This is Dad

Hey to everyone,

This is Dad, George, Coach-George, or Mr. Zaleuke. This will be the only posting I will have using Mike's blogger account. Mike has asked me to enter his EXACT words as written in the letters he sends me. I will be happy to do so; however, I would expect the letters to be somewhat generic in nature...... maybe. You know Mike though!! I will do what he asked me to do, bad spelling and bad grammer included.

Mike and I had a good trip up here; however, the trip to my Dad's house was kind of emotional. My Dad is an old soldier himself, so he and Mike really connected over the weekend. Dad really had a hard time saying goodbye to Mike, so he just said "See you later Mike" as the tears swelled in his eyes. As we were leaving his long rock driveway, we spotted my dad out in the front yard saluting Mike as we left. God, that was hard for us both.

I am happy that we came to Bowling Green a little early. Several of Mike's friends from college came into town and met him at a local watering hole. I did not get a chance to meet with any of you guys; however, I appreciate how good you made Mike feel before his adventure.

I met with Mike's recruiter on Sunday. Sgt Parker was a really nice guy who answered all of my nosey questions without flinching. I think this guy knew that Mike and I are pretty tight, so he sure made me feel better about the whole deal. I think Mike made the correct decision with the Army.

I left Mike at the recruiting station and started back home at about 5 pm our time. Mike and I was texting most of the evening and the next day. However, on his was down to Ft. Benning, Mike realized that he had forgotten his cell phone charger (It did not really matter anyway, because his phone would be taken away when he arrived at Benning anyway.) So, I had NOT heard from him until about 7 pm this evening.

Mike called today, and he seemed kind of "Shell-Shocked" He has only had about two hours sleep, so he was king of grumpy (All of you guys know how Mike can be when he is tired or hungry. ) All he would say is that his life now is "Different" whatever this means. He said there wqas a long line of soldiers waiting to use the single pay phone, so we only talked for about two minutes. Damn, this was hard for ole "Coach-George."

Mike did say he will be writing me tomorrow and give me his new address. As soon as I get this information, I will post the address on this blog. I ask that all of you write Mike when you can; however, PLEASE be selective on what you send him. It is my understanding that drill instructors make the recruits pay dearly for such things. Please be encouraging to Mike, I know how hard it must be for him. Even though I was a hard-ass

Anyway, I guess everything is a good as it can get.... all things considered. This is will be my last blog until I hear from Mike; then, that blog will be posted using Mike's exact writings. If any of you need to speak with me, I may be contacted at: 772-559-2220 Coach-George@Comcast.net

Corazon De Oro

Okay, I know I said that my previous blog was going to be my last blog before I left, but after tonight, I felt compelled to write one more. I wasn't expecting my trip up to Kentucky to be anything special, but it was actually nothing less than amazing. My dad really seemed to be looking forward to the drive up to Kentucky because he told me that it was going to be our "last road trip" together. Just that statement alone is enough to make you want to tear up, but I sure hope that it isn't our last road trip together. My father raised me single handedly from age 9 up until now, and I am so thankful for everything he has done for me and all of the sacrifices he has made for me. He is the reason I stand here today and the reason I am the man I am, and no words can express how grateful I am to have him in my life. The 14 hour drive up from Florida usually would have been a long trip, but for me it didn't seem long enough. I wish I had more time to spend with my father; more time to joke around and bullshit, and more time to talk about personal things. When he drops me off tomorrow, it is certainly going to be a hard goodbye to make, and I hope that he and I both can keep it together for both of our sakes. I want you to know dad that I am so proud of you and you mean the world to me. I know a father is supposed to be proud of his son, but this son is exceptionally proud of his father.

