HE'S HOME!!!!!

Blake got home yesterday morning for 2 weeks leave. His plane arrived and no one recognized him. What a difference! He looks and sounds great and is going to try to see everyone here in the next couple of weeks.

I'm spending the rest of the time today uploading pictures of him. Enjoy!

Week 6 & Leave

If all of the calculations that I've done are correct, and there's really no reason to assume that they are, this should be week 6 for Blake. In just two more days, he'll be flying in from Dallas for a two-week leave, and we'll have lots to post, cause we've got lots of questions and will take plenty of pictures.

We got an email from his commander yesterday just giving us some last minute info on the upcoming leave. It sounds like almost everyone will be gone, and there are a lot of restrictions, but he stressed that they needed to do all they could to stay in shape and practice their runs and the like for the next physical fitness qualification.

Everyone in Blake's unit qualified on the weapon and got the red-dot optics installed. They practiced "live fire buddy rushes" where one covers for the other while he rushes forward and then he covers for the other. Sounds very exciting. And dangerous. I know that Blake was very excited to have the red dot. There's got to be a story there, and we can't wait to hear it.

Well, only two more days and we'll have lots of info.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and thanks for keeping up with Blake's new adventure.

Basic Training: Half Way Through

It's the middle of week 5 now for Blake and he sounds like a completely different person. We haven't gotten a call from him, but the tone in his letters sounds like he's doing great. This Friday, the 14th, will be the last day that he will receive mail before coming home on leave, so we sent him a birthday card and some birthday well wishes.

He still hasn't gotten his glasses, but it didn't seem to be too much of a hindrance on the firing range. He qualified as marksman, and wants to try again as he is sure he can qualify as sharpshooter when they go back. Which just goes to show that a Texas boy, even a blind one, can shoot a rifle better than most.

He wants to see everyone on the short visit home, so we're all going to do whatever we can to see that he gets to do just that.

Here are his travel plans:

• Thursday, December 20th, his plane will arrive about 8:30 in the morning.
• January 3rd, he'll leave to go back and finish his basic training.

He has to be back the afternoon of the 3rd, but if everything goes well, he'll be home again in early February before he heads off to his AIT in Virginia.

We're all looking forward to seeing him and hearing all about what he's been doing in basic training. Only a few more days, and then, we'll know.

More when we know more.

Basic Training: End of Week 4

We got an email from Blake's commander. It's the one he said he would send out at the end of every week to tell us what they had been doing the whole time that week. It was great to finally hear from him. This has been such an ordeal getting the email address right to get on his mailing list.

He said that they would be purchasing their tickets home this Tuesday. Looks like from the letter he sent that we'll see Blake on the 20th. He will fly home that day after a bus ride to either Dallas or Lawton and fly home from there. He also said that they had had a qualification on the range that week. The goal was to create a pattern with their shooting. He has to get so many in the target out of 60 rounds fired. At least I think that's the number fired. Blake didn't have his new glasses, so it's a toss up as to whether he was able to hit the target or not.

Well, another weekend went by and we didn't hear from Blake. I guess he is pretty busy during the week now. As long as we keep getting the positive letters, it's all good.

Well, that's about it for now. We'll post more when we learn more.

Basic Training: Start of White Phase

We got another letter from Blake yesterday. The longest one to date. He's making his plans on coming home and says at this time that he's going to take a bus home because he thinks this will be cheaper. I will check on it myself and let him know the next time I write to him. Seems like he should be able to fly military stand-by and get home without too much additional expense.

He said he's starting the White Phase this week. That's a big step for them, because they will be spending a lot more time in the field training, and hopefully, they'll get a lot more freedom. That's what the website says anyway.

He said that the worst part he's done so far was the gas attack. He said that was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life. I can only imagine. After talking with some of the guys who are getting ready to graduate, he learned from them that the gas attack was the worst part of basic training, so Blake's pretty sure now that he can make it through anything else they can throw at him.

He's still doing well and looks forward to your letters. If you need to get his address, just email me and I'll send it to you. The email address is dustinwindsor@gmail.com.

More when we learn more.

