View Full Version : My son deployed this am ...
...my son, Pvt. Robert D. Warden III deployed to Parris Island this morning, well it started in the morning at 0600 and they did not get on the bus untill after 2:00. My son and I are very close. He is my best friend. This hurt as a father but I was also so proud of what he has become. I will be waiting for the "famous" phone call in the morning hours and can not wait for the couple of weeks where he can start receiving mail. Threre were 17 Marine Recruits leaving from Tampa this afternoon. I only wish I could have been on that bus with them. God Bless these young men and women.
I want to give a special thanks to Gen. "Butch" Neal for all the help and insight he gave to my son and I on his decisions with the Marine Corps.
Dave Warden Jr. :flag:
(Papa Warden)
darkgreen0311
05-12-08, 05:01 PM
Your son is about to be the best of the best and will have brothers all over the world and different backgrounds. They will never turn their backs on him he's going to make you proud sir. I looked at the picture of you guys and he looks like a Marine already.......Keep us posted sir,when you receive a letter from him.
:marine: :flag: SEMPER FI 4 LIFE
YOURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY BUT TO TO OR DIE!!!
chicoluv USMC
05-12-08, 05:02 PM
Don't worry Dad .Your son is in the best hands a boy can be .Just look forward to see him graduate as a Marine .Better yet ,A man .
Semper Fi Sir .
Thank you. I will keep everyone posted.
RYDERKUR
05-12-08, 07:24 PM
My best friend shipped today to Parris Island today too sir. If you get a chance and wish tp, you can ask him if he is with a Recruit Donham in his platoon. Maybe they will strike up a recruit "buddyship," something I found to be helpful when I went through. Thank you for raising a fine young man sir, he will do great and make you proud.
Thank you. Dave will be 2nd. Batt. , Golf Co. I will post his Plat. when he finds this out. God Bless and thank you all, again.
Osotogary
05-12-08, 07:50 PM
Good evening, Sir. Congratulations on your son choosing the United States Marine Corp many thanks to you and your loved ones who have give him the support he, I'm sure, appreciated.
As mentioned, your son will be in good hands and his efforts will be noted.
Take care of yourself and be sure to keep in touch. If you would like me to write your son occasionally please pm me with his mailing address and I will be sure to drop him a line.
Adios, for now.
Gary
SlingerDun
05-12-08, 07:51 PM
Good luck with the son Wardey. It will seem alot longer for him than it does for you, guarantee. Who's your favorite Marine???http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.gif
NoRegrets
05-12-08, 08:00 PM
Best of luck to your future Marine!! Its quite a rollercoaster ride when they are in bootcamp but boy how how they look on graduation day:)
Marie
yellowwing
05-12-08, 08:12 PM
Its an Honorable thing worthy of any good family. Politics come and go with the wind. The need for a strong Marine Corps never changes.
Raising your son to push himself beyond conventional recognition is extraordinary. Take a stroll at your local mall and see the 'wild life'. You will know in an instant that your family takes America seriously.
Look at half of our Member Profiles, you will see Our Favorite Marines are our own Family. Your Son will be your Favorite Marine, he will be the Uncle of his nephews' Favorite Marine.
25 years laters my Dad is still Proud as heck that he raised a son that did what he wish he could have done.
DAMNPROUD
05-13-08, 05:57 AM
I know the feeling wardy im in the same boat.my son has been at pi for two weeks its tough.when you get the first letter it helps.
how can anyone not be proud of what all these young people are doing?
keith
wardy sent you a email
Dave called us about 10:00 last night to say they were at a gas station and they let them make the last call before entering Parris Island. Said everything was good and they were going to try and get their hair cuts and gear and foot lockers distributed out to them last night once they arrived. Said he got about 6 hours of sleep on the bus and felt good. (Sounded GREAT !!!) He called again about 11:30 with the famous call :
This is Pvt. Warden, I have arrived safely at Parris Island. I will contact you by mail in 7 to 10 days. I love you. Then hung up.
Also thet stopped and had a STEAK dinner !!!! What's up with that !!!:D Dave
chicoluv USMC
05-13-08, 11:31 AM
Dave called us about 10:00 last night to say they were at a gas station and they let them make the last call before entering Parris Island. Said everything was good and they were going to try and get their hair cuts and gear and foot lockers distributed out to them last night once they arrived. Said he got about 6 hours of sleep on the bus and felt good. (Sounded GREAT !!!) He called again about 11:30 with the famous call :
This is Pvt. Warden, I have arrived safely at Parris Island. I will contact you by mail in 7 to 10 days. I love you. Then hung up.
