A Letter to My Wife - Part 13

Well can you believe it? We made it through to Christmas Exodus. Only one week to go. I'm still hanging out in Ft. Sill, blowing shit up with the Artillery boys. But who gives a crap.

It's almost Christmas and they're letting me go home to see you guys! That's what it's all about!

Tomorrow is payday again. Don't forget that this is our last paycheck before Christmas, so you're going to want to use this one to get your Christmas shopping done. Make sure to either get some crap for my side of the fam, too, or at least save me some dough so I can get them shit.

But still, you deserve a little something special. You've got options this week:
Option A. Buy yourself a X-Mas gift, wrap it up, label it to and from yourself, and stick it under the tree.
Option B. Go to a salon and do girly stuff that chicks like to do like get your nails done or your hair done or whatever.

Just so you know, this will be the last one of these posts, the final "Letter to My Wife," because I expect to be home next week.

Thank you for sticking by me and taking such good care of yourself and the kiddies.

I love you very much.

See you soon.

Love,
Your Husband
Private 2nd Class
United States Army.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 13

Well kiddies, this is the last one of these posts that will appear.

This week we won't have one of our usual surprises. Instead, we will prepare for something different. Next week, I am coming home for Christmas!

Shooting guns and blowing shit up has been alot of fun, but I can't wait to get home and see you guys.

Thank you so much for being so good (you have been good right?!). Let's close out this last week before I return with some extra good behavior. Be extra nice to everyone and show eachother some extra love.

P.S. Don't forget to put out the trash tomorrow night!

I'll see you guys soon.

I love you all!

Love, Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 12

Hello again, my lovely.

So by this point I'm finally out of BCT and I have moved to O-o-o-oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plains...

Okay, so I'm just a little giddy with the idea of moving on from BCT to my next phase of training. I'd like to talk some more about what I'm doing here in AIT, but I really have no fucking idea what's supposed to happen here, so I won't even try to wing it. I'll just have to tell you about it in the handwritten letters home.

So we'll just go ahead and skip to the good stuff. This week's little surprise is.... drumroll please...... I've got nothing! lol. So this week it's a wildcard, The Wife's choice! Money permitting, do whatever the hell you would like to do. Buy yourself something nice, or go do something fun. Just do something to make yourself happy, and don't forget, I'll be home in a couple of weeks.

Sorry for the crappy surprise this week, but if you get creative, it could be really awesome!

OMG how exciting is this! I'm almost home!

I love you.

Love,
Your Husband

A Letter to My Kids - Part 12

Hello again, Kiddies.

Well, by now I ought to be living in Oklahoma.

We've got some special stuff coming up soon, so this will be the last week of your "surprises."

Christmas is coming, and with Christmas, I am coming home soon, too.

This week, for your surprise, you can do another camp-out in the living room one night this weekend. Be sure to bring lots of blankets, because it will probably get very cold on the floor at night. Also, if you build a fort, be sure to put everything away by 3:00 the next day. If you would like, you guys can go to target and get some snacks and watch movies on your campout night.

Ok, I'll write you guys again next week.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 11

Well, this last week has been pretty "easy," at least by Army BCT standards. We have continued our PT and worked on our Drill and Ceremony in preparation for our graduation ceremony. I know that you guys probably wanted to come out and see, but since I'll be home in a few weeks anyways, we can celebrate my graduation when I return for Christmas.

And I'm not the only one graduating. You have been right here with me, in my heart, the whole time. As you have been carrying yourself and the Brats through the world without me, you have also carried me through training. I know this has not been easy on you, but still, you have stood by me. Therefore, for myself and on behalf of the United States Army, I would like to thank you for and recognize you for all that you have done.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Certificate of Recognition

Private 2nd Class "Delta"
of the United States Army

hereby recognizes

A Loving and Beautiful Wife

for exceptional bravery in time of separation,
and outstanding performance in fulfilling all duties
and responsibilities of two parents in the absence of one.

Your proud service to Private "Delta,"
to the Army Brats,
and to the United States Army is greatly appreciated.

Just know that you have still been on my mind, every single day. I love you and miss you very much. Some may think that over time, it gets easier to miss someone, but that really hasn't been the case for me. I miss you just as much now as I always have when we're apart.

