SUNDAY - Parris Island - LIBERTY SUNDAY

SUNDAY - Parris Island -

LIBERTY SUNDAY

Dear Journal, 0500. Got up and dressed. Morning chow was good.

After we went out on the Parade Deck so the Drill Master

could mark the deck with chalk for our Graduation Ceremony.

We were all talking about our families yesterday and who

was coming up on Thursday.

Today we were trading "My Mom on Thursday" stories…

"My Mom is gonna cry and hug me for about 30 minutes! …..

"My Mom is gonna run everyone over when

we are dismissed." and "My Mom is gonna already be

standing at attention next to me!!"

We had noon chow, then started cleaning up the squadbay

and our weapons. We have to turn them in on Tuesday.

Since we are now Marines, the Drill Instructors treat us

like we are FMF (Fleet Marine Force).

They expect us to act responsibly and act like Marines

(in accordance with all the things they taught us).

It is a much nicer atmosphere.

The rest of our short week will be just getting processed

for final orders.

Monday through Wednesday,

everything we do is in preparation for

Family Day and Graduation!!

Now that I finished Crucible,

the anticipation of seeing my family is growing.

I keep asking myself, "How could it have gone by so fast?"

And before, it seemed as if this day would never get here!!

…Praise to you Lord for bringing me through this,

and I ask that you bring my family safely to me…

The rest of the day we had Liberty,

so we basically chilled and hung out most of the day.

We got to shop if we wanted.

Our DI's told us we had to buy something.

They are so cool.

I bought a watch because today

is the first day I can wear one!

Well, I have to go now…....

I'm next in line to make

an important phone call!!!"

This is the Last Journal Entry.

Thanks to Peggy pginbr Delta Co Marine Mom

Author

F PRIVATE Peggy VPMFd Plt.1105

Sources: 1. "Making Marines" DVD 2. I found an unclassified document which is the Crucible Handbook! If you go to about page 50 you can read about the different Medal of Honor recipients and the summaries that were read aloud. http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/WFTBn/Field/PDFs/Crucible%20SOP-Instructor%20Handbook%20060725.pdf 3. Since the above information was specific to the geography of San Diego, I had my own Parris Island source! PFC Garrett of 2nd BN Fox CO PLT 2066 at Parris Island. He graduated this past Nov 9th and is one of Craig's best friends. I also found a few journals online, but they just listed the days events. Garrett filled in the blanks and answered a ton of my questions! I love to write, so the rest...just came from my imagination to my fingers. Thank you very much for all the kind words.

The Crucible Journal - Saturday - warriors breakfast

Dear Journal,

We went down to the Warrior's Breakfast.

It was a steak and eggs all you can eat feast!

My first time through the line, I got steak,

eggs with ham & cheese, hashbrowns, biscuit, toast,

waffle, orange juice, milk, cereal, a banana,

and a cinnamon roll. After eating all that,

I went back through the line and got more eggs,

French Toast, a bagel, another biscuit, another banana,

and a Mountain Dew!

We ate so much that our stomach's hurt.

The coolest part was we could talk to

each other and eat. We could never talk during chow.

Later we stepped out for our barracks at 1000.

We spent the rest of the day doing gear inventory,

cleaning our weapons, cleaning the squadbay,

and packing our seabags for home!!

We didn't eat noon chow today…no room! But,

the evening chow was awesome…and…we got to

strut our stuff around some!!

It is good not to have to say "This Recruit…"

before every sentence. We can also now

call the Drill Instructors "Sergeant" instead of "Sir."

This is a day I will never forget.

I wish I could stay awake, but I am so tired…

I just want to sleep.

posted by: darlene r.

my banner for my new Marine's welcome home

removed

I have a Marine!

From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli We will fight our Countries battles on the air, on land, and sea! First to fight for might and freedom, then to keep our Honor clean, We are proud to claim the title of UNITED STATES MARINES!!!!

Ooh Rah!

We did it!!!

Our daughter's are now United States Marines!!!! I bet they are floating on air and chowing down on their Warrior Breakfast - if they're there yet!!!!

written by Cindy from Pasadena, CA

posted by:darlene r.

ThE Crucible Journal - Saturday

Dear Journal,

0300. Before we stepped out to conquer

our final hump back to the Base,

the First Sergeant briefly reviewed the

EGA ceremony with the whole Company.

At 0330 we stepped out to take on

our last challenge… our last obstacle

as United States Marine Corps Recruits!

The hump back is a good 10-miles long

and was NOT easy!! We all limped along

with our feet sore to the core.

My blisters kept bleeding through

my bandages and socks.

I changed socks 6 times!

The pain was irrelevant now…

we continued on, because no one wanted

to be dropped this close to the end.

We have no watches so we don't really

know how long we've been humping.

The DI's have been amazingly

supportive this morning.

They started telling us

"That's already two miles down.

Not long now men." But I know that was

not two whole miles...

maybe a little over one at the most.