Basic Training: End of the Red Phase

Got another letter from Blake and he's doing really well still. This one was all about Thanksgiving and how they handled it there.

Blake said that they got to "sleep in" till 5:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving. WOW! After breakfast, the day off really began. They got to come back and go back to bed. He got up about 11:00 a.m. and said they had a feast spread out for them.

After their Thanksgiving dinner, they got to watch movies in the barracks. He said that he saw Transformers and Black Hawk Down. He liked the part in BHD when the soldier waves his index finger and says, "THIS is my 'safety'." I know that movie made a big hit with them.

I've had a little trouble giving Blake's commander my email address. We got a letter from him a week or so back that said he would send out emails to everyone telling what the guys were doing that week. It sounded like a great idea to me, but Blake doesn't know our email address, so I've been trying to contact him with that info. So far, very little luck. When I am able to get in touch with him and we get an email, I'll post it up here.

Well, that's pretty much all Blake had to tell us in his letter. I did see one of his friends last night and she asked about him. Everyone is so proud of him. It's hard for me to fit into my hat anymore.

Well, more when we hear more.

Basic Training - End of Week 2

We got a letter from Blake's commander, Capt. Kauffeld, saying that Blake and the others with him should graduate on February 7th. That is, if everything goes as it should. He also said that he sends out an email every week telling what they've done the previous week, so we got on the mailing list.

We also heard from Blake just before Thanksgiving. He said that that week he had done the rappelling tower and the single rope bridge. The only thing that he keeps saying over and over here is how much fun he is having and how well he's doing.

We haven't gotten a call from Blake since he went in to the Basic Training phase. In the letter it says that he has an opportunity to call home at least once a week, but like the warning on the graduation, they can lose this privilege. I think that Blake is doing well, but a full week of being good might be just a little too taxing for the boy. haha

Remember, if you want Blake's address, all you need to do is email me at dustinwindsor@gmail.com and I'll send it right to you. He's getting lots of mail, but there's no such thing as too much mail in basic training. So, keep those cards and letters going out as much as you can. I know he appreciates it.

More when we know more.

Basic Training: End of Week 1

It's November 14th now, and after a week, we finally heard from Blake. We got his new address now, so we can start writing him. If you would like to write him, email me at dustinwindsor@gmail.com and I'll send you the address. He had letters in our envelope for Dusty, Jesser, and Eric that Carol is putting into envelopes and sending out today.

He sounds like he's doing a great job and enjoying it as much as anyone can really enjoy basic training. They've given him a weapon (it's not a "gun", it's a weapon) that he's supposed to have with him at all times unless he's in the mess hall or in the restroom. I wonder if our Army really knows what it's doing in giving Blake a weapon. I can only hope that they don't give him bullets.

He has said that this first week of basic training has been easy. The drill sergeant has told them that it's going to get a lot harder once they get out of the "red" phase, which Blake was kind enough to explain is the first three weeks of the training. I don't know, I looked at the second week at the Victory Tower, and that looks anything but easy to me. Blake will love it. My heart would stop if I had to stand on the edge of that thing.

It was good hearing that he's still excited about being in the Army. It's been a little over 3 weeks now and he sounds like he's doing just great! Keeping below the radar; which is what we've told him to do and seems to be serving him just fine.

Remember, if you want Blake's address to drop him a note, email me and I'll send it to you. Mail is really important in Basic Training.

Till there's more to report...

Reception: Last Day?

Not too much new to report today, but if everything goes according to plan, today should be Blake's last day in the reception phase. He should be going into the basic training phase tomorrow.

Got another letter from Blake yesterday. He said he was sick of the food. D'uh! He said they always served the same thing. Boy, you can tell it's getting old when all I can think to put here is what he said about the food.

He's made several friends there. I hope he gets to keep them through basic training. He's found a lot of guys there that he shares common interests with. The other thing he had to say about the guys in his group is a bunch of them left their footlockers unlocked the other day. He said he had to do 200 pushups before breakfast because so many people in the group had left their footlockers unlocked.