Tomorrow is Payday again. This week I think you ought to get yourself some Art-type things. What do you think? I know you've been wanting that storage thingy for your art supplies, and now would be a good time to get it. While your at it, go ahead and replenish any of your art supplies you may need for upcoming projects. No sense in having an empty storage unit. :)

Okay, well I'll be home soon. Can't wait to see you again.

I love you.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 11

Well, it's that time again folks.

Check and make sure you guys have been on good behavior, because this one's a biggy.

Is the answer yes?

If so, today is your lucky day. Well actually, tomorrow, because we don't get paid until tomorrow. You each get.... drumroll please.......... $20! Holy crap, that's alot of money! Buy whatever you would like with the money, and be good and nice and helpful to earn next week's surprise.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 10

Holy freakin' crap. I made it through the most intense week of my life and I survived (I hope... hopefully these posts aren't coming from "beyo-o-o-ond the gra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ave." Ha ha ha). I spent the last week surviving off of very little sleep (which was done outdoors in the dead of winter), and crappy "food." Actually, I'm not sure if this stuff can legally be called food. That's probably why they're called MRE's. I have decided that MRE means "Might Regurgitate Everything." It's alot like eating neatly packaged shit out of a plastic bag. Never thought I'd say it, but boy is that chow in the Mess Hall DELICIOUS! But we spent the last week many miles from the Mess Hall, so we ate what we got. This phase of our training was crazy intense, and also alot work and alot of fun.

Our platoon worked together as a team to overcome some seemingly impossible obstacles in the midst of a full-scale battle simulation. Some of the other platoons tried to kill us by day, while our drill sergeants had a little fun trying to kill us on those rare occasions when we dared to sleep.

After spending the last week and all of our energy fighting our way through Victory Forge, we all felt like real god-damned soldiers. On the 9 mile march in the middle of the night back to base, we really looked like a bunch of veterans fresh out of battle!

And when we returned to base, the Battalion Commander and a whole slew of Drill Sergeants were there to greet us. As it turns out, it wasn't just in our heads that we felt like soldiers. Our drill sergeants, who have mistreated us and pushed us to our breaking points in every which way possible were there to recognize us as real-deal US Army Soldiers. Even the Commander recognized us no longer as recruits, but as American Soldiers.

As it turns out, our drill sergeants really are human after all. The crazy realization after all this is not only are they human, but the actually love us and regard us as Brothers. Everything that they have done over the last couple of months has not been done to us, but done for us, to make us stronger, to make us better, and to help us become the best damned soldiers we can possibly be. After all that we have been through, we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for all that they have done for us. Cheers to the United States Army Drill Sergeants, the baddest and best instructors in the world!

To celebrate our achievement, I would like for you and the kids to go out to dinner this week at the Olive Garden or a restaurant of your choosing. While you're there, raise your glasses and toast the fact that I am now officially an American Soldier!

And when you are done with your toast, raise your glasses again. Salute yourselves for your own outstanding courage in making it through each and every day on your own. These last couple of months have been a true test of your own will and determination, and you have passed with flying colors!

I love you all. And I'll see you soon.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 10

Hello again kids. I think Thanksgiving is this Thursday... or was it last week? Shit I don't know... time is confusing in BCT.

Anyhow, I hope the turkey's delicious. Make sure to pig out hardcore! Tell everyone I said hello. This year, I am thankful to have a great family who is being good and sticking together while I'm away in training.

What are you guys thankful for?

Well are you ready for this week's surprise? Check and see if you've earned it.

Did you earn it?

I hope so.

This week is a special surprise. Ready? You get to clean up dog poop! YAY! Isn't that fun!

Ha ha ha. I'm just razzing you. You surprise this week is "Kid's Choice Movie Nights." Man-child, you get to pick the movie on Friday night,

Girl-child, you get to pick the movie on Saturday night.

Make sure to head over to target before movie-night and grab a big box of microwave popcorn so you can all have big bowls of popcorn on the movie nights.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 9

This week we will begin our march up to Victory Forge. It ought to be a pretty intense week. This is where we put all of our training together in a full scale battle simulation.