They just want to keep our spirits up.

We stopped for a foot check

at the base of the Ceculas Climbing Wall.

Since we had not completed this obstacle,

it was added to our final hump.

We took a few moments to

re-bandage and regroup.

I keep repeating to myself,

"You're almost done!"

Then, one by one we climbed up

and over the wall, falling to the other

side as gently on our sore

tender feet as possible. Right foot…

Left foot…Climb, Climb, Pull, Pull…

holding on with all our might to get over.

NO WAY any of us wasn't going over that wall!!

'Cause on the other side was our reward.

We were almost home!

The closer and higher we got to the top,

the more it motivated us!

When we fell to the other side…

we were amazingly energized!

One-by-one we fell over and over

the top of that huge wall until we were all together.

I watched the last of my platoon

go over the wall thinking,

"Have I really earned this?

Have I worked hard enough?

Do I deserve it?

Am I ready to be a UNITED STATES MARINE?"

"Not far to go now men…

just a couple more miles."

The DI's have been saying

that for over 4 miles now.

I don't think about it anymore,

'cause I am almost to my dream.

When the sun was rising we

reached the DI Bridge.

Once we were across,

the DI's started Jody calls and we all joined in!

As we got closer to the main base,

the Jody calls got louder and louder!!

Then, I looked up and what do you think I saw??

The trail back was lined with flags!

Our State Flags!!

As I passed all the different State Flags,

I grew more and more eager to see my………...THERE IT IS!!!!

My HOME STATE FLAG!

I never felt more proud to see that flag!!

And right then, the loyalty of all the folks

back home overwhelmed me.

I was shaking.

I couldn't wait to get to the

Parade Deck and hold that pin in my hand! We proceeded down past the flags,

toward the Parade Deck.

We put our gear down and formed up

around the Iwo Jima Memorial.

The Color Guard raised the flag on the memorial.

The Chaplain read a prayer specifically

written for the finish of the Crucible.

It was beautiful. The Company First Sergeant

called the Company to attention.

After that we were brought to Present Arms

(salute) and the National Anthem was played.

My heart was pounding out of my chest,

so I didn't hear one word until…

"o'er the land of the free………………… and the HOME………………………………. of the …………………………………BRAVE!!!!!"

After the National Anthem,

the First Sergeant turned us over to our

Senior Drill Instructor to

carry out the plan of the day.

With tears of pride and

joy streaming down our faces,

we heard the Marine Corp Hymn

being played over the loudspeaker…

"From the Halls of Montezuma To the Shores of Tripoli;"

I tried to mouth the words but just couldn't. "We fight our country's battles In the air, on land and sea;"

From the corner of my eye, I saw the DI's on my row.

"First to fight for right and freedom And to keep our honor clean;"

…I'll never forget when my Drill Instructor

stepped in front of me, congratulated me,

handed me my emblem, and shook my hand.

I will never forget holding that tiny pin that

symbolized huge honor.

Most of all… I will never forget when

he patted me on the shoulder and said…

"Congratulations, "MARINE."

"We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine."

Written by:

Peggy VPMFd Plt.1105

Posted by: darlene r.

Phase II - Questionnaire received 7/30/09

Ericas answers are in red

Phase II Questionnaire
1. During swim qualification you had to:
A. Properly execute a belly flop.
B. Demonstrate proficiency at synchronized swimming while keeping your rifle above water at all times.
C. Train in full combat gear, which includes a rifle, helmet, flak jacket and pack.
D. Engage in a game of Marco Polo.
E. Other (please explain)_____________________________________________.
2. During Pugil Stick exercises you:
A. Successfully kicked your opponents butt.
B. Your opponent successfully kicked your butt.
C. Your instructor kicked all of your butts.
D. Other (please explain)______________________________________________.
3. Recruits must qualify shooting in varied positions. Circle the correct positions.
A. Sitting
B. Kneeling
C. Armchair
D. Prone
E. Standing
4. Zeroing-In is:
A. The ability to hit the target dead center at 500 yards without using the scope.
B. The ability to group all shots within a 9 minute angle.
C. A board game.
5. Your rifle is your:
A. Weapon
B. Friend
C. One more thing I have to lug with me while marching, eating, marching, sleeping, marching, drilling, marching……….
6. At the end of Firing Week, awards are given for:
A. The most creative designs shot on the target.
B. Hitting the target.
C. Not hitting the SDI.
7. For the endurance course you had to:
A. Prepare by getting 12 hours of sleep the night before.
B. Stare nose to nose with your SDI for 5 minutes without blinking AND breaking a sweat.
C. Suck it up and push through it ….. OOHRAH!
D. Other (please explain)___________________________________________
8. After taking apart your M-16A2 rifle, how much time do you have to put it back together?
A. There is no time limit.
B. 30 seconds.
C. One minute.
D. Other (please explain)_"whatever the DI's say,from 70 secs to 5 with 2 secs."
9. What is the purpose of a conditioning march?
A. To increase the recruits stamina and confidence.
B. To determine what kind of condition the recruit is in.
C. It has absolutely no purpose what-so-ever other than another excuse for the DI’s to torture us.

so a LS won electrocute the platoon -

- Lightening storm so bad we are not allowed outside
10. Drill is mainly used to:
A. Give the DI’s more excuses to yell at us when we screw up!
B. Instill discipline, team pride and unit cohesion.
C. Both A and B.

