Wheel

Life is a cycle of things you've already done before, right?  That's where we're at.

Since D returned home in early August, it's been back to the grindstone for us.  Sure, we had a week or so together before school and work and drill and everything else started back up, but it seems like a distant memory now.

Two weekends after D's return, he had Battle Hand Off at his old RSP unit.  Or he was supposed to, anyway.  The person in charge of making sure this went off without a hitch (who will remain nameless) didn't have all their i's dotted and their t's crossed, if you know what I mean.  I mean they suck at planning, if you didn't catch my drift - but what matters is that D has moved on from that unit to another.

This "smooth" transition is a story in and of itself, but this was D's first weekend with his OCPC (Officer Candidate Prep Course for those of you who don't speak Army) unit.  He says that overall, OCPC is more challenging than RSP was - which isn't surprising, really.  He seemed to really enjoy it - and I know he feels like he fits in with the soldiers in OCPC more than he did at RSP or BCT.

He's also been put on the list for Traditional Officer Candidate School (OCS).  There are three options for OCS in the National Guard:  Traditional, Accelerated, and Federal.  The Traditional OCS is formatted exactly like drill - once a month and two weeks in the summer - and it takes 16 months (you read that correctly, months) to complete.  Accelerated OCS is 8 weeks long and takes place twice a year.  Federal OCS is between the two, with a length of 14 weeks and cycles every two weeks.  There are pros and cons to each, but I must say that I'm glad D has chosen Traditional OCS for one major reason:  he doesn't have to be away from home.


Because don't get me wrong - our lives are crazy busy with no end in sight, but I'll take it in a heartbeat over the summer, because as this wheel spins (and spins and spins), I at least get to sleep next to him at night. 

He's Home!

This past week has been a crazy combination of hurry-up-and-wait, anticipation, anxiety, and finally, relief.  I left on Wednesday for Lawton, and arrived in plenty of time to freshen up for my dinner date with other 1-31 FA BN Foxtrot BTRY family members.  We met at Olive Garden and I had a wonderful visit with people who had shared my summer experience and whose family members knew my own - it was amazing.

Wednesday night, D called at 9:43.  "I have seven minutes," he said, "So we can't talk long."  He continued, saying that they had recently learned that the Family Run would basically consist of the battery running in formation, and the family running in a formation behind them - meaning we wouldn't get to visit or run together, so I opted to sleep in instead - which D totally understood.  I returned to my hotel room after visiting for four hours with the family members I'd had dinner with and went to sleep.  Or tried to go to sleep, anyway.  Seems like as soon as I laid my head down, I'd think of something else I needed to look at on the map or google.

I slept fitfully, at best, and woke up at 6:30, fifteen minutes before my alarm went off.  I had a little breakfast from the lobby of the hotel and then began to get ready - after my shower I got a text message:  "Wish you would have been there this morning - wasn't like we thought."  Turns out that the soldiers got a good 20 minutes to visit during the run time and I missed it!  Nothing I could do about it at that point, though, so I continued getting ready and arrived at Ft. Sill 30 minutes early for the day's activities.

The first part was a short family orientation - basically talking about what the soldiers had been doing, and some jokes about how now they could all do their own laundry - and a citizenship ceremony, where 8 soldiers became citizens of our great nation.  This all ended about 9:15, 45 minutes ahead of schedule!  The second part of the on-base portion was a demonstration - select groups of soldiers demonstrated different skills they had fostered this summer, like physical fitness and battle buddy/taking an enemy drills - and then several soldiers were promoted.  This all ended about 9:50, and had been scheduled to end at 11:00, so as the soldiers marched back to the battery area to change from ACUs to ASUs (the camos to the dress uniforms) the family members were all abuzz with the likelihood of getting our soldiers early.  Oh, but wait - this is the Army we're talking about here.

So, we waited until 11:15 for our soldiers to march back to us, where they were released for Family Day.  That first embrace - I can't even describe my feelings.  I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.  I wanted to jump for joy and never let D go again.  Then I remembered that I had on makeup - and had been standing in the Oklahoma sun and wind for an hour - and he was wearing a white shirt... oops!  We met one of D's battle buddies and his wife and brother for lunch at Red Lobster, then headed back to the hotel to hang out.

End of Family Day, before he reported back to the Battery Area for formation.

