Got A Letter From Knucklehead Son

nunn

A letter from Travis arrived yesterday. I don't think it will do me any good to answer it, since his return address is, "PVT Nunn, Travis E, Reception Center, Ft. Benning, GA." He apparently doesn't have a place to be yet.

He said he got a bunch of shots and went to the PX and bought some things they are required to have. One of the medics doing the initial inspection found something wrong with one of his eyes and called over another medic. They sent him to a real doctor, a Major, who said it wasn't posterior polymorphic dystrophy, but only a scratch. I have had Travis' eyes examined a number of times, and if he had an eye disease, one of my docs would have caught it for sure.

Travis also said he tried to call but couldn't get his calling card to work. He is also dealing with a rather severe case of heat rash/jock itch with OTC meds. I think he probably should go to sick call and see a doctor about it. Maybe he will if it doesn't get better.

Anyway, it was good to hear from the boy. Good to hear he isn't whining to come home, too.

FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email gpd035@sbcglobal.net

n/a

nunn

It seems like yesterday when I was the boy in boot camp and writing to my Dad. He will be real glad to hear from you when thing settle in and he gets a mailing address. Hang in there, he'll make you proud.

Jeff

"We become what we habitually do. If we act rightly, we become upright men. If we habitually act wrongly, or weakly, we become weak and corrupt" - *ARISTOTLE*

**Like Grandad used to say--"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin"

tr fox

Wouldn't hurt to go ahead an answer the letter. After all it is his first since being inducted. And who knows? For one reason or another he might stay at that induction center longer than expected.

Regardless, at some point he will receive a letter written now and addressed to the reception center and it will make him feel good knowing that you responded promptly.

Plus you can walk him through the instructions of how to properly use his calling card.

JMHO

Warpig883

The Army is pretty good about forwarding mail. He will be required to fill out a change of address card when he leaves the replacement center for his training unit. Send the letter-he'll get it. Mail is VERY VERY important to many soldiers in stressful situations. It does WONDERS for moral. Send him a letter at least once a week.

I am not a number I am a free man

select-fire

Write to him at that address. Let him know what is going on at home and that you are busy as heck now doing his work. ( that should put a grin on his face ). I can understand the heat rash... as hot as it has been here.

joeaf1911a1

David. I cant see why you call your son a Kncklehead. You should be
damn proud of him for joining the Army and specially the Infantry. And
dont waste any time in writing him at this address. If he goes to his
Basic training outfit the letter will catch up with him . Remember, if
you dont write to him, he may not write to you.

nunn

Knucklehead is a term of endearment. Besides, he is a knucklehead. He is 18.

FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email gpd035@sbcglobal.net

hughbetcha

The eye problem is just a cover story. The reason he couldn't call is because he was on a secret mission... one of those covert ops. Don't ask questions, you'll just embarrass him in front of the other commandos.

Rosie

Write to him Nunn. I didn't have anyone to write to me my first time around and mail call hurt.

Blckhrn

If it is fungal, the jock itch may be best cured with a liquid spray of Tolnaftate, mych better than its OTC alternative which is usually Miconazole (both are OTC). If not fungal, probably benadryl cream or possibly hydrocortisone.



Powders don't work as well as liquid.

"No taxation without representation, Join the NRA"

idsman75

The Army isn't that great about forwarding mail. I would send a few letters while he is in replacement but it could be a waste of a stamp. Forwarded mail in the Army is SLOOOOOW. I had a package take over 3 weeks to get to me while I was in Recruiting School at Jackson.

Everyone gets plagued by illnesses in BAsic training. My immune system isn't used to what some other guy is bringing from the other end of the country and so on and so forth. EVERYONE GETS SICK at the beginning until everyone is eventually immune to everyone else's cooties.

Heat rask, jock itch, foot blisters. It all sucks but it's part of the toughening-up process.

Good to hear he's okay!

hawaiipighunter

Nunn,
congrats on your son helping us serve. i cant speak for the army but in navy terms, the first few days are hell. they do pretty rigorous medical checks to get ppl out of there that recruiters have tried to get in. besides the next few weeks are gonna be tough so they wanna get ppl healthy an prevent any spread of disease etc...besides you have all walks of life there. travis may be bunked with some ritzy boy from the rich part of towm who's pissed at mommy and daddy and joined up or be could be with some of our worst, poorest undercivilized people. hey it happens. there still are ppl in america that dotn have running water hot water etc....

its hard as a parent to sit back and wait, but give him a few more days to get somewaht settled and i use that term loosely.

in navy boot camp we got shots, drug tests, and uniforms all in the first couple of days. its called in processing and they are just trying to get all the medical dental exams and admin out of the way before the core of boot camp.

