Letter No. 4

Sunday, July 25

Dear Everyone,

Thanks for all the letters. I had a really bad day this last Tuesday (things just built up) and I got six letters that night. My rackmate said that, with all the ripped envelope paper and the grin on my face, I looked like a four year old at Christmas.

In other news, I am no longer then Head (bathroom) Petty Officer. My friend Montaro who was the Recruit Petty Officer (RPOC) got fired for messing up drill. Unlike the Marines and Army, we DO NOT have Drill Instructors. Our RPOC leads drill and marching completely. You can be a good leader but still mess up drill. So, Montaro got moved back to Head PO and I was able to move to Education PO (EPO) which means I lead study, teach classes and do all the paperwork for when we take tests. A few days ago, Petty Officer Maudsely wanted me to be EPO but couldn’t since we had nobody to fill in as Head PO. So when Montaro got fired it ended up working out. I guess I have a reputation for knowing our stuff really well.

Dad, its great your bike ride goes by the base, though the odds of actually seeing me are slim. There is a tunnel that runs under Route 137 between the south and north base. We are on the North side permanently now. We occasionally go to the South side for classes and every morning at 0430 for Spec Warfare PT which is at the pool on the other side. Church is on the south side too, which by the way I probably won’t see for awhile here. It takes 1-1/2 hours to get there and back. Church is during our four hour break on Sunday morning where we have to fold our stuff, get ready for inspections and write letters. Church means not being able to write letters. I might go later once our stuff gets together better.

Sleeping: I am OUT when my head hits the pillow but still not getting a lot of sleep. Everyone has to share six (6) irons for 90 recruits. You have a 30 minute block in the middle of the night in which you can use the iron. EVERY NIGHT. Taps is at 2200 and weekdays we get up at 0430. Weeekends, we get up between 0500 and 0600 and same for days we do not have Spec Warfare PT. Normal divisions get up between 0530 and 0600.

Friends: I have been making friends. My buddy, Butts, got moved to be my rackmate which is cool. We shifted around since Division leaders have to be in certain areas – RPOC is closest to the door. Butts was going to Air Rescue/Combat SAR but lost his contract due to a color deficiency in his eyesight. Now, he going to be a corpsman to support the Marines.

Watch: I did stand watch during the first night after that first 48 hour long day. So, I went to bed, got up an hour later then went to sleep for three more hours before waking up again. We were all zombies during processing.

Inspections: A perfect inspection is 5.0. I received a 5.0 on personal inspection (uniform and some basic questions they ask as they inspect you) and a 5.0 on DMI (15 minutes to strip and remake our racks). Our zone inspection (checking our lockers for proper folding and check the compartment for cleanliness) is this Monday. I am happy for myself but our division was “jacked up”. A lot failed badly. A hit is 1.0 off, so 3 hits is a failed inspection. We had guys take 8 hits or not even finish making their racks.

Times up and I gotta turn this in now.

Bye,

Al