When it was time for dinner, D had requested fast food so we had Whataburger and then I took him back to Ft. Sill and dropped him off for the night.  My mom and step-dad arrived and luckily I had them to visit with or I'd have been a mess Thursday night.  As it was, I barely slept, waking up much earlier than my 9:00 alarm.  We checked out of the hotel about 10:45 and went to have lunch with the D fan club - his parents and some close family friends.  

Graduation was scheduled to begin at 1:00, so we arrived at about 12:30 and got seats in the balcony.  The entire class was seated in the lower level, so I went down to take a picture of D, even though he couldn't look at me or react, calling "I love you," in Korean as I walked away. 

Before the ceremony.  See how they're all staring straight ahead?

Specialist D, stating his name and hometown!

The ceremony was emotionally charged and awesome, but my favorite part was obviously the end, where, after standing in the heat for a bit, I got to load my D in the car and drive him home with me!

Let's go home!

Now, we're at home, luxuriating in each others' presence.  Forgive me if I don't update again for a while!  :-)

Five More Days

The days are finally dwindling down!  I will be headed to Lawton on Wednesday, with Family Day on Thursday and then Graduation on Friday.  Finally, I can just say, "Oh yeah, it's Friday."  Not next Friday, or in ten nine ... two weeks.  I am so, so ready.

This past week, the soldiers executed their 16 km march, but the bivouacking that was planned had to be canceled because of the heat.  D said in a letter that five soldiers had fallen out within two hours due to heat injuries, so they "simulated" their training in the Battery Area.  NIC-at-Night was re-cancelled and so was Night Navigation.  Their march was rescheduled from 2200 to 0300 - D said it took until 0830 or so to finish.  I can't even imagine, especially in this heat.  The soldiers also began returning their equipment - like their M16s.

We had rain at our residence yesterday, which kept the temperature down in the 90s, but no such luck for Lawton.  When I talked to D yesterday, he said it was 108F.  He also mentioned that for the last 8 days, it had been between 108 and 111F every day.  So glad he's coming home to rest in the AC!

This coming week is all about preparing for graduation.  More equipment must be turned in and then the battery must meet for inspection.  D is supposed to retrieve his ACUs and Dress Uniform from the cleaners today.  Wednesday is graduation practice. And then our reunion!

Last night was definitely the most difficult phone call to date.  We've spent all the time away from each other, and here it is, the resulting simultaneous stress and relief culminating in a single phone call.  We didn't want to hang up - only being able to hear your significant others' voice once a week is not easy and not something I would wish on anyone - but we also wanted it to end simply because the end of that day brings our reunion another one closer.  So close.

And here we are.  BCT is drawing to a close, and then we only have drill to look forward to once a month for the next several months to come.  It will be relief beyond words to have my D at home with me again.  I've been resisting the urge to pack, but you better believe that my packing list is at the ready!

Pffffft, PFT

If you've been keeping up with us on Becoming an ARNG Wife, you know that this past weekend was the dreaded Physical Fitness Test.  Up to this point, D has only participated in PFAs (Physical Fitness Assessments) - and I definitely won't use this venue to talk about how test and assessment mean the same thing and that the Army should really be calling one a formative assessment and the other a summative assessment because I doubt that anyone reading this wants to hear about educational assessment theories (if you do, you know how to get in touch with me!).  Anyway, a PFA is basically a practice test used to gauge your improvement and show you where you stand for the REAL thing.

The REAL thing took place on 30 July.  D had taken a practice test during each drill weekend previous to BCT and then a couple of times during BCT.  Each time, he had shown improvement, but his biggest challenge was always the run.  For civilian folks (like me), here's a breakdown.  The PFT consists of 3 parts:  situps, pushups, and the run.  You get two minutes for each of the first two - the idea is to do as many situps or pushups as you can in those two minutes.  The run is for two miles.  To pass, you need at least 150 points with a minimum of 50 in each category.  I know that seems like a useless qualifier, but without it a soldier could potentially pass if they ran really slow but could max out pushups; so really, it's to make sure everyone can perform reasonably well in each category.

To get 50 points for pushups, males in D's age category (22-26) have to do at least 31 pushups (women have different standards).  Fifty points in the situp portion requires 43 situps.  The two mile run has to be completed in 17:30 or less.  Since his arrival at BCT, D had pretty consistently gotten enough points in the pushup and situp categories - which was a feat in its own right, since during drill he hadn't been able to do that.  His progress has been astounding to watch.  His first run time at BCT was just under 20 minutes - 19:57.  A ten minute mile is pretty impressive to me since the last time I ran a mile (in the air-conditioned gym on a treadmill) it took me close to twelve and a half minutes.  In his second PFA, he ran an 18:17.  So, coming into the PFT - the one that matters and could make or break graduation - he needed to shave 47 seconds from his run time.

