Blake's Army News

Surgery

2010-03-05T10:02:00.003-06:00

Blake is having surgery today for the separated shoulder he suffered in January. It's taken a very long time to get fixed. Too long, actually, but today it's all going to be repaired. He hurt his shoulder while playing in the snow in Kentucky. What Texas boy wouldn't be out in the snow if he had the chance? I think, however, that the excitement of snow has run its course for him, as some of his last comments were "Oh, no, it's snowing again. AAARRRGGHHH!"

His family is just waiting now to hear from him that the operation is over and he's out of the hospital. He expected to be out by 2:00 this afternoon as this whole thing was going to be outpatient care. He will start his physical therapy on Monday, but I don't think he knows too much more than that at this point. The Army, it seems, is not so free with it's information.

Here's a picture of the x-ray that was taken when he went in to the emergency room in January.

They have to take a tendon from somewhere else in his body and reattach the separated part of his shoulder. Then they say that he has to be careful as this could pop loose any time from now on. We'll just be glad to see it fixed for him. He's been in quite a bit of pain for the past month.

Thanks all. More info when we have it.

Prayers and Ft. Knox

2009-11-07T11:55:00.002-06:00

Blake is at Ft. Knox in Kentucky. As much as we dreaded him leaving again with no return date in sight, I can say that I'm thrilled that he left a little over a week ago and arrived safely there. What a shock to learn what had happened on Ft. Hood where Blake has spent the majority of his time in the US. We got dozens of calls and messages from friends wondering if Blake had left yet, and it was so good to say that he had indeed left Ft. Hood before any of that happened.

He loves it in Kentucky. The trees in fall have colors he has never seen on trees in life. He says it's a beautiful base and the people there are very kind and cooperative. The only downside that we've heard so far is he thinks that his deployment rotation may have been moved up a bit, but it's still in the distant future.

We thought when he arrived in Kentucky that he would be working in his field, but it doesn't sound like that's been the case so far. He says that the computers are still in the middle east so he thought they would be pulling details until they arrived stateside. He really can't complain though; he's had it pretty easy so far since he arrived back from his deployment. Go to work at 6:30 and off by 7:30 till the next day. Life in the Army is tough!

More good news is he's been promoted. He's a Specialist 4 now. More rank, more responsibilities, and a little more pay.

Please keep the soldiers and their families in your prayers. Especially the families of the soldiers who were lost at Ft. Hood this past week in the terrorist attack. And yes, it was a terrorist attack.

Well, more info as we learn more.

What's Going On?

2009-09-04T08:52:00.003-05:00

It's been such a long time since the last post that I went back and re-read what I had written. It still seems unreal having him back on USA soil. But with re-reading comes the realization that I have been slacking off again in letting every one else know how he's doing, so here goes nothing.

Blake is still at Ft. Hood and expects to be there until sometime around mid-October. We've been getting together as much as possible over the weekends and just enjoying his company. It's an odd feeling now to just be able to pick up the phone and call him, or actually get a response to a text message. I think he's getting a little anxious to go up to Kentucky though. Several of the others in his division are already there setting up their housing and getting their kids settled in school, and Blake actually said that they would send him up when he got ready to go. He's just been enjoying having family and friends close enough to visit over the weekends.

From the sound of it, it seems that they are having trouble finding things for his group to do, so they get off pretty early in the day. One day Blake said that they all showed up for PT and when it was over, they were all released until the next day. Getting passes is pretty easy, or so he says. More and more, he's grateful he chose what he did as a career field.

One thing I can add is a couple of weeks ago, while he was spending the weekend with us, we had a pipe start leaking in the main bathroom at about 1 in the morning. So, for the second time in our lives, Blake woke us up to tell us there was water on the floor of the house. The first time was in 2001 with Tropical Storm Alica in Houston. Fortunately this time though, there is no carpet in the house. It's all stained concrete, so the cleanup was a lot simpler. One lesson that I learned was the wet concrete in the garage is just as slippery as the wet concrete in the house. I slipped and fell twice trying to get the rugs outside. Everything is ok though, and the house was back in shape in just a couple of hours and I had a knot on my head.

That pretty much says it all. I'll keep this up as long as you keep reading. It's been a lot of fun going back over the past two years.

More when we have more...

Home Again, Home Again

2009-06-23T15:16:00.012-05:00

Here are the promised pictures of Blake's homecoming. We met Dusty in Killeen at the main gate about 5:30 to meet Blake and his group who were supposed to arrive at 6:30. However, the first thing we heard when we got there was they were about 2 hours late. As it turned out, it wasn't a whole two hours, but rather an hour and fifteen minutes late. Blake arrived at the gym at 7:45. We stayed around, met his NCO whom we had heard so much about from Blake, finally found his bags, and took off back to Austin.

Blake wanted to have his first meal home at Outback, so we went to the one on Lamar St. It was late, but we were early enough to get served and enjoy our meal. Blake had only one thing on his mind: steak.

Blake and Dusty both stayed over the weekend, but had to get on the road Sunday afternoon. Blake had a great time visiting with the neighbors, shopping at the San Marcos outlet mall, and visiting our church. It was the very best Father's Day ever for me.

We roared at some of the stories he told us of meeting personalities at the USO shows. He met the cast of The Unit, and had his picture taken with Dennis Hasbert (see below) who also makes the Allstate commercials. When he was shaking hands with Hasbert, he said, "You're in good hands." The picture taken shows Hasbert looking down at Blake. He said, "You're a smart-ass, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir," Blake replied.

When Blake met David Robinson, former center for the San Antonio Spurs, he looked up at him and said, "I thought you would be taller." Robinson, Blake says, cracked up.

Other things Blake told us about the stay were "riding in Blackhawks (helicopters) is cool," and (I know you'll appreciate this BJ), "Chinook pilots are the craziest people in the Army." Apparently, he spent a lot of time in helicopters while he was deployed.

We also heard about the "Great Voice in the Sky" who made announcements immediately preceeding controlled ordinance detonations. Such as, "There will be a controlled detonation in 5 minutes." 5 minutes later, BOOM. No big deal, right? Until you hear, BOOM! Then 2 or 3 minutes later, "The explosion earlier was a controlled detonation." That's just not right!

One other thing we learned was that in early May the entry I made titled "Reality Check" was not the whole story. He was actually on the base that was overrun and took part in the firefight. No wonder he was so shook up when he called. Good grief, I'm glad he didn't tell us all that when it happened. This was all part of our "education" as we learned that while for the most part, it was in a good area, he was by no means as safe as he led us to believe.

