O.C. Jones

Charlie's training started this week. He sounds worn out again. They did their water survival test yesterday and he received 50/50 possible points. To complete the test, you had to put on all your gear, jump from the high diving board into the pool, and take off all of your gear before reaching the surface (actually, you had to remove your gear or else you would sink). Another portion of the test was to then swim the length of the pool (I am uncertain what that distance is) with their weapons above their heads and out of the water. Charlie said is was exhausting, but he made it! They have also completed a few obstacle courses and some early morning 5 mile runs. Talk about whipping them into shape!

Because all of the candidate's are competing at about the same level of training, this is a whole new ball game. More competitive, a little tougher and absolutely more is expected out of them all.  Last night when we spoke, he was finishing writing his 1st essay. His composition was about choosing the Hard Truth over the Easy Wrong as it pertains to the Army, and more specifically, Officer Training. He will also be expected to write a book report, more essays and some written tests as his training progresses (on top of all the physical training exams). 

He definitely misses his family and friends so much! Right now he is tentatively scheduled to graduate and be commissioned the week of May 14th. At that point, he will probably be about half way through all of his training. I keep telling him to accept any offer for more specialized training so that he wont be deployed! Selfish, I know, but I am so anxious and scared of that day getting here. Maybe by the time his training is complete our new President might have successfully brought all of our troops home and the war will be over. Wishful thinking on my part? More than likely, but I am always searching for that silver lining. 

On a side note: Jackson starts Tee ball in a few weeks. We went to pick out his cleats and gear last night so we are all set! Of course this is another piece of the puzzle Charlie doesn't like to think about missing, but as life goes, we sometimes have to make choices that keep us from home for an extended period of time. Thus, we miss out on some of the fun stuff.....but I keep telling Charlie at least he will be able to see Jackson on TV one day when he makes it to the Majors! haha!! You just never know.......

Hope this finds you all doing well....until next time....everyone be safe and take care of yourselves.

CC&J

BCT Complete!

Charlie has completed Basic Combat Training and has officially been promoted to Sgt. Charles W. Jones. We dropped him off at Fort Benning, GA for O.C.S. (Officer Candidate School) which will not officially begin until Feb 23, 2009.

Kelley (his mother), myself and Jackson had the most enjoyable time on our road trip! I would say we deserve an award for being the champion road warriors!

Charlie was honored at the graduation ceremony for being the Soldier Leader of the cycle. The highest honor a soldier in BCT can recieve. This means he displayed all the qualities and characteristics of a leader and also scored highly on all PT tests and knowledge of the Army insignia, Creed, core values, etc... After the ceremony, the family of the honored soldiers were invited to a private tent where General Dempsey (four star), Brigadier General May, and Command Sergeant Major Stall addressed the soldiers and family members. At this time, Charlie was "coined" by each and had the opportunity to share a little bit about what he plans to do as an Officer of the U.S. Army.

The entire day was fabulous for us all. We were able to spend a great deal of time with Charlie which was a plus!

I am so proud of his success so far, and I just know he will continue to shine throughout his training. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and continue to check back on the blog as I will continue to post updates.

Hope this finds everyone well!

Unitl next time.....

CC&J