PICTURES!!!!!

So Instead of writing a long boring blog entry... I figured I'd start back at the beginning and show some pictures. Now that I'm home in Sioux Falls for Christmas I have access to a 'real' computer (my Ipad for some reason doesnt allow me to attach pictures to my blog entries). I'll just say that I'm happy to be home with my dog... oh, and my family. But I'll post another entry before I go back to San Antonio updateing you with everything.

ENJOY :)


This is my division in at Bootcamp. Division 354!!!


This is at Firefighting class. Can you find me???


This is at Graduation. I'm third row from the left right behind the flag.


First time I saw my parents in a couple months. One of the happiest days of my life.


Some of my family that was able to make it to Graduation. My sister-in-law Ashley, sister Dede, Brother John, and Dad and Mom.


Me in my Dress Blues.


This is my new home in San Antonio. I share a room with one other guy.


Not much choice in what to wear. LOL


This is what I eat EVERY morning. It's actually pretty good. The only good meal they serve.


Me in EMT class.


Testing my blood pressure skills.


My parents and brother Joe came down for Thanksgiving. We visited the Alamo.


Me and my Mom after Thanksgiving brunch.


Me in my Dress Whites.


After my brother left, my parents and I had a couple days to relax.


Standing my 0200-0700 watch down on the Quarterdeck.


Well these are just a few of the many pictures I've got. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Safe New Year!!!

Richard

Good Times Ahead

So it's been more than a month since my last update so I figured it was time to fill you all in on what has been happening. Prepare for a long blog entry :) one of these days I'll figure out how to include pictures.

On October 21st I graduated from Navy Bootcamp. I'd have to say it was one of the most happy days in my life. Not only did I feel a huge sense of accomplishment for completing it, but I was estatic that I would soon be out of that AWEFUL place! Bootcamp for me was a terrible experience, but if you've been reading my previous blogs I'm sure you already realize that. I wont go into detail of my last days there because frankly I've already blocked most of it out of my head.

After graduation I was able to spend time with my awesome family. My Dad, Mom, sister Dede, Brother John, and Sister-in-law Ashley were able to make the long drive to Chicago to help me in celebrating this accomplishment. We went out for lunch/dinner and spent some time at their hotel room before they had to drop me back off on base. We only had a few hours together, but it meant the world to me. After two months of no communication (besides the occasional letter and two short phone calls) I couldn't help but break my military barring and smile during graduation. That was friday.

Saturday I had to be up at 0200 to get my stuff together so that we could be at the airport by 0300. Not really sure why we had to be at the airport so early when my flight didn't leave until 1900. Out of the 7 divisions that graduated on Friday, there were probably about 70ish Corpsman. Since we all were going to the same place we traveled together. We arrived in San Antonio late Saturday night and were taken directly to Fort Sam Houston. We got briefed for a few hours and finally around 2am we got our room keys. When I got up to my room I had to be quiet because my roommate (who had already been here for a week) was sleeping. I had to be up and ready down in the classroom by 0700, so I threw my stuff in the closet and went to bed. A few hours later, 0750 to be exact, I woke up. I looked at my watch and almost had a heart attack. An hour late on my first day!!! AHHHHHH!!!! My alarm didnt go off. I jumped into my uniform and raced downstairs just in time to catch my group returning from chow. Turned out not to be that big of a deal. I just missed breakfast.

The first week was spent getting briefed on policies and procedures of being at Ft. Sam Houston and at School. On Friday we were told which classes we would be put in. All of us reservists really lucked out. Since the we are getting paid active duty pay while we are in training, the government is trying to rush us through so they don't have to pay us active for very long. So I ended up getting put into a class that was starting the next Wednesday! Turns out that some people I came with wouldn't be starting class for more than a month after I start. I met my class on Friday right before we were let out. They seemed cool (and they are).

Monday and Tuesday were spent doing stupid stuff while we waited for our class to start. We marched around, got more briefs, etc. Wednesday we started classes and that's what I've been doing ever since. We have class Monday - Friday from 0800-1700. We get an hour halfway through so we can march to the galley for chow, but other than that we sit in a classroom all day. I'm actually enjoying class and learning a lot. I got my CPR certification the first day, and now we are working on our EMT course. Nursing etc will follow in the weeks ahead. I don't know what I'd do without 5 Hour Energy drinks! I live off those things!

