It’s really hard to watch a loved one walk away from you, knowing they are heading towards a chasm of unknowns, and even worse for yourself, knowing that you won’t be able to talk to them for thirteen whole weeks. You have a lot of conflicting emotions; you miss your loved one terribly and are worried for their safety and health, but the amount of pride you feel for the act they are performing knows no bounds: your boyfriend is leaving to become a Marine.
Every week, there are thousands of American men and women leaving the comfort of their homes to become trained to protect our country. It is a position of respect and courage that impacts many, not just those who serve. These men and women are giving up entire lives of planning, because they have to be available to move around as needed, to best serve and protect, meaning it is really hard for them to find time to be around family.
When they become a poolee, they dedicate one week and one month to training. Once they become a recruit, they are off the grid of social communication with family, friends, or anyone else for thirteen weeks, at boot camp, in an environment that’s not only physically, but mentally exhausting. The most they can do is write letters, but that is hard for them to remember and take part in, due to the exhaustion they most likely are experiencing and the extremely limited free time.
If they survive that, they are officially a Marine and have just ten days off before they go back to Marine life and take part in even more training, for the specific job they chose for a couple months. Basically, if there is anything you understand of this explanation, just know that there are many stages of training, and you will be having a lot of new experiences in long distance relationships. It is hard for significant others because there are millions of emotions swirling around you heading to the weeks leading up to boot camp, all the way to graduation and beyond.
Something important to keep in mind throughout your loved one being gone is that even though you may feel like you have been left behind, remember that just because they may be in a different state does NOT mean they don’t remember or think about you. Even though contact is extremely limited with them, make sure to still write. In the first few weeks, while you are waiting for them to get their platoon assignment, you can send mail, so still write every day, even if you can’t send the letters yet. You can even do it in the notes section of your phone, or actually write them out if you have the time. Send them the memes you would normally text, talk about the things that happened in class or at work that really hurt your feelings, tell them about all the good, and just ask all the questions you have had since they left. That way, even though your loved one is not here, you may still talk to them and at least, send the letters you wrote later. I have not heard of an instance where somebody didn’t like letters during bootcamp, so maybe they will possibly want to have even more than you needed to write them.