Well, here are the pictures:

Dusty found him first, but Mom was right behind. She was overjoyed to see him again. This whole episode in the gym was very touching. 300 men who hadn't seen their families in a year. It was something.

When you can finally get a picture of the two of them stopped long enough for the camera shutter to snap, you usually get a pretty good shot. This one was one of my very favorites. Dusty was a big help over the weekend, and Blake was thrilled to see him again.

30 hours in the air from Kurgystan to Killeen. He said he had left at 9:30 that morning local time and had arrived at 7:45 the same evening. Talk about globe trotting.

Blake says "Good-bye" to friends he had traveled with and prepares to start the task of finding his bags in all of the mess that had been unloaded from the 5 buses that had brought them all to the gym. There were 300 duffel bags, 300 back packs, 300 assault packs, and the only difference in any of them was the name on each. Talk about a mess trying to find your luggage.

Blake finds his laptop bag first and then goes about the task of finding his other bags. It took about 20 minutes to find them all. What a mess. But it was so good to have him home again. Now, he's at Ft. Hood until mid-October when his unit transfers to Ft. Knox in Kentucky. I wonder if he can get assigned duty polishing the gold bars. That would be nice duty.

Back in the USA

2009-06-19T15:16:00.002-05:00

Well I never thought I would be saying this, but Blake is back. He arrives at Ft. Hood at 6:30 this evening for the reception. He's been in transit for 8 days now, but we received a call from the Army this morning around 10:30 giving us the news that he would be at Ft. Hood this evening.

The neighbors here in Buda decorated the street with flags all down the street and a yellow ribbon on every mailbox. It's really spectacular. I'll post pictures of it as well.

Dusty is driving down to meet us in Killeen, and from there on to Ft. Hood.

We're all very excited and can't wait to see him again. We'll be posting pictures on the next update, which, I promise, won't be very far off in the future.

Well, gotta go now to meet our soldier. More info soon.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2009-06-10T09:19:00.003-05:00

Got a recent message from Blake that he would be leaving his deployment this Saturday, the 13th. Of course, one doesn't just simply leave there and come straight home, so the whole trip is slated to take about a week with the last stops being in Germany, then Maine, then back here in Austin.

He's excited, just as you would imagine him to be, of the prospect of coming home. The neighborhood here is planning a big welcome home for him and decorating the houses all up the street with flags and such. Janie is making a banner. We had thought of borrowing the one from the family down the street that said "Welcome Home Daddy" but didn't want to scare Blake too badly.

Blake has said that he has put us on a notification list, but I'm not too sure what that entails just yet. We'll have to see. At any rate, there will be plenty of pictures up here soon, and we'll post something else as soon as we know more. Till then, take care all. He'll be home soon.

Reality Check

2009-05-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

Blake called Friday night very upset. As a conversation starter, this isn't in my top 10 list of favs. "Wanted to talk with you about what happened before you see it on the news." Nope, you never want to hear that as the first words out of someone's mouth.

The base very near where he is was overrun and at least 2 soldiers lost their lives. Both were known to Blake and he was pretty shook up. Blake's group was in a big rush to get a plan together to get the helicopters there to evacuate the wounded, but unfortunately they were too late.

Please keep the families of these soldiers in your prayers.

On a more positive side, Blake thinks he's going to be home sooner than the end of June. Possibly the first of the month if all goes ok.

The Forgotten Soldier

2009-04-30T12:17:00.003-05:00

You would think we had completely forgotten about Blake if all you saw was this website. The fact is we've been in touch with him a couple of times, and it's time to bring everyone up to date on what's going on with our favorite soldier.

Blake is studying to retake his ASVAB test. This is the test that everyone has to take in order to get into the military and your score on it pretty much determines what you are qualified to do when you're in. He's going to retake it in order to get a higher score in one of the areas so when he makes Staff Sergeant, he can apply to become a Warrant Officer. This is just about the best news we've gotten from him since he went in. He's really a completely different person now since he joined the Army, and we love the change. Not that we didn't like him before he went in, but he's a lot more responsible and sure of himself now. We've always told him that there's nothing he can't do, and now he believes it.

This week, we learned that there are over 250 varieties of snakes where he is. Of this number, 52 are poisonous. He did his own Google search to get this information. One wonders what caused this sudden interest in snakes, but we also learned that a cobra was found in a latrine there. Now if that doesn't cause you to lose bladder control, I don't know what would. He was quick to assure us that it wasn't him who found the snake, but Blake has NEVER liked snakes, and this is just one more reason he's counting the days until he can finally come home.

We still hear from him rarely, but it's always a great surprise when we do. He's keeping up with his exercise regimen and can now count two bumps in his quest for a "six pack" stomach. I reminded him that it was a different sort of six pack that would wipe out all that work, and he was adamant that after all the work he had put in to doing this, the last thing he was going to do was ruin it.

We're all looking forward to the end of June when we can see him again. The plan is not to fly into Dallas as we had expected, but rather to fly from Maine straight to Ft. Hood for the final stop. I'm guessing someone will let it slip where he will actually land in Texas and we'll pass on the info. No way we're not going to greet him when he gets off that plane.

Take care all and keep him in your prayers. More news when we know more.

Purple Heart

2009-03-20T17:06:00.002-05:00

Well, it's spring break here in the states, but I don't think anyone's taking a week off where Blake is. We got a couple of calls from him this past week and the best news of all is he's back to his own base. That's really good because his base is very safe and secure, while there are others out there that are a lot more dangerous. We learned that he had not been in quite as safe a location as he led us to believe. He came back with quite a few stories that were a little more than unnerving.

One thing he told us about was one evening while he was sleeping, a suicide Taliban wasp broke through the perimeter and stung him on the face. This, he said, woke him up right away and while he was dancing around the barracks screaming and waking up everyone else there, his sergeant called out asking what was wrong. When Blake told him, the NCO told him that he might get a purple heart for the injury. Blake was not impressed with the idea, thinking that getting a purple heart was a jinx and he wanted no part of it. We asked him to get someone to take a picture of his face and send it to us. So far, no picture. I'm not holding my breath.

The really good news is he's gotten his orders to return. He said they're for the end of June, so he should be back and able to visit with everyone by the first part of July, which will be just in time for Dusty's birthday. There's a couple of weeks of debriefing to get them acclimated to being back in the US, but once that's over, he can take a nice long leave. He has some business to take care of in Houston, but once that's over, we're hoping he can spend a lot of time here and in Dallas with Dusty.