Anyway, thats a short decription of what has been going on the last month. I'll try not to wait so long in between blog entries so I can be a little more detailed. I hope everyone is well :) I miss you all.

OH!!! By the way, I finally received my phone. My new number is 605-216-2200. Feel free to call or text. I'd love to hear from you all.

October 6, 2011

Ahhh!!!! I got to call home today and I had about 30 minutes to spend on the phone. I was able to talk to both mom and dad. Unlike last time, this was a good phone call. I think since I had more time to talk it made it less emotional. I found out that my parents finished the basement project and it turned out really nice-can't wait to come home and see it. I also found out that my poor little Jackson has caught a cold. I guess like father, like son. I'm still suffering from my cold but I think it may be getting better. I told my parents they need to tuck him into bed and put my fleece blanket over him-he gets cold really easily.
I'm so excited to see my family in 15 days. I've missed them so much and I'm so fortunate they are making the trek all the way from South Dakota. I owe them big time. Maybe I'll take them out to dinner in Chicago on my graduation day.
Not much new here at boot camp. Still alot of sitting and waiting, and marching. Today we got a second round of shots and one of the ones they put in my arm hurt terribly. I feel like I can barely lift my arm. After that we got our 3rd haircut and my lady just shaved it all off agian cause I'm so thin on top. Oh well.
On a side note, it's amazing all the different ways people eat. I've probably seen a dozen different ways to peel a banana! I guess thats what you get when you put people from all different places and walks of life together.
We're all counting down the days and getting excited for graduation. I finally got the top to my dress blue uniform. So now it's complete. It's going to stink wearing it at graduation-it's all wool- very hot. At least it looks cool.
I'm getting excited about Corpsman school. I've heard from other HM's that it isn't that hard. So I'm hoping they're right. Those are good skills to have.
Alright, letter writing time is almost over, so I'm going to finish up. R :)

October 4, 2011

It's been an interesting couple days. Yesterday we were practicing for our drill inspection that we had today. We spent a few hours marching in the pattern we will be marching in during graduation. During all the marching, I couldn't help but enjoy the cool breeze and the changing colors. It reminded me of camping and made me really wish I could have gone camping this summer. Fall is the perfect time to camp, and I would give anything to be at the camp sight in Northern Minnesota with a pop up camper, sitting next to a camp fire and eating a great hamburger, cooked on the grill over open flames. But no! I'm stuck here in prison. Maybe next year.
Yesterday we got our dog tags. It seems everyday now it becomes clearer that we are becoming sailors. I also found out that I'm O Negative blood type. I never knew that.
This morning we woke up at 5 am and went to chow quick. After chow, we had just enough time to practice our marching one more time. Then we headed in and got ready for our inspection. The inspector came and we marched across the base to the drill hall and did our drill routine. Our petty officers said we did really well, so they rewarded us with a phone call. Hopefully this time I'll make the trip so I can use the phone.
After drill inspections, we ate chow again then packed up for our 2nd test. I didn't really study for it and I passed. Not sure what I scored, but all I care about is that I passed.
Right after the test, we marched over to Freedom Hall (our athletic training facility) and did some PT (physical training). Then we came home and ate chow again. Now we are sitting and going over people's orders. I found out that my Corpsman school starts on Novemer 1st and hopefully ends February 29th. 4 MONTHS!!! Hope it's better than boot camp!
Alright, I'm tired of writing . Talk to you soon. Thanks again for the letters. R :)

