8-16 06:35
Still processing. Hoping today is the last day. I am extremely tired a lot but I manage. To save time in the mornings, I get dressed in the winter PT's and just sleep on top of my sheets. I have to shower at night because it is so cold in the morning it's really hard to get out of the shower. My foot blister is doing well, keeping my feet dry. I don't mind the boots too much, I find them more comfortable than the tennis shoes I got.
I've been thinking about active duty more and more. I think it would be pretty cool to run around and play army for a few years. Plus if I want to stay in, I can choose where I'm stationed. Plus I have a higher chance going airborne while active. I wonder if my unit will send me to air assault school.
I am excited because if all goes well then I will be done with first crazy 72 hours of red phase. I think basic will be hard at first but I think it will be simple by the end. I don't mind getting smoked. Each time is a work out closer to scoring at 300 on the PT test. That's the goal. I'm not worried about push-ups or sit ups, that will come in time, but running is going to be difficult. I figured that if need be, I can just book it and suck it up for 13 minutes if it means getting a 300. I feel like I've lost more weight here. I'm keeping my eating choices clean and green. I figure I'm here and if I don't give 110% then it is almost wasted time. Might as well not scrape by.
The first night I was here, I cannot sleep comfortably on my bunk. Any position I laid in, it felt like it was straining my back but I like my bunk. I'm curious how my bed will feel when I get back.
I've got quite a few things to be excited about coming up. Excited to get another plan when I get home. Excited to graduate infantry school, excited to get some sleep, excited to go hunt a bunch and excited to see y'all and for y'all to see how I've changed. Oh and I am also excited to get my album put together, it should be fun.
The army doesn't seem like a bad career to have. If I want to I can transfer my G.I. Bill to my kids. Also being an NCO seems like fun. Most of them are master BS'ers. So far writing has been the most therapeutic thing. Even though I'm basically having a one-sided conversation, writing helps me sort out my frustrations, and sort through my day. I can't wait to start getting mail back, don't care if I have to do exercises for them.
It's rather funny because with everyone having their heads shaved, a good bit have gnarly sunburns on the top of their heads. They look like red rockets. Luckily I was smart enough to wear sunscreen. I mean it's southern Georgia, it's hot out here. Personally it's not that bad, I'm used to it. The privates who have bad sunburns have resorted to washing their hands a lot with Irish Spring soap because it has aloe in it and then covering their head with Gillette shaving cream because it has cocoa butter in it. LOL.
The amount of stupid stuff people are doing is hilarious. Some thought it would be a good Time to slide down the barracks on their bunks, looks fun, but some kid already dislocated his shoulder.
So many kids are going to sick call. Some for actual problems like one kid got lockjaw somehow. Others are there because they have the sniffles and others are there faking for a medical discharge.
Quitters have to walk around in grey PT's. It looks so shameful. Catch me dead in one of those uniforms. Everyone judges them. One of my goals for basic is say as little as possible. Just going to be a robot following instructions.
These kids in my platoon are interesting. A couple are super nasty. Couple of them are talking about Katanas (not sure what he wrote there) and stuff. One has a big legend of Zelda tattoo and the drill sergeant made so much fun of him. There's this kid in my bay that has these pointy ears, short and a high-pitched voice. DS called him private Martian. That stuck so he never responds to Martian. No DS has singled me out here. Good sign I think.
14:13
Today I got confirmed to ship on Friday. But I'll get to call Thursday so most likely I will call before you get this letter. I am nervous but excited. One thing I am concerned with is the other privates making this hard for everyone. As I was writing that last sentence my company disobeyed orders to stay quiet but yet they again went directly to a low roar. Like it was not even one minute after the DS left, people were just flat out talking. If it gets loud again DS is going to make a stand at position of attention for the rest of the day. It sucks because personally I've said maybe 20 words today. I really don't understand how hard it is to just stop talking for 30 minutes. Apparently it's going to actually kill some of these idiots. The DS's are here to prepare us with good information to know, but half the time I can't even hear. Everyone still has this me against everyone mentality. They don't understand that if one fails we all fail as one. That one kid "hammerhead" I told you about just keep showing he's a piece of crap. Today we were figuring out what to do and a private suggested a plan. Hammerhead then proceeded to ask what his ASVAB score was. The kid answered 54. Hammerhead then replied back "well if you didn't get over a 70 on your ASVAB, don't talk." I mean what a jerk. He also was in formation harassing other privates from Puerto Rico calling Puerto Rico the trashcan of America. He has also expressed how he joined to go kill Muslims over seas. He says he's smarter than everyone here. The more I write about this loser the less real he seems. Like how could anyone be so inbred and hateful?! Don't get me wrong, I don't care about this person but the reason I tell y'all is because it's crazy that someone like that exists. I mean how messed up do you have to be to coin a nickname for yourself and it be "hammerhead". As he is the smartest person here it's quiet ironic that he wrote hammerhead on the outside of his uniform like a dumb ass. I just don't want to deal with these childish kids anymore. They make my life hard.
Supposedly there are three days off in between BCT and AIT. You guys will definitely have to be here. Also I heard that there are two days off in the middle but I'm not holding my breath. If that does happen, I expect a visit.
Honestly I don't care how sucky basic is or how hard it is. At least I'm doing something. Every day there is another day closer to seeing my family again. Even already I'm figuring out more stuff about myself. Just more and more growth. If I break basic down to making it to each meal, then finishing the day, then week, I think it'll fly by.
The weirdest feeling is reaching down for my phone to call y'all but it isn't there. It's funny because as I write I almost expect a pretty immediate reply. Like texting.
As I'm writing right now, the company is getting mad again and won't quiet down so I am waiting for DS to come in yelling. Apparently goldfish have better memories than infantry recruits.
19:48
Hopefully going to be able to go to bed early. Fireguard kills your sleep even though it's only an hour. I've been averaging like three hours of sleep. It's hard but I am disciplined enough to stay awake during the day. Two more days till I can call.
Love y'all
Zac
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