Hey, guess what? 144 hours till I become a Marine! That means that this is the second to last letter y'all will receive from me as a recruit. On Senior Sunday, when we get to mess around on base, (Starbucks, Taco Bell, Subway, Bowling, Backyard Burgers, etc) I get to make phone calls, so you'll probably hear from me 7 days from now. :)
We got the results from BWT and Table 2 firing and we won the trophy for that. We also got the trophy for the field meet we had yesterday with Plt. 4009. ( We beat them again, which makes us undefeated so far.) There are 3 trophies left: PFT, Final Drill, and Final Knowledge. If we win 1 more trophy, we get Honor Platoon.
The field meet was soooo much fun! There were 10 events: push-ups, crunches, dumbell lifts, chin-ups, ammo can lifts, rifle relay race, obstacle course, rope climb, rifle assembly, and stretcher carry. Each platoon picks the recruits that are best in each event, and then compete for the flag and trophy. The DIs compete against each other, which was awesome!
Me and DI Sgt. R. competed against Rct. W and DI Sgt. A.(4009) on the obstacle course, and completely owned it. (duh) :) The adrenaline was pumping like CRAZY. Y'all should've seen us, leaping over walls and logs, swinging over bars and climbing ropes like Jackie Chan. DI Sgt. R. even stopped on one of the walls and did a little hopping dance. Everybody was screaming and yelling; it was great. When we finished, I noticed that my hand was kinda sticky, so I looked down and there was blood running down my palm and fingers from busted blisters, but I didn't even feel it. (till today, anyways)
I also competed with Big L. in the ammo can lift, where you take a 30 lb. box of ammo and lift it from your chest straight up over your head as many times as you can in 2 mins. (the box is covered in sandpaper, so my hands weren't so happy) I still got 75 lifts, and again, we won.
Oh, the DIs also competed in the dizzy-izzy (the nose on bat, running in circles, then sprinting) It was hilarious! They were falling all over the place, and trying to beat each other and we were cheering them on, as they pushed each other over to get to the finish line.
The DIs are a lot more open around us now, and we get to see their personalities a lot clearer. For instance, yesterday at drill, DI SSgt. L. had a sore throat, and of course had no medicine for it at the time. Well, the recruits aren't allowed to carry meds in their pockets, (but they do, and the DIs know it) and the the DIs aren't allowed to take recruits meds from them. So SSgt. L turned her back to us, closed her eyes with one hand, and held out the other, saying, "Ok. I'm going to close my eyes and open my hand. When I open my eyes and close my hand, there will be a cough drop in it. I won't say anything." (of course, it happened)
They've been talking to us a lot about our careers in the Marine Corps, and the opportunities open to us on base. I've decided that the first things I'm going to work on when I get my first duty station are earning my MCMAP Black Belt, and learn Arabic through one of the courses available. We've already touched on it a little bit. (numbers, "hello", "goodbye", "drop the i.e.d. or I'll blow your turbaned head off", etc). You wouldn't believe the amount of money Marines that speak Arabic can earn. Rct. M. is fluent, she can read and write it, but she's kept it from the DIs because she "doesn't want to be deployed." I about smacked her when she said that. Over half of the rest of us are hoping we'll get the call to go, and here she is, with a needed skill, whining that she doesn't want to take a chance at being sent overseas! Oh, well, you've always got that one, or two. She'll probably get sent anyways. Half of DI Sgt. R.'s last platoon got deployed 6 months after they signed in to their first duty station. And with the us being shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan, and changing from Okinawa to Guam, we have a pretty good chance, we've been told. Maybe I'll get to work on C130's and carry troops to and from deployments.
We packed all our MRE's for the Crucible today and they look good. My favorite is the shrimp and ham jambalaya. They come with dessert, too. There are brownies, cookies, shakes, lemon pound cake, carrot cake, cobbler, etc. Some even have sweet tea and lemonade mix! We only get 3 MREs (for 56 hrs) so I hope I get good ones.
I can't wait to see y'all in 11 days! The place we're staying at (in Beaufort after graduation) sounds great!
xoxox Ruby
Random fact: Did you know that more Marines have been killed in motorcyle accidents than in Iraq? Crazy, huh? DI Sgt. R says that male Marines get a little reckless when it comes to bikes.
She also said that the REAL reason we're getting kicked out of Okinawa is because the Japanese are getting tired of the Americans drinking all their beer, and breaking stuff :)
OK, well I gotta go. Senior just walked in with her pet turtle, Pedro.
xo Ruby
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
TUESDAY, MAR. 10 (400 hrs to go!!)
Hey, y'all.
I just ate the best dinner ever! It was Seniors duty night, so we got a little more time to eat. I had hamburger steak and rice, mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots and Brussels sprouts) rye bread and butter, salad (with cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese and french dressing) a banana, chocolate pudding, and, of course, power-ade!
We got our dress blues tailored today and I'm going to wear mine to church when I get back :). We also got a running suit that's REALLY nice, (waterproof silky pants and jacket) They're both olive green, the pants have "USMC" down the leg in gold and burgundy, and the jacket has "MARINES" the back in the same colors above a reflector strip. On the same subject, are there any races going on while I'm at home? I want to run with dad and Winston and finally PLACE.
Hey, you know what? I just realized that I'll be home for Easter! Yay! Tell the Easter bunny that I'll be expecting Goobers, Reesies Cups, and Jelly Beans. (I've been craving all three!) I lost 3 more pounds, but I've been able to stay at around 126.
Y'know those new girls I told you we got? Well I've befriended one of them. Her name is M. and she's from NEW JERSEY. (surprise!) Full fledged Yankee with an ultra strong "nwarthen" accent, but we get along great! We've got COMPLETELY opposite backgrounds but sometimes it works that way.
