This weekend was a time of remembrance. I have always considered myself to be patriotic and grateful for the sacrifices made. My great-grandfather and grandfather served in World War I and II (respectively). Fortunately, both of them returned home safely, but they were willing to lay it all on the line. My great-grandfather even took the phrase, "never leave a fallen comrade" literally as he pulled soldiers from a tank that had been mustard-gassed during the war.
I am thankful for those who have died for my freedom and those who are laying it all on the line. But I don't think I ever really understood those sacrifices and heroism as much as I do this year. My son (and others like him) are true American Heros!
On Sunday, I attended Memorial Day services at our church. There was a lot of patriotic music sung, as there always is for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, but this year instead of just singing the words, I listened to them a little more closely. Tears came to my eyes as we sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and I could hardly even mouth the words when a young child sang God Bless America in front of the entire congregation. (I wonder if she truly understands how blessed we really are.)
Then I wondered, why do we say to each other, "Happy Memorial Day." Is it truly a "happy" day? Are we happy because we have the day off from work? Surely we're not happy because so many have died? So why is it that we say, "Happy Memorial Day"? We are happy because we're free. We're grateful for those who have given the greatest sacrifice, and we're blessed. Hopefully, we're humbled by the men and women who have died for our country. Perhaps for many, their death meant going on to heaven where they are truly free! (That would be a happy day!!!)
Daniel told me several weeks ago: "IT IS AN HONOR TO GET TO BE DEPLOYED!" You see, it isn't a matter of "have to" for our men and women in uniform. When asked why he joined the Army, Daniel's answer has nothing to do with income, college, retirement, or anything else tangible. He will look you straight in the eye and tell you "BECAUSE I LOVE MY COUNTRY!"
I can't honestly say that I look forward to the day when my son will be deployed and be in harm's way, but I'm starting to understand what it really means and why he has to do it. You see, he loves this country so much that he is willing to lay it all on the line. He is willing to die so that you and I can be FREE! What greater sacrifice and honor could there be?
Why is he willing to die? He tells me it is because he has been overseas on mission trips and even to areas of the United States where people don't have the freedoms that we take for granted. He knows that not all are qualified to serve in our military, and he feels privileged to be among those who are qualified. He truly appreciates what he has, and he is determined to defend it. Some tell me that he is only 19 years old and thinks that he is "invicible," but I disagree. Daniel knows that he is putting his life on the line, but he is honored to do so for YOU! Daniel tells me that he has been called by God to serve! This is his mission field!
Today, I ask no more than this. Don't let your honor of our military be reserved only for those holidays dedicated to them. Whenever you see a soldier in uniform, remember to thank them for their service! And when you don't see them, remember to pray for them! It truly does mean the world!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 (NIV)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
huge thank you!
Last Wednesday, we took Daniel to Bush Intercontinental Airport as his leave ended and he was headed to his first duty station at Fort Carson. We arrived in plenty of time for his 2:15pm flight. American Airlines gladly accepted and checked his three very large pieces of luggage (carrying all of his personal and military gear with him) at no charge. The ticket agent even marked his luggage sith "priority" tags so that it would be among the first luggage off the plane and onto the conveyor belt when he arrived in Colorado Springs.
I watched sadly and proudly as he passed through security and out of sight. (I managed not to cry until he was completley out of sight.)
Although Daniel has flown alone before, he had never gone out of such a big airport with several terminals. I was a bit nervous for him, but we left him in the proper terminal, and I gave him maps and directions for the DFW airport to help him find his connection. (He was to have a 2.5 hour layover in Dallas, so I figured he had plenty of time to find his gate there as well.) We had considered booking him on Continental Airlines because they had non-stop flights, but the flight was about $100 more than the comparable American Airlines flight.
