Letter #9

Oct. 17; 8:50 pm
I just got your card. Thank you. You always know how to cheer me up. I love your cheesiness. We have another ruck march in the morning. (I HATE ruck marches.) But, meh. I'll just do it and it'll be done.
The funny thing is I just sent a letter off to you this morning. Anyway, BIG day tomorrow. Need sleep.
Oct. 20; 10:16 am
Ok, so... big couple of days. We've been doing a lot more BTT (Buddy-Team Tactics) such as room clearing, advances, grenade-minor (grenade-major is later). Feels like you've been with me a lot lately. Basic'll be over soon. Then we've got AIT to fight through. But it won't be nearly as difficult, I don't think. I'll have a lot more communication privileges, and I'll get to come home for Christmas. (I don't even care if I get any presents, as long as I can be with you.)
Oct. 21; 4:50 am
This last week has been hectic, if you couldn't tell. We're getting close to blue phase, so things are getting slightly more difficult. In a time-consuming way. We have FTX coming up. That's 6 days, 5 nights of camping out, while battling the other platoons. Rumor has it we get airsoft guns. After it's over, we go to one last range, then we do an 8-10 mile ruck march. I'm thrilled. I've heard a lot of rumors, but I have no real info.
Oct. 22; 2:51 pm
We just finished throwing grenades. As you can imagine, the Drill Sgts. sucked any confidence out of me. Procedure: release secondary safety. Pull pin. Not-throwing hand up as "sight post." Throw, and immediately kneel. Apparently I didn't kneel quite fast enough on the first time practice. (Fuses only. Bang.) Next thing I knew, the Grenadier-cadre guy's got me on the ground yelling at me, "What were you looking for?!?" Hmph. Second practice round. This guy's not such a jerk. I kneel, and he's just like, "You need to kneel a hell of a lot faster." Both times my throw was horrible. Because I was nervous. Then we went to the live range. It was here that I believe God answered one of your prayers. I felt you so strongly suddenly. I'm waiting in a huge 3-file line, packed so tight I can't move my arms and you came. I felt nervous, still. But I knew you were with me in some way. When my turn came up, I went out to the middle bunker, where this heavily-tattooed soldier, (who I knew to be a drill sgt.) was waiting. I stepped into the bunker and heard, "Where you from?"
"What? Oh, Utah, Sar, uh, Drill Sar..." (He wasn't in uniform.)
"Ain't no rank here. Name's Joe."
"Johnny."
"Mormon?"
"Yeah. Afraid so."
"Awesome. I dated a Mormon girl once. Prettiest girl ever."
"Yeah?"
"So are you nervous?"
"Yeah. The other srgts. get to ya, you know?"
"Sure do. No worries, though. You're only throwing a grenade, after all. What part makes you nervous?"
"I guess I don't kneel fast enough?"
"Then I'll remind you as you throw."
"That'd be good."
"That's why I'm here, Johnny. Now, you ready?"
"Yeah, bring it on!"
Oh, it was an awesome throw. It landed right at the target's feet, I knelt fast enough, and when I stood up, he said, "Textbook throw, target 'destroyed,' can't get any better than that. Good work, Johnny. Drive on!"
I fully believe he helped me because of you. I feel you all the time, now. Hang in there. We'll be together soon. For sure for Christmas. I'll try to get you something in time. I should have off-post weekend passes by that time, so it doesn't have to be something from the PX. Let me know if you're doing okay. I just like to know.
9:54 pm
One of my friends has been at sick call all day today. Turns out he's developed stress fractures in his hips and legs, and his spine has compressed. He's afraid he'll be discharged. The doctor put him on so many profiles that he can't march, stand for too long, or even hold his M-16. I've taken it for him a few times already. The drill sergeant is going to try to get him a temporary con leave so he can come back and finish his 2-3 weeks with another cycle. He hates the idea. He hates to quit. But I told him it's like he's a pilot who discovered a problem with the plane. Ya gotta turn back and land, but it's not the pilot's fault. Repair the plane and accept the time delay. He's a good kid.
Anyway, I should wrap this up. We will be doing Eagle Tower. Tomorrow, in fact. I'll get this sent off first thing in the morning.
Spyder
P.S.
I guess don't color envelope corners yellow anymore. My drill sergeant hates that.

