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| Somewhere over Arkansas or Mississippi |
Walking off the plane I could already tell that is was still quite warm on this Georgia afternoon--it was hot, but not stifling. One of the things I must have forgotten from my last trip to this area was how the interstate is lined with trees and vegetation, so it's hard to see much of the landscape between Atlanta and Columbus.
My sister and her husband drove up from Florida and met us at the hotel later in the evening.
Thursday morning we drove to Fort Benning for the first of two ceremonies held to mark the end of basic training. The first ceremony would be the "Turning Blue." This is where the soldiers are given the blue cords for their uniform that signify that they are now infantrymen. The second ceremony would be the actual graduation, which would be held Friday morning at the National Infantry Museum.
As we drove onto the base for the first time and made our way to Sand Hill, the area where the basic training companies are located, I was trying to soak it all in--this is where my son had spent the past 14 weeks. We saw several units out on marches, while others were preparing to head out for other training exercises. I couldn't help, but imagine all of the experiences he had been through going from raw recruit at the beginning of April to an infantryman.
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| The 1-19th barracks |
The battalion commander held a meeting with all of the families prior to the ceremony. He highlighted the training these young men had received during the past 14 weeks and welcomed us into the Army family.
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| Kanell Field |
The ceremony began with the four platoons of Bravo Company marching onto the field. Then the game began for all of the families of finding your son out of the 200 soldiers, when they are all dressed alike. Fortunately they came in order of platoons, so Erik was in the last platoon and he had said he should be in the second row. As they marched in front of our stand I was able to pick him out and was immediately impressed with how he looked in that uniform.
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| Erik receives his blue cords from his grandfather |
To finish up the ceremony, they all recited the Soldier's Creed and sang the Army Song. Afterwards we were able to take Erik, and the majority of his gear, with us for the rest of the day. First things first, he wanted to change out of the uniform and go to lunch. He was glad to be out of the uniform and have the chance to eat something than the same old Army chow. Later he took a break in the air conditioning of our hotel room before spending some time in the pool. We had an early dinner, so we could get him back to his barracks before 8:00.
At the beginning of the ceremony there was a demonstration showing the weapons and equipment of the modern infantry soldier. They also showed how fire teams worked--one of the fundamental ways today's infantry operates. Then the platoons marched onto the field--they looked much more comfortable today in their ACUs. The bleachers provided a wonderful overall view of the entire company and the ceremony.
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| Bravo Co., 1-19th Infantry graduation ceremony |
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| 4th Platoon, B Co., 1-19th |
We were able to take the time to tour the NIM and it was well worth it. The displays gave you a history of the Infantry and what all is involved in basic training. I feel so fortunate to have been able to attend such an important step in my son's life.
Congratulations to all of the men of Bravo Company, 1-19th! You are American soldiers!
Rock steady! Hooah!
goo, goo g'joob