Once Daniel was beyond security, he re-set his watch to Colorado time. He then determined that he had time before his flight to go to the USO and relax for a bit. (At Bush Airport, the USO is in Terminal D, but he was departing out of Terminal A.) He checked his watch and then proceeded to log onto the internet. At about 2:00pm Texas time, he thought he would go ahead and move back towards his gate (thinking that he still had over an hour until flight time because he had reset his watch). When he arrived at the gate, he discovered that he had just missed his flight. He was absolutely devestated and angry (with himself) for his mistake and worried that he was going to be AWOL if he didn't find some way to get to Colorado Springs that night.
Fortunately, the American Airlines agent near the gate saw his frustration and began to assist him. She did some checking and got Daniel on the 4:15pm flight to Dallas, where he would still be able to make his connection. Unfortunately, this meant that he now would only have 30 minutes to make his connection at the huge DFW airport. Daniel then called me to let me know what happened. I began to explain to him that he wasn't going to have much time for his connection and that he should talk to the flight attendants on board to try to get permission to be one of the first ones off the plane in order to make his next flight. He understood, and we were both grateful that American Airlines was making these arrangements for him at no extra charge.
While I was on the phone with Daniel (and trying to get him to calm down a bit since he was still frustrated with himself), the American Airlines agent came over to him where he was sitting. The agent told him that he wasn't going to be on the 4:15pm flight afterall, but instead they had put him on a 6:15pm non-stop flight which would get him into Colorado Springs about 30 minutes later than his originally scheduled arrival time and handed him his new paperwork. Again, she told him that there would be no charge for this change, and she even offered to escort him to his new gate (in a different terminal).
Since I was still on the line, I began to search frantically for this new flight. I didn't think that American Airlines had any non-stop flights from Houston to Colorado Springs (and I was right). I couldn't figure out what they had done. I asked Daniel for the flight number for his new paperwork, and he told me it was flight 2116. I searched for that flight number, and American Airlines didn't have a flight that corresponded with that number. I asked Daniel to look at his paperwork again, and he discovered that it was a Continental flight. American Airlines and Continental had worked out some sort of deal to get this young soldier on the non-stop flight FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE TO DANIEL!
A short time later, Daniel and I hung up the phone and the American Airlines agent escorted him to his new gate. Daniel called again to let me know that he was at the gate, and I told him that he did have time to go back to the USO and relax from this ordeal since he had a 3 hour wait for his flight. Daniel was too nervous at this point to venture far from his gate, but he did find something to eat in the terminal.
I can't say enough good things about American Airlines and Continental for how they handled this ordeal and how well they treated Daniel. Truthfully, I don't know if the fact that Daniel was active duty military and traveling in uniform had anything to do with how well he was treated, but regardless, both airlines went above and beyond the call of duty to get Daniel to his destination on time!
I watched sadly and proudly as he passed through security and out of sight. (I managed not to cry until he was completley out of sight.)
Although Daniel has flown alone before, he had never gone out of such a big airport with several terminals. I was a bit nervous for him, but we left him in the proper terminal, and I gave him maps and directions for the DFW airport to help him find his connection. (He was to have a 2.5 hour layover in Dallas, so I figured he had plenty of time to find his gate there as well.) We had considered booking him on Continental Airlines because they had non-stop flights, but the flight was about $100 more than the comparable American Airlines flight.
Once Daniel was beyond security, he re-set his watch to Colorado time. He then determined that he had time before his flight to go to the USO and relax for a bit. (At Bush Airport, the USO is in Terminal D, but he was departing out of Terminal A.) He checked his watch and then proceeded to log onto the internet. At about 2:00pm Texas time, he thought he would go ahead and move back towards his gate (thinking that he still had over an hour until flight time because he had reset his watch). When he arrived at the gate, he discovered that he had just missed his flight. He was absolutely devestated and angry (with himself) for his mistake and worried that he was going to be AWOL if he didn't find some way to get to Colorado Springs that night.
