This has been a busy few weeks for Marc and me! I somehow managed to get 125 tenth graders on buses to Westpoint to see “Les Miserables” and got them all back safely. I organized the trip as a favor to a colleague and boy am I glad it is over. Only two more weeks until I see Marc and I am counting down the days.
Marc sent me a loving note for my birthday with pressed little flowers. I asked, “How does a soldier at Basic Training pick flowers?” The answer is, “As discretely as possible.” He looked both ways and then pretended to pick up gum wrappers and other garbage. In addition to my bouquet, I received pictures of my soldier and flag magnets with a space for the picture. My final present arrived today (P/X privileges are limited)- a dog tag inscribed, “I belong to a soldier.” Marc’s birthday is November 5. I wish I could send him something other than letters!
The drill sergeants seem to be relaxing discipline somewhat in these last weeks leading up to graduation. One night during the pennant race, a drill sergeant left a radio in the bay. The poor guys couldn’t get the game to come in properly but, the following morning, they became perhaps the only platoon in the history of Basic Training to listen to NPR’s morning edition. They even have “mandatory fun.” On the 19th, they were marched over to “the Soldiers Show,” song and dance routines performed by various soldiers. The soldiers enjoyed seeing “real live women” (Marc included a string of euphemisms for his compatriots’ reactions) and made various jokes regarding the audition process for male performers functioning as a way to circumvent the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. At the show they were also permitted to taste the sweet nectar of soda and the ambrosia of ice cream and Little Caesar’s Pizza. Hopefully the younger soldiers won’t misinterpret these small privileges as a license to cut loose. Already one private smuggled a “USA Today” into the barracks. I can’t believe someone would take a risk like that for a “USA Today!” “The Economist,” maybe… but “USA Today?” A real case of the forbidden fruit being sweeter.
In these last few weeks, the men are learning the skills necessary for their field training exercises. During a one-day session, Marc learned how to construct and camouflage a foxhole; self-camouflage to conceal himself just 30 feet from a group of people; and “bound.” Bounding includes advancing through and over obstacles while your partner covers you. Also on this day, he had to “low crawl” (lying flat on ground and pulling yourself along with one hand as you push with one leg). Many men lost their canteens and had to start the whole course over again. Although this was an exhausting day, this training is closer what Marc and the others imagined when they envisioned Basic.
Marc has also received bayonet training, which consists of attacking target areas framed by rubber silhouettes. Here is an anecdote from a letter: “I low-crawled through the sand toward a wall as another private poured gallons of water on me, turning my approach into a mudpit… I kept moving forward and, despite the drill sergeants’ warnings not to get in the way of the course-goers, this idiot ran into my bayonet as I crawled. He limped away- I think I just ripped his boot and bruised his shin. The Captain yelled down from his perch a top the wall, ‘Lindemann, are you ok?’ I shouted back ‘Sir, yes, sir- but you should ask the other guy.’”
Basic requires that the men reach certain benchmarks for various skills. On October 16, carrying my picture for good luck, Marc earned his marksmanship medal for completing the first of these requirements. After qualifying early in the day, Marc was told to use his “problem-solving abilities” to coach his fellow privates. On the PT tests, Marc is at 97% on the two-mile run, and he is off the charts on sit-ups. With these numbers, he is effortlessly meeting the physical requirements and needs to complete 13 more pushups to qualify for a PT award. Marc has also qualified as a Grenadier [do I hear Tories singing?] and came within one toss of earning Grenadier- First Class. Unfortunately, one of the more exacting drill sergeants claimed that Marc kept his head up a moment too long when he made a perfect toss.
Thank you for your supportive e-mails to me and letters to Marc! Having such great friends really makes this easier. If everything goes as planned, Marc will graduate Basic on November 13. Hopefully he will be able to see those of you in the New York area in December!
Best regards,
Candace