Seems like our boy is doing better. I'm glad he got to do the Eagle Tower rapelling. He's been looking forward to that for a long time. Again, I'll let you all know his new address as soon as I get it. Thanks for supporting him. :)

That's twice.

Spyder was able to call me again today! I was shocked. It was so wonderful, but so hard. We both cried. He said he had a dream last night where he and I were standing outside our house - not too big, not too small - with our little girl between us. We were waiting for the bus with her. I was going to work after it came, but he was riding it with her and walking back home. I don't care what else happens, as long as I can help make that dream come true.
About 3 weeks ago, he said they asked him to meet with them for a little bit. He walked into a room and a woman was waiting there and she asked, "Is this the artist?" The drill sergeant said, "The best we've got." She asked him to draw the logo for the graduation shirts. He had twenty minutes. The shirts arrived today and everyone said they look awesome.
One of the guys that started going to church with Spyder - the one that was reading the Book of Mormon really fast - is getting baptized next week. I think that's really cool. He's really excited about it.
I told him about school lately and he said not to give up. He always bolsters me up when I need it. I'm the luckiest.
Christmas will be here before we know it. :)

A Familiar Voice

Spyder was able to call me again today. :) He's doing really good. He is homesick, though. They'll be camping this whole next week to put all they've learned to the test. I sent him a letter today and he said that should probably be my last letter (or maybe one more) until he gets to AIT. Because they'll be gone this week and then getting ready for graduation, there won't be a lot of time for mail and there's a chance he might not receive later letters at all. So, I thought I'd pass that message along to wait until I email you all his new mailing address at AIT (Fort Rucker, Alabama). I won't be able to make it out there for his graduation after all. We talked about it and he isn't upset. He said, "Please, it's like graduation from the 3rd grade to the 4th grade. I'd rather you be able to come for my AIT graduation." I am sad that I won't be there for him. He promises he has some friends to be with out there on Family Day. He's excited to be so close to the finish line. And then at AIT he can learn the specialized training for his MOS, which is basically ground control for the Apache helicopters. He'll be really good at that. We only had eight minutes to talk. He misses everyone. He probably won't be coming home between Basic and AIT, he'll just go straight over. But, Christmas is coming soon. (I can almost hear bells.) Oh, and he mentioned he's gotten pretty buff while he's been out there. He loves working out and improving himself in any way. I'm proud of him and I can tell he is proud of what he's accomplished, too.
Well, as always, I'll let you guys know when I know.
Oh, and the picture is Cloud from Final Fantasy - one of Spyder's favorite video game series, so it'll make him happy when he gets home and sees it. :)