I had been thinking about it all week.  And worrying about it all week.  I avoided writing anything about it in my letters, though, because I didn't want D to think I didn't think he could do it.  Or put any more pressure on him about it.  I did think he could do it and I knew I'd be upset if he didn't pass, since that had the potential for delaying his return home.  On Saturday morning, I woke up about 5:30 am and said a little prayer for him; for the rest of the day - especially after his Battery Commander posted a God-awful note on Facebook about how most of the battery had done well, but there were a "few families and soldiers" that were going to be "disappointed in the next couple of weeks" - I worried and fretted and was anxious.  I texted him late in the afternoon just to say that I couldn't wait to talk to him and imagine my surprise when my phone dinged a few minutes later with a reply!

I texted back almost immediately - "How did it go this morning?"  Then, my lovely husband almost gave me a heart attack when he didn't respond for a few minutes.  "Do you have time to talk?" he finally answered.  I was keeping our nephew, T,  this weekend (he's 11) and so D didn't know if we were busy.  Of course, T was busy playing video games on the computer so I replied affirmatively and within a few seconds, my phone rang.

After our exchange of hellos and how-are-yous, I asked again.  "How'd it go today, honey?"  Here's about how our conversation went (my inner dialog is italicized):
M:  "Did it go okay?"
D:  "What do you want to hear about first?"
M:  "I don't care - I want to know about all of it!"  (You're killing me, D - just tell me!)
D:  "Well...  let's start with pushups.  I did 45.  And I quit doing situps before time was called."
M:  "But you did enough, right?"  (Why would you stop before doing enough?)
D:  "Oh yeah, I did 45 situps, too.  I only needed 43.  I wanted to save my abs for the run."
M:  "How was the run?" (Spontaneously combusting, here, D!)
D:  "You want to guess my time?"
M:  "No!  Just tell me!"  (Guessing too fast would be mean and so would guessing too slow.  Better to not guess!)
D:  "Well, you know I needed 17:30, right?"  
M:  "Yes."  (Seriously, D.  Me == dying)
D:  "Well my time was in the 17s."
M:  "Okay..."  (the upper 17s or lower 17s?)
D:  "It was 17......... thirty-............."  (Meanwhile, I'm dying on the inside) "exactly.  17:30 on the nose"
M:  *passes out from waiting*
D:  "I did it."
M:  "I knew you could!  I'm so proud of you!!"

So, other than my husband trying to kill me with anticipation, everything turned out great!  He got the score he needed - actually, let's see:  45 pushups gives 66 points, 45 situps gives 53 points, and his time of 17:30 gives exactly 50, so he scored:  169!  *much celebratory dancing and squealing and screaming*

On Sunday, he got his phone practically all day, which was so nice.  He had time to call his parents, too, which I'm sure they appreciated.  I tell D all the time I feel bad for monopolizing all of his talk-time, but I only sort of feel bad for it.  I really like that he calls me!  We had a great conversation about Family Day and Graduation (which I have still not gotten any information about!), but it was cut short because he had to help load the truck for their 16 k march.

The soldiers are spending half of this week bivouacking, during which - at some point - they will complete their last requirement for graduation.  They will also get to participate in a watered-down version of NIC-at-Night, which I've mentioned in previous posts.  D was glad for it, since they had thought they wouldn't get to do it at all.  Then, it will be time to turn in gear and wait for Family Day to roll around.  In EIGHT MORE DAYS!

Is it too early to pack?

Three Weeks Left!

This week was full of milestones.  The soldiers were issued their dress-blues for graduation so they will have ample time to have them altered and get them into prime wearing condition (their berets have to be brushed, since they're wool).  D found out that he'll get two special badges - one for his Sharpshooting status, and the other for grenades, which will be Expert! 

On Saturday, Foxtrot Battery of the 1-31st Field Artillery Battalion at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma officially switched from White to Blue Phase.  This signifies quite a lot to the soldiers:  they get more privileges (I got to talk to D for FOUR hours on Sunday!), their schedules are less hectic, and it's almost time to come home.

