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11-22-2003 10 days till we leave for california!! GRADUATION DATE: DECEMBER 05, 2003 on September 11, 2001 at our dinner table, Brandon told me "I'm GOING!!" 2 words I didnt want to hear. Of course, I told him to eat his potatos and calm down! February 2003, the very day I prayed that God would give my son direction, guide his life, and help him to make the right decisions; Brandon came home and told me that he was going into the service. He was talking about the Army then, but then after Operation Freedom broke loose, and he was glued to all the TV coverage, he noticed that all they were talking about was the Marines, so he talked to a Marine recruiter. Finally, on May 1, 2003 I received the phone call, with excitement, he said "MOM, I Leave September 8th!!" I will never forget the emotions I felt that day. (aunt lenora wont either, i was talking to her on the other line when he called me). When the recruiter came to our home to talk to Tony and I about Brandons decision and to answer our questions, Brandon had to fill out a card and write a paragraph of why he joined the marines. This is a way that the recruiter shows the parents that it is in HIS OWN WORDS. I have attached what he wrote with a picture of him and his recruiter (printable for your keepsake). We are so proud of Brandon! This is such an accomplishment! He is now one of the few, the proud! HE IS A UNITED STATES MARINE!! BRANDON WILL FLY HOME WITH US LATE DECEMBER 6th for his leave. It has not yet been confirmed how long he will be home before he reports to Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton. Typically it is only a 10 day leave, however with the holidays, we are hoping he will get a longer stay at home. I will keep you up-dated! 11-06-2003 Brandon is finishing his 8th week of bootcamp and completing Phase II at Camp Pendleton. Today was the last day of the CRUCIBLE- the CRUCIBLE is a test every recruit must go thru to become a MARINE. It test every recruit physically, mentally and morally and is the defining moment in recruit training. It is 54 hours of food and sleep deprivation and 40 miles of marching with obstacles and military problem solving courses. So of course, I am anxious to know how he did, so I asked! The emails i received from his Sr. Drill instructor today are below. I Received a letter from Brandon today,dated 11/02/03! Here is his quote: "I am so happy today I cant stand it! I got mail yesterday, my stomach is full, I come home in 32 days, I love shannon, and I am happy again and that feels good!! I thank the Lord, and I cant wait to go to church today to give thanks!!" We are so proud of Brandon! I thank you all very much for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers and writing him to keep him in touch with home!! Thank you! Mary Lynn and Tony 9:45 a.m. he wrote: Mrs. Pillitteri, Hello again, and like I had said earlier, you won't be bothering me if you want to know anything about your son, so please don't worry about that. We just returned form the Crucible, and it went very well. I'm proud of the Platoon and your son. He did very well and is doing fine. I'll be taking the Platoon to the "Warrior's Breakfast" in about 5 minutes. More later... Yours Truly, SSgt Mike Murcia 11:22 a.m. he wrote: Mrs. Pillitteri, Once again, hello. I just want to keep your mind at ease about your son. We had a very long and tough week. (More long and tough for the recruits than Drill Insturctors)Your son was in my Crucible Squad and they performed very well compared to most. His knee was bothering him a little along the way, but he never said anything about it. I just kept an eye on him and he did very well. You should be very proud of him, as I'm sure you are. He has come a long way from the day we met... ...I will see you in 4 weeks. Until then take care and be sure to let me know if you have any concerns or questions. Welcome to the Marine Corps family. Semper Fi, SSgt Mike Murcia 10-27-2003 I was worried about the fires in San Diego, I emailed the Sr Drill instructor and attached his response! Brandon is doing very well!! Thank you for writing him and keeping him in touch with home! I am sure it has really made a difference to him getting thru this! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Mary Lynn RECRUIT, TWITTY RONALD B 2nd RTBN, Golf Co, Plt 2029 38001 Midway Ave San Diego, CA 92140-2029 SSgt Mucia wrote: Mrs. Pillitteri, No worries about fire here in Camp Pendleton. We're isolated from everything, to include fires, here on Edson Range. However yes, the fires are effecting San Diego. Camp Pendleton is about 45 minutes North of MCRD. Approx. 35 miles. There is no danger to the recruits and we will continue to train as scheduled. By the way, your son was one of 39 recruits to shoot "Expert" during rifle qualifications on friday. Thought you might like to know. He's doing very well. Yours Truly, SSgt Mike Murcia 10-10-2003 HI everyone! Just wanted to give you all an up-date on how brandon is doing! Brandon just wrote a very positive letter! I cried reading it, he seems like he is doing much better and getting used to his new surroundings. He said he finally thinks he made the right decision and that he will have alot of opportunities when he is finished with boot camp. He was even talking about investing money for the future!! and talking about continuing his education when he is finished with training for his communications job. His knee has been bothering him, he was on light duty for awhile, but recently released from light duty. He is in the hardest platoon in his company and he says they are the best. they just won the initial drill which is the big competition between the whole company. He says his platoon is coming together as a family. He was very excited in his letter that they have switched them from the woodland Camo to the Desert Camoflage, he says they all look like Marines now!! He will be completing PhaseI this week, and saturday they transfer to camp pendleton where they will start the Marksmanship training. he will start week 5 on monday / Phase II. (8 more wks to go) Brandon is very happy to get MAIL!! He says this is the highlight of his day! One day he wrote it was the happiest day of his life cause he got 5 letters in one day from diff people! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! for writing him! It really lifts his spirits when he hears from home, because this is the hardest thing for him! Please continue to write him cheerful letters! We really appreciate it!! In case you need it again: RECRUIT, TWITTY RONALD B 2nd RTBN Golf Co. Plt 2029 38001 Midway Ave San Diego, CA 92140-2029 Thank you!! Mary lynn and Tony 09-9-2003 Welp, they came here about 9:30 Sunday night to pick up Brandon. They took him down town to a hotel. Monday a.m. he had to get up at 4:00 a.m. and eat gross eggs, (he said) then went to process and have another physical. He got to Lammert Airport around 1:30 Monday afternoon. I went to the airport and ate lunch with him, his flight left St louis at 5:40. He called home at 11:50 pm, he just got to San Diego..... So now the fun begins..... I hope they dont get in his face and yell at my little boy!! Thanks for all your support! |
