Liberty

Hello, all! It's Ben! I'm writing from a computer in the hotel I stayed at last night during my first 24-hour liberty. I'll be getting this every weekend, except for one or two where my platoon will have to work on either Saturday or Sunday (in which case I'll have the other day off).

It's cold here. The physical demands are hurting my body. I am being pushed far beyond my limits. We get 2-5 hrs of sleep per night, we're yelled at constantly, we suck up food like a vacuum when we're given food, we fall asleep in classes (not recommended by the way), and we're all stressed out. But that's the point. Since the vast majority of candidates here are ground contracts and will probably end up in a combat zone within a year, they're trying to evaluate how we react to stress, fatigue, hunger, and disorientation. It's quite ingenious if you ask me.

One of the things that's making us (ASIDE: when I say 'us' I am referring to my platoon of 40-50 candidates) all so tired and cranky with each other is this: when one person screws up, the whole platoon pays. It's usually stupid stuff, like he called someone a Staff Sergeant instead of a Gunnery Sergeant. Or they didn't ask the question in the exact proper manner. Since we're all so tired and worn down, it was really beginning to take it's toll on us. I'm hoping that this weekend will let everyone clear their heads and get back on track this week so we can continue developing as a team.

I won't talk too much more now, but I do want you to know some things. 1.) I tried to quit this week. It's sooooo hard here - mostly just the physical demands for me. I talked to some people about it, and they changed my mind. But that's kind of where I am: on the verge. Just keep praying that I progress as I should and am able to persevere, no matter how difficult. 2.) It's really cold here. I'm pretty skinny. Pray that I can ignore the pain in my fingers or the chill and continue working and doing the things I am tasked to do. 3.) I miss my friends and family. If you can write, please do. Getting letters is a great morale booster. Just know that I don't exactly have time to write back, so I'll try to contact you directly (fb, phone, text, email, etc...) on my weekend liberty if I am able. News from the outside would be nice - world events, personal events, sports, politics, etc.

OK, I'd better get going to bathe and study for a test this afternoon. Have a great week everyone!