so far away...

So, there's my sailor, looking good at A School.

He is doing well in nuke school~ staying very busy.

Some of my fellow Navy moms, who have kids

in A Schools in other fields, are very happy

with all the communication they now have

with their Sailors. As for me, I am

almost nostalgic for boot camp. 

I miss the letters.

For you see, nuke school moms are often

 at the end of the food chain. 

The reality is that nuke school is hard and demanding.

The material is challenging. The hours are long.

There is little free time.

So, I continue with my crash course

in Letting go 101.

So far, it is hard. We missed our Sailor

so much at Thanksgiving, but this is what 

he signed up for. I get that, but it does not

make me miss him less. 

But~~~There are positives...

#1~ He is doing well in school and seems

well-adjusted to military life.

#2~ Technology saves the day! Hooray for

Skype, FaceTime, Facebook and texting. 

I don't get a lot of communication, but I am

grateful for little every crumb!

#3~ CHRISTMAS!!~ Our Sailor will be home

for 10 days!!! YAY!!!!!! ♥♥♥

When I used to read accounts online about nuke students

not having much time to communicate with home,

I told myself ~"Not my son! He will find time."

Ha! The Navy is a great equalizer...

Yes, my son!... He is busy AND he is doing 

what he has to do. The apron strings are severed. 

He is on this great adventure and I am proud 

of him. My battered heart will heal.

~♥~

bittersweet

A year ago my son was a high school senior

who was talking to a US Navy recruiter.

Today he is a a Sailor with three red stripes

on his sleeve, stationed at

Naval Nuclear Training Command

in Goose Creek, S.C. 

He begins classes later this month, 

the start of a long trek toward becoming

a Machinist Mate-Nuclear Field. 

PIR (boot camp graduation) was amazing.

Our short time with our son was an emotional

roller coaster. I don't like roller coasters.

I thought my first post after PIR would be 

a song of joy, a celebration of pride.

And I feel those things, I assure you,

but in all honesty, I am bereft.

Boot camp had a beginning and an end.

But this, ah this... this is our new reality.

Our son is a Sailor. He chose to serve

and he is gone and he is grown.

He is not in college or at a regular job. 

Nothing or no one comes before 

his commitment to the Navy.

I trust that this new reality will lose some of its

sharp barbs in time, that this ache will ease.

I am grateful for easier communication 

with my Sailor now, happy to know

he is safe and moving toward his goals.

I am trying to concentrate on these things

and thinking of Christmas, hoping 

he has leave.

~♥~

reality check

Early last November there was excitement at my house.

Our middle son, a high school senior, had gotten an impressive

ASVAB  score, one that opened the door to a world

of opportunity for a very bright kid who is a bit of a, shall we say,

non-conformist. This boy loves to work, loves to DO things, figure

out things, fix things. He is impatient with extraneous stuff-

like elective classes. He wants to learn useful things, that pertain

to the job at hand. Nuke school sounds like the place for him.

So last fall, through the winter, even this spring~ his ship date 

of 8/8 seemed distant. It was easy to be excited

and happy about his choice to sign a 6 year contract

with the US Navy. And now, at less that 2 months

until his departure, I am still excited and happy, but ~

 BUT~ reality is whispering in my ear.

I am thinking of how everyday life will be without 

this sweet, funny boy close by. He is my most

attentive child, the one (of 4) that looks out for me. 

He's a mama's boy~ not in a wimpy way, but in 

a sweet, loving way. I always thought he'd marry a sweet gal

and live around the corner. I thought they'd eat dinner with 

us a few times a week and he'd still carry heavy things

for me and kiss me on top of the head when he left.

But, this boy will sail the seven seas. He will learn

and grow and become a fine man and a sailor.

And it begins soon. 

It is what he needs to do and I am excited and happy.

I am. I am. I am.

That's my job. 

~♥~

the choice to serve

Having a child make the decision to serve their country 

can really make a parent think. 

While many people regard the choice to enlist in military service

as a fall back for young people that have few options, 

nothing is further from the truth. Today's Navy is over-manned-

due to downsizing and the current economic climate in our country.

Most recruits (after passing extensive testing) will encounter a long

wait until their field has an opening. 

My son enlisted in November, graduated last month

and departs in August. He qualified for one of the few under-manned 

rates- nuclear field (only about 3% of the Navy). 

It is not easy to enlist and even before recruits leave for 

boot camp they begin learning the Navy way. My son is

in the Navy's Delayed Entry Program (DEP) and attends

meetings and is in regular, close contact with his recruiters. 

He is expected to learn material, practice drills and keep his 

nose clean until his departure. 

Young people who choose to enter military service and 

are able to qualify are privileged to serve and we, 

as US citizens,are also privileged to have them

 looking after us in a dangerous, complex world. 

The next time you hear of a young person making this commitment,

don't assume they had no other options. 

Instead, understand that they are embarking on a noble,

challenging endeavor to benefit not only themselves,

but also the greater good of our nation and the world.

Know that they are among a select group of young men 

and women that qualify and choose to live an uncommon life

of self- sacrifice and courage.

~♥~

Navy for peaceniks...

Who would have thought it? I'm a Navy mom.

I prefer not to discuss politics here, 

but I will confess to a "flower-child" background. 

I even attended a "NO NUKES"

march on Washington, DC way back in the day. 

And what is my son going to be in the Navy?

A NUKE!!!
Ah, gotta' love that!
Nukes work in nuclear propulsion, by the way~
NOT nuclear weapons.

This world requires a military presence. 

We can not pretend that we do not have enemies.

But, if you think all the Navy is about is war
read this about just one of the
 Navy's humanitarian aid missions.

And let me tell you, nobody wants peace

more than a military mom! 

I love my country...
and my son.

~♥~