Oct. 2, 2011

The last three days have been difficult. Everyone here is catching colds and I caught one too. Mine has been pretty bad. Head congestion, headache, body aches, sore throat and cough. It started Friday morning. We woke up at 0830 so we could be at our live fire training (that's where we qualify to shoot the 9 mm pistol and the 12 gauge shotgun). For most recruits, it's the best day of bootcamp, but for me, it has been by far my worst. My body hurt so much I couldn't get comfortable no mater if I was sitting or standing. And there was a lot of both. On top of that, I probably only got a couple hours sleep, so I was exhausted. If you fall asleep during live fire, you get pulled out and sent back to your barracks. So that was another challenge. The 5 minutes we actually got to shoot the guns was very nerve racking. There were instructors all over the place screaming in your ear what to do and if you don't do it, it's called "breaking blue". If you break blue, there is a good possibility that you could get sent back a couple weeks in training. I'm not even sure how I did cause I was so nervous, and they rushed us out as soon as we were finished. I'll find out a week before graduation if I scored high enough for a ribbon on my uniform. I sure hope so. When we got back to the barracks around noon, we went straight to lunch. I had absolutely no appetite, so I barely ate anything. After lunch, I asked my petty officer if I could go to medical to get checked out. He let me go, and I spent about an hour there and came back with some medicine, which seems to be working. I still feel terrible, but all the body pain is gone.
Yesterday at lunch when standing in line, the 4 rows of tables next to us were a fresh batch of new recruits. You can tell because they all have freshly shaved heads. I thought to myself back when I was that recruit and I was looking up to the guys with longer hair-thinking I would never get there. It feels nice to know that i made it. I'm now the guy with the longer hair and I wouldn't go back for anything. We are now the senior division in our barracks building. Only 19 days til graduation!!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was thinking to myself, I'm more excited to be done with my job as starboard watch than I am for bootcamp to be done. I think bootcamp would be easy if I didn't have a job to do. I envy my shipmates that just get to do what their told. Oh well, like I said...only 19 days.
Thanks to everyone who is sending me letters. It definitely helps cheer me up. Special thanks to my brother Mike for his encouraging words. Thanks Mike! He was in the Army so he knows what I'm going through, but I'm sure his Army bootcamp was much more difficult that my Navy bootcamp is.
Hopefully this week will be easy and go fast. Ha.
R :)

Sept. 28, 2011

Dearest Blog,
Today was a good day. It's about time.
Last night I got woken up twice by the officer of the deck (the guy who checks on all the divisions during the night). He woke me up the first time so he could yell at me because my watch stander was carrying his flashlight in his pocket instead of his hand. The second time he woke me up was due to the fact that my watch stander wrote something wrong in the deck log. Each day we write about 8 pages worth of info into the deck log and everything has to be perfect. Every period, comma and every letter and number perfectly formed. It it's wrong, I get chewed out.
Anyway, I got up at 3:15 am so I could shave and proof the deck log before Reveille (time to get up). We immediately got our sweats on and marched to Freedom hall (which is the huge athletic training facility here on base). This morning was our second physical fitness assessment, which of course I passed. I did 70 some sit ups in 2 minutes and 60 some push ups in 2 minutes. Then I had 14 minutes to run my 1.5 mile, but I got it done in 11:32 minutes.
After PFA, we marched back to our barracks and ate chow. Then we went to class to study Naval History for a couple hours. It's all computer based training which makes it very difficult for me to stay awake. After that, we had to get ready for our personal inspection and weapons turnover inspection. The first being where the inspector inspects your uniform to make sure you are wearing it properly. He also asks you a question that you have to answer correctly. You can take two hits before you fail the inspection. Needless to say, I took zero hits. The second inspection involves turning over a 9 mm pistol. I passed that one flawlessly too. The entire process took about 2 hours-and we were standing at attention the entire time-it kills my legs and back to stand at attention for that long. After that, we went to chow for dinner which was actually good tonight-meatball subs. The rest of the night was spent preparing our rack for tomorrows inspection. We will be gone and an inspector will go through our bunk to make sure everything is ironed and folded to Navy's specifications, and placed in the right spot inside our bunk.
Anyway, today went really fast, so that made me happy.
OH!!!!!Almost forgot-Our Chief (who leads our division)called me into the office today after the inspection and actually told me I was doing a good job! Apparently there were no mistakes in my deck log-each mistake counts as a hit towards our division score. Hits are very bad. But it was great to hear from her! It gave me the umph I needed to get through the next 22 days.
I better get some sleep. Night. R:)

September 25, 2011

So it's Sunday again and we are in the middle of our Holiday Routine (our 6 hours of free time for the week). Everyone is ironing, folding , cleaning their racks, and polishing their boots. I, on the other hand, am writing letters and taking time to relax.
I'm still homesick but every day gets a little better. I've been here for 31 days now and I've only got 26 days left til graduation. I have a feeling the next 26 days are going to fly by. We still have to go to the firing range to learn weapons, the seamanship building to practice basic seamanship, learn firefighting, go to the gas chamber, and do our final battlestations test. On top of all that, we have inspections, drill tests and two more tests.
Yesterday we spent about 2 hours marching around in circles practicing for graduation. It's amazing that some people still don't get it. My division has a lot of smart people, but we have just as many, if not more, stupid people. There are about 4 or 5 people in my division that have Bachelors degrees, and about 6 or 7 who are over the age of 26.
On Friday, my division will become the senior division in our ship (they call the barracks"ships"-each ship holds about 12 divisions, and each division has around 80 people. My guess is there is about 12 ships.) That makes us all excited. You can tell all the new recruits that just moved in because their hair is still shaved off. The best way to tell how long someone has been here is by how long their hair is.
Anyway, I think I'm going to take my Hollywood shower. That's what we call showers on Sundays because we can take our time and not be rushed. Every other day we get about 40 minutes to get 80 guys showered and the bathroom cleaned. When there are only 12 shower heads, that means SHORT SHOWERS. R:)