The bad news in all of this, if it's bad news, is his unit is scheduled to return sometime around November, 2010. He's talking about reenlisting, which will put him there when he does. This, he believes will be an advantage if he gets a reenlistment bonus. Smart boy, especially considering how hard it is to get work in the US now. He may be the only one of us safe when the depression hits us.

Well, more news when we know more. Till then, take care and keep him and the other members of the military in your prayers. They need it now more than ever.

All the News That Is News

2009-03-02T10:48:00.002-06:00

The news of the day is there's not much news. Now before you drift off to another site in disgust, let me explain. Blake has been moved to somewhere else and can't get on the internet, which means he hasn't been keeping his MySpace page current, which is where I get most of the info on him. I sent him a text message last week saying that we were getting a little concerned since we hadn't heard from him and he called later that same day.

He's been moved from his home base to another location that needed replacement personnel in his career specialty for about a month. He's been there now for 2 or 3 weeks and said that he would be there until sometime in the middle of March. I asked him how safe this base was and he said they got a little more shelling there than where he was before, but nothing serious. "We're being shelled but it's not serious," sounds like an oxymoron to me, but he was perfectly comfortable with the idea. We'll just be glad to see him get back to his home base. Or home period for that matter.

He gave us a little info on what it's going to be like when he comes home. He said he would get a few days off right away, but didn't know if he would be able to leave the base or not. Then he will have to go through about 3 weeks of debriefing to get them all acclimated to being back in the U.S. From that point, he said that he will get a 30 day leave. He's not sure that he has to take it all then as he would like to split it up over the holidays later this year. In his mind, he would like to take the month of July off, mostly to celebrate Dusty's birthday with him.

He's almost 100% sure that he will be leaving for Kentucky once he returns to duty in the U.S. His unit is moving from Ft. Hood to Ft. Knox, and while he could change units and stay in Texas, he doesn't want to be in a position of being deployed with a new unit sooner than he would normally have to be.

He's even talking of re-enlisting since the job market is so bad here. We've talked about it and decided that that would probably be the smartest thing for him to do. He also wants to be stationed in Europe, and reenlisting would be the only way to make that happen. Or so it seems now.

He's worked with several civilians who do his job over there and has been excited with the possibility of doing this when he gets out. He says there's a lot of money to be made if you're willing to be deployed, and so far, he hasn't had a problem with that.

Also, he'll be up for promotion soon. That's something else he said when he called. Don't know when, but he thinks it will be before he comes back home. That would be nice. He can't wait to come back home and see his friends and family again.

Well, I guess there was more than I thought to report when I first started. Till there's more, just keep him in your prayers.

Later.

Playing Catch-Up

2009-01-08T09:57:00.004-06:00

It's been quite a while since the last post. It was good having Blake home, but he's back now, of course. He got there on Christmas Eve and when he got there, there were 8 boxes of "stuff" waiting for him. He dressed up like Santa and proceeded to distribute the stuff to all of the people in his unit. It was a great day for everyone, especially Blake, who always loves to be the center of attention.

Here's a couple of pictures from the event:

We heard from Blake a couple of days ago and he says he's spending a lot of time in the gym now. There's a Sgt that has promised him that he would have a "6 pack" by the time he gets home, and he seems a lot more dedicated to making sure this happens than Blake is. A "6 pack" I've learned is a very muscular abdomen. My own abdomen is not nearly as muscular BECAUSE of the 6 packs, but that's a story for another blog.

He says that many of the members of his unit will start rotating back to the U.S. in May, and of course, he hopes to be one of those lucky first few, but the rest will come back in June and a few in July. He's fairly confident it will be May or June that he will finally come back, but isn't saying anything for certain until he gets his orders. Wise man.

He wanted me to tell everyone Hi and thanks for all the thoughts and prayers you've been sending his way. He is doing very well, and time is going by quickly now with his schedule of work, sleep, eat and do it all again 7 days a week.

Take care and I promise it won't be so long till the next post, so keep checking back.

Happy Birthday to You

2008-12-16T08:31:00.002-06:00

Today is Blake's birthday and he just boarded a plane for the first leg of his journey back to finish his deployment. This is going to be a long trip, and he probably won't get back to his unit before the middle of next week at the earliest since they spend so much time waiting for flights back and forth.

While he was here, he got to visit most of his friends in Houston and got to spend some time here in Austin with us. He went to church with us Sunday morning and got to meet everyone there first hand. He is taking back cards and Bibles for people in his unit that the church gave him. He's left his address with everyone he could think of with instructions on what to send. The only real disappointment that he had the whole time was in not getting to see his brother. I really wish we could have made that work out.

He was very impressed by our new neighbors after spending time in Kathy's Garage, the local hang-out where adult beverages are consumed and the problems of the world are quickly resolved. He got to see Carl's paintings and railroad setup, a most impressive display. And, he bought himself a Playstation 3 and a couple of games and left it at our house till he comes back. Mwa ha ha ha ha...

Guess he's going to learn first hand what it's like to have to travel on his birthday, something that Dusty became an expert at. We'll miss him, but he'll be home again soon. Please keep him and the others with him in your prayers.

More when we know more...

Able to Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound...

2008-12-03T12:57:00.002-06:00

Got an update from Blake when he called this morning. He's having a blast in Houston with his friends, but he called saying he was having a problem with his ipod. It wasn't playing the audio over it now. He was afraid it had a virus from one of the computers he had charged it to, but I didn't know. He's going to take it to the Apple Store in Houston and have one of them take a look at it.

While he was on the phone, he told me that just before he left for R&R, he had taken another PT test and had spectacular results this time. He was afraid that he would have trouble passing because of the altitude, so he went all out on everything. His score was 370, which didn't mean too much to me until I learned that 300 was a perfect score. Apparently, if you score higher on the repetitions or time, you can get points added to your score. He ran 2 miles in 11:30, did 115 sit-ups in 2 minutes, and 90 push-ups in 2 minutes. This placed him at the #1 spot for his brigade for this test, so he got a patch to wear on his PT uniform and the recognition of his sergeants. He said that the PT test is something that is looked at very seriously for promotion, and he wants to make Specialist before he comes home from the deployment this summer.

Tomorrow morning, he's going to take a friend of his who wants to join the Army out for a hard day of training. From what he said on the phone, it's going to be quite an exhausting day. This is one of his best friends who once said that Blake was an inspiration to him because he had gotten his life in order with the Army.

Sounds like fun, but glad I'm not doing it. More later.

...When Your Phone Rings at 3:00 a.m.

