A Trip of Pride and Patriotism- Part 2

The continuation...... A New Friendship

While sitting at the pool, I was keeping an eye out for someone! I was watching for a new friend and her family that was going to be staying at the same hotel and guess what, I spotted them up on the second floor, outside walkway! :)

The trip to Georgia was doubly exciting for me, not only was I getting to see my son, my soldier, I was going to get to meet a new friend, a fellow Army Mom! When Chris was preparing to leave for BCT, I spent quite a bit of time online trying to learn about his new career, how I could follow him through basic and looking on facebook for new connections. I came across a FB page that sparked my interest, so I "liked" it. A question was posted and I responded with my soldier's location info and lo and behold, there was another mom, from, of all places,  Alaska! with a son starting at the same location, dates, and same MOS! She reached out to me and with that simple exchange of information, a new Army Mom friendship began! The FB page U.S Army Future Soldier Family, is wonderful for information, support to new Army families and it can also start great new friendships. As we exchanged information through FB, the coincidences were mind boggling! Seemed every conversation we had, more things "alike" came about!

Meet my new "Army Mom" friend, Claudia-

 

This is Private Vincent Cottle, her son, her soldier

 

Truly a Proud Momma! :)

Claudia was there with her husband, Henry

And Vincent's twin sister, Kelsey

A wonderful family, that I am very blessed to have met and look forward to building a friendship with. I also hope to have the privilege of visiting them in their home state of Alaska sometime in the near future.


Watch for Part 3!

A Trip of Pride and Patriotism-Part 1

 

 

 

On June 18, 2012 members of our family, including Hunter, Hunter's Mommy, GiGi ,Papaw and Sassy(Gigi and Papaw's paraplegic cat!) and myself,(Grandma) left Indiana for the state of Georgia. We were headed for Ft. Benning, Columbus, Georgia to be exact.

 

This trip was for a very important reason, Hunter's Daddy, PFC Chris Dalton, was graduating Basic Training, (otherwise known as BCT).  Chris had been in GA since April 9 and we were all very excited to get to see him and celebrate his accomplishments, that's where PRIDE comes in!

 

Because the trip was about a 12 hour drive we decided to split it up into a 2 day trip, to make it easier on all of us, but especially the little man in the back seat.  The little man had the comfy ride, toys and the use of Mommy's cell phone and her Netflix!!  He didn't miss his episodes of Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train and of course, his favorite, Mickey's Clubhouse!! But he REALLY disliked when it buffered, LOL!! We made sure we had lots of stretch stops for the little guy to get out and move around a little.

We drove almost 7 hours, then spent the first night at the Super 8 in Athens, TN. Nothing fancy, but for the price, it worked! We got up the next morning, and headed into Georgia to go see DADDY!! About 5 hours later we were checking in at the La Quinta on Macon Road, in Columbus, GA! After unloading the vehicles, we drove out towards the base to try and get our sense of directions for the days to follow. By accident, we ended up turning into the drive for the National Infantry Museum, where graduation was going to take place on Thursday.  We decided to go into the museum and check it out.

 If you are in the area, I would recommend visiting this museum. It is informative, educational and leaves visitors with  an appreciation for the sacrifice Infantrymen make for our freedom. The Last 100 Yards Ramp gives you a feeling of marching through time with soldiers.

 

 

Although Hunter didn't really "learn" a lot, he enjoyed the relaxing ride through the museum!

Behind the museum is a huge parade field, where graduation ceremonies take place. It is a beautiful setting for the important milestone for soldiers.

Soldier Field-

Soldier Field was dedicated on March 19, 2009 by spreading soil gathered from the eight battlefields depicted in the "Last 100 Yards".  Soldier Field is used throughout the year for a number of military related activites including graduation and changes of command. The 2100 seat stadium provides a comfortable and convienent location for family and friends to witness these historical occassions. Beyond the stadium is the Memorial Walk of  Honor which pays tribute to several historical army units.

We made our way back to the hotel and found our way to dinner. After dinner, Carissa, Hunter and I decided to enjoy the pool at the hotel. While sitting poolside, I was excitedly waiting to meet a new friend for the first time!