Goodbye, Butter Bar ...

...Hello, Silver Bar? Cam was officially promoted to 1st Lieutenant today with a little ceremony at the Battery Office. Cam's promotion comes after his time in service reached a year and a half following Commissioning at OCS. The ceremony was very brief and included the Executive Officer reading the Orders, a small speech by the Commander of the Battery, me "pinning" his new rank to his chest, and the Commander pining the new rank to his beret. Following another small speech by Cam, we all chowed down on some yummy Costco croissant sandwiches and cookies (my last-minute splurge purchase). No more Butter Bars in this house!

"Pinning" on the new Velcro rank

Making sure there's a good photo!

New beret ranks

Presidential Certificate Presentation

Historic Columbus, GA

We spent the last two days of my visit in Columbus, GA experiencing the rich history of this Southern town. I was surprised to learn that Columbus was a somewhat major player for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Being on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, Columbus was a center for the cotton, textiles and agricultural trades, had large iron foundries, and was a major ship-building port (many "iron-side" ships were built here).

While Cam was reporting for Airborne School, Cam's parents and I checked out the National Civil War Naval Museum. On display, the museum has the remainder of the hull of the CSS Jackson (one of the largest Confederate ironclad ships) and a huge display of actual flags flown throughout the Civil War on Confederate and Union ships.

After the museum, we headed to Phenix, AL for lunch (and to cross Alabama off my list of visited states). Amazingly enough, AL Whoppers taste very similar to WA Whoppers! We also headed north of Columbus to Calloway Gardens to check out their Country Store, where we found TONS of canned goods, preserves, and butters. We even saw sweet potato butter and pickled watermelon rinds!

On Saturday, Cam's parents, Cam and I toured the historic district in downtown Columbus. We saw several types of architecture, from Greek Rivival to Victorian to log cabins. Most the houses were built in the pre-Civil War days. We also saw the country house of Dr, John Permerton, the pharmacist that created the formula for Coca-Cola. What struck me the most was the large scale use of brick and iron-work on most of the houses. However, those materials were all made locally and probably were very cheap building supplies at the time.

The Rankin house, built 1860-1870 and valued at $18,500 (in 1898)

The Illges House, built 1850

The Bullard House, built 1887. The Bullard family hosted FDR and Generals Patton and Marshall here.

Commissioning!!!

After three and a half long months, the day is finally here! Cam has completed Officer Candidate School and was sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant! We got to watch Cam be sworn in along with his OCS Platoon and check out his barrack room before heading to the auditorium to secure a good spot for the Commissioning Ceremony.

It was very impressive looking out over the 133 graduating Candidates, hearing to the Company Commanders opening remarks regarding the activiites of the last few months and listening to the guest speaker's advice to the new Lieutenants. It wasn't so impressive to listen to the Candidates "sing" the OCS Alma Mater and Army Song... :) Here's a video of Cam crossing the stage and graduating: (Sorry for the video quality, but the auditorium was dark.)

Following the ceremony, Cam was sworn in individually by his Platoon Captain and was then pinned with his 2nd Lt gold bars by his mom, dad and me! We all even got a little sun while waiting for the crowds to die down in order to do this little extra ceremony. Below is a video of Cam's individual Swearing In with Captain Cook:

After returning to the hotel to change and freshen up after a warm day on base, we had a yummy celebratory dinner out and then checked out the local Army supply stores in Columbus. Yeah for souviners!

Mom Anderson and Kristy pinning on the shoulder gold bars

Dad Smith pinning the 2nd Lt gold bar on Cam's beret

The Leber parents with the new Lieutenant

The Smith/Anderson parents with their 2nd Lt son

Cam posing below the OCS arch

Schmoopy-ness before dinner

Exploring Ft. Benning

Cam had to spend most of the day on duty and practicing for the Commissioning ceremonies tomorrow. So, Cam's parents and I spent the day exploring various areas at Ft. Benning. Ft. Benning is one of the largest Army bases in the country and has plenty of cool stuff to look at.

First, we stopped to watch a few of the current Airborne Jump School students practicing. Cam will be attending this school and performing these jumps in a few short days!

We then went in search of Riverside. Riverside was the plantation house of Mr. Arthur Bussey from 1909 until 1918 when the Army bought the land for Camp Benning. Riverside now serves as the quarters of the Fort Benning Commanding General and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

We also checked the Ranger Memorial, a granite memorial honoring the spirit and accomplishments of the U.S. Army Rangers: past, present, and future. Ft. Benning is home to the Ranger School.

