My son goes into the Army...

[BigDoug]

This was a tough week for Richelle and i, my son left for boot camp at fort Benning in Georgia.
Im very proud of him and his decision to enlist but scared he may do a tour of duty in Iraq.
He scored very high on his asvab test and enlisted in the "Special Forces" :)
Any other parents out there share this same feeling ? ......................Doug

[shadow]

This was a tough week for Richelle and i, my son left for boot camp at fort Benning in Georgia.
Im very proud of him and his decision to enlist but scared he may do a tour of duty in Iraq.
He scored very high on his asvab test and enlisted in the "Special Forces" :)
Any other parents out there share this same feeling ? ......................Doug
Congratulations my friend! tell your son we are all proud of him and thanks!
Thanks to kids like yours,Is the reason we are able to do the things we do.
Doug & Richelle when he comes home to Havasu lets give him a great home coming and a huge thanks.

[Bruddah's Gal]

i would like to give your son a big thank you as well!!! thanks to the people like your son, we live in the best country ever!!! THANK YOU and god bless!!! :)

[Devil's Advocate]

A very honorable quest....may God bless him in his journey.

[Flyinbowtie]

Our eldest just completed a 3-year hitch in the Army last April.
Nephew is currently an E-5 serving in Korea, right on the DMZ.
Your feelings are absolutely normal.
BCT is a tough time for the family as well as the recruit; but it will go by quickly. If you can, attend his graduation Ceremony. It isn't a cheap trip, but you will be glad you did. We certainly were.
Don't expect much more than a 24 hour pass for him after Boot, no matter what he was told going in.
Be proud. You have a right to be. And you also have the right as a parent to be just a little more than you normally are in the worried dept. Completely natural. Good luck to him, and all the best to you and your entire family.

[pebo]

BE proud.. We have two sons in the Armed forces. He made a good choice and will come back from basic a changed man. I know the worry deal. My oldest just returned from Irac after a year tour. Has re-enlisted for another 3. Hes an E-5. Younger son in the A Force returned from Korea after a year. Both enjoy there jobs.
For sure to go to his Graduation if you can. A very proud moment indeed. Congats to your son on the SF mos.

[SHAKEN Not Stirred]

Tell him thank you on behalf of my entire family........
CJG
:)

[centerhill condor]

if he can cut sog, he can do anything... rest assured he'll have the best training the world has to offer. When he comes back he'll be built like a 100 penny nail... and a grateful nation's thanks you!

[purrfecttremor]

Wow outstanding He is now one of our countrys best!! Give him a big hug from all of us.

[RitcheyRch]

Congrats and God Bless him. Sometimes wish I had joined the service.

[Havasu Luvr]

This was a tough week for Richelle and i, my son left for boot camp at fort Benning in Georgia.
Im very proud of him and his decision to enlist but scared he may do a tour of duty in Iraq.
He scored very high on his asvab test and enlisted in the "Special Forces" :)
Any other parents out there share this same feeling ? ......................Doug
Doug, I know the feeling, you're both proud but also as a parent the both of you are worried. I have two young sons in the U.S. ARMY. One is at Camp Casey South Korea (11 miles douth of the border) and the other one just arrive in Ft Drum, home of the 10th Mountain LI deployed to Afga and Iraq. His school/roommate just deployed to Iraq leaving him along in the barracks. He himself has not recieved orders (yet) to deploy to Iraq so he was considering to volunteer to go....I am proud of all our Men & Women serving. I'll pm my number and maybe I can ease your minds.....

[river redy]

Very Proud Parents, And Make Sure You Tell Him That All Americans Are Proud Of Him, My Son Comes Back From A 6 Month Tour August 4th And I Cant Wait

[DILLIGAF]

Congrats and be proud as you are! I would be worried also if it was my son but it is a volunteer service and he is doing it based on his choice. He has direction in his life and as a parent that is all you can ask for.
I wish him and your family all the best Doug. Thanks to young men like him we can keep our American way of life.

[BigDoug]

Thank you all for the positive feed back. :)

[jbtrailerjim]

Congrats to him and tell him thanks. May god bless him and all of the other brave soldiers that are defending the best country on earth. :)

[drbones]

Make's me proud.. and scared...been there done that..Our son is in the 3rd ID..he spent a year in Iraq... Very scary ..but we are so proud of him...
Your son will be takin care of by the very best ...they watch out for each other.. So you get to join the rank of proud parents :) Our prayers and best wishes go out to him and you...

[Debbolas]

Tell him thank you for serving our country......Our family is truely appreciative of the sacrafice your family is making for our freedom. I can only imagine how proud you are of him. God Bless.....and Thank you Deb & Matt

[Windy]

Congrats to your son...Me and my brother both served in the armed forces {Im currently serving} and I will never forget the feeling of graduating from basic training. :)

[donzi5150]

I am an EX Special Ops guy, Blackhawk’s, and served 8 separate tours in support of the first gulf war and the operations after. I had some of the best times in my military career in Turkey, Saudi and Iraq. The normal locals are great and will give you the shirt off their back and the fanatical hate your son whether he is home or abroad. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did, stays safe and makes the friends and memories that I have.
Advice for special ops, accept and volunteer for all training. The more training you have the more resources you have when you get in the shit!
Thank you and your family and especially your son! God Bless.

