wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
Drove meself and the missus from Panama City to El Paso last week, driving Wednesday and Thursday, to see our son receive his commission as an army officer.
He enlisted his senior year of high school in '01, reported in August that year, was in Basic during 9-11. He went in as an Airborne Medical Lab Technician. Draws blood, does tests, etc. Served in Baghdad most of '04. When he got back, signed up for the Green to Gold program, where they let him out of the Army (honorable discharge) to go to school as a ROTC cadet.
He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at El Paso, and was ranked 28th of the entire nation's army ROTC cadets for 2007 in GPA.
His wife and his grandfather (my father-in-law) pinned his bars on him, and he received his first salute from one of his instructors. It was all very grand, and although the trip was very long for a short stay, I'm glad we made it out there.
He's married, has a beautiful wife and a daughter and son; the girl is 3, the boy a year and a half. The girl knows that I'm Grandpa, which is pretty cool. This trip is the first time we've seen the boy since he was 3 months, and he's learned who we are.
His first assignment is with the army's Honor Guard at Ft. Myer in Virginia. He had his choice of assignments, and he and his wife picked one near her mother. It's still MUCH closer to here than El Paso is! Before he reports there in May, he has a school in Ft. Benning (just up the road in Columbus, GA) in January and February, then back to Texas (San Antonio) in March and April.
Our trip was long, but seeing the babies was grand. The real purpose of the trip was to bring his truck and trailer, with 2 quads and his Boulevard M50 aboard, here to Panama City. That will be a shorter trip for him to retrieve them than having to go all the way back out to El Paso next month. He has his mom's car right now, which we drove out.
Damn trailer rig only got 10.5 mpg on the way back, and that was at 60 to 65, not 75 to 85 that I usually do. Nothing like adding 5 hours to a 20-hour trip by having to slow down for fuel mileage!
While there, I noticed his house was only 4 miles from the New Mexico state line, and thought, "Wow, what a cheesy cheap way to color another state on my gay signature image!"
Took his keys, bundled up since it was in the 40s, and rode his Boulevard up to the line and most of the way back.
Damn thing has no gas gauge, but a low fuel light that apparently means, "Right now, you ***!!!!!" Bike died about a mile and a half from the house. I started walking, and got a ride in less than 2 minutes, got a gas can and had him run me back to the bike.
Had to fix one of his quads while I was there, too. He put it away wet and dirty, and the choke cable didn't move the next time he wanted it. Wish I had a nickel for every machine of his I've had to fix. . . . .
BTW, I hope I never have to ride that Boulevard again. What an uncomfortable bike! Long reach to the foot controls, long reach to the bars, makes your back hunch over while you ride. And nothing happens besides noise when you twist the grip!!!! I'm hoping I can bring him over from the dark side when he's here next month, give him a (brief) taste of the Feejer.
Trip back was uneventful, but long. Came back Saturday and Sunday. Same number of gas stops as going out, but coming back, we needed 60 bucks worth of gas every time instead of 23.
Seriously, I can't begin to tell you how proud we are of this kid!!!! Skipped classes in high school, always thought he knew better than anyone else about everything, and had a SERIOUS problem with authority, both from me and from his grandfather. When he told us he'd enlisted, jaws dropping caused earthquakes around the world! But he's found a system that works, and he's learned the system and how it works, and moved right into it. He made Sgt. during 2004 in Baghdad, and is now an officer, working people salute him and everything! He's married, with 2 great kids, and a drop-dead gorgeous wife! Now if I could just do something about that damn cruiser. . . . .
He enlisted his senior year of high school in '01, reported in August that year, was in Basic during 9-11. He went in as an Airborne Medical Lab Technician. Draws blood, does tests, etc. Served in Baghdad most of '04. When he got back, signed up for the Green to Gold program, where they let him out of the Army (honorable discharge) to go to school as a ROTC cadet.
He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at El Paso, and was ranked 28th of the entire nation's army ROTC cadets for 2007 in GPA.
His wife and his grandfather (my father-in-law) pinned his bars on him, and he received his first salute from one of his instructors. It was all very grand, and although the trip was very long for a short stay, I'm glad we made it out there.
He's married, has a beautiful wife and a daughter and son; the girl is 3, the boy a year and a half. The girl knows that I'm Grandpa, which is pretty cool. This trip is the first time we've seen the boy since he was 3 months, and he's learned who we are.
His first assignment is with the army's Honor Guard at Ft. Myer in Virginia. He had his choice of assignments, and he and his wife picked one near her mother. It's still MUCH closer to here than El Paso is! Before he reports there in May, he has a school in Ft. Benning (just up the road in Columbus, GA) in January and February, then back to Texas (San Antonio) in March and April.
Our trip was long, but seeing the babies was grand. The real purpose of the trip was to bring his truck and trailer, with 2 quads and his Boulevard M50 aboard, here to Panama City. That will be a shorter trip for him to retrieve them than having to go all the way back out to El Paso next month. He has his mom's car right now, which we drove out.
Damn trailer rig only got 10.5 mpg on the way back, and that was at 60 to 65, not 75 to 85 that I usually do. Nothing like adding 5 hours to a 20-hour trip by having to slow down for fuel mileage!
While there, I noticed his house was only 4 miles from the New Mexico state line, and thought, "Wow, what a cheesy cheap way to color another state on my gay signature image!"
Took his keys, bundled up since it was in the 40s, and rode his Boulevard up to the line and most of the way back.
Damn thing has no gas gauge, but a low fuel light that apparently means, "Right now, you ***!!!!!" Bike died about a mile and a half from the house. I started walking, and got a ride in less than 2 minutes, got a gas can and had him run me back to the bike.
Had to fix one of his quads while I was there, too. He put it away wet and dirty, and the choke cable didn't move the next time he wanted it. Wish I had a nickel for every machine of his I've had to fix. . . . .
BTW, I hope I never have to ride that Boulevard again. What an uncomfortable bike! Long reach to the foot controls, long reach to the bars, makes your back hunch over while you ride. And nothing happens besides noise when you twist the grip!!!! I'm hoping I can bring him over from the dark side when he's here next month, give him a (brief) taste of the Feejer.
Trip back was uneventful, but long. Came back Saturday and Sunday. Same number of gas stops as going out, but coming back, we needed 60 bucks worth of gas every time instead of 23.
Seriously, I can't begin to tell you how proud we are of this kid!!!! Skipped classes in high school, always thought he knew better than anyone else about everything, and had a SERIOUS problem with authority, both from me and from his grandfather. When he told us he'd enlisted, jaws dropping caused earthquakes around the world! But he's found a system that works, and he's learned the system and how it works, and moved right into it. He made Sgt. during 2004 in Baghdad, and is now an officer, working people salute him and everything! He's married, with 2 great kids, and a drop-dead gorgeous wife! Now if I could just do something about that damn cruiser. . . . .
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