Fortunately, the American Airlines agent near the gate saw his frustration and began to assist him. She did some checking and got Daniel on the 4:15pm flight to Dallas, where he would still be able to make his connection. Unfortunately, this meant that he now would only have 30 minutes to make his connection at the huge DFW airport. Daniel then called me to let me know what happened. I began to explain to him that he wasn't going to have much time for his connection and that he should talk to the flight attendants on board to try to get permission to be one of the first ones off the plane in order to make his next flight. He understood, and we were both grateful that American Airlines was making these arrangements for him at no extra charge.
While I was on the phone with Daniel (and trying to get him to calm down a bit since he was still frustrated with himself), the American Airlines agent came over to him where he was sitting. The agent told him that he wasn't going to be on the 4:15pm flight afterall, but instead they had put him on a 6:15pm non-stop flight which would get him into Colorado Springs about 30 minutes later than his originally scheduled arrival time and handed him his new paperwork. Again, she told him that there would be no charge for this change, and she even offered to escort him to his new gate (in a different terminal).
Since I was still on the line, I began to search frantically for this new flight. I didn't think that American Airlines had any non-stop flights from Houston to Colorado Springs (and I was right). I couldn't figure out what they had done. I asked Daniel for the flight number for his new paperwork, and he told me it was flight 2116. I searched for that flight number, and American Airlines didn't have a flight that corresponded with that number. I asked Daniel to look at his paperwork again, and he discovered that it was a Continental flight. American Airlines and Continental had worked out some sort of deal to get this young soldier on the non-stop flight FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE TO DANIEL!
A short time later, Daniel and I hung up the phone and the American Airlines agent escorted him to his new gate. Daniel called again to let me know that he was at the gate, and I told him that he did have time to go back to the USO and relax from this ordeal since he had a 3 hour wait for his flight. Daniel was too nervous at this point to venture far from his gate, but he did find something to eat in the terminal.
I can't say enough good things about American Airlines and Continental for how they handled this ordeal and how well they treated Daniel. Truthfully, I don't know if the fact that Daniel was active duty military and traveling in uniform had anything to do with how well he was treated, but regardless, both airlines went above and beyond the call of duty to get Daniel to his destination on time!
Friday, May 7, 2010
family day/graduation pictures
Sorry for the delay in posting pictures from Daniel's family day and graduation.
Sign at the entrance to the base.
Sign on base announcing Daniel's Company's family day and graduation.
Daniel's company with one of the drill sergeants, just before they released the guys to us on family day.
Daniel and his Grandma. He told her that he was sad that Grandpa couldn't be there to see his accomplishment, but she assured him that Grandpa would be VERY proud!
Daniel and his little sister. She missed him a lot.
Daniel with his parents. We are soooo proud of him!!!
Daniel with his best friend, Tiffany. She surprised him with her attendance, although Daniel says he wasn't really surprised because "she wrote on page 15 of her letter that she might come."
Daniel announcing his name, rank and hometown, just before he got pinned with his castle signifying that he is now an Army Engineer Soldier.
Daniel with one of his drill sergeants after graduation. They are now "equals" in that they are both Army Engineer Soldiers. (Of course the drill sergeant does still outrank Daniel.)
Sign at the entrance to the base.
Sign on base announcing Daniel's Company's family day and graduation.
Daniel's company with one of the drill sergeants, just before they released the guys to us on family day.
Daniel and his Grandma. He told her that he was sad that Grandpa couldn't be there to see his accomplishment, but she assured him that Grandpa would be VERY proud!
Daniel and his little sister. She missed him a lot.
Daniel with his parents. We are soooo proud of him!!!
Daniel with his best friend, Tiffany. She surprised him with her attendance, although Daniel says he wasn't really surprised because "she wrote on page 15 of her letter that she might come."
Daniel announcing his name, rank and hometown, just before he got pinned with his castle signifying that he is now an Army Engineer Soldier.
