Parting is such sweet sorrow ...

Our last day in Columbia, SC was a bitter sweet affair. We were allowed to attend morning chow in the D-Fac (dining facility) with the soldiers departing for their AIT (advanced individual training) or OCS (officer candidate school) that morning. It was amazing to see all the luggage that had been packed, sorted and was ready to be loaded onto the buses that morning!

After breakfast, we were spending our last hour with Cam by hanging out in the warmth of the bay. As a matter of payroll, Cam had been promoted to an E-5 (Sergeant) at midnight Saturday morning, following graduation of BCT, so Drill Sergeant Stevens decided that Cam had earned a promotion "ceremony" in front of the remaining members of his platoon. Cam's orders were read,

DS Stevens removed his Specialist patch,

and replaced them with a Sergeant's rank by slamming them into Cam's chest. Unfortunately at that point, my camera decided to die and I missed Cam being slammed back into the table by DS Stevens... Once Cam reaches OCS, his rank becomes "Officer Candidate" ("OC") so he can only wear his new Sergeant patch for Saturday.

After all that hoopla, it was time for Cam to board the bus headed to Ft. Benning near Columbus, GA and the Alabama border. Somehow I managed to keep it together and didn't shed a tear during our good-bye. It helps knowing that I'll see him at the Seattle airport in exactly 14 days...

BCT Graduation

Graduation Day is HERE!

This morning, Cam and his fellow "Privates" participated in the graduation ceremony for BCT at Ft. Jackson. The local Army band was on hand to perform for the crowd as well as provide the bugle calls for the parading companies.

Awards were presented to the Soldiers of the Cycle, Soldier Leaders of the Cycle, Drill Sergeants of the Cycle, and the Marksman and PT Score winners for each company. Cam was submitted by 2 of his 3 platoon drill sergeants for the Soldier of the Cycle award, however it was given to someone else. Anyway, once the awards were handed out, the companies paraded past the grand stands and the soldiers were again released to their families. Today they got a day-pass OFF post!

After the graduation ceremony, we spent the morning:

taking pictures around base (for our Christmas cards!),

visiting the Ft. Jackson museum, and making one last stop at the PX for items on Cam's packing list for OCS.

Since he had a day-pass off post, the four of us headed out into the wilds of Columbia. First stop of the day: Wal-Mart! Cam had a long list of office supplies and various other things (including a package of oreos and Reese's PB cups!) he needed to pack for OCS, so the Land-of-Wal offered the best deals. After our shopping excursion, we had a pizza lunch (a request from Cam) and headed back to the hotel for a little napping time. We even finished up the day with a yummy steak dinner!

Cam was back to the barracks by 8:30pm in time for one last "smoking" by the drill sergeants.

BCT Family Day

Greetings from Columbia, South Carolina!!! This lovely capital city is home to Fort Jackson and has been Cam's home for the last 10 weeks. My parents and I are in town for the next few days to watch him graduate from the Army's Basic Combat Training (BCT). We arrived late last night in Charlotte, NC and drove the approx. 90 miles to Columbia, SC so that we would be in town for the BCT Family Day festivities today.

The first part of the festivities included a briefings from several support groups on post, a briefing for the families from the BCT commanding officer and a demonstration of one of the scenarios that the soldiers were taught, performed by graduating soldiers.

(My parents listening to the briefings)

The objective of the demo was to call in an air raid on an small enemy position, send in ground reinforcements and then rescue any injured US soldiers during the firefight.

(The "enemy" setting up weaponry to attack U.S. forces.)

("U.S." soldiers checking for wounded "enemies" after the firefight.)

Following the demonstration, a large number of smoke bombs were thrown across the field.

As the smoke filled the field, we began to see the graduating soldiers sprinting through the smoke, finally assembling in their BCT company and platoon formations.

It was a very impressive display and the family members rushed from the stands to find their solider hidden among their platoon formation. Once the families were reunited, the soldiers were then released to visit with their family and friends on post for the remainder of the day.

Thankfully, Cam found us first, otherwise, I might not have recognized him. He's soooooooooo skinny!!! (He lost 25 additional pounds in BCT - that makes nearly 60 lbs total over the last year!)

After picking Cam up from his platoon, we spent the rest of the day exploring Ft. Jackson. We visited the barracks and bay where Cam stayed for his 10 weeks of BCT.

We had a lovely junk-food-filled lunch at Burger King where Cam was able to have his first ice cream in weeks! We spent the rest of the day shopping at the PX's around post, hearing stories about all of the guys in Cam's platoon and all the activities they participated in, and exploring all the back-roads around base.

I was really sad when we had to drop him back off at the barracks at 8:30pm tonight, but I'm looking forward to all the fun we get to have OFF post tomorrow!

Off to SC!

The count-down is complete! I'm FINALLY flying today to visit Cam at Ft. Jackson, SC. Thursday is Family Day when the soldier and family can explore the base and hear all about how Basic Training went. The actual Basic Training graduation is Friday morning and then Cam's being shipped straight to Ft. Benning, GA for OCS on Saturday morning! I'll be sure to pass on all your well-wishes to him when I see him!