September 18, 2011

It's Sunday morning at 8:45. I've already been up for a few hours and eaten breakfast. It's Holiday Routine, which is our "free time" for the week. We have between 0700 and 1300 to write letters, fold and iron our clothes and socialize. I'm only an hour and 45 minutes into it and I'm already bored. For the past 25 days, I've had every minute planned for me and now that I can do whatever, I'm bored. I wish I could go to Taco Bell or use a computer, make a phone call, see my family, or at least sleep.
There s a rumor going around the division that on Tuesday we might have the opportunity to call home. I sure hope so. I'm not sure if a phone call would be a good thing or just make me more homesick.
It's pretty sad that I miss checking Facebook-just goes to show how addicted I was to it. I also keep checking my pockets to make sure my phone is on silent, but then I remember I don't have a phone. Everything I have here was given to me by the United States Navy. It will be weird once I'm graduated and go to my A school to have some of my things back. Alright, I will make this entry short. I'll write soon. R :)

September 14, 2011

So today has been the best day of boot camp thus far! It started with an early breakfast followed at 0730 by getting two of my wisdom teeth pulled out. Yes, that's right-I actually enjoyed getting them out. Well not the process of getting them out but the couple days that follow. Everyone who gets their wisdom teeth pulled out gets "sick in quarters", aka-bedrest for two days. That means that all day today and tomorrow I'm able to lay in bed an study and sleep. I finally am going to be able to catch up on my sleep. There were a total of 10 people in my division that got our teeth out today. Last Tuesday, another 12 people got their teeth out. I'm a happy bootcamper. But I know that won't last for long.
Time seems to move a little faster. This week has gone by pretty fast. I can't believe tomorrow is Friday already. Yesterday we had an inspection, and I got a 5 out of 5. It was an inspection on how we dress in our Navy working uniform and how well we make our bed. Tomorrow there is another inspection but since I'm SIQ I get an automatic pass. Tomorrow is also our 1st test, but again, since I'm SIQ, I get to take it on Monday. That gives me all weekend to study and get the test questions from my fellow shipmates.
I'm still really homesick, but I've received letters from home and from a couple friends which really helps. Everyone loves getting letters here, including me, so PLEASE send me letters. My address is:
SR KELLY R.S
SHIP 12, DIV 354
RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND
3515 SAILOR DRIVER
GREAT LAKES, IL 60088-3515

I've decided that this has probably been the worst experience of my life but I know I'm learning alot and that I'm changing for the better because of it. Nothing is easy here. Where else can I get paid to study, eat, get my teeth pulled and exercise? This is definitely an experience I'll take with me the rest of my life, but I'm more than ready to be done. Only 36 days til graduation ! Woo Hoo!!! R :)

Blog #3 08SEP11

I can't remember when I wrote my last blog entry, nor can I remember what I wrote about. So I'll just write what's been happening the last couple days.
My division moved into our permanent barracks a couple days ago and its the furthest barracks building away from everything! Needless to say, we march a lot. Being that I'm Starboard Watch, I've got orders to yell out while we are marching. I'm not much of a yeller, but I just do what I'm told. The days are all running together and I never know what day it is. You think that would mean time was going by fast, but no-it goes by so slow!
Today we had our swimming qualifications. In order to graduate boot camp, everyone needs to qualify as a 3rd class swimmer. Today there were two divisions doing the qualification-so there was about 175 people there. I thought it was easy. All we had to do was jump off a high platform, do 50 meters of swimming, do the dead man's float for 5 minutes and put on a pair of coveralls and fill it with air and float. Of course I passed, but there were about 30-40 people who failed and need to go back for swimming lessons. Then they asked if anyone who wants to try for 2nd class swimmer to stand up, so I thought, what the heck, and I stood up. (The 2nd class swim is a little more difficult. People who want to be divers, seals and other special ops have to pass this.) There was about 30 people who wanted to try, but they weeded it down to about a dozen-with me being one of them. Turns out only three passed, and yours truly was one of them. It made me feel good.
I still hate this place and can't wait to graduate. Everyone feels the same way. We are all counting down the days. I've been here a little over 2 weeks and six weeks from tomorrow (09SEP11), I will graduate.
Alright, I'm going to bed cause I gotta get up at 4 am. Ick! R :)

