Family Day and Graduation

We left for Parris Island, South Carolina, for Marine Boot Camp graduation on Wednesday.  The excitement made the trip seem much longer than the 6.5 hour drive.  It is hot at Parris Island.  Very hot.  We left our hotel for the Marine base before the sun camp up on Thursday morning.  We were greeted by a Beaufort police officer letting my husband know that he was exceeding the speed limit.  He gave Mike a nice warning, and we were on our merry way.  We had not seen our son since June.  We were ready to spend the day with him.  Our day started waiting to see Kilo Company and his platoon during the Motivational Run which started at 7:00 A.M.

This scene took my breath away, knowing my son was somewhere among these young men.  I spied him on the front row with a big grin on his face.  Next was the 2.5 mile run.  We lined the streets waiting to cheer on our Marines!

Did I mention how hot it was?  We were all sweating by 7:30 A.M. and we weren't even running!

After the run, the Marines headed back to barracks to get ready for the Liberty Ceremony at 9:00.  We headed to the MCX to do some shopping and sit somewhere very cool.  Then we headed to the facility to see our Marine!

 Patiently waiting...

 Seth's platoon.

Finally!  On base liberty!

He showed us all around the base.

Where he slept...

Who yelled at him...

The head...

Friends...

We were able to spend time with this young man and his family.  Seth and SS developed a God-ordained friendship during their three months together.  These guys were able to have prayer time and Bible study.  Seth said he always felt "refreshed" afterwards.

My guys and my father-in-law.

For some reason, Anica wanted to come with us?

Seth had to leave us at 2:45 P.M., but it was so great to see him.  We headed back to the hotel and rested up for graduation bright and early the next morning.

Instead of being greeted by a police officer the next morning, we were greeted by the Marines at the gate of the base for a random check.  We had to exit our vehicle while they inspected our van.  At least they let all eight of us sit in an air-conditioned trailer.  Then we were on our way to wait in line to have our bags searched before being seated.

There was a total of around 526 Marines graduating.  The above picture is of Seth's platoon 3065.  Platoon 3065 was the Honor Platoon.  They looked sharp.  Their march and stance in unison was mesmerizing.  Pride and patriotism soared from every parent observing their son.  My words cannot do this ceremony justice.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend a graduation, I highly recommend it.

I'm glad my son was in the front row.  Otherwise, I would have had a difficult time finding him.  I'm thankful for the zoom lens.

Finally, liberty.  He quickly grabbed his bags, and we were heading home.  We get a quick ten days with our son.  He is the same high-energy guy he has always been.  But, Seth is obviously a more mature, disciplined young man.  There is definitely a pride in wearing the Marine uniform.  I'm one proud mother.  If I think about it too long, I can easily become teary-eyed thinking about where Seth was emotionally and spiritually a year ago.

On our trip home, Seth was thanked a few times for his service during our stops for lunch and gas.  It took me by surprise seeing our son's humility and character shine through.