Post by Cathy on Oct 7, 2007 19:22:53 GMT -4
Zach called this morning!!! He was on 2, 12 hour passes, today and yesterday!!
He called at 11:23 am est time and we talked till 11:58!!! Wow!!! Longest time talking to him since he was home!!! lol
The he called dad, who was downstairs at work. Then he and his buddy he's with were to see a movie. They saw 2 movies yesterday too! Then they are heading to the main PX for shopping and some Church's Chicken!! lol
He sounds so GREAT!!!!
His Final PT is tomorrow!!! *gulp* Hope he gets through the pushups what with his shoulder hurting. But yeah, he said they DO let them retake parts over and over if need be, even up till the day before graduation!!
He said that he's already been doing AIT training since about the 7'th week and that there at Benning, as they have been told, they don't do things like other Bases at all! He said that his training is basically straight-through 14 weeks of Infantry Training. He said that unlike other Soldiers that do BCT at one place then go somewhere else for their AIT, who then have weekends and nights to themselves, they DON'T there at Benning!! Because they are Infantry, he was told. There's hardly any 'classroom' training-its all hands on and in the fields and on the ranges. AND, that they also do NOT get to have cellphones or laptops or anything! Pretty much, nothing changes and its the way they do things now. 6 days a week of Infantry Training.
So that stinks, that he won't have that free time or get to have a cellphone with him...but, at least I still get to stalk the mailman for letters!!!! ;D
We realized on the phone that a month from today, we'll be on the road and on our way to see him!!!! Yea!!
He said some of the DSs are great and that he even BSs with a few of them and one of them never even smiles and is REAL HARD on his Platoon-smokes them just for BEING his Platoon!!! lmao!! But he said even that DS BSs with him and laughs too!! lol He said one of them told him, one day out on the range, as he was zeroing his weapon and was done before anyone else...
"Someday, you're gonna be a Drill Sgt. Faist!! I can just see it. 10 years from now, the recuits will be even worse than they are now, and I'll come driving up in the bug truck (Zach explained that its basically like a 'roach coach' and they can buy Gatorade and PowerBars off it) and there you'll be, trying to train some new recruits and I'll just drive by, 300 pounds, with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth and I'm just gonna point at you and laugh as I drive by, saying... "Look. There's poor DS Faist trying to train those idiots." and I'll just laugh and laugh." ;D ;D ;D omg!!! How funny!! So the DSs do have a sense of humor!! lol
I'm glad he has conversations with DSs that don't just involve being told what to do or being smoked. lol He was the same way at NG ChalleNGe Academy too. The DSs there liked him and woud BS with him and treated him like an equal many times. I think they see in him and acknowledge that he DOES know a LOT about the military and weaponry and that he really takes this very seriously and never screws up. He's never been 'dropped' as a single-out either. Same as ChalleNGe. The whole Platoons would get dropped, but he's never been singly smoked because of something he did wrong. That alone, makes me even prouder of him.
He knows EXACTLY why he's there and what he's there to do and learn and he takes it very seriously because he KNOWS just how serious it is and how serious and REAL it is out there in combat zones.
So, it was a great phone call and we talked about a bunch of things here and there. It was just soooo wonderful to hear his voice again and for so long too! lol
THEN...
Zach called again!!!! he called at 5:58 pm and we talked till 6:40!!!! WOW!!!!!!!! It was sooo much fun talking to him like that!!! It was almost like our late night chats in the kitchen!!! Hey, I WAS in the kitchen too!! lol
They went and saw another movie today, then went and had pizza instead of Church's Chicken. I said, "I bet it wasn't good as NJ pizza" He replied..."oh no way, don't even get me started!!" lol!!!!!
We talked about sooo much! He told me about stuff he's done, stuff that's happened and funny stories and said all the stuff he has to tell us will take the entire 15 hour ride home!!! lol I said, "Good! I can't wait!!!" lol
Towards the end of the call, more guys were coming back to the area they were at, at the smaller PX near their Barracks and all of a sudden, Zach says, "Mom, here talk to Johnson" So his friend gets on the phone and talks with me for a few minutes!!! lol he said his mom came down for the weekend and he had a great time. He told me that they took a special picture for Zach while they were out...(another of the guys was with him and his mom for the day too) So he says they were in a store and picked up a big jar of peanut butter and posed with it while his mom took the picture for Zach!!!! ;D ;D ;D OMG that is sooo funny!! Everyone knows about Zach's PB fiaxtion, it seems!! lol
I asked if he saw the pictures of the Skippy peanut butter jar and one w/the pb on a big sthingy on top of the jar, and he said that yes, he saw it and they thought it was hysterical!! I asked..."wasn't that cruel of me?" he laughed and said "yes, but so worth it!" lmao!!!
So then when Zach got on the phone I asked him about the PB pictures I sent-but didn't tell him about the pic Johnson has for him-don't wanna ruin the fun. lol So Zach says, "oh yeah! That was GREAT!!! All the guys hated that!!! They thought it was hysterical but it was torture for them too!" ;D ;D ;D
Oh and Zach told me something that brought tears to my eyes and made me so very proud of him even more!!!
He told me that they have the option of designating a certain amt of their pay to a charity-comes to about $200.00 a year...and Zach told me he chose the Lupus Foundation because it could someday help me!!!
Oh how utterly beautiful and unselfish of him!!! He REALLY is growing up...he's now a man and one I am so honored to call, my son!!!