And since I'm nearing the end of my Combat Training, I think that this would be a good time for you to ditch all of your old friends and get some new ones. No offense, but I just don't like your friends. They are all screwed up and half of them don't even work. The easiest way to replace them would probably be to go to Amazon.com and buy a whole new Friends box set. :) Ha ha. Gotcha. Bet you thought I was talking about your human friends, huh? No way, I love your human friends... they're awesome. But your DVD Friends have got to go.

Anyhow, I hope that things are going well for you. I know that you have been doing a great job on your own. Even if not everything is going right, be sure to take some time to focus on the things that have gone and are going well. Congratulate yourself on all of the little victories. The kids are fed and off to bed, the house is still standing, and you've done alot on your own for months now without me.

If there's anything else you would like to have or do, please, feel free to just do it. Trust me, you deserve it. These little "surprises" in the blog are just something extra for you. Make sure that you are also taking the time to do some nice things for yourself.

I love you so very much. I'm very proud of you. I'll talk to you again on the other side of Victory Forge!

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 9

Another week has passed. It won't be long now til I'm on my way home.

So I bet you guys are wondering what your next surprise is, aren't you? Well, first things 1st, check and make sure that you have been good enough to earn this surprise.

If the answer is yes, here you go. You guys are going to enjoy this one.

You guys get to go play a round of Miniature Golf at Golfland! Have fun. Think "hole in one!" And remember, if you don't play the last hole where they take your ball, you could always sneak over to the other course for another round. Since everyone may be getting tired by the 2nd round, you may want to try "speed golf." Remember that one? No waiting your turn, everybody goes at the same time, blocking is legal, and the first one into the hole wins and then zoom! On to the next hole!. Good times. You guys might have to show my Army Wife how it's done.

Okay, well have fun. And be good so that you guys can get your next surprise.

I love you.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 8

Hello again, my lovely!

It's hard to believe, but I'm already 2/3 of the way through my Basic Combat Training.

In a strange twist, it seems as though my drill sergeant may actually be human. Not quite sure when it happened, but he doesn't seem to be yelling at us quite as much as he used to. Sometimes I almost wonder a little if maybe we're finally learning to do things right. Stranger things have happened.

Truth is, we do get rewarded alot here. We get to eat free food. You know how much I love free food!. We get to shoot guns and throw grenades. We get free time every day. We do get time to rest, mot as much as I was used to in the civilian world, but more than I expected here. We get to wear awesome uniforms, and we get to serve under the baddest branch of the military for the greatest country in the world, besides maybe Hawaii. Ha ha ha. Tell Desirae I said hello. lol.

Being an Army Wife is no walk in the park. I make sacrifices in my duty, and you also make sacrifices that no one else in the world (outside of the Army) has to make. You deserve rewards as well, so let the rewards continue.

I hope you enjoyed your Day Spa treatment last week. If you haven't done that yet... get on it!

Here is your next mission.

This week, I want you to take someone (the kids or a friend or your mom or whoever) to see a movie in the theaters. You pick the movie and the time and day.

And remember that I miss you and I love you.

Can't wait to see you again.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 8

Well, another week has passed, and hopefully you guys have been very good this last week to earn your next surprise.

Oh, I hope you didn't forget and start acting crazy once you got your $10 last week!

Remember to be on VERY GOOD BEHAVIOR EVERY WEEK so you guys can get your next week's surprise. Yes there is another surprise coming next week, and you guys have got to be very good to earn it.

Go ahead and ask the pretty lady in charge if you have been good enough this week to earn your surprise.

If the answer is yes, then you've got something to look forward to.

When the weekend comes, you get a special treat this week. On Saturday Night, you get to camp out in the living room! And yes, you may build a fort to sleep in if you would like. Remember to leave enough room so that the doggies can get in and out the door.

Everything needs to be cleaned up and put away no later than 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday.

Okay. Enjoy your camp-out this weekend.

I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 7

Can you believe another week has flown by so quickly? Training seems to really be picking up steam. We're slowly becoming a real team, and a real unit. And I can see the finish-line ahead. I know that the closer I get to the end of Basic, the closer I get to the beginning of AIT. And the closer I get to AIT, the closer I get to Exodus!, which means I finally get to see you again.

