God Bless the USA

Our Soldier

I have become something I never once dreamed of or aspired to, but am honestly grateful to be~ and that is an “Army Mom”.  I have discovered an entirely new dimension to life and have gained an intensely deep appreciation for our military and the sacrifices made by thousands that are unknown to most and probably unappreciated by many.  And this comes just from our son’s experience with Basic Training.  There is so much more to come.

Our family has felt connected to the military and World War II through my father in law, our children’s grandfather, who often shared his experiences as a solider serving in the Army during that war. Like you, we are appreciative of those great men and women who have served our country throughout the years. But I really never thought of my son as being a solider…not until last summer when he announced that he was going to enlist.  His strong desire to serve and protect our country surfaced after he had graduated from college and worked full time for a few years in his new profession.  Once he decided to enlist, nothing could change his mind.  He was determined this was part of his life plan. And now I can see him thriving in his rigorous training and watch with awe as this new man emerges from the little boy that I used to rock in my arms.

My husband and I are on our way to his Basic Combat Training for the United States Army.  By the end of this week he will be a full fledged soldier with 4 solid months of training behind him.  And the training certainly won’t end there.  Following graduation he is off to Airborne Training and then to his assigned post, wherever that may be.

Jacob as a baby

As I pack my bags, I shed tears of gratitude for Jacob’s example of strength and persistence.  We have only heard a small portion of details of his intense training and are in awe that so many thousands of soldiers have survived it and land on their two feet.  I cannot imagine the physical, mental and emotional strength that one has to muster to endure the almost round –the- clock training.  It takes courage and guts.  Many don’t make it. They have to restart training or are sent home.  Sadly, one solider in training at the same base must have felt he couldn’t handle the training any more and took his own life on the shooting range a few weeks before Christmas.  Many have tried to quit. And many don’t enjoy the experience.  Thank goodness our son has been determined to accomplish what he went there to accomplish and is making the best of every situation.  When he gives us an insight into an especially difficult facet of training, he ends with “I had fun” or “I liked it”.  I cannot imagine being in the gas chamber for any length of time.  I cannot imagine doing night training, crawling through barbed wire and trenches in the dark while trying to avoid being shot.  But because they train and train hard, we have a strong military that protects our great country and our freedoms.

Jacob Jumping his bike

 We will be joining in the celebration this week as the soldiers will march across soil from every war since the Civil War on their way to their graduation exercise. We will be rejoicing in the accomplishments of every graduating solider on that field along with our son as we participate in his “Turning Blue” ceremony.  We will be celebrating America and our love for our country and our freedoms.  Ft. Benning, here we come!

God bless the U.S.A.