Boot Camp

Last Novemeber, while in Oregon, I got a phone call from Colton telling me that he had signed up with the Army National Guard.  As I listened to him tell me about how excited he was, my heart just stopped.  No mother ever wants to hear that there is a chance her son will be going to war.  The military is a scary thing, to know that someone else tells you what to do and when to do it and it may put you in harms way...

He made the trip to South Carolina and the first day he was there, he was handed a gun.  He was in heaven!  I started seeing on facebook pictures of what he was doing....

He made friends!

He got to play in the woods!

Then, before we knew it, GRADUATION!  Pictures just can't tell the story.  Smoke bombs went off, music was playing, emotions were at their highest, and all of a sudden, Warriors come flooding out of the woods!  It was so powerful!  They come from all directions, and suddenly form into their platoons. 

Then, you are given permission to go find your Warrior and hug them for the first time in 10 weeks.

You spend quite a bit of time hugging and then step back and give your Warrior a good look over to see what changes the Army had made in him.  (Almost 60 pounds lighter, really fit...LOOKIN GOOD!)

He shows you were he had been living for the past 10 weeks.  Home Sweet Home.

He shows you how he learned how to make a bed and clean his room and keep his things all nice and neat.

Then you take him to lunch to taste fast food for the first time in 10 weeks...YUM!  After spending a wonderful day with your Warrior, you have to give him back for the night, with the promise to see him in the morning.

In the morning you have to wait for your Warrior as he and over 900 other Warriors march on the field to finish the graduation ceremonies. 

Then you can hug your Warrior again...

And again!

Take a look at how nice he looks in his dress uniform!  Very nice!

You feed him and hug him again..(Its hard to stop hugging him!)

You have been educated and learn some great lingo! (And start buying all kinds of paraphernalia!)

He just looks so good!!!!

Then, before you know it, the second day is over and you have to once again give your Warrior back to the Army, not knowing when you will see him again.  This was a very hard thing for me to do and I know I embarrassed him by all the crying and hugging and kissing I did.

Our Warrior is on to more training...knowing he IS a WARRIOR!

We are the PROUDEST Parents of a WARRIOR!  HOOAH!