Letter #8

Oct. 14; 9:40 am
We're at the EST 2000 again, doing CCO (close-combat optic) familiarization. Boring and inaccurate. One of the guys brought his Book of Mormon with him. He's almost to Mosiah. He reads pretty quick. I got to know another guy last night. Big time gamer/anime nut. HUGE Inuyasha fan. He and his fiancee cannot tolerate dubbed anime. He plays Guild Wars, too. (Hell of a lot more than me.) Anyway! We've got chow coming up soon. Probably MRE's again. I don't mind. I like MRE's. If I can get ahold of them, after I'm done and with my unit, they would be damn useful in your field. (Trust me, they can fill you up.) And they're pretty friggin' good, too.
We did the APFT yesterday. 54 pushups (-4), 56 situps (+2), and I ran my 2-mile in..... 13:13! That's a 100% in my run! Well, actually 13:18 is 100%. So, I exceeded the max standard. Woo! My PT score this time around was 246 (+10). I'll do even better next time. My goal is to hit 300 by the end of AIT. (Hopefully by the end of Basic!) I'm going to try my hardest.
4:04 pm
We're doing a Singars Radio class now. We did this in RSP. I already know how to set everything up. They didn't seem to appreciate that. *sigh* Well, chow is in about an hour and a half. (Hey, it's something to look forward to.) Chow, sleeping/dreaming of you, writing you letters (and getting letters!), those are the things I look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I love being a soldier. And I do it well, it's just that you are my true goal. I want to get through my training as well as I can, as fast as I can.
6:19
We've been without mail for 3 days now. Hopefully tonight. Chow sucked. I had a huge helping of this pork-mac concoction, I asked for rice and gravy. She didn't hear me say rice. So she ladled gravy right onto my tray. I actually dipped my bread in it. I ate my bread, cottage cheese, but the mac-stuff was too frickin' hot. I ran out of time before it cooled. (I'm hungry.) I wish I was home, eating gnocchi with you. I can always eat until I'm full with you.
It's 9:22 now, and I need sleep. More tomorrow, love. (I'm mushy!)
Oct. 15; 4:05 am
I hate fireguard. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't had a lousy night last night. Restless sleep, stupid dreams. I didn't dream of you, and that pisses me off. Instead, I got shot 4 times in battle and the Drill Sergeant got mad at me for not telling anyone. Then another dream where some of the guys and I are walking in a supermarket with a group of stupid people, and I bought beef jerky and an energy drink. Sarcastic wahoo. Stupid, pointless dreams. All I wanted was you. But, you are always with me, huh?
11:25 am
Hey. I'm back at the firing range again. This time, firing from around barricades in "full battle-rattle." Helmet, bulletproof vest, 100-oz. camelbak, 2 24-oz. canteens, ammo pouches. We shot the same pop-up sequence as we did when we qualified. I shot 23/40. I was in full BR! I would have been a first time go. I'm not annoyed, though. It shows I'm getting better.
12:54
Whee! We just had chow in the field, (NOT MRE's, actual food) and then this concessions truck pulls up. The Drill Sergeant came up to us all pissed off. Then he says, "If you qualified expert, you can get whatever you want off the truck. If your PT score was 250 or higher, you can get whatever you want." Bah! Mine was 247! Then he said, "If your run time was under 13:30, you can get a Gatorade and a powerbar." Damn, that powerbar was good!
5:35 pm
It's so weird here in Georgia. Weather, I mean. It's October. It's kinda cold in the morning, but it still gets damn hot during the day.
7:55 pm
Sorry, I had to run. We FINALLY got mail passed out to us tonight. I got your Oct. 7-9 letter!
My ear is doing a lot better. I still only have about 70% of what hearing I had, but it's getting there. (It looks normal now, at least.)
My dad wrote, too. Good stuff. He said he was proud of me. I like that. I've also gotten letters from my mom, your mom, and my Aunt Jolene. Well, it's lights out, now. So I should hit the sack. More tomorrow. 'Night.
Oct. 16; 1:20 pm
Hey. It's really a late start today, but we had a lot going from the start. That's a good thing, though. It's made the day go by fast. They can only pass out so much mail at a time, so maybe another letter tonight. We just had a class on urban combat. I'll have to employ some of this stuff during airsoft!
9:09 pm
Grrr. I need to vent for a sec: My platoon is really pissing me off lately. Because it consists of mainly 17-20-year-olds, they bitch and whine. They don't understand the "suck it up" concept. Even the Platoon Guide, I normally get along with fine, asked me to sweep the back stairs to the barracks when 3rd platoon (who were above us) was doing PT in the sand. So, I finish sweeping, and 3rd platoon comes in. I had done all that sweeping for nothing. I'm beginning to dislike inefficiency and inconsistency. It's like the drill sgts. don't know what's going on half the time. Remember the pugle sticks? That thing I was looking forward to, and was going to whoop ass in? We're not doing it! Eagle Tower? (the 60-foot rappel tower) who knows!
Oct. 17; 3:55 am
This is exactly the same fireguard shift as 2 days ago. And again, a sleepless night. I want to be with you so badly. Sorry about the venting earlier. I just needed to get it off my chest. I want one of your baked potatoes (with you, of course) and to watch Wallace and Gromit. It doesn't even matter which one. Or Chicken Little. Snuggle down in the blankie. My fireguard is almost over, so I'll finish this up and send it off. I love you so very much, Christine. Thank you for loving me.
Spyder

Well, our boy has been having a hard time, it seems. He's okay, though. He is unbelievably tough. MRE's are these dehydrated dinner things. Oh, and gnocchi are these little Italian potato dumplings I put in a chicken soup I make for him. It's his favorite thing. Our dreams and our memories will see us through. :) I got the letter a couple of days ago, but my tests took up all of my time. Sorry. Only a couple more rounds of tests this semester though. And then finals and then..... CHRISTMAS! And our soldier will be home for a little while. I'm so proud of my Spyder.