Daniel with one of his drill sergeants after graduation. They are now "equals" in that they are both Army Engineer Soldiers. (Of course the drill sergeant does still outrank Daniel.)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Army Mom's Creed
I am the mother of an American soldier.
I am a support system and a member of a family
much larger than my own.
I am a support system and a member of a family
much larger than my own.
I serve the people of the United States and teach my children
the importance of the Army values.
My son's heightened morale will remain my mission
For I understand that he will not be successful in fulfilling his duties
If I stray from mine.
For I understand that he will not be successful in fulfilling his duties
If I stray from mine.
I will never give up
Nor will I allow my fears
To prevent the accomplishment of my duties.
Nor will I allow my fears
To prevent the accomplishment of my duties.
I will never allow my son to forget
The importance of his role as a soldier.
The importance of his role as a soldier.
I am disciplined. My faith in God
will allow me to remain steadfast
Despite the loneliness and stress
that are constantly confronting me.
I will depend on HIM so that my son can depend on me.
I will ensure my son never doubts
that he is a priority in my life.
I will maintain my family, my home, and myself.
My son will never have to wonder where my devotion lies.
His focus will remain on the security of a nation
While mine remains on the security of our family.
I will remain faithful in my encouragement and my support.
I am the mother of an American soldier!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Engineer Hymn
I found the words for the Engineer Hymn that the new Army Engineer Soldiers sang at their graduation:
Men of honor, stand ye steady,
It can not be ever said ye,
For this battle were not ready.
Sappers will not yield.
Hear the cannon pounding, pounding.
From the hills resounding, sounding.
Sound the horn, and forward toward,
The mighty force surrounding.
Men of honor, stand ye steady,
Ye shall ever be at ready,
To the frightful foe afore Ye.
Sappers will not yield.
Men of honor, start replying,
On courage and strength relying,
To the fray ahead be flying.
Sappers will not yield.
Men of honor, those before ye,
Fought and died as Engineers for the,
Nation that we hold so dearly.
Sappers will not yield.
Hear the cannon pounding, pounding.
From the hills resounding, sounding.
Sound the horn, and forward toward,
The mighty force surrounding.
Men of honor, on to glory,
This will ever be your story,
Keep these stirring words before ye.
Sappers will not yield.
Men of honor, stop your dreaming,
Can't you see their bayonets gleaming,
See their warrior pennants streaming,
To this battle field.
Can't you see their bayonets gleaming,
See their warrior pennants streaming,
To this battle field.
Men of honor, stand ye steady,
It can not be ever said ye,
For this battle were not ready.
Sappers will not yield.
Hear the cannon pounding, pounding.
From the hills resounding, sounding.
Sound the horn, and forward toward,
The mighty force surrounding.
Men of honor, stand ye steady,
Ye shall ever be at ready,
To the frightful foe afore Ye.
Sappers will not yield.
Men of honor, start replying,
On courage and strength relying,
To the fray ahead be flying.
Sappers will not yield.
Men of honor, those before ye,
Fought and died as Engineers for the,
Nation that we hold so dearly.
Sappers will not yield.
Hear the cannon pounding, pounding.
From the hills resounding, sounding.
Sound the horn, and forward toward,
The mighty force surrounding.
Men of honor, on to glory,
This will ever be your story,
Keep these stirring words before ye.
Sappers will not yield.
family day and graduation
Last Thursday and Friday have probably been among the most emotional and proudest days of my life. On Thursday, I got to see Daniel for the first time in 15 weeks. Then on Friday, I got to see him become an American Combat Engineer Soldier. These events rank right up there with the emotion I felt at his birth and his baptism. I sent away a boy, and the Army returned to me a Soldier!
Wednesday morning, Lee, Abbie, Tiffany (Daniel's best friend), and I set out by plane from Santa Fe, and my mom set out from Lubbock. We met up with my mom in Dallas and flew the rest of the way into St. Louis together. We easily found our luggage and our rental van and enjoyed some yummy St. Louis barbeque at a place called Bandana's near the airport. After filling our tummies, we were all anxious to get on the road to Fort Leonard Wood.