You'd be surprised how many girls were homeless before they came here. I've heard many stories from both her and Big L. about what their lives were like and you wouldn't be able to tell it by looking at the smart, collected, "almost" Marines they are now. The guide told me how she used to live under a bridge in Tampa, and spent just a little over $10 a month for food. The clothes she wore were the ones given to her at places she worked and she spent everything she earned just to go to school. She earned a 3.7 average and received a degree in sociology. Her dream is to be a chef, and travel the world, so she signed up, and is going to go to Japan and use her tuition assistance money to go to culinary arts school. Amazing, huh?
It's like they wasted so much time and got desperate, perhaps that they would be stuck like that forever. M told me how she lived in her old car, and drank hard liquor till she almost blacked out, then she'd take drugs to sober herself up, then when she got high, she'd start drinking again so she wouldn't be in either state for too long. When she enlisted, she sold what she had, and made up her mind to go and get a degree. She's going to get it too, as well as a good job in logistics. It's funny, but I find the ones who've learned "life's lessons" the bad way and who've screwed up the worst, are the very best recruits. They stick up for me too. In a kind of "mom" type way. I think they see themselves in me before they messed up and don't want me to lose what I've got. They make me so thankful that I never had to learn like that, and I'm even more determined never to "experiment" like they did, just to figure out what I want out of life and try to find that fulfillment.
The more I listen to their stories, the more SHEER RELIEF I experience to have Jesus, and to have had Him from the start. I wish I could somehow go back in time and share Him with them before they messed up. I get a sad ache in my heart when I think about all the regret that could've been by-passed. But hey, with Christ it's never too late, right? After all THEY'RE the ones He came here for, and I love them for it.
xoxoxo and C U soon,
Ruby
I just ate the best dinner ever! It was Seniors duty night, so we got a little more time to eat. I had hamburger steak and rice, mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, carrots and Brussels sprouts) rye bread and butter, salad (with cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese and french dressing) a banana, chocolate pudding, and, of course, power-ade!
We got our dress blues tailored today and I'm going to wear mine to church when I get back :). We also got a running suit that's REALLY nice, (waterproof silky pants and jacket) They're both olive green, the pants have "USMC" down the leg in gold and burgundy, and the jacket has "MARINES" the back in the same colors above a reflector strip. On the same subject, are there any races going on while I'm at home? I want to run with dad and Winston and finally PLACE.
Hey, you know what? I just realized that I'll be home for Easter! Yay! Tell the Easter bunny that I'll be expecting Goobers, Reesies Cups, and Jelly Beans. (I've been craving all three!) I lost 3 more pounds, but I've been able to stay at around 126.
Y'know those new girls I told you we got? Well I've befriended one of them. Her name is M. and she's from NEW JERSEY. (surprise!) Full fledged Yankee with an ultra strong "nwarthen" accent, but we get along great! We've got COMPLETELY opposite backgrounds but sometimes it works that way.
You'd be surprised how many girls were homeless before they came here. I've heard many stories from both her and Big L. about what their lives were like and you wouldn't be able to tell it by looking at the smart, collected, "almost" Marines they are now. The guide told me how she used to live under a bridge in Tampa, and spent just a little over $10 a month for food. The clothes she wore were the ones given to her at places she worked and she spent everything she earned just to go to school. She earned a 3.7 average and received a degree in sociology. Her dream is to be a chef, and travel the world, so she signed up, and is going to go to Japan and use her tuition assistance money to go to culinary arts school. Amazing, huh?
It's like they wasted so much time and got desperate, perhaps that they would be stuck like that forever. M told me how she lived in her old car, and drank hard liquor till she almost blacked out, then she'd take drugs to sober herself up, then when she got high, she'd start drinking again so she wouldn't be in either state for too long. When she enlisted, she sold what she had, and made up her mind to go and get a degree. She's going to get it too, as well as a good job in logistics. It's funny, but I find the ones who've learned "life's lessons" the bad way and who've screwed up the worst, are the very best recruits. They stick up for me too. In a kind of "mom" type way. I think they see themselves in me before they messed up and don't want me to lose what I've got. They make me so thankful that I never had to learn like that, and I'm even more determined never to "experiment" like they did, just to figure out what I want out of life and try to find that fulfillment.
The more I listen to their stories, the more SHEER RELIEF I experience to have Jesus, and to have had Him from the start. I wish I could somehow go back in time and share Him with them before they messed up. I get a sad ache in my heart when I think about all the regret that could've been by-passed. But hey, with Christ it's never too late, right? After all THEY'RE the ones He came here for, and I love them for it.
xoxoxo and C U soon,
Ruby
Thursday, March 12, 2009
NO DATE, PRESUME MON. 9th
Hey Mom! Congtrats on getting (licensed)! Yeah, all that "sanitation" stuff is mess, isn't it? Heck, they should come see the "salon" here. I think THE hairdresser got (licensed) by a blind guy or something. There are some wacked-up hair cuts around here. (Nice cards! They look so professional!)
I can't wait to see Georgia all pregnant and stuff, it's going to be awesome. HeeHee, I wish I could get some of those "new mommy curves" right about now. I've lost all of mine. Seriously, I'm thrilled at all the new lean muscle and six pack, but when I put on my old civilian bra to get fitted, I looked retarded. I had to go to the PX and buy a new one, and the (size) was TOO BIG! Aaaaghhh! Hello, socks! Hey, improvise, adapt and overcome, right?
Well, this week is all classes which is a good thing, because I was put on "light duty" for my ankle this week by the doctor. Yep, everybody was shocked when I requested to go to medical, because I said I'd never go, but I've got to nip this in the bud (ankle injury) before the Crucible. Medical put me in tenni runners for a couple of days and I'm taking 2 naproxen a day. Please pray.
A couple of girls came down with a severe stomach virus and have been violently puking for the past 2 WEEKS. (we don't share canteens anymore) ;)
Everybody went to donate blood to give to the injured in Iraq, but only 5 girls in our entire platoon had hemoglobin levels high enough to donate. I was too low at 12.2. I was sad, because it would've been cool to know my blood was flying over to those guys and saving lives and stuff. But oh well. If at first you don't succeed, eat a buttload of spinach and try again. Right?
xoxo 17days!!