[BigDoug]

Wow, this all overwhelming to hear from you guys as a second family (boaters) and well recieved, with that i really appreciate your wisdom and kind words. :)
This whole thing with Josh and you guys almost brings tears to my eyes.............................................. ...........well it does :cry:
thank you very much for the support and i really mean it :) :) :)

[JetBoatRich]

WOW~Josh is in the Army now :rolleyes: they grow up fast, he is a good kid :cool: tell him he is in our thoughts and proud of him.

[Desert Rat]

As a Vet I say thank you to your son for keeping the freedom. It takes a special breed to step up when most decide to take the easy way..... I ask all on this forum that have the ability to hire a vet please do, they are THE REASON you have the freedom to pursue your dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BigDoug]

SWB, he does know what Semper fi means, as a matter of fact he had it tatood on his fore arms (silly place, i know) but the marines wouldn't let him in cause of the tatoo when you salute :cry: the army didn't care and with his scores they accepted everything about him, so im sure he'll get shit about his fore arms from his army buddies :)

[Magic34]

Your family is one of the reasons why we can do every little thing we do each day.
Thank you for raising a decent son who entered the service. Thank you and your family for protecting mine.

[Kilrtoy]

Congrats Doug, I know this must be very hard on you, but at the same time you two should be a VERY PROUD PARENTs

[ROZ]

Congrats Doug, I know this must be very hard on you, but at the same time you two should be a VERY PROUD PARENTs
Exactly!
Hopefully I'm not overstepping my bounds, and not insulting anyone here of a different faith. I don't know your religion or if you even have one, but I read this a while ago.
We are all proud of you're family and your son.
Soldier's Psalm 91 Prayer
By Harriet Yoder
O Lord Most High, help me to dwell in your secret place and abide under Your shadow.
Help me to believe and say out loud for everyone to hear that You are my refuge and my fortress; that You are my God; and that in You I put my trust.
O Lord God Almighty, please deliver me from hidden traps and diseases.
Father God, cover me with Your camouflage; hide me under Your wings; and let Your truth be my shield and buckler against the fiery darts—the lies—of the enemy.
Lord Jesus, help me not to be afraid of terrorists' attacks in the night; or weapons that fly by day; or sicknesses that walk in darkness; or destruction that wastes at noonday.
O Holy God, though a thousand fall at my side, and ten thousand fall at my right hand; please let it not come close to me and my companions.
O Lord Most High, let me live to see the reward of the wicked, because You are my refuge and my home. Let no evil conquer me and let no plague come into my house or near my family.
O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer, please set angels over me to keep me in all Your ways, to bear me up in their hands and to keep my feet from stumbling.
Father God, help me to tread upon the lion and adder and trample the young lion and the dragon under my feet.
Lord Jesus, I love you with all my heart and I know Your name. Deliver me and lift me on high to soar with the eagles. I call upon you to be with me in times of trouble to deliver and honor me because I know Your name. Please show me Your salvation and satisfy me with a long life.
I ask this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ
Amen.

[BOBALOO]

I have a 21 yr old brother in the Army and a 25 yr old brother in the Navy. I can understand your concern when it comes to a family member putting themselves in harms way to protect our freedoms. I worry about my youngest bro the most as he was stationed just outside of Bagdad until last week.
We can only hope for the best and remember that you have your family and friends there to support you if need be.

[NorCal Gameshow]

The "earth" is at a pivotable point now... your son and many like him can and will make it right.
God Bless and thanks

[BigDoug]

Roz, no shame in my game !!! im a Christian and believe in the greater good in human spirit no matter what religion, just be good to your fellow men and woman.
I thank you for your prayers and insight too. :) :)

[atomickitn]

best of luck and wish him well from us ...please tell him to be safe, and thanks :)

[old flat]

Proud to have been there and done that, very proud of your young soldier. His next few weeks will be harder on you than him, he's going to be a very busy young trooper, and his time will go by real fast. As for graduation; if you can only go to one, by all means go to the AIRBORNE graduation ceremony, which should be his second stop of his Spec Ops journey.
Thanks for your, and his commitment. Thought and prayers from an
'old grunt'
STEVE

[Havasu Cig]

You should be very proud. I served during the first Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and Iraq with the 1st Cav and I look back on it as probably the best part of my life. At the time you don't think so, but after going through the tough training, and in my case actually being able to use it in combat made me a better person.
I know you would worry about him going to a hostile place such as Iraq, but i am glad I got to go. I had friends that stayed behind because ther units did not deploy, and I had the choice to stay behind because i was an only child, but I am glad I decided to go. he will look back on his military experience with pride the rest of his life. I lost people in my unit in Iraq, and I lost a friend in the current conflict there, and they are truly the best people I have known. Congrats again, you should be very proud.

[MR HARLEY]

A great honor! Please let him know I said thank you for going to fight for our country! :)

[Diablo54]

Please tell your son he is doing a great thing and we (I) support him and pray for his safty and that he will come home safe to you and your family. He is doing an horiable thing. I hope you are proud of him