Lauren,
So today has been quite a... "fun" day. Having to wake up at 0215 was just miserable. However, at 0400, when we finished making beds, the other groups that didn't have to be awake were allowed to go back to sleep until 0430... but on the cold, hard ground (we didn't want to ruin the freshly made beds).
So, after the 5 extra minutes of sleep, my group had to march all the way across the base (Lackland is the largest Air Force base in the world). We had to go and clean up the graduation grounds, which got me quite excited. I really can not wait, but I know that if I only look forward to that, the next 6 weeks will drag on. It's just hard not to get excited when you see trainees with their stripes walking with their civilian luggage getting ready to leave for technical school.
I found out, I will have my cell phone at all times at tech school, and can talk at any time I'm not in class (0700-1700) and after 45 days, I get to come home during weekends! Of course, I'll be finished about 15 days after that, but oh well!
So, how are you? I really want to know how you have been, how work has been, and just anything in general. I can't wait to hear from you again!
Bailey
P.S. Also, we haven't earned a phone call yet this week, and I can only get my letters out when time permits, just so you don't worry too much!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Letter #5 (July 27, 2010, 2105 hours)
Lauren,
This is probably going to be another short letter tonight. But we are actually getting to bed on time! However, we do have to wake up tomorrow at 0215. Today has been quite a long day. We woke up at 0400 to a T.I. screaming at a trainee for having letters in his satchel. (I had 4 for you in mine, so I had to get out of bed quickly and move them into my security drawer before he could check mine).
Anywho, after all that, we ran 3 miles straight (my shirt was beyond soaked). Then, we had to learn Integrated Defense, which is where we do combat marching, and we have to crawl through sand, dragging our faces the whole way through. My face had a good 1/4 inch layer of sand caked to it.
OH!!! I forgot to mention, we got our M16s last week! But, they are starting night raids, so now I have to go. I hope you got all my letters!
Bailey
This is probably going to be another short letter tonight. But we are actually getting to bed on time! However, we do have to wake up tomorrow at 0215. Today has been quite a long day. We woke up at 0400 to a T.I. screaming at a trainee for having letters in his satchel. (I had 4 for you in mine, so I had to get out of bed quickly and move them into my security drawer before he could check mine).
Anywho, after all that, we ran 3 miles straight (my shirt was beyond soaked). Then, we had to learn Integrated Defense, which is where we do combat marching, and we have to crawl through sand, dragging our faces the whole way through. My face had a good 1/4 inch layer of sand caked to it.
OH!!! I forgot to mention, we got our M16s last week! But, they are starting night raids, so now I have to go. I hope you got all my letters!
Bailey
Friday, July 30, 2010
Letter #4 (Monday July 26, 2010)
Lauren,
I'm going to start off apologizing: I forgot to number/date the last 3 letters! Mostly because I didn't know the date, and also because I was hoping on getting these out sooner. Your letters will usually only take 2 days to reach me, so let's see how mine fare.
I apologize that these letters are a little crazy, I have to write them by flashlight after light out, and make sure that no one sees. I also apologize, your letters are always happy, mine are just mopey.
SO, on to some good news: We had 2nd week P.T. evaluations today, and I managed to cut 2.5 minutes off my mile and a half time. So now, I'm only 30 seconds short of being "safe." It started to storm here today/tonight. There was crazy lighting and thunder, it was so amazing.
I really should go to sleep, only about 4 hours to first call. But before I go, I found a passage today: Isaiah 45:1-7. I reread one of your notes in my Bible about just flipping to a random passage, and it was the first one I flipped to. It really speaks to me, and tell me that God will tear down those physical and mental barriers. You should read it!
Anyways, I love you and will write you again tomorrow. Bye!
-Bailey
I'm going to start off apologizing: I forgot to number/date the last 3 letters! Mostly because I didn't know the date, and also because I was hoping on getting these out sooner. Your letters will usually only take 2 days to reach me, so let's see how mine fare.
I apologize that these letters are a little crazy, I have to write them by flashlight after light out, and make sure that no one sees. I also apologize, your letters are always happy, mine are just mopey.
SO, on to some good news: We had 2nd week P.T. evaluations today, and I managed to cut 2.5 minutes off my mile and a half time. So now, I'm only 30 seconds short of being "safe." It started to storm here today/tonight. There was crazy lighting and thunder, it was so amazing.
I really should go to sleep, only about 4 hours to first call. But before I go, I found a passage today: Isaiah 45:1-7. I reread one of your notes in my Bible about just flipping to a random passage, and it was the first one I flipped to. It really speaks to me, and tell me that God will tear down those physical and mental barriers. You should read it!
Anyways, I love you and will write you again tomorrow. Bye!
-Bailey
Letter #3 (Unsure of date)
Lauren,
I can't really talk long tonight, they instructed us to sleep at lights out. But I just had to talk to you.
