Nick DeBrita is alive and well (sorta)...

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jflis

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I just received a letter from Nick DeBrita.

I get the impression he's had happier times :p

such is life in the military (remind me to relate the story about how my brother belted his sargent during the last week of boot camp... LOL)

here it is, straight from Nick, currently learning all he needs to know about how to protect our liberties:
========================
(I love how he begins this: "JIM, PLEASE POST THIS LETTER ON THE FORUM. PARDON THE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. THAT’S THE ONLY WAY WE ARE ALLOWED TO WRITE.") man, and I thought my *mom* was strict... LOL

Now's it going? It really sucks here. The first week was the worst. The first night we didn't get any sleep at all. We were doing processing stuff all night and the next day. It sucked big time. During our first issue, we got sneakers. Mine weren't laced up so I started to lace them up. A guy came over and started screaming in my face for lacing them up. 20 minutes later, another guy starts screaming at me for NOT lacing them up. It wasn’t cool at all.

My shipmates are pretty cool. There are a few idiots and there are a few jerks. I’ve gotten into a few shouting matches already. It drives me nuts when people don’t listen and they mess things up. I am not afraid to tell people how I feel.

The food here sucks. Breakfast is the same thing every day. Scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast. Every day. The whole eating experience sucks. No talking and not time. You have 10 minutes from when the last person sits down. Eat it now, taste it later.

When we are marching to class, we go past a standard missile w/ Terrier booster. The only problem is, we aren’t allowed to look around. We have to look straight ahead.

I am really missing the comforts of home right now. I haven’t heard music in two weeks. I haven’t been on the forum either!

My graduation day is April 2nd. That weekend, I’ll get on the computer and say “Hi”.

I’ll write a few more letters. Hopefully I will get a few from you guys.

See you later.

Sr. DeBrita, Nicholas
DIV135 Ship 10
Recruit Training Command
3301 Indiana St.
Great Lakes, IL 60088-3127
 
Ok folks!

Let's get that letter writting machine well oiled and make sure that Nick knows we're thinkin' of him!

jim
 
Chin up Nick! Here's hoping things get a little better for you.
 
Yeesh... Hope it gets better for the remainder of the time... Oh well, April isn't that far away.

(Don't tell Nick this, but that makes a 48 minute art class look short!)

Start the storytellin.
 
Sure...you think it sucks now. At some point down the road it will make sense. In the mean time, be happy they aren't shoving chipped beef on toast down your gulet!:D
 
Believe it or not, you will actually look fondly on these memories at some point in the future.
You will have some newbie join your unit, and he will describe how horrible his time was in basic, and you will lean back (like the experienced old hand that you will be) and tell him all about, "Why, when I went through basic back in ought-4, we REALLY had it tough!"
One school of thought has it that the instructors are trying to erase all individual identity, to help you change your thinking and behavior to be part of a unit.
Another school of thought is that they are just a bunch of sadistic a**holes.
You choose.
 
I heard that same thought expressed this way, and it doesn't just apply to the military:

"An organization is a lot like a tree full of monkeys.
Some are climbing up, others are climbing down.
The ones on the top look down and see a bunch of smiling faces.
The ones on the bottom look up and see a bunch of a**holes."

I'll share that w/ Nick when he gets back online...

WW
 
Awe man...I actually *miss* boot camp breakfast! Now *that* was the best part of my day. I specifically enjoyed devouring an orange in less than a minute. (Cut into four quarters, insert orange into mouth like a mouthguard, and chomp out the pulp in one bite. Repeat for remaining quarters.)

Now, for those of you that *really* want to give Nick a hard time, be sure and visit your local drugstore and pick up the tacky postcard with the woman baring buns via T-backs! His drill seargants will *LOVE* that! Wanna know how I know? My uncle sent me one! :kill: :D
 
Oh the life in basic!!!!! You just got to love it...... That was 19 years ago, and I still remember the first night......... Yes, they tear you down to nothing, and then build you back up (the way they want you to be)......
 
I think Nick needs a picture postcard from someone with a monstrous rocket on liftoff with the caption "Accelerate your life? Accelerate THIS!"

WW
 
My favorite memory from Parris Island:

"What the H@ll you lookin at recruit? You wanna buy the d@$% place?"

"Sir yes sir! Would the Drill Instructor have change for a quarter, sir?"
 