Today, June 28th was sort of a strange/exciting and emotional day for me. For the first time in my life, my grandfather found it hard to say goodbye to me. I have never seen that side of him before, and it made me seem him in a whole different perspective. I am extremely proud to be following in his footsteps by joining the United States Army, and I hope I make him proud. After we left his house today and drove to Bowling Green, my father and I did some last minute shopping and then checked into our hotel. I took a shower and then joined him at the hotel bar and had a drink with him. I may be looking too deeply into this, but there is something about having a drink with the "old man" that is special and makes you feel like a man. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Lol, my dad isn't much of a beer drinker, rather he is a "Jim Beam and 7-up" kind of guy. Personally I don't know how he drinks that shit, but what ever floats your boat I suppose. After our short lived drinking session, one of my friends Ashley came to pick me up and she took me to a local bar in town to meet some of my friends. I knew that some of my friends who were still in town over the summer (this is a college town) were coming to meet me to say their goodbyes and have a few drinks, but I was surprised at how many actually showed up. If you know me, you will know that I'm not much of a people person and I don't have too many friends, but after tonight I find myself second guessing that thought. A few of my friends drove as far as 2 hours away to have dinner with me, and that made me feel special. Ashley, Jon, Yancy, Kory, Nick, Sunny, Ryan, Daniel, Christina, Stephanie, Sammy and Emily all showed up and It made me feel important. Since I am a big Guinness drinker, my buddies all chose to drink what I was drinking, and they all seemed to force it down even though some didn't like the taste. After getting extremely sloshed, me in particular, we all went to Walmart so they could pick up some bathing suits so we could go back to my hotel and swim in the pool/hot tub. When everything was all said and done, we all said our goodbyes and parted ways. It was very hard to say goodbye to all of them and I didn't really get a chance to tell them how important they are in my life, mainly because I didn't know exactly how to put it into words. For those of you who are reading this, I want you to know that tonight was one of the best nights I have ever had and you all made me feel overwhelmingly important. I don't know when I will get a chance to see you all again, but you all will always be in my heart and will hopefully always stay apart of my life. I'm sorry for dragging this on, but it is just now starting to hit me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for everything you have all done for me. You will not be forgotten. 

Right now, I'm laying in my hotel room watching some last minute tv, and attempting to enjoy one of my last full fledged "dips." I wont be getting a chance to chew tobacco again for quite a while, and surprisingly that is okay with me. I need to quit this shit anyways, so now is a good of time as ever. Tomorrow morning/afternoon my dad and I are going to meet my recruiter and he and I will drive down to the MEPS station and then get me checked into my hotel room for the evening. Am I getting nervous? You bet you ass I am. I am anxious, nervous, excited, and slightly scared and everything in between. It's hard to believe that after tomorrow I'll really be in the Army. It is all mind boggling at the moment, but I am so looking forward to the experience. I don't think I could possibly be more prepared than I am right now, and knowing that, I have some piece of mind. I know this particular blog isn't necessarily in relation to the Army, but I felt I needed to write about it and to let my friends and family know how much they mean to me. I understand that I'm only going away for a few months, but after that I'm not exactly sure where I will be heading or when I will get the opportunity to see them again. I hope it is sooner rather than later. Tomorrow is going to be the start of a new and well overdue life for me, and I hope it is everything that I wish it will be.  Thank you to all of those who care about me, I will never forget you or the love that you all showed me tonight. 

"And I know, I'm indestructible. And I know...I'm indestructible tonight." - Tim Armstrong

-PFC Zaleuke

The 11th Hour

So this is going to be my very last post that I will be doing myself until my AIT training comes along and I'll have access to my computer to where i'll be able to write on here again myself. My father is going to be the person who will be doing all of the writing on my behalf when I'm away, so I'm interested to see how that goes. I have faith in him, and he seems pretty excited to do it for me, so that's good at least. Just to recap: While I'm away, I'm going to do my very best to write a letter home each day and send it home to my dad. He will then take my letters and translate them onto this blog as if it were me actually doing the writing. He's been instructed to write the letters word for word, so the writing style shouldn't differ very much.

  Well today was my last day here in Florida before I start making my way up north to where I will be shipping out. My dad and I will be leaving town tomorrow afternoon and will be driving all night until we get to Hazard Kentucky, where my grandfather lives. We will stay there Friday and most of Saturday and then head to Bowling Green Saturday night. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see some of my friends from school and say goodbye before I have to get up Sunday morning and head out, so I'm kind of looking forward to that if indeed it happens. 