2008-12-01T09:10:00.004-06:00

Blake made it home last night, and like any typical 24 year old, he headed for his friends' house. We're expecting him here in about a week to a week and a half. Till then, he'll be in Houston with friends. He missed seeing his friends before he left because of the hurricane, so he's taking a little longer there now to do the meet and greet thing.

It was a long trip home. He left last Wednesday evening and arrived Sunday evening after stops to Kuwait and Germany along the way. He says that he's gotten his packages that everyone sent to him and was very grateful for the treats and miscellaneous stuff that makes life a little easier over there. The one thing he mentioned was the mayonnaise packets that were in one of the packages. Who would have thought, but thankfully, someone did.

Of course, last night, his first night home, the phone rang in the middle of the night. We were terrified because that's just the way things have been when Blake's been home. It was an alarm company trying to reach someone who apparently had our phone number before we did. It was a relief, as you can imagine, but I held them on the line longer than a typical wrong number call, just to make sure. You really never know what to expect with Blake. ;-)

Well, I'm sure there will be more news over the next few days, so when I learn more, I'll drop a line up here.

The Iceman Cometh...And Goeth

2008-11-18T07:41:00.002-06:00

First of all, communication has been sparse at best. With his schedule, he's not on his MySpace account as much as we wish, and when he is, we get short updates, which is the real reason we haven't been updating this much this month. But we have news today.

Blake will be taking a 15 day leave starting November 28th. We don't know if that's when he will be back in country or when he will leave where he is now. I said communication has been sparse. He plans on spending some time in Houston with his friends, some time in Dallas with his brother, and spending a little time at home with us.

This completely caught all of us by surprise. No one expected him to be coming back before March or April, which would be about half-way through his deployment. For him to be able to come home now is a shocker, but we'll take it.

One thing Blake has said about how it's going for him there is that he's fallen into a routine. He sleeps most of the morning and is still working from 5 p.m. till 1 a.m. Then he does his MySpace stuff or watches a movie until he gets up the next afternoon and starts it all over again. He said he was really upset because he missed seeing Chuck, "the Iceman", Liddell there. I had to google the name, but this was a big name in the UFC world.

Well, as soon as we learn more about the upcoming leave and his schedule while he's here, I'll post it. Till then, take care.

Halloween

2008-10-31T09:47:00.003-05:00

I think that today is an appropriate day to write an update on Blake since Halloween is his favorite holiday. It's been a month now since he was deployed and from the sound of things, he's getting settled in there. He really misses everyone at home, and it seems like such a long time before he will get to come home, but he's trying to keep his mood up and his attitude positive. Tough in these conditions, but he's trying.

The Army has found his best shift for work. Being the night owl that he has always been, he works from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., 7 days a week. He tries then to get on to MySpace and catch up with some of his friends and answer a message or two before he goes to bed. He's discovered the tv show, Weeds, and is enjoying that at the moment.

His first package went out recently. He wanted a pillow and some sheets, so we sent that over with some of the paperwork he had requested. We're getting ready to ship over another box soon with some movies, books and snacks that he likes.

We haven't gotten any pictures from him because his camera broke on the way over. Neither of the cell phones that he took work where he is, either, so that's why he hasn't been using them to call or text anyone. He does receive text messages; he just can't send them out, so if you're texting him, keep it up.

I know if he were at home, he would be enjoying Halloween tonight with his friends. If you're writing to him, please keep it up. If you're not writing yet, please consider it as he is really homesick right now. He's going to be fine, though.

More info when I have it.

Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America and All the Ships at Sea

2008-10-11T16:02:00.004-05:00

We just learned Blake's address while he's deployed. Email me if you would like to have it.

dustinwindsor[delete_this_part]@gmail.com

Picture This

2008-10-09T08:33:00.027-05:00

No news from Blake in the past 2 weeks really. He's in country waiting to be taken to his duty station from the processing station. The real purpose of this entry is to put the pictures online that we took at Ft. Hood waiting for him to board the buses and leave. So, without any further ado, here we go:

Blake has to check the size of his bag before he can get on the plane. If it doesn't fit in this small box, he has to take stuff out and leave it there. Not very many bags didn't fit. Blake had room left over to carry someone else's stuff for them. Just a portable dvd player and his iPod to get him through the long flight.

We found someone who was more than willing to take a picture of us all. Carol did most of the camera work on all of the other pictures here.

There were several family members in the gym as well as the soldiers. The family in the background was with a young mother who was also being deployed.

This one broke my heart. I don't know the soldier, but the young boy was not about to let go - not even for a minute. His younger brother is standing there also, but it was the older boy that caught my attention. Dad just let him stand there throughout most of the formation until Mom came over and walked him back to the bleachers. There were tears in the boy's eyes, but there were also tears in the eyes of everyone who witnessed it.

The mood of the day was anxious and concerned, but for Blake there was also the knowledge that he was finally going to be able to do the job he had spent this last year training for. He has kept a positive attitude through some of the hardest periods of his life, and for him, it's finally going to pay off.

Show us your "mean" face. I thought these two pictures should be shown together. The one on top is Blake at about 11 when he visited the WWF wrestler The Undertaker at his parents' home in Houston. I thought it compared well with the one on the bottom, taken 13 years later. Some things never, ever change.

Finally, it was time to file out and board the buses for the first leg of the long trip. Everyone was there to shake their hands as they stepped out the doors, from the Commander and First Sergeant to the civilian groups who show up at all of these things for support. And it was time for us to get back in the car and head back to Houston. A short trip, but well worth it.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2008-09-29T08:54:00.004-05:00

Blake is gone now. He flew out Saturday night. I got a text message from him early Sunday morning that he was in Germany, but that's been the last I've heard to this point. He had always hoped that he would get to spend a little time there, but when he messaged me, he said they would be leaving out in a few hours. Blake finally made it to Germany.

We got a call from him about 2:30 on Saturday afternoon that he would be in a gym on Ft. Hood around 5:00 and that if we wanted to see him, we should get up there as soon as possible. We jumped in the car and drove like maniacs to get there. When we were about 4 streets from the gym, he called again to say that the busses had just pulled up and he thought they would be loading right away. As soon as we got there though, he was in a line of soldiers putting their backpacks in a box to see if it was small enough to be carried on the plane.

The gym wasn't full, but there were a lot of soldiers going over with him. It was all kind of sad. Young families saying good-bye for who knows how long. For some it was their third deployment; for others, like Blake, it was their first. The mood was hopeful though as they all knew that it would not be a full deployment and they would be back with their families in just a few months. I was particularly touched by a young family and two small boys who stood next to their dad while he was in formation to file out to get on the busses. The older boy seemed to know what was going on and wouldn't let go of dad. Mom had to come over and pull him off. No screaming though, just a lot of red eyes and some tears.