Blog #4 11SEP11

Today is Sunday and from 0700 to 1300 we have what they call here Holiday Routine. Basically it's free time to do whatever we want as long as we don't sleep. It's a time to write letters, iron our clothes, shine our boots and study. It's nice to finally somewhat relax. I might even take a long shower (I'm used to taking a 2 minute shower if I am lucky). I decided against going to church this morning because I really needed a mental break.
Since my last post, I've completed my first PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment) and passed it. I ran my 1.5 mile in less than 12 minutes and completed the required amount of sit ups and push ups. Out of 80 people in my division, 50 people passed-I'm thankful that I was one of them. I continue to surprise myself. I'm so thankful for my parents, who insisted on raising me with discipline, values and good, common sense. I feel so far ahead of most of the people here.
I'm more than ready to get out of here, but I'm getting used to it which makes every day a little more bearable. I've been making mistakes lately with checking the deck log which has resulted in some chewing out sessions, but I'm so numb to it by now. I just do what I'm told and keep my mouth shut.
A couple days ago we gout our first mail and I was happy that I received two letters from home. It's nice to know that there's a world outside of GREAT LAKES NAVAL STATION. Mom sent me some pictures that I look at all the time. Getting letters and pictures from home gives me the hope that I will soon be done here. The guy in the bunk next to mine told me today that there are only 41 days left. I've been here for 18 days already. I'm getting really home sick and missing my dog Jackson. But like all things, time will only continue to go faster. R :)

Blog entry #2 01SEP11

It's Thursday morning I think and i just got done with my night watch duties. It's 3:15am and I'm wide awake. Pretty amazing considering I only slept for 2 hours last night. I've been put in a leadership position: starboard watch. From what I hear, it's the third highest position for a recruit in a division. I don't like it, but I'm doing my best. I'm basically in charge of setting up the watch schedule. Once our RDC's (Drill Instructors) leave for the night, we have to have four guards at the door. Shifts are 1 hour long and people hate doing it. So I'm the bad guy who has to schedule people to get up in the middle of the night to stand watch for an hour. Oh well, someone's got to do it.
So normally recruits are in processing for only a couple days when we get her, but my division has been in it for over a week now. We've been waiting for more recruits to arrive so that we could fill our division. Apparantly there was a hurricane that slowed people down from coming in. Anyway, yesterday we finally filled our division so come next Tuesday (which will be 2 weeks for me) we actually really start training.
Yesterday we got fitted for our uniforms which was pretty cool. It actually felt like we were military. Up until now, we've been wearing the same blue sweatpants and sweatshirt. Hopefully next week the uniforms will be done so we can start wearing them.
Today we are going to medical for in-depth physicals and dental exams. That is one stop closer to making sure we are "fit for duty". At that point our RDC's can start hitting us with physical training-push-ups, running etc.
I better get finished up, our RDC's will be here any minute yelling at us to get out of bed so we can make it to our 4:00 am breakfast. I was put in charge of waking all 88 recruits up at 2"30 so they could shave and be ready on time. Sometimes I doubt my reasons for joining. It's been really sucks so far. The Chaplain came in today, which was encouraging. She said "I'm not going to tell you that it gets better with time. It just sucks less". I thought that was funny and we all are excited for it to "suck less". R :)

