Graduation = Amazing!!

I know this bit of communication has been severely neglected, but it’s been a crazy roller coaster of a couple of weeks! If you want the short version – graduation was absolutely amazing and seeing my son again for the first time was the most emotional moment of my life. He’s returned to California to complete the next stage of his training and I’m missing him once again. If you want the long emotional version, well here we go.

When you fly in to the San Diego airport you can see MCRD – that’s the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Looking down from that airplane my eyes filled with tears, just knowing that he was down there somewhere and I was closer to him that I had been in 13 very long weeks!

The next morning we arrived for family day about 2 hours before the Moto-Run, or the first time that we would get to see our new Marines. When we arrived though, we could see them practicing on the Parade Deck, and again the tears were there, because he was too – just a few hundred feet away. After breakfast we were to gather with the rest of the parents to get “briefed” on the day’s activities. They were really just trying to stall us and whip us into an emotional frenzy all at the same time. Luckily for me, my Uncle, who lives in the area and is a retired Military guy did some checking for me and found out where the platoons were going to be lining up. I lined myself up where I guessed Casey would be. He had already told us where to look for him in formation. When they finally started marching up I could catch just a glimpse or two of him, and then they stopped, turned towards us and then staggered. I had already been crying, again, just knowing that I would soon see him, but when they turned and staggered I was staring right at him and I just lost it. There was a mother standing next to me that I’d never met, but she was holding on to me, and I think we might have been holding each other up! Of course Casey couldn’t look right at me, he was staring straight ahead, but I was studying every inch of his face just to see if he looked different. He did. He looked more confident and a whole lot stronger. They left then on their motivational run and we saw them pass a few times before they ran back to their barracks.

It would be two more hours before we would see them again. They lined up on the parade deck and then were dismissed for 5 hours of on base liberty. I flew down those steps and was the first to grab him, and I didn’t want to let go, but his sister was right behind me and she wanted a hug too. Those five hours were amazing. Hearing all that he went through made me appreciate his effort that much more. We listened to his every word and watched him down his food in record time, and then it was time to leave. I think he was ready to get back to his structured life as well, for just a few more hours. The graduation ceremony the next day was beautiful and very formal – but too long if you ask me – I just wanted my son back.
We flew home the next day, arriving late at night. It was amazing even to see how excited the animals were to see him. His beagle couldn’t decide if he wanted to jump up on him or have his belly rubbed – he was just a very happy puppy! The next day we held a party to celebrate both his graduation from high school and basic training. I shed more than a few tears that day as well, always touched as someone new arrived, feeling grateful that they took time out of their day to share in our joy of Casey’s accomplishment. His ten days of leave went very quickly. I grabbed him the first day for some shopping and to make sure that he had a well functioning cell phone to take back with him, and that was the most time that I had alone with him all week.
My next time alone was at the airport as we prepared for him to leave again. We had about a half hour before he had to board the plane but the longer we stood there the harder it was to hold in the tears. He hates it when I cry in public so I told him that he’s better go because I couldn’t hold it much longer. I watched him make his way through security and then he picked up his stuff on the other side, waved goodbye and walked out of my view. I think that moment might have been even harder than when I left him with the recruiter. There was so much that I didn’t see that time. But this time I watched him walk through all of that without me and move on with the next step of his life – without me! I cried all the way out to my car and cried some more once inside. I sat there for about 15 minutes when it occurred to me that I might as well drive home. That he wasn’t going to call to have me come back and get him. He’s a Marine now and he doesn’t need Mom. That was a very very long day. I cried for most of it, probably because every time I turned around I found something else that he’d forgotten.
It’s been nearly a week now and I think I’m doing better. I’ve talked to him several times and tomorrow I’m shipping off his guitar and everything else that he left behind. And I’ll probably cry then too, but these tears are different. I have cried over Casey many many times in the past 18 years. Many of the tears out of frustration and worry, because he’s always been so darned determined to learn everything the hard way. Many times I’d pray – just hoping that he’d find his way to a healthy happy life. Now I cry because he’s on his way to doing just that and because I am so proud of what he’s accomplished in the last 3 months. There were a long 3 months, but just as everyone told me they would be – they were worth it!!