I was taken aback at the courage of these men and women who were leaving. To the last, they were all enjoying the time with their families, but not a single one was slow in filing in when it was time to board the busses. I had to remind myself that a few years ago, many of these were in high school watching impatiently while the world revolved around them, and now look at them!

I was also reminded of how much things have changed for the soldier since Vietnam. In all the times we look at our country and see how far we've fallen, this is one area we've matured and finally gotten it right. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are heroes, and they deserve to be treated as such. Finally, we're giving them the respect and treatment they deserve.

God bless America, and God bless our men and women wearing the uniform of this country!

Boss, da Plane...da Plane...

2008-09-26T08:29:00.003-05:00

We're waiting on a plane. That's the newest word on the deployment. We had all thought that Thursday would be Blake's last day in country, but his flight has been pushed back to the weekend, so I got to visit him and go out for a big supper with him and some of his friends in the same career field last night. Blake ate like Dad was paying for it, but it was no time for beans and franks. It was a very entertaining and delicious night as I met some great young men and women who have known Blake for these past few months.

Blake's grandfather Harvey passed away last Monday. Blake got to be there to see him before he lost consciousness and slipped away. It was a very peaceful passing, but Blake received a Bible that was his grandfathers while he was in the Army. It is a pocket Bible that the soldiers kept that "would save your life". That might be a true statement as it has a metal plate in the cover that we are told would stop a bullet. What a neat piece of history to have passed down to the newest soldier in the family.

We're a little fuzzy at this point on how we will get our first communication from him once he's there, but as soon as we have an address, I'll post the info and you can email me for it. We know that some of the cell phones will work there, but you have to take out a loan to make a 5 minute call. The text messaging is a little cheaper, so that might be the way we go for awhile, but even that can add up quickly. I'm sure there are other ways we can stay in touch, including Blake's MySpace page, which he maintains religiously. We're not going to lose touch completely, that's for sure.

Well, I suppose the next update might be that he's landed in country, but we'll see. More news as I learn more.

Later.

Hurry Up and Wait

2008-09-11T11:53:00.003-05:00

Blake will be deploying sometime around the 25th of this month. He will first fly into Germany and stay there for about 4 days. From there, he will fly on into his destination.

He's been coming home every weekend since he got to Ft. Hood to spend some time with his friends and family before he has to leave them for a year.

The good news to all of this is he will only have to spend about 9 months over there, since his unit got there in June. He's pretty excited about going, but he's upset that he won't get to see his friends for so long.

He's been doing a lot of training on the customs and procedures for living there. We sure wouldn't want to offend anyone.

Sorry this one is so short. We're all just pretty much spinning our wheels right now, so there's not too much to pass on.

More info forthcoming...

To Infinity...And Beyond

2008-08-20T11:38:00.005-05:00

Well, Blake has been at Ft. Hood for a week now and has already been told he'll be leaving soon. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

Blake started his processing and was informed that he would not be assigned to the 1st Cavalry as he had thought. He was, instead, going to be attached to the 1st Infantry. Otherwise known as the "Big Red 1". The Army has a "thing" for the obvious, as shown below.Next, he learned that this unit was already deployed and he would be joining them in 2 or 3 weeks. And all the time, he was counting on leaving his coats behind and living in sand. Not anymore. Actually, he's pretty excited at the prospect. Especially since he's in a non-combative career field.

One thing Blake was asked a lot at his party was "what is it you do exactly?" I thought his response was a good one. He has a certificate that says he's a Geospace Engineer, but I overheard him telling one of the guests that he's like a travel agent for the Army. He tells them what they're going to find when they get to where they want to go. The simple explanation is usually the best explanation.

The really good news out of all this is he will be home again soon. They give him 7 days free leave before he has to travel, and I know he will want to get in touch with everyone again. The not so good news is he will not be able to help us move. Darned kid. He'd do anything to get out of helping move.

On the lighter side, at Ft. Hood, Blake doesn't have a roommate, and he hasn't bought an alarm clock yet. So, I got a call from him Monday night asking if I would call him at 5:30 a.m. to wake him up. I'm already up and getting ready then, so I told him I would give him a call. "However," I asked him, "don't you think that one of the sergeants there would be willing to give you a wake-up call instead?" After what sounded like a grunt, but might have been a harsh explitive, he said, "Oh, yeah, I'm sure they would."

Well, that's about all that's newsworthy. Thanks for reading this and for your support. Blake really appreciates it, and so do we.

More news when we have it...

Ft. Hood

2008-08-14T09:29:00.005-05:00

We arrived at Ft. Hood on the 13th as planned after an unexpected tour of the hill country. There's a reason cars only have one steering wheel. I just wish I could remember what it was. This place is a monster, and Blake got a first hand opportunity to see what the Army was like when you're not in training. We got directions from a very nice sergeant who had only been there for three days herself. When we arrived, cars were zipping off base being driven by uniformed men and women. It's a job, Blake reminded himself. When you get out of training, it's just like a regular 9-5 job for most people.

We found the building for in-processing and were directed to another building to check into his temporary housing. Once he finishes his processing, he'll be assigned to a unit and housed with them. He said the rooms held four people, but so far, there was only one other person in his room.

When we left the post around 7:30 and started back home, he seemed a little nervous, but excited to get started. From the picture above, it looks as though he's going to be just fine.

Thanks to everyone who came to the party and sent well-wishes and prayers. He had a great time at home and hopefully got to spend a little time with everyone. Keep the prayers going his way; he has a long road ahead.

We Party Like Rock Stars

2008-08-10T17:23:00.021-05:00

Blake flew in on Friday, August 1st. We were there to meet him, and surprise of all surprises, the plane was late. This time it was over an hour late, so we waited in the lounge near the gate. When we thought it was time to meet the plane, we went out to the gate and waited there. We didn't have long to wait before this guy showed up.

Question: How do you get a soldier to a Chucky Cheese type of establishment and expect him to have a good time. Followup question: How do you get a bunch of adults to have a good time at the same place at the same time? Well, we had a great party at IT'Z on HWY 249 Saturday night. Friends and family gathered to welcome the returning warrior back to Houston. Everyone had a great time, as the pictures show.

We were surprised to see his brother, Dusty, who was able to make it in from Dallas. We had thought he would have to work the day of the party, but we were lucky as he was able to get off and make the drive down.