So yeah, there was so much we talked about...it was just so wonderful and uplifting for me!!!
*hugs*
Cathy
He called at 11:23 am est time and we talked till 11:58!!! Wow!!! Longest time talking to him since he was home!!! lol
The he called dad, who was downstairs at work. Then he and his buddy he's with were to see a movie. They saw 2 movies yesterday too! Then they are heading to the main PX for shopping and some Church's Chicken!! lol
He sounds so GREAT!!!!
His Final PT is tomorrow!!! *gulp* Hope he gets through the pushups what with his shoulder hurting. But yeah, he said they DO let them retake parts over and over if need be, even up till the day before graduation!!
He said that he's already been doing AIT training since about the 7'th week and that there at Benning, as they have been told, they don't do things like other Bases at all! He said that his training is basically straight-through 14 weeks of Infantry Training. He said that unlike other Soldiers that do BCT at one place then go somewhere else for their AIT, who then have weekends and nights to themselves, they DON'T there at Benning!! Because they are Infantry, he was told. There's hardly any 'classroom' training-its all hands on and in the fields and on the ranges. AND, that they also do NOT get to have cellphones or laptops or anything! Pretty much, nothing changes and its the way they do things now. 6 days a week of Infantry Training.
So that stinks, that he won't have that free time or get to have a cellphone with him...but, at least I still get to stalk the mailman for letters!!!! ;D
We realized on the phone that a month from today, we'll be on the road and on our way to see him!!!! Yea!!
He said some of the DSs are great and that he even BSs with a few of them and one of them never even smiles and is REAL HARD on his Platoon-smokes them just for BEING his Platoon!!! lmao!! But he said even that DS BSs with him and laughs too!! lol He said one of them told him, one day out on the range, as he was zeroing his weapon and was done before anyone else...
"Someday, you're gonna be a Drill Sgt. Faist!! I can just see it. 10 years from now, the recuits will be even worse than they are now, and I'll come driving up in the bug truck (Zach explained that its basically like a 'roach coach' and they can buy Gatorade and PowerBars off it) and there you'll be, trying to train some new recruits and I'll just drive by, 300 pounds, with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth and I'm just gonna point at you and laugh as I drive by, saying... "Look. There's poor DS Faist trying to train those idiots." and I'll just laugh and laugh." ;D ;D ;D omg!!! How funny!! So the DSs do have a sense of humor!! lol
I'm glad he has conversations with DSs that don't just involve being told what to do or being smoked. lol He was the same way at NG ChalleNGe Academy too. The DSs there liked him and woud BS with him and treated him like an equal many times. I think they see in him and acknowledge that he DOES know a LOT about the military and weaponry and that he really takes this very seriously and never screws up. He's never been 'dropped' as a single-out either. Same as ChalleNGe. The whole Platoons would get dropped, but he's never been singly smoked because of something he did wrong. That alone, makes me even prouder of him.
He knows EXACTLY why he's there and what he's there to do and learn and he takes it very seriously because he KNOWS just how serious it is and how serious and REAL it is out there in combat zones.So, it was a great phone call and we talked about a bunch of things here and there. It was just soooo wonderful to hear his voice again and for so long too! lol
THEN...
Zach called again!!!! he called at 5:58 pm and we talked till 6:40!!!! WOW!!!!!!!! It was sooo much fun talking to him like that!!! It was almost like our late night chats in the kitchen!!! Hey, I WAS in the kitchen too!! lol
They went and saw another movie today, then went and had pizza instead of Church's Chicken. I said, "I bet it wasn't good as NJ pizza" He replied..."oh no way, don't even get me started!!" lol!!!!!
We talked about sooo much! He told me about stuff he's done, stuff that's happened and funny stories and said all the stuff he has to tell us will take the entire 15 hour ride home!!! lol I said, "Good! I can't wait!!!" lol
Towards the end of the call, more guys were coming back to the area they were at, at the smaller PX near their Barracks and all of a sudden, Zach says, "Mom, here talk to Johnson" So his friend gets on the phone and talks with me for a few minutes!!! lol he said his mom came down for the weekend and he had a great time. He told me that they took a special picture for Zach while they were out...(another of the guys was with him and his mom for the day too) So he says they were in a store and picked up a big jar of peanut butter and posed with it while his mom took the picture for Zach!!!! ;D ;D ;D OMG that is sooo funny!! Everyone knows about Zach's PB fiaxtion, it seems!! lol
I asked if he saw the pictures of the Skippy peanut butter jar and one w/the pb on a big sthingy on top of the jar, and he said that yes, he saw it and they thought it was hysterical!! I asked..."wasn't that cruel of me?" he laughed and said "yes, but so worth it!" lmao!!!
So then when Zach got on the phone I asked him about the PB pictures I sent-but didn't tell him about the pic Johnson has for him-don't wanna ruin the fun. lol So Zach says, "oh yeah! That was GREAT!!! All the guys hated that!!! They thought it was hysterical but it was torture for them too!" ;D ;D ;D
Oh and Zach told me something that brought tears to my eyes and made me so very proud of him even more!!!
He told me that they have the option of designating a certain amt of their pay to a charity-comes to about $200.00 a year...and Zach told me he chose the Lupus Foundation because it could someday help me!!!
Oh how utterly beautiful and unselfish of him!!!
He REALLY is growing up...he's now a man and one I am so honored to call, my son!!! So yeah, there was so much we talked about...it was just so wonderful and uplifting for me!!!
*hugs*
Cathy