The 8 km march began yesterday and there are two remaining requirements for graduation.  The first is the final PT test, and the second is the dreaded 16 km march, which will happen the week before graduation.  The PT test is really what D is dreading, not the march.  I know he'll do great, but there's a lot of pressure on him to be successful as I'm sure you can imagine.  Keep him (and me) in your thoughts this week, and most importantly, think strong and speedy thoughts toward him in the wee hours of Saturday morning.  I know he'll appreciate it! 

The 16 km march is only dreaded because it's hotter than Hades in Oklahoma right now.  As in, there have been 55 consecutive days over 90F, and 33 consecutive days over 100F in the Lawton area.  Also, there's been a whopping 0.10" of rain in the last 30 days.  I can't even begin to imagine the torture that will be marching 16 km in full battle gear.  I'm complaining about the heat and I get to sit in AC all day!

Supposedly, there is information coming about Family Day and Graduation at the end of the week.  I know that the cadre is extra busy with keeping our soldiers safe and (somewhat) cool, so I'm not going to complain (much) about the timeliness, but it will certainly be nice to have a layout of events.  D has informed me that early in the morning of Family Day, there will be a Family Run.  I tried not to laugh too hard when I asked if there was a Family Walk available in an indoor, air-conditioned facility.  He tried to play it off, but I know he'll want to see me in all my 0500 running-gear glory; I'll try to rough it out just for him.

My main complaint, of course, was that I wanted to be pretty when I see him for the first time in 10 weeks, but he assured me that there would be time between the "run" and the rest of the day's events to go back to the hotel for primping.  I guess we'll see when I get the schedule.

I had a rough moment this Sunday when I was talking to him because he reminded me that we'll be doing this whole mess again next summer when he's in OCS (Officer Candidate School).  Imagining a time away from him again when we're usually footloose-and-fancy-free (we're both in education, remember?) is tough; but by next summer it'll be old hat, right?  Right?

Coming Down the Home Stretch

The relentless heat that I wrote about last week continues to persist - today D said that it had been between 105 and 110 (F) all week.  Add the soupy Oklahoma humidity to that, and misery is guaranteed.  As a precaution for heat-related injuries, D's platoon has been transported by vehicle to most of their training sessions this week.

Also from last week, D found out for certain that some range activities have been canceled - like NIC-at-Night.  But, he did get to throw two live grenades this week, which I know he enjoyed.  They qualified on Saturday with hand grenades, but D wasn't sure of his level since their session was cut short with only 6 tosses instead of 7.  Regardless, he hit all 6! 

The last PT test is in two weeks, and D still has to cut about 40 seconds from his run, although he's been scoring well on sit-ups and push-ups in the practice runs.  The physical expectations have been D's challenge from the beginning - he did lose about 50 pounds to get in, remember - but he's been doing great at gradually progressing.  Today when I told him, "You can do it, honey - run like the wind!" He replied, "I'm running home to you, baby."

This coming week will involve more Advanced Marksman activities, including a rush simulation where the soldiers will carry their weapons (in full battle armor) through an "under-fire" scenario, running from cover to cover with others covering.  It should be interesting, since the last run is done with live ammunition in their rifles (although no ammo is fired - theoretically - as long as everyone remembers to keep the safety on!) for the weight.

We're getting so close to graduation, I can hardly stand it.  I thought that the last half of the summer would be easier to handle since I've (we've) muscled through 6+ week like champs, but it being so close and yet so far is rough.  The days are flowing like molasses - or that could just be me in the 100+ degree heat.

We're almost there!

Sharpshooting Specialist

This week was devoted to the shooting range.  The soldiers had a few days of practice shooting before their bivouac, which is a French-originating word that means camping.  For some reason, going "camping" isn't allowed, so instead you go bivouacking.  Is it just me, or does bivouacking sound like a disease you definitely don't want to catch?

On Friday, the soldiers of 1-31 FA BN had to qualify with their weapons.  D was a little worried about qualifying, since their day of practice right before was canceled due to the extreme heat (more about the heat later), but today when he called me I found out he did great!  He scored as Sharpshooter, which is the middle level (Marksman, Sharpshooter, Expert), with 32 targets out of 40.  Eighty percent isn't bad, especially considering my husband had never shot a gun until two weeks ago!

So, back to the extreme heat.  I don't know how many of you are aware, but Oklahoma is experiencing somewhat of a dry, hot spell.  As in, it hasn't been under 100F in days.  Weeks, it seems like.  And also, Southwestern Oklahoma, where Ft. Sill is located, has been in extreme drought conditions since practically the beginning of summer.  Check this out:

Ft. Sill is right outside of Lawton, OK -- 112F

Drought Monitor.  You  might say it's a little dry around these here parts.

