# Talk Me Down: My Daughter is in Boot Camp and I'm Worried **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723 "2015-12-07T18:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/201 "2016-01-13T01:57:28Z")
post 193 above, it happens often. Not always a portapotty available. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/202 "2016-01-13T03:20:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And meanwhile the Spanish army uses their little handspades to cover up any number twos… you guys are spoiled! So did we. It depends on where you happen to be. One time, a krait made a sudden entrance while I was “enjoying” some private time, or so I thought. It was a good thing I was already squatting with my pants around my ankles. Oh, and that my entrenching tool was at hand. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/203 "2016-01-13T13:04:20Z")
We got two letters from Ivygirl yesterday. She’s passed her APFT, which, from what I can gather, is a physical fitness requirement for graduation, whipped a tourniquet on properly in 14 seconds, and was able to go on their ruck march with no pain from shin splints. I thought it was funny what she wrote in the letter. She said she didn’t have to walk until “I was (which was crossed out and changed to) we were” told to. She really enjoyed the first aid training and said the DSs are starting to be a bit more motivational. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/204 "2016-01-13T13:50:56Z")
Yaay! It sounds like both she and you are getting into the spirit of the thing. She’s at that stage of life where every year for the next few will be big changes, big adventures, and big growth. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/205 "2016-01-13T15:46:40Z")
You may or may not be able to see [this](https://www.facebook.com/135092849846756/photos/ms.c.eJwzNDAyNLM0MjcwMTUyMLA01TOECpiZW5gamxgZAQBwRQal.bps.a.1021692631186769.1073741924.135092849846756/1021692704520095/?type=3&theater), but it seems odd to me. (Let me know if the link doesn’t work.) Fort Leonard Wood is IN Missouri, but they cannot accept a Missouri state driver’s license as a valid identification because MO is one of the states that is not yet Real ID compliant. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/206 "2016-01-13T16:35:16Z")
I block all things Facebook. Who is “they”? If you mean TSA, yes this is now an issue. Starting this year the TSA cannot accept driver’s licenses that are not Real ID compliant. This is part of the Federal government’s assertion of sovereignty over the several states that refuse to comply with Federal law. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/207 "2016-01-13T16:45:26Z")
Fort Leonard Wood themselves. I just find it funny, but I know it’s because FLW is federal and the state they are in is responsible for issuing the licenses. My driver’s license is Real ID compliant, but Ivylad’s isn’t. His military id should work, correct? He’s retired Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/208 "2016-01-13T17:20:33Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Fort Leonard Wood themselves. I just find it funny, but I know it’s because FLW is federal and the state they are in is responsible for issuing the licenses. > > My driver’s license is Real ID compliant, but Ivylad’s isn’t. His military id should work, correct? He’s retired Navy. Yes, his retiree ID should work to get him on the Post. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/209 "2016-01-13T18:17:30Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And meanwhile the Spanish army uses their little handspades to cover up any number twos… you guys are spoiled! This is mostly a training issue. If you have a group of soldiers using the same training site year after year, they would rapidly get to the point where they wouldn’t have anywhere left to put it. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/210 "2016-01-13T18:42:11Z")
I’ve always wondered about that. Certainly animals don’t have access to port-a-potties. Nature manages to dispose of animal waste. Why would human waste be different? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/211 "2016-01-13T20:09:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I block all things Facebook. Who is “they”? > > If you mean TSA, yes this is now an issue. Starting this year the TSA cannot accept driver’s licenses that are not Real ID compliant. This is part of the Federal government’s assertion of sovereignty over the several states that refuse to comply with Federal law. Not just TSA. All federal agencies that require ID, which includes the Army. > [@ivylass](#): > > Fort Leonard Wood themselves. I just find it funny, but I know it’s because FLW is federal and the state they are in is responsible for issuing the licenses. > > My driver’s license is Real ID compliant, but Ivylad’s isn’t. His military id should work, correct? He’s retired Navy. Doesn’t she still have a Florida driver’s license? She’s not really a resident of Missouri since since is only there for basic. ETA: Yes, his military ID is Real ID compliant. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/212 "2016-01-13T23:22:59Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’ve always wondered about that. Certainly animals don’t have access to port-a-potties. Nature manages to dispose of animal waste. Why would human waste be different? Yes, bears shit in the woods. But one square mile of virgin woods has maybe one bear in it. One square mile of army exercise area has 2,000 people in it. Big difference. Also, humans get human diseases from human shit. Humans don’t catch bear diseases from bear shit. Other bears do. Not our problem. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/213 "2016-01-14T12:49:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, bears shit in the woods. But one square mile of virgin woods has maybe one bear in it. One square mile of army exercise area has 2,000 people in it. Big difference. > > Also, humans get human diseases from human shit. Humans don’t catch bear diseases from bear shit. Other bears do. Not our problem. Okay, so not the wilderness, more like a small-scale Woodstock. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/214 "2016-01-14T14:05:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Also, humans get human diseases from human shit. Humans don’t catch bear diseases from bear shit. Other bears do. Not our problem. Actually, we can catch all sorts of diseases from other animals’ shit. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/215 "2016-01-14T14:10:44Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > This is mostly a training issue. If you have a group of soldiers using the same training site year after year, they would rapidly get to the point where they wouldn’t have anywhere left to put it. By next year it’s become more plants. There is a karstic spread south of Mesa de los Tres Reyes which includes a relatively large boulder. Downwind of the boulder is a small amount of what might be the best soil in the world, or at least the bit containing one of the greatest amounts of fertilizer. It’s a very windy area and a very popular boulder. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/216 "2016-01-14T14:27:00Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Okay, so not the wilderness, more like a small-scale Woodstock. Gotcha. Every training rotation is likely to use the same set of training sites. So one company might occupy the training site one week, tear down, and then a different company moves in next week. After a few months of this you get to the point where it would be more poop than actual dirt. Even in a real war, cat holes are a last resort and primarily used when on the move. When the unit stops to make a long-term camp, they break out the 55 gallon drums, mix the waste with fuel, and burn it. If you ever hear someone complain about “stirring the poo” that’s what they’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/217 "2016-01-14T23:57:13Z")
Or there are inadequate numbers of portapotties Imagine a Brigade Support Area, the place where the cooks and officers and commo guys and supply guys, medics, yanno, your support troops and supplies are at. Lets say its about 1000 to 1500 (population varies a bit from day to day) all living in an area about the size of a football field. there are 15 to 20 portapotties for all of them. 5 of those portapotties are unofficially reserved for the exclusive use of the brigade commander and his staff. You and your brigade mates are there for two weeks and the portapotties are serviced once in that time. I hated being in the BSA. In the rear with the gear is NOT preferable to the front with the grunts. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/218 "2016-01-20T01:14:12Z")
We got another letter from Ivygirl. She’s still having some issues with shin splints and learned some hard truths about herself in the peer evaluations. She was very close to being peered out, which means she’d have to start basic over again. She’s asked for advice and her father and I are going to write her again this week. On the plus side, they’ve moved into White Phase, where they have a bit more freedom in moving about the post. I was going to pick up the plane tickets for graduation, but I think I’ll wait until she actually confirms she’ll be graduating. It sounds like she’s struggling again. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/219 "2016-01-20T02:02:23Z")
Never heard of peer evaluations in basic. Must be a new thing inspired by survivor. Can’t believe her fellows would try to screw her like that, I thought teamwork was something they still taught in the army. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/220 "2016-01-20T02:04:46Z")
I don’t think it’s meant to screw anyone. Quite frankly, her battle buddies pointed out some things her father and I have been trying to tell her for years. I think the fact that she’s asking for advice from us is a sign she’s finally willing to listen. You have to be able to trust the people in your company with your life. Being told you’re thought of as a complainer and a slacker is better now than in a combat situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723.md?page=12)