Hey Nick
Thats because the neaderthals, sorry DI's, can't read very well and need you to write in capitals so the can try and figue out if you are writing home about them.
Keep going Nick in later life you really will laugh about boot camp.

All the best

David
 
Originally posted by Chilly
My favorite memory from Parris Island:

"What the H@ll you lookin at recruit? You wanna buy the d@$% place?"

"Sir yes sir! Would the Drill Instructor have change for a quarter, sir?"

OMG!!! I just spit my cereal all over my laptop. LOL!!!!

Jim, are there any special rules for sending him mail? I want to send him some encouraging words. Ah, who the heck am I kidding, I want to send him the naked lady postcard Eugene was talking about. :D Seriously, can I send him a fruitcake with a file in it? Oh, thats prison. Does he get an extra stripe for having the most mail sent to him? :)
 
i'm not aware of any *special rules*, though I would suspect there is a chance that his mail could be *reviewed* ahead of time...

i'll be sending him a note this week. I would encourage everyone who knows him (even if just through TRF) drop him a quick note, even if it's just a post card :)
 
during my stay .we had to open our mail in front of the drill sgt

If anything illicit fell out .... you were given one chance to dispose of it right away (and yes it happened more than a few times),
If you got any type of food you had to share it with your buddies......
 
OK, I was a Gyrene so I don't know how Navy boot is...but DO NOT send that poor guy food! Unless you don't like him, that is :D .

Mail that's guaranteed to get him in trouble:

1. Porno
2. Male Porno (not as funny as you probably think it is when you slip that copy of "Playgirl" into the mail box)
3. Food
4. Civilian clothes - including funny t-shirts
5. Anything that says "Long live Osama"
6. AP reloads probably NOT a good idea either...
 
Air Force - basic training May 83...

We each had a number..mine was 3, that way when they called the number, we'd run and get in line and be in alphabeltical order for whatever hell they had for us that day...So heres how it sounded as they reached 24:

24.. Moore Sir
25 ..Moore Sir
26 ..Moore Sir
27.. Moore Sir
28 ..Moore Sir
29 ..Moore Sir
30 ..Muchmoore Sir

We had 2 Howard Johnson's in our flight, and my best friend, a Jamaican whom had lived in England, had a funky English - Jamiacan accent, and his name ?..Robin Williams.

We had 1 guy get bit by a Brown Recluse, head swelled up like a basketball, and we were known as the Honor flight, no darn TI stayed round long enough to get to know us, so needless to say, we had very few 351's pulled.

The day I graduated, my TI - Sgt. Slayton - a 19 year vet whom I still respect to this day, pulled my hat off, asked for a 351 and when he signed it he handed it back..saying, take this for your posterior " On it, it said Excellence in Basic Training "..when I said Sir ?

He said, " Yeah Shove it up your A**"

Ah, the military life, can't say I miss it - except for being based at Beale AFB. CA and seeing SR-71's take off everyday. My best memory was a flight on a dual seater, all because while in basic, we were pulled in our last day by the First Sgt and given a break..sort of.

He asked all sorts of questions about a certain plane - the SR-71 and I was the only one that knew all the answers. He asked me how I knew all the answers, and I told him " Sir, Airman Barker reports, I build models as a Hobby, and have the book on the SR-71 that has specs and the like".

At the end, I was called to the back, and met two pilots, a Captain and Major.. So when I was stationed at Beale 15 weeks later, I was told to report to the flight line...and there she sat.

The Major walked up to me, I saluted and he said, go get in a flight suit, you get to sit in one of these. I did, and only thought I was going to sit in it, when he said..wheres your helmet ?

I said..umm, OHH !!..took off like a rocket, 1/2 way turned to salute him as I left his presence, fell flat on my face, and was badk in a flash.

I remember taking off, and literally being blasted into the seat, the air forced out of my lungs. Amazing...

Then he had me place my gloved hand against the window, I didn't feel anything and he said, never touch the window without the gloves on..its 600 degrees. We refueled shortly thereafter, and made a trip up and around Canada, and back down over the Rockies, all at 50,000 feet or so.

Thankfully I hadn't eaten anything..because i would have lost it.

Best of luck Nick, your in for the adventure of a lifetime.
 
WOW!!!

