19 Sept. 11

Well if you are wondering how things are going here, I've been at BCT for 3 days now and this has been my first opportunity to write. Even still, I'm writing by red light and sacrificing sleep to do so.
So here are the details in order:
We first met our kind DS at reception when they packed us into a cattle truck. It was raining hard, and fittingly, the cattle truck leaked like a sieve. When we arrive at our destination, we hauled hindparts to "the bubble" which is a hanger-sized tent with a rubber pit. There, we first got to know our DSs. They got in our face, cussed us out, came up with some pretty amazing insults all while kicking our butts.
We then went to our barracks where we failed to get all 47 males in our platoon through the latrine in 90 seconds so we received our first "smoking." (Smoking is when the DS has us exercise to the point of muscle failure.)
It's not all bad though. The guys in my platoon are pretty cool for the most part.
One really cool coincidence is that my platoon's name is Disciples. So every time I shout the name, see the phase flag, or enter the barracks, I have a clear and present reminder of why I am here. It gets me back into focus.
Things here have been really tough. I received my first phone privilege on Sunday morning in which I was able to speak to my wife for 2 minutes. We were then informed that we would have to earn more privileges, so it could be awhile before the next call.
From what I've seen, my platoon by far has the strictest DS. In a way though, I think that is a good thing because it will train us better.
We haven't done anything really cool yet, so I'll spare you the details of the training so far. Just know that I'm sore in places I didn't know could be sore. However, we get our rifles on Wednesday.
I will add that I've had maybe 4 hours of sleep in 3 days.
The whole thing about BCT that I have seen so far is that it is a mind game. For instance, if you can stay positive during "smoking" by thinking of it instead as exercise that will improve you and by thinking of the DSs as personal trainers, you remove a lot of stress from the situation.
I will write more when I can, but for now I really could use some rest. Please pray that I can stay focused and mentally tough for each day. Please pray the same for my battle buddies enduring BCT with me.
More details to follow, but for now--sleep.