Saturday, May 18, 2013

Basic Training Update

Hello, everyone.

Sam here. I'm sorry I haven't been posting a lot more; I've only gotten two letters from Allegra since she left for Basic. Here's an update of what I've heard from her so far:
  • She wishes the workouts were harder and more exciting.
  • She has found her Battle Buddy, who will be going to the same AIT where Allegra will get her Medic training.
  • At some point, she sustained some kind of injury, the nature of which I can't seem to remember. (I will ask her in my next letter, since I somehow managed to end up in Canada without the letters I thought I had carefully packed in my backpack.) Whatever it was, it sounded like something to watch out for and take care of but not something too awful. I think it was an infected blister and she has to get new boots, but I'm not 100% positive...
  • She really didn't like the gas chamber during the first phase of training.
  • She didn't know she had a fear of heights until she repelled down a wall that was (I think) 70 feet high.
  • An all-girls barracks is apparently FULL of dramatic people fresh out of high school, which Allegra can't stand. (I don't blame her for this one at all.)
  • She misses everyone from home, friends and family, and wants more letters!
    • Here is the address you can send them to:
      • PFC Ramirez, Allegra 
      • C1-31 FA 3rd Plt. 
      • 6007 Rothwell St. 
      • Ft. Sill, OK 73503 
If you do send her a letter, please be sure to fill it with encouragement and love. I know she'll appreciate it!

Honestly, I think she's actually pretty happy there. Once she goes off to her Medic training, I think she'll be even happier. (Less drama from younger girls fresh out of high school, more stuff to learn.)

I'm really excited for her! I hope y'all are, too.

If you have any questions you would like for me to include in my next couple of letters to her, please let me know!

Cheers,
Sam

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Off to Basic

Howdy!

This is Allegra's friend Sam. We've been friends since we could crawl (even though I'm pretty sure neither of us really remembers the details of those days). Before she decided to join the Army, Allegra called me and asked what I thought about the military and what I would think if she decided to join one of the branches. I told her I thought that would be an amazing and exciting thing for her to do, and that I thought the life would suit her well. Her dad went to West Point and was in the military for some time, and I knew when she told me she wanted to follow in his footsteps that that was the right choice for her. I told her I thought it was the piece of the puzzle she had been so frustrated to not know for so long.

We chatted for a few days about how we had both had a serious interest in joining the military for a long time. Though I am currently driven to finish music school and trying to figure out next steps in my professional life as a musician, until she enlisted Allegra had been working to become a nurse and was beginning to feel miserable because she felt some element was still missing. So when she told me becoming a Combat Medic was something she wanted to do, I supported her 100% in pursuing that dream.

Now the day has come when my friend is going somewhere I cannot. Basic Training starts for her at Fort Sill today, and because her path is now so decidedly separate from my own I cannot be her Partner in Crime anymore. I can't be there to watch her transformation from civilian to soldier. I can't be there after Basic is over, to watch her back or to remind her when she's feeling down of all the people back home who love her. I can't help her heal the wounded or carry the bodies of the fallen off the battlefield. All I can do is support her from my dorm room in Nashville, and hope like all the rest of you who are reading this blog that she is successful and happy learning what her future will hold.

That future starts today.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, and send her some good energy and some good snail mail in the days ahead. Those things will keep her going even longer than the food and water she will consume to keep her body healthy; your support and love from afar will give her the spiritual strength to continue when others would be defeated. I know that for the next few years I will be telling her in every way I can that she will always be my friend, that I love and support her no matter what, and that I'm excited for her to be pursuing her dreams.

Thank you, PFC Ramirez, for your service to this country. Hooah!

Over and out.

-Sam

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

5 days

oh
my
goodness
!!

5DAYS!

It's right around the corner, i can see the starting line. it's right there. I can see it. This new adventure i am about to embark on is starting. Really starting, in 5 days. I know that the night before i ship out, i will probably not sleep. at all. I will be so incredibly nervous and excited, that i won't be able to sleep. This is so crazy, that we are finally hitting the destination. 

You know, i have to say. I am really lucky. i have an amazing support system of amazing family, friends, and old co workers. I also feel so lucky that at the young age of 22 almost 23 all of my dreams are finally coming true. After putting off the army for so long, i've finally achieved it. And then i will get my nursing degree soon after that. Then...well. A couple other dreams of mine came true over the last few months as well. 