Ruby
PS- Rct. S.'s sister was surfing the web and found the blog with my letters on it! She's been following our progress through it.
Welcome, Rct. S's sister!
I can't wait to see Georgia all pregnant and stuff, it's going to be awesome. HeeHee, I wish I could get some of those "new mommy curves" right about now. I've lost all of mine. Seriously, I'm thrilled at all the new lean muscle and six pack, but when I put on my old civilian bra to get fitted, I looked retarded. I had to go to the PX and buy a new one, and the (size) was TOO BIG! Aaaaghhh! Hello, socks! Hey, improvise, adapt and overcome, right?
Well, this week is all classes which is a good thing, because I was put on "light duty" for my ankle this week by the doctor. Yep, everybody was shocked when I requested to go to medical, because I said I'd never go, but I've got to nip this in the bud (ankle injury) before the Crucible. Medical put me in tenni runners for a couple of days and I'm taking 2 naproxen a day. Please pray.
A couple of girls came down with a severe stomach virus and have been violently puking for the past 2 WEEKS. (we don't share canteens anymore) ;)
Everybody went to donate blood to give to the injured in Iraq, but only 5 girls in our entire platoon had hemoglobin levels high enough to donate. I was too low at 12.2. I was sad, because it would've been cool to know my blood was flying over to those guys and saving lives and stuff. But oh well. If at first you don't succeed, eat a buttload of spinach and try again. Right?
xoxo 17days!!
Ruby
PS- Rct. S.'s sister was surfing the web and found the blog with my letters on it! She's been following our progress through it.
Welcome, Rct. S's sister!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
MAR. 8
Hi!
Guess what?
10 days till the Crucible! I'm kind of nervous because the tendon in my left foot/calf is killing me, and I can barely run. (PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS TO HEAL) I just pray it gets better, and I'm going to try to ice it at night.
It's getting hot now, and the bugs are out.:) Senior said that if I can match her PFT score of 300 at the final PFT next week, she'll give me a phone call to "Jody" (that's what she calls everybody's boy-friends). I've GOT to get a 21:00 on the 3 mile run, and that's it. Just 1 minute to cut off, and I think I can do it if my ankle heals.
We ran the combat endurance course yesterday and I've never been more muddy in my life. DI SSgt. A. (Buffy) calls it "home-made camo.
This week we get a bunch of safe-sex/pregnancy classes and get our dress blue uniform tailored. I look forward to only one of the above. :(>
We're getting another DI tomorrow, DI Sgt W. and she's been a DI longer than any female DI serving on Parris Island. We've heard that she's pretty crazy. We'll see.
Oh, when you come to get me, can you bring that dress I gave to Lilly, (if she still has it). The vintage one w/ the tight bodice and big blue flowers on it? I'd like to wear it the next day if that's OK. And my Rainbows.
Not much else to write now, but I love you guys and C U SOON.
Rct. Beck :)
Guess what?
10 days till the Crucible! I'm kind of nervous because the tendon in my left foot/calf is killing me, and I can barely run. (PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS TO HEAL) I just pray it gets better, and I'm going to try to ice it at night.
It's getting hot now, and the bugs are out.:) Senior said that if I can match her PFT score of 300 at the final PFT next week, she'll give me a phone call to "Jody" (that's what she calls everybody's boy-friends). I've GOT to get a 21:00 on the 3 mile run, and that's it. Just 1 minute to cut off, and I think I can do it if my ankle heals.
We ran the combat endurance course yesterday and I've never been more muddy in my life. DI SSgt. A. (Buffy) calls it "home-made camo.
This week we get a bunch of safe-sex/pregnancy classes and get our dress blue uniform tailored. I look forward to only one of the above. :(>
We're getting another DI tomorrow, DI Sgt W. and she's been a DI longer than any female DI serving on Parris Island. We've heard that she's pretty crazy. We'll see.
Oh, when you come to get me, can you bring that dress I gave to Lilly, (if she still has it). The vintage one w/ the tight bodice and big blue flowers on it? I'd like to wear it the next day if that's OK. And my Rainbows.
Not much else to write now, but I love you guys and C U SOON.
Rct. Beck :)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wed. FEB. 26
This is like a letter marathon, I warn you. There are several letters included in this post, seeing as we received them all in 2 envelopes on the same day. PLEASE PRAY THESE NEXT FEW DAYS PARTICULARLY FOR HER PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PREPARATION FOR
"THE CRUCIBLE".
Thanks from all of us here at the B. home, and God bless.
Hi Mom, Dad and Everybody else,
Sorry that it's been a while. The mail got all messed up this week. I finally got the buns, but they're way too big for regulations, too red, and too blond. I'm sorry that there's a no return policy, but maybe you can exchange them for something for your salon, mom. I'm having to cut my hair for inspection tomorrow, which sucks, but hey, it'll grow. We also get our pictures done tomorrow! :)
So far team week sucks...BAD. We do nothing but pull pits for those that failed rifle week, clean our weapons, and pick up trash. It's really boring. No PT.
Oh, you'll never guess what happened! Today we picked up 4 new recruits from November Co. and one of them is named B.! (same last name) What are the chances of that? It's so confusing.
We're Thing 1 and Thing 2 now. They (the 4 recruits) were 9 days from graduation and they snuck candy out of an MRE and were caught. The ones that didn't confess are now on training day #1!
We voted on "Molly Marine" (Miss Congeniality) and K won with 15 votes. Rct D. came in close 2nd with 14 votes. No one was surprised. :)
Come Monday, we've got BWT, which means shooting moving targets, low crawling under barbed wire, getting muddy doing land navigation, and lots of boxed chows:). It also means we're 3rd phase and the seniors on deck (next platoon to get out of this place).
I've received more cards from church members, (12 from Awanas) and more letters and pictures of Andrew.
SAT. FEB 28th
Ok. Today was fun. First, we ordered out graduation yearbooks, (I got 2), got our pictures done, and ordered our Marine rings, which are awesome. We got them at about 1/4 the price too. (orig. start at $200, got mine for $60).