Letter #7

Oct. 10, 2008 9:27 pm
There's evidence of your influence, even here. There's this orange-stripey Tom that wanders around the CTA, meowing at soldiers. He seems to pay particular attention to me. It's strange. The lunch staff at the DFAC feed him, they call him "XAK" (Zack). They had to tell me the spelling.
*sigh* So much to tell you, sweetie. I will never be a sniper. I shot 25/40 on my first pre-qualification, (23/40 is qualify) 25/40 on my second pre-qual. The next day was qualification. I shot 19/40. But, you get 2 chances. (Mind you, I have to qualify to graduate. If I don't graduate, I DON'T COME HOME, AND I GET RESTARTED. (DO NOT WANT.)) So, on my 2nd round, I was so nervous I forgot my earplugs! (Wait! This turns out to be a blessing!) I fired my first shot. With my good ear now ringing, I'm more focused on my lack of hearing protection than on the task at hand. So by the time I finished, I didn't remember shooting. Then the D.S. in the tower called through the speaker: "Lane 1: Fail. Lane 2: Fail." etc. until "Lane 8:........ Qualify." I was so distracted by the lack of ear-pro that I shot 28/40. I qualified marksman! (Nowhere near sniper level.) But that's fine. I don't want to be a sniper. I just want to graduate and get my ass home! I miss you so much!
I'm going to go to bed for now, but Germany and I have CQ tonight. So I'll try to write more then.
Oct. 11, 2008 1:06 am
Hey, baby. About that marksman stuff. I was what they call a 2nd time Go. Yes, I qualified, but I am not now and can never be a first time Go. There's a little less respect in it. Anyway, yesterday morning we were forming up in the CTA and my D.S. is standing at the front of the formation. Suddenly he points and says, "You. Come here." So the soldier in front of me moves. "Not you, dumbass. Behind you." Meaning me. Normally, when the D.S. calls you out, it's not a good thing. So, I hurry my ass up there, fully prepared for a verbal lashing. Conversation went as follows:
D.S.: Are you sad, soldier?
Me: No, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: You looked sad, just now.
Me: I think I'm just trying to look serious, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Did you qualify yesterday?
Me: I was a 2nd time Go, but yes, I qualified, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll get better.
Me: Yes, Drill Sgt.
D.S.: Now get away from me.
These are very not-typical words from him. Then, later in the day, we are doing barracks maintenance, when he walks in. At Ease is called, and he tells us to Toe the Line (it means you stand at attention with you feet on the line that goes around the room, with your back to your bunk). This is usually a bad sign. Toe the Line is what preceded the sand castle. But he moves around the room and pulls 6 of us out of line and tells us to report to the Battalion Desk in clean ACU's, re-shaven, full perfect uniform. So we get down there when we are supposed to, and he's there to meet us. Turns out we were the new Flag Detail. (When flag comes down, we remove it from the flagpole and fold it.) Apparently, this is a huge honor. When we were done, another D.S. asked why he chose who he did. He said, "Let's just say that I notice effort. You six are the hardest-working. Not necessarily the most successful, but what you are able to do, you put your heart and soul into it. That's what a soldier is all about. I notice these things." It was cool.
8:30 am
Hey. I just did flag detail again. We have it for a week. It's going to be weird when I get back. I'm growing accustomed to the whole 3-meals-a-day concept. (I may eat breakfast more often.) I also discovered that I like grits with maple syrup in it. I just had chow, if you couldn't tell. The food is good, I just wish I had more time to enjoy it. I'm taking you out to dinner for like a week when I get back.
We did the Mk19 and 50 cal. simulator today, and GFT (ground fighting tactics). The Mk19 sim. sucked. Not accurate at all.
8:06 pm
If you can't come out for graduation, that's ok. I'd see you at Christmas. But, if you are able to make it, that would be wonderful. I don't even know how it would work out. They'll probably give me more info. later. We'll get it figured out. Tomorrow is Sunday, so that means barracks maintenance, personal maintenance, (wall locker) and letter writing/church, if I feel like it. I might go, just to see what it's like at a military installation. There's only one other Mormon here. We might go together.
Oct. 12, 2008 6:44 am
We've got a little extra time before first formation, so I figured I'd write a little. I love that dry-shaving doesn't hurt me. Because other guys see me and are like "how the hell can you do that? It doesn't tear up your skin?" "Nope." Fun. I finally broke down and got some shaving cream, though.They made one of us our Platoon Guide. It's hard on us older guys, but even more on him, now. Everyone gives him shit about being on a power trip, when really he's just trying to keep things running smoothly. There's a couple other guys I know going to Ft. Rucker for AIT. It'll be nice having a few familiar faces around. One of those guys and I have plans to go to like Olive Garden or something after Basic and just enjoy a leisurely meal.
2:26 pm
I went to church today. A couple of the guys were curious. When we got there, they asked if I had scriptures. I said I didn't and they gave me some. They gave a Book of Mormon to each of the curious guys, too. They're little and red! One guy started reading it, too.
I got off the phone with you a few mintues ago. Talking to you is so bittersweet. I love hearing your voice, but it makes a lump in my throat, and an ache in my heart. You are never far from my thoughts. In fact, on pre-qual. day, the buses wouldn't arrive for some time, so they were shuttling about 20 of us at a time in 2 2-ton trucks. About half our platoon broke out our waterprrof ponchos and sat down in the field. (Lightning kills more privates than anything else.) We were there in heavy rain for about an hour. I intended to be miserable. Then I thought of you and I in the rain. And even though you weren't there, I loved it. The truck came too soon, then. Even the very thought of you makes everything beautiful.
Anyway, I should wrap this up. PT test in the morning, you know. Need my sleep. I'll write again soon.
Spyder