So we're still doing everything we've been doing since day one, and now we've added some stuff to our curriculum, such as heavy anti-tank weaponry and obstacle courses, which my battle buddy and I maneuver and complete as a team.

Enough about me... on to the good stuff.

You have been so patient in dealing with everything in my absence, so it's time for you to be rewarded. Therefore, I have a little surprise for you. I would have liked to have done this sooner, but without knowing for sure when we get paid, I just wanted to wait long enough to be sure that we got our money.

If you haven't been paid yet (due to a long processing time with the paperwork), you ought to have gotten paid now. Go ahead and take a peek at the bank account balance to be sure.

Ready for your surprise? Okay, here's what I want you to do.

1. Call your Mom (or maybe you want your mom to go with you, so you could call Gramma or Patti and arrange a time that one of them could watch the kids for a few hours, or of course you can use the "babysitter" we usually use when we go play poker. Wink, wink).
   
2. Go to AvalonExcellence.com and click the "Services" link, then click "spa packages." (If you don't like that place, feel free to select one of your own).
   
3. Since I have no idea what's what, I would like for you to select the package that you want. *IMPORTANT* Ignore the prices and just get the services you want! Okay?
4. Feel free to add any extras you would like (ie. haircut, color, style, mudbath (I've taken some of those here lol), or whatever else sounds appealing.
   
5. Give them a call to schedule your time (and maybe mention that you're military... military discount, hee hee).
   
6. Enjoy a day of relaxation and pampering!

Follow the instructions above to complete your mission. That's a direct order from a member of the United States Army! Mission failure is NOT, I repeat NOT an option!

I love you.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 7

Okay, are you guys ready for your surprise?

I hope so.

The first thing you guys have to do is to check with my Army Wife and make sure that you guys have been on good enough behavior to earn your surprise. Go ask her right now.

So did she say yes?

If so, tell her to give you each $10. If she doesn't have any cash on her now, she can get it next time she goes to the bank.

You guys can spend your $10 on anything you want.

Have fun. Don't forget about the trash tomorrow night. And brush your teeth!

I love you.

Love,
Daddy

A Letter to My Wife - Part 6

We finally made it through Phase I, or Red Phase, and moved on to White Phase. This is also known as the "Rambo Phase."

We finally got to fire our weapons. I've been waiting weeks for this, and I've got to say, it was worth the wait. We've got all types of ranges here. Training is actually starting to get a little fun. We've been tossing grenades, firing our rifles at close targets, pop-up targets, far-away targets. We've been chucking grenades and learning our way around other types of weapons as well.

Even with all the PT, drills, marching, running, classes, shooting, and blowing shit up, they still can't keep me busy enough to keep me from thinking of you and missing you. I have officially been gone for over a month now, but you're still just as clear in my mind as the day I left.

I hope that you are doing fine and getting along alright without me around. I hope that you are happy and having a good time. I hope that you still laugh alot. It's probably hard to laugh as much as you did when I was around because, let's face it, I'm fucking hilarious, and it would be impossible to find someone as funny as me. But still, I hope that you still smile and laugh alot. Don't forget that I will be home soon. Not super-soon, but soon enough. I am determined to make it through this thing they call BCT so that the next time you see me, I will be a soldier.

Thank you for loving me. Your love is my strength.

I miss you.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 6

Hi kids!

It's almost Halloween! Everyone excited? I'm excited for you guys.

Everything's going good for me. We're having alot of fun here at Fort Jackson.

I hope you guys are having alot of fun too.

Tell everyone I said hello. And don't forget to put the trash out tomorrow night.

I love you guys.

And oh yeah, almost forgot. I hope you guys are being very, very good! Because next week you guys get your first surprise! Remember to be on very good behavior, because you only get your surprise if your being good.

Alright. I love you guys.

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 5

Well, it's official. It's no longer a matter of, "I can't do anything right." Now "WE can't do anything right."

Yeah, this week I was assigned my battle buddy. Every time I fuck up, we both pay. And every time he does something wrong, I get to share the credit with him. It's awesome. It is kind of nice to have someone to motivate you along, and someone to motivate. That feeling that someone is relying on me to help and motivate them makes me feel... more useful, I guess. It inspires me to try that much harder.

