bout to boot

[SupportinMyUSMC]

hi, all!

tonight was a big night for our family! for all of you who are Marines, or are soon to be Marines, i am a soon to be Marine mom. tonight we had our Marine family night. even though my son signed up in january, this was my first meeting to attend. (first one i was aware of!) my poolee leaves monday. i am so proud of him...so afraid for him...and for all of you!...tonights meeting was a real awakening! the recruitng officers spoke and there was a female drill instructor there. she put our boys...our babies...thru a little demonstration...she was wonderful...they were respectful...(scared!) we parents were terrified! she had to insult us as parents to make us brave enough to ask questions! i left the meeting feeling less scared for my own sons personal safety...i believe he will be a well trained Marine when he leaves boot. i left the meeting with such a sense of pride. i have always had a great sense of american pride but this definetly pushes it o a new level. it is easy to be "proud to be an american" with nothing at stake...put your sons life at stake and all of a sudden you understand what our "forefathers" were all about. maybe this isn't the correct forum for all this sentiment, but i wanted all of you, poolees, and anyone else in the room, to understand all the emotions of a poolees mom! and trust me...i haven't come close to describing them! semper fi and god bless!:marine:

[firstsgtmike]

Welcome to the Family!

[03Infantry]

Brian is gonna do it..........he has the heart mam.

[JChristin]

I am so proud to have just read what you wrote Marine Mom. It reminds me of my own mother, over twenty years ago when I joined.

One day, in the middle of a divorce from my high school sweetheart, I stopped in at my mothers home and said, "Mom, I'm going into the military." She nearly laughed herself off the side of her chair. I was working in the modeling industry at the time. Me, go into what? It was written across her face.

She told me that the Army was a great place for a young woman of my abilities to go. I said it wasn't the Army.

She said that I was smart and would do well in the Air Force. I said I wasn't going into the Air Force.

So, she said that the Navy was a fantastic opportunity and that my father would be proud of me. I said, it wasn't the Navy.

By this time, a little exasperated, she said, "the Coast Guard is really hard and I had better thing long and hard before going into that small branch of the military." I said, "not that branch either ma."

She said, "where are you going then?" I said. "The United States Marine Corps."

She said, "The Marine Corps, Do you know what they do? WE'VE GOT TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS!" I said, "too late."

She said, "Are there any women in the Marine Corps?" "I said, ya, there's gonna be me and about another four or five thousand."

Then she meet a few other Marines, they stopped in to meet her, answered her questions, and she became one proud mom. When I arrived home from Parris Island 14 weeks later, tears of pride filled her eyes. Then that evening, after a day of telling her all about my boot camp experiences, we all turned in to bed. I slept on her couch in the living room.

Early next morning, in the wee dark hours, my mom opened her bedroom door to visit the bathroom. As her door opened, I sprung forth and stood tall & straight at attention. My quick, sudden and swift movements scared her so...well...we laughed and laughed about that incident...even up to her death a few years ago. Having been so well trained at Parris Island, my body automatically went into motion - at hearing the DI open the hatch of the DI Hut. Even in our sleep, we are trained to respond. That's what makes us the few and the proud.

You son will do well. Glad you had the experience of a woman DI.


semper fi,
jchristin:marine:

[Soon2BkidTx]

Sorry that about your loss JChristian. I lost my Grandfather the day i enlisted in the Marine Corps. Feb 8, 2003.....I tried to tell him but i didnt know if it was too late of not....but i remember what he told me...."i dont care if you diggin holes, a cook, or in infintry, whatever you do, you be the best at it!" Before the orientation i was scared of the unexpected, but today, now that what happened last nite.....i have a small taste of what to expect...i did good standting in the point of attention, staring at a hair of the guy in front of me, and not moving or talking unless i was been talked to, thank God i didnt get talk to...but my legs were shaking like crazy...but i did good...my mom was like im proud of you...and i told her be proud once i earn my title, cuase what happened last nite only lasted about 15 mins...i told her once i get there its going to be 24/7 of that, so it is going to be more intense, more stressful, and i will get singled out....Im glad i have everyone supporting me, and im sure my mom will give you all my boot camp address to give me some encouragement and motivation...i appreciate everything yall have done for me so far....i really do....and that gives me a tastes of what the Marine Family and Semper Fi really means.....thanks for everything.....

Brian

[JChristin]

Brian,

I too, express my condolences at your loss.

One gift from boot, is you will walk in a man and march out a Marine. What do I mean?

Here is a small sample of this example. Rather than seeking and leaning on the support of others before surrmounting one of life's obstacles or life's events, you will learn to call from deep within yourself - your very spirit, the strength and courage to undertake that which would of once baffled you. You will come to rely upon your own inner resources. You will...

Good luck as you begin the hardest part of you journey...grasshopper!



semper fi,
jchristin

[Sixguns]

Your future Marine will be entrusted to the care of responsible men and women. Safety is or primary concern. Your future Marine will be treated fairly and with appropriate resect. The "show" you saw was not all an act, but it is not what every passing moment of recruit training is either. Keep your recruit motivated with letters and positive thoughts. DIs will take care of the rest!!!

[SupportinMyUSMC]

thanks to all who responded. your words of wisdom mean so much. as the hour of his departure draws near i become more and more nervous! and he's only leaving for boot! and i don't think i've ever been so surrounded by red, white and blue! several of the young men who work for me have served, most of them in desert storm. they have been telling me all kinds of stories! and they all truly believe that they are better people for the experience. some of their boot stories seem a little out there but they all said that by the third week things got better. all of this has really impacted me in a positive way. i am organizing a "support our troops" campaign at work. we are collecting all the things we keep hearing about on tv...the things they are saying soldiers would need or enjoy in their downtime...cards, magazines, dominos, toothbrushes, lip balm, sunscreen, snacks...any ideas? this started small...just our employee's (about 70 people) but everyone wants to get involved...our customers and vendors. it is so great to see all the support in our community! please send me your ideas so can can provide what would really be needed and appreciated! god bless!!!