He didn't actually end that abruptly; he wrote me a little love poem and then said he needed to wrap up. I'm very lucky to have him. Even when he's gone, he makes things easier when life gets hard.

Yay! The phone's for me!

I got a phone call today from Private Spyder. Around 4 pm the phone rang and when I saw it was a pay phone calling my heart sped up. "Hello?" And my favorite voice said, "I hoped you'd be home." And I started crying. We only had eight minutes to talk. It's our cat's birthday today, so I told him that we'll be having tuna for dinner later and I'd give the furball a big hug for him. He told me all about how he qualified at marksmanship. For the first part it was raining really hard and he got 25/25, so he said he probably won't be a sniper, but that he didn't want to be, anway. He said one of his drill sergeants is a sniper and that he has a hard time having a normal relationship with people. The second part was clear, perfect weather. No distractions, so Spyder's nerves were through the roof. He took his first shot and realized he'd forgotten his ear protection. And that distracted him enough that he got 19, so he passed. Now he won't have to do basic training over again. We told each other how much we missed each other and loved each other. And he said when he gets back we'll buy me a really good rock hammer. (He's so cute.) And then we were out of time and said goodbye and everything was quiet again. But, since I talked to him I've felt an overwhelming relief. He's alright. And his hearing is doing even better. He says he can hear more than he can't hear. He sounded really good. And he said a really big letter is on it's way. So, when that arrives, I'll post it here. :)

Letter #6

Oct. 6, 2008
Hey, babe. I got 3rd and 4th letters tonight. I love hearing from you. (He had to tell me some confidential information and send me a copy of his orders.)
Oct. 7
We played with A4 Rocket Launchers today! It was okay. I still don't have my hearing back entirely, it fluctuates. I'm going to be really random today. I want to come home! I miss you so much. I reread your letters when I can. I can't even concentrate half the time on my letter. I just want to write about how much I miss you. You need to understand that you are every bit as strong as me. You can do this. School comes naturally to you. And it's all for the sake of something you love. So keep doing your best, and I'll keep doing my best, as well. We'll be together again, soon. I love you.
Spyder

Sorry, this one is short and mostly mushy. It's really hard for us to be apart. And this letter he rushed to get me some information so I can work out the insurance and his payments and all that crap. We made each other the most important things in our lives because we never knew what would happen with friends or family. (And since I had another family problem today, I think it was a good idea.) I've never been good with people and I realized that I would let him kind of take care of that for me. And now it's just me. So, he's encouraging me. And I see we both have the same difficulty -- I can't concentrate either. I'm not doing very well in school this semester. I got a C on my Calculus test. He always helped me shake that stuff off because I have an anxiety disorder that makes it hard to let go. But, you know I'm getting by just trying to follow his example and be like him. I talk to people the way he does and now it's easier. So, anyway, I'm sorry if it gets too mushy sometimes. He just came into my world when I was a teenager and made everything feel alright. But we're both getting stronger, so this is good for us. Thank you guys for being there for us. Just having you guys read his blog helps me feel like an "us" instead of just me. Thanks. I'll let you know more when I do.

