Need a Little Help

Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
1,001
Likes
82
Location
Fayetteville, NC
Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
My son is going in to the Army, Airborne Ranger @ Fort Benning. He was originally leaving in August however he didn't qualify (red/green color blind) so now he leaves March 20th, one day before his 19th birthday. I know he can't bring much but what can I get him that he can have and would be useful.

I appreciate your service and your input. Thanks in advance
[grin]
 
Seriously get him something for when he graduates. Most things he won't be able to use or have access to. Write him lots of letters. Mail call is everything. I wish him luck.
Oh and tell him to go to church on Sunday. You get away from the DI's then. If you stay in the barracks you will be put to work.
 
Agree, there's not much he ought to take with him other than the clothes on his back. I'd recommend postponing his birthday party until he graduates and comes home on leave and then present him with something he'll be able to use. By then you'll have a pretty good idea what's on his wish list and will have time to get it for him. Wish him the best. Cooperate and graduate comes to mind re: basic training!
 
Oh and the other piece of advise our son wouldn't listen to us on, if he has a female DI......they are meaner than a male DI. My son found out the hard way.
 
Oh and the other piece of advise our son wouldn't listen to us on, if he has a female DI......they are meaner than a male DI. My son found out the hard way.

Things may have changed since I was there, but I don't think he needs to worry about any female drill sergeants at Fort Benning. Home of the Infantry.
The only women he'll see while going through basic, AIT and RIP will be serving him eggs and grits in the mess hall.....
Best of luck - Airborne!!
 
I used to go to church in basic to get some extra sleep. Chaplin encouraged it too.

Sent from my SPH-P100 using Tapatalk
 
Sunday mass is for the guys who don't want to help clean the bay (you bastards...)

The only thing you can actually give him is a little tiny address book (address' and phone numbers, you can sometimes get phone calls for winning competitions towards the end.) for mailcall; almost everything else will be taken and kept for safe keeping until he's finished. Write much, write often; hearing about everything helps pass time and makes you feel a little more connected.

Best of luck!
 
Send him a lot of letters letting him you know you support him and what he is doing.

It's what I wanted most back then.

Material gifts come later.....after he is out of Basic.

By the way, he will never see combat if he is color blind, as far as I know. I may be wrong, and things may have changed. But when I was in, a combat MOS was disqualified for color blindness. (For example, munitions are color coded, and you really need to know the difference between red and green smoke in combat!)

I wish him luck, and tell him I appreciate his "Stepping up to the plate!"
 
Give him the advice that initial entry training is probably 95% mental..... They'll say and do shit to him.... Tell him not to take it personal.... It's all geared to get him in shape (no matter how good a physical shape you think you're in... Yeh... It's never enough...) I was told to keep my head down and blend in.... The first thing they did was give me an orange vest and make me a "road guard" during runs..... Yeh.... Not so good for blending in ;). Write lots of letters.... He may not have time to write back at first....


Sent from my HTC EVO 4G with Synergy+Godmode.
 
Has your son CONFIRMED that he still has 11x in his contract? Doubtful to keep RIP in your contract when failing the RED/GREEN (and possibly other vision tests), or did he get a waiver somehow? Just don't want him to wake up the last day of airborne school and find out he is going to the 82nd and not the 75th.
 
hey everyone im the one who is going in my ship date march 20th and im just saying my contract is 11X with opt 40 (ranger) thanks for the support everyone

Inquiring minds want to know what MEPS said about failing the color blind test with regards to an option 40.
 
Back
Top Bottom