I ordered a gold, square one, w/ a ruby and an EGA on top. It has a Tun Tavern on the right side, Iwo Jima statue on the left, my Plt. # and USMC around the ruby. I got a male one too, so it's real big and obvious. ;)
We had our company commander inspection and I did really well. Plt. 4008 got a better score than 4009.
I'm so glad Team week is over! We go back to the rifle range for BWT tomorrow. We're eating MRE's so we ate a GOOD supper tonight. I had lemon baked fish, stir fried rice, brussel sprouts, cherry tomatoes w/ranch, a spring roll, bread, apple jelly and chocolate pudding.
I got another letter from Andrew. Sweet as usual. He's going to take me fishing at his grandparent's farm when I come home. :)
SUN. MAR. 1st
Something BAD happened yesterday that involved Rct. T. She was one of my favorite recruits. I mean, I voted for her to be the Molly Marine and everything. She's sorta unusual looking, 26 black and kinda quiet, but she busts her butt at everything she does. PT, knowledge, drill, etc. I loved her as a sister Rct. Well she got a bad stress fracture in her hip, and she had to spend a lot of time in the squad bay. When I "came home" on Sat. all of her gear was packed and she was gone. Come to find out, she was GAY. Even worse, she told several recruits about it, and about her GF whom she was writing to, a long time ago...and I was clueless. And they all seemed so cool about it! Like, whatever, "it's normal, B." Well T. knew she would more than likely be put on FRP for her hip, (setting her back weeks) so instead she went on and told the series commander she was gay so she could get discharged and sent home. The Marines has the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, so gays can be in the MC, but if anybody finds out, you're gone. Which means the other recruits didn't care. I threw an absolute fit. OK, not a fit, but I was pretty upset. Because I think, What if she'd told ME? What if I HAD found out? I would have had to tell and get her discharged, not only because of the USMC, but also because of my beliefs. And she was my FRIEND. That hurt me bad. The thought of having to make that decision makes me sick. Then, that sad/sick feeling turned to anger when 3 recruits came and told me that I just had a closed mind. (after I told them nobody EVER tell me if they're gay, because I would tell) I tell you what. I spun around and said, "Yeah, I'm really bad about being closed-minded to things I find to be MORALLY WRONG, and God help any recruit who graduates off into the world who isn't!"
They were embarrassed, and nobody said anything but 1 recruit, who said, "Gosh, B. I'd hate to know what you'd think about some of the stuff that I've done." I just said "I don't want to hear it."
I get a lot of crap for my age and "innocence" from the other recruits. A lot of them find me a joke, being a squad leader, because they think I don't know anything about the world or how to deal with it and have told me so. I tell them that I know I don't know a lot about the world firsthand like they do, but I know myself. And I know I can't control the bad stuff that happens out there, or the actions of those I'll be surrounded by, but I CAN control MY actions and maintain my principles, which is more than those street/worldly wise ones can say. If they could say that, then they wouldn't know so much about that side of life, would they?
They say I'll change, but I say it's still my choice. I just hate that I can't really prove it while I'm here. (we think she already has!)
xoxo Ruby
MON. MAR. 2nd
Hi all, sorry, I wrote you a good long letter a few days ago, but left it in the squad bay when we left to come here (BWT) So I'll have to mail it when I get back.
So far, BWT (basic warrior training) rocks. We got here at 11pm in 30* weather, we find out that we're staying in little shacks with NO DOORS. We have to run to the showers through the woods in our skivvies and boots every night. It's pretty funny and cold. Today we got to do a huge obstacle course w/our rifles, just like in the movies, under barbed wire, through tunnels, over walls, in mud, etc. Good stuff :). I also ate my first MRE, cold. NOT good stuff :( Tonight we do our night movement/operation course.
This morning I was fired from being squad leader for not moving fast enough and disobeying orders. I didn't hear them. So I'm having to work hard for a chance at getting it back. I also had to do 100 push ups non-stop as punishment. That's the first time a recruit's been told to do that many because they screwed up, it's always 50-70. So yeah, humiliating.
WED. MAR. 4th
Well, back from land navigation which was awesome! Yep, 4 girls, 1 compass, middle of the night, middle of the woods, no light and some MRE's and a mini-mission. So freakin' fun!! The next 2 days will be spent firing at moving targets on a-line.
Guess what? Come tomorrow, we'll have EXACTLY 2 weeks till the crucible! And come this Sat. there's only 2 weeks EXACTLY till we get our EGAs and get to be called Marines! Then 1 more week and graduation!
I'm doing good now that the end's in sight :) Oh, yeah, I forgot to you but I broke my nose. In the big hurry we were in the other day, I got smacked in the face with a kevlar (helmet) and 'crack'! It hurt like crazy, but I decided not to go to medical, because I'd miss training. Besides it's just cracked so you can't even tell. It's feeling better now, and as long as I don't touch it, I'm good. It's numb, though and gives me a headache.
Oh, the funniest thing happened! Yesterday, I came into the squad bay and saw a recruit fighting (struggling) over the the magazine pouches on Rct. P's belt. I was to her backside, but could tell she was getting frustrated, so I came up behind her, grabbed her by the arm, and pulling her away, said, "Look, recruit, you just gotta pull the stinking tab up with your inkstick, and..." and with that, I found myself staring into the eyes of DI SSgt L. (our heavy hat :( ) my hand on her arm! Oops. Yeah, NOT a recruit. I practically jumped out of my skin and simultaneously leapt like 3 ft. back while screaming "Aye, Ma'am!" I thought I was dead for sure. She just looked at me, (in shock, I think) and said, "Hurry up and fix her mess." and walked off. Lucky break, I guess, and the mercy of God.
We got to watch the movie "300" as a reward for taking the range, and and the girls were all excited about it. I got 20 minutes into it and decided it was a total waste of time, and pointless violence. Non-stop. Weird, "creative" gore, too. Don't let Winston watch it, OK?
