A Geek’s Think

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.

Wow. Boot camp’s getting close. These last few days have been full of making sure my bills are paid, ensuring my stuff will be safe, and hanging out with family and friends. As time goes on, life almost seems surreal as I look around and see people, places, and more that I won’t be around for a long time. The feeling is not unlike what I felt when I left on my 2-year LDS mission to Brazil back in 1998.

The next few months are going to be pretty full. On Tuesday, April 11th, at about 5:00 a.m., I’ll be picked up by the local recruiter and taken to the Phoenix Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). When I get there, they’ll do a brief medical checkup. After the checkup, I’ll be taken into an official-looking room to take the Oath of Enlistment, which begins my time as an active-duty member of the US Navy.

After taking the Oath, I’ll be given a plane ticket and sent on my way boot camp, held in Great Lakes, IL, at the Navy’s Recruit Training Center (RTC). My first week there is called p-week, or processing week, where I will run around getting shots, filling out paperwork, and generally conforming to the mantra of “hurry up and wait.” Altogether, about 1000 recruits arrive at the RTC each week, so I won’t be alone in my waiting. The next Monday I’ll be placed in a division with a group of around 80 men and women and my 8 weeks of training will begin.

After boot camp, I’ll be sent through various stages of training lasting up to a year before I’m actually sent to my first duty station. Where will that be, you may ask yourself? I have no idea, but I sure am excited to find out!

I’ll try to keep you updated on my experiences, whether though my own posts or via my brother Carl, who will post excerpts from my letters home when I can’t get to the website myself.

Yesterday was very nearly what one might consider a perfect final Saturday before boot camp. In the morning, I went on a beautiful hike up near Strawberry, Arizona with my friend Ernie and in the evening I had a gathering of friends, many of whom I had not seen in a long time.

The hike was down the Pine Canyon 26 Trail past Parsnip Spring to a “Deep Pool” (really only a few feet deep) and back.

The hike began at the top of the Mogollon Rim near Strawberry, down some switchbacks, past a beautiful spring covered in clovers, and ending at a set of small pools in the stream. The trail goes on past the pool, but we did not. Ernie and I took quite a few pictures, which I’ve placed in my photo gallery.