i do suggest that you reply to his letter. ALSO YOU MUST USE SOME SORT OF HIS SSN. i suggest the last 4. this will help the mail people to find him.

once you get his real address, i suggest sending him letters and often. he probably will only get them once a week or so, but it helps to have 3 short letters than one long one. believe me. its like they are calling out the winners for million dollar lotto tickets as you wait for your mail.....

have neighbors, relatives or whoever write a hello note to him. part of training as most of knwo here is meant to demoralize a sole and build it back up. so as they are doing this to break a man down to respect army rules, it can be tough on some people. some understand that its just temporary and that in a few weeks they are out of there and on wtih life. some can see the forest for the trees. remind him he will get through it, and time does fly by. send him cutouts of the newspaper showong him baseball standings etc..he does not ahve news or contact with the outside. tell him whats happening at home in the town, (bill got a new truck, bessy has kittens it all helps)

nunn, i suggest that you call up the local country music station and request a song called letters from home. listen to this and you will understand it from the soldiers warriors point of view.

all in all he will be fine. write him often. use his ssn to help identify him and welcome him to the ranks of those who serve. poop, tell him im proud of him too.

kyle

idsman75

Rigorous medical checks on people that recruiters tried to "get in"? Have you not heard of MEPS? How long has it been for you?

It takes a phenomenal specimen to make it past most MEPS doctors. Look at a MEPS doctor wrong and he'll disqualify you for being weird.

rogue_rob

Good to hear it worked out and glad you heard from him.

drobs

Heat rash! I recall, everyone had it the 1st couple weeks, then the body gets used to the heat.

Make sure he buys some insoles for those Army issue boots! I got out of alot of foot problems by having them in basic. The PX sells them.






Regards,

springer1

In the late 70s MEPS would turn
their heads the other way for just about
anything ,they even signed my
parents name where they missed[}:)]
I was 17
Write if you want,but mail takes awhile
to catch up

nunn

He had the rash before he left. He didn't show it to me until he was at MEPS in downtown Dallas, about 20 minutes before the bus left. I had to walk about 6 blocks to a CVS and got him a tube of anti-fungal cream and a tube of hydrocortisone cream.

Got it to him just in time for him to smear some on before he left.

FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email gpd035@sbcglobal.net

knucklehead14

Hey! Watch how ya use the name Knucklehead knucklehead.

Bad spellers of the world

"UNTIE!"

DancesWithSheep

This is one of many form letters the Army sends out to parents and loved ones of recruits struck down by mishap, misdeed or misfortune. Chances are good Travis could not use his calling card either because his hands and fingers no longer function or because he is now completely incapable of speech. You will receive another such letter in a few days advising you of Travis' assignment to a non-existent platoon, along with the names of non-existent buddies with whom he will be supposedly undergoing non-existent training. Of course, the truth is that he is the subject of some bizarre experiment the Army is conducting at a remote, underground facility in Nevada. In the near future he will return home with short hair, claiming to have completed recruit training. However, he will have twice the number of teeth he had when he left, so buy him another toothbrush and ask him to trim the hedges before supposedly leaving for AIT.

cruzie27

nunn write the boy,...one little note from home makes all the diffrence.

Doc

Well, why don't some of the forum members write to him and wish him well? His peers will be very impressed when he gets 50-100 letters at mail call.

pickenup

nunn,
GOOD to hear that you got a letter from him.
He will figure out how to use the calling card soon.

SaxonPig,
While reading this thread, I was wondering why no one had brought that up.
Then you did. [;)] [:D]


The gene pool needs chlorine.

texaswildman

Nunn - my son was at Basic in Benning about 4 years ago. He can not get mail at the reception station, but he can write from there. When he gets assigned to his Unit, you will get a 30 second phone call from him advising you that he is there and this is EXACTLY his address - write it down exactly as he gives it to you. His name will have a number after it (my son's was 357 - i remember it and he thought it was cool)- always include it and write the address exactly as he gives it to you. until you get the address do not mail him the letter.

I wrote my son at least every other day and just told him stuff like what happened around the house, work, hunting camp, races, ball games, etc. they do not get any TV or newpapers, and that was how he kept up with what was going on. they also share their letters with their buddies. SEND him letters and have others write. they have to do 10 push-ups for every letter, then later on the count goes to 20. they can have their buddies help offset some of the push-ups. Letters from home are like gold. Everyone looks forward to mail call and some guys don't get any. you can send him no magazines or newpapers, only letters and pictures. i typed my letters and inserted pictures in the text.

Now for you - Go to his graduation, even if you have to sell your house. It is worth your every effort. you will be amazed at the no-haired man that greets you. Hooah!

BTW - Benning has a very good website for their Basic - go surfing.

I am ..... gone huntin'