Graduation

         My soldier's graduation from BCT at Fort Benning was beyond unforgettable. It was held on Thursday August 22, 2013 at 09:00 at the National Infantry Museum. Fortunately, I also got to see him the night before graduation at the Peachtree Mall in Columbus. The evening was spent just walking around the mall. For those of you Fort Benning MilSOs, let's face it: there isn't really a whole lot to do in Columbus. Now, let's get started on the graduation story.

         The ceremony started off with some excellent performances by the Maneuver Center of Excellence band. Honestly, I've never seen a more talented marching band. When they were finished performing, the ceremonial events really started. There were awe-inspiring demonstrations of the Army's lineage and tactical squads. For those who don't know, the soldiers doing the tactical squad demonstrations came out in "full battle rattle" to demonstrate each aspect of their uniform from Kevlar, to weapon, boots, and everything in between. Then, my heart began to race and chills ran down my spine when the troops made their entrance. Because there were over 400 soldiers graduating, Chris was very hard to spot. He was in the Alpha Company 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment.

         One really fascinating part of the graduation ceremony was the recitation of the Drill Sergeant's Creed, recited by SSG Timothy Varney. He was actually pretty intimidating. Yelling like a true drill sergeant would, not wearing a microphone, he could be heard loud and clear throughout the entire stadium. To say it was powerful would be an understatement.

         After the presentation of awards, remarks by reviewing officer, and everything else, it was finally time to see my soldier again! Though I had seen him just the night before, nothing compared to congratulating him after he had truly earned the title of soldier. Unfortunately, he had to get on a bus for his 94E AIT at Fort Gordon the next day but we still got to spend together one of the most memorable days of our lives.

His Future

               While Chris has been at basic for about the past 6 weeks, I've had time to do a lot of thinking and visualizing. That is, thinking and visualizing about the future. The months we were together before he went to Fort Benning, we had talked about several things concerning our future life together and the future of his military career. One of the big ones we discussed is if he will spend his entire career in the Army National Guard or eventually switch to the active duty Army. Lately, he's been hinting that he'll most likely make the switch to become active duty. To me, it seems as if both lifestyles have their perks and drawbacks.

 

                 With all the talks we've been having about the future of his military career, we've also been discussing our future together. We've been together for a while now and both of us are pretty certain that our future is together. In many of the letters I've received from him, he's said he's proposing to me after AIT and that he wants to get married when he finishes at Georgia Military College. Here's a little background. Chris is currently signed up for 6 years with the National Guard. He plans on using those 6 years and then maybe about 2 yeas after that in the Army reserves to pursue a bachelor's and probably a graduate degree as well. The reason behind this is that you have to have at least a bachelor's degree to become an officer. Chris's dream is to make it to at least a rank of Colonel before he retires. Part of me is very excited to live the "Army wife life" but on the surface, the lifestyle also seems to be a bit overwhelming. Moving from post to post, dealing with deployments, and having to completely readjust with each PCS isn't exactly what every girl dreams of.  However, those of us who date military men know what comes with it if we do eventually marry them.

                  Whatever the future may hold, I know that both of us will be strong. He has my support no matter if he stays in the National Guard or goes active. From what I read recently, there are more NG soldiers getting deployed than active duty ones. No matter what he does, I'll be strong and his support system. We're not just strong, we're Army strong!

My Sharpshooter

Hey y'all!
This week, my soldier in training went to the rifle range with his platoon. He's always been good with guns before the military and this week he qualified as a sharpshooter! A few weeks ago, they were supposed to do the rappel tower but couldn't because of rain. Because of the delay, they finally did the rappel tower this week.
His time in basic training has gone by much faster than I thought it would. I don't think being in a military relationship makes me more special than any other relationship but I have learned some things over the past several weeks. One is to never take time for granted. Every second together is precious! It's also helped me to realize how important friends are. They've been such an encouragement. While Chris was home, it had sometimes felt like I had cast my friends off to the side. While he's been gone, I treasure them more than ever. They're the people I can talk to and spend time with whenever, whether he's home or away. They're my support system. So here's my tip involving that. Don't ever forget about your friends! They love you and want to support you.

Until next time,
stay strong because you're one day closer!

My Introduction

Hello, everyone!
My name's Grace and this is my blog about being an Army girlfriend. I may be an Army girlfriend but I'm here to support MilSOs (military significant others) of every branch! He is currently in basic training  at Fort Benning, set to graduate in just a few weeks. He and I met last summer at my grandmother's funeral last summer but both of us were dating other people at the time. We met in July and started dating in October. I never thought I'd picture myself living the military life but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. This certainly isn't the prince charming lifestyle that every girl dreams of but its worth everything. Just a few minutes together are worth weeks and even months apart. Seeing each other after a long separation is like having your second first kiss.

While he has been at basic training, he's promised to write me a letter for every day. Currently, I have dozens of letters sitting in a box beside my bed and I love every single one of them. Upon graduating from Fort Benning, he will be going to Fort Gordon, Georgia for a 25 week AIT. His MOS is radio signaling. While he is in his training to become a soldier, I will be starting college this fall with the goal of becoming a psychologist.

Our journey together will be far from easy but in the end, it will most definitely be worth it. Until next time MilSOs, stay strong and remember that you're one day closer!