We had our 2 week P.T. Eval today, and I'm quite exhausted. Remember how I told you that we had to do our chain of command 14 times the other night? (I think I'm still missing that letter right now) Well, since no one followed directions, we had to do it 25 times last night. Yeah, I was up until 2AM. Also, I don't know how this wasn't first in the letter, but I got re-baptized today. It was quite amazing.
I'm sorry I can't send you more consistent letters. We just got permission to start dropping them off. So you should be getting these 3 letters soon. This whole experience has just made me appreciate you so much more. [Mushy mushy stuff]
I should probably go to sleep now, so I can get some sleep for the run tomorrow. I miss you, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
Love,
Bailey
(Trainee Fowler)
I can't really talk long tonight, they instructed us to sleep at lights out. But I just had to talk to you.
We had our 2 week P.T. Eval today, and I'm quite exhausted. Remember how I told you that we had to do our chain of command 14 times the other night? (I think I'm still missing that letter right now) Well, since no one followed directions, we had to do it 25 times last night. Yeah, I was up until 2AM. Also, I don't know how this wasn't first in the letter, but I got re-baptized today. It was quite amazing.
I'm sorry I can't send you more consistent letters. We just got permission to start dropping them off. So you should be getting these 3 letters soon. This whole experience has just made me appreciate you so much more. [Mushy mushy stuff]
I should probably go to sleep now, so I can get some sleep for the run tomorrow. I miss you, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
Love,
Bailey
(Trainee Fowler)
Letter #2 (Unsure of date)
Lauren,
I really shouldn't be talking to you right now, but I just have to, even if I can't hear your awesome voice. I am about 5 pages through the 14 that needs to be written by 0545 tomorrow, and I just can't do anymore.
I really wanted to tell you, we did locker inspections tonight, and my T.I. found my pic of you, and the first thing he asked me was if I missed you. I started to tear up, and told him that I did, terribly, and I have been on the edge of crying for hours now.
I don't care about graduating anymore, just about seeing you and my family again. They tell you not to look forward to graduation around here, that it's too far off. That instead you should look forward to Sundays, or even just lunchtime or the next day, and it will go a lot smoother and be a lot easier on you.
Today has been a rather rough day. Except for the two classes we had with a hilarious instructor, we have been "on our faces" all day, which basically means push-ups, leg lifts, and squat thrusts. I just wanted for this day to be over. I also got the world's worst cramp in my calf.
I should probably go now, it's late, and I've got more writing to do.
Love,
Bailey
I really shouldn't be talking to you right now, but I just have to, even if I can't hear your awesome voice. I am about 5 pages through the 14 that needs to be written by 0545 tomorrow, and I just can't do anymore.
I really wanted to tell you, we did locker inspections tonight, and my T.I. found my pic of you, and the first thing he asked me was if I missed you. I started to tear up, and told him that I did, terribly, and I have been on the edge of crying for hours now.
I don't care about graduating anymore, just about seeing you and my family again. They tell you not to look forward to graduation around here, that it's too far off. That instead you should look forward to Sundays, or even just lunchtime or the next day, and it will go a lot smoother and be a lot easier on you.
Today has been a rather rough day. Except for the two classes we had with a hilarious instructor, we have been "on our faces" all day, which basically means push-ups, leg lifts, and squat thrusts. I just wanted for this day to be over. I also got the world's worst cramp in my calf.
I should probably go now, it's late, and I've got more writing to do.
Love,
Bailey
Letter #1 (Written around 7-16-10)
Lauren,
I hope that you are able to read my handwriting. I just got your letter yesterday, as well as a card from your family. If you could, thank them for me, and tell them that they's never know just how much it means to me. I would write them myself, but the fact that we have personal time tonight is just an act of God!
I want to tell you everything about this place. I wake up every morning around 2 AM in a cold sweat thinking that I already hear my Drill Instructor (Staff Sargeant Ramirez) yelling. Then I try to fall asleep until 4 AM when we wake up to get ready for P.T. (Physical Training).
Every day here is blisteringly hot. We step outside and sweat literally starts to pour from my face. The food here really isn't too bad at all... it's just that we only have about two minutes to eat. We usually have several classes every day, which I normally don't mind, but on 3 1/2 hours of sleep, within 5 minutes of sitting down, I start to doze off.
The physical side of this place is almost as bad as the mental side. My back still hasn't recovered from out first P.T., so my sit-ups and push-ups have only gotten worse. And when your low on numbers, the T.I.'s like to yell. I did however, run 3 miles today. I've made many new friends here, friends I'm sure I'll keep forever. I want to tell you more about them, but I'm almost out of time here.
[A bunch of mushy gushy stuff that nobody wants to read :)]
Love, Bailey Fowler.
P.S. Mom send me a pic that she took of us together (thank you SO MUCH for doing that!!!) and I cried when I saw it I was so happy to have a picture of us. Also, can you facebook message my mom and tell her that I received her and Philippe's letters, and will respond A.S.A.P.?
I hope that you are able to read my handwriting. I just got your letter yesterday, as well as a card from your family. If you could, thank them for me, and tell them that they's never know just how much it means to me. I would write them myself, but the fact that we have personal time tonight is just an act of God!
