BCT Graduation

This past week our soldier-in-training became an official soldier. We could not be more proud. Jackson and I were joined by Grammie Iveson (all the way from California) for Matt's graduation from Basic Combat Training. We were finally able to see our husband/Daddy/son after ten long weeks.

Jackson and I had arranged for a 3 connection flight schedule to go from Michigan to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Yup- 3 connections. I hoped that since Jack is such a relaxed baby that he wouldn't be a problem traveling. We arrived at the ticket counter and the airline representatives immediately fell in love with Jack (not unusual, he makes friends wherever he goes!). We checked his car seat and my suitcase and rolled around the ticket counter... and the representatives called to us to wait a moment. They had been looking to see if other flight options were available but hadn't said anything until they were sure they could change us. They found fights with 1 connection and offered to switch our ticket for free! Not only that, since our original flight was overbooked we received a voucher that. was. worth. more. than. our. original. ticket! Umm, yeah. I think we'll take that option! They also gave us a meal voucher for breakfast since we'd have to sit around the airport for 4 hours before our first flight left. I figured it'd be easier entertaining a 7-month-old in an airport than on 4 different flights! Not only did that make our travel day so much easier, but also it helped ease my mind about our return flight which was yet to be booked and was sure to cost a pretty penny. Praise the Lord for his grace and super helpful ticket agents.

For our first flight we were able to change seats so that we had a row of three seats to ourselves. So nice with a baby! Jack was so curious about what was going on outside the window. He loved watching the men directing the plane, the ground whooshing by as we taxied, and the clouds as we took off. My secret to baby-ears-popping? Wet a washcloth and let baby suck suck suck on it. I had read to try to feed the baby during takeoff and landing, but I didn't know if baby would be hungry at those times so I figured a wet washcloth would keep him occupied. Once we were in the air I settled baby in the seat next to me with his toys. I strapped him in and he was able to sit and play with his toys on the tray table. He looked like such a big boy! Shortly after he fell asleep and napped for the entire rest of the flight. Our second flight was pretty much the same story. Everyone praised him for being such a good little traveler!

I have so many pictures from Family Day and Graduation, but those will be posted in an online album for viewing. Once that is set up I will link it on the side bar. Of course, most of my readers are my facebook friends as well so pictures are already posted there.

We met up with my mother-in-law in Atlanta and were on the same flight to Columbia, SC. I rented a car (it was actually a minivan- solidified that I will never own one of those!) and we headed on post. This was my first experience with an Army post. We both were ID-ed and welcomed at the gate. When we arrived it was dark and the signs on the sides of the roads were not well lit. Normally these signs would be extremely helpful with arrows directing us to our lodging. So we drove around for awhile and eventually found our on post hotel. We pulled out the map of the post that had been mailed to me and after turning around several times, we found it. The hotel was nice- a full kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room (my MIL was sweet enough to offer to sleep on the couch so we could save some $$$ on getting a second room) and offered free laundry. I highly recommend staying on post for graduation if possible for lower room rates and convenience for the ceremonies.

Family Day arrived and we were so excited to see our soldier! Fort Jackson has a blue line painted on the road to direct families to Hilton Field. We arrived half an hour early and were able to get front row seats in the bleachers. We knew where our soldier's company would be on the field so we sat on that side of the bleachers. We were not directly in front of the section he was in, but we had a side view of the entire company- which ended up being perfect for pictures. It was colder than expected! I had been checking the weather predictions for the past month to try to plan my outfits, but it was still chillier than I was prepared for! Thankfully, I am from Michigan so the weather didn't affect me too much. My advice, brings layers no matter what. We waited for the ceremony to begin. The Lt. Col. of the Regiment spoke, the Dril Sgts. introduced themselves, some of the soldiers took their oath of citizenship (amazing), and then it began. Smoke grenades were thrown out onto the field with green smoke coming from them. Once the cloud was nice and high the cannons began going off and then the soldiers can running out onto the field. Baby was cold and slightly fussy so I was holding him while I busily snapped pictures. I tried to focus the pictures as much as possible (with one hand) with my DSLR but knew some would come out blurry. I just kept snapping away hoping to get some of Matt. I zoomed in on various parts of the company and knew I would find him later when I looked at the pictures on my computer. The soldiers formed up and marched forward. It was quite impressive seeing so many new soldiers in ACUs all marching together. There would have been around 600 soldiers on that field! Side note: some of the soldiers ran out and were waving their arms or jumping into the air before they formed up. I thought to myself that this was a little unprofessional and was surprised this was permitted. Those soldiers were reprimanded and they lost their on post pass for the duration of Family Day.