So, due to these rather extreme conditions we're experiencing, the Army is concerned about a few of the normal training activities.  Particularly, NIC-at-Night (Night Infiltration Course), which is a simulated firefight - basically, the soldiers low crawl while guns are being fired overhead, explosions are going off to the sides and flares are shot into the air.  As you can imagine, with the Oklahoma countryside as dry as kindling, there might be interesting consequences for an activity involving so many incendiary objects.  

I know D was really looking forward to this exercise, but he said today that a memo was sent out that informed the soldiers that activities involving ammunition of any kind were to be limited to graduation requirements.  I imagine the Army doesn't want to set all of Western Oklahoma on fire.  They do, though, still get to throw grenades this week since that area is rather barren because grenades are thrown in it practically every week.

I think D must have moved on to White Phase (goes from Red, to White, to Blue) this week, but I forgot to ask.  Anyway, he got an hour for phone time this afternoon, which was really nice.  Right before we got off the phone, we were celebrating the fact that ONE MONTH FROM TOMORROW we'll be seeing each other again.

Thirty-two measly days.  Pssh.  That's nothing!

Halfway There!

Sorry this post is a couple days late - with the Holiday Weekend it was difficult to talk myself into sitting down at the computer.  The last week has flown by, thanks to taking on a couple of house projects that were desperately needing to be done. 

The folks at BCT with D this week all hit the firearm range to work on sighting and shooting their beloved M16s.  D reported that he did relatively well, although he had been selected to shoot first, which meant that after he finished he got to sit around and wait for everyone else to finish.  This potential boredom had him volunteering for every job that needed to be done until he was scolded by a DS for not letting anyone else work!

He was able to call on Sunday, his normal calling day, when I was, of course, in Wal-Mart.  It's strange how my whole world stands still when he calls.  If I was driving, I would pull over.  If I was at a friend's house, I would begin acting very rudely by ignoring everyone else.  And if I'm in Wal-Mart, I stop dead in my tracks (in this case I was in the craft aisle) and stand still for 20 minutes.

Then, on Monday, while I was at his parents' house eating lunch, I got a text message:  "I love you."  My in-laws were laughing at me because I was grinning and squealing and bouncing in my seat - D's platoon had gotten phone privileges for the entire afternoon!  He had to wait until their cleaning was finished to call, but I got about an hour and a half of talk-time in between calling and texts.

I know that last week I had mentioned that it was weirdly hard to talk to him on the phone for 20 minutes a week, but I was glad that particular phenomenon seemed to vanish in yesterday's call.  He was still a somewhat subdued version of the D I know and love, but we were able to really talk, like we hadn't been able to in weeks.  It was so nice.

Monday also marked our halfway point - he's been gone for 5 weeks, and we've got 5 more weeks to go.  It was also a milestone for D in another way - the last training event is taking place one month from Monday, marking the end of the training portion of BCT.  The rest of the time is cleaning up and getting ready to come home (in D's case, anyway.  Most soldiers move directly on to AIT - I'm so thankful we're not doing that).

We've made it halfway, folks!  Five weeks to go - I can do it!

Pink Eye, Attack!

Last Sunday, I waited several hours for my phone to ring with a call from D, but it never did.  At first, I was sad.  Then, indignant.  Finally, a calm overtook me.  If he didn't call on the day he said he would be able to call every week, surely there was a good reason.  There better be, a part of my brain said.

After a couple of letters that were dated for Friday and Saturday, and finally receiving my Welcome Letter (might as well have called it, Oh Yeah, They've Been Here 2 Weeks Letter, but I'm not one to argue trivialities), I finally got a letter on Thursday about it.  In fact, it was three letters in one, and the first page said in all caps:  USE HAND SANITIZER AFTER READING.
 
An epidemic of Pink Eye had broken out in Fox Battery, 2nd battalion (maybe the 1st too, I don't know for sure) and my D had fallen victim.  He was put in quarantine Sunday morning, and then made to sit with nothing to do until Tuesday, when he was finally released.  In "Quarters" (the place for contagious people, D said), all they could do was go eat chow, use the latrine, and sit.  

Unfortunately, his bout with Pink Eye also meant that he missed a day of vital training - the Gas Chamber.  He was worried about being recycled, which basically means they dump you into the next graduating class, and would result in his return being delayed at least a week.  Fortunately, though, after talking to a DS it seems they are working on arranging a make-up session for those who missed.  D said there were 10 from his bay alone with him in Quarters with the dreaded Pink Eye.