I want to tell you everything about this place. I wake up every morning around 2 AM in a cold sweat thinking that I already hear my Drill Instructor (Staff Sargeant Ramirez) yelling. Then I try to fall asleep until 4 AM when we wake up to get ready for P.T. (Physical Training).
Every day here is blisteringly hot. We step outside and sweat literally starts to pour from my face. The food here really isn't too bad at all... it's just that we only have about two minutes to eat. We usually have several classes every day, which I normally don't mind, but on 3 1/2 hours of sleep, within 5 minutes of sitting down, I start to doze off.
The physical side of this place is almost as bad as the mental side. My back still hasn't recovered from out first P.T., so my sit-ups and push-ups have only gotten worse. And when your low on numbers, the T.I.'s like to yell. I did however, run 3 miles today. I've made many new friends here, friends I'm sure I'll keep forever. I want to tell you more about them, but I'm almost out of time here.
[A bunch of mushy gushy stuff that nobody wants to read :)]
Love, Bailey Fowler.
P.S. Mom send me a pic that she took of us together (thank you SO MUCH for doing that!!!) and I cried when I saw it I was so happy to have a picture of us. Also, can you facebook message my mom and tell her that I received her and Philippe's letters, and will respond A.S.A.P.?
Friday, July 23, 2010
July 22, 2010
Bailey illegally called me today. My phone rang, and when I saw his name pop up, I was really worried something happened. But when I answered, he said "HeyICan'tTalkForLongI'mNotSupposedToBeOnMyPhoneIJustWantedToLetYouKnowIGotYourLettersAndIWillWriteBackAsSoonAsICanBye!"
Literally :). I think our whole conversation was 10 seconds long. But it was really nice to know he risked scrubbing toilets the rest of his time there just to call me and let me know he's getting all the mail! He wants to say thank you to everybody that's already sent him stuff, he really appreciates it!
Literally :). I think our whole conversation was 10 seconds long. But it was really nice to know he risked scrubbing toilets the rest of his time there just to call me and let me know he's getting all the mail! He wants to say thank you to everybody that's already sent him stuff, he really appreciates it!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Address
Here is the address Bailey gave me today. Once again, he asked me to pass along to everybody they're more than welcome to send him letters and cards as often as they want to. He'd love it!
AB FOWLER BAILEY K
322 TRS/FLT 576 (DORM A-5)
PSC3
1320 TRUEMPER ST. UNIT 364041
LACKLAND AFB, TX 78236-4041
AB FOWLER BAILEY K
322 TRS/FLT 576 (DORM A-5)
PSC3
1320 TRUEMPER ST. UNIT 364041
LACKLAND AFB, TX 78236-4041
Bailey's 1st Phone Call
I heard from Bailey for the first time today since he'd left for Basic. He's only allowed one 10-minute pone call per week, if that. So we didn't get to talk long, but here is a good deal of what he told me today:
1) He wants his parents to know that he's okay and alive, albeit a little exhausted.
2) He wants people to write him/send him cards as often as they can. He would love the encouragement.
3) He's bald now (That was the first question I asked him). They shaved off all his hair the second day he was there. He also got all his military clothes the same day.
4) It hasn't been horribly hot at Lackland, but he said the humidity is MISERABLE. He said within a few minutes of stepping outside you're drenched in sweat. Fun!
5) So far they've been getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night. He's completely exhausted, and I think that's the one thing wearing him down the most. In relation to that he said "I really don't want to be here right now, but I know I'll make it through"
6) He said they have huge church service options there on Sundays, and that he got to meet one of the chaplains, and that he really seems like a nice genuine guy. Bailey seemed pretty excited about that.
That's really all that we got to talk about in regards to Basic training. 10 minutes isn't very much at all. But he definitely, definitely wanted to make sure that his family (especially his mom and dad) knew all this and that they knew he was there and doing about as well as you can do being at military basic training in Texas in the middle of the summer.
But despite the obvious unpleasantries, he seemed to be in decent spirits. They started running in the morning yesterday, but he said they only did 1 1/2 miles, so it's not bad yet.
I will continue to update this as often as I hear from him! Thank you to everybody that's asked about him and has already expressed wanting his address to send him cards and letters. I know that he appreciates it, and I know those will be huge signs of encouragement as Basic continues!
Intro
Bailey left for Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio on July 13, 2010. He told me he wasn't sure just how often he would be able to communicate back home, but that he would try as often as he could, and he wanted me to make sure everybody back home knew he'd be okay whenever we talked.
So I figured I would start this blog, so that way anybody that wants to can read on the updates he relays to me and how he's doing. I will also post his mailing address, and he told me to tell everybody to write to him as often as they wanted to, that he would love the encouragement.
That's all for now!
So I figured I would start this blog, so that way anybody that wants to can read on the updates he relays to me and how he's doing. I will also post his mailing address, and he told me to tell everybody to write to him as often as they wanted to, that he would love the encouragement.
That's all for now!
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