Blog entry #1 8/27/11

FIRST 4 DAYS:
This is a long blog entry so make sure you make time LOL. I arrived at the airport around 12:30 pm on Wednesday. My orders were to report directly to the USO Office, but I went and ate some lunch first. I reported around 1:30 pm but was told that the Navy people wouldn't be there until 5 pm. There were a few other recruits waiting, and during the next few hours many others came in. There were a total of about 200+ recruits that processed that night.
At 5 pm a couple Navy guys came and immediately began yelling at us. I was beginning to get nervous. I was on the first bus that took us to the base at Great Lakes-about a 45 minute drive. Once we all got there, the drill instructors, or RDC's as they call them here at bootcamp, yelled us through a multitude of processing steps. One of the first things was a pee test. I ended up holding my little jar full of pee at shoulder height for over 2 hours before they took it from me. Thats when I decided that this was really going to suck. We did other things that night including boxing up all our clothes we were wearing and exchanging them for new skivies (underwear), shorts, sweat pants, shirt and hoodie. We also got all new hygiene items. Basically they took everything away from us that made us "us" and replaced it with Navy crap turning "us" into "sailor recruits". These sweats by the way.....I've been wearing for the last 3 1/2 days. We've changed our skivies, shorts and shirts but my sweatpants and sweatshirt have not been washed. I even slepp in them. We got divided into our divisions-mine being 354-and went to our temporary ship, or living quarters. I'm living in a room with 80 guys-bunkbeds surrounding the bulkhead(outerwall). It's definitely been interesting.
Most of Thursday was spent standing at attention-whether we were in line for the barber shop or in line for the chow hall. So far that has been the worst part and hardest part of boot camp. After standing on my feet for 30+ hours, my back, hips, knees and feet were killing me. They haven't been PT'ing (physical training0 us cause we haven't been through medical yet. Finally, at 10 pm on Thursday, we were able to go to sleep. After being awake for 40 hours, I was definitely ready for sleep. I had watch at 2 am so I had to wake up and stand guard for an hour, but come 3 am, I had no problem getting back to sleep. We were awakened at 6am by yelling form our Petty Officers. Friday was spent learning how to do stuff and stenciling all our clothes. We also learned how to make our racks (beds) so we did that many, many, many times. There is even a special way to take off and display our dirty sheets! I, of course, am the best at making my rack. Chief even asked me my name after looking at my rack! One of our RDC's favorite things to do is to have us throw our mattresses on the floor and put them back on the bed. He starts with having us do it once in 15 seconds. Then when some idiot's can't do it, he makes us do it twice in 30 seconds. So of course some can't do it, so he then has us do it 4 times in 40 seconds, then 7 times in 40 seconds. They make it impossible, but fortunately for me, I know it's just a game they are playing with our minds. I go along with it and just keep quiet and do what I'm told.
One of their favorite words here starts with a F and ends with an -ers (LOL). if they get through one sentence without saying some form of that word, I'd be surprised. It's almost comical watching these RDC's be so tough. Today while we were learning how to fold and stack our skivies, my favorite moment so far happened. We took almost 2 hours folding and stacking our skivies. Once we folded and stacked them we had to bring them up to the table to show one of our female RDC's. Every pile that was brought up ended up getting thrown on the floor and told to do it right. After about 20 minutes of this, she asked what was wrong with all us mother f****ers and said she wanted someone who was perfect to come up. So naturally I went up. There was one guy who beat me there, but his pile got thrown all over the room. I set my pile down and she tried her best to find something wrong but couldn't. So she put my pile of skivies on the table to show everyone else what perfect pile looks like. I was pretty proud. The next hour was spent with her continuing to call people names and chuck their piles all over the place. It turned out to be very comical and we even got a few smiles out of her.
Now I'm laying in bed. I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I wanted to write down some stuff before I forgot.
So far boot camp has been bearable. Not too tough, except for the long periods of standing. I'm really surprised at how stupid some people really are. I'm learning everything at the same time as everyone else, but end up having to teach them myself when they sit there with a nervous, blank stare on their face. I guess that's the natural leader in me coming out. It also makes me very thankful for the way I was raised and the education I have. There is definitely a difference between those of us with a college education and those with barely a high school diploma.
OK, I'm getting tired so I'm going to bed. Sorry for the long blog entry. And a big thanks to my sister Dede for typing this all up for me. More to come in a couple days. There will be multiple blog entries at once cause I'm only able to send out letters on Sundays. R :)

Richards address

Hello. This is Dede, Richards sister. He asked me to post his address at the base so we can all send him letters. His address is:
Kelly, Richard Shaw
Ship 12, Div 354
Recruit Training Command
3515 Sailor Drive
Great Lakes, IL 60088-3515
His graduation date is October 21, 2011

Today is the Day

Today is the Day!!!