Also thet stopped and had a STEAK dinner !!!! What's up with that !!!:D Dave
OOH Rah ! Good to Know now it will be two more weeks for him .Do not worry Sir .Now they just get ready to process all the paper work & medical .Those are the longest two weeks for every Marine at PI .Just keep writing him ,and if you can't do that .A card saying how proud you are of him .Do this everyweek he needs support .OK sir until then .:iwo:
Hello there and Congrats on your son starting out on the Journey of the rest of his life. My son is LCpl and is on his way home from his first deployment in Iraq. He will be "Boots on Ground" tomorrow morning...:D
I was reading your posts, Wardey. Not to get technical, BUT, your son is not a private, but a "Recruit" until he gradutes from Boot Camp. He will graduate with the rank of Pvt. or PFC. depending on how he does in Boot.
Good Luck to you and your son, and welcome to the BEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD.
Sincerely,
Cindy
VPMM of LCpl. Adam
MAG 39
HMLA 169
Camp Pendleton, CA :usmc:
ScottsMom
05-13-08, 12:41 PM
Congratulations to you and your son. My son graduated from PI on 11/21/07. It was the proudest moment of my life. To see the change in him was breathtaking and it's a moment that I will never, ever forget. My son is the 11th family member to join the Corp. and I don't think he saw himself doing anything different with his life. Good luck to your son. I hope the next 13 weeks goes fast for your family....
Gator347
05-13-08, 01:24 PM
[quote=Wardey]...my son, Pvt. Robert D. Warden III deployed to Parris Island this morning,
Dad you need to write, write, and write. And I'd refer to him as “Recruit” not Pvt or Pfc, that is just a suggestion. Give him all the support you can. Have everyone you know write. Always be positive even when he gets down and he will get down! :thumbup:
Make it fun. Send pictures, post cards, jokes, news clippings, & letters from pets. If you the SDI’s email address, use it! Be respectful but don’t be afraid to show your support for the SDI and the entire platoon.:evilgrin:
And learn to wait by the mail box. One letter will make your week but one graduation will make your life.:banana:
Now go and wait for the call.
My appologies on the Pvt. I was going by the address the MC told me was his:
Pvt. (your full name)
Plt. (platoon number)
Company ( your company designation)
Battalion (battalion*)
Recruit Training Regiment
Marine Corps Training Depot
Parris Island, SC 29905
Also, when he called last night and read from the MC card, it was Pvt. ???
:) No apologies needed.....Just wait til you hear him refer to himself as "This Recruit"... They are NOT allowed to say "I", or "We". They can not talk in first person, just third. Their Hats , specially the Heavy, :evilgrin: will be on them like Flies to Manure. lol :sick:
Sincerely,
VPMM of LCpl Adam
MAG 39
HMLA 169
Camp Pendleton, CA
Cudadad
05-13-08, 06:42 PM
When you address mail to him be sure you use the title of Recruit
Recruit Last, First middle initial
Don't want to call any unneeded attention to him, he will do that on his own.
Enjoy the ride, the pride at the end can't be described it can only be experienced.
This has been a change and maybe the manuals haven't caught up. It used to be that private and recruit were interchangeable. We used to use this private in the 3rd as in this private requests permission to make a head call etc.
I believe the change was to give notice that recruits are no rank until they earn the title of Marine. Some never do and it would be a shame for them to walk around saying "I was a private in the Marines for a short time". It is also part of the training and lingo for a drill instructor to say if you make it then you are (insert rank and name here), but that is a big if and until then you are not. Dang it's gotten so PC I'm afraid to report what they really say. ;)
Gator347
05-14-08, 06:36 AM
I have been told by my son that they are referred by their rank after the "Crucible" when they are awarded the Eagle, Globe, & Anchor (MCRD PI) :evilgrin:
This may be different at MCRD SD. I have also been told that this was conducted at graduation in the past and PI was the first to change. My son's (Bravo CO 2007) was one of the first Companies to do so. :flag:
Thank you. I wrote to him last night and I addressed it to : Recruit Warden, Robert D. III. I still don't have his platoon number but hopefully the letter finds him when he can receive mail. Thank you all. Dave
Gator347
05-14-08, 08:56 AM
I would write the letters but DO NOT mail them until you get your first letter.
He may not get your letter for weeks otherwise:cry: .
DAMNPROUD
05-14-08, 09:02 AM
Wardy going by his start date your son should graduate on aug 8th what i saw listed was 1st battallion charlie co. somtimes the orignal listing gets changed .i couldnt get on the pi grad date site for some reason so this might not be right.
keith
marinemama
05-14-08, 09:52 AM
Hi Wardy! I wrote and wrote the week my son's left, but didn't send any until I had all the information for his Platoon. My son's Recruiters got it for me the first Friday, they called down there in the afternoon and asked for me. I then sent all the letters that day. They get sooooo much mail there, I hope your letter makes to to him quickly. It is hard to stack them up :o( Just a suggestion, I numbered the backs of mine, in the lower corner, in case they didn't get them in order. They still read them when they got them, but at least could understand some stuff by looking back. I also dated mine and put the date on the very top of my letter...my son's never knew what date it was in the beginning. Time passed Boot Camp style and one day just ran in to the other.
