The Beginning of the End

I know, I know .. I said that I wouldn't post anymore until after Earl's graduation. I just got three letters in the mail from Earl today, though, so I figured I'd share a bit.

(Wednesday) 1/20/10

Earl and his fellow soldiers went on a 4 mile run early that morning wearing every single bit of body armor that they have. Later on in the afternoon they practiced drill and ceremony marching for hours on end. They then spent the rest of the evening packing and going over their gear for their FTX (Field Training eXercise). Earl is exhausted be he is prepared to retake his PT Test again on Friday (he needs to pass it in order to keep his 18X contract).

(Thursday) 1/21/10

The weather in Georgia has be amazingly random. Just two weeks ago the temperature was in the mid-teens and there were reports of snow. This week though, it's been raining, muggy and the temperature has been in mid-sixties. Earl talked to the Special Forces liaison today about his contract, and the guy said that Earl just needed to pass his last PT test with a score of 240. After Earl's PT test on Friday, his company will have a thorough inspection of their bay. On Saturday morning Earl and everyone else will leave for their FTX, they will be out in "the field" until Wednesday (1/27/10 - today).

(Friday) 1/22/10

Earl passed his PT test with a score of 249! He did 43 push-up's, 67 sit-up's, and ran 2 miles in 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The rest of the day Earl spent packing more for his FTX.

So that's it. This is the beginning of the end. I hope to hear from Earl sometime this weekend (hopefully he will get a chance to use his cell phone). Like I mentioned before, this will (really) be the last update until I get back from Georgia the week after next. Thank you again to everyone for reading this and thank you to everyone who have supported us through these long few months.

Almost Graduation Time!

Not too much to say about this week. I've only received about 4 letters from Earl for the three weeks that he's been gone.

I had the wonderful pleasure of talking to him on the phone for a half an hour last Sunday (1/17) - Not much to report on that, we just went over what he had already mentioned in his previous letters and talked a bit about his graduation.

Speaking of graduation, there are only ten days left until I fly out to Georgia to see Earl!

I'll be getting into the Atlanta, GA airport on February 3rd, around 2pm. On February 4th at 9am I'll be attending Earl's "Turning Blue" Ceremony** where I will have the honor of pinning his official Infantry Blue Cord (small braid-like rope) onto his Class A Uniform. Later that afternoon at 1pm Earl and I will attend an additional (mandatory) informational briefing. On February 5th at 10am I will attend Earl's Graduation Ceremony. On February 6th at 10am I will say my good bye's to Earl and fly back home.

For those of you who may still be sending letters to Earl: It was mentioned in a letter that I received from his Commander to stop sending stuff to soldiers after January 25th.

So that's it for a while now ... I won't be posting any more updates until after Earl's graduation.

Thank you again to everyone for reading these updates, and for supporting Earl and I through this ordeal. We couldn't have done it without you guys.

** - I wish I could explain this a little better, but I couldn't find any relevant links to it. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures though, so everyone can see what Im talking about.

The Many Adventures of Earl in Hell!

Alright, it's back to the same thing as before: Updates.

So far this week I've received four letters from Earl:

1/5/10 (Tuesday)

Earl's flight back to Georgia went well, he had a guy in his platoon that had a seat next to him, so he had someone to talk to.

The Atlanta airport was crawling with Drill Sergeants when they got off the plane. They were immediately placed on a bus and were shipped off back to Ft. Benning.

Earl and everyone else were welcomed back with an immediate piss test to check for any drug use over the break.

On Monday it was only 17 degrees at Ft. Benning. I think that's pretty abnormal as far as Georgia weather goes.

1/7/10 (Thursday)

Earl and his platoon spent Wednesday night outside in the woods. They set up a patrol base and dug fox holes to sleep in. Earl could hardly sleep because it was so cold, there was ice on his rifle and his camel pack had frozen solid. They were supposed to spend one more night in the woods, but due to reports of snow, it was called off.

1/9/10 (Saturday)

New nickname: Ebony Rage

Earl and his platoon didn't do much today. Since they have a PT Test coming up on Monday, most of the guys have just been working out.

They all got in trouble due to the fact that one of their rifles wasn't clean enough. So the Drill Sergeants made Earl and everyone else re clean their rifles all day long.

Earl's watch that he bought over break (can't remember what kind it is) is exactly the same kind that Drill Sergeant Ward wears. Therefore, DS Ward has come to the conclusion that Earl wants to be just like him.

1/11/10 (Monday)

Earl, sadly, failed his PT Test by six push ups.

It was only 19 degrees when Earl and his platoon had to stand outside and wait in line (in only their work out uniforms) to perform the test. By the time it was Earl's turn to take the PT Test, he could hardly move due to the fact that he was so cold. Earl was bummed that he had not passed the test, but he talked to a few of his Drill Sergeants later on in the day and they explained that he could retake the test within the next week.

On Tuesday they started M.O.U.T. Training (Military Operations in Urban Terrain), where they get to kick doors in and clear out rooms.

So that's it for this week.

Tune in next week for more Adventures of Earl in Hell!

The Holidays Have Come and Gone ...

... And boy, did they fly by fast!
As most of you know, Earl got to visit for two weeks for Christmas and New Years. We did a lot of things together, saw a lot of family and friends and enjoyed each others company during that short time as much as possible. It was a glorious holiday season indeed.
Earl is back in Georgia completing the last bits of his Basic Training. Only one month left this time, then it's on to graduation at the beginning of February.
After graduation Earl stays at Ft. Benning, GA and goes on to Airborne School for another three weeks. He graduates again and then he starts the long and hard process of Special Forces training in Ft. Bragg, NC.
Thanks to everyone who welcomed him back home for those two weeks. Im sure he was more than happy to see everyone again.