So, of course, when he called tonight, after we talked about a few things, I said, "Please tell me you're washing your hands every chance you get!"  To which my husband replied, "Yes.  And I'm carrying hand sanitizer with me everywhere."

Just a few observations from my stance:  First - I despise being (at least) two days behind news.  I found myself thinking after I got D's letter about his fear of being recycled, If ONLY I could call him.  I'd know exactly what's going on!  This frustration, I am sure, comes from my innate sense as a planner.  I like to know what's happening and be planning for consequences.

Second:  It's hard to talk on the phone with D.  I don't know which letters he's read and he doesn't know which ones I've gotten.  You talk around the big stuff so as not to ruin your letters.  It's odd; I mean, I'm talking on the phone with the man I've spent the better part of five years sharing every detail of my life and I don't know what to say.  So, we ended up talking about meaningless stuff just to hear each others' voices.  Because that's one of the thing I dearly miss.

And I had to miss 20 minutes of it last week to Pink Eye.  Ridiculous!

PSA:  WASH YOUR HANDS, PEOPLE!

7(ish) weeks to go.

So, after I wrote last week about D's ultra-quick call on Saturday morning to give me his address, I also got to talk to him on Sunday.  "I don't know what we did right," he said when I answered the phone, "but we have 30 minutes for phone privileges today."

It was so amazing to get to hear his voice, even if it was only for 25 minutes or so since he had to get back to formation within the 30 minutes.  We talked about little things, mostly - the workshop I was participating in, what training was coming up for him.  He could have been speaking jibberish, for all I care; listening to him helps hold me over.

I've continued to get letters almost daily from him, outlining small things that he's up to.  They were issued weapons this week and assigned to Ability Groups for PT.  He mentioned that he got to run with the Battalion Commander this week, which he found very motivating, and he was proud of himself for being one of the only ones in his group to hold out till the end.  He let me know that his schedule had Family Day as 8/11 and Graduation as 8/12, but I hadn't had any "official" confirmation until Friday.

Finally, on Friday, his cadre updated their website.  Even though I (still) haven't received a Welcome Letter, there was one posted and it listed graduation as 8/12.  I'm supposed to be getting "more" information later, but I haven't even gotten my initial info in the mail, so we'll see.  Nonetheless, I've already splurged on two nights at a nice hotel in Lawton for our reunion, and I can begin a(n official) countdown!

Meanwhile, with my workshop (and 12+ hour days) over for the summer, I'm trying to come up with activities to keep myself busy.  If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Let the countdown commence!

Reception Week - Check!

D's first week of BCT was, of course, the dreaded Reception Week.  Why is it dreaded, you ask?  Well, because it mostly involves sitting around, then running somewhere, and sitting some more, then running somewhere else, and sitting around, and - you get the picture.  Something I was pleasantly surprised by, though, is the amount of communication D and I were able to keep up during this week.

He was allowed to use his cell phone in the evening every night around 7:00 until lights out.  The length of time varied, of course because he occasionally had stuff to do - shower, latrine duty, etc - but was pretty consistent.  We texted and sent photo messages like mad all through the week.  One night, I was out with friends for dinner when he texted; I apologized profusely, but said something like, "I'm going to be extremely anti-social until 2100, erm, I mean 9:00."  They understood. 

D was also able to send me several letters this week, but I was unable to send him any because I didn't have his address.  I actually talked to him on Wednesday evening, because he had gotten the word that he would be moving "down-range" on Thursday afternoon - to actually begin the work of BCT.  We had been told (from several reliable sources) that he would not be able to access his cell phone after shipping to his BCT Battalion, and they were right.  There was no happy ding of my cell phone with a message from my husband on Thursday or Friday.  I had also gotten quite accustomed to seeing a hand-addressed envelope in my mailbox everyday, but there were none on Friday.

This morning (Saturday), I was getting ready for an appointment - painstakingly coating my eyelashes with mascara - when my phone stopped playing my Glee playlist and rang.  I looked down, thinking for certain that I was misreading, but sure enough, it was my D. 

I answered the phone with an excited, "Hey babe!" to which he replied, "Get paper and something to write with, fast!"  I threw my mascara down on the counter and ran to the living room, where I sat down at my desk.  "Ready!"  He read off his address to me, and I read it back to make sure I had transcribed it correctly.  He then explained to me that he had been given phone privileges to inform me that he had arrived safely and provide me with his address.  "I may just hang up," he said, "We only get so much time and there's a DS watching."

