23 APR 2006
This is the content of a letter from Tyler that he requested I post. The title of the post is the date of the letter.
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Dear Family,
I hope you are all well - things are going OK for me here,
too. It’s a stressful environment, but not more than I can handle. I’m
starting to get the hang of making my bed the Navy way and folding my
towel just as I’m being taught. I’d never realized how uniformly and
cleanly things like shirts can be folded and stacked. Our first few
days (really the first week) were pretty crazy. We didn’t sleep at all
the first night and only got three hours of sleep the second night. We
were issued clothing, measured, tested, marched all over the place, and
given lots of shots. I’m so glad those days are over.
Our schedule’s starting to settle down a bit now as we get
to the actual training part of boot camp. Everyone’s starting to get
accustomed to living such a regimented lifestyle, though some still
struggle. I’m OK with it, though I still occasionally struggle with the bureaucracy of it all.
We’re supposed to graduate on June 9th, which is just seven
weeks away. That seems like a long time to me right now, but rationally
I know it’s not very long at all. I’m excited for the growth
opportunities I’ll have between now and then.
Well, I better go work on shining my boots - every second
of time is valuable here. I even woke up at 1 AM this morning to iron
my clothes with full military creases.
I love you all and miss you a whole lot. I’m praying for
you and ask that you continue to pray for me. I’ve already felt the
Lord’s support many times as I’ve gone through this experience and I am
doing all I can to stay worthy of His aid.
Tyler
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