We have gotten a letter, and a phone call since I last reported on Eric's boot camp experience, so I thought I'd give you a brief report.
He's one third of the way done, and says time is flying. Yesterday the whole squad had to run a mile, and they were told that the first 5 men in would get phone privileges tonight, and he said when he heard that, he had to win! He came in third, and called us last night! It was incredibly good to hear his voice, and his enthusiasm for what he was doing!
He's a little homesick, but says he tries not to think about home very much. He says he misses things like being able to jump in his car and go where he wants to, or just grabbing a can of pop when he wants to. He also said that you never realize what you have until you are away from it, and he thanked us for our love (OK, I cried a whole lot about that one!)
He loves the physical stuff, especially the obstacle course where he had to climb a wall with a rope. He also mentioned crawling around in wet sawdust as a fun activity (??). He's excited that they're going to learn hand-to-hand combat on Thursday, and will soon learn how to fire their M-16's (that's what he's been waiting for!).
He did say that because it was so hot today that they didn't do their PT outside......some humanity has obviously crept into the military! He also said that they would be marching up Misery and Agony hills (about 15K, I think), but they wouldn't be forced to run because some people had died doing it (good thinking).
The food, he says, is good.....they have chow 3 times a day, but he said he's never really full.......of course he's always eaten like a horse anyway (6'1", 155 lbs!), and with all the physical exertion, there would be no way to fill the boy up. They spend a whole lot of time cleaning, and a few days ago had to change from BDU's (Battle Dress Uniforms) to PT's (Physical Training) in 5 minutes, then line up, then change back to BDU's then line up, then change change back to PT's run upstairs and line up, then run downstairs, change back to BDU's and line up........he said he'd never worked up a sweat before changing clothes!
His Drill Sergeants (with one exception) have been 'awesome' (his word), and he hasn't been yelled at individually yet (who would yell at such a good boy anyway? LOL!)
He has been able to continue to witness to lots of the guys around him, and really feels as though he has grown spiritually because of this experience. He says he can feel all the prayer for him (thank you, friends!!!), and wants us to keep praying for the guys he's been able to share his faith with.
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness!!
Memo to Billie and Mama_Bear: Can we do an update on Eric every step of his military career? His Mama can send a new picture at every milestone and we can feature him along with exerpts- a sorta refresher on ERIC. The first milestone will be his graduation from Boot Camp. What a unique opportunity for us to follow a soldier from enlistment all through his career....Good Idea, Yes? Thanking you in advance for your agreement...lol...(Perhaps some of Lodwick's humility needs to rub off on me)
Still on my prayer list.