both the date and the training day when I write to him!

In the middle of the letter, almost out of the blue he wrote, "I realized just now that I left my room a complete mess...I'll make it up to you when I get back." David and I just laughed, wondering what in the world made him think of the condition of his room just then. Maybe it was seeing a very neat and orderly squad bay!!

"Running is getting somewhat easier -- I still don't like it, but in small doses it's manageable :)" I wonder if he'll ever really enjoy running...

They were issued their military ID's and that was encouraging to him...another step in the right direction. His squad leader had to go take a test, so William was bumped up to temporary squad leader, which he described as: "...pretty stressful to be at the front of the formation, being the first to execute all the movements and stuff." No letting his mind wander, I guess :) It was the end of the third week and his motivation was low, but he said that the sentiment was pretty universal among the guys. He just doesn't understand the ones who really like PT!!! "It makes no sense! Other than the PT, I would be enjoying boot camp. The classes are interesting, and drill is pretty fun." And then another comment about wishing that some of the guys would learn to stop talking!!! Must be quite a platoon he's in!

The letter ended with some arguing himself back to reality...telling himself what he knows to be true. It is hard, but he knows that he can do this, it won't last forever, others have done it before him, he just needs to push himself to get through it, and that God is good! I love being able to "read" his thought processes...it is encouraging.

Thursday morning, July 10
This letter was a shorter one, just covering that morning. They were scheduled to go on a 2 mile run that day...you know how excited he was about that! :) "I'm definitely not looking forward to it. But once again, I'll survive." The previous night the DI's had them scrambling all over the place, doing all kinds of things. They didn't have mail call, and that was a disappointment, but he was hoping that there would be one that night. As he knew going into this, there are a lot of "mind games" that go on, but it was starting to get to him. Those DI's are good at what they do...and this is the hardest phase of all mentally. The tone of the letter wasn't as optimistic as the others have been, so that caused us to pray more fervently for him, that he would be able to discipline his mind and continue to speak truth to himself.

Thursday evening, July 10
They did do the 2 mile run, and then did the bases course, "which consists of 8 stations of drills that are almost identical to football practice -- mountain climbers, sprints, bicycles, etc." He was exhausted by the end of it, but said it was a satisfying to complete a PT session. The following day an SDI inspection was taking place, in which he would have to know facts about general orders, rank structure, and be able to "do a perfect inspection arms". He seemed confident about the facts part of it, but just wanted to do a good job. He's always been confident in his abilities! We always told him that what he lacked in ability, he makes up for in confidence :)

Thursdays are Family Days, when the families of graduating recruits are on base and are able to spend 5 hours of liberty with their recruit. He said it was both motivating and hard emotionally, all at the same time, and he just can't wait until it's HIS platoon marching across the parade deck. There are still "smileys" in his letters..."This week seems like it's basically over, because although we have some big things coming, the hardest part of the PT is over...the rest is cheesecake! :-)" Their Series Commander motivated them during the morning run by telling them "Keep pushing yourself now; endure the pain now, or just relax and pick up with Golf Company. You'll get to repeat this whole week over again!" For some reason, that really did motivate him, and he realized that when he has the right mindset, it's not so bad, and that he CAN push through it. Ah, all these life lessons he's learning!!

He often talks about how much he'll enjoy his 10 day leave and is looking forward to going to dinner with Cliff and Mr. Deaton...maybe he'll even order dessert!!! Seeing some of his friends and spending time with Laura are at the top of his list :) I know the time will go by so quickly, but we're looking forward to those days, too, when we can ask questions "real time" and get answers and details!

On Saturday they were able to begin to unbutton the top button on their "blouse"; apparently, "along the way you do little stuff like that so that you can tell at a glance how far along the recruits are. At the beginning of Third Phase, you blouse your pant legs and tuck them into your boots. 1 week before Crucible you get your name on the cammies; after the crucible you turn in your gear and so you carry a water bottle instead of a canteen." Little things, but important so that the recruits see that they ARE making progress!

His closing reads, "...when I'm done with my training, I'll be home to be with you guys. But in the meantime, I have a job to do, and I know I'm here for a purpose. So although I miss you, I know this is where I need to be." We are so encouraged by the perseverance in those words and his ability to look beyond the present and keep his eye on the finish line.

And then there was a p.s.: the platoon got "seriously" IT'd that evening, "...not the most fun. The rest of the night went pretty smoothly, all things considered." He finished up the letter by "moonbeam"...definitely time to end it!

This week is Swim Week, when they spend time in the pool and have to qualify in their swimming ability. He has been looking forward to this week...he's always been a "water rat" and could stay in the pool longer than anyone in the family! Hopefully he's doing well and even finding it enjoyable.

We're thankful for more news, and are anxious to find out how the inspection and Initial Drill went, how Sunday services were, and then how Swim Week is going. We're always behind by about a half week...so it's nice to get some updates. All in all, I think he's doing well, but anxious to get this all behind him. Thank you for praying...he said in one of the letters, "keep praying for me. I need it daily"....don't we all?

Thanks to those of you who have written to encourage him. He probably won't be able to answer each letter, but please know how much it means to him and to Aaron to hear from you. They are keenly aware of how blessed they are to have such a supportive family behind them, cheering them on.