Joyce, David had a tough time in boot, talked about quiting.
Now 15 yrs later, he re-ups for his last 5, Aug 15.

Says the military is the best thing he could have done.

won't be 38 when he retires, full pension & benefits.

i think that's the answer....as hard as it may be.....just encourage him and support him.....it will be ok

thank you sweetie...

God Bless you and Your Son...

and may God abundantly Bless

all the men & women

and the Families of those

who are going through boot camp

& those who are in all different levels

& branches of the Military

I'm going to be blunt honest for you, the one thing that I regret the most in my life, and I dont regret the past, its done and over with. But everytime I see an Army recruiting commercial for any branch, or hear something on the radio, or listening to any of my friends that have joined up, deployed, and returned, I absolutely hate myself.

I also joined the Navy four years ago, straight out of highschool. I absolutely hated every second of it. In hindsight though, I really had a blast, it was interesting. But I let my hated and I guess you can call it cowardice, get the better of me. I lied about certain things and got honerably discharged for medical reasons, I wont go into details.

Ever since then, I have hated that part of my life, and I have a feeling things would be so much better for me then they are now. I've tried to make up for not being able to serve my country by applying for state, county, and local police departments, and also joining my local fire department. I'm still not satisfied with myself and I still hate myself for what I did.

So the best thing I can tell you, is to let your son stick it out, he will be a better person in the long run. I think if he were to do what I did, then he will also feel some of the regrets that I have had to endure and will have to endure the rest of my life.

I give my upmost respect for you and your family.

Joyce, I think the biggest problem you are having is that it's your child going through this and none of us as parents want to see our babies getting bullied, yelled at, etc... so I think your heart's reaction is to want to protect him from all that. And that is completely understandable, I don't care how old they are! But I seriously think you should let him stand on his own two feet and let him get through this on his own. You raised him to believe in himself and that he can get through any obstacle, so just reassure him of that and both you and he will see the rewards in the end.

JMO.....
Boot Camp is suppose to be hard and at times it may seem like torcher, but I think that what ever you do , just be there to support him. Incourage him and above all BELIEVE in him as I am sure you do.

Provide support. He made a decision and he must stick to it. This will teach him a lot about life and himself, as well as help him decide about future endeavors. He's crying, he is homesick. He needs to adjust and change his framework. I know it's tough, but don't help him get out of his responsibility. It is a responsbility now, the second ultimate promise. Plus, he will get assistance with college when he gets out.