Birthday Cards

Tim's birthday is coming up on March 27. As mentioned in a prior post, please don't send him anything other than letters in the mail (cards, checks, gift cards, parcels, etc.). He had heard that there might be some undesirable consequences if they (the drill sergeants) know it is his birthday. If you wish to send him a check, you can send it to me and I'll deposit it in his account, and you can mention it in a letter.

No News

We have not heard from Tim since receiving his letters last week. We had hoped to hear from him Sunday, but we didn't...

Mailing Address and Caution

Tim's mailing address is below. Please send only letters, as he could get in trouble if you send anything else - photos, food, candy, etc. Anything in his possession that is not issued by the Army is considered "contraband" and he will suffer punishment.

PV2 Timothy Sears
1st Platoon, G Troop, 5-15 Cav
BLDG 5941, 15th Cavalry DR
Fort Knox, KY 40121

First Letters From Tim

We finally received some letters in the mail - four letters in the same envelope. Here are some highlights:
1) Rough first night - only 30 minutes sleep
2) Haircut on second day - 1/16" long
3) Tim had guard duty at midnight three consecutive nights
4) His group moved from "Reception" to Basic Training quickly, which is very positive
5) Recruits were assured that the first day of Basic would be "the worst day of their lives". Tim didn't think it was so bad.
6) They are timed with a stopwatch to "prepare, shower, dry off and brush teeth" in 30 seconds
7) "Send lots of letters, please!"
8) The weekend of week 10 he is allowed off base to be with his family.

The general tone of his letters was that it was difficult, but he seems to be holding-up okay. The lack of sleep seems to be the main issue. He really hated "reception" which can last for an indefinite period. Some guys are stuck in reception for 3-4 weeks. Once you move from reception to basic training, you are on your way to getting done. Tim is thankful he was in reception less than a week.

Nothing to Report

Hoped to get a letter in the mail yesterday, but there was nothing. Maybe today...

30 Second Phone Call

Debbie received an interesting phone on Sunday afternoon. When she answered the phone, it was Tim and he told her that he had only 30 seconds to talk. He said that he had started basic training and that he was doing okay. He added that he had written us a couple of letters, then he said that he had to go and hung-up. Debbie said the 30 second phone call was more like 20 seconds...

Obviously, not much information. We assume that we will have Tim's address when we receive his letters. I'll post the address, along with any other information, as soon as it is available.

No News

We have not heard from Tim since Tuesday night. I am afraid that it may be a while before he is able to contact us again.

Unexpected Phone Call

We assumed that Tim would not have access to his mobile phone after arriving at camp, but we were wrong. He called last night at about 7:30 pm and gave us an update. Going from memory, here are some of the highlights: 1) arrived at about 11:30 pm 2) very busy from the moment of arrival 3) only 2 hrs sleep the first night 4) lots of standing in formation 5) awake at 4:30 am next morning 6) waiting a barracks inspection before 9:00 pm lights out. If inspection fails, they were promised a rough night with minimal sleep 7) instructed on bunk making. They sleep on top of made bunk so they don't have to make it in the morning 8) shots and vaccinations scheduled for today 9) food was okay - he couldn't remember exactly what it was, though. 10) weather not too bad, there is no snow on ground. 11) Approximately 34 guys in his barracks.

Overall, he sounded good and seemed to be doing okay. He thinks he might be able to keep his phone until Friday when they leave the reception area for official basic training. Hopefully we will hear from him again tonight. We won't have a mailing adress for him until next week.

Day 1

Tim was able to call us several times yesterday while traveling. He flew from Lansing to Detroit, where he had a long layover. The Army provided a $23 meal voucher, so Tim had a big dinner at Chili's at Metro Airport. He also called us just after the plane landed in Louisville at about 8:45 pm. We are not expecting to hear from him again until tomorrow.

Basic Training Info

Here's a video with images of basic training at Ft. Knox. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL928wtnroU

Pretty good general description of training. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/l/aaarmybasic1.htm

Tim's Plan

Okay - Tim in the army is a bit of a shock for many of you. It may help to understand how this fits in with his overall plan for the next few years.
First, to be clear, Tim has enlisted in the Texas National Guard for 3 years. After basic training, he will be committed to drill with his unit several times per month and participate in other exercises. He will earn military pay throughout his enlistment.
This summer, Tim will be moving to Texas and enrolling at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. He will be taking ROTC classes at SHSU (majoring in either Politcal Science or Philosophy, probably) and will be exempt from deployment as long as he remains a full-time student. His NG and ROTC benefits will cover 100% of his tuition and will repay his student loans from Michigan. Therefore, he will graduate debt free. Upon graduation from SHSU Tim will be commissioned as a 2nd Lt. At that time, he must choose either to stay in the NG as either active duty or as a reservist (3-6 year committment), or he may join the active duty army for 4 years. If he fails to graduate for some reason, he remains in the NG as an enlisted man.

Day 0

Tim's basic training journey unofficially began last night when we dropped him off at a hotel in Lansing, MI at about 9 pm. Today is his first official day of basic training ('Day 0') which begins upon his arrival at Ft. Knox, KY. Debbie and I are going to have to get comfortable with the fact that we are no longer entitled to complete information about our son. For example, we don't know for sure how he's getting to Ft. Knox - most likely by commercial airplane, potentially by bus. Though he took his cell phone with him, we are expecting that he will not be able to use it much, if at all, after arriving at camp. Accordingly, Tim is equipped with old-fashioned writing paper, envelopes and stamps and has promised to give us regular updates. He also asked us to create this blog so that interested parties can follow along with his progress so he doesn't have to write too many letters. We understand that he will be in training in Kentucky for at least 16 weeks and potentially longer.