Recruit Avant

You may have noticed that there is information to write an additional recruit, Recruit Avant. If you have been reading Jake's letters, you already know that Recruit Avant is in his second month and has yet to get a letter. A letter to this fine young man would go a VERY LONG way for him. Please take time this week and let our boys know we love and appreciate their sacrifice.

Alpha Company: Iraq Diary

We found a great, three part, documentary on the Military Channel. It's called Alpha Company: Iraq Diary. Here is a link to check it out, http://military.discovery.com/tuneins/alpha-company.html It's really good. Try to catch it if you can.

6.25.09

A Novel...

"I finally got your letters! 4 at one time! I broke down into tears! It feels nice to know I'm loved. You guys don't even know! Life is good. I started hating it but letters from home do more than anything else. I still haven't heard from Lacey but don't know if she got them. Give her a wring and tell her to share! My goodness I'm happy tonight. Our entire barracks is tearfully writing letters right now. I know it's a lot to ask but can you please write some other recruits here? One of my best friends on the base Recruit Avant, who is 21, didn't get one letter. This is his 2nd month on the Depot. That's a long time. He might be here up to 3 months longer due to illness. He's a good guy. African-American. He needs it. Also Recruit Thompson and Strickland, they were very sad when he didn't get one. But mainly Recruit Avant. You could even add him to the blog. You don't know how much that means to me. I miss you all. Tell the people of our church I love them. Yes, I do have one kid in my platoon who's a member of the church-Smith. He just reactivated when he got here. We are going to be surviving on these. This place drives you crazy. Smith and I have been shuffled around medical. I have been having knee problems. Once again thank you for the blog. It means so much. Please remember Avant though. Morale is very up and down here. I've seen some scary things. One kid got sent to Miramar, a marine prison for assaulting a DI. Another attempted suicide with a razor blade. These things are not uncommon. That blog will be invaluable to me. The more people write, easier this will be. This place twists people though. What a crazy world we live in, a seventeen year old kid is given a rifle and told "we are going to teach you how to kill people with this in the name of the USA." It's not all bad though. I'm the platoon mail clerk now! I like feeling like I make a difference. Letters just bring so much joy and pain when you don't get any. Tell aunt Laura Congratulations! Aunt Lee-sa too! Can you give my dad my address? This place is changing me though. It turns our they were withholding letters to lower morale. Sad, right? Joey is in PLT 2130. One of their DI's were dismissed cause he tried to poison a recruit with Vicadin and cough syrup. Sometimes I forget that I'm supposed to be a man. I still think I'm a kid... Chow here is interesting...I eat very well. 1-2 times a day, I eat some kind of "surprise meal", a.k.a. SLOP. A puke like mixture of meat and veggies. Sometimes, it's good, other times not. But I'm not a picky eater anymore. I eat what's put in front of me without complaint, not enough time time to complain. I try my best too give encouragement to new recruits. This place can be overwhelming and scary. Please send pictures! Peyton, the wedding, mom,dad, dad, my friends. Anything! Newspaper clippings. This place is smack in the middle of downtown San Diego but it's its own world. To be honest, I thought you weren't writing. It's a lot discouraging Lacey hasn't written, I'm afraid she'll "Dear John" me. Yea, I don't know anything that's going on out there. How's Aunt April? Has the old geezer tied the knot yet? Just kidding. Call uncle David and tell him I say HI-I get off light duty tomorrow.(thank goodness!) The more time you have to think here, the worse. My thing I'm grateful for today is Brotherhood. It's something on a whole another level. I don't know all 83 of these guys but I trust 80 of them with----------Sorry to cut this off. A group of 12 DI's just came through like wild dogs. They just verbally assaulted us for writing letters after Lights Out. SERIOUSLY. 12. Ask uncle David..... Remember, write often. And remember Recruit Avant. PICTURES!"

RCRT Suter

Hi guys-As you can see, we are his little world of happiness and joy. He mentioned the blog many times! WRITE COMMENTS, DUH!!!!!!!! I'm printing this out today and sending it-better yet write personally and comment on this blog. Jake wants us to remember RCRT Avant. I sent both of them letters separately yesterday with L.A. times front page, comics, sport page, and horoscope. Do your part!

6.21.09

Yea-another

"I'm sitting at medical right now so I decided to write to you again.  I can't describe how much I miss you.  Life is so lonely here. I want to be a Marine but right now I don't want to be here.  It really is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do.  I know if I just grit my teeth and scream, I can do it though.  It's odd being here-makes me realize how young I really am.  Allot of the older guys say I'm really brave.  They say they couldn't have done this at seventeen.  To be honest when I look back, I don't know how I'm doing it.  I guess I'm a man now.  After only two weeks that's what the Di's tell me.  "You're all grown-a__ men, act like it!"  So, I try my best.  Sometimes, when we get in a rut, it just seems so hopeless.  Other times when we are successful, nothing can stop us.  I've learned I'm not a civilian anymore-I'm something more-much more important.  I heard music today.  I was disgusted by it.I would much rather hear SDI call marching cadence-that is what speaks to me now.  If there was a hell on earth, it'd be called MCRDSDS.  I hate every drill instructor but my three.  And my DI Staff Sargent Algado.  I just showed Lacy's picture to my platoon leader, he said she looks like someone famous.  I'll catch up with you guys tonight.

