Well, we made it. The day finally came. My son is officially in the hands of the United States Marine Corps.

After spending as much time as possible with him over the last three days, I could tell he was ready to go. Friday night after dinner he became very quiet, and I asked if he was o.k. I could tell his mind was already on Parris Island. I saw him again for dinner Saturday night, and even though we kept the conversation light and upbeat, he was far too quiet.

Then this morning at breakfast he seemed almost himself, like he was finally ready, excited and nervous.

We get to the recruiting station, the other family is already there, with the other recruit from our station. It is interesting to watch the change in him when he is spoken to by a Senior officer in the Corps.

They give us a briefing that went into the do’s and dont’s about basic training, for us not for them. They also gave us his expected graduation date, and instructions for the 13 weeks he will be gone. We then had private family time to say our goodbyes, take pictures, and relax some before the bus came.

Finally, it was time. The bus was an hour late so, it was nice to have the extra time. I promised myself I would not fall apart in front of my son, as other senior staff were present.

I was fine until he was in the bus, and started to pull away, and then the tears began to flow. However, I realized they were not really tears of sadness, but tears of relief.

My son has waited a long time for this, and I was so very happy to see that he was finally on his journey. He was spreading his wings, living his dream, and becoming the man I always knew he could be.

Semper Fi!

thegeekwife