I feel bad because I haven't written Andrew, in like a week and a half, and he's written me 3 times but I haven't HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME. We didn't even get free time several days last week. Let him know, OK? (hear that, Andrew?)
Hey, can y'all look up a good Chinese or seafood restaurant around here that we can eat at after graduation? There's nothing on the island that's good. Also, could you bring me a caramel peanut-butter cup from "The Chocolate Bean"?
Lots of love, and CU soon!
Ruby, (aka, the "bad" B.)
Friday, March 6, 2009
We have only received one letter from Ruby in 2 weeks, which is why there have been no recent postings. We are hoping all is well, and that she is busy with other things. The Crucible is on March 19-21, and we ask that you would all pray beforehand and throughout for her strength and health. Injuries are common, some serious enough to delay full service, which would just slay Ruby. Pray particularly for her feet, that the LORD will bind them up in a supernatural way, and keep them strong.
Thanks for visiting this site and staying on top.
The B. Family
Thanks for visiting this site and staying on top.
The B. Family
Monday, March 2, 2009
MON. FEB. 23rd
Hi, Y'all.
Well, Rifle week is over and we beat 4009, again. We had 6 fails and they had 15! Ours are re-firing this week. Qual(ifying) day was super cold, like 28* and I had to fire first thing in the morning, wearing my gortex coat, and beanie and gloves which really affected it. I shot 210 which is Sharpshooter, so I was kind of disappointed because I shot all 220's before, which is Expert. That's OK, though. I get a chance to up my score at BWT next week.
Mom, I talked to the DI and she said that my Recruiter Asst. days DO NOT COUNT against my annual leave. I'll get my 10 days full leave, then do my time with the recruiters. And I don't have any say in the matter anyway. We ALL got RA because there is no room for us at MCT till the 14th. Sometimes it just goes like that.
Hey, you know that DI I told you about, DI Sgt. K? (the mean one) Well, come Monday morning she's being moved to a new platoon :) She slaughtered us last night. ( I guess to have the last say) But we didn't even care, just because we knew she was leaving.
I'm sorry I haven't responded to some of the questions you have asked. I am still close to the Lord. It's hard because I don't get to read my Bible but a couple of times a week, but thankfully he's not confined to the Book, and I seek His direction and wisdom as often as I can. It's easy to get forgetful in an environment like this, but I have the help of three other girls here, and we're holding each other up.
There's a girl here that's messing us up though; she's always pushing the point that she's "a child of God" and "in his hands" and is "trusting in Jesus to help her pass/qual/do well" and she's always trying to get everybody to pray over everything. The problem is, she's also on of the most selfish, proud, lazy, hypocritical girls here and everybody knows it. She brags about what she does with her "spiritual husband", who's a boyfriend she's shacked up with. It's bad, because I heard recruits talking about her in the bathroom, and they take note of the facts I mentioned above. Then they said, " C'mon you guys, Christians do all that stuff too." See?? Pretty sad. It's so easy for one person to make people view all Christians like that one hypocrite, but who knows how many true Christians it'll take or how long, to make straight the reputation.
It's hard because I try, but people seem to notice all the bad so much more than the good.
So-&-so has got himself into a jam!! I hate to say it, but he's one of those people. I think I'd rather have that person say that they didn't even believe in the Lord than to go around under his name, and ruin it for the rest of us. It makes me mad too, and that's NOT wrong for me to be that way, because God said he'd rather have us to be HOT or COLD.
Tell Tia Marta I'm sorry for not replying. I've enjoyed the cards and postcards, but I CAN"T have her send me ANY Girl Scout Cookies!! She wanted to know what my favorite kind are, so tell her I like Peanut Butter and Choc. Chip ones. Not that it matters. (Sorry if there is drool on the page!)
Is Georgia showing yet?
33 days to go!!!!!
xoxox Ruby
PS- Thanks for the makeup:)
Well, Rifle week is over and we beat 4009, again. We had 6 fails and they had 15! Ours are re-firing this week. Qual(ifying) day was super cold, like 28* and I had to fire first thing in the morning, wearing my gortex coat, and beanie and gloves which really affected it. I shot 210 which is Sharpshooter, so I was kind of disappointed because I shot all 220's before, which is Expert. That's OK, though. I get a chance to up my score at BWT next week.
Mom, I talked to the DI and she said that my Recruiter Asst. days DO NOT COUNT against my annual leave. I'll get my 10 days full leave, then do my time with the recruiters. And I don't have any say in the matter anyway. We ALL got RA because there is no room for us at MCT till the 14th. Sometimes it just goes like that.
Hey, you know that DI I told you about, DI Sgt. K? (the mean one) Well, come Monday morning she's being moved to a new platoon :) She slaughtered us last night. ( I guess to have the last say) But we didn't even care, just because we knew she was leaving.
I'm sorry I haven't responded to some of the questions you have asked. I am still close to the Lord. It's hard because I don't get to read my Bible but a couple of times a week, but thankfully he's not confined to the Book, and I seek His direction and wisdom as often as I can. It's easy to get forgetful in an environment like this, but I have the help of three other girls here, and we're holding each other up.
There's a girl here that's messing us up though; she's always pushing the point that she's "a child of God" and "in his hands" and is "trusting in Jesus to help her pass/qual/do well" and she's always trying to get everybody to pray over everything. The problem is, she's also on of the most selfish, proud, lazy, hypocritical girls here and everybody knows it. She brags about what she does with her "spiritual husband", who's a boyfriend she's shacked up with. It's bad, because I heard recruits talking about her in the bathroom, and they take note of the facts I mentioned above. Then they said, " C'mon you guys, Christians do all that stuff too." See?? Pretty sad. It's so easy for one person to make people view all Christians like that one hypocrite, but who knows how many true Christians it'll take or how long, to make straight the reputation.
It's hard because I try, but people seem to notice all the bad so much more than the good.
