Our son was in DEP - the Delayed Entry Program for the Navy. The first time he went to MEPS, he signed a contract to be a Construction Electrician (CE) with the Seabees. I had never heard of the Seabees, so I started to research. I read everything I could get my hands on about them, watched the John Wayne movie, The Fighting Seabees. I bought Seabee t-shirts and stuck a Seabee poster up in his room. I got really excited that he was going to be a part of the closeknit group of the Construction Battallion.
And then about two months before his ship date, my son got a call from his recruiter. I could tell from my son's tone of voice that something serious was afoot. Sure enough, an opening had come available in the AECF program. Most Navy recruits contract to become a specific rating, as my son had done in signing on to be a EC. The Advanced Electronics and Computer Field is different. Recruits sign up for this training program, and after boot camp, the Navy decides whether or not the Sailor will be an ET (Electronics Technician) or an FC (Fire Controlman). The AECF schools are pretty demanding academically, and they require a six year enlistment.
My son was almost immediately convinced that this would be his new path, but he also wanted our opinion - and approval. I was a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be Seabee parents, but was more than happy to read about all the training our son would receive. We were a bit concerned about the rigorous study, but our recruiter, who had worked with our son for months, was encouraging. The recruiter told how he had been a lousy student in high school, but had totally changed in the Navy. And the recruiter was an FC.
That fact probably sealed the deal for our son. He really wanted to be an FC, although his recruiter cautioned that this decision would be made by the Navy. It was our first exposure to the term, "The needs of the Navy." (It wouldn't be our last.)
So documents were faxed back and forth, and our son switched to the AECF. The uncertainty of the Navy was becoming a reality to us.
And we sailed on toward Thanksgiving - and Christmas...what was Christmas going to be without this son of ours opening his gifts on Christmas morning...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
He's Gone...
On Sunday, our pastor asked the youth group to come up and gather around our family and pray. I was in the middle of it, so I couldn't see, but my friend said that it was a beautiful sight; about 75 kids came forward.
This morning we got up, and as promised, our city put flags up and down our street. My sister-in-law, who's only been in America for a year, said that she started to cry as soon as she saw them. She and her family were the first guests of the day - coming to tell our boy good-bye.
It occured to us that not everyone in our town would know why the flags were up. So at 8:30 I called the local sign company, and by 9:30 they had printed a banner reading with our son's name and "'Mayberry's' Newest Navy Recruit. God Bless You." My dad hung it from our front porch.
The cake arrived at 10:00. "Fair Winds and Following Seas", it said, and had the Navy seal modified with our son's name.
Our neighbor across the street is a veteran. He sent for my son, and have him an old silver dollar. I tried to keep it at the house, but our boy wanted it in his wallet. A glimmer of sentimentality. maybe?
Upstairs, we had already cleaned the bathroom, but as I glanced in the door, a wet towel was on the floor, and his clothes were on the counter. They're still there.
At 11:30 the first of the guests came. A neighbor. Then more neighbors, then a lady I do some work with. Four of our pastors. Family. Friends. More people than I expected. It's a beautiful day, and we milled around in the yard and on the porch, drank coffee and watched the Senior year tribute DVD I made for our boy. Our younger boys and a cousin came home from school. My husband came home from work. We cut the cake. The newspaper came. All to tell our boy good-bye, and to wish him well.
At 12:30, a US Government car pulled into the driveway.
The house is quiet now. Our oldest never made it home from college. The party guests have gone home. The youngest went back to school. The third went out to eat. My husband returned to work.
And that other boy - our second born - they took him away.
This morning we got up, and as promised, our city put flags up and down our street. My sister-in-law, who's only been in America for a year, said that she started to cry as soon as she saw them. She and her family were the first guests of the day - coming to tell our boy good-bye.
It occured to us that not everyone in our town would know why the flags were up. So at 8:30 I called the local sign company, and by 9:30 they had printed a banner reading with our son's name and "'Mayberry's' Newest Navy Recruit. God Bless You." My dad hung it from our front porch.
The cake arrived at 10:00. "Fair Winds and Following Seas", it said, and had the Navy seal modified with our son's name.
Our neighbor across the street is a veteran. He sent for my son, and have him an old silver dollar. I tried to keep it at the house, but our boy wanted it in his wallet. A glimmer of sentimentality. maybe?
Upstairs, we had already cleaned the bathroom, but as I glanced in the door, a wet towel was on the floor, and his clothes were on the counter. They're still there.
At 11:30 the first of the guests came. A neighbor. Then more neighbors, then a lady I do some work with. Four of our pastors. Family. Friends. More people than I expected. It's a beautiful day, and we milled around in the yard and on the porch, drank coffee and watched the Senior year tribute DVD I made for our boy. Our younger boys and a cousin came home from school. My husband came home from work. We cut the cake. The newspaper came. All to tell our boy good-bye, and to wish him well.
At 12:30, a US Government car pulled into the driveway.
The house is quiet now. Our oldest never made it home from college. The party guests have gone home. The youngest went back to school. The third went out to eat. My husband returned to work.
And that other boy - our second born - they took him away.
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