Letters From Basic Training
Humorous and light-hearted correspondence from one who survived.Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Tuesday, 26th March 2002
Sorry it took so long. I sorta got put into limbo for a week. Monday night I came down with a nasty virus. The doctors never could figure what exactly was wrong. Wednesday I was admitted to the infirmiry and didn't get out till Sunday afternoon. All is well now tho and I'm back to normal. I can finally say I finally have had an IV. I felt all cool. ha ha
They ran a bunch of tests from mono to hepatitis, but nothing came back positive. I felt like hell, but it cleared up just as suddenly as it came. I've missed a lot of important stuff, so you might not hear from me for a few days or so while I play catch up.
I found out I do have a stress fracture, however I'm on new profile that allows me to do some exercise and I no longer need crutches. The doctor said that the stress fracture was healing good and I should be back to full speed in a week. Not much else to tell. On the 8th of April we have our 12 week PT test, however I may be waivered out of that one. After that we go into the field for a week, then it's basically over. We're on the last stretch now, it's all downhill now.
(This is the last written correspondence I received from Shoegazer. After graduation from basic training he left for Budingen, Germany to serve with the 1/1 CAV 1st Armored Division. Upon arriving in Germany it was determined that his stress fractures had not healed properly and he spent 6 weeks in a full cast. He continued in combat training and left for Baghdad on April 28, 2003. He returned home in July 2004. He is now stop lossed until March 2007 and is in Taji, Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division. His letters from Baghdad can be read at: http://letterfrombaghdad.blogspot.com/)
Thank you for reading.)
They ran a bunch of tests from mono to hepatitis, but nothing came back positive. I felt like hell, but it cleared up just as suddenly as it came. I've missed a lot of important stuff, so you might not hear from me for a few days or so while I play catch up.
I found out I do have a stress fracture, however I'm on new profile that allows me to do some exercise and I no longer need crutches. The doctor said that the stress fracture was healing good and I should be back to full speed in a week. Not much else to tell. On the 8th of April we have our 12 week PT test, however I may be waivered out of that one. After that we go into the field for a week, then it's basically over. We're on the last stretch now, it's all downhill now.
(This is the last written correspondence I received from Shoegazer. After graduation from basic training he left for Budingen, Germany to serve with the 1/1 CAV 1st Armored Division. Upon arriving in Germany it was determined that his stress fractures had not healed properly and he spent 6 weeks in a full cast. He continued in combat training and left for Baghdad on April 28, 2003. He returned home in July 2004. He is now stop lossed until March 2007 and is in Taji, Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division. His letters from Baghdad can be read at: http://letterfrombaghdad.blogspot.com/)
Thank you for reading.)
Friday, April 14, 2006
01 March 2002
Omg! I've got entirely too much time on my hands. I'm sooo bored it's almost numbing. I actually miss rolling around in the mud, going to the pit to sweat. We have done most of our basic combat training now. I haven't done much of nothing the last few days.
Today I went back to the doctor about my ankle. I think everything is all fixed up now. They gave me insoles the last time and a brace today. It's still a tad sore, but I survived the 10k march last Saturday.
I was a pin cushion today. I got my last series of shots for going overseas. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, and Tetnus. Jeez my arm hurts like hell. It's been in the 20s with wind chill as low as 2 degrees so we haven't been doing much at all, not that we had anything to do. Our schedule over the next few weeks is almost nill. A few classes here and there, but mostly just time spent in the barracks studying shit a person with a 10 IQ could understand.
We have some simulator classes coming up. Those are fun. We go Saturday to the Patton Museum to see Armor History and learn about our heritage as "Tankers". Mostly stuff like learning how to disassemble a .50 caliber machine gun or do maintenance on the tanks 120mm breech block. The classes are short and sweet and mostly all hands on. This hands on training is especially helpful for the young un's that rode the short yellow bus to school. I swear, I could learn what they're going to teach me over the next 6 weeks in 2 days. ha ha
Guess the government has to make exceptions for all the idiots. You know equal opportunity and all.
My boring day. Wake up, do PT, go eat breakfast, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat lunch, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat dinner and do nothing but clean, shine boots, write letters, do PT or stare at the walls. As I'm writing this a few in our bay are having a push up contest. Now that's boredom at its finest. It's weird going from full blast non-stop action to hours of nothing. I guess they got us into shape so now it's time to bore us to death with "tank education".
Well not much else to tell. Oh yeah! I forgot Saturday night is "Operation Appreciation". Thank God for religion. ha ha The military preachers (chaplain) are taking people on a trip into Louisville to a church. There will be a nite service in honor of us "soldiers". Afterwards they feed us hot dogs and sodas. Oh hell, yeah! And not a damn thing our drill sergeants can do about it. hah!!
Today I went back to the doctor about my ankle. I think everything is all fixed up now. They gave me insoles the last time and a brace today. It's still a tad sore, but I survived the 10k march last Saturday.
I was a pin cushion today. I got my last series of shots for going overseas. Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, and Tetnus. Jeez my arm hurts like hell. It's been in the 20s with wind chill as low as 2 degrees so we haven't been doing much at all, not that we had anything to do. Our schedule over the next few weeks is almost nill. A few classes here and there, but mostly just time spent in the barracks studying shit a person with a 10 IQ could understand.
We have some simulator classes coming up. Those are fun. We go Saturday to the Patton Museum to see Armor History and learn about our heritage as "Tankers". Mostly stuff like learning how to disassemble a .50 caliber machine gun or do maintenance on the tanks 120mm breech block. The classes are short and sweet and mostly all hands on. This hands on training is especially helpful for the young un's that rode the short yellow bus to school. I swear, I could learn what they're going to teach me over the next 6 weeks in 2 days. ha ha
Guess the government has to make exceptions for all the idiots. You know equal opportunity and all.
My boring day. Wake up, do PT, go eat breakfast, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat lunch, go to a class (or back to barracks), eat dinner and do nothing but clean, shine boots, write letters, do PT or stare at the walls. As I'm writing this a few in our bay are having a push up contest. Now that's boredom at its finest. It's weird going from full blast non-stop action to hours of nothing. I guess they got us into shape so now it's time to bore us to death with "tank education".
Well not much else to tell. Oh yeah! I forgot Saturday night is "Operation Appreciation". Thank God for religion. ha ha The military preachers (chaplain) are taking people on a trip into Louisville to a church. There will be a nite service in honor of us "soldiers". Afterwards they feed us hot dogs and sodas. Oh hell, yeah! And not a damn thing our drill sergeants can do about it. hah!!