So-&-so has got himself into a jam!! I hate to say it, but he's one of those people. I think I'd rather have that person say that they didn't even believe in the Lord than to go around under his name, and ruin it for the rest of us. It makes me mad too, and that's NOT wrong for me to be that way, because God said he'd rather have us to be HOT or COLD.
Tell Tia Marta I'm sorry for not replying. I've enjoyed the cards and postcards, but I CAN"T have her send me ANY Girl Scout Cookies!! She wanted to know what my favorite kind are, so tell her I like Peanut Butter and Choc. Chip ones. Not that it matters. (Sorry if there is drool on the page!)
Is Georgia showing yet?
33 days to go!!!!!
xoxox Ruby
PS- Thanks for the makeup:)
Friday, February 27, 2009
SAT. FEB. 21st
This is another questionnaire I sent Ruby, and a letter attached.
How many girls are there in platoon 4008? 46
What is the racial composition? 9 black, 7 latin, 30 white
Do you still think you want to be a DI? No way! Waaay too much commitment. A 24/7 job that would wreck me and my family life.
Do you get along with D. , the believe? Why? Yes, she's sweet, quiet and she likes me.
Have you come to a conclusion as to why you have no clique to fit into? Yep. It's because I don't DO cliques well. I don't think I was made to fit into a clique, so I get along with everyone, pretty much. (cliques don't have that)
Is there any one in particular you'd like to befriend? Why? Rct. Dk. She's smart, older (26), funny, good at her job. She LOVES writing and sociology(her majors).
When I think about coming home I think about walking downtown in my uniforms. I think about coffee and mulch. (there's neither here! )
I feel the most peace when I read your letters.
Being a Marine means so much more than an image to me now. It's taking the responsibility to continue a rich, old history. Now that's something I HAVE to do. I don't know what else I could possibly do.
Being a civilian is something of the past. I forever want to be a Marine, even when I'm out. I don't know why anyone wouldn't.
The easiest thing for me is recovering from the messes we get in here. I find that I can brush things off and move on faster than most of the girls.
The hardest is trying my hardest and it not even making a difference, because it's all about the team, and you're only as strong as your weakest link. I guess it's just the teamwork in general that's the hardest.
***********************************************************************************
Wow, mom! Sounds like you're raking in the $! Good job! I got my first bank statement today and I have $1.350 with all my expenses paid. Not bad.
Yeah, I was surprised about the 5-year MOS thing, but hey, what's a year? I've got like 90 to spend any way I want, so why worry. I haven't really thought about it since I got here. That's for tomorrow, I can't change it, so tomorrow can take care of its self, I say.
Besides, it's just another year of free housing, food and medical. BTW, you wouldn't believe how awesome medical care is! One of our girls went to the "hospital" this morning, got her wisdom teeth removed, new fillings, and had a pre-cancerous breast cyst removed, for FREE.
All the recruits take advantage of it though. You wouldn't believe all the medications girls will go and get for the littlest things. I mean, we've got 2 on crutches for stinkin' shin splints!
We make it hard on them too. Especially me, because I haven't been to medical once. My goal is to not miss a single day of training. So far, so good.
Well, gotta go.
Lots of love, Ruby (almost PFC B.!)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
WED. FEB. 18th
Hey,
I heard that the weather's getting a little better in NC, that's good. It's still pretty cold here, but it hasn't affected my shooting much. :) My scores are looking really good, and if I can keep it up, I should be getting an Expert Medal for my uniform.
Lilly, thanks for the stamps. They're awesome. (Lilly ordered custom-made stamps with the Marine emblem) and I got them just in time as I ran out of the old ones.
Firing week has been a blast so far, and I've really enjoyed learning about all the fundamentals of marksmanship. You wouldn't believe how much more there is to shooting than just pointing the weapon at the target! There's a lot of simple math, sight setting, data-book stuff, and the pit work/scoring. The "pits" is the long concrete catwalk behind the firing burm. When you go to the pits, your job is to pull the carriers, plot the shots and fill in the holes. It's fast paced, but fun. Working with all the numbers and the sights gets a little confusing, but it's one of those things that just takes practice.
I'm glad you liked the picture, (contraband gift to us from an "official" visitor) He was trying to get me to sit still and smile, but my mouth was so busy eating, that it didn't want to cooperate. :) My skin is looking great though. I haven't had but 1 zit since being here. And I don't think I can thank my diet for it either. For instance, here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: Eggs and rice with sausage, a hash brown triangle, canned peaches, pears and tangerines, grits, a slice of french toast, rice crispies and chocolate milk, water.
Lunch:(Boxed) Turkey hoagie, boiled egg, and apple, and orange, 2 granola bars, a box of raisins, gatorade and water.
Dinner: Lasagna, butter beans, bread, stewed tomatoes, salad and powerade.
Sounds good, doesn't it Winston? Yeah, I drink about 16oz. of chocolate milk a day (1/2 with my cereal) and hey, it seems to be working. (It's just to ease the cravings) They pump us full of Power/Gator-ades too, about 32 oz a day.
That's one thing I've learned while I've been here. Marines LOVE energy drinks. I mean LOVE them. You've never seen so many cans of Monster and BeStrong in your life! I think it's just the pace of everything that keeps everyone skinny; like hummingbirds.:) I've just got to be careful when I get outta here. I'm ALWAYS hungry!
Andrew sent me 3 Valentine's Day cards last week. One on which he recorded his voice, and the other 2 were sweet and flowery. I was the envy of Plt. 4008. He's such a tender-hearted guy.
I am doing so many things here that I am sure many guys would love to do. I can see why this training makes the men feel like real men. All those challenges and male bonding do them good, and it's important for guys.
Well, gotta go to bed now. It's 7:40 pm and we get up at 3:40am this week!
I'll write again soon,
Love Ruby
I heard that the weather's getting a little better in NC, that's good. It's still pretty cold here, but it hasn't affected my shooting much. :) My scores are looking really good, and if I can keep it up, I should be getting an Expert Medal for my uniform.
Lilly, thanks for the stamps. They're awesome. (Lilly ordered custom-made stamps with the Marine emblem) and I got them just in time as I ran out of the old ones.
