Letters & Call - Squad Leader & A Letter From Seth

This weekend we all got letters from Patrick!! He was also allowed to make a 30 minute call!! As the platoon advances through phases they slowly begin to get some privileges back. He was granted a 2 hour pass this Saturday, and was able to call home, take care of some things around base like picking up necessities at the PX (Post Exchange), and he even got to log onto the Internet (check out Guestbook post #14 - - it’s from Pat!). So here is what we have heard:

Patrick was promoted to Squad Leader. In this position he is in charge of 13 people in his platoon (there are 53 soldiers in his platoon and 4 Squad Leaders). He will earn a formal promotion to this position if he is successful in it for about three weeks. For the most part Patrick likes what he is doing (we do not have a number rating for this post, as it was not included in the letters, or mentioned on the phone). The blisters on his feet are beginning to heal, however he caught a mild cold, and pink eye. Patrick says all they have been eating are MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). These are individually packaged meals that have a shelf life of 3 years – yummy! (to learn more check out MRE).



We actually had one of these to give to Pat from when Bill G. got activated to Kuwait. When Pat had it at home he thought they were pretty good considering. I don’t know for sure, but I am sure he is pretty tired of them now! Patrick passed his first PT test. In order to pass you needed to score over 150 points, and the maximum points that could be earned were 301. Patrick passed with a score of 250. Patrick is starting to think about other possible career paths, as he is no longer sure he wants to go into the Ranger program. Right now he is thinking about possibly going into Fire Science (Firefighter), but he is still thinking about different options should he choose to change his mind. On a sadder note, his buddy Seth will be leaving the Army. So Patrick will be losing his closest friend in Georgia. He has other friends there, but he and Seth where very close from the start.

Seth actually wrote a thoughtful letter to my parents dated 9/25/07. In this letter he talked about “how great your son is” and that he has made a friend for life. Seth thinks of Patrick as both “a friend and a brother”, and he said “both of those are for life.” Seth said that Patrick keeps him going, and that he is proud of him. He said that Patrick always makes him laugh and smile. He even got him going to church. Now every week the two of them attend church (something Seth said he had never done before). Seth said that Patrick is always one to volunteer to do something when things needed to get done. Seth also said that while he is there at Ft. Benning he will be looking out for Patrick. It was so touching to read this letter from Seth, and it also makes us smile thinking how even though everything Patrick is going through, he is still the Patrick we know. He will be there for you, and will make you laugh and smile!