We were dismissed to find our soldiers. We had discussed with Matt previously that we would wait until closer to the end to file down the bleachers. With a baby we didn't want to get caught up in the crowd etc. He had his cell phone on him and I texted him when we were walking down so he could find us. We reached the ground and were looking all around for him when I saw him running towards us. What a great feeling! We both had tears in our eyes as we met, embraced, and looked at our son. It was so good to finally see him again. Jack smiled at him and we are positive there was recognition in his eyes. We know he may not have connected, "Oh, you're my Daddy!" but there was a familiarity of Matt. Jack went willingly to Matt and let him hold and hug him. What a great moment! Matt hugged his Mom and we headed out. Traffic was not as bad as I expected, but of course, the Army had soldiers directing traffic so the intersections didn't get too backed up.

We went to the PX (Post Exchange) to do some shopping for Matt. He wanted to look at laptops (which we had agreed would be his graduation, birthday, and Christmas present) and some other gear he would need to pack up all his stuff to go to OCS. I also got some souvenirs (a small digital camo backpack for Jack and a mug for me) and we headed back to the hotel. For Family Day, soldiers are permitted an on post pass. They are free to spend time with their families but are not permitted to leave post, drink, smoke, drive, and must be back at the barracks for the night. Matt had about 3 weeks of laundry to do so we stopped by his barracks to pick it up. We ate Subway in the room as most of the other on post restaurants were packed and had long lines. So thankful for the free laundry so we could put in three loads and let them go while we visited. Jack loved playing with Daddy and Daddy was so thankful for how big and strong Jack is. When Daddy left Jack was not sitting up yet and now he can even crawl! He began to really crawl (as opposed to scooting) while we were down there and Matt got to see that, which was so nice. One less milestone for him to miss while in training.

I ran out to Best Buy to get Matt his laptop. He was unable to find one he liked at the PX so I went out on my own. He wanted one primarily for gaming so I bought him an ASUS. So when we are able to live together again we will both have a desktop and laptop. A little much? Oh our generation/society.

We ordered pizza for dinner and then took Matt back to his barracks. A very full, lovely day.

The next morning was another early morning. It was raining so the graduation ceremony was divided by company and was hosted indoors, the Solomon Center. We arrived an hour early and already the bleachers were completely full. They brought out folding chairs and we sat on the side. The ceremony was shorter than I expected and the soldiers mainly stood at attention while the Lt. Col. spoke. The soldiers recited the soldier's creed and sang the Army song. I knew this from high school (I think every high school choir should sing through the branch cadences at least one) so sang along and danced with Jack, this helped keep him occupied and involved (and quiet!). The soldiers and soldier leaders of the cycle were acknowledged. Matt was one question off from being soldier leader of the cycle. It would have been nice to have been recognized for that, but he was happy for the soldier who received it as she was a hard worker. I like that as his attitude. It shows the team mentality- which is so important in the Army.

We were dismissed to meet our soldiers back at their barracks. I ran up to sign Matt out, which meant he was allowed to leave post and we could then drive him to OCS. We carried all his stuff (two large duffle bags, two backpacks, and one hanging bag) to the car and headed off post for lunch. We celebrated at O'Charleys and ordered extra meals to go so we would have dinner later. We went to Kohls to pick Matt up some civilian clothes, which were on his packing list for OCS. This list is available online and I advise family members to look this over beforehand so they can bring their soldier the items needed. I had brought Matt some civilian clothes, but the polos had logos over the breast. This is a big no-no. So we had to do some shopping.

We relaxed for the rest of the day at the hotel. It was so nice just being able to be a family again. 

We are so proud of SPC Iveson.

Matt looked so handsome in his Dress Blues. Interesting: While outside he is required to wear whatever head gear is assigned for the day. While inside he is required to take it off. By required, I mean required! We learned about how the military uniforms must be just so, with insignia directly centered and the beret flap positioned exactly so. He looked so sharp and handsome. It still kinda felt like he was playing dress-up-soldier. But his mannerisms were much more sharp. He is certainly a soldier now!

We dropped Mom off at her hotel for the night. She stayed closer to the airport for her early flight. I am so thankful she was able to make it out. It meant so much to Matt and we loved being able to spend time with her. The next morning Matt, Jack, and I took off to Fort Benning. Matt needed to check in that day by midnight. The other officer candidates and he had exchanged numbers and agreed to notify each other about the possibility of getting weekend passes from whoever arrived first. As we were driving we were notified that passes would not be given for that night. So we decided that Matt would check in later that night before bed, that way we would get the entire day together.

It was a long drive, but peaceful. Matt and I have taken many road trips together (between Virginia and Michigan all through college and the beginning of our marriage) so it seemed quite normal. We stopped along the way and I went into an airport to purchase Jack and my return airline ticket. With the voucher this needed to be purchased at a ticket counter. Amazingly enough, the ticket agent was able to find a direct flight that offered a military discount and after the voucher we ended up paying around $50! Thank you, Lord! What a relief. We were also able to book me a very nice hotel with a military rate while en route. Jack did so well in the car (napped most of the time) and we made it to Fort Benning without issue.

On the way we stopped for lunch and had someone pay for our meal. Another blessing. While I am thankful for the gift of a free meal, I am more thankful for people who honor and support my husband. Even though we are just getting started, knowing there are civilians who support us makes the future much more bearable.