Firing week has been a blast so far, and I've really enjoyed learning about all the fundamentals of marksmanship. You wouldn't believe how much more there is to shooting than just pointing the weapon at the target! There's a lot of simple math, sight setting, data-book stuff, and the pit work/scoring. The "pits" is the long concrete catwalk behind the firing burm. When you go to the pits, your job is to pull the carriers, plot the shots and fill in the holes. It's fast paced, but fun. Working with all the numbers and the sights gets a little confusing, but it's one of those things that just takes practice.
I'm glad you liked the picture, (contraband gift to us from an "official" visitor) He was trying to get me to sit still and smile, but my mouth was so busy eating, that it didn't want to cooperate. :) My skin is looking great though. I haven't had but 1 zit since being here. And I don't think I can thank my diet for it either. For instance, here's what I ate today:
Breakfast: Eggs and rice with sausage, a hash brown triangle, canned peaches, pears and tangerines, grits, a slice of french toast, rice crispies and chocolate milk, water.
Lunch:(Boxed) Turkey hoagie, boiled egg, and apple, and orange, 2 granola bars, a box of raisins, gatorade and water.
Dinner: Lasagna, butter beans, bread, stewed tomatoes, salad and powerade.
Sounds good, doesn't it Winston? Yeah, I drink about 16oz. of chocolate milk a day (1/2 with my cereal) and hey, it seems to be working. (It's just to ease the cravings) They pump us full of Power/Gator-ades too, about 32 oz a day.
That's one thing I've learned while I've been here. Marines LOVE energy drinks. I mean LOVE them. You've never seen so many cans of Monster and BeStrong in your life! I think it's just the pace of everything that keeps everyone skinny; like hummingbirds.:) I've just got to be careful when I get outta here. I'm ALWAYS hungry!
Andrew sent me 3 Valentine's Day cards last week. One on which he recorded his voice, and the other 2 were sweet and flowery. I was the envy of Plt. 4008. He's such a tender-hearted guy.
I am doing so many things here that I am sure many guys would love to do. I can see why this training makes the men feel like real men. All those challenges and male bonding do them good, and it's important for guys.
Well, gotta go to bed now. It's 7:40 pm and we get up at 3:40am this week!
I'll write again soon,
Love Ruby
Thursday, February 19, 2009
SAT. FEB. 14th
Hi, everybody,
Thanks for the letters, they're awesome. Mom, you can stop worrying about me changing my MOS (job) I found out that my contract is for 5 years instead of 4, so I couldn't switch over for another 2 years anyway. Besides, I want my job. Senior DI worked in the airfield and she said Marines would kill for the job I got.
Today was PFT (Physical Fitness Test) and I did really good. You have to get a 225 for a first-class PFT, out of a possible 300, and I got a 293, with a max-out dead hang, max-out sit-ups, and a 22:03 3 mile run. I was a little disappointed with that, because 3 girls came in ahead of me with run times in the late 21s, and I KNOW I could've gotten it if it wasn't for the fact that we had to run with the males. There were SO MANY of them, that in order to pass them I had to run through the grass and loose dirt. I don't like the male recruits. They're so dramatic. They were actually WALKING during part of the run!! (It's probably because they get away with eating so much crud). This morning at chow, some guys got 2 pieces of bread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, etc. It's crazy how much easier they have things, even the male DIs admit it.
Yesterday 2 males got TOTALLY BUSTED. In the ISMIT building there's a snack machine for the Marines (not recruits). Well, this male recruit found a dollar, took a buddy as a lookout, bought a Snickers bar, got caught, (not much of a lookout) and they both got dropped back to FORMING DAY ONE !
We start firing slow and rapid fire on the 200, 300, and 500 yd line on Tuesday. I can't wait. I'm in a little competition with Rct. S on the range. S is from way back in the sticks around Knoxville TN. Like, her family doesn't even have a mailbox, so she has to write to her town's Post Office!:)
We're really close, score wise, and it makes it fun.
We had a rifle control class with DI SSgt. T (one of the little DI twins) and it was so funny. No one in the back could see her, so she had to stand on a footlocker while demonstrating the positions. Well, she was yelling out the ditties, "thumbscrew! pocket of the shoulder! firm pistol grip! seat!" But when she got to the "seat!" part, instead of dropping down in the sitting position, she missed the footlocker completely, and plopped backward, fell on her rear-end off the locker and we all about died laughing. All you could see was her tiny boots propped up on top and her campaign cover, and the tip of her rifle sticking up in the air. It was even funnier when she tried to play it cool, and yelled, "See? See that control? A Marine can ALWAYS keep control of their weapon, even if they fall off their footlockers!" dead serious.
Next week is team week, and I'm looking forward to it. It's basically 6 days where the platoon is split up into small groups ans assigned a spot on the island to maintain. It's to test our responsibility because we'll be unsupervised the whole time! Some recruits will get the chow hall, some the rifle range, the chapel, etc. I hope I get the chapel. I love all the windows. The sanctuary is surrounded by giant stained glass windows depicting battle scenes from the different wars, and one of the gates of heaven, (guarded by two Marines in dress blues, of course!)
LATER:
Well we just got the pass/fail papers for the PFT and only one girl failed. It was R. , and it really sucks, because I like her. and she'll more than likely get dropped to PAPRA Co. Both her parents are Colombians.
I've been having some trouble with the other 3 squad leaders lately. I don't know exactly what it is, but K., the guide on, and Rct. F. have formed this kind of clique that I'm excluded from. I confronted the guide, and asked if there were any issues that I needed to work out, and other than take more firm control of the recruits, there were no problems. But I know somethings up. When F. messes up a movement, its funny. But when I do, its "Open your freakin' ears, B!" They don't talk to me anymore, and they look at me with this kind of, "I'm so tired of having a weak link like you in on this" look. I think it's because they are all 3 the same race, kind of street-wise, so the mesh well. That's OK, most of the time I'm with L. AKA "the other white girl" and she cracks me up.