Upon arriving at St. Robert (just outside of the base), we got checked into our hotel and headed right out again to go tour the base. We immediately noticed an abundance of tatoo parlors just outside the gates. We passed through the security checkpoint, which just required that everyone over 16 years old show a photo ID. On base, we found Daniel's training area and the small PX as well as a group of soldiers standing outside the small PX holding a gold guidon flag. I presumed that was Daniel's platoon because they were in the final "gold phase" of their training. (Daniel later confirmed that it was his platoon that we saw, but he didn't see us.) We circled the block several times to see if we could spot Daniel, but all the guys looked the same. We finally left and headed to Cracker Barrel for supper and to Walmart for a few "supplies" (bottled water and of course tissues).
That evening, Daniel called us from his cell phone. (This was the first time he has had his cell phone in 15 weeks.) He talked to everyone, except Tiffany (because her attendance at his family day/graduation was to be a surprise). The phone was then passed back to me again, and Daniel asked me to pray for him, which I did (of course), and we all cried a little.
Finally, the day we had been waiting for, arrived on Thursday! This was the day that we would see Daniel for the first time in 15 weeks! We arrived at the Abrams Theatre on base at about 11:00am for our 12:00pm family briefing. They finally let us into the theatre at 11:45am, but Daniel wasn't in there. A few people from Daniel's chain of command spoke to us about what he had been through and done for the past 15 weeks and then gave us the list of rules for our soldier (no driving, no tattoos, no drinking, and must be back in the barracks by 8:00pm). Around 12:20pm, we we turned loose to go find our soldier outside. We found them standing in formation, wearing their trench coats, with their backs to us. We watched for a little while and gradually got brave enough to walk around them. After what seemed like forever, the drill sergeants released the young men. Tiffany spotted Daniel first and went to him. Daniel then came and gave us all long hugs before we loaded into the van.
Once we got in the van, I gave Daniel his Army ring which had arrived at the house via UPS. I noticed that he had another Army ring on his finger, and I asked him about it. He told me that he had been holding it for a friend, and he passed it to Tiffany. (And we all smiled and cried a little more.)
Daniel directed us to the large PX on base where we ate lunch in the food court. Then Daniel took us on a tour of the base, showed us his barracks and where he had done much of his training. We then returned to the hotel for some pictures and relaxation. Daniel enjoyed junk food that he hadn't experienced for the past several weeks, and we all enjoyed spending time with him. We had supper at Ryans, then Lee and Tiffany returned Daniel to the barracks in plenty of time for his 8:00pm curfew.
Friday morning came and we were anxious for Daniel's graduation. The line to get onto the base was a little longer, but we still arrived in plenty of time. Knowing that there would be a long line and that we wouldn't be permitted to enter the theatre until 9:45am, we sat in the van for a little while. Once we got into the theatre, we passed out the tissues and waited patiently for the new combat engineer soldiers to arrive.
We got to watch a short video/commercial about "Army Strong" and Army families, and the tears began to flow. Finally, the soldiers marched from behind the stage singing a cadence with the drill sergeant. (I'm trying to find the words to the cadence as it was quite amusing.) The soldiers marched into their reserved seats and followed the drill sergeant's orders. Next, the soldiers arched their backs and yelled back in unison towards the drill sergeant some motivational words about combat engineers. (I'm trying to find these words as well.)
We then all stood for the National Anthem which was sung by nearly everyone in the theatre while the flag was spotlighted and a prayer was given by the chaplain. Appropriate recognitions were given and Daniel's commanding officer gave a very nice speech, which included, "These guys came to us as a box of spare parts from the bargain bin, and the drill sergeants were commanded with turning them into soldier engineers." There was also a wonderful recitation of the Soldier's Creed and display of soldiers wearing the uniforms of the combat engineers from World War I to present (including the same uniform that was worn by Daniel's great-great grandfather John Daniel Whitlow during WWI).