Finally, as we were headed back to the OCS barracks to pick up Cam for the day, we ran across this cool old school church.

Everyone is looking forward to all the Commissioning activities tomorrow ... especially Cam!

Commissioning Formal Ball

The day finally arrived! The Commissioning Formal day is finally here! (I think that I was more excited for it than Cam...)

Cam had to report on base early this morning. He spent the day practicing the graduation ceremony with his company. He also spent some of the morning reading Dr. Suess books to a class of local elementary school kids as part of his public service requirement. So I took the opportunity to take nap, get my nails done and get my hair "did". By the time Cam was finally released, it was time to head back to the hotel to get all dressed up.

The evening turned out to be very fun! Everyone was all dressed up and all the Candidates looked very handsome in their Class A's. Dinner was very yummy and I managed to not spill a THING on myself! (A huge feat to say the least!) Even the special guest/speaker, Navy Commander Todd Henricks gave a very impressive graduation speech. All in all, we had a good time and I hope that we have another opportunity to attend a formal event!

All spiffed up ... with somewhere to go!

A long shot of us looking good!

Cam with some of his platoon buddies

OCS Roommates, Kenny and Cam

Keeping the GA Economy Alive

Cam and I have been enjoying our last few "alone" days before our parents arrive tomorrow. On Sunday, we explored the various shopping opportunities on base and in the city. We didn't buy anything too exciting, but somehow managed to "keep the economy going" with a nice chunk of change.

Sunday night we met up with a small group of Cam's platoon friends for some yummy Japanese steakhouse food. It was fun to get to know a few of the guys better and meet their spouses. Again, more stories from OCS training were shared ...

Today, Cam had to report to the barracks for Commissioning practice. I spent the alone time checking out the local Wal-Mart. (Whoo! Do I know how to have a good time!?) After Cam was released for the day, we again spent the rest of the day spending more money, but it was necessary to mail home a giant footlocker and duffle bag full of things Cam will not need now that OCS is coming to an end.

We are looking forward to tomorrow when we'll attend the big Formal Ball to celebrate Commissioning. Check in later for some pictures for us all spiffed up! :)

Reunion and Karaoke - Georgia Style

After a VERY early and VERY bumpy flight, I made it to Ft. Benning, GA!!! Upon arrival, I found Cam packing up the entire contents of his two storage closets in the barracks into a duffel bag, two suitcases, a garment bag and HUGE plastic footlocker. While he packed, I got to meet several of his platoon-mates as they wandered past. His buddies all had very nice things to say about my Soldier! We then loaded up the rental car with all of his Army stuff and headed for the hotel.

In order to celebrate all the missed birthday, anniversary, and celebratory dinners from the last 6 months, we had a lovely steak dinner together before heading to a Mexican restaurant for a platoon karaoke gathering. I wasn't brave enough to sing, but Cam jumped up there a couple times! A fun time was had by all and I got to meet several more of the platoon. There were also plenty of stories from their time in OCS.

I'm sure that tomorrow will be full of all kinds of adventures. Check back to find out...

Cam and some of his platoon belting out the tunes!

Finally ... I'm Off to GA!

The count-down is FINALLY complete! I'm flying early tomorrow morning to visit Cam at Ft. Benning, GA. I'm going a few days earlier than originally planned to spend a little time with Cam before all the Commissioning hoopla begins and both sets of our parents arrive.

The actual Commissioning and OCS graduation is Thursday afternoon and then we're unsure of when and where Cam's being shipped to next. I'll be sure to pass on all your well-wishes to him when I see him! I'll also try to keep the blog updated with pictures and stories from my trip! Talk to ya'll soon!

OCS Update #4

Cam has spent the last two weeks "in the field" as part of his OCS training. This includes running tactical exercises and team events, sleeping in tents every night, and not showering for days! I'm just glad that I don't have to smell them when they get back!!!

He has one more week of field work before returning to the classroom for a "Week of History". (Yay for something right up Cam's alley!!!) The Candidates will also have a ruck march and PT test during that time. They have a week to turn in all their gear and prepare for all the Commissioning events in mid-March.

On a more exciting news front, Cam has received information regarding his upcoming training. He must attend Basic Officer Leader Course II and III (BOLC) before arriving at his permanent duty station. BOLC II is similar to the Basic Training Cam has already attended, but it is geared more towards newly commissioned officers. BOLC III provides job-specific training. The 6-week-long BOLC II training will be from July-August 2009 at Ft. Sill, OK. Immediately following that, BOLC III will be from August to December 2009 at Ft. Bliss, TX.

