Military Families
Options
Anyone knows..?
My fiance went to ft. jackson yesturday..I'm guessing he's at reception? Can you tell me what it's like there, more detailed please and I've heard they usually call home the day they get there or next day? So will I heard from him tonight? What time are they allowed to call..what time should I be expecting a call? Is it still 9 pm bed time at reception? How long is it? Also, how is ft. jackson?
When did you start adjusting to him not being here for 2 months? When the letters came? How many letters a week do you get?
Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Anyone knows..?
When I got to reception I called home that night. That was my last phone call for, oh...2 weeks or so. But it is NOT a guarantee you will hear from him tonight. They will at least call you and say "Hey, I'm here, I'm ok. Love you bye." But don't expect a 30 minute heart to heart. How long he's in reception will depend on how fast the cycles are going through and how many they have. I was in reception two weeks before I even went to basic because it was the summer and their busiest BCT time of year.
They are allowed to call when the Drill Sergeants let them call. Typically in the evening or on a Sunday.
Bed time is whenever the Drill Sergeants say go to bed. It varies on what part of BCT they are in.
Fort Jackson is hot, sandy, has pine trees and sucks asss.
The amount of letters depeds on how much time he has to write. Seriously, no one's experience is the same and his ENTIRE life right now is up to the drill sergeants and cadre. Relax. He will be fine.
Woah. That's a lot of questions. Take a deeeeeep breath. Remember that not everyone has the same experience- whether it be during training or the length of their Military career. That said, I'll answer some of these based on our experience.
I'm guessing he's at reception? Probably
Can you tell me what it's like there, more detailed please and I've heard they usually call home the day they get there or next day? I cannot because I am not in service. I was lucky enough to hear from my husband right away and a few times while he was at reception. They were able to keep their cellphones during reception but had to submit them before being assigned to a Platoon. However, that's not typically normal so don't assume the situation will be the same for you.
So will I heard from him tonight? He will call you if he can and is allowed to, which they usually are to let you know they made it there. Don't expect a long convo though, like BEB said.
What time are they allowed to call..what time should I be expecting a call? Again, this depends on when he is allowed to. My H was able to call me almost once a week, usually on Sundays and sometimes during the week, but this was a privilege. Again, not the norm to my understanding.
Is it still 9 pm bed time at reception? I think so
How long is it? I assume you mean reception. It depends but it can be anywhere from 7-10 days, sometimes more for some servicemembers
Also, how is ft. jackson? This I cannot answer and that's because DH went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was supposed to go to Fort Jackson but they literally changed him the DAY OF his flight there LOL
When did you start adjusting to him not being here for 2 months? It was very hard at first. I wrote him about 5 letters and gave them to him before he left home because I knew it would be awhile before he would get any of mine. I cried a lot at first, because it was our first real separation in 3 years (at the time). Eventually, I got used to it.
When the letters came? I got three letters at once and they were the second week he was gone. Maybe the third (can't remember).
How many letters a week do you get? DH wrote me a lot so I got letters about 3-4 times a week. But this changed closer to his graduation date and they became less frequent. I didn't get any letters from him the last two weeks.
Whew, I was out of breath just reading that post! Take a deep breath!
Two weeks goes by pretty quick. My DH was just gone at ASBC for two months, and he was back before I knew it.
Follow the advice in your other thread about finding hobbies and filling your time. Because the more you focus on how much it sucks, or how much you miss you... the more it will suck and the more you will miss him.
I changed my name
Yep he's at reception and should be able to call soon. My DH was able to call everyday while at reception, but it defers. Ft. Jackson is great IMO. We live 45 minutes from it. And it is HOT here. But, they'll be doing the majority of their PT in the morning when it's not 2000 degrees.
It took a couple weeks to adjust, but once I did DH was home...lol. He went close to Christmas and they got a 2 week exodus. But, when he went back I knew that it was downhill from there. Like PP said...find a hobby...me? I went out and bought a puppy. LoL.
I got to call home on the second evening I was at reception. It was basically just, "Hi. I made it. I'm fine. Tell my babies I love them. Bye." I had 5 min to enter in the calling card info, call, talk and say bye. After that call, I didn't get to call home for 34 days. Imagine going 34 days without talking to your kids.
In reception, he will get his head shaved, a dental exam, uniforms, equiptment, shots, some tests, paper work and a few other things. I was there for a week before I shipped to my training unit.
Don't expect to get very many letters. I barely had time to pee before someone was yelling at me to hurry up. In the begining, I was only able to write letters on Sundays and that is only because I did it on the bus to and from church. After a while, I was able to scratch out a quick one to my kids on fire guard at night after I finished my work. Sometimes, all I was able to send was a piece of paper with "Mommy loves you!!" written in big letters. Later, I was able to write actual letters that were about a page long.
Everything really depends on his command and his drill sergeants, though. They could be hard asses. They could be pretty chill. Who knows?
I don't know much about Jackson because I was at Ft Leonard Wood.
The other ladies have pretty much covered everything, but I'd like to add a few things. One- you will not get a letter every day. They only send out the mail on certain days usually, so you'll most likely get a few letters at one time, wait a few days, get a few more letters, etc... The letters are often short and to the point because BCT isn't full of free time!
Two- You'll get a call when you get a call. Have your phone on and with you, but don't get paranoid when a week or three passes without hearing from him. Sometimes, having a one-minute long phone call just makes you miss them more.
Three- He will want to quit at some point. He will say that he made a mistake, it's too hard, he misses you, he can't do this, etc... Just tell him that he is strong, you are strong, and it won't be long before this part is over. My husband hit this wall around week 4/5, but I know some ladies who received calls/letters like this at all points in BCT. Just be encouraging, listen to what he says, and if all else fails, tell him that he made a commitment and needs to honor it.
Four- Write letters every day, even if it's just about your boring day. You may get his letters before he gets yours, so he may write and ask why you haven't sent him anything. Just be patient, he'll get your letters. Don't send anything you don't want anyone else looking at/through. My husband told me before he left not to send anything but letters. No photos, no gifts, no food. Most of the guys either had stuff confiscated or had to share with everyone. One Snickers bar divided amongst an entire company really isn't worth the push up's he'd have to do!
You will be fine. Just remember that this isn't forever. He'll be back in your arms soon enough.
They could be AMN.
That would be more than funny. It would be amazing.
Don't know if it differs unit to unit, but I got a letter everyday except for the 10 they were in the field. And they were a couple pages not just short and to the point. Also the no photos thing? I sent plenty of photos.
I sent a few photos too. With the knowledge that all photos they received had to go up on a bulletin board for a week before they were allowed to have possession of them. I'm just glad he had a chance to tell me about that before I sent any pictures (not that I would have sent anything bad, but I definitely thought twice before sending any at all). Apparently some other GFs/fiancees/wives didn't get that memo, and some guys were reeeeaaaaallllly embarassed by the pics they had to post on the board for everyone to see. LOL