13/233 - PIR 8/3/12 Bootcamp experience

[Last_First124]

Hello to all family and loved ones of our Sailors!!!! I just wanted to give an update on my boyfriend. He left for Great Lakes June 5th after being sworn in at the White Sox game in Chicago. Prior to that, all of the recruits were stationed at a Chicago hotel from June 3rd - 5th for whatever reason (His recruiter mentioned that b/c they were transported so many recruits at that time that they wanted more control over there placement.....something like that)...

Fast forward; we receieved his personal belongings 2-3 days after he left; we never did receive his arrival phonecall though :'(...but I figured since we got his belongings and no chiefs were at the door baring our nation's flag that he was safe and still alive. Around 2 weeks later, I received my 1st later from him. Here it is a whole month later and I just got letter #3. Although I try to write him every day, he mentioned his concern/frustration with the slow mailing process. .He's gotten 7 of my 13 letters so I figured that the mailing is off by a week. He usually writes during "holiday routine" (sundays) so by wednesday I'll have a letter. Unfortunately, the 4th of July ruined my chances of getting a letter yesterday but I was still happy to celebrate this holiday honoring our verterans and future heroes of the world...

As far as bootcamp overall, he said it's and 80/20 factor which mental outweighs the physical (mostly because of there classes). Initially there were a few issues with some guys wanting to show their "alpha-male" dominance and he had to prevent a fight from happening; but after they realized that they'll be stuck together for the next 8 weeks, they started working more like a team. They're fed 3 times a day and supposedly it's very good. They're processing took almost 48 hrs to complete (there's a youtube video explaining this whole process). He also had to take 7 shots in 2 minutes, including one in his buttocks LOL...

Letters and photos from family helps them out a lot and makes the days seem so much easier. Even though their letters may be brief and not very detailed, this line of communication is very important and can make or break some of these recruits. I'm lucky enough to have a great relationship with his parents which makes this journey more manageable. I've been lingering on this site for months now, never posting, just gathering information :)... This site is a blessing and a breath of fresh air. (The 5 stages of bootcamp ----- PHENOMENAL ADVICE)

I do have one question that I can never find in the forums... Do anyone know where video greeting cards can be purchased from (ones you can personalize/record your own video) and are they allowed to be sent to the SRs?

We are the backbone of these strong men and women! Keep supporting and motivating them to keep pressing forward!

[Last_First124]

Thank you for this information