Happy Birthday, Cam!

Cam turned the big 2-9 today, and yes, he IS a Halloween-ie! I just hope his drill sergeants took it easy on him today. Maybe I'll hear all about how that DIDN'T happen when he calls on Sunday!

I opted to celebrate Cam's birthday yesterday with a dinner out with friends at his favorite local restaurant, Silver City Brewery. We toasted the man-of-honor with a nice pint of frosty brew and yummy pizza (his dish of choice there). We even sampled a few desserts! I mean, how can you have a birthday celebrate and NOT eat dessert?!? Thanks to Jessica and Justin for providing stellar company on this celebratory night!

Hope everyone had a wonderfully festive Halloween and got their fill of Halloween candy! I know I did! Unfortunately, I might have to eat even more as there was a poor turnout of trick-or-treaters this year. At least I was visited by a very beautiful Sleeping Beauty and her dragon of a little brother (Ruth's little ones, Audrey and Tommy)!

Happy Halloween!!!

Update from Cam #4

Like clockwork, I received another phone call from Cam this morning. This time we had the luxury of speaking for a whole 10 minutes! It was nice to finally get a chance to have a conversation and not just a few rushed sentences! Here’s what he has been up to this past week:

--They practiced ‘zeroing’ their rifles this week in preparation for the upcoming marksmanship test. Cam was able to zero his rifle on his first try. They also had the opportunity to shoot a 50-caliber gun, which he was very excited about.

--During additional hand-to-hand combat training this week, Cam was easily fending off the all guys he faced. He was, however, taken down by “two big guys” that blind-sided him in a double-team attack.

--Cam is no longer squad leader as the ‘privilege’ is rotated among the squad to give everyone the experience. However, several of the new squad leaders still come to him for guidance and advice.

--He has been attending the Lutheran church service every Sunday morning since arriving at Ft. Jackson. He has met two other future OCS cadets at the church service that are in different companies than he during Basic. Looks like he’ll be headed to Ft. Benning (where OCS is held) in December with some friends.

--The ‘mail rules’ have been augmented recently. The Drill Sergeants have randomly chosen days where a song must be sung before the soldiers are given their mail! Cam said he was able to come up with the “Cougar Fight Song” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” in order to earn his mail on singing days. I suggested “I’m a Little Teapot” and “Jingle Bells” for his next round. Cam said that he’s not sure how much longer the singing for mail will continue as there are more than a few tone-deaf guys in his platoon.

That's the current scoop.

P.S.

If you get a chance, please say a little birthday prayer for Cam this week. He turns the big 2-9 on Halloween!

Update from Cam #3

I received another phone call from Cam again yesterday (another 2 minute affair). Here’s the latest scoop…

He sounded very chipper on the phone and I think that his cold is getting better, if not gone. They had just completed training with grenades and Cam remembered to throw the grenade and drop the pin (not vice versa like some guy did in my brother’s boot camp!). He wanted me to make sure that you knew he was thinking of you all and sending his love. He expressed a wish to be able to call everyone and tell you himself, but the soldiers are allowed very little phone time during Basic Combat Training (BCT). That was about all he had time to say during the phone call (well, some mushy stuff was said too, but who wants to hear about that?!) :P

I also received his first letter in the mail today. It pretty much detailed the first three weeks of his time in S.C. and repeated much of what he told me turning his phone call last week. Some new things in the letter included:

---Cam mentioned that his first PT test during the first week did not go as well as he had hoped. However, they were doing PT from the first day they arrived, so I’m sure his score at the end of Basic will be better.

---His battle buddy is 25, married, has 3 kids, and is from Lacey, WA. Cam says he’s pretty cool and on top of things.

---During the first week of Basic, they had a navigation class and then marched a couple of miles for a Land Navigation field exercise.

---During the second week, they did a team confidence course (the team builds and moves its members along a plank path stretched across obstacles) and had an overnight exercise during a “camping” trip.

---Cam has gotten to experience a couple of different MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) with mixed reviews.

---He also said that they have been ‘smoked’ on five separate occasions. I’m sure that PT test score will rise dramatically with all the push-ups they are doing.

I think that’s all for now. I'll be sure to update you all as soon as I hear anything more.

Update from Cam #2

Cam called again yesterday and was finally able to talk longer than 2 minutes. This time it was for a total of 10 minutes! He seemed to be in good spirits, despite having a cold.

He said that the Drill Sergeants (DS’s) knew ahead of time that he is an Officer Candidate and made sure to pick on him a little bit more than everyone else. However, the DS’s have since relaxed a little owning to the fact that Cam has proven he’s not a whiner and is willing to take what they can dish out. Cam was also recently made a Squad Leader and is trying to make sure that his squad follows orders and doesn’t incur more punishment push-ups.

Speaking of punishment, a few people are having difficulty doing what they are told and following orders. As punishment, the soldiers were without their bunks (i.e. sleeping on the tile floor of the barracks) for a few nights. Sounds like fun, huh?!?

In the previous week, Cam said that they have had first aid training (including learning to insert IVs into fellow soldiers) and repelled down the Eagle Tower. They have also experienced the NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) Chamber, which Cam was proud to report didn’t make him puke. It also didn’t clear out his cold like he had hoped. Next up for this week, grenades and rifles...

He’s been getting to do plenty of push-ups, especially caused by the “Mail Rule”: 10 push-ups for every letter they receive and 20 push-ups for every package. Unfortunately, right after I received his address, I mailed off two letters, a card and a package of toiletry items he requested. They all arrived on the same day and the poor guy had to pay for it all. However, don’t let the fear of inflicting push-ups discourage you from sending him a note or card. He would very much appreciate hearing from everyone and is willing to pay the price!

Happy Anniversary to Me...

It's been two years since Cam and I "FINALLY" took the big plunge after 10+ years of togetherness. Unfortunately, we were unable to celebrate the special day together this year, but we did exchange cards through the mail. I guess that's the best you can do when you're on two sides of the country.

But don't worry! I did manage to get a dinner celebration...even if it was a day late! My good friend from work and her two kids graciously had dinner out with me tonight to celebrate. Thanks, Ruth, Audrey and Tommy!

I just hope Cam's "special" day didn't involve having to do too many push-ups!

The Happy Couple - 10/7/2006

Two years later ...