First, let me start off by saying sorry for taking so long to post a new update. School and work have been keeping me absurdly busy.
With that, where to begin! I got my first letter from Seth on November 3, and it was mostly him complaining about how he and his platoon can't follow even the most simple of instructions... It was rather amusing, as Rachael and Dorothy can tell you, that the letter started out with "...they can't follow instructions..." and ended with "...we can't do anything..."
As of the time of the writing of his first letter, he had done the climbing wall (made a seat completely out of rope!) and some basic hand to hand type stuff (to quote him, nothing that will help you win the fight, but it'll keep you alive). He seemed rather stressed at the lack of cohesion when he first got there, but his mood, and opinions seem to have improved in his following letters..
In the second letter he starts out by saying that they are getting "smoked" less (essentially when they get in trouble and have to do push-ups, and who knows what else). He continues, "Half the people around here are wimps in my opinion. All they do is complain about how hard things are and how we don't have time to eat. I just wish people would man up and get over themselves. This place isn't hard, its easy if you listen."
The third letter was pretty tame, without much complaining, other than about the random guy who STILL can't follow directions... As of the time of the third letter, he had also done First Aid and Communications, as well as the Pugil Sticks (think American Gladiator...). Apparently they are cutting people (letting them go, so to speak) left and right, and have plans to cut 56 people out of two platoons in order to combine them. The reasoning behind that is apparently so they can "...give better training and the DS (Drill Sergeant) get more time off. We'll see." Apparently the Red Phase (Red Phase, then White Phase, then Blue Phase, right before graduation) had several failures, and if the PT scores don't improve, those people will get cut too.
Other than that, Seth appears to be doing well. As it stands right now, he flies into KC late on Friday December 16 and is here through the New Year. That is all subject to change, of course. If you want to see him while he's here, please email (tg656@umkc.edu) me, so I can make sure he has a chance to see everyone, since I am now apparently his social coordinator. =)
Also, he can receive mail and pictures, though it takes AGES to get there.
Here's his address:
Rhodes, Seth RN 138
B. Co. 1/50 INF ITB
9899 Second Armor Division Road, Building 3570
Fort Benning, GA 31905
Also, you MUST put the number "138" on each bottom corner on the front of the envelope. I have no idea why, but you do. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Thanks, and have a great week everyone!
