Turning blue

A week ago today we rose early to drive 100 miles from Atlanta to Columbus, Ga., to be in place by 10 a.m. for two events at Fort Benning that would conclude with our son Jordan officially becoming a soldier.

To say we were proud parents -- eager to pick our trim, tanned 21-year-old out of the approximately 60 recruits in his company -- doesn't do justice to our emotions. We hadn't seen him for 14 weeks and we knew we were treading, literally and figuratively, on unfamiliar ground from the moment we drove past security onto the base, toward the Sand Hill Rec Center and nearby Kanell Field where things would take place on the parade grounds.

It was easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment, but in retrospect I have to say that it was the "turning blue" ceremony where the fog began to lift for me.

You see, I've always had a murky understanding of the U.S. Army -- everything from its traditions and organization to its far-flung locations and Jordan's place in it. After spending parts of two days on base, I can say I'm beginning to grasp it.

Fort Benning is THE place where the Army trains every recruit who wants to be an infantryman. Thus, it's all men, as women are prohibited from combat. The guys go through physical training while learning all the basics -- how to shoot and care for their weapon, how to fire grenades and rockets, how to survive a chemical weapons attack, how to give first aid on the battlefield, etc.

Each recruit who successfully completes basic training is awarded a blue braid that is attached to the right lapel so that it encircles his shoulder. Lori, Jamie (Jordan's girlfriend) and I walked onto the field at the appropriate time and it was me who put the braid in place during the "turning blue" ceremony. Quite an honor for this peacenik of a dad.

In that instant, looking at the young man Jordan has become -- with great posture, self-discipline and a newfound self-confidence -- it was blindingly obvious that this is the experience he wanted all along, an opportunity to challenge himself and be part of a team in service to his country. Finally, we could see the hills he had run up, the woods where he had learned nighttime navigation, the barracks where he had slept, even the infirmary where he'd been treated for pneumonia.

It's possible that we might have come the longest distance to be there for Jordan. All but four states were represented in the two companies, Alpha and Charlie, that make up the 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment, and the commanding officers noted that the largest number of recruits had come from Texas, Indiana and Florida. In addition to those states, I recall seeing visitors' cars with license plates from all over the South -- Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky -- as well as an occasional Wisconsin, New York or Pennsylvania.

The actual graduation ceremony came the next morning, on a sunny Friday, on the grassy field behind the just-opened National Infantry Museum. More on that in my next post...