 Today was kind of a sad day for me here at home as well. I'm fairly used to being away from my family since i've spent the past three years living up in Kentucky away from everyone, but i've been home for the past month or so and have gotten a chance to spend some much needed time with my family and one or two friends who I haven't had the chance to in a very long time. It's easy to forget the things you miss when you're away from them and don't have much time to think about it, but I cant tell you how much I've missed spending time with my Aunt's, Uncle, mother, father and step parents. I also cant tell you how much i've missed spending quality time with my dog Raleigh. Most of you know how close I am with Raleigh, but he and I really got a chance to bond all over again this past month and It's really going to be hard to say goodbye to him all over again. I got Raleigh when I turned 15 and he and I have been inseparable for the past seven years, and I consider him more of a brother and friend than I do a dog. I share everything with him from my bed all the way down to my dinner each night, and when you're that close to someone, person or animal, being away from them can certainly have an affect on you. When times are tough and when I'm feeling down, he is always there and just wants to be around me and that is almost always enough to make things alright again. That smiling face and wagging tail is always enough to make me laugh and put me in a good mood. It's certainly going to be difficult without him and he will be dearly missed. I got a chance to say goodbye to my family tonight as well, which was nice. We ate dinner at my grandmother's house who recently passed away a few months ago, and we got a chance to hang out one last time before I head off and it was really nice. I really wish my grandmother was still around because things just don't seem the same without her here anymore, I really missed her tonight. I know she would be really proud of me though, and that is enough for me. 

  I'm going to miss a few things while I'm away at Basic Training, one of those being music. I cant explain how much music is apart of my life considering I don't even play a musical instrument. There is always something about you're favorite song or band that picks you up and puts you in a good mood. I think I could definitely survive Basic Training without a problem if I was allowed the luxury of having my ipod. I've just been listening to as much of my favorite music as possible and storing those songs in my head, and when I close my eyes I can almost play them back perfectly and that will just have to do for now. Oddly, I'm also going to miss Florida. As much as I hated living, growing up here, I'm going to miss this place for sure. Being away from home makes you start to really appreciate things so much more once you are back. I had a chance to ride my motorcycle along the beach side once more tonight before I left and it was very peaceful. I stopped at Wabasso Beach and looked out from the boardwalk into the ocean and was reminded of some of the lyrics to the Rancid song "East Bay Night" written by Tim Armstrong.

"Well Earthquakes shake and fires take, from this view i've seen it all. I've tasted smoke as the hills burned, i've heard the freeway fall. When there's nothin' to say, just look into the bay. You know some things, they just feel right. Another East Bay night."

There is something about being home and seeing something beautiful that makes you smile and appreciate where it is that you come from. Even though I'm going to miss my home, my family and my dog, I cant stay here forever because there is still so much to be seen and done and I believe that is what makes you grow as a person. I'm very excited to be able to experience what I'm about to experience in the Army and I'm appreciative of the opportunity I have to do so. It will have it's highs and it's lows, but hopefully being able to travel and see the world, experience new things and new people will make for one wild ride. Right now, I'm going to finish packing up my things and spend my last remaining hours laying in bed with my dog, loving on him and watching some TV. To my friends and family who will be following this blog, I love all of you, and thank you for your support. I will miss all of you, but hopefully you will still be able to feel connected with me while I am away by reading this. I urge all of you to write me while I am away, I'm sure I will be wanting to hear from you as much as possible. My address will be posted here on my blog as soon as I get it, so don't be shy. Write or type me a  letter and slip it in the mail and I will either respond personally or through this blog. I feel as if I'm being sent away on a train to some concentration camp, lol, but this will be my only way to stay connected with you guys myself and to keep some of my sanity. I love you guys.

 

- PFC Zaleuke

10 days and counting

I now have about 10 days until I leave my home here in Florida to make the trip up to Bowling Green Kentucky, which is where my recruiting station is located. My dad and I are going to leave on the 26th and visit with my grandfather for a day or so, then drive over to Bowling Green on the 28th. Sunday morning, the day I ship off, we are supposed to meet and have breakfast with one of my dad's old high school buddies who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. I've never met him before, but we've spoken a few times on the phone when I was considering joining the Army, and I'm kind of excited to meet him. After breakfast we will go and meet my recruiter at the station and finish any last paperwork that is needed from us, and I will get on the van that will take me down to the Nashville MEPS station.