I wondered how long it would be before the platoon "cliqued up" and it took exactly 35 days. The groups are formed, and I kinda float around. Like always. But, hey, enough of the pity party. I bust my rear, count down the days, and deal with it. Only 4o or so more days to go!!!:) :) We've already decided to put our hair up in little braids for the crucible:) Yeah, getting close and we know it. So do the males. Today at chapel this HUGE, like 7ft tall male recruit with a neck like a steel cable came prancing up behind me, said, "Beck!" and when I turned to look, he did that little eyebrow thing, and said, "How's it going? Nice name!". I just looked at him for like two seconds with my "Are you aware that I can pop your head like like a cork?" look, and said, "Yep." as I walked off. It must have looked pretty funny, cuz he turned red. I found out later that he had gotten the phone numbers of all the girls in FRP. Hee, hee. Oh well, good luck next time, Mr. Man. Shouldn't have been talking in church...to me.:)
It's sad, cuz they know that the females are "love sick" and they(males) think they're ALL THAT. Bad combo. DI L. said that almost 40% of the girls will be pregnant during their first 4 years in service. I look forward to being able to prove myself in a place where those statistics are so high.
Love, Ruby
Thanks for the letters, they're awesome. Mom, you can stop worrying about me changing my MOS (job) I found out that my contract is for 5 years instead of 4, so I couldn't switch over for another 2 years anyway. Besides, I want my job. Senior DI worked in the airfield and she said Marines would kill for the job I got.
Today was PFT (Physical Fitness Test) and I did really good. You have to get a 225 for a first-class PFT, out of a possible 300, and I got a 293, with a max-out dead hang, max-out sit-ups, and a 22:03 3 mile run. I was a little disappointed with that, because 3 girls came in ahead of me with run times in the late 21s, and I KNOW I could've gotten it if it wasn't for the fact that we had to run with the males. There were SO MANY of them, that in order to pass them I had to run through the grass and loose dirt. I don't like the male recruits. They're so dramatic. They were actually WALKING during part of the run!! (It's probably because they get away with eating so much crud). This morning at chow, some guys got 2 pieces of bread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, etc. It's crazy how much easier they have things, even the male DIs admit it.
Yesterday 2 males got TOTALLY BUSTED. In the ISMIT building there's a snack machine for the Marines (not recruits). Well, this male recruit found a dollar, took a buddy as a lookout, bought a Snickers bar, got caught, (not much of a lookout) and they both got dropped back to FORMING DAY ONE !
We start firing slow and rapid fire on the 200, 300, and 500 yd line on Tuesday. I can't wait. I'm in a little competition with Rct. S on the range. S is from way back in the sticks around Knoxville TN. Like, her family doesn't even have a mailbox, so she has to write to her town's Post Office!:)
We're really close, score wise, and it makes it fun.
We had a rifle control class with DI SSgt. T (one of the little DI twins) and it was so funny. No one in the back could see her, so she had to stand on a footlocker while demonstrating the positions. Well, she was yelling out the ditties, "thumbscrew! pocket of the shoulder! firm pistol grip! seat!" But when she got to the "seat!" part, instead of dropping down in the sitting position, she missed the footlocker completely, and plopped backward, fell on her rear-end off the locker and we all about died laughing. All you could see was her tiny boots propped up on top and her campaign cover, and the tip of her rifle sticking up in the air. It was even funnier when she tried to play it cool, and yelled, "See? See that control? A Marine can ALWAYS keep control of their weapon, even if they fall off their footlockers!" dead serious.
Next week is team week, and I'm looking forward to it. It's basically 6 days where the platoon is split up into small groups ans assigned a spot on the island to maintain. It's to test our responsibility because we'll be unsupervised the whole time! Some recruits will get the chow hall, some the rifle range, the chapel, etc. I hope I get the chapel. I love all the windows. The sanctuary is surrounded by giant stained glass windows depicting battle scenes from the different wars, and one of the gates of heaven, (guarded by two Marines in dress blues, of course!)
LATER:
Well we just got the pass/fail papers for the PFT and only one girl failed. It was R. , and it really sucks, because I like her. and she'll more than likely get dropped to PAPRA Co. Both her parents are Colombians.
I've been having some trouble with the other 3 squad leaders lately. I don't know exactly what it is, but K., the guide on, and Rct. F. have formed this kind of clique that I'm excluded from. I confronted the guide, and asked if there were any issues that I needed to work out, and other than take more firm control of the recruits, there were no problems. But I know somethings up. When F. messes up a movement, its funny. But when I do, its "Open your freakin' ears, B!" They don't talk to me anymore, and they look at me with this kind of, "I'm so tired of having a weak link like you in on this" look. I think it's because they are all 3 the same race, kind of street-wise, so the mesh well. That's OK, most of the time I'm with L. AKA "the other white girl" and she cracks me up.
I wondered how long it would be before the platoon "cliqued up" and it took exactly 35 days. The groups are formed, and I kinda float around. Like always. But, hey, enough of the pity party. I bust my rear, count down the days, and deal with it. Only 4o or so more days to go!!!:) :) We've already decided to put our hair up in little braids for the crucible:) Yeah, getting close and we know it. So do the males. Today at chapel this HUGE, like 7ft tall male recruit with a neck like a steel cable came prancing up behind me, said, "Beck!" and when I turned to look, he did that little eyebrow thing, and said, "How's it going? Nice name!". I just looked at him for like two seconds with my "Are you aware that I can pop your head like like a cork?" look, and said, "Yep." as I walked off. It must have looked pretty funny, cuz he turned red. I found out later that he had gotten the phone numbers of all the girls in FRP. Hee, hee. Oh well, good luck next time, Mr. Man. Shouldn't have been talking in church...to me.:)
It's sad, cuz they know that the females are "love sick" and they(males) think they're ALL THAT. Bad combo. DI L. said that almost 40% of the girls will be pregnant during their first 4 years in service. I look forward to being able to prove myself in a place where those statistics are so high.
Love, Ruby
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
