I got a letter from him that arrived yesterday. He apologized more than a few times, and explained some of the chaos and aggravation he was enduring as he waited to make a call. He also said he was very VERY upset after hanging up.
That's probably the hardest part, hanging up and then realizing that you could maybe fix what just went wrong with just another few seconds on the phone...but you can't call back.
The Army is teaching us all sorts of new things about ourselves. Mostly I think it's teaching us to be in control of everything. Not just your physical actions. Your thoughts effect your performance and conversations could very well be the last one you ever have. Taking for granted that you'll always be able to apologize or try to repair whatever was broken is not a luxury the military affords us. I think Basic Training is for the family as well as the Soldier. We need to learn to say what our hearts mean first, and not to waste one precious moment we have on the phone or in person. Anger and frustration will just have to sit on hold until we have finished our call and hung up, or until we've dropped them off at their base. Then we can vent to our fellow Army parents/spouses/siblings and know that we are helping our Soldiers maintain the positive focus they need to succeed.
Ok, I'm starting to sound like a self help book. I just wanted to let you know he wrote me and apologized. Obviously our last call during OSUT will be memorable, but only because it taught us both something.
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