There is so much that i want to talk about in this blog. I just don't know where to begin. So, instead i will just go on a rambling session. Which may i add, i am quite good at. 

I didn't think that the day would ever come that i would finally be at the single digits. we are right there. right there. The next 4 years are probably going to change my life. And everyone keeps saying that the experience will change a part of me and that i will come back a changed person. So, we shall see about that one. And on some level i hope that it doesnt change me too much. Because overall, i do like who i am as a person. Which i have to say, is pretty amazing that i can say that. A lot of people in todays society can't say that. 

And on another note. Even though i have been through a lot in my childhood, and had a bit of a rocky upbringing. My life has turned out pretty amazing. And i've turned into a decent person i would say. I don't smoke, i don't do drugs, i drink only occasionaly. Plus, i have amazing family and friends. What more could someone ask for?

Well, i think that is long enough of a ramble for today. 
Allegra

"make a wish and place it in your heart, anything you want, everything you want. do you have it? good. now believe it can come true. , you never know where the next miracle can come from. the next smile. the next wish come true. but if you believe that its right around the corner, and if you open your heart and mind to the possiblilty of it. to the certainity to it. you just might get the thing you’re wishing for . the world is full of magic you just have to believe in it. so make your wish. do you have it? good. now believe in it, with all your heart."

Monday, March 11, 2013

7 days!

Hey all, 

Oh mylanta! it's almost there. Crunch time! we are exactly one week away from when i ship off to basic training! So damn exciting, thrilling, nerve wracking, and a number of other things. 

This last week i am dedicated to spending with friends, family and other loved ones. I have to say, i must be pretty lucky if i'm having to schedule people in to spend time with them before i leave, right? I'm one lucky gal i must say. 

I have a lot of stuff to do this week. Sigh. Like selling my car. And transferring the title and all that jazz. it'll be a sad day. And packing up more stuff and all that good stuff. I'll be coming home for 2 weeks before i go to my first duty station. So, i should have some time to get that taken care of. 

What else can i ramble about? 

well, thats it for now. 
Allegra

"When I hear the call, there is nothing that will stop me from my mission.

I will fight to your position, risking life and limb, and destroying any enemy crazy enough to think he is going to get between me and my objective.

Once there, I will do everything and anything to get you out of harm's way. I will never stop until I've done so, no matter the risk.

I'm going to keep you alive. I'm going to stop the bleeding. I'm going to dress your wounds. I'm going to dull your pain. I'm going to get you home or I'm going to die trying.

When I hear the call, before God, before Mom, they call for me.

Because I will come every time.

I am an Army Medic."





Sunday, March 10, 2013

8 days!

Oh my! tomorrow we are exactly one week away from the big day. I can't believe it's almost here. its exciting, thrilling, nerve wracking all at once. It feels like just yesterday it was 90 something days until i left. And now we are just a week away. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. 

I seriously feel so lucky. i have the most supportive, friends and family someone could ask for. And the best. 

I'm running out of things to say these days. I don't know what to say much anymore without rambling like an idiot. 

I'm going to miss you all like crazy. 

Well i no longer have to work, that's a good thing. And i am so glad to be done. So glad. I ran out of that place like a high schooler on graduation day. 

Thats it for now. 
Allegra

"The more things change, the more they stay the same. i’m not sure who the person was to say that, probably shakespeare or maybe sting. But at the moment its the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw. my inability to change. i dont think i’m alone in this. The more i get to know other people, the more i realize it’s everybody’s flaw. Staying exactly the same. For as long as possible. Standing perfectly still, it feels better somehow. And if you are suffering at least the pain is familiar. Because if you took that leap of faith, went outside the box, did something unexpected, who knows what other pain might be out there. Chances are it could be even worst. So you maintain the status quo. Choose the road already traveled and it doesn’t seem that bad. Not as far as flaws go. You’re not a drug addict, you’re not killing anyone except maybe yourself a little. When we finally do change, i don’t think it happens like an earthquake or an explosion where all of a sudden we’re this different person. I think it’s smaller than that. The type of thing people wouldn’t even notice unless they looked really close which thank god they never do. But you notice it. Inside you that change feels like a world of difference. And you hope that it is. That this is the person you get to be forever. That you’ll never have to change again."


