Lance Corporal

Yes, that is the rank of David now. He got meritoriously promoted in School of Infantry. School of Infantry went very well, although, he did not score as well on his PFT as he would have liked.

The run was 3.5 miles and very hilly instead of the 3 miles it is supposed to be, and the times were still the same. He managed just over 18 minutes, so not quite perfect there. His chin-ups went the worst. Three days before doing his PFT he gave blood, and in the process the technician hit the nerve in his arm causing his arm to swell up, and giving him pain for about a week, so it was difficult to do his chin-ups. Also they were a lot stricter on the chin-ups. They didn't allow ANY movement of legs during the time, and were very sticky on locking the arms. He was a little short on his crunches too. He only ended up with a 265 PFT, which was disappointing.

David traveled out to Chesapeake Virgina to MCSFS (Marine Corps Security Forces School), but due to a backlog on the classes, they gave him 12 days of recruiter's assistance. He didn't tell us this was happening, so he got to surprise us by showing up at our door. It was fun having him here for those days. His Recruiter's assistance ended up being over his birthday, so that was nice, especially after he missed almost all the rest of our birthdays, and Christmas as well.

Right now he is back in Virginia starting the 6 week MCSFS course on the 12th. He has weekends and evenings off, so we can be in phone contact with him.

1. Pray that David can excel in the studying part of the Marines as he has in the Physical Part.

2. Pray that he can find a good church fellowship.

3. Pray that he can make it to Lucas' graduation. It would be the first time our whole family has been together since Christmas 2006. It is very unlikely, as David only has a week to request it, and normally a graduation is not considered a good reason to go outside the 100-mile radius they are required to stay within.

Phone call from Pendleton!

Well, you guessed it, today we got a surprise call from David from Cali. He was given the privilege of a 10 minute call, as his platoon was the best platoon in the PE test. He is doing very well, and seems to be enjoying himself yet. He says everyone thinks he is crazy because he has too much energy and is too happy. He says he really appreciates any letters he gets, and to keep sending letters. You can continue to pray that he remains healthy, that the Lord would continue to give safety, and that he can continue to be able to fit in time for personal devotions.

David's Letters

David has been very faithful at letter writing, and my Mom has been very faithful in posting them to our family blog. You can read his first, second, third, forth/fifth. He continues to be upbeat and not at all regretting his decision. You can keep in prayer that he can be healthy for the complete duration. He has pink-eye and a cold, so that those two afflictions can heal up!

David's Address

We got a form letter today from David with his address. Once again I would like to emphasize: absolutely no packages of any sort, no pictures, and no money; only letters. His address is:

PILLMAN, DAVID, P
3rd RTBN M CO Plt. 3271
39003 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3274

Please make sure you copy the address exactly as written. Realize he is very pressed for time, so his reply correspondence will be limited, but he will certainly enjoy letters of encouragement. The letter was not a personal one, he only signed his name, so we don't know any more than this. Thanks again to all who have shown their support!

Update: You can see his general schedule here.

David's Send-off

Thank you all for coming to David's send-off. Your support is a real encouragement. We had plenty of treats for everyone, thanks to the many people who were so generous and brought a variety of cookies, bars, and even milk! We estimated we had about 150-160 people present for the program, and there were a few more that either left before the program, or came after it was over.

We would especially like to thank those who shared, including Cpt. John Mueller (Navy), Pastor Les Johnson, and Bob Ebersprocher, who also presented David with a Gideon New Testament on behalf of the Gideons. A big thanks also goes to the Brown Family, Kurt, Sophia, Daniel, Sarah, Hannah, Bailey, as well as Brandon Marschner, Naomi Finney, Julia Osthus, Anna Alme, and Angela Lackey, who stayed around and helped us clean up.

We would also like to thank each and everyone who is praying for David as he prepares to embark on this new stage in his life. We pray that the Lord can bless him in this endeavor, and that David may be a bright, shinning example of Christ's love to all around him!

Send-off for David!

As I before mentioned, my brother has enlisted in the Marines. We are wanting to have a commissioning service of a sort, and you are invited to take part. It will be from 14.00.00-16.00.00 hours (ok, 2pm-4pm for those of you not used to military time) at our church, just south of Wilson. You can get directions and more information, at my family's blog, here. We would love to see you there!

Enlisted

I am honored now to be able to say my brother has just enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He leaves for basic training the beginning of November. You can join both myself and my whole family as we support him with prayers and letters. I have always respected those men who are willing to commit a minimum of 4 years to serving their country, and now am most glad to have a sibling enlisted. Due to his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) he will be in training for about 1 year, and will not see overseas duty for about 3. When his first 3 years are done he hopes to train as a scout and serve in the front lines his last 2 years. As I mentioned before, your prayers are always welcome!

Semper Fidelis!