mmmmm, Foooood

Recruit weighed-in before he went as on the light side. This means he may have been subject to double rations status.

Recruits on double rations, or "double rat recruits", are given twice the "chow" of their within-standards compatriots.

They get three meals a day served at a mess hall or, later during the phase called the "Crucible," will be Meals, Ready to Eat. During marine recruit family day, before Recruit went to San Diego, we, his family, were subjected to MREs. I hope they get practice preparing the MREs, because the whole process took a fair amount of time to read and figure out how to warm up the food and boil water for coffee etc.

One mom on a forum said her recruit reported:

"Chow was pretty good. However, there isn't much time to eat it. He said he jammed everything between two slices of bread and horsed it down, which he's good at. When your platoon guide is finished, you are also finished. And he has a DI encouraging him to eat faster. So, learn to eat quickly.
"So, food quality is decent, quantity is fine, allowed time constricted ..."

Other sources also say the food is decent but you have to eat it fast, one young man even suggested a method of  "Keep your head down and fork moving drink in between each bite, you wont be granted more time to eat once your table is done you will told to leave."
I don't see how double rations will be doing any good if one does not have time to eat them.

Letter time!

So we finally got notice from Recruit of his address! Now we can write him. His wife got the letter and even a personal note at the bottom saying he is fine, he misses everyone and he is having fun.

The suggestion for writing letters is to not get sappy and sad and talk about how much you miss him or all the things he is missing, instead focus on what he is doing, stay positive and show him that you are interested in what he is doing.

We are not supposed to send care packages, cookies or hearts.

Recruits have had to eat entire batches of homemade cookies all at once, had to give them all away, or just have them taken away. Some have had to do extra PT (physical training) to be allowed to keep their "surprise" gifts from home - or do extra PT in addition to having to eat them all or give them all away. Other items might be taken away from your recruit until graduation.

Anyone who knows him and would like his address to write something to him, let me know.

"Any Drill Instructor will tell you that recruits who regularly receive mail are better motivated, have fewer illnesses or injuries and generally do better than recruits who do not regularly receive mail.
Your mission is to see that your recruit receives mail of one sort or another every day."

My marine

Some more suggestions:

After you hear from your recruit and check, they will probably like to get pre-printed labels, with their address on some and yours on others. Make sure you have the proper postage on your letters - one recruit had to pay in sweat for 12 cents postage due!

Send off

Recruit traveled to El Paso from Alamogordo, N.M. March 27, 2011. We went down on Monday, March 28, to watch him swear in and prepare to board an airplane to San Diego. We met him at the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station)
I was struck by the diversity of jobs available for those entering the military. There were three other young men swearing in at the same time, all of them going into the Air Force. One was to be a field medic, another going into artillary. Recruit is going into vehicle mechanics. One other young man was there waiting for his test and he was going into nuclear engineering and had passed his ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) with flying colors but wanted a higher score so he could pass a special Nuclear knowledge test with a lower score.
So today is Thursday, which means Recruit is in the last day of his "Receiving Phase," Disembarking from the bus, they line up on the famous "yellow footprints" and are familierized with processes, creeds and so forth.
Tomorrow is "Black Friday," and he will meet his perminant drill instructor and company commander.
His Daily schedule begins at 5 a.m. and gets him to bed at 9:30 p.m.
I love him so much and worry so much, I sometimes feel like I am in mourning. Really it is for his childhood, and I think about his big heart and kind smile and fear it will change when I see him again.
His biggest fear right now is that, when a drill instructor gets in his face, he'll crack up. That would be dangerous indeed!
I know he will come back to us as his kind, funny, laughing self again (and I know that will take time), but there is so much to worry about, it's overwhelming.
Oh my child, I love you so much. I know you are enjoying your new adventure, because I know I would be enjoying it.