11. The Drill Instructor’s Highway is:
A. A song.
B. The aisle down the middle of the squad bay between the rows of bunk beds.
C. The name of a road at MCRD.

12. What are the “daily sevens”?
A. Seven more ways the DI’s find to make our lives miserable on a daily basis.
B. Times a day we get to break for lattes.
C. Sets of exercises.

13. What is the “daily 16”?
A. Conditioning exercises.
B. 16 more hours of the day the DI’s have to torture us.
C. The minimum number of times we can be quarter-decked each day.
D. A 16 minute power nap we take at 1PM each afternoon.
E. 16 minutes of one-on-one bonding time with the SDI.

14. Your SDI’s favorite term of endearment for you is _____________.

15. How many times now have you been quarter-decked?
A. ZERO – phew!
B. I’ve lost count.
C. I volunteer to be quarter-decked on a regular basis, so probably about a hundred by now.
D. Other ___quaterdecked 10 times pitted :3 _____.

16. Which of the following is part of a General Order?
A. To walk my post in a military manner.
B. To enforce all violations.
C. To quit my post when I am good and ready.
D. To engage in chit-chat with anyone walking by.

17. Describe the Sand Pit.
A. A lovely beach area where we can sunbath, build sand castles and enjoy little umbrella drinks.
B. Another word for HELL.
C. Other (explain please)___ sand cookies ________________.

18. Now that you are at the end of Phase II, if you could pick one word to describe your boot camp experience so far, what would it be? _ surprisingly short.. can't believe its already the end O.o;;____

check it off 7/16/09 received 7/30/09

Blue is what Erica filled in ... and a recruit filled it in too LOL

Red is what recruit R****ll filled in :)

Date:__7-16-09____________ Training day 51!

Dear: ____MOM_________________________

I am: __X___ Great __X__OK ____Not So Good ____Lonely ____Sick ____AWOL

The weather is: X__X__Hot _X___Cold _X_X__Humid __X___Rainy X__X__Sunny _X__X_Sucks

AKA: bI-POLAR

The food: _X___Great _X___OK ____Edible ____Garbage

Parris Island is: _X___Great ____Like Home ____Never Again __X__Hell -BOOT CAMP

(IT'S PRETTY BUT STILL)

My new Friends are: __X__Nice _X___Weird ____Scary _X___Psychotic

I have: ____Gained Weight _X__X_Lost Weight ____Turned inside out

I sleep: __X__8 hrs ____6 hrs ____4 hrs ____2 hrs __X__What's sleep?

ALL BECAUSE THEY FORCE YOU TO
CAMMIES
Our (Uniforms) are: ____Cool __X__Loose ____Tight ____Burlap Sacks UNIFORMS= COOL
(AT TIMES)
My fellow recruits are: ____Cute __X__Nice ____Friendly ____Scarce ____Bow-wow x MOODY
(AT TIMES)
PT is: __X__Fun _X___Exhilarating __X__Tough __X__Easy ____Send Oxygen

Marching is: __X__Fun ____The pits __X__My life ____Ruining my shoes

I LOVE MARCHING MANUAL, ITS WEIRD AND AWESOME.

Class work is: _X__X_Easy ____Not so Easy ____Hard ____I need a tutor 4 HOURS AT @ TIME

My haircut is: ____Great ____Too Short ____Funny ____Buy me a wig - HAVEN'T HAD ONE

I miss: __X__McDonalds ____Burger King _X_:)__In~N~Out_ X_X___My Family

I need: _X_X__More stamps _X___Ticket Home

I did: _X_X__A good thing ____A bad thing ____Not sure yet

The Showers are: _X_X__Hot _X_X__Cold _X_X__Crowded ____I haven't taken one

JUST SAY WE ARE SOCIALLY SC***** 0:ii

My Locker is ____Perfect ____Near Perfect __X_X_Needs work ____Outside

My DI is: ____My best friend _X_X__Just like family ____Tell you later X ODD
(AT TIMES)
My SDI is:__X__Just as sweet as Mom __X_X__has adopted me _____Tell you later ---

---THE SH*T LOL .. WE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR SAYING SHE WAS THE SH*T

I Can't Wait to: _X_X__Come Home _X_X__Eat Real Food ____Do this again X THE CRUCIBLE

I miss you: __X___A lot! _____A little ____Not at all ____Who are you?

Yours Truly,
DRILL!
__ERICA ANN_________________ DRILL!

DRILL! :)

SENIOR DRILL INSTRUCTOR SSGT J= "MOM"