Letter #5

Sep. 30, 2008
I got your second letter already. You're fast! I actually got it last night, but didn't get a chance to write back. We did the training simulator again. I was a little worried, because a lot of soldiers were having issues. They set you up with 27 rounds, split into 3-shot cycles. The goal is to get a tight 6-shot group. Most of the other soldiers ended up using all 27 shots. They had to go to the back and try again. Their targets looked like (drawing of a target with shots all over the place). My first 6 shots looked like (drawing of a target with a cluster of 6 shots right in the center). I had the 3rd best shot group in the platoon. Not bad.
My ears have been giving me trouble ever since the LRC. We had to go under water, under a bunch of walls. No complaints, but my left ear started leaking fluid yesterday, during the ruck-march. And all through IED Response Training. And now, well past 24 hours later, it's still leaking. I suspect an ear infection. I can't go to sick call for it, though. If they look at it and anything is discovered to be off, like a perforated ear drum or something like that, it could be cause for medical discharge. So I'm taking care of it the best I can on my own. No worries, though. If it really gets bad, I'll go. But I'll wait to cross that bridge. I hope you'll understand when we go swimming and I don't get in. I might stay in the shallow end.
So the other guys have discovered my ability to draw. I've been designing tattoos for some of them for a couple of days now. It's been nice drawing again. Anyway, I'll try to write more tomorrow.
Oct. 3rd
I went to sick call yesterday. I got antibiotic drops and pain killer drops. (The pain killers don't help.) My ear is red, tender, and has all but swollen shut. It sounds like I have an earplug in all the time. Lucky me, I have a male nurse, 3 EMT's and 2 paramedics in my platoon. They keep tabs on it to make sure it's healing ok. I've already thought about how I would react to only having hearing in 1 ear. I'd be okay with it. As long as I can still hear you breathe. And sing. But no worries. The doc said I should be just fine. We have a 5-mile ruck tomorrow, and we have to take 5 squad support weapons this time. 2 M249 SAWs and 3 M240B's (pigs). They weigh around 20 lbs. each, so we're going to trade off every 10 min.
I got back from sick call just in time to zero my M16. My Drill Sergeant was not pleased with my late appearance. Then he saw my ear and goes, "Oh. Can you still wear earplugs?" "No, Drill Sgt." "Good. Not like Al Quaida would give you a time out while you put them in, anyway." "That's fine, Drill Sgt. M16's aren't that loud, anyhow." "Are you saying earplugs are for sissies, soldier?" "Not at all, Drill Sgt. Just stating that I'm a bad ass." "Excellent." He's pretty cool. Oh, and I should be in white phase by the time you get this. Not sure what my privileges will be, though. I know I'll get a little more personal time. That'll mean more letters for you.
We did more sim. work today. This time pop up targets. I shot 37/40. Expert (37-40), Sharpshooter (33-36), Marksman (27-32). (Expert=me.) Not too shabby. Anyway, I should wrap up for now. I'll finish this tomorrow if I can, and get this sent off to you. I love you, babe.
Oct. 4, 2008
Hey, sweetheart. We just completed the 5 mile ruck. It was fairly brutal. I came out fine, just sore. One guy took a face dive into the road. Some other guy broke his nose. Kinda sad, considering all we were doing was marching. But, as someone pointed out, some people aren't used to moving while carrying a lot of weight. They don't know how to shift it. The guy that face-planted is an Officer School Candidate (OCS). He's a damn smart guy. I'm sure he understands all the physics and crap, he just doesn't get the application part. I'm amazed at how uncoordinated some people are. Anyway, when we finished the march, we ended up on the M249/M240B range. (We didn't have to carry them on the march.) We got to fire them. And I'll tell you, the M249: Not so impressive. Fairly inaccurate. Me no likey. However, the M240B: Wow. The only way I can describe it is that I will now always be ever-so-slightly aroused by the smell of gunpowder and the sound of heavy weaponsfire. It's that much fun. Google/youtube it and you'll see what I mean.
My ear is still swollen, but doesn't hurt as much. Good sign. (Still can't hear out of it, though.) It's just annoying.
We have this "event" tonight called the "soldier show." I assume a competition of some sort. I don't actually know. After it's over, I'll be able to tell you. It starts in about 25 min., so I've got some time.
I'm also wondering if there's any way you could send me some Books of Mormon? A few guys found out I'm LDS and are curious. It might be possible for you to get the little red serviceman editions. No hurry, though.
Anyway, babe, I'm gonna go for now. After the soldier show, I'll tell you what it's about. Luvu.
I'm back. Turns out it was a military/civilian charity concert. A group of talented soldiers did a set list of popular songs. The only 3 I cared about were "Crush crush crush" by Paramore, "Apologize" by One Republic, and "Hey there Delilah" by the Plain White Tees. (I know you hate that song, but it made me think of you.) I got to have pizza, energy drinks (only one), lots of other goodies. Of course, we got smoked after. Meh. Getting smoked doesn't bother me much, now. I kinda saw it coming. It's why I didn't indulge too much. The music was damn good, though. And no one here has heard of Motion City Soundtrack, 311, or anything! They ALL listen to country, rap, or R&B. Like, that's IT. Sad.
We ARE in white phase now. But I'm still unsure of privileges. I'll find out soon. One of the Drill Sergeants said NG soldiers have been paid, so that'll be good. And I FINALLY get to go to the PX tomorrow. I need things. (Not much.) In fact, I should still have enough cash to be ok. We'll see.
Anyway.. I love you, babe. Think of me often and squeeze the fur off Miles for me. I miss that boy.
Spyder

