Today I am not writing to make folks smile. I am writing because I am angry. I am so angry I can hardly think of anything else. My seventeen year old grandson has Covid19. He is in basic training for the Army. He is part of the split entry program for seventeen year olds. He was barely in the Army for two weeks when he tested positive. Last night I got a lengthy message from him. He told me many things that I thought I would never hear. He told me that he is bunking with "over three hundred other trainees packed in here." who have also tested positive. He said they keep coming in. I asked him if he had a doctor checking on him. He answered by saying he got his temperature checked daily. However, he never did have a temperature only the "sniffles." He said he knew immediately that he had "it". He said "it's getting better, I woke up gasping for air. It's like trying to breathe in 200% humidity. The air feels heavy." He said, "I can breathe alright, it just takes some adjustment." I said are you eating? He said, "We used to have a lot to eat, but not now since there are so many of us." What? Are you kidding me?
He told me that he is not allowed to send letters because of the virus and not to send him anything either. He said, "Don't worry, Grandma. I will manage to get through. I feel horrible." I told him it was my job to worry about him. He said, "Thank you Grandma I love you."
Suddenly the messages stopped. I waited and waited, but I didn't receive any more messages from him. I was so very angry because my blood flows through that child's veins. He is part of me. I fight for what is right. I Googled the Fort that he is at. They said they only had fifty cases of the dreadful virus. Fifty? Hmm. So this morning I did my first letter to my congressman. That made me even more angry. I had to choose a topic from A-Other. Yup Other. Of course, I didn't expect to talk to him, but I did expect to speak to a human being. Not to write him a note of 2000 characters or less. 2000? Give me a break! Anyone that knows me knows that 2000 words can come out of my mouth in less than a minute, 2000 characters? I said what I had to say imploring him to please look into what I consider a "Keep quiet about it" situation. Our young folks are sick and we don't know about it. I was without television for over a month and had no radio reception as well. Did I miss something?
I cannot send my grandson a birthday card for his eighteenth birthday. So I am writing this to you to read and ponder. I consider this my second step. I will take another step. I will hand write some letters. I was taught cursive and I think he ( our congressman) is old enough to read cursive. Long may it be taught. Yes, I am angry. This will be my first and last such post.