Next, the honor graduates were recognized and finally it was time to pin Daniel and all of the others in Charlie Company 35th Engineer Batallion with their castle pin which identifies them as combat engineers. Each new engineer stepped onto the stage, stated their name, rank and home town, and then was pinned by a drill sergeant.
After the new engineers took their seats, they were given a charge by their commander and sang the Combat Engineer song and the Army song, loudly and in unison.
Finally, the soldiers marched outside into formation and the family members were allowed to leave as well. Again, we waited for what seemed like an eternity to take our soldier engineer home with us. Once the drill sergeants turned them loose, we took several pictures of Daniel with his battle buddies and drill sergeants. We then found his bags (3 large, heavy duffle bags of uniforms, paperwork, etc.) and loaded it all into the van and carried our soldier engineer away from Fort Leonard Wood for the last time!
On the day of his graduation, Daniel wanted to go to GW Pizza for lunch (home of the 30" pizza). As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, Daniel promptly went to the bathroom to change into civilian clothes for the first time in 15 weeks. After lunch, we headed on back to St. Louis to prepare for our return trip the following day.
Daniel has accomplished only what a very small percentage of men and women are able to accomplish. He is an American Soldier Engineer! I am sooooo proud of him!!!
Daniel is now home with us for 13 days. He has to be at Fort Carson (Colorado Springs, CO) by May 6 to begin the next step of his mission also known as his military career!
Wednesday morning, Lee, Abbie, Tiffany (Daniel's best friend), and I set out by plane from Santa Fe, and my mom set out from Lubbock. We met up with my mom in Dallas and flew the rest of the way into St. Louis together. We easily found our luggage and our rental van and enjoyed some yummy St. Louis barbeque at a place called Bandana's near the airport. After filling our tummies, we were all anxious to get on the road to Fort Leonard Wood.
Upon arriving at St. Robert (just outside of the base), we got checked into our hotel and headed right out again to go tour the base. We immediately noticed an abundance of tatoo parlors just outside the gates. We passed through the security checkpoint, which just required that everyone over 16 years old show a photo ID. On base, we found Daniel's training area and the small PX as well as a group of soldiers standing outside the small PX holding a gold guidon flag. I presumed that was Daniel's platoon because they were in the final "gold phase" of their training. (Daniel later confirmed that it was his platoon that we saw, but he didn't see us.) We circled the block several times to see if we could spot Daniel, but all the guys looked the same. We finally left and headed to Cracker Barrel for supper and to Walmart for a few "supplies" (bottled water and of course tissues).
That evening, Daniel called us from his cell phone. (This was the first time he has had his cell phone in 15 weeks.) He talked to everyone, except Tiffany (because her attendance at his family day/graduation was to be a surprise). The phone was then passed back to me again, and Daniel asked me to pray for him, which I did (of course), and we all cried a little.
Finally, the day we had been waiting for, arrived on Thursday! This was the day that we would see Daniel for the first time in 15 weeks! We arrived at the Abrams Theatre on base at about 11:00am for our 12:00pm family briefing. They finally let us into the theatre at 11:45am, but Daniel wasn't in there. A few people from Daniel's chain of command spoke to us about what he had been through and done for the past 15 weeks and then gave us the list of rules for our soldier (no driving, no tattoos, no drinking, and must be back in the barracks by 8:00pm). Around 12:20pm, we we turned loose to go find our soldier outside. We found them standing in formation, wearing their trench coats, with their backs to us. We watched for a little while and gradually got brave enough to walk around them. After what seemed like forever, the drill sergeants released the young men. Tiffany spotted Daniel first and went to him. Daniel then came and gave us all long hugs before we loaded into the van.
Once we got in the van, I gave Daniel his Army ring which had arrived at the house via UPS. I noticed that he had another Army ring on his finger, and I asked him about it. He told me that he had been holding it for a friend, and he passed it to Tiffany. (And we all smiled and cried a little more.)
