April 15, 1999:
John's cast has been removed and he is now walking, jogging, and wearing boots again. John's original platoon, GCO Plt. 2030, graduated MCRD on April 9. John went to the graduation and said that it was "really hard," but that he knows "I'll make it too." His attitude is positive, and he is now in a position of leadership in MRP. He has been asked by his SDI on several occasions to teach the new recruits various classes, and he said that I would be proud of him because he has become quite good at bossing other recruits around. ha ha.
His physical therapy is continuing with regular podiatry appointments and swim therapy. He says that he still has a little pain but it is much less than before the cast came off.
John wanted me to say "thank you" here to all of the wonderful wives and Marines that have been corresponding and visiting with him. A special thanks was given for Julie Fox and to 'Merri', who have sent him multiple letters that made him smile. John says that he has recieved letters from many individuals who visited this site and enjoyed it...so thank you - everyone.
March 6, 1999:
I just returned from a brief visit with John in San Diego. He has been placed in the Medical Rehabilitation Platoon (MRP). He will most likely be in MRP for 6-8 weeks. The official diagnosis is a nasty stress fracture on the bridge of his right foot. He has a cast on his right leg, but-other than that-he is looking really good. He has good color in his face and he has gained over 25 pounds...closer to 30, actually. He is still motivated to finish, but is bitterly disappointed about the setback. He has been separated from his original platoon, and he will not graduate until June at the earliest. He is currently in physical therapy for the foot and ankle. I will post more when I know more.
February 14, 1999:
Two weeks ago, I received word that John had injured his left ankle. Three days ago, I got a letter telling me that John has injured the right ankle as well. He has been sent to sick call and placed on Light Drill duty. It is very possible that his training and graduation date will be pushed back. I will give more details as I receive them. John, however, is in good spirits. He is angry that he injured himself, but tells me that he is happy and is enjoying his classes and the close order drill work. In the physical training, he is doing well except for his pull-ups. He has improved, but is still not up to standard. The platoon's first PFT was on Thursday of last week. If he didn't pass because of the injuries to his ankles, he will be placed in a support platoon until he is ready to resume training.
February 14, 1999:
John's first two weeks were really hard and really bad for him. Without betraying the personal details of his emotional state, he was very homesick. He wasn't eating or sleeping well, and he wanted to come home. His Senior Drill Instructor, Staff Sergeant DeLeon, placed him in a program called RAMPS. Through this program, John was able to see an MCRD graduation. His next letters to me were much happier and motivated. He has since expressed to me that the RAMPS program helped his emotional state a great deal and got him "happy" to be a Marine Recruit again.
February 14, 1999:
John left for Marine Corps Boot Camp at 4:30am on Tuesday, January 12, 1999. He was scheduled to leave on January 11, but his recruiter was late picking him up that morning, and he missed transport. So...we got an extra day together before he left.
John depends heavily on the letters that he recieves from his family and friends as a link to "home." He does not have television, newspapers, magazines, radio, or telephone. He didn't even know that the Broncos won the SuperBowl until I told him in a letter. In his last letter, John expressed that he was disappointed at the lack of mail. So...please, please write to John as often as you can. Tell him any little thing about your daily life. He really wants to hear about it.
Ok...here they are:
1.) Send all of your letters in plain envelopes and write them on plain paper. If you should choose to send a small photograph, send only one.
2.) Do NOT send magazines, care packages, flowers, stuffed animals, food items, greeting cards, or decorated envelopes/stationery.
3.) Use ONLY the US Postal Service. Do not send anything via UPS, FedEx, etc.
Understand that if you send John a letter in anything larger than a "normal" letter-sized envelope, it will be opened and inspected by a Drill Instructor before John receives it.
If you send John so much as a stick of gum, he will be punished - severely. This is not a joke. Do NOT send John anything except letters and photos. No candy, no cookies, nothing. I’m serious. I will personally hunt you down if you do. You don’t want that. Can you tell that I'm serious about this?
Feel free to send letters to either of the following addresses. They will get to John no matter which address you send them to. So get a piece of paper, a pen, a stamp, and an envelope (or an email account)! Send my baby some mail!
REC LOCKYEAR JOHN H
498787315
MRP-STC, MCRD
36001 MIDWAY AVENUE
SAN DIEGO CA 92140-5533
My Email Address
Aspen74@earthlink.net
Letters from John:
John will most likely not have time to return your letters. He has asked me to express that he is very sorry, but has little to no personal time to write. He barely has time to read the mail, and even less to write letters. Please write to him anyway and come to this page to find out what he is up to and how he is doing.
Telephone Calls:
John cannot receive any telephone calls from civilians for any reason. If you have an emergency (i.e., someone dies or is near death), call me at home. I have a special number to contact his Drill Instructor at MCRD in the event of a family emergency.
**If you are a Marine whose wife or fiance told you to give him an OOHRAH call for me (ha ha), there are special arrangements that can be made for you to get through to him via phone or a visit.**
The background, dividers, and bullets on this page were all taken from Dizzie’s website.
The home button on this page was taken from Lady DJ's site.
The links to these sites are available on the "Where Did I Get My Graphics" page, which is accessible from the Home Page under "Amy's Pages."