My wife called me at work moments ago, crying. She read my son's very short letter to me over the phone in which he basically states that boot camp is so much harder than he ever believed it would be...constant yelling...being told how to do everything. He asked that we keep him in our prayers (which of course we do). Unfortunately, my son has had a history of not seeing many things through and messing up his teenage years. His own realization of all that led him to the most important decision he has ever made. I tried to explain to my wife that he has only been in Great Lakes SIX days, and that it was only just about to get alot worse. Was that a mistake? That isn't what moms want to hear. I explained to her that the yelling and discipline were all part of a carefully orchestrated plan to turn 90 individuals into a TEAM....and that NOBODY in his group are having any kind of fun or "party" right now. Then my own insecurities crept up. Will he make it? I can't begin to imagine the shame and embarrassment were he to be sent home. I guess what I am in need of here is some moral support of my own. It's only been 6 days.......
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Howdy Russ,
Yep, we got our call today about the same time you were getting yours I'll bet. Momma was highly pleased, and now all is well with the world.
Sounds like they have settled in, and made it past the hard part. Funny you mention that about the clocks and calendars. Sean asked me what day it was. Funny stuff. It was good to hear his voice. He sounds a little rough from a cold he picked up, and he's been in the hospital trying to heal up from an injury, but he's still 100% on fire about being a Sailor.
You can tell your son that mine is one of the guys who helps keep the office in working order, whatever that means. I'll tell Sean to look up your fellow in laundry duty.
Hope to run into your at PIR. Best regards, DBC
Heh Barry,
Glad to meet you. My son is also in Ship 09 Div 364 PIR Nov 4 and we just, 45 min ago, got our first phone call home, abeit short but enough for now. He says there are no clocks, watches or calenders anywhere and has taken to marking the days in the back of one of his books. Today is in fact the 33 day of boot camp and they are half way there. He says, he and a couple other SRs do 10 loads of laundry a night for the entire ship. Good training for a "nuke". I figure you got to start somewhere. Maybe see you at the PIR.
My son's first letters just arrived (Ship 9, division 364), and he's been at boot camp for three weeks. It does indeed get better after those first few tough days. Here's what he said at the two to three week mark, for what it's worth:
- The food is good.
- He has 64 new friends in his division, knows their names, and they all stick together like glue. As he says it, "...my shipmates are awesome. Even if boot camp were ten times worse, it's good to know that 63 guys are backing me up."
- The RDC's are tough because they want the recruits to succeed. He says, " Now that P-days are over, the RDC's are there to help us, not just yell at us, and they have our utmost respect and admiration."
I'll bet that your son will feel the same way once he gets past those first days, and gets into the groove of doing things the Navy way.
Our son should be PIR on 10/14, then into pre-BUDs. We were more worried about the transition from civilian to seaman, than from seaman to BUDs. Although he played D-1 Lacrosse and grew up in and around the water, he has always been a "laid-back, free spirt" type. His general outlook has always been "I'm going to do what I want". Life at boot camp is (I'm relatively sure-) the polar opposite of that.
There is info on the Navy boot camp website about their expected day-to-day, week-to-week activities. There was also info on what to/not to bring to GL. I don't know that he had ever really written a letter, most everything had been email & texting, but we have gotten weekly letters from him since week 2. Being 24, he's one of the older guys in his Division, and wrote that alot of the younger guys were having problems with following orders, not talking, etc. And that's in a Div. that is primairly SF recruits.
My wife is not happy about his decision to try for SEALs, but knowing my son, it would be a great fit. It's along way from PIR to the SEAL trident. One day at a time.
Hang tough,Dad. You'll be amazed at the progress and change. Try to detach as much as you can. Right now he is so occupied with memorizing and doing different exercises that he has no time to even think. Just imagine if you can, all the new language he has to learn, i.e. head, deck,bulkhead,etc. Ranks, ships, general orders too, to name a few. He'll be fine, you will too.
My son has only been there less than 24 hours and I'm feeling just like you. Crazy see-saw emotions, will he, can he? I'm wildly proud yet concerned he'll "screw the Pooch"!!!
All I can do is stand secure that God is in complete control and all will be well.
From a Really new Navy Dad.
I went through boot camp in 1976 and after viewing some of the videos in this web site, I certainly feel that it was tougher before. I was already very structured and disciplined so it wasn't as difficult for me as for some of the others. But regardless of the differences from 1976 to now, the goal is the same. It is quite an accomplishment to transform 80+ individuals into a team with one mind. I remember on graduation day reflecting back to the first week and suddenly becoming aware of how much we had all changed. We had become more than sailors, we were family. My son is currently on his third week (Ship 4 Div, 821) and no letters yet. Lack of communication makes it difficult to stay focused and positive. A lot of negatives creep into your mind. I remember how important mail call was to me so I write to him daily. I am hopeful that my son is doing well and taking on the challenges that I gave him - to not be satisfied with just doing ok but to do his best in every task pressed upon him. I am spending a lot of my time encouraging my wife. She is new to this. Maybe today a letter will arrive? Hang in there Hugh, we're all in on this together!!
Today we received our first letters from my son and everything seems good. He says that people in his ship or division like to talk so they have extra PT every night. He says that his favorite part of the day is chow time and that food is great and that there is plenty of it. It was great to read his letters.
Mark
Thanks Hugh, I'll keep your son in my thoughts also. As fate would have it, just minutes ago I received "the box" with his belongings. I'm much encouraged that there were no blood stains!
Glenn, if he gets through the first two weeks, he should probably be okay. My son said that 5 people exited his division the first week. Given that the military is presently pretty much 'full' with kids like ours looking for that last chance in a lousy economic climate, you've really got to work hard to stay in. As far as letters and calls go, don't expect to see or hear much until after the 3rd week. My son says that allotted phone and letter-writing privileges are based on division performance, and the RDC's can "giveth or taketh away". I pray your son gets through it and on to the right path.
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