Phone Call from Golf Co. Recruit :)

William called today to let us know that he indeed was picked up by Golf Co., platoon 2149. He said that it seemed like there were some "good guys" in the platoon, but he's so anxious to graduate that he wouldn't have cared if there weren't!! He sounded good; his voice was low, but that was because he was in the DI's office...I know they don't call it an office, but for the life of me, I can't remember the term right now. It'll come to me.....

I told him that we received his "letter" today...his memo pad stuck in an envelope, stapled at one end, and mailed with 5 stamps affixed to it. He was amazed that it made it through the mail system so fast, because it was just posted yesterday! I emailed one of the moms in his new platoon and asked her for a mailing address; she responded very promptly, so I was able to dash off a quick letter and get it to the post office by 5pm. I know he won't get it until after the Crucible (ends next Thurs. morning), but hopefully he'll get it by graduation day. It was therapeutic for me to write; I think I'll send off a couple more over the next few days and hope for the best!

His letter was interesting to read. He had begun it before he took the final PFT, and at that time his feelings ranged from hopeful to resigned about passing the pull-ups portion of it. It was so good to read his thoughts, how he constantly spoke truth to himself and didn't allow discouragement to take over. He even mentioned that if he ended up in PCP for 4 weeks, he would be able to graduate with Aaron. Now that's optimism!!! :) The letter continued on through the day of the PFT and his inability to pass it. Even then, he was not discouraged; disappointed, YES! One of his major worries was that his family would have to rearrange vacation days and cancel hotel reservations...he offered to pay all the cancellation fees! The thought of having to wait an extra week to see everyone was difficult, but it made his motivation all that much greater to succeed in PCP and get those pull-ups.

In an earlier letter, he had mentioned his desire to be kinder to the 1st phase recruits when he got to the 3rd phase. Well, in PCP he had the opportunity to put that resolve to the test. One of the 1st phase guys told him that he was the nicest 3rd phase recruit he had met! Will was able to help some of the guys who had not passed their IST with help on crunches and encouragement on the pull-ups. His squad leader had been in PCP for 3 weeks after failing his IST; it must have taken humility on William's part to take orders from this guy. What a great growing experience!

He echoed Aaron's sentiments about PCP. It's a place where motivation can die in the face of repeated failure. His respect for Aaron grew even greater as he thought about Aaron spending 4 weeks there and not giving up! Teresa and I are so hopeful that he and Aaron will be able to see each other one more time, possibly at chapel services on 9/14, before they go their separate ways.

I had sent him a 2 page questionnaire, asking all those questions that had not been answered over the weeks of boot camp. He said he had a great time responding to them, and he sent it back to us with writing on every available part of the white spaces! It was so much fun to read his responses and little comments!! He has definitely NOT lost his sense of humor :) I had asked him what it was like to see Aaron at chow that day. He responded that Aaron had lost a lot of weight and was losing that boyishness on his face, looking more like a man. He said he was proud to know Aaron, but even prouder that Aaron was such a good friend, and that we would be so proud of him when we saw the finished product. The bond that these 2 have shared will last a lifetime!

Only 14 more days until we get to see him -- what a joy that will be! We are still planning to stop at Tom's Farm after graduation, so the invitation still stands for those who would like to join us. Please continue to pray for him as the Crucible nears. It begins Tues. at 2am and ends Thurs. at 10am. We'll keep you posted.

12 weeks down, 2 more to go...