For those of you who don't know what MEPS is, it is the Military Entrance Processing Station. That is where most soldiers who enlist go to take their ASVAB test, physical and to sign their military contracts. From there, they will bus us all to a really nice 4/5 star hotel for the night where we just lay low, eat dinner and relax. We will have to wake up around 0415 (4:15am) and eat breakfast and then they will put those of us who are going to Ft. Benning on a van or bus and drive us down to the base where we will have to spend anywhere from 4 to 7 days in what the Army calls "Reception." Reception is a lengthly and often boring phase of Basic Training that is supposed to be pure Hell. We will spend those few days standing in long lines for our shots, to be issued our PT uniforms and BCU's (Basic combat uniforms which are the cool digital camo uniforms with the boots), get our heads shaved, and all of that fun stuff. Wake up there from what I hear is at 0500 and lights out at 2100 (5am and 9pm.) I'm not exactly sure but I think we are also given a PT test during that week as well. After there are enough people to send down range, we will be moved to start our actual Basic Training. Army Basic Training is consisted of roughly 9 1/2 weeks of rigorous mental and physical training that is split up into three phases: Red, White & Blue phase. Red Phase is known to be the worst because the first three weeks we will be expected to adjust to the military lifestyle and for some people It's not going to be an easy change. Once we are finished with that we will move onto white phase and so on. At the end of basic training, I will have graduation and a day or so off to spend with my family and then I will have to go right back at it to attend my AIT training (Advanced Individual Training.) my MOS requires what is called OSUT (One Station Unit Training) which is where basic training and AIT training are blended together instead of having them separately like some MOS's do.  My AIT training will be roughly 5 weeks long, and once that is completed I suppose I will be a full fledged Army Soldier, and where I go from there I'm not really sure at this point. 

As the days fly by, I'm beginning to get really anxious, nervous and excited about the whole experience that is yet to come. I've been working out and training with my old high school football team since my dad is still a coach, and I hope the weight lifting and running i've been doing will pay off. I don't mind the weight lifting too much, but the running I absolutely despise. I don't know how anyone could enjoy running for the Hell of it. However, I don't think I will hate it as much having to do with with other people. I just get bored to death when I'm running alone and don't have to see other people suffer along with me ha-ha. I've also been spending a great deal of time trying to get my finances in order along with my student loans. By the time I have to leave, everything should be taken care of though, and that will be a huge weight off of my mind. I will gladly give up three years of my life or more if it means I wont have to pay back those damn student loans myself. 

I'm also going to have to start packing up my stuff here in my room and putting it away because I'm not going to be needing any of it for the next 4 or so months of my life. I find that kind of weird also. I have more clothes and shoes than any guy should and I'm not going to be needing any of it. My packing list for basic training will consist of my Army issued backpack, the clothes on my back, basic toiletries (1 of each) and one change of clothes. I'm going away for almost 4 months and I'm only packing as if I were spending the night at someone's house. I still think that's crazy, but hey, the Army is going to provide everything I will need. What things I will need personally I can purchase on base during my stay. 

These last ten days I plan to spend as much time with my family and dog as possible, and I would like to also spend a significant amount of time fishing, riding my motorcycle, and sleeping in as long as I can because God knows I wont be doing any of that come 10 days from now. 

