Brian Writes

Today was a really good day. Mostly because it’s Saturday and tomorrow I have my 4.5 hour weekend where I don’t have to start work until noon. But I also got out of work and back to my room about 45 minutes early because our late night brief was cancelled. Yippee! So I guess this weekend I have a 5.25 hour weekend. Sweet! On top of all that, when I got into my room, my phone rang and I found I had mail to pick up. Brian wrote me a letter. This makes it official- Brian, who is in the middle of Beast at West Point- has communicated more with me than Dale, who… I guess nothing’s really changed there.

But it was great to get Brian’s letter. He is doing really well. It sounds like he is over the frustration he voiced to Nate over his first phone call that I didn’t inform him that the cadre have a tendency to yell a lot. Really though, if you aren’t going to do any of your own research before something like that, you deserve a surprise or two. I was amazed by how fast it got here. He wrote me his last entry on 26 July and got it in the mail that same day. I picked it up here on the 31 July. It was still 30 July in New York when it arrived here. That’s pretty impressive. It must have been on the first thing smoking. I’m sure he has a slight advantage with his position in NY. He made me chuckle with comments about doing wall sits as people tried reciting knowledge and having the laundry system mess up only the laundry that you really need back- things that I don’t miss at all about West Point!

He made me laugh again with his closing comments. First, “We are wrapping up our 4th week tonight so that is awesome, I’m so close to my laptop, I can almost taste it.” And second, “I can’t wait for Beast to be over. I never thought I would be so excited to see the end of summer.” While his second comment is very fitting, with regards to his first comment, I think Cadets MacArthur and Eisenhower would contend that being a plebe at West Point is now a complete joke.

But I am very proud of him. He really is almost there. I would argue that he has the hardest part of his summer behind him. By now he is catching onto the game. In the letter I sent him I explained that cadre are people too and they don’t like doing stupid things like standing outside 15 minutes before the sun comes up at 0445 just like anyone else.

And Dale, you don’t have to write me a letter, but if you could spare a few minutes to write me an email with what’s going on in your life, it would be great to hear from you. If not, maybe you can get a day or two of vacation while I am home on R&R.

That’s all from my neck of the woods. I hope everyone is well. I love you!

-Mark