After helping with some last minute things around the house, I went to the Recruiter's office this afternoon and started the shipping process. They went over some final paperwork, answered my questions, wished me luck, and sent me on my way. After leaving their office I stopped at the Holiday Inn (where I'll be staying tonight so that they know where I am at all times) and check into my room. Tomorrow I'll go to MEPS in the morning and in the afternoon board a plane headed for Chicago. After checking into my hotel room, I was able to leave and go back home to finish some things. I had to pack a box for my parents to send me once I get to A School in San Antonio. I also cleaned up all my stuff, got my things in order and went over all my bills and blog instructions with my sister Dede. Dede will be the one updating my blog while I'm at boot camp. We made it a low key evening. We ordered pizza and I tried to relax the best I can.

Saying goodbyes is always the hardest part! DARN YOU LEAKY EYES!!! I was able to visit with my wonderful grandmother today, go out to lunch with my brother Mike, and spend my last few hours as a civilian with my brother John and Sister Dede.... and of course my awesome parents! I've got my stuff all ready, and I just wanted to post a last minute blog update. The next one probably wont come for two to three weeks.

My poor doggie doesn't know what's coming. I haven't been away from him for more than a week since I got him 7 years ago. I think I'll miss him the most. So if you see him, give him a big hug and kiss for me and tell him daddy will be home soon :)

I want to say thank you to my best friend in the world Howie! You made my day with your top ten reasons you don't want me to leave. :)

I'll miss you all while I'm gone, but I'll be back soon enough. Talk to you all later.

One Week Away

With only one week remaining until I leave for Navy Boot Camp, I've been looking back on how all this actually happened.

I've always been a water bug! I LOVE the water. Growing up my mom even said that I taught myself to swim after watching my older brother John in swimming lessons.

My interest in the military first came after seeing my brother Mike's Army picture hanging on the wall. I thought the uniform looked cool. My love for the Navy didn't come until I spent the summer between my Junior and Senior year of college with my brother Robert in Coronado, CA. I was a lifeguard in Sioux Falls the previous 2 summers but not sure what kind of summer job I'd get in CA. A few days after moving in with Robert, I met one of his neighbors, Masako. She just so happened to be the person in charge of aquatics at the MWR on the Navy base across the Coronado bridge. She interviewed me and gave me a job as a lifeguard. I loved going on base every day! Showing my ID at the guardhouse, listening to the national anthem play on the loud speakers every morning (and other Nation's anthems if they had a ship docked), seeing everyone in uniform, seeing the discipline, the camaraderie, and pride all drew me in. I was hooked!

My senior year of College I remember doing a few military inspired prints in my Printmaking class. Those were my favorites by far and I have them hanging in my room today. I wanted so bad to join the military but the war had just begun so I let fear dissuade me. I graduated and went along with normal life. I always had the military in the back of my mind. In fact, a few years ago I even went and talked to an Air Force recruiter in Minneapolis which is where I was living at the time, but nothing ever came of it.

Finally, after several major life changes, I ended up in Sioux Falls with no job, single, living with my parents, and bored out of my mind. One day when driving around looking for a job it hit me... go talk to the Navy! I found out where the recruiting station was and paid them a visit. I knew from the moment I stepped into their office it was meant to be. In about a month's time, I had all the paperwork filled out, gotten my physical, picked the exact job that I wanted, and got sworn in. My only disappointment was that I had to wait three months before leaving for boot camp. Turns out everything happens for a reason. In that three month time period I was able to help my parents with some projects around the house, spend time with my brothers and sisters, and be there when my dad got the call for his new heart!

As I prepare to leave, I feel confident that everything that needed to get done this summer got done. I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life, and excited to see what's in store for me.

Videos of Boot Camp and FMTS

From the time I enlisted to the time I leave for Boot Camp I'm a part of the DEP (Delayed Entry Program). That has required me to check-in with my recruiter every Monday, and attend meetings every second Wednesday of the month. I always seem to remember to check in last minute. Anyway, another part of the DEP is to start studying for Boot Camp - memorizing the Sailors Creed, RTC Maxim, and the 11 General Orders of a Sentry. As I lie in bed tonight trying to get to sleep I remember that I need to have my 11 General Orders memorized by tomorrow night's meeting. UGH!!! Well at least I've got half of them memorized. I guess I'll be working on the other half tomorrow.

I've also been watching more videos on Boot Camp and I wanted to share a couple with you in case you were interested and had some time to waste. It will give you an idea of what I'll be doing for the next couple months. I hope it's as easy as the video portrays. Somehow I doubt it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdHt56NdERo&feature - Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYREP-35Ylk&feature - Part 2

After 2 months in Boot Camp (which takes place about an hour north of Chicago) I'll head down to San Antonio, TX for about 3 months for my Hospital Corpsman training which will teach me all the medicine I need to know. After that I'll be going to either Camp Pendleton in California, or Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for FMTS (Field Medical Training School). I've included a link to a video on that too. This is what I'm most excited for. **Mom... Don't watch** lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhQR0zYtZi8

Alright, I better sign off and start some memorizing.
Later!

