I've seen this on my other website, and I bawled like a baby the first time. And the second. And the third. And......well, with my son now headed for the infantry, it has a whole new meaning. GULP............
Well leaving tomorrow...got Toby's number in case I get in trouble and Rexy's when I need a shrink. Which should be about tomorrow nite. LOL :lol: Be back next week...probably late Monday nite. You guys rock and thanks for everything.
Well keep your head up and wits about you. My oldest is at Balad Air Base in Iraq right now. He is a member of the 101st Army Airborne; he is an Army Corp of Engineers Heavy Construction Equipment Operator. He is assigned to a Water Purification Unit, but he has had to pull the Midnight to 4 AM Guard Tower Duty. He has all ready had one Mortar land within 100 feet of him. All I can say is that I am so proud of him, I am scared to death right now, BUT I AM OH SO PROUD OF HIM!!!!!!!!
You should use this thread to keep all of us abreast of what he's doing over there, and how you're communicating with him, and maybe show the differences in how you communicted with your folks while you were stationed overseas. I say this because I can guarantee that everyone that posts on this thread is interested in how your son is doing, and prays for his safe return.
I just got an email from him, he was up for a Soldier of the month award and I told him I had to start working masssive amounts of overtime here is what I got from him............ i got second out of 11 so i dont think i did that bad but i will be going back with in the next few months. i was the lowest ranking soldier there and my chain of command thought that i did really well. so how is everything back home well tell everyone that i said thank you for all their support. and i know how you feel about working all the time i havent had a day off in like a month and a half. but at least you get over time i dont ill talk to you later
My daughter, also, is with the 101st Airborne:flag: She's got only 10 more days in Iraq, thank God. In the meantime, you and your son will be in my thoughts and prayers........I know how frightened you must be, it's so hard to have absolutely NO control over what happens to one's child. All we can do is trust in their training, in their leaders, and in God to keep them safe.:yes:
Melanie is an air traffic controller, and a damn good one from what I understand, as she works the tower at the airfield where a lot of the dignitaries and officials come in. She's gotten to meet a lot of the high pooh-bahs, including Senator McCain, General Petraeus, and probably Senator Obama by now as well. She's in as safe a place as you can possibly get in a war zone, but when the Green Zone was getting shelled, she said life was pretty "interesting" for a little while. My son will have no such good fortune if he winds up in Iraq or Afghanistan, as he almost certainly will since he's going into the infantry. I'd give almost anything to NOT have him there, but it's his decision---he wants to fight honorably for his country, he says. He wants to serve, he wants to work hard, he wants all that corny stuff that makes moms cry at the drop of a Kleenex and dads walk just a little bit taller. Needless to say, I'm damned proud of him.......and as I learned to think when my daughter went overseas, people get killed every day just walking across the street or driving down the highway---danger is EVERYWHERE, not just in combat zones. So there isn't a lot of sense in worrying oneself into an ulcer; again, we military parents just have to learn to trust our kids and trust God.
Just heard from Deb; the past few days have been hectic for her, but she's at least been able to visit with her daughter. Because of Dolly, the trainees were confined to base, so that put a damper on some of the things they wanted to do, but she said they were ableta get to the Riverwalk and the Alamo. She'll have a full report when she's able. :yes:
When my son went back to the recruiter’s office to get his entrance test results, they offered him an Air Traffic Controller position. I asked him if he accepted it, and he said he was going back the next day. That position had been filled when he got back. I told him I was going to kick his butt.
First of all I want to thank Toby, the first time he checked on me they had us in lockdown in a room because of the weather, but he called the next day. He is very very kind and made sure I was okay. I owe you dinner the next time Toby LOL Drove 22 hours out 24 straight so I will post some pics in the next few days as soon as I get my sea legs back. thanks to Rexy too for texting me, caring, and to everyone here. I missed you guys. It was quite an experience and one I won't forget. I have a whole new respect for anyone, any branch that has ever done boot camp and what that entails.
Sorry this is late....but still kinda in a fog, a few pictures...still sorting thru the about 400 I took.... and now the weekend......I'll get some more up but it's a start... This was the first class ever to graduate in their ABU's..their fatiques because Hurricane Dolly did a number on the area the first few days. But like anything you adjust, roll with it....and be proud. Ashley and her Wingman We got lucky at graduation, turned out we had a cousin that is a MTI (military training instructor) who picked up us for graduation, got us front row seats, and literally charged the field after to shake Ashley's hand. Their eyes all popped out because MTI's are feared, respected and I think their initial reaction is they had done something wrong. Ashley and Cousin MTI Ash and her TI the girl in the middle is from guam, she had two little babies. Right after this pic she found her husband had died and had to leave. graduation parade down at the riverwalk
I actually joined the Navy just so I would have a decent job so I could propose to my then-girlfriend (still my wife). I had planned on doing my 6 year enlistment then getting out. 12 years later, and I just re-enlisted for another 6 years. Looks like I'm making a career out of it! :icon_shrug: I don't regret it. I'm not really a military type of person either. I just see that in my situation in life right now, the benefits outweigh the negatives. I will admit though, that I did not join to make a difference. Of course, when I joined the Navy was still hated in the Norfolk area, which is where I ended up getting stationed. It was nice to see the average attitude towards the military change after 9/11, but I wish it didn't require a major tragedy to change that attitude. I'm glad that people are now joining to "make a difference". But I don't think there is anything wrong with people just joining to get a job either. On a lighter note, congratulations to your daughter Deb! I know that while you're in boot camp it seems like it's really tough, but you get some good memories from there. At least she'll come out with great stories if nothing else!
Welcome to the board; we need a few more squids to kinda round things out!! :icon_tease: :flag: Actually, I think we all understand that there's really no such thing as joining the military "to make a difference"; there's no way a 'cruit is gonna make any kind of difference to anything or anybody...the numbers of enlistees are just too great. To actually susrvive the rigors of transitioning from being a civilian to being a soldier/sailor/airman is quite remarkable. One really can't "make a difference" until they get into a leadership role, and then only minimally. If a leader can influence subordinates to follow that leaders example, thats when one can "Make a difference". If not, it's the same old same old, which happens all too frequently.
VERY, very good point! It's a point I try to make my Chiefs understand, while doing my best to make sure my subordinates follow. This is mainly why I feel that I can make more of an impact as an officer. I always thought it was supposed to be the senior enlisted that was more of the people leader, while the officers were there to handle paperwork and the crap that falls from O-country. Turns out reality is almost the diametric opposite, of course with some people going against the norm.
There's some merit there, but the Officers better listen to the Senior NCOs of the unit if they want good order and discipline.