To be "smoked" in the army means to do pushups until you are physically unable to do any more. Or to do pushups until the drill sergeant gets tired. (And in my defense, anyone who has been on my college campus in the last year and a half would hate "Hey There, Delilah" because of all the idiot girls wandering around singing it.) If you guys would please pray for Spyder, I'd appreciate it (even if he is a badass and has accepted permanent loss of hearing -- he's so cute). Thanks.

Graduation's Coming Up

Just so everyone knows, Family Day will be November 12th. At 9 am there will be a family briefing. Afterward, we will be able to spend time with our soldier from 11am-7:30pm. There will be shirts, photos, and DVDs of the training with our soldier in them. The soldiers report back at 7:30pm and there is a Married Soldier Brief at 8pm. Graduation is at 9am on the 13th.
That's all I know. That and it's at Fort Benning in Georgia. As far as I know just me and a couple of his army buddies are going to try to make it out there. But, I wanted the info. available for Spyder's family and friends in case I haven't been able to reach someone.

Letter #4

*Warning* I've decided to leave the mushy stuff in this one. I hope it doesn't bother anyone.

Sept. 25, 2008
I GOT YOUR LETTER! It made me SOOOOO happy! Every evening we have mail call. I would always expect none so I wouldn't get depressed, but there was always a hope.
Sept. 26, 2008
I have fireguard tonight from 1-2 AM and the APFT, obstacle course, AND confidence course tomorrow, not to mention a 2 mile march with 40+ lb. rucksacks tomorrow. I need sleep. I'll write again tomorrow, though, after it's all done.
Sept. 27, 2008
Hey. I'm tired, but I had a lot of fun today. I did 58 pushups, 52 situps, and ran 2 miles in 14:27. PT Score of 236. I think I did 188 before. The ruckmarch I just kind of blocked out. But the obstacle course rocked. We had to high crawl, then climb a rope, then swing across monkey bars, run across a log, run a set of high-steps, drop down 2 small walls, crawl on my back trhough mud and water under barbed wire (ditch-crawl), overa hurdle, under and over a double-hurdle, hop a wall, bear crawl 50 meters, crabwalk 50 meters, and crawl through a concrete tube. Fun times.
Then we herded over to the confidence course. I was entirely in my element.
Ok. So it started with 7 walls of increasing height. Then we moved on to "the bellybuster." It consists of a wood beam you have to flip yourself over, a wall you have to use a rope to climb, a pole you sloth crawl across, let yourself down a rope, balance across 3 logs and swing across monkey bars. Then we hit this tower where you climb about 40 ft. in the air, use a rope for the last 1/4 of the climb, then descend head first and upside-down down an inclined rope. I helped about 10 soldiers conquer their fear of heights. The last thing was a set of handless hurdles, a rope-swing-over-a-wall, followed by 10 vault hurdles and an inclined log run. It was paradise. Spiderman is back! I impressed the Drill Sergeant by vaulting the 10 through my arms instead of around. That probably doesn't make sense.
Everyone says you and I look alike. One guy said you and I look like we were meant for each other. I said, "yeah," and teared up. Everyone here knows how much I love you. I don't hide it one bit. I half expected to be made fun of for it, but they respect me for it. It's cool. A couple of them have asked what they can do to strenthen their marriages. I simply tell them to put their wives' needs first. To some, this is like a foreign concept. *shrug* There's a guy in the next bunk who is 31 and married. He gets it.
