DD called again last night...again, I was not there as I am out of town on business! So bummed! Her dad said she is still in reception, which is kind of worrisome because school starts Aug 25 or something like that. She said she is still having fun, but hates all the waiting around.
Get this...she said they are letting recruits use cell phones! Her phone card ran out and she was able to borrow a cell to make the call. I thought no cell phones were allowed? She didn't even bring hers. Maybe they take them away once you get out of reception?
Not sure how her minutes already ran out on her phone card...I either bought a bad card or she's been using it to call friends instead of home
Anyway, maybe one day she'll call when I'm there or she'll get to Basic and send me her address so I can ask some questions! Very frustrating!
Hey mommy3k, Just wanted to let you know that my son's phone card ran out already too. He said it takes like 30 minutes up just to make a call....I didn't know that before hand or I would have sent one with more minutes. Pretty much a rip off with the phone company's! I have another card in the mail to him now.
I know next to nothing about phone cards...who needs them anymore with cell phones?! I'm thinking I may have purchased a card that has connection charges? With that, four one-minute calls could use up the whole card (vs. one or two calls for several minutes each).
I will definitely be sending more phone minutes her way once I know her address. However, once I know her address, we can write and not worry about the phone calls so much. I already have 4 letters ready to go! LOL. They will be old before she even gets them.
This period of "limbo" not knowing what is going on is very frustrating for me I am the type of mom who needs to know what is going on. Then I can stop worrying about what is NOT going on (or all the things I think might be going on, etc.
About the phone cards...I just read the fine print on the one I have here waiting to send her. It says "A surcharge not to exceed 37 minutes applies to US pay phone calls." So, basically, the 75 minute AT&T card I bought at Wally world could be used up in two short calls!!! What do I know about phone cards?! Pretty much nothing, I guess.
They had cards that had like 250 minutes on them. I thought to myself, why would anyone need that many minutes to make 1-3 minute calls once a week? Now I know. Pay phone calls eat minutes. Seems kinda wrong to me.
Lesson learned
Time to check the discussion boards for info on phone cards!
I sent my daughter off with a phone card of 700 minutes and the card was $ 19.99, this can be found at Costco ( like a Sam's club only better ) for those of you who have these by you.She can also recharge the card if she wanted to or I could even do it for her using the pin # on the back....
Wouldn't think they'd need too many minutes. My son is at Ft Benning basic training and his last letter said they get 3 calls all summer. One call in each phase (red, white and blue).
Guess every base is different, my daughter calls every sunday and has even called during the week. In fact she even called me last night ( fri ) so who knows when they have the chance and how much time they will have to talk....
Kayla has made 4 calls since arriving at reception. Two calls the first day (around 6/11)...both calls missed to our cell phones. Then one call last Saturday (6/14) and one this Thursday (6/19). I'm thinking the calls will slow down now that she's out of reception.
Hello My son left July 1 for MEPS and then left for Ft. Knox on July 2. Haven't heard anything from him. He called from a pay phone on Saturday but we were out so we missed his call. I really miss him. Friday July 4 was really tough for me as I really missed him and cried like a baby. Hope to hear form him sson. He was suppose to start reception today July 7 and training July 11. Hope and pray everything goes ok and he makes it through. Heard from someone today of another young man I know that went to Ft. Benning for Basic and wants to come home. His step dad told him he can do it.
mommy3k Thank you so much for the welcome. Well today is Tuesday and our son has been gone exactly one week and we have yet to hear from him. His JROTC Rifle instructor was asking today if we had heard anything from him. He was telling my husband that a class mate of our sons who also went to basic and he is loving it. Cannot wait to hear something from my son. He reports to Ft. Gordon for AIT after his basic.
Heard from our son Jon tonight. He is still in reception because he failed his pt test. They have put him in a special physical fitness program to help him get in shape. His recruiter kept telling him he needed to run in the mornings but his beauty sleep was more important. Now who has the last laugh.He isn't the only one that failed so that is good. He said if everything goes ok he should be shipped to his basic training unit on Monday.He said they did not fly to Knox like I had thought they ended up taking a 15 passenger van and picked up some more recruits along the way. They ended up getting into Knox sometime early early Thursday morning. He said he never slept till they got there. So until next time.
Thanks for the update NG mom! Sorry to hear about Jon's delay. He will be OK though. I know what you mean about their "beauty sleep"...LOL. I'm sure that's why we haven't had a letter from our daughter in over 3 weeks!
I am still kinda freaking out about my daughter being gone. Never thought I would take it this hard. She has been gone exactly a month now (left June 9). She was in reception for 10 days. What a waste of time! I felt a bit better after her call Sunday.
Just be prepared for a lot of time with no calls or letters...For us, it was about 2 weeks without meaningful contact (besides the form letters and such).
You can do this, and Jon can do this. Hang in there :-)
I was very glad that Jon called. Look forward to hearing from him again. Hoping he will start training on Monday. I wrote to his recruiter and also his JROTC rifle instructor and they both said told you so. They both kept telling him to get out and run but nope he wouldn't listen, but seems like everyone I speak to from church tell me it is normal. We live in a town outside Ft. Rucker gates, so we get a lot of soldiers and we have a lot of instructors that belong to our church. It is so weird not having Jon home. He is my baby and was the only one left at home. My daughter got married quietly at our church the end of May but will have a big one in Oct. My other son left home when he left for college. So it is kinda empty. My daughters husband Joe his mother lost her home to a fire Thursday evening so we will collect items for her. When my daughter called her to tell her she thought my daughter was playing with her. So sad. Any way seems like you and I are the only ones wrting on this sight, I joined the one on goarmy.com and they have alot of posts but doesn't seem like many for Ft. Knox. What is your daughter's MOS I have yet to see any that Jon is going for. Oh well this is getting long with a lot of nonsense so will end here. Take care