I wish your son the very best experience....if you ever need anything, just holler.
I better get it out of the mailbox then !!!!:scared: Thanks for the advice. Yes he does grad PI on Aug 8. To be exact it is 85 days 12 hours 34 min !!! :D Thank you so much everyone for helping me on this. Dave
Thanks Gator !!! The websites you gave me answered ALOT of questions and really helps alot. Man, I wish I was up there with those recruits !!! Dave
Hey Wardey,
I am sending you a link that was a lifesaver to me when my son was in Boot in SD.
It is full of info and the forums are fantastic, Great Folks can help you there.
http://www.marineparents.com
You will be able to hookup with other parents from your son's specific platoon.
Hope this helps. :banana:
Cindy
Gator347
05-16-08, 06:54 AM
I better get it out of the mailbox then !!!!:scared: Thanks for the advice. Yes he does grad PI on Aug 8. To be exact it is 85 days 12 hours 34 min !!! :D Thank you so much everyone for helping me on this. Dave
Been there, done that! Just keep the support positive. The DIs will get him through this. If you think you're proud now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
You have done your part and what a great job you have done. Soon you'll reap the rewards.:flag:
SGT7477
05-16-08, 08:08 AM
...my son, Pvt. Robert D. Warden III deployed to Parris Island this morning, well it started in the morning at 0600 and they did not get on the bus untill after 2:00. My son and I are very close. He is my best friend. This hurt as a father but I was also so proud of what he has become. I will be waiting for the "famous" phone call in the morning hours and can not wait for the couple of weeks where he can start receiving mail. Threre were 17 Marine Recruits leaving from Tampa this afternoon. I only wish I could have been on that bus with them. God Bless these young men and women.
I want to give a special thanks to Gen. "Butch" Neal for all the help and insight he gave to my son and I on his decisions with the Marine Corps.
Dave Warden Jr. :flag:
(Papa Warden)
Everything will be fine with your son he will be trained by the best, you wish you could have been on the bus? lol,:flag:
DevsDad
05-16-08, 11:11 AM
Just a side note. It usually takes about 3 weeks for mail to start flowing to the Recruits. And I remember my son telling me that some parents used Pvt. and it did draw some extra personal attention from the DI's
SGT7477
05-16-08, 11:17 AM
That's one thing a recruit doesn't need is extra attention just send a box of cookies, NOT,lol.
Got my first letter today !!! Just the formal one with his address but it was still GREAT !!! And yes, it is Rct. Thanks everyone for clearing this up for me. Dave
gonepostal
05-19-08, 11:54 PM
I still remember all the letters, it helped me make it . Now my son is getting his own letters. He always says don't forget to write back. it helped him make it too he graduates boot in 4 days. Millions of Marines before and Millions after. Hope your son earns and respects the title .
chicoluv USMC
05-20-08, 12:40 PM
Got my first letter today !!! Just the formal one with his address but it was still GREAT !!! And yes, it is Rct. Thanks everyone for clearing this up for me. Dave
Congrats Sir . He is on his way to becoming a Marine .
OOH Rah ! :flag:
I received m first letter today. My son sounds GREAT !!! Say's he love's "boot camp" ????:D He say's it's pretty easy PT right now and can't wait to get into the obsticle courses and longer runs. He say's he feels really sorry for some of the recruits. Out of 86, 16 have been dismissed for medical reasons and 1 for an attempted suicide !!! Maybe he should have just "wet the bed" !!! Dave had the top time of his platoon in the 3 mile run at 9:00 min. and placed 3rd. fastest in his company of 300. I am very proud of him. They wake up at 3:30 to be ready to eat at 4:00 and are in bed by 9:00. He doesn't know how the DI's fit so much into the day. Mentally he said it was pretty straining but so far the physical has not been bad. Dave
CplKJSpevak
05-23-08, 05:06 AM
SUICIDE?.......It's really not that bad...
It would take alot more than "boot camp" for me to end my life !!! I wouldn't miss my son becoming a Marine for anything !!!:flag: Dave
Gator347
05-23-08, 11:01 AM
AMEN:thumbup:
proudashellmama
05-23-08, 12:23 PM
Well that's really awesome to hear.... makes me feel ok my son is in boot camp... thank you....
chicoluv USMC
05-23-08, 01:00 PM
OK I understand when I went to PI it was rough .But I knew what I was in for .But SUICIDE , IT not that bad . Even your son said it too.
Congrats DaD .Soon you will have a Man .Made by USMC .
First off, there is no "attempted suicide", either you do it or you don't. "Attempted Suicide" is just someone looking for attention or trying to get out. Just my opinion. Dave