Tuesday morning we are bound for Oklahoma for Nick’s graduation from boot camp. Oops, I mean basic training. When I mentioned boot camp he said that was a reference to the Marines. Obviously, I have a lot of military language to learn, especially all the abbreviations. He sounds like alphabet soup when he speaks. Anyway, we’re driving because I hate to fly. It’s only 17 hours to Fort Sill, but we’ll break it up in two days and have a stopover in St. Louis. We’ll have family day on Thursday and hang out together. Friday is graduation, which I hear is powerful. Saturday he ships out to his next destination of Fort Leonard Wood, MO while we head back to Michigan. It should be a nice trip.

I have always wanted to get an American flag for the front of my house. As a first generation American and the son of European immigrants, I have always had respect for those people who come here legally to puruse a better life. But now that my son is in the Army, I really want to fly one.  But is there a specific way to display the flag if you’re a military family? At my house it would look best if it was on the corner of the house, but I have more space in the middle. Any suggstions?

Well, i am quite pleased with the responses I have received so far.  Thanks to all who have submitted comments. It’s obvious there are a lot of you who share the same concerns and thoughts as us. I liked the drill sergeant’s story about the soldier who took his re-enlistment oath inside the gas chamber. That is nuts. I can only imagine how bad-ass crazy the guys (and girls) get while in the service. LIke getting a tattoo. My wife made Nick promise not to get one, but I will be amazed if he doesn’t get one at some point. Apparently, getting a tattoo is a right of passage for the military. If you join the service, does it automatically mean you get a tattoo?

We got our weekly phone call from Nick on Friday night instead of the usual Sunday night. He said he was calling early because he was leaving for a six-day training at the FOB. Not sure what that is, but it’s a place where they stay in the woods. He said the end of basic training is near. He is certified in all his necessary soldier requirements, such as PT, marksmanship and field medics. Nick said after this “campout” he will be pretty much done. He said the last week he gets to “chill.” We’ll be leaving Tuesday, Sept. 30, for his graduation. I plan to update on this site throughout the trip.

This is a picture of Nick as he is exiting the gas chamber druing training. I happened to come across this photo off the Echo Company website, courtesy of the US Army.  He said this was one of the worst parts of basic training, but he and the others managed to get through it ok. Check out the drill sergeant in the background. I wonder if he’s yelling at Nick specifically or at the guys in general.

We got our weekly phone call Sunday from Nick and the big news was his certification in hand grenade throwing.  He seemed pretty proud of this. He is certified as a first-class tosser, which is the second-highest certification. He said he was nervous a bit, but excited, too. In our kitchen cabinet, we still have his cereal bowl with built-in straw.

I find myself noticing service men and women more. Since Nick joined, I feel a certain bond with these people even though I’ve never met them or even speak to them. Still, I see them and think to myself that they went through boot camp just like he is now.

I worry because he’s only 18 and he never really was away from us much, let alone be in another state in another time zone for weeks at a time. He writes letters and refers to his platoon buddies as those who’ve done time in jail for one thing or another and it concerns me. I wrote back immediately and told him not to be impressed by someone who committed a crime or is having a child out of wedlock. Still, I understand that they must work together daily and rely on each other in life-saving situations.

I think about him a lot. I hope he doesn’t change much, although everyone says he will. He is such a goofy, fun-loving guy. I know he’ll mature a lot and learn responsibility. i just hope his personality stays the same.

Since Nick is in Oklahoma, he apparently is exposed to different types of creatures that we don’t see here in Michigan. I spoke to a buddy who spent time in Fort Sill and suggested that Nick be sure not to eat scorpions live. Now, i realize he’s just north of Texas, but I had no idea there were scorpions down there. He was never one to shy away from creepy crawling things, though, so I’m not worried about that.

The thing that bothers me the most about this whole Army situation is the lack of communication. In this day and age of text messaging and e-mail, I can’t just drop him or receive a quick line. I don’t mind writing letters because it’s like the old days. But not having a clue as to what he’s doing day in and day out can be maddening, especially in my field.

Hello, my name is Ray Kisonas and I’m from Monroe, Mich.

My son Nick turned 18 in July and enlisted into the Army immediately. He is in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and is about halfway through basic training.

We are not a military family, so this is all new to us. I started this blog to hopefully share experiences with those who have friends or family members in the military. I’d also love to hear from servicemen and women about their experiences.

I plan to keep this blog updated throughout Nick’s military life, especially with the real possibility of his overseas deployment.

Since he left in late July we’ve developed a pattern of letter-writing and phone calls. We usually get about one letter a week and he calls on Sunday nights. So my wife and I make sure we’re home on Sunday evenings in case Nick calls. The last time he called, he said he was going on an excusion and would be out in the field so he wouldn’t be able to call. it was kind of a bummer.

He’s already been through his marksmanship courses and passed. Nick has also completed the dread gas chamber where he is exposed to tear gas so he knows what to expect if he should ever encounter such a thing.

We are looking forward to visiting him in October. He said he misses Taco Bell and Wendy’s so I’m sure we’ll take him there when we see him.