You actually got to ride in an SR-71 :eek:...you lucky SOB! :D :D

Congrats on experiencing that once in a lifetime event...now I'm jealous! :cool: :kill:

Jason
 
I just copied the address down onto a postcard - it's going out this morning! I'm suere he'll be glad to hear from us!

Jason
 
Jason,

Nick was *thrilled* to get your post card :)

I just got this from Nick:

==================
Hey guys,

This place has gotten a lot better. I’m getting in much better shape too. In high school I couldn’t run the mile without having to stop and walk. On Friday, I ran 2 miles in 18 minutes. Afterwards, I said something I never thought I’d say after a two mile run. “That was easy.”

Right now, the only really bad part about boot camp is the fact that everyone is sick. I was SIQ (Sick In Quarters) for a day. I had a temperature of 102.5. I was only allowed out of my rack to use the head and to eat. It was cool at first, but then it got boring. I also have swimmers ear right now. I took my swim test on Tuesday. I can’t hear much out of my right ear. The swim test was kind of fun. It started off with a jump off a 10 foot platform, a 50 yard swim, and a 5 minute prone float. The prone float was tough. You could come up for air as often as you want, but I couldn’t catch my breath when I came up. They kept yelling at me for that.

We are almost done. “Battle Stations” is on March 25th. Battle Stations is the final test. It lasts all night. You do all this crazy stuff like navigate an obstacle course in the dark while carrying a stretcher loaded with the heaviest recruit. You do all sorts of stuff. At the end, you have the Ball Cap Ceremony. During boot camp, you have a ball cap that says “RECRUIT” on it. After Battle Stations, you get the Navy Ball Cap. After that, you are no longer considered a recruit. You are called a Sailor. A week after Battle Stations, I have graduation. Graduation is on April 2nd. I can’t wait. My parents are coming out to see it. After graduation, I have 3 days liberty. At this Navy exchange they have internet computers so I will be able to chat with you guys for a little while. After boot camp, I’m buying a laptop so in a few weeks, you guys can get me up to date on everything.

Jason Toft, thanks for the postcard. Every piece of mail I get is great. It’s like a little piece of home. Phone calls are better. Our ROC’s like to give us phone calls when we do good on tests and inspections. It feels great to be able to call home and talk to my family.

Well, I’ll talk to all of you for a little while in about 3 weeks. A few weeks after that, I’ll be back to the forum on a regular basis.

Talk to you then.

Nick “Rocketman248”

Sr Debrita, Nicholas J.
Div 135 Ship 10
Recruit Training Command
3301 Indiana Street
Great Lakes, IL 60088
 
I just typed him up a letter and printed out the pictures of the Sidewinder flying off the aircraft carrier deck. I'll be dropping it off in the mail on my way to lunch. He should get a kick out of that.

Mail call in boot camp was absolutely one of my three favorite times. You really get to connect with the outside world for a few moments. If you have the time, definitely drop Nick a line. Even if it's a postcard like what Jason sent, he'll appreciate it.

Aside from being sick, which happens to everyone in boot camp, I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Some guys get recycled in training and end up having to stay an extra 2 weeks! :eek:

Later all!
 
Well, I did it. I'm a Sailor. We had Battle Stations thursday night. It was a ton of fun. It started at 8:00PM Thursday night. We got our Navy ballcap at 9:30AM Friday morning. It feels great every time I look at that cap.

Right now, I am at "Ricky Heaven." There is a phone center, internet computers, and a few fast food retaurnts. I have aa few hours so, I jusut thought I'd drop a line.

I really apreciate the letters I've gotten from you guys. In a few weeks, I'll be on here all the time. I have graduation, on April 2nd. April 4th I go to my first school. I will buy a laptop when i get there.

See you in a few weeks.
 
Congratulations to a new Sailor!

That's great news Nick! :)

keep us posted and let us know how yer doing!
 
As Jim said CONGRATULATIONS SAILOR , and God bless you, and all the Men and Women, helping to keep us safe at free!!!
 
Nick,

Welcome to the Fleet! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have!

WW
 
All rocketeers, "ATTENTION ON DECK!" Congratulations Nick! That's awesome that you are through bootcamp. I tell ya, time flies. The next thing you know they'll be offering you re-enlistment paperwork. Good luck with tech training and keep in touch!
 
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