Since he said that so many of the guys there liked his Bible, Carol bought another one and wanted to get one of his friend's name engraved on it. We're going to ask out Sunday School class if they would be interested in buying Bibles for some of the guys in Blake's group. The Bibles run $20 each, plus the cost of the engraving, which I think Carol said was around $8 if anyone wants to give one in their name. If that sounds like a good idea to you, let me know and I'll make the arrangements.

Well, we should have an address for Blake very soon. As soon as I have it, I'll post it here for you guys to send him a letter. He can't have cookies and things like that, but mail is really important in basic training. Those of you who have been through it know I'm telling the truth.

Till next time.

Reception: Day 15

Wow! What a week-end it was. We heard from Blake twice over the weekend.

First of all, everything is on target for him to start the basic training phase of this ordeal this Wednesday. For the past two weeks, he's been locked in the reception phase, and since he's done with his processing and all of that, he's been policing around the fort every day. He's more than ready to get the training portion started.

He called and gave us a lot of news about the fort and his barracks. Seems there are 181 others in the same phase as he is in. They share the barracks upkeep and the fire guard duty nightly. The shifts are an hour. That's one of the things he was worried about. He didn't want to get the 1:00 a.m. till 2:00 a.m. shift on Sunday morning. That one took a little thinking till I realized that that was when the time rolled back an hour. That poor guy would have two hours.

The best news from Blake came when he called Carol on Saturday. He said that a lot of the others were impressed with his Bible that Carol had bought him before he left. It's a Soldier's Bible and she had his name engraved on it. He said that he had been reading it regularly! In fact, in the church service last Sunday that he went to, he opened it up and read through most of the service. He told his mom that that's where he gets his strength. What a great thing to hear from him!

Blake also said that his day was spent memorizing things like the soldier's creed and a couple of other things they wanted him to learn. He's got it all memorized now and is ready if someone asks him to recite it.

The other big news from Blake came in his call on Saturday. He said that the Army had changed basic training to 10 weeks rather than the 9 we had expected. He's not getting out of basic now until the end of January, thanks to this delay in processing, the Christmas time off, and the additional week added on to his training. That pretty much throws that link I posted earlier right out the door, but I'm still going to use it to get a general idea of what he's doing every day. So if you're using it too, this Wednesday is Day 1 of his basic training. He's out of reception and starting the real basic.

That was a lot, but he sounds just great! He's still excited, motivated, and is keeping a positive mental attitude.

Reception: Day 11

We received another letter from Blake yesterday. This one was an update on his financial things. He's got a bank account for direct deposit and is concerned about saving as much money as he can from this experience.

Nothing really new to report on the date he will start basic training. It's still the 7th as far as we know. That's still another week away, but Blake is getting into the swing of things there now, so I'm sure he feels like it's taking forever.

One thing in the letter, Blake sounded a little homesick. He misses his friends and family here, but he's not dwelling on it. At least he says he's not. He still sounds upbeat and eager to move on from here. He also can't wait till the 18th of December to get to come home for Christmas.

Well, more as we learn more.

Reception: Day 10

Halloween! Blake loves holidays, and he was aware that he would be spending Halloween in boot camp, but that was OK.

Who knows what the heck he's doing! But one thing's for sure; whatever it is, he's going to be doing it for another week.

Well, on to the news. Carol and I each got a letter from Blake this week. Most of the info in the letter was the same that we talked about on the phone, but it was good to see something from him in writing.

Just to touch on it, he said that he would get to leave on December 18th to come home for Christmas, but he was expected to pay his own way. He said that he might take the bus since it was cheaper, but we'll talk about it as soon as he gets an address to write to. One thing's for sure, we're going to make sure that he gets to come home, by plane, bus or whatever.

We were concerned that he didn't have a way to access any of his money to make his purchases for stuff that he needs but he said that they gave him a "credit card" with enough money on it to make it through basic training. There's not much that he needs to spend his money for anyway, except phone cards (which is another story altogether).