We had a few spare moments, so he told me that he's doing fine and that the stress of BCT has mostly been intellectual - mind games and whatnot - rather than physical, which he had been worried about.  "I've only gotten yelled at once," he informed me, "and that was only because I don't have the endurance I need yet."  D said that the people in his platoon are not very good direction-followers, causing them extra PT repeatedly already today.  For his sake I hope they figure it out soon.

Then, our time was over.  "I love you so much," he said softly.  "I'll see you soon."

Nine.  More.  Weeks.

And He's Off!

We've had a whirlwind of a last couple of weeks.

Two weekends ago, we had D's Going Away BBQ.  It was a relatively quiet affair, with only family and close friends in attendance.  We had burgers and dogs and all the fixings, and most importantly, a good visit with friends who were and continue to be our support system.

After that, were the last few days of the school year for myself (D finished earlier, since he works at the local community college and I teach secondary school) and a 3-day weekend of (mostly) alone time.

In this last weekend, we saw 2 movies (Kung Fu Panda 2 and the nine millionth latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment), went to the local Zoo (there's a baby elephant!), ate a few meals with family, increased the stocking of our family aquarium (they're all still alive!), and enjoyed every single minute of each others' company.  Every.  Single.  Minute.

On Tuesday (since Monday was Memorial Day we got an extra day), we rolled up to the recruiter's office at 8:10.  We sat in the driveway for a bit, but then it was 8:24 and time for us to say our good-byes.  It was hard.  For the past 4 (almost 5) years, I have spent practically every moment of my life with D; being without him for 10 weeks to me is like losing your appendix - you can go without it, but you just don't want to.  

So, at 8:30, I pushed him into the recruitment office and I drove away in tears.  I had planned on going home, but decided that if I did I would just spend the next free hour I had crying on our bed.  Instead, I drove to my eye doctor's office, where I sat in the parking lot for 5 more minutes with my head on my steering wheel bawling my eyes out.  Then, I used a napkin to wipe my face, gave myself a mental shake, and took a few breaths.

Because him being at BCT is not like losing my appendix.  He'll be back in 10 weeks and I will not just have stories about sitting on my posterior being sad to tell him when he gets back.  I'm not saying that it won't still be hard, because I'm sure it will be, but for now I'm doing fine.  I'm keeping myself busy and not thinking about sleeping alone in our gigantic bed every night.

D spent the day at RTI (I still don't know what that stands for), which is basically a holding facility for people shipping out to various training sessions.  He was able to text during the day intermittently, then - to my surprise and excitement - able to call when they were released to their rooms for the evening.  We probably talked for two hours and mostly about absolutely nothing important, but it was nice to talk to him.  Like I'm weaning myself off!

Today, I had to clean out my classroom, and he was getting ready to really ship to BCT, but he could still text/call some.  He called me this afternoon after he was dropped off at the airport, where the buses from Ft. Sill were picking up all the soldiers headed that way - a whopping 3 hours before the first bus was scheduled to arrive.  He was lucky enough to get on the first one (the second and third would have been 5 and 7 hours after drop-off), and could text me till he got to base.

He sent me one more message:  Turning off phone now...  To which I promptly responded:  LOVE  YOU!!  Write me as soon as you can!!!!  Muses

Yes.  That said Muses.  Because, apparently, that's what your iPhone auto-corrects the word "kisses" to when you miss an "s."  Oops.

He sent me a snapshot of a sad face and "Love you."

Now we'll be awaiting the mail with bated breath.  I've got the stamp ready, all I need is an address.

How it began...

Occasionally, since we've been together, D would get a bug in his pants about Military Service.  "I should really go down to the recruiter's office," he'd say, or, "I was looking again at USAF job listings today." 

Then one day, as I sat on the couch after a long day with my 8th graders, he said casually, "I called the recruiter's office today.  I have a meeting at 0900 on Thursday."  I wish that there was a snapshot of my face at that moment.

You see, I'd always known that military service was something D thought about.  Something that he talked about.  Never had I foreseen that he would actually go through with it.  Don't mistake me for saying that my husband doesn't follow through, because that's totally not true.  It's more that when it would come up, we'd move on to talking about our graduate studies or our plans for having kids in the next few years and to me, it was impossible.  We couldn't do it all - military service wouldn't fit into our lives.  We had too much going on.

