Son or Daughter Enlistment

[Old Dog]

Update 5/19/24

He was granted 2 weeks of leave and came home yesterday. He has been doing well and learning a lot. His original Company was disbanded and he was absorbed into another Company and platoon. Although nervous about the change and how it would be, he did well and enjoys it. He is often nervous about having terrible leaders, but most have been great.

Following this leave, he will finish getting ready for his first deployment. A little nervous, but also looking forward to it. Hoping it is a great experience for him and makes some great memories.

Enjoying every minute together with him and the family.

As a 25-year veteran (who would not trade any minute of a quarter century on active duty), I was remembering today that my father (a WW II and Korea vet) made it a point to tell me every single time we talked (usually over the phone, and often) that he was immensely proud of me.

Enjoy your time with your son, and maybe remind him from time to time that wherever he is, everything goes in cycles... one year, he'll have awesome leadership and maybe the next year, not so great. But it typically balances out, and most of us who've done careers in the military feel immense pride in what we've done and have truly loved and enjoyed the camaraderie and loyalty in the units in which we've served.

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

As a 25-year veteran (who would not trade any minute of a quarter century on active duty), I was remembering today that my father (a WW II and Korea vet) made it a point to tell me every single time we talked (usually over the phone, and often) that he was immensely proud of me.

Enjoy your time with your son, and maybe remind him from time to time that wherever he is, everything goes in cycles... one year, he'll have awesome leadership and maybe the next year, not so great. But it typically balances out, and most of us who've done careers in the military feel immense pride in what we've done and have truly loved and enjoyed the camaraderie and loyalty in the units in which we've served.

Thank You to both you and your father for your years of service and sacrifice. My family and I have always been grateful for our service members and their loved ones. Having grandparents that served and now my youngest just adds to this.

We have definitely reminded him of the changes with leadership, and just like civilian life, there are good and bad leaders. All he can control is himself and how he does. Continue to learn, improve, grow, and do your best. Be the kind of leader you would want: helpful, willing to do the work, teaching, trust worthy, and other good qualities. I think he is beginning to learn this at a young age.