Getting Closer

So I'm getting closer to my ship date. I think I may actually be getting a little nervous about the whole thing. Today I went and bought stamps to take with me for all my letter writing, and a calling card for "hopefully" all my phone calls. I'm guaranteed at least 3 phone calls: the call to say I've arrived, the midway call, and the "I'm officially a Sailor" call. My division may earn more phone calls if we score good on tests, inspections, and pt (physical training). Let's hope that I get put on a good division!

I've also been getting my other things in order. I've cleaned my room, started planning my goodbye party, and getting my parents a little educated on what they need to do for my graduation. I'm thinking that my graduation date will be October 21st, but I wont officially know until a week or so into actual boot camp. I've been watching a ton of videos on YouTube about PIR (pass in review - the Navy's term for boot camp graduation), and my Fleet Marine training. Watching those videos makes me so happy that I'm actually doing this. I think a part of me has always wanted to be in the military, but I never actually thought it would happen. The other videos that I always get sucked into watching are the surprise military homecomings. WOW!!! If you ever need a good cry just watch one of those! It's a good cry :)

This whole summer I've been going to bed after midnight and waking up around 9 or 10ish. Sometime around 11. So my next plan of attack for getting ready for boot camp is to start going to bed a little earlier and earlier in hopes that I'll wake up earlier. In boot camp you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6. Now that doesn't sound that bad, but in between those hours there is ironing to do, and even standing watch. We'll see how I do with little sleep. I'm sure I'll be fine.



So I've been thinking a lot about exercising and eating healthier, but that's about it. I've gone on one run, and today was the first day I limited my food intake. It's really hard to resist my mother's excellent cooking!!!

Weight

I wouldn't consider myself fat by any means, but this lets just say this summer I've enjoyed more than my fair share of fast food. Today I went to the gym and I weighed in at 190! That's about 15 lbs more than I would like to be at going into boot camp (more weight to carry while running and doing push-ups and sit-ups). My goal is to be down to 180 by the time I leave. I think it's doable. When I eat healthy and exercise I can drop weight really fast. My only problem is that I hate to work out! We'll see how this goes. 10 lbs in a month is doable, right?

I also talked to my recruiter today and asked about my ship date. Turns out that I have to report to my recruiter on the 23rd of August to get all my papers together and from there they take me to MEPS and I'll stay the night in a hotel. The next day they will drive me to the airport and send me on my way!

SR Kelly

30 Days till Boot Camp

Yesterday was actually the 30 day mark, but I'm close enough. I enlisted in the United States Navy on 20110505 (May 5, 2011). It's been a long couple months as I prepare to join the world's greatest Navy. Some people ask me why I joined the Navy and I guess there are many reasons why I did. I won't go into all of them, but I will tell you a couple.

First of all, I love the military and I've always been fascinated by it. In college I spent a summer in San Diego with my brother Robert working as a lifeguard at one of the pools on the Navy base. It was there that I really became interested in the Navy more so than the other branches. I saw all three of the Navy's core values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. I wanted a part of it. It just took me 10 years to build up the courage to finally enlist.

Secondly, I want to make a difference. I know I can do that anywhere doing just about anything, but I feel as though the Navy is where I've been called to make that difference.

When I enlisted, I went in to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) knowing exactly what job I wanted - Hospital Corpsman. It was a long process sorting through the different jobs the Navy had available, but in the end, I got exactly what I wanted: Hospital Corpsman FMF (also referred to as Doc). I won't go into the details of my job so that while I'm in school I'll have something to write about :)

I'm sure August 24th (my ship date) will be here before I know it. I've got plenty of things that I need to do before shipping off to boot camp, but I won't bore you with all the details. I'm really excited to see what my future will bring. Will boot camp be hard/easy? Will I be put in a leadership position? Will my body hold up? Will my mind hold up? I guess we'll see.

While at boot camp I won't have access to a computer (duh), but I will be able to hand write letters. As of now, I'm planning on updating everyone by writing to a family member and having them type my blog.

I'm not nervous at all yet, but I'm sure that will change during the next 29 days.

SR Kelly