-PFC Zaleuke

The calm before the storm

This is my first post to this blog, and is going to me one of many more to come. As many of you know, I decided to join the United States Army a few months ago. Over the past three years, I spent my time attending Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky. Before I finished my junior year of college, I could already tell I was getting sick and tired of the day to day bull-shit that was involved. I was a resident assistant in one of the dorms on campus, and I hated my job. After spending three years at college, there wasn't much that I actually did like about college. The classes themselves weren't difficult, but they only take up about 25% of one's time living on campus. I had a lot of down time, and there is only so much drinking and partying one can do before it becomes repetitive and somewhat boring. I had a lot of good friends, but they too had their own agenda and were usually busy doing classwork or other things, and I also had a few failed relationships that I needed to get away from. College to me was very similar to high school. Being on a big campus of 18,000 you would think that you wouldn't have to worry too much about drama, but you'd honestly be surprised. I needed a new start, and more importantly I needed to get away. I started looking into the military pretty heavily towards the end of the school year, and I spoke with a few recruiters and looked at the four main branches of military: Army, Navy, Air-force, and Marines. The one that seemed to jump of the page and appeal to me most was the Army. Being that my father was one of the main reasons I was at college, I decided that it was only fair that I include him in the process of me joining the Military. I had his full support, and together he and I began the somewhat lengthy process which would result in me finally signing my Army contract. I am not a patient person, and I suppose the Army will make me learn to be one, but all I wanted to do was get the Hell out of Bowling Green and start my life as an Army Soldier, so it's safe to say I was relieved when everything was said and done, and when I became Private First Class George Zaleuke. 

Everybody who enlists in the military has his or her own reasons for doing so, and I want to make one thing clear about my reasons. I was not running away from anything despite the fact that I was tired of school. I needed a new beginning. I was tired of being a broke college student. Did you know that currently only about 14% of college graduates are finding jobs? The economy sucks right now, and I'll be damned if I'm going to work my ass off, graduate, and have to settle working as a manager at a Chucky Cheese (sorry Ryan..lol) But the fact still remains, I think the Army is my best bet at job security at the moment. The pay and the benefits are well worth it alone. I've never been able to sit in one place for a long time, so I also cant see myself getting a job and have to start a career living in only one place. I want to travel and see the world, and the military can do that for me. I've also never been one of those hardcore patriotic types who wear the American Flag T-shirt or the Osama Bin Laden shirt that says "wanted: Dead or Alive" but then again I'm no Anarchist or Nihilist either. So being able to serve my country brings out some kind of pride and will hopefully reinstate my faith in our country that our government has seemed to completely diminish over the past eight years. 

As for right now, I have about 27 days until I ship out to Ft. Benning for basic training. My MOS (military occupational specialty) is 11b otherwise known as Infantry. Currently I'm doing all I can do to prepare myself mentally and physically for what is to come. I've been running and lifting, and will continue to do so until I ship out. I'd like to at least prepare myself and my body enough to where BCT wont come as such a shock during the first few weeks. I decided to start this blog for a few reasons. I know my family and some friends would like to know what I'm going to be going through on a day-to-day basis, and I know that I will get little to no time to use the telephone to tell them about it. I'm also not going to have a lot of time to sit down and write each person a personal letter due to the fact that during the first few weeks we will have very little personal time to do so; maybe an hour at best. So my plan is to write one letter a day, or as often as I can and send it home. These letters will address the things I am going through and the things I am having to do daily. I'm going to send the letters home and have either my father, or a friend type them out and post them to this blog as if it were me actually posting them due to the fact that I wont have access to the internet during this time. All of my friends and family will have the URL to this blog and if they wish to, they can get online daily and read what I have to say. I will also have my address posted on here so that anyone who wants to can write me while I'm there. If I have time, i'll try to write you a personal letter and shoot it back to you, but as of right now this blog will be my letter in response to everyone. I also want to use this blog as something I can look back on and re-read after everything is said and done, and see how much I have changed from start to finish. I think it will also be good to use for anyone else considering joining the Army, or for those who themselves are about to start basic training. 

As for right now, it is all just a waiting game, and I'm more excited/anxious/nervous and a tad bit scared of what is to come, but I think that all is a good thing. This will probably be one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life so far, but I'm looking forward to it and the challenges that await. I hope you all enjoy reading this, and actually take the time to read it. My friends and family are all very important to me. 

I'm holding onto the words that the great Tim Armstrong once wrote: "My Jungle's made of concrete, through the silence I could feel, my aim is true and I will walk on through these mountains made of steel." 

-PFC Zaleuke