January 1, 2010
So, it’s officially 2010. Not sure if I should be excited or depressed? It’s strange spending so many holidays on Parris Island at Marine Corps Boot Camp away from family, but being here, you hardly even know it’s a holiday.
While the majority of the world celebrated bringing in the New Year at a party with friends and fireworks…I spent it with two other recruits on firewatch. My shift was from 12am to 1am. Happy New Year, right? We flickered our red moon beams on and off a few times and called it a party. Who doesn’t love spending every moment with 74 other dudes and some Drill Instructors? The sounds of 74 snoring, farting recruits describes my New Years celebration atmosphere.
So far I’ve spent Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Marine Corps Birthday, Halloween, Christmas and New Years here on Parris Island. 2009? Yep, right here. 2010…still here. There’s good and bad that come with spending your holidays as a recruit at Parris Island. The good news is that you get extra free time to write blogs home to the wife. The bad news is that the Drill Instructors always “make up” for those extra free time hours. We get to “play games” longer than usual (it seems).
UPDATE: So…an anomaly happened on Parris Island today. It’s especially abnormal considering that our Platoon was involved in it as much as we’ve been getting “jacked up” lately. After noon chow we came back to the squad bay and watched two movies and chowed down on protein bars. Thanks to all of the moms who helped provide them! We watched Heartbreak Ridge and the new Star Trek. It was a much needed morale boost for our Platoon (in my opinion), and it was the first REAL time away from training that we’ve had in 74 days. Now we just have to maintain an intense performance status to finish strong and win final drill. I almost thought I saw our Platoon come together a little bit today. I think all of the emotional tolls have just been heavy in our Platoon…this may have been just what we needed. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.
The really good news is that I’m counting down the days until I become a Marine and am finally reunited with my wife. We already have my 10-day leave planned out. We’ll be pretty busy…buying a new wedding ring for me, house/apartment
- looking
, baby doc visits, laptop purchase, baby shower registering, movies, non-chow hall food, sleep and lots of catching up to do with people. I’ll also have to spend a little time monitoring my business to see how things are going without me around, and I might do a little shooting. My Glock and AR are probably feeling a little neglected…unless the wife took them out for a “stroll” while I was gone 
(FYI…no, the 5 months pregnant wife has NOT been shooting assault rifles!)
- Recruit Webb
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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