Sunday, March 3, 2013

15 Days.

15 days! 2 weeks and 1 day. Holy camoly! 

I am so excited, for what is to come. I mean yes, i will miss everyone in AZ like crazy. Along with my friends in family in other parts of the country. 

This is so wild. I can't believe March 18th is almost here. Only 2 odd weeks left as a civillian. In 15 days my transformation from Civillian to Soldier will begin. I know that this phase of my life will transform me in ways that i can't even imagine. I know that i will create all sorts of new friendships, i know that this will change my life. I've already created some friendships with some future soldiers. When i enlisted my recruiter set me up with a user ID for this Future Soldier website. So i've met people that i will be going to Basic Training with. And a lot of them i'll be going to my Advanced Training with as well. So, it makes it easier knowing that i will know some people going in. Ain't technology grand?

I really don't think that i will realize that i am actually leaving until i am in Oklahoma or even after Reception week is over. 

You should check this video out. Reagan shows us some inspiration. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuQ-3wxPCtM&list=PLuCr7fqyOHBt948tq7jN1fyU1EorBJizJ&index=7

Enjoy. 
Allegra

"But even in dying, our life story doesn't just end. Each of us leaves behind a legacy of memories in the minds of those who survive us. As we live each day, we are building this legacy, through our words, our actions, and the choices we make. Each of us began life completely dependent on others for our survival. Over the course of our lifespan, others come to depend on us. It is those people whose lives we have touched in some way, whether for good or for ill, who will remember us. In this sense, the final chapter of our lives will be written not by us, but by those whose life stories have intersected with our own."

Thursday, February 28, 2013

18 days

Yesterday, i had posted a status on facebook about a political matter: 

"Okay, so one of my biggest pet peeves is when i talk to people who joined the army and they tell me they are scared they will get deployed, scared to use a gun, or scared they will get killed or hurt. For heavens sake, you joined the Military! You signed a contract to DEFEND your country. You did the Oath of Enlistment. If you just joined the military for the Educational Benefits, then you will not make it far in the Military;you will get eaten alive. At the end of the day your heart must be 200% in to defending your country, the constitution, and your fellow comrades. If you are one of these people please bail out now, and do us all a favor. Being in the Military we must all have each others backs. We all become family to one another. If we ened up fighting with one another i WILL have your back, in exchange i expect the same. I would risk my life to save yours. As the Warrior Ethos says, "I will always place the mission first, i will never quit, i will never leave a fallen comrade." I will stay true to those words. And i stay true to my word. I won't pussy out. Man up and do what you signed up to do. Defend our country and the people in it."


And i some people had some pretty insulting things to say about the Military in general. I had a friend a while back saying something along the lines that once you join the Military a lot of Civilians grow to hate you for what you are doing. I didn't believe him at first. But now i do. 


Why would you honestly insult any Marine, Soldier, Sailor or Airmen? They defend your freedom every day. Because of the Military we have all the freedoms that we have. While you are on your iphone, laptop and watching netflix, soldiers everywhere are risking their lives so that you can live yours. So please be respectful of the Military. They do a lot for all of us everyday. They don't get the chance to see their loved ones everyday like we do. They are away from them for months on end. And are lucky to even get a phone call. 


And i'm not saying all this to make everyone feel guilty. As a soldier we all know what we signed up for, we are willing to give it all up. Because we WANT to fight for our country. And most Veterans that i have ever talked to would do it again in a heart beat. There is a T-shirt i saw the other day that totally sums it up perfectly, "I wanted to serve, I volunteered to serve, I knew what i was doing" And then in the back it said, "i'd do it again". Almost every person who has ever served, would do it again in a heart beat. They knew what they were doing when they rose their right hand. And if they didn't, they were the type of person who felt they had no other option. 


i promise to anyone that i end up fighting side by side i WILL have your back, I would risk my life to save yours. Because we are soldiers and that is what we are meant to do. You are my brothers and sisters, we are family. I will never leave you behind. I joined the Army as a Combat Medic because i want to save my men. 


I know that this experience i am about to embark on will change my life. I can't wait for it to begin. 


Thank you for listening to my rampage,

Allegra

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."