Blake said that the reception phase was getting old fast. They don't even have them do PT because they don't want anyone to get hurt before basic training starts. They just spend their time policing around the barracks and doing drill practice. The fireguard is the one who wakes everyone up at 4 in the morning, so he hasn't even seen the trash can being thrown down the aisle. You old timers like me will think he's missing out on so much... That's what I thought, too.

Blake was supposed to have gotten his dog tags and eye glasses on Monday. He called the eye glasses, BCGs, for "Birth Control Glasses"... Use your imagination. Apparantly, they're not very stylish.

Well, here's hoping that he can get out of reception and into basic training sooner than expected. I'll keep you all informed of anything new we hear in the meantime.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping track of his progress.

Reception: Day 8

Got a call from Blake last night around 6:30 and he said that he would be in the reception phase until November 7th. He wants to get out of this and get into the real training.

He said that everyone in his group had completed their processing but there was a hold-up of some kind on the basic training end because no one was getting out of the reception at this point until there was room for them.

He's making friends with some of the others in his group and has started to adjust to the biggest changes in his life. He said that Monday through Friday everyone has to get up at 4 a.m. but on the weekends, they can "sleep in" until 6. He said he's never been so glad to sleep till 6 a.m. in his life. Lights out is 8 p.m., and with the short days we are having now, it's already pretty dark by then, so it's not such an odd feeling to be in bed by 8.

We still don't have an address for him yet, and won't for another couple of weeks it appears, but as soon as we do, I'll post it here for anyone who wants to write to him. Letters are important in basic training.

He said that most of the guys in his group are in their 20s. He was a little surprised by this, but came to realize that most of the 18 and 19 year olds had probably already gone in over the summer. There's even one guy, he said, who was 39. I asked him if he was still under their radar and he said that so far it had been pretty easy because some of them are already starting to get in trouble for talking in the ranks. He finally had to tell one guy to stop talking to him, that he wasn't trying to be rude, but he didn't want to get in trouble.

Blake sounds great... so much better than he did here. He said thanks for all the support and well-wishes from you guys. They really mean a lot to him.

Reception: Day 5

Well, Blake's getting well-wishes from all the friends. That's great! I've been trying to keep track of his progress from this site on the Army webpage.

http://www.goarmy.com/life/basic/index.jsp

Don't know just how accurate any of this is now since he said he isn't getting out of the reception phase until next Wednesday or Thursday. According to this page though, the first stage of the physical fitness test was yesterday. Blake was really worried about this. Didn't know if he could manage the mile in 8 1/2 minutes.

Today though, he's supposed to be learning all about barracks upkeep and drill (marching).

I'm just so relieved that he is doing well and is enjoying this. Lord knows, basic training is not a fun-filled walk in the park.

More as we learn more... Till then.

Blake Leaves for Boot Camp

We're going to use this site to keep everyone up to date on Blake's progress through basic training. So check back often; we never know when we'll hear something new, but it'll be put here as soon as we get new info.

Blake left for Army basic combat training at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma on Sunday, October 21. He has chosen to become a Topographic Analyst (21U) and will receive his AIT in Virginia at Ft. Belvoir. The training will last 20 weeks.

Blake stayed in the hotel here in Houston on Sunday night and left for Ft. Sill on Monday. He's going to be in the reception portion of basic training for at least a week before he starts his actual basic training.

On Wednesday night about 6:30 Carol got a call from Blake. The Sgt there gave him five minutes to make his call, and he was concerned that he didn't go over the time. He said that he was doing really well, but wished he could be in the regular training rather than in the processing. He had gotten his uniforms and first haircut and was "blending in" with everyone there. He said that he would be in the processing phase until next next Wednesday or Thursday, a full week more. He also said that he could write to us, but could not receive mail since he wouldn't have an address until he was out of processing and in his basic training group.

Blake said that he had had fire guard the night before but didn't give a lot of details. He also said, and this is the really big part, that since he would be in basic training through Christmas that he and everyone else in basic would get to go home on December 18th and wouldn't have to return to basic training until January 1st. So, it looks like we're going to get to see him in about 7 weeks from now.

I'll post more info as I get it. If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask Blake if he should call again, just post it here or email me. He knows we're all praying for him and wish him well in this.