A vintage U.S. Navy lunch box, given to Ross by a friend of ours after he enlisted last fall.
Sometimes I send Ross silly stuff in my letters, like one time I sent him a letter and had all the animals send him a message. Clover’s message was: “Ross who?” In another letter, I sent him this top 10 list.
10. All the money you’re making! $1.80 an hour!
9. All the money you’re saving! No gas, no girlfriend, no fast food.
8. You can’t get in trouble! No drinking!
7. Think how buff you’ll be by PIR!
6. Who doesn’t need to know how to make a flotation device in 3 seconds out of a set of coveralls while you’re wearing them?
5. You’re no longer addicted to your cell phone!
4. You know how to write letters now!
3. You’re qualified to shine shoes in airports nation-wide!
2. Free shots in the butt!
And the number one best thing about boot camp–
1. All that marching!
P.S. Thank you for asking about sending letters to the boys who don’t get mail. I inquired about it on the Navy site and was told they won’t deliver mail addressed to “Any Recruit” and at this point, due to the delays in sending and receiving mail, it would be too late to set something up with Ross like that because he will be finished in just a few weeks now. (By the time he and I could write back and forth about it, it’ll be graduation.) I do believe there are ways to send mail to Any Soldier or Any Sailor (post boot camp) but I don’t know anything about that at this time and haven’t had time to check into it. (Maybe somebody here has more information than I have, so feel free to leave a comment with info if you do!)
P.P.S. Thank you! I just added the Any Sailor logo to my sidebar. You can click on that and it will also take you to Any Soldier.
See Create Your Own Coffee Boost today at Farm Bell Recipes.
Victoria Sturdevant says:
Here’s a link for helping the troops: https://operationwritehome.org/
I belong to a group that regularly contributes. You don’t have to be “artistic” to contribute. They love cards made by everyone, even kids.
Vic
On July 23, 2010 at 1:32 am
glenda says:
I loved reading his letter to you. I think it shows a great depth of character in how he is reacting to Boot Camp. He knows what it is all about.
You all have raised a good boy!
On July 23, 2010 at 5:14 am
Jill Garofano says:
I know, I know!! go to http://www.anysoldier.com and you can adopt a soldier in any of the fields out there (Navy, Marine, Army, Airforce,etc). You can even see what they have posted about what they need. I have done that a couple of times. I always try to find the ones that have the dogs so I can send the dog supplies and toys. Check it out, it is a great site!! Just a warning though, you might spend HOURS looking through it all, LOL…so make sure you have a snack and drink with you!!
Jill from NY
On July 23, 2010 at 6:15 am
greensborodailyphoto says:
Hurray for Jill from NY! But what a sad statement to think there are young Americans at boot camp, preparing to defend our country who don’t have a family member willing to take the time to write. It is like being an orphan. Likely, these were the kids who didn’t have anyone read to them as a child, or didn’t have anyone at home to encourage them (or hold them accountable) in school. How did we get in this situation?
On July 23, 2010 at 6:44 am
CindyP says:
Love the Top 10! No wonder he loves getting mail from you…it’s cheer up time too!
I’ve searched around…I can’t find an area to adopt someone in boot camp, just those that are deployed. We should have worked on this sooner…maybe some of his buddies needed some of these silly letters :yes: you know, to keep the morale up and maybe they wouldn’t talk so much!
On July 23, 2010 at 6:54 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
I think they are a lot stricter in boot camp and want to control as much as possible the entire environment and that’s why there’s nothing like Any Soldier set up for boot camp recruits. We’re lucky they let them get mail from their family, LOL.
On July 23, 2010 at 7:22 am
Leah says:
Loved your letter,I imagine it will crack Ross up!
On July 23, 2010 at 9:18 am
Angela P says:
😥 I had NO idea that there were service men/woman that dont get letters from home! Why did I never think of that? Very sad. I went to the site and adopted one. Thanks for bringing this to light.Has it been posted on FB? It should be….just a thought. :yes:
On July 23, 2010 at 9:33 am
ellen kelley says:
There is a wonderful organization called Soldiers Angels and there are many ways to support our troops through this group. You can “adopt” a soldier where you send cards and letters and now and then small packages of snacks or personal hygiene items, you can write to a different soldier each week…there are many options to show your concern and appreciation. Check it out, it’s great!
On July 23, 2010 at 9:44 am
farmershae says:
Okay, I have to say it….. What a FABULOUS lunchbox!!!! :chicken:
On July 23, 2010 at 10:18 am