Some of Blake's friends join us at the party. Here's a pic of the whole gang. It was great seeing them here for the event.

Long time friends Bill and Kathy were able to come. Kathy was snapping away with her camera, so we're hoping that there will be more pictures soon. Most of the adults there had known Blake since he was a little kid and would have thought that this place was the greatest place in the world to have a party.

Kayla was able to come, too. She met Blake when he was about 5 when we worked together at Patrick Henry Middle School together. She's still teaching now, and thankfully is not taking the advice of well-meaning friends who tell her about great jobs in other schools and then leave. Hmmm...

Then, there was this guy who walked into my 5th grade class. He looked so sad, I just had to offer him the seat behind me. We've been best buds since. Dale, a recent retiree from one of the biggest oil-glutting companies in the world. But don't get him started. He's brilliant, so he'll not only tell you how wrong you are, but have you thanking him for pointing out how foolish you were in the first place. We're hoping that his next "graduation" party is not as eventful as the first. Worchestershire? No thanks, I've had enough...

Dale's better half, Dara, collaborates with Bill's better half and discover that they went to the same middle school. Small world, or global conspiracy to keep track on the three of us... I'm not telling.

Jen and Susan come in from Katy to wish Blake well as he starts his career in the Army. That adorable brunette is Elizabeth, one of Jen's twins.

These two stole the show as the last picture shows. Catherine, a cute blonde, spent the night sitting on my lap, and no one was jealous. I'm shocked! She was a heart-stealer. I could have stayed like this the rest of the night, but after a long and brutal fight, Jen pulled them away from me.

And so the party ended. Blake will be reporting to his duty station at Ft. Hood on Wednesday. We're going to be driving him up, and from there, who knows? It was good to see everyone though, and even though I don't have a good picture of Susan to put up, that will be coming up soon.

He Did It!

2008-07-23T09:55:00.003-05:00

Blake graduated this morning from his training to become a topographic analyst in the Army. I think he's happier about this graduation than he was when he graduated from high school.

He leaves tomorrow around 1 p.m. for Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri for about a week of advanced combat training. He says he should leave there about the first of August and he doesn't have to report to Ft. Hood until August 13th. So, that means he will have about 10-12 days to come home and visit his friends.

Blake wants to have the get-together closer into town so everyone doesn't have to drive so far, so we've found a nice park with some bbq pits that we will be scouting out over the weekend to see if it's acceptable. I'll get more into out to everyone on that, but reserve the 9th on your calendars.

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. They've been a big help to Blake and to us as well. It's been an eventful ride, and I don't think this roller coaster is ready to come to a stop just yet, so keep him in mind.

Countdown

2008-07-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

Blake has less than a week left in training. He graduates next Wednesday, and from there, they're sending him to Missouri for more combat training. He'll only be there a week though and then he'll be on to his duty station at Ft. Hood. We're hoping that he gets a leave, but right now, that's pretty much up in the air. He said that even if he doesn't, he's going to use his first weekend pass to come home and see everyone. So the BBQ is still on. We can't wait, and neither can he.

He's being assigned to the 1st Cavalry unit at Ft. Hood. He's very excited about that because of the history of the unit, but it also means he's in a rotation for deployment sometime after the first of the year. We weren't thrilled to hear about that, but he's excited and anxious to start doing the job that they've trained him for.

I've told Blake that he's in charge of getting in touch with his friends, since I'm not sure many of them are checking this. But he's really looking forward to getting back to Texas, although I don't understand why he's so anxious to get back to the 100+ degree heat we've been having.

I've gotten answers back from several of you about the party, and I've passed the info on to Blake. He really wants to see you all. I hope you can be there. If not, we'll make sure you see plenty of pictures.

On a personal note, Blake really sounds good. He's got a purpose and a good career that will allow him to use his head for a change. He sounds confident, sure of himself, and ready for the next challenge. Or, as Blake would say, "Hooah!"

Hope to see you all soon.

Nearing the End

2008-07-01T08:33:00.003-05:00

Got a call from Blake last night and he's entering the last part of his training there. So far, he says he's been very successful with what he's trying to learn and is still loving it. Since he's graduating at the end of July, he'll be home within the next few weeks. I know he will want to see you all when he does finally make it home. He's so grateful for the prayers you've sent for him in this training. He's said again and again that he couldn't have done it at all if it hadn't been for your prayers and concerns.

It doesn't look like we're going to be able to go up and visit him before he finishes his training, but he'll be home soon. It's a little disappointing, but we'll get to see Washington someday. We're just not able to get away for a week right now.

Blake has asked for a big BBQ when he comes home. I told him that would be no problem. I'll reserve the pavillion here in April Sound for the night and I hope you can make it up to the lake for adult beverages and burnt cow flesh. Yummo!

Not much more to report. The news is getting sparce now, but we'll all be sitting around and talking with him soon. Hope to see you then.

Till later...

Big Day Today

2008-06-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

What a fantastic day today was!

I just heard from Blake and he's passed this test, which makes him MOSQ, or qualified to perform his MOS. He's still got another few weeks to go before graduation, but this was a big turning point in his training as he is fully qualified now.

Today was also the last PT test for training and he passed. No great surprise there as he's in the best shape of his life right now. He's weighing 180, which is about a 20 lb. drop from the pictures on the webpage.

Yesterday was the graduation day for the class that immediately preceeded him, so he's in the senior class now. This, I found out, is the class that's next in line for graduation. He's also very disappointed that he was not in that class, but since he's in line now, I'm sure he'll be satisfied. He's very excited at the prospect of coming to Ft. Hood and being close to everyone again.

Well, that's about all there is to report now. So we'll post more when we know more.

Almost Over

2008-06-12T09:23:00.003-05:00

Blake has a few weeks left of training and he's more than ready to move on. Training is still going well. He's not finished with the this phase yet, but as of next week, that hurdle should also be past him. When he messaged us this week, he said that next week he would be MOSQ (fully qualified to perform in his MOS), he would take his last PT test, and would be the senior class. I had to ask what "senior class" was, and he says that his class will be in line as the next graduating class. Sounds like everything is still going very well to this point.

Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this from the start last October. It's been a big lift for him to hear everything that you've been saying and the encouragement you've given. He's very excited with the prospect of moving on from this phase on to his permanent duty station in the coming weeks. With the 10 days leave he has coming right out of training, he's planning on catching a flight to Hawaii to visit some of the men he trained with in Virginia. He's getting such fabulous opportunities. This is all very exciting.

