Cant believe it, I got a letter today!

July,23 2009

Hey MOM,

Today is training day 57. I can't believe it

14 & 1/2 days til graduation,

tomorrow is the practice app.

It' the test that we have to report in and do a moto run,

next Thursday we step off to the Crucible.

I can't wait, its all about team work.

I can't wait to see you,

oh Monday is third phase test, BWT was fun!

All this week was nothing but drill,

Final Drill is actually Wednesday.

All today was classes,

in fact one of them was first term Marines and Marriage.

Anyway square away time is just about over.

I miss you & love you Eric Ann

ERICA also enclosed a check off questionnaire I sent her...

I highlighted in red what Erica checked off and wrote in..

Dear Mom: (check all boxes that apply)

1. The reason I have not written to you is:

______All my fingers have stress fractures too (how did that happen?)

______I forgot your name and address

______Everything is the same here everyday and I don't think I have anything to write.
(so just write: Dear Mom: everything is the same, Love(every week at least)

______I forgot my name

______I am too busy cleaning, cleaning, cleaning

______I am too depressed

______I am too psyched about being here and have forgotten you

______Oh come on Mom, mothers don't need letters, only recruits do (NOT)


2. I spend my day doing the following:

______working on odd jobs, studying my manuals, doing limited pt

______developing my new cleaning fetish

______twiddling my thumbs (oh wait, they are fractured too)

______practicing my drills

______exactly what my drill instructor tells me to do

keep^ others motivated

______trying to ^ stay motivated


3. When I think about home Sometimes I wonder:

_____if you have rented out my room

_____if you have cleaned my room or

are saving it for my new talents

_____if you have given my room to the dogs as their new playroom

_____if you have become a champion on wii games (fat chance)


_____if you miss me or are just making

that up because the support groups tell you to say that

____if you joined Marine Moms even though I told you not to



4. When I try to describe the meals here I think

_____why bother, they are all better than Mom's cooking

_____no, wait a minute, there is pot roast,

steak and ordering Pizza, Mom's good at that

_____the meals here are healthy,

I like them, and the drill instructor is looking over my shoulder

_____better than MREs


5. Here is what the doctor said last time I saw one:

______things are healing nicely just be patient and take it slow

______things are not healing nicely but be patient and maybe they will

______well there is a problem and surgery is in the future

______great work, you should be out of here in no time

_____cleared for what kind of pt________________________

_____banned from what kind of pt_______________________


____best guess for when you can

start regular pt or pcp___________________


6. What is okay for Mom to send me:

_____my dogs (just kidding)

_____my wii (sorry again)

_____DVDs (which ones)

_____magazines (enough with the magazines?)

_____stamps

_____paper

_____pencils

_____envelopes

_____calling phone cards

_____bumper patrol

_____arch supports


_____what other items?

_____sudoko, word puzzles?

_____books (which ones)

_____photos (of what?)



7.My general mood can be described as:

_____ok

_____still motivated

_____homesick

_____depressed

_____sad

_____excited

_____in awe of my drill instructors

(still looking over your shoulders?)

_____bored

_____learning new stuff every day

_____frustrated with how long it is taking

_____ok with how long it is taking



8. I wish you would tell the following to write to me:

This form letter is:

___________stupid

___________entertaining

____________better than having to write a letter

____________boring

____________a cute effort by my Mom

____________a manipulative way for my Mom

to get me to write because she looks for a

letter every day and feels sad when there

isn't something at least some of the time

but she doesn't want to make me feel guilty

but how about thinking about her for a change?????

Love, your recruit

posted by: darlene r.

PFT is today!!

lady recruits working on their PFT

PFT The Physical Fitness Test (PFT) consists of three parts: Male Pull-Ups (max of 20) Female Flexed Arm Hang (max of 70 sec) Crunches (max of 100) 3.0 mile run (Female min 21:00 minutes/max 31:00 minutes) (Male min 18:00 minutes/ max 28:00 minutes) The run times are for ages 17-26

(you get more time if you are older) each event is worth a 100 pts (300 is perfect)

For example a male with 20 pull ups, 100 crunches,

and 18:00 min 3 mile has a PFT score of 300. Each pull up is worth 5 points,

and each minute slower than the minimum is a loss of 6 points

(broken down into 10 sec increments)

and each crunch is worth 1 point. Minimums are for 17-26 year old 3 pull ups/15 sec arm hang 50 crunches 28:00 minute 3 mile run(male)/

31:00 minute 3 mile run (female) not being able to meet any one of these areas means

failure of the PFT even if the other two areas are outstanding.

In order to pass you must also have a

combined score of 135 of all three components. Minimums are for 27-39 year old 3 pull ups/15 sec arm hang 45 crunches 29:00 minute 3 mile run(male)/

32:00 minute 3 mile run (female) not being able to meet any one of these areas means

failure of the PFT even if the other two areas are outstanding.

In order to pass you must also have a combined

score of 110 of all three components.

posted by: darlene r.

another sign

Hope you all got your letters in the mail today....

if you send them later she will receive them, just after she becomes a Marine if all goes well.

Another sign, Erica has talked about the Marines for a long time you know like I said,

you think oh its the I'm going to be a doctor or lawyer thing...

2004 Miss Erica's Freshman year, I don't remember what class it was,

but Erica had to make a map of sorts of her life Past, Present and Future.

It was so cute that I framed it when I was working at Michael's Arts & Crafts.

Sorry for the glare..its the glass

yep its graduate high school, marine corps, graduate college,

and doctor we'll see about that one,

think the mind has changed but you never know :)

written & posted by: darlene r.