Long Overdue Reenlistment Pictures

Awhile back, I mentioned my reenlistment.


I have been neglectful in posting the pictures from the ceremony. I'm sorry. So, trying to catch up on my mile-long "To Do" list...

Here are some of those pics. More to come... eventually. Really.






































The Flag. No ceremony would be complete without it. In the background is the statue of Thomas Jefferson.










COL Braley administering the Oath to me.















My certificates. Not commonly known... in order to reenlist, you must actually be discharged. Therefore, I have a binder with both my first Honorable Discharge and my renewed enlistment oath.















A very special Honor. My Senator, the Honorable Jim DeMint, invited us to his office after the reenlistment. We spent a good 20 minutes with him. I continue to be impressed by him. I wish we had more Senators like him.

(And who knows... maybe, just maybe, one day I can follow in his footsteps.)

Video From My Reenlistment

Thank you, M*A and J, for taking this video... it's nice to have something to supplement the ole memory...

Reenlistment

This is just the beginning. I want to write what I can NOW to make sure I don't forget (plus, I'm sitting in traffic moving at Warp 3 MPH on the interstate, so I have some time).

I'm still collecting the pics, and so far, there are some really impressive ones! Watch this space for when they're posted.

So, the reenlistment ceremony.

I was nervous. Ask LadyG and she'll tell you I was ever so _slightly_ stressed!

I don't like being late. First, had to deal with seemingly random closed roads and detours. En route, the spaceship's seatbelt undid one of my insignia. Not just any one, but one of the more precisely aligned, measured, and polished ones. AACK!!!!

We arrived at the Jefferson Memorial, with two minutes to spare (thanks to the lovely scenic tour through Alexandria). I quickly found my fellow Soldiers who, blssedly, were well practiced at restoring serenity to uniform chaos.

As a bonus, my reenlisting officer was running behind. Translation: I was not late! Breathing could return to normal.

It was a beautiful day - one couldn't order a better one. Crystal clear, nice blue skies... Not too hot, not too cold... Not muggy.

Decent crowds, but not too overwhelming.

I was in my Class A uniform, as was my officer. My fellow Soldiers were in duty uniform. LadyG was stunningly BEAUTIFUL, while D was looking quire sharp in classic "lil' man" look. Dad was there, with his g/f... And so were my Soldiers' Angel, M*A, and her DH. A nice touch was the presence of my Senator's military liaison, a USAF LTC.

It was time.

We set up on the front steps of the Jefferson Memorial. If I looked to my right, I could see TJ looking over us from inside. T my left, the Washington Monument, and past that, the White House. We stood next to the American Flag, which flapped in a gentle breeze.

The reelistment NCO called, "Attention to Oath!" We all came to attention, and I faced my officer. We raised our right hands, and he administered the oath.

I was very... Aware. I was focused on him, but could feel the gazes coming from those in attendance, notably my invited guests. I tried to remind myself to take it slowly, so I could savor the moment and the words I was saying... What the meant to me.

And then, it was done! I saluted, shook hands, and felt... Wonderful elation. It's odd, because Soldiers are ALWAYS counting down their time remaining in service, and I'd just tacked on another four years. But, it was more than that. I was so honored to have the _opportunity_ to say that oath again... So be allowed to contnue to serve. Reenlistment is not a right, but a privilege, after all.

During my remarks, I remember commenting on how long and challenging the journey to reenlistment was. So much has occurred in these first five years of enlistment. It certainly hasn't been dull. I wonder what the next four will bring?

I look at how I got to this point, and there are some I wish to point out:
To Ellicia, who stood by me, supported me, encouraged, motivated, comforted, and inspired me when I first took the oath.

To M*A, who represented ALL of the Soldiers' Angels out there - who help us and support us in innumerable ways. Yet, M*A is so much more, as her "name" attests. Perhaps best, though, is she is my Friend.

To Dad, retired Master Sergeant, who's first wearing the uniform inspired me when I was young, and who's ability to understand means so much now. I am proud to have the same nickname, which itself has a nice heritage, "Radar".

To my Sergeants over the years who've demonstrated True NCO Leadership and Army values... Some of you are currently in Iraq, and I wish I was with you. First Sergeant S, SSG K. G (from Operations), SSG T. G. (from 'stan and Useless), and quite a few others. HOOAH!

So, here's to the next four years...

"Protecting and Defending... Against ALL enemies..."

Tomorrow is Getting Close

I'm becoming more and more cognizant of tomorrow. It's coming and it's a BIG day. A little nervous, a little excited...

Thought at the National Archives

The building was FULL of school groups. No complaints there. I'm actually THRILLED that chaperones would even think of taking children to our national shrine.

What saddens me, however, was that there was no one to put things into perspective for them, to show them what they were looking at. Sadder, many of the children didn't know or recognize what they saw. They knew it might be something important, but which is which, or WHY these documents are enshrined... Nope, not taught.

Sigh.

National Archives - Live

It's heartwarming to see a long line to the National Archives.... Time was, no one cared. Maybe it was "National Treasure" that changed it...

Live! From Washington, DC

Greetings from DC! We're up here as part of reenlistment weekend...

So far, we've enjoyed the luxury of "sleeping in" (anytime past 0500 is sleeping in) and breakfast in bed.

We're heading off to the National Archives (as far as I'm concerned, our National Shrine and a REQUISITE visit in DC) and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We're going to go see mammoths and dinos for D! Should be lots of fun...

So, more later...

Preparing for Reenlistment

Today was largely spent preparing for reenlistment.

A large part of this process is making sure my uniform, in this case my Class A's, is properly "put together".
Many people may not be aware of the detail work that goes into the uniform. ALL of the ribbons, badges, nametags, etc. Are _precisely_ placed and measured, often down to a precision of 1/8th of an inch!

Tiday, I spent over 3 hours placing, measuring, moving, repeat all the items on the uniform. Then, my Sergeant inspects, and I redo. After he's happy, it was the First Sergeant Repeat WHOLE process. Finally, the Command Sergeant Major. Repeat again. (Of course, anyone else who comes along offers their opinion and correction free of charge - aren't they nice?)

The other part was signing my new contract. It's done. I'm all set...

In A Few Days...

I will be reenlisting. I am SO excited. Ok, a little nervous, too. It does tack a bit more time commitment on, but... It's worth it.

I can't believe this day is coming...