We're coming up on another big test though. He can't tell us anything about the test, but Blake's pretty confident of his skills in this area. He still says he needs your prayers though, so keep them coming. He sounds just great and so positive and up beat. This has been a great thing for him, and he knows it.

Take care and we'll post more when we know more.

On to the Next Phase

2008-05-22T16:39:00.001-05:00

Blake passed his test. He's having a blast with this training now as it's not as much lecture and facts as it is practice doing what he's going to be doing while he's in the Army. Now, he's started the next phase now, and is excited at what he will be learning.

Don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but he finally got his glasses. What is it? Almost 7 months. It wasn't until he got to Virginia that they finally gave them to him, and that was after a whole new series of eye tests and everything else. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Blake, always thinking, has advised us to come up before the graduation because he'll have more time to visit with us if we don't wait till the actual graduation. Seems he would get the whole weekend off if we came up early, whereas he would only get a few hours the day before graduation if we waited to come up then. We'll have to take a look at everything and see how we can do it, but it sounds fine with us at this point.

Well, there's not much else. The passing grade on the last test was the big news. Now, he says once he passes this test, he'll be certified as trained, so a lot of the pressure will be off him. That'll be great!

Thanks for keeping up with all of this. I know Blake appreciates it, and we do, too.

Till later...

Test Tomorrow

2008-05-14T14:41:00.001-05:00

Blake has been locked up in this phase for some time, but the end is in sight. He takes his test in this group tomorrow. This isn't the same Blake who left here 6 months ago. As soon as we hear how he did on the test, we'll let you know. Keep Blake in your prayers this week.

He got a day pass last weekend, but didn't go into D.C. He really wants to move on to his duty station, which is going to be Ft. Hood unless something changes. He said that he just hung around town for awhile and then came back to the post.

Well, the glasses problem continues. It seems that he still doesn't have glasses. They have told him that he needs special glasses because of a problem with his eyesight, and it's taking a very long time to make them for him. The alternative is he can have surgery and get the problem fixed. That's what he wants to do as soon as he's finished with the training.

His graduation date is tentatively set for the end of July. Then he makes another stop for all the processing and then on to his duty station.

Well, we've talked with him quite a bit, but most of it has been encouragement for him to just do his best, which he really seems to be doing. This is something that Blake is enjoying and he's always put his full effort into things he loves.

More when we learn more. Till then...

Half Way There

2008-05-06T11:40:00.001-05:00

This week is a milestone for Blake. He's half way through his training in Virginia and half way through this particular phase. So far, all is going just great! He's doing well on his tests and staying out of trouble. However, that being said, why is it that just when things are going so well, he goes and gets himself a weekend pass? The last one was very expensive and the one this past weekend, while not as costly as the first, was still scary in its own right. The most recent pass was for his group's great performance in the obstacle course, and it was a "full" weekend pass, which meant that he could leave after school on Friday and wasn't due back until formation on Sunday night.

More good news from Virginia. Blake got promoted to private second class (PV2). The promotion took effect on the 22nd of April, so now we have to address Blake as "Private Windsor". Oops, that what we've been addressing him as all along. Oh, well, that's the Army. The best part is it comes with a pay increase. ;-)

Blake also got his preliminary duty assignment last week. He's scheduled to go to Ft. Hood in Texas when he gets out of training, but he says that's not all set in stone. He's not disappointed with the assignment as he'll be about 5 hours from home even though he was hoping to go somewhere a little more exciting than back to Texas.

Every day brings him closer to the end of his training, and that's what he wants now most of all. It's been a long 2 1/2 months up there, and even though he loves Virginia, he misses his friends and family. This assignment will allow him to see everyone he loves a little more regularly than he had expected.

Well, that's about all that's new from Ft. Belvoir. We'll put more online as we learn more.

Till next time.

It Gets Harder

2008-04-23T09:32:00.001-05:00

The title makes it sound really dismal, but this is the Army, and nothing is as it seems. He is in a "make or break" phase of Blake's training at this point. When he text messaged me that he had entered this phase Monday morning, he was very excited. By the end of the day, he was saying that this was great because it was really interesting. We're all sending our support for him through this. Even the pups know the sound of the text message beep and look up when he has something to say.

Yesterday was Blake's 6 month anniversary in the Army. He should be getting his rank soon, but he said that they would pay him retroactively to that point when he finally does. He's not really excited about going through the ceremony that they always do when someone gets a promotion, but it shows that he's put in a lot of hard work and is deserving of what he's getting. We're proud of him.

He got to spend the weekend in D.C. last weekend. Because everyone did a roadside cleanup campaign, they were all given weekend passes and Blake got to spend the first night off base since Christmas leave. He said he was going to do all the things that his friends had told him about such as eating at Chili's, going to the mall, maybe a movie... Wait a minute. That doesn't sound any different than if he were at home. At least he was taking his camera to take some pictures. We will be seeing those pictures soon.

Lot of stuff has happened. Blake's been on post for almost 3 months now. He misses us all and would love to hear from you. If you email me, I'll send you his mailing address so you can keep in touch.

More news when we know more ourselves.

4 Weeks Into Training

2008-04-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

Well, we're at the 4 week mark in Blake's training. He's enjoying the training, but he's also looking forward to graduating and getting to his first duty station. He heard from a friend of his, Williamson, who is finished with his AIT and on his duty station. Blake wants that, too, but there's still several weeks ahead for him.

Blake had two wisdom teeth and a molar pulled a week ago last Thursday, and he's still in pain from the whole episode. He was on 72 hours bed rest, but he used the time during the night to take as many shifts as he could as fire guard. That gave him a little pocket change to use during the week. Last Friday, he saw an eye doctor to get some glasses--FINALLY! Hopefully, he'll get a pair now. He never did get his glasses in basic training.

We'll have more to report as we learn more. Right now, it's class every day. Sometimes exciting--sometimes not so much so. But he's hanging in there and doing a great job.

AIT - An Update

2008-03-24T13:25:00.001-05:00

Blake started his AIT on March 5th. He's studying to be a 21U, Topographic Analyst. As of today, he's about 2 1/2 weeks into the course. So far, he says he's really enjoying it.

The sergeants there are starting to give him some opportunities in supervision. He was made the platoon commander (I'm probably getting this title wrong, but you get the gist of it), which put him over about 40 other guys. He said he would hold on to this for a couple of weeks before it moved to another. He was very proud of himself and knew just how he wanted to start out: by helping the others to pass their PT test.

Blake says that a lot of time is spent in the classroom, but there are still training days where everyone studies red cross or something like that. And, there's always the formations.