Love, Recruit Suter

LATER

Today was hard day.  After I got back from medical, I was thinking about home so it lowered my morale.  PLEASE WRITE.  People have been getting lots of mail.  It really is hurting me.  I've written more mail than anyone else.  I don't understand why I've got nothing.  Tonight my thing I appreciate more is non excessive punishment.  At home you are late to the dinner table.  Nothing.  Maybe a gentle reprimand.  Here, you don't get your socks on fast enough, IT.  You eat same food in your room.  Nothing.  Here IT.  Love you guys.  Please spread out my address.  I need help.  Love you."

Recruit Jake Suter

This letter is a tough one-it's hard to hear.  Please COMMENT  on these blogs and  SEND HIM LETTERS.  It's his only lifeline.

Letter 6.20.09

We have another letter to share.

"By now I've sent 3 letters to you guys. Today was a good day. We did so well, we got some kind of free time. I say kind of cause we were still working during it.Tonight, I'm going to include some information about my DIs. First, there is SDI Sgt. Coles. He's black and has a huge mole. He reminds me of a mix of Dave Chappelle and Major Paine! He's really funny though. Our base is litterally next door to an airport. Whenever a plane takes off, he points at it and has us scream while he pretends to shoot it down. Here's a conversational tid bit. "Good night drill instructor." "Kill!!" He relates everything to boobies or killing. Next is my knowledge hat. The guy who teaches us. He's about 5' 3" but as ferocious as a bull dog. He's a little white guy. He's like a light switch. We scream at him, he's very nice. We talk quite, be brutalizes us. He's taught us the most. Next is DI SSgt Rossas. He's our kill hat. His only job is to scream at us. He is the single scariest man I have ever met. I don't think he's really that mean though. He's very kind sometimes. Them we have other DI's in training, shuffling through. Kill Hats. So right now, 2 kill hats, 1 knowledge hat, and 1 SDI. SDI is a den mother. He always stops the kill hats before it goes too far. My thing I appreciate tonight is privacy. I shower in a small room with 15 other men, crap without stall doors, and sleep in the open. Could you guys send STAMPS, please? Well I'm off to bed. Love you, very very much. Write back soon.

Recruit Suter"

It sounds like Jake is really coming along. Thanks for all the support. We will post new letters as they come in.

No New News

We haven't gotten any letters from Jake since the last entry. We're thinking it's because Jake has been getting letters from everyone and has been doing his best to respond. I'd like to thank everyone for supporting Jake in his time of need. We know that through that love and support he will make it through this challenge in his life. If we get any news today, we will get it up for everyone ASAP. Thanks again.

Letter 6.19.09

We got another letter form Jake today.

"Today started off alright, I guess. Just the usual, wake up, clean, go get chow, come back, go to class. The same basic deal. Then we went to PT, that's where it all went downhill. I'm trying not to lose my personality and I don't think I will. After PT we just drilled for awhile. The senior drill instructor (SDI), Staff Sergent Coles, is normally very cool. But, we made him angry so he "killed us" tonight. Ran us ragged basically. I've learned allot about allot of things while I've been here. Honor, courage, commitment, hard work, honesty, team work and integrity in just a week. But I've also seen the worst. Coveting, stealing, selfishness. It really is horrible. This place brings out the best in some, and the worst in others. It's a little sad. Some people in my platoon are just so dumb. I lose my bearings sometimes. I'm trying best not to. Writing to you guys is helping me keep my sanity. This is a crazy place for crazy people. I hope to hear from you guys soon. My new good thing is a good ink stick and a good place to write. We take for granted that we don't have to use some crappy pen that costs $.89. Living here has made me cheap. And the place to write, I write these at 0.900 ish (12:56am) from the head. (bathroom)

Goodnight,
Recruit Suter

Love,
Jake"

We'll keep everyone posted with any news as we get it. I can't stress enough how much Jake would appreciate a letter from his family, friends, and viewers of this blog. Please take a few minutes to write, it makes all the difference in the world.

Letter 6.18.09

We got a letter from Jake today and wanted to share it.

"I've decided to do this like a journal and write as often as I can. Little things I used to not appreciate, I appreciate now. Like the luxury of time telling. I know, weird, right? You'd think it'd be TV or video games or the internet. Sometimes it's the little things that matter. Time moves differently here than on the outside world. Time moves quickly, but when I hit the rack, it feels like it was ten years ago the last time I did. I don't know if that makes sense. Yesterday ended well, I got a priesthood blessing and that made me upbeat. I can't wait till this is over. I rethought my least favorite thing. It's either holding out my rifle or hygiene time. Rifles are: pick it up, put it down, touch the portholes, run to the back bulkhead. (Bulkhead is the wall and porthole is the window.) And yes we are in a regular building. It makes it hard to hold my ink stick (pen) and hygiene sucks. This recruit only got 700DI (Drill Instructor) seconds to shower, shave, and brush my teeth. So about 200 regular seconds. It's rough. Sometimes I dream about home when I sleep. That is THE worst, cause I always wake up here. I'm sending this out at around 0530 tomorrow. Please write every day if you can. Remember pictures. Again, every day please.

Love,
Recruit Suter"

I hope everyone can take a few minutes and write Jake when you get a chance. He is an amazing kid and I know he will succeed. I think he needs to hear us cheer him on.