I have also mastered the art of taking apart and putting my rifle back together. Don't tell my drill sergeant I said that; he doesn't agree.

Aside from that it's been another week of the same old same old. Drills. PT. Marching. Running. Getting dropped (DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY! YES, DRILL SERGEANT!). Eating food that tastes like feet. Sleeping every now and then for what feels like a few minutes.

And still I think of you every day. I wonder what you're doing. Sometimes I get a moment to look up toward the sky. It's beautiful out here after dark. It's a strange feeling to be so far away and know that when I look up and see the moon, it's the same moon that you see out in California.

Sometimes I picture myself sitting over there on the couch, staring at you as you sit there in your chair. You are beautiful. I picture your smile when I need a boost. Thoughts of you have become my wonder drug, my steroids, and my serenity.

Anyhow, make sure you're taking good care of yourself. Eat well, and rest well. And make sure to have some fun, too. Pick up the phone and call people. Talk to people. And be sure to smile.

I miss you and I love you very much.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 5

And here we are once again... another monday cyber meeting.

I know that you guys miss me, and I miss you, too. Just stay strong and we'll all be back together soon. Just so you guys know, I'm having alot of fun in training. We get to shoot guns and throw grenades and play on obstacle courses. It's alot like 9 weeks of recess... with guns.

Halloween is coming up soon. Make sure to decide what you want to dress up as this year and go out and get LOTS of candy! If you need money for costumes, ask Nana or Gramma or Grammy Tammy, I'm sure they'd be glad to help out.

Okay, well be good and have lots of fun. Be nice to eachother, and make sure to help out with things like keeping the house clean, feeding and watering the dog, doing dishes, taking out the trash, and stuff like that.

I love you guys!

Love,
Daddy.

A Letter to My Wife - Part 4

Hello again, pertty lady!

How's everything going with you? Not too crazy, I hope. Have the kids been (relatively) good? If not, remind them that I now have an M16A2 Assault Rifle, and I'm alot stronger now than when I left. Ha ha ha.

So by now I'm sure you've sent me tons of letters, which I really appreciate. The food tastes like feet, sleep is a rare delicacy, we work way too hard and way too long, I can't do anything right, and my drill sergeants hate me. Your letters really are the only things I have to look forward to every day.

You're never gonna believe it, but I finally learned how to clean a bathroom and make my bed. Tell my grandma, she'll be shocked to hear it.

So over this last week, we have continued on as we did in week one. Learning to march. Learning to stand. Learning to build muscle and endurance. But we've also had a little class time to learn a few other things, such DON'T freakin sexually harass people, and don't be a fucking racist.

We also learned how to choke, vomit and cry like little girls. They taught us that in the gas chamber. Once your ability to breathe returns, it's really quite nice. It was like an enema, or a colon cleansing for the lungs and sinuses.

This week the people of the United States of America thought it would be a good idea to give me an M16A2 assault rifle. I don't know whether or not that's the best decision this country has ever made, but I think it's freakin awesome. I have named my rifle Annaleese. We go everywhere together. Don't be jealous though. Okay yeah, I have some feelings for her, but not like the feelings I have for you. Plus she feels nothing for me... she's as cold as steel. Oh wait, she is steel.

I finally learned how to do some things right, though most of the time it's not quite good enough. Oh well, at least I'm not doing everything completely wrong anymore.

I am exhausted. Constantly. I miss you and think about you all the time. I want you to know that I love you very much. Can't wait to see you again.

Love,
Your Husband.

A Letter to My Kids - Part 4

Hello again, kids!

I'm having alot of fun in BCT. We get to shoot shit and crawl around in the mud and do lots of running around and pushups and stuff. It's really alot of fun.

But I do miss you guys. I think about you every day. I know that you guys are being good and having lots of fun. I know that you guys are doing what your told and not fighting to much or giving anyone too much crap, right?

I hope so.

Anyhow, I just wanted to say that I love you guys very much. Thank you both very much for helping out around the house while I'm gone. I also appreciate the letters that you guys send. I always look forward to mail call every day and getting to read your letters during my free time at night.

Stay strong you two. I'll talk to you later.

I love you.

Love,
Daddy.