No new news ... is good news?

Nothing too exciting has been happening in the Little World of the Smiths lately. Cam is still plugging away at Basic Training. I have been receiving letters pretty regularly, however almost everything in the letters is information we have shared in phone calls (and thus shared in my posts below). This weekend, Cam is participating in exercises (one last "camping trip") over several days and didn't expect to be able to call this afternoon. His upcoming two weeks will be the last few at Ft. Jackson and the soldiers will be cleaning up the barracks, turning in their gear and rifles and maybe get to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving meal this Thursday.

I'm still hanging in there here in Port Orchard. Work has been unusually busy lately which is good AND bad. Bad because people are screwing up royally and causing more work for everyone. But also good because a Busy Day means a Quick Day and allows me to rip one more day off my count-down list! 10 days until I leave for South Carolina and Cam's Basic Training Graduation!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! I am most thankful for my family and friends and all the love and support you have shown these last few months! I pray that God will continue to bless you with many wonderful things this holiday season!

Quick Update from Cam

Cam called me twice yesterday (the first time we were interrupted by a fire alarm!). He seemed to be in really good spirits, especially because he did really well in his final PT test at Basic. He scored a 258 (out of possible 300) with 63 push-ups, 76 sit-ups and a 15:12 2-mile run. Good job, Cam!!!

They are also starting to wind things down at Ft. Jackson. The soldiers still have to complete two live fire events, one with their battle buddies and one as a team exercise in the next two weeks. The last week will be spent cleaning up, turning in their gear and packing. Basic Training Graduation is just around the corner and I can't wait to visit!

Update from Cam #6

Cam was able to call yesterday and we spoke for about 5 minutes before I lost signal in the hills between Yakima and Ellensburg. :( Due to the short phone call, there are only a couple exciting things to report.

He completed his marksmanship qualifications last week and earned a Sharpshooter ranking during the first day of the qualification runs. Unfortunately, his "new" rifle wasn't performing as he would have liked and he wasn't able to score any higher on his second day of qual runs.

Cam also had firm dates for his visit home during December. He will be flying into Seattle late Saturday, Dec. 20th and flies out really late on Sunday, Jan. 4th. I'm really excited to be able to spend a little over two weeks with him. Woo-hoo!

Update from Cam #5

Unfortunately, I did not receive a phone call from Cam this past weekend. It is likely due to two reasons: either (1) someone in the squad/platoon got in trouble and lost everyone their phone privileges for the week or (2) they were out on a "camping trip" over the weekend and were unable to call. Hopefully, it is reason (2).

Thankfully, to combat my lack of contact with him, I did receive two letters in the mail from him this past week! Yeah!

The first letter brought some very welcome news. Cam said that he will be getting two weeks vacation to come home around Christmas! Hooray!!! That means I will get to see him TWICE in December, the first being a trip back to Ft. Jackson, SC the first week of December for Basic Graduation! I hope that will tide me over until I get to visit him next for Commissioning in April '09. That also means that we will be able to spend time over the holidays with our families.

The second letter contained much more info regarding what he has been up to lately. They were set to have rifle qualification on Election Day (Nov. 4th). Cam was a little concerned that he wouldn't be able to make the "Expert" qualification as he had to have his rifle replaced a couple days before the qualification try. His previous rifle was "one of the biggest piles of crap rifles [he's] ever seen" and it had started double firing during his practice. He went to the gunsmith to get a replacement part and the gunsmith told him it wasn't worth replacing the part. Thus, he ended up with a new rifle.

The platoon also had to do a 6K road march in full "battle rattle" pre-dawn one day. Cam said that while they were marching, he didn't notice the cold. However, it was a different story once they stopped marching.

For Halloween, the Drill Sergeants treated them to packages of M&Ms. Cam knew that if anyone ate them, the D.S. would make them burn off those treats, so he chose not to open his bag. Unfortunately, several others in his squad had devoured theirs and Cam was ordered him eat his own M&Ms. And, of course, everyone got to work off the treats later...

Lastly, he wanted me to extend a big thanks to those of you who sent him birthday cards! He really appreciated your thoughts and well wishes and enjoyed hearing from you all!!

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!

Update from Cam

I have received two ... count 'em ... two (2) phone calls from Cam since he left last Wednesday for boot camp in South Carolina! And I feel very lucky for those 4 mins, 5 secs that we've been able to hear each other.

He has spent the first few days at Ft. Jackson processing (i.e. medical, physical, uniform issue, etc.). The "real" boot camp (also known as Basic Combat Training (BCT)) officially begins on Wednesday of this week.

He seemed really excited about everything that’s happened so far. He said that he’s making friends, but that most of the people there are MUCH younger than he is (no surprise!). However, there are a few guys there that are old than he is (slight surprise).

As soon as I hear it from Cam, I will send out his mailing address. I know that he would appreciate getting encouraging, funny, and/or update letters and cards from everyone. In fact, the more mail he gets, the more push-ups he may not have to do!

He also wanted me to tell everyone hi and send you all his love!