Please remember that these dates and locations are all subject to change. Further, we have NO idea what our plans are beyond Commissioning in mid-March. As soon as we have any further details and/or more concrete plans, we will let you know!

Until then ...

Air Defense Artillery

Yesterday afternoon Cam selected Air Defense Artillery during the Branching Selection at OCS. For the next 3+ years this will be his job. We won't know his training schedule or permanent duty station for another month, but as soon as we know anything concrete, we'll pass on the info!

For the next two weeks, the OCS Candidates will be performing field work and, therefore, will be out camping in the wilderness and cold! I don't expect to hear from Cam, except on the weekends in between the two trips. Hope they have a good time!

OCS Update #3

Here's the scoop on what my soldier has been up to the past few weeks:

In honor of MLK day, the Officer Candidates were given a four-day weekend last weekend. Cam went to several planned events with his candidate comrades including a sports bar to watch a "big" mixed-martial-arts fight, a karaoke bar (where he sang a few tunes with a group of guys), and going out to dinner each night to get a taste of "real" food. He was also able to do a little shopping in town, thanks to his buddy, Marcell, who has a car with him!

During the previous past week, the guys tried to survive a few more death-by-PowerPoint classroom days. They also had to do a company run and a few tatical exercises outside.

This week, Cam is acting as the platoon's First Sergeant. This "honor" is rotated among the platoon each week and the duties include communicating orders from the Candidate Commanding Officer and the Cadre and keeping track of all the soliders in the platoon.

Finally, at the end of this week, Cam will be selecting his branch (AKA: job) that he will have for the next 3+ years. Branching is decided based on your class rank, which is earned by, among other things, gaining points for tests, papers, and PT scores. Cam is currently ranked in the top 3rd of his class of 150 candidates. As always, as soon as we know anything for sure, we will pass on all the information to our family and friends.

OCS Update #2

It's been a while since I've posted an update about Cam's adventures at Officer Candidate School (OCS) and since he's now been back for almost two weeks, now's as good of time as any!

Most of the days are spent in the classroom setting learning about various tactical things, map reading, and leadership skills. They have also had a little "outside" training. Tomorrow the officer candidates are headed for a 7 mile rucksack march with their rucksacks (backpacks) full of gear equaling a certain percentage of their body weight. Cam gets to carry 74 extra pounds in his ruck. Every time he tells me about this march, he sounds oh-so excited...

Cam is currently a team leader for the week. This involves making decisions that affect the whole team as well as working directly with the cadre (officers/NCOs in charge of the candidates). He has also had the "opportunity" to stand watches in the middle of the night and be on latrine-cleaning duty.

Cam is also researching future job tracks that he might be interested in selecting during their "branching" selection occurring (hopefully) mid-February. His current interest is Air Defense Artillery. That job includes shooting ground-to-air missiles (and "They teach you to be a rocket scientist! Ha-ha!"). He is also still considering Military Intelligence. Once his job/branch is chosen, we hope to know which post we will be assigned to first. As soon as we know, we'll let everyone else know!

Finally, I know that Cam would love to hear from you! If you get a spare 5 minutes, drop a card or note in the mail for him. (His address is listed at the top of the blog's main page.) He also has his cell phone and if you leave a message, he will try to return your call as soon as he is able.

Gone, Baby, Gone ...

I just got back from dropping Cam at the airport. He'll be in-route back to Ft. Benning, GA (via a short layover in Minneapolis) by 1:30AM PST ... barring any delays. He's expected to arrive in Atlanta by 11AM EST and must be in formation at Ft. Benning by 5PM EST.

He wanted me to thank all of our family and friends for the wonderfully fun time we had together! He's taking all your well wishes back with him as well as a couple of pounds gained from Christmas goodies!

OCS Update #1

Cam was bussed to Ft. Benning on Saturday morning from Ft. Jackson and Officer Candidate School (OCS) started on Monday (12/8). I have had the opportunity to talk with him a couple nights this week. He currently is in a ‘dorm-like’ room with one other officer candidate. Their classes have been pretty basic thus far: general briefings, sexual harassment training, etc. He is hoping that there will also be some pretty rigorous exercises/marches involved in OCS so that he can keep up the physique he gained in Basic Training (BCT).

He also did his initial height/weight measurements and initial PT test yesterday. He is down to 203.5 lbs and lost 1.5 inches from his neck and 5.5 inches from his waist (and 25 lbs!) since his initial measurements at BCT 10 weeks ago. His PT score was a little lower than he would have liked, but he plans on working on his 2-mile run time in order to boost it.