Sept. 28, 2008
This kid offered me 5 dollars to do fireguard with him, so he wouldn't have to do it with another guy. He said that guy always falls asleep and he wanted somebody dependable. I don't require a whole lot of sleep, so that was fine. So there we are, 4 AM, everyone else was asleep, and he asks me my views on religion. I'm not sure he'll ask me again. I miss you so much, especially at night. I'll just think about you the whole time during fireguard. I think about you any time it starts getting to me, and I can do it. You're my North Star. You are where I'll be happiest, and it keeps me going. You help me fight. The other day one of the M16s went missing, so the Drill Sergeant was pissed. It's a serious thing. One M16 goes missing and the entirety of Ft. Benning is on lockdown. Turns out one guy just left his in the rack, but we were supposed to take it with us. So, to teach us a lesson, the D.S. had each member of the platoon go downstairs and get a sandbag. Then we opened the sandbags back up in the bay and dumped the sand on the floor. Then he had us empty our camelbacks onto the sand. (About 300 lbs. of sand, 120 gallons of water.) So now our floor is covered in wet sand. He makes us do pushups in it. Then he says that the floor had better be spotless and waxed by morning. I wanted to cry. Then I thought of you. When he left, I built a sand castle. If I'm strong, it's because you made me strong. And we had the floor waxed an hour later. Anyway, it's Sunday and chow's coming up, so I'll write more later.
-Later-
Mmm... Pork chop, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread, full glass of water, full glass of powerade. In 3 minutes. That's about all the time we get to eat any of our meals. I have to inhale my food. So the food I choose to put on my tray, I try to make sure it's either stuff that requires minimal chewing (cottage cheese, applesauce, mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, etc.) or stuff like bread slices or cornbread that breaks up easily with a little fluid.
Hm. Just found out we have a 5 mile ruck march tomorrow. In my ruck is: 1 protective vest, 1 helmet, my uniform, 2 pair socks, 2 pair shirts, 2 pair underwear (all in a weatherproof bag), a sleeping bag in a stufsak, a set of wet weather gear, poncho, and my camelback. Altogether, it weighs 68 lbs. So, yeah. That's going to be an experience. (DO NOT WANT.) It's cool though, I'll just get some Motion City Soundtrack in my head and go. (Or Banana Pancakes!)
Anyway, if I want to get this sent I'd better wrap up. I was going to say I'm not sure what happened to my writing since I've been here... my words will just drop a letter, a letter won't be fully formed, I'll suddenly put an uppercase letter in the middle of a word, or I'll start writing a word from the middle. I hope it's not too unreadable. I hope you write back soon. I love you. More every second. I can't wait to take you in my arms again. Heaven to me is never having to let go. I love you.
Spyder

I wanted to leave everything in it because some parts are part of the story he's telling. And because what he says shows what a wonderful man he is. He does put me first. And I try to put him first. That's why it works. We both give all we have to each other and hold nothing back. Oh, and Banana Pancakes is a Jack Johnson song. It always helps us feel better. And it's our cat's favorite song. He'll run into the room, curl up, and go to sleep when we play that song. I knew Spyder would be good at this stuff. (I've got to say, though, what he calls paradise sounds pretty hard to me.) I'm so proud of him.