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Mary,
I completely
Mary,
I completely understand where you are coming from. I remember hearing my brother talk about going to basic training and then AIT as if he was excited. As for me...I was scared. Now, when he enlisted the farthest thing on our minds was a war (he enlisted back in 97). Even then, I thought to myself "my best friend is going off without me; what do I do now?"
Well, to answer that question, you live on. You remember that you are your own person and must continue to be strong, not for only them, but yourself as well.
When he writes, read it, not once or twice, but multiple times and reply. Even if it's to say something like "Man, you remember (place name here)? Well he's back in town and we hung out. He asked where you were. We talked about old times and he told me some funny memories of you two...like when you guys did (something funny or whatever). I couldn't stop laughing."
Make them feel like you are still part of their life and vise verse.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there will be days/weeks of no news from them. This doesn't mean anything other than, they are probably doing their job. You will get stressed out and sometimes freaked out, but always keep a cool head because when they call, email or write you they want to hear from a sister who they remember.
Don't change who you are because he's away. Always be yourself because that is what he's going to be missing the most....a feel of home while he's away.
If you picked on him, made fun of him, whatever, keep doing it.
One last thing, don't forget to tell him how proud you are of him and how much you love him. It may seem corny or what have you, but emotions don't lie. If I could tell every veteran out there (before they got to the sandbox) that I was proud of him/her and loved them, I think they would cherish that.
Always write. Always let them know you are with them in spirit. Never forget them and what they do for us all.
Mike Miranda
Odessa, TX
My brother just enlisted in the Marines. He leaves for basic in January.
I made this account mainly for the sake of research--to see if anyone had any advice, anything that could help me wrap my head around what is coming down the pike. What should I expect?
These posts are pretty eye-opening in and of themselves, but please post if you have advice. What do you wish someone had told you when your loved one entered the military, or was shipped off?