We tried to find our way around post. Benning is very nice, but we did get lost a few times! We found the main PX and looked around. Checked into my hotel and just relaxed after the day of travel. Matt's sister gave us directions to the OCS headquarters from when she dropped her husband off several years ago. That was so helpful as Benning is a rather large post and we didn't really have an address or any other directions.

Saturday Matt was given an on post pass with permission to leave post to go to one specific store. He found out there were some extra items he needed to begin OCS. We took care of his shopping, bought a few more items for me (a zip hoodie, paracord bracelet, and two books on the military), and then bummed around the Commissary (grocery store) and PX. The PX had a variety of stores and food court, and we didn't really have anywhere else to go as I was not allowed in Matt's barracks and he was not allowed off post. We drove around a bit and looked at the on post housing. We hope to live on post as much as possible in our future assignments. There was a Starbucks in the PX so we sat there and played with Jack for awhile.

Jackson loved the time with his Daddy. He was being a little bit of a stinker and did not want to be in his umbrella stroller at all. (side note: I debated bringing his regular jogging stroller or the umbrella stroller. The jogging stroller would be more comfortable for him, plus it leaned back completely for when he napped. It also had more storage space. In the end, the umbrella stroller won for it's lightweight, compact-ness. I am very thankful I just brought the umbrella stroller. As my diaper bag is a backpack I was able to wear that or put it over the handles of the stroller.) Matt or I carried him around and we used the stroller to hold our purchases or the diaper bag. It was a little annoying not having anywhere to go, but it was still so nice to be together. Matt could certainly tell that Jack was still the same happy baby that he used to be... there was just more to him now. I think that is a very accurate assessment. Jack still has the same little personality, has the same facial expressions, makes the same noises... but also has new expressions, noises, and of course can sit up, grab toys, crawl, and eat baby food and puffs now.

One of the toughest parts of the week was not being able to simply hold Matt's hands. While he is in uniform we are not permitted to hold hands, hug, kiss, anything PDA. He is allowed to hold, hug Jack, however. We would be walking and I would instinctively want to reach out to hold his hand, then I would remind myself that this is not allowed. It seemed strange to just walk next to him without holding his hand. We did break the rules slightly and I hugged him when we said goodbye Saturday night. We weren't sure if this would be the last time we saw each other, but I figured his CO would understand. It turned out that when we dropped him off Saturday night, it was the last time we would see him. He did not receive a pass for Sunday. Jack and I were scheduled to leave Monday morning so we just bummed around the hotel for the day.

When we arrived at Benning Matt went from being SPC Iveson to Officer Candidate Iveson. You can see the OCS pins on his hat and chest patch. On his left sleeve pocket he received the patch "Follow Me" which designates that he is assigned to Officer Candidate School. This patch will change as he is assigned different regiments in the future. I think he is rather handsome in fatigues (wink).

We were waiting to hear about what his Thanksgiving assignment would be. I was all prepared to change our flight, rental car, and hotel arrangements for Jack and I to stay through Thanksgiving. Jack was very ready to not live in a hotel and the disposable diapers were agitating him (as he normally wears cloth). We hadn't heard anything definitive by Sunday evening so we decided that Jack and I would fly home as schedule Monday morning and if Matt got leave for the entire weekend then we would fly him home to Michigan. That would be the less expensive option either way. Jack and I woke up at 3:30 am to pack up and get ready to leave Columbus, GA. I like to shower the morning of my flights so I feel refreshed and not all travel worn. We pulled out of the hotel at 4:30 am to drive the 2 hours to Atlanta, GA. It was significantly cheaper for us to fly out of there and to return our rental car there (about $300 difference in flights and $1000 difference for the car! incredible). The drive went well. No issues on my end (thank you iPhone for GPS. I haven't had any trouble with the maps so I don't know what other iPhone users are complaining about) and Jack slept almost the entire time. Since it was so early in the morning there wasn't much traffic out and the sun hadn't risen yet so no annoying glare as I drove. We arrived an hour sooner than I expected (I gave myself a lot of wiggle room to make sure we didn't have any unexpected delays) and were through security and to our gate with 2 hours to go until boarding time. Jack played nicely while we waited and did great on the plane again. This time when we were landing I think his ears may have popped. He was sitting there watching the clouds and he jerked and then began crying. I nursed him then and he settled down for the rest of the landing. We arrived home and as soon as we had brought in all our bags I received a text from Matt that he was granted leave from Wednesday evening through Sunday night. I think him flying to Michigan will work out better in the long run so that Jack can be in comfortable surroundings.

It was quite the week and I learned a lot about our future life. I am so very proud of my soldier and know that this is the direction we are supposed to be headed. I am very excited for the future and am so proud to be an Army wife. Continued prayers are appreciated as Matt goes through OCS as his hard work will determine his MOS, which he competes for. He is still leaning heavily towards Military Intelligence, specifically Signals Intel.