I had known that a blown knee during Racquetball in college, among other stupid college ideas, had ruined his Air Force ROTC opportunity.  The USAF has the luxury of being picky when recruiting Airmen (or 2nd Lieutenants, as the case may be) so one strike and you're out.  Since D is an Air Force brat, I thought for sure he'd never join another branch.  See there, I'd tell myself after the latest bout of Military Talk, it's fine.  He would never join the Army.  Did I mention I was wrong?

There were several obstacles to D's enlistment, but he was determined.  Just before Thanksgiving, he went on a diet.  He started getting up at 0530 to exercise.  He began building his application for security clearance - which let me tell you, is a feat all in itself.  He lost almost 30 pounds by the second week of December, when his recruiter taped him under the Army physical fitness requirements.

During this time, there were a lot of tears on my part.  I had never envisioned myself as a military wife - this wasn't the plan that we had built over the previous 4 years of our relationship.  But when you love someone, how do you say no?  Could you look at your husband and tell him he couldn't pursue his goals?  I couldn't.

I had a lot of people tell me I should have.  "You can say no, M," my friends insisted.  "This is madness!"  But I remember my wedding vows - I said these words:  I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.  I had promised.

A lot of my tears were due to founded fears.  What if he gets deployed?  How will this change our plan for a family?  What if he gets deployed?  What if he gets deployed and killed?  My brain had skipped right over several steps to seeing myself dressed all in black and laying a rose on the top of his coffin, holding the hands of hypothetical children. 

To D, he was killing two birds with one stone:  ensuring our future financial security and following through on his compulsion to serve God and Country.  Where I saw deployments and time away from each other, D saw opportunity. 

So, now here we are.  D's ship date is 1 June.  I've been caught between wishing the last two weeks of school will fly by and wanting to pause indefinitely on the last weekend in May.  Since we've been together - which is going on five years now - we haven't been apart for more than a 3-day weekend that either of us can recall.

Maybe that's what I should do - just look at the 12 weeks of BCT as an extended 3-day weekend.  D, of course, will be kept busy and will have hardly any time for reflecting on the wife he left at home.  I, on the other hand, will be sleeping in my half-empty bed in our half-empty house praying for 12 Aug to arrive quickly.  I have arranged to be working this summer and plan to visit friends and family that school and work have prevented me from seeing often enough, but I know I'll see something funny and want to send  him a text about it, or will do something exciting and will want to call him right on the spot.

I'll have to settle for pen and paper.  I'll have to store all my memories to share with him when he gets back.  Since his orders are for Ft. Sill, an Army base just a couple of hours from where we live, I've joked that if anyone asks about the lonely woman waving forlornly from the gates it will be me.  He laughs, but then gives me a look because he knows I'll be tempted to do that very thing.

D says that the rewards will be worth the price, but I guess we'll have to see.  All I know is that he is worth every tear I cry, every lonely night.  He is worth every homecoming kiss and every envelope I'll lick.  We've been guarding our time together now very closely - we're very protective of it, like we're storing up moments in a bank to be withdrawn while we're apart.

We're strong, though, and we'll get through on stored-up memories.  Because I promised.

Introducing: the Weekend Warrior and his Wife

When my husband enlisted in Dec 2010, it changed our lives.  I decided then that I wanted to record our journey, but wanted to wait until the First Real Change:  Basic Combat Training.  His ship date is looming ever nearer, so here I am, wasting a perfectly good Saturday afternoon designing (poorly) my ARNG Wife blog.

Who are we?  We're young educators in the heart of Oklahoma, married just over a year.  We're both in graduate school.  We live in the suburbs in a house big enough to accommodate the children we'll (hopefully) have in the next few years with two dogs who think they're our children.  To keep this business slightly anonymous, we'll just go by our first initials, M (that's me!) and D (my husband).

We work hard.  Full time jobs and part time jobs and graduate school keep us busy, but we cherish the time we have together.  Especially now - we're T-minus 16 days till BCT.

More than just ramblings about our "Army" experience - in quotes because not even for a second do I think I could handle a full-time soldier - I want to chronicle how it changes our lives - the hard times, the good times, laughter, and tears.

D is incredibly humble about his service - it's something he has felt he needed to do for his entire life - but I'm so proud of him.  In telling our story, I'll start at the beginning - the few weeks leading up to enlistment - and keep going.  Who knows - maybe for 20 years until D is eligible for retirement!

~~M