Anyway, Blake passed Easter there, all the time assuring us all that he was doing just great! He still loves what he's doing and says to be sure to tell everyone "Hi" for him. Like he says, he'll be finished before any of us know it and he'll get to come home then.

Till there's more to report...

Ft. Belvoir Virginia

2008-02-21T12:57:00.001-06:00

Blake is in Virginia now at Ft. Belvoir. He loves it up there and has gotten to do some sightseeing. Especially with the opportunity he has now being just 20 miles from Washington, D.C.

Last Saturday, he called us to tell us he had gotten a day pass and was in Washington eating lunch. He was going to go to the Lincoln and Washington monuments as well as Arlington Cemetary. Before long, we started getting the pictures from his phone. It was an incredible opportunity for him, and we all had a chance to tell him how much we envied him for being there. Especially since the weather here was so awful that day.

Today I spoke with him and he passed all phases of the physical training (sit-ups, push-ups, and 2 mile run) today. That was one of the obstacles to him getting S.T.A.R. qualification and thereby be eligible for weekend passes and the like. Definitely something worth working for. He did the run almost 2 minutes faster than he did in basic training just two weeks ago. We were floored with this news. He said it was "just easier" to run up there. Haven't figured out the logic behind this, but who cares? He did it and that's all that matters.

He starts his classes soon. From that point on, it's several weeks of training before he's ready for his first assignment.

He has his cell phone now and spends a lot of time text messaging his friends. It's not the same number he had when he was living here, so if you don't have it, just email me and I'll send it to you. Also, we have his mailing address, so if you would like that, just let me know and we'll send that on as well.

Well, more when we know more. Till then. Take care and thanks for keeping up with Blake.

Graduation!

2008-02-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

It's finally over. Blake has graduated from basic training and is now on his way to Ft. Belvoir in Virginia. He left Lawton at 12:45 p.m. today and will fly from there to Dallas. From there's it's on to Washington, D.C. and a short 20 minute drive to the base.

His last days were very eventful. Following a briefing from his commanders, we saw a demonstration of what they had been training on. Then, we all got to have lunch together, and I have to admit, it was pretty good. Not the same mess hall food that I remember at all. Yesterday, the graduation ceremony was very impressive. Despite all the talking of what they were going to do and what would be funny, they handled themselves in a very professional manner. It wasn't a joking occasion and everyone there knew it.

After the ceremony, we went to his barracks and got to look around. This was a part that I was very curious about. We have a picture of Blake in his bunk with his personal locker behind him. Dusty is in the background.

After another good lunch with Blake and his new friend, Ethan Williamson, from Maine, we dropped them off to meet up with buddies to finish their celebration and we started back home.

Blake called this morning to give us the news that he was leaving at 12:45 and would call again once he got to Virginia. It's good to see him finished with this obstacle and good, too, to know that he has a cell phone that he can use to call us anytime he wants now (within reason). We'll let everyone know as soon as we get his new mailing address so you can write him up there.

More info when we get it. Till then, thanks for keeping up with Blake throughout his basic training. We'll keep this going through his AIT in Virginia, so keep in touch.

Blue Phase: Downhill From Here

2008-01-23T08:44:00.000-06:00

Blake is scheduled to graduate on February 7th. He's passed the PT test, which was the very last milestone between him and the graduation. He's been issued his dress greens and he says they look great on him. I can only imagine.

We're going to be leaving for Ft. Sill on the 5th. We'll be there through the 7th and will return to Montgomery later in the day that Thursday. He graduates on the 7th but the 6th is a family day where we can take him into town and enjoy the day together.

Dusty is going to try to make his own arrangements so that he can be there, too, which should be a big surprise for Blake.

Blake had asked us to send up some pictures of the family and his friends, so that went out in the mail yesterday. He had taken a lot of pictures when he was home over Christmas, and you just can't beat the Wal-Mart photo lab for price and convenience... haha.

This week is supposed to be the week of the three day field training. I've been keeping up with the weather there in Oklahoma and yesterday it was 23 degrees around 2 p.m. I can't even imagine what it would have been like at night if they were out there. But lots of things have changed and I haven't been very good about keeping track of what's going on up to now, so I don't know if they're out in the field or warm in their own barracks. One thing Blake did say is one part of the hand grenade training was a little nerve-racking. He told Carol about this, so I'll have to get him to tell me so I can include it all here. For me, I think the whole part of the hand grenade training would have been nerve-racking.

We're all so excited and proud of him that we just can't wait to see him again, even though it's only been a few weeks since he was home. This is the one he's really been waiting for.

Blue Phase: The End Is Near

2008-01-14T10:50:00.001-06:00

It's been quite awhile since the last update. The visit was outstanding. Blake looks and sounds just great!

He got to spend lots of time with his family and friends. Just about everyone who wanted to see him got a chance, and after two weeks, he was really ready to get back. He boarded the plane back to Dallas for the first leg of his trip on January 3rd.

We got a letter from him yesterday, and he's entered the final phase of his basic combat training. He's in the blue phase now, and now, more than ever, he can see the end. Graduation is set for February 7th, and barring any unforeseeable circumstance, that's when he will be finished with this training. Don't know yet if he is going to come home for awhile or if he will head straight up to Virginia to start his academic training.

He said he got his Army greens this week and is very proud of the way he looks in them. He still hasn't gotten his glasses, so I guess that is probably not going to happen in basic training. It's just been too long. He will probably have to try again when he gets to Virginia.

He called on Saturday night and got to talk with everyone. Dusty was there with us, so he got to talk with him as well. He said that he was getting 30 minutes to call home now since his platoon had won the combatives ribbon. They also won the drill ribbon and the basic rifle marksmanship ribbon, but the combatives was very important to his drill sergeant. Hence the 30 minute phone time now. And, he says, that's good for every week from now till he finishes.

One last thing he is worried about is the PT test. The two mile run still has him nervous. He's found some running buddies to go with him when he goes back to qualify, which should be later this week. Say some prayers for him that he can do this, cause that's the only thing now that would hold him back.

Well, I promise not to take as long the next time to update this. He still needs to hear from everyone, so keep those letters going to him. Thanks for your support.

More when we know more.

HE'S HOME!!!!!

2007-12-21T08:29:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-18T08:57:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-12T11:33:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-29T08:50:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-28T07:55:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-23T17:01:00.001-06:00

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

2007-11-14T11:19:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-11-06T08:20:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-05T11:35:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-01T09:05:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-31T08:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-29T10:08:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-25T08:39:00.000-05:00

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.