Daniel directed us to the large PX on base where we ate lunch in the food court. Then Daniel took us on a tour of the base, showed us his barracks and where he had done much of his training. We then returned to the hotel for some pictures and relaxation. Daniel enjoyed junk food that he hadn't experienced for the past several weeks, and we all enjoyed spending time with him. We had supper at Ryans, then Lee and Tiffany returned Daniel to the barracks in plenty of time for his 8:00pm curfew.
Friday morning came and we were anxious for Daniel's graduation. The line to get onto the base was a little longer, but we still arrived in plenty of time. Knowing that there would be a long line and that we wouldn't be permitted to enter the theatre until 9:45am, we sat in the van for a little while. Once we got into the theatre, we passed out the tissues and waited patiently for the new combat engineer soldiers to arrive.
We got to watch a short video/commercial about "Army Strong" and Army families, and the tears began to flow. Finally, the soldiers marched from behind the stage singing a cadence with the drill sergeant. (I'm trying to find the words to the cadence as it was quite amusing.) The soldiers marched into their reserved seats and followed the drill sergeant's orders. Next, the soldiers arched their backs and yelled back in unison towards the drill sergeant some motivational words about combat engineers. (I'm trying to find these words as well.)
We then all stood for the National Anthem which was sung by nearly everyone in the theatre while the flag was spotlighted and a prayer was given by the chaplain. Appropriate recognitions were given and Daniel's commanding officer gave a very nice speech, which included, "These guys came to us as a box of spare parts from the bargain bin, and the drill sergeants were commanded with turning them into soldier engineers." There was also a wonderful recitation of the Soldier's Creed and display of soldiers wearing the uniforms of the combat engineers from World War I to present (including the same uniform that was worn by Daniel's great-great grandfather John Daniel Whitlow during WWI).
Next, the honor graduates were recognized and finally it was time to pin Daniel and all of the others in Charlie Company 35th Engineer Batallion with their castle pin which identifies them as combat engineers. Each new engineer stepped onto the stage, stated their name, rank and home town, and then was pinned by a drill sergeant.
After the new engineers took their seats, they were given a charge by their commander and sang the Combat Engineer song and the Army song, loudly and in unison.
Finally, the soldiers marched outside into formation and the family members were allowed to leave as well. Again, we waited for what seemed like an eternity to take our soldier engineer home with us. Once the drill sergeants turned them loose, we took several pictures of Daniel with his battle buddies and drill sergeants. We then found his bags (3 large, heavy duffle bags of uniforms, paperwork, etc.) and loaded it all into the van and carried our soldier engineer away from Fort Leonard Wood for the last time!
On the day of his graduation, Daniel wanted to go to GW Pizza for lunch (home of the 30" pizza). As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, Daniel promptly went to the bathroom to change into civilian clothes for the first time in 15 weeks. After lunch, we headed on back to St. Louis to prepare for our return trip the following day.
Daniel has accomplished only what a very small percentage of men and women are able to accomplish. He is an American Soldier Engineer! I am sooooo proud of him!!!
Daniel is now home with us for 13 days. He has to be at Fort Carson (Colorado Springs, CO) by May 6 to begin the next step of his mission also known as his military career!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Easter pictures
The wife of one of Daniel's battle buddies lives in Missouri, so she went to see her husband on Easter. She and her husband have both been very kind to Daniel (and me) as we are learning to be "Army Strong!" While she was there, she took a couple pictures of Daniel for me. (It actually looks to me like he has put on a little weight, which is a very good thing in Daniel's case.)
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I can't believe that graduation day is finally almost here. We will leave one week from today to go see him! I can't wait to hug him and tell him in person how proud I am. My boy has become a man! And not just any man, but a U.S. Army Soldier! Congratulations PV2 Daniel G. Hart!
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