Posted on 04/22/2007 6:13:36 AM PDT by Lost Dutchman
After six weeks of basic, My nephew is coming home having giving his best for our country. Although he wasn't able to meet the current standards our Army demands, I would like to express the pride I have for his love of country for his attempt to join at this current international situation...
God Bless Our Troops.
PCP was a joy. Running in the morning, afternoon and night with plenty of push-ups and other "motivational" exercise in between. PCP was mostly for overweight recruits so I was the fastest person there. The weight room was four times a week and I thought my arms were going to fall off. But it did the trick. Five weeks later, I re-joined a platoon for Phase 1 and had no further major difficulties after that. But that meant my time at Parris Island was 16 weeks instead of the normal 11 weeks! Was I ever glad to get off that island.
Actually, they are two separate entities. CCP is for those being punished for some infraction. They are the guys you see in the chow hall doing everything by whistle commands. Motivation Platoon is for the slackers who need a little "encouragement". And then there is one day moto for those who need a hint. I managed to avoid all of them when I was there in 1973.
Tell him to go back home, practice, run, jog, lift, push ups etc. Eat well and healthy. Keep working at it and in another 6 mos or a year...he can try again. If he really, really wants this I would encourage him to keep trying until he has built himself up. Maybe he wasn’t in the best physical condition at the time. So, if it were me...I’d go back to training and talking to other military to find out what I needed to do to further my physical condition and then I would do it. Then I would go back again and “Kick A__” Then I would go to Iraq after that and “Kick MORE A__” God bless this young man. I hope he is able to train and then realize his dream. Good luck young fella. We need people like you in our military. We’re pullin for ya.
I guess you can try again can’t you? Not sure if that is a possibility but maybe a military person can confirm that one way or another.
Young man, right about now, you may be thinking that life is not very fair, that you did not deserve what has happened in your life, and that you don’t know what the point is for all the effort necessary just to live each day as a productive citizen.
At the end of the day, when there is nobody else around, all you have to lean on is the knowledge of your efforts. Learn this lesson well: When you lay down to sleep each night, ask yourself a single question:
“Did I do my best, and all that I could do?”
If you can answer that question in the affirmative every single night, than you have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that anyone can ever use to hold you back or bring you down. Life is all about challenges, trials and struggles, until one day, we wake up and realize that there is nothing so important as the character you display when you are all by yourself.
Blaming others is the new cultural habit these days, and a recipe for disaster. Nobody but you will ever know just how hard you worked, how much you strived, and what you sacrificed in pursuit of your goals. As long as you live on this earth, the person looking back at you in the mirror knows whether you did all you can do.
I don’t know you, but I know many who used a situation similar to yours to abandon ambition in favor of comfort and acceptance of ‘good-enough’ as a personal mantra after an initial failure. I know quite well, that the rest of your life will be determined solely by how well you please the man in the mirror.
Stay true to your goals, accept maximum effort as the only kind, whether you are trying to cure cancer or rake leaves off your driveway. Personal excellence is the cure for what ails you. Seek to please no man. Accept no compromise in the achievement of whatever you desire, with the knowledge that nobody but you will ever know what you did to get what you got.
You can be a rich man owning nothing, or a poor soul with wealth beyond measure. All that matters, is whether when you look in the mirror, the face you see is smiling back at you.
As Milton said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
FYI
This thread is being copied and will be sent to Nick and his mother Sandy...
Thanks to everyone...
Lotsa Love to All You Freepers...
Dog,
Is all that fishin’ and gardenin’ mellowing you out?
Seriously that was a great response to the young man. Many more folks should subscribe to that take on life.
Condolences to the Blues and the family of the aviator that was lost.
Have a great day.
What was his intended specialty going to be?
Congratulations! Give him some money for lunch and let him know how proud you are of him.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
I've washed kids out of flight school who thought it was the end of their whole lives, and I just pass on the same stuff I told them.
Kevin Davis was a fine young man also, known throughout the community for his abilities. A huge loss to the Navy and the country. He wont be the last.
Thanks, gunner.
What a sock in the gut, and at what a time. Best wishes to your nephew.
I had a guy in Basic pretend to be gay to get out of his commitment. I’d of rather had a guy like your nephew train with me.
Many thanks to your nephew and for his willingness to sign up. Compare him to the other 90% of our nations young people ! He has already displayed more character and patriotism than most. God Bless him !
I served for 12 years. Pass on to him I am damn proud of him.
My very best to you both,
RA
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