Wow... I keep trying to write about today, but I'm not sure even where to start. After some complications, Emilee and I made it to the graduation hall just in time. We had to go through identification verification, and since I didn't bring anything for Emilee, I pulled out a picture I had of all the kids as proof that she was one of mine. They had seating organized by division, so we found 186 and took our places.
The ceremony started with the presentation of state flags. That was very cool, a tribute to all of the states because it is sailors from each individual state that come together to form the United States Navy. Then the bay doors opened and each division came marching in, announced one by one. Andy told me later that this was when a tear came to his eye... when he marched in and saw all of the people there. The crowd cheered loudly, cameras flashed, and I am sure many tears flowed. I was sitting next to a family on one side, father retired Navy, there to cheer on their son. On the other side of me was a young African American family. The dad spoke with an accent that I couldn't quite place. He held on to a squirming little baby girl while trying to keep tabs on her 3 year old big brother as the looked for their mommy in the sea of white uniforms marching before us. I am sure they missed their mother and wife after 8 weeks of being apart. The room was filled with stories like that, that I could only imagine, just knowing my own.
I started getting all choked up myself and a few text messages from a friend almost sent me over the edge, but I managed to maintain myself. When the National Anthem played, Emilee and I stood up and sang loudly, like we always do. I love that song and all it represents. There were honors given to outstanding graduates, special guest speakers, and a pass in review ceremony. I was very proud to see him standing there, at attention, at parade rest, saluting the officers. Seemed a little sureal because flashbacks of my little boy in the navy uniform at my sister's wedding fifteen years ago kept popping up, superimposed over this tall young man before me.
Finally, the sailors were given liberty and the crowd swelled out of the stands to the deck below. We had a good view of Andy so we knew where to find him... we thought. Kept looking for the handsome tall boy in the white uniform... but there were 650 others dressed just like him! We went back up into the bleachers to get a better view, spotted him, and made a bee-line, this time getting right to where he was. He look very relieved (told me later he was worried that we hadn't come, that our flight had been cancelled/delayed, etc). He gave me a BIG hug and started introducing us to a couple of his friends. We met his petty officers and his chief also before heading outside the building. I could see he was still the same goofy boy with that disarmingly sheepish grin that I love so dearly. He had about an hour before reporting back to move his stuff to the next station so we went to the pizza hut/taco bell/KFC/subway place for lunch, his first real food in 8 weeks. Pizza and pepsi, that's what he wanted!
As we walked there, crowded by hundreds of sailors and their families around us, he was very mindful of the rules. No talking on the cell phone while walking. No crossing the street in the wrong places. etc. etc. We walked by the old "ships" where my dad had stayed during his basic training. I imagine it must have been a cool feeling for Andy to spend time in a place where his grandfather had been so many years before. After lunch, he walked us to the car and made a few phone calls before he had to go. A big hug (and kiss even!) later and he headed back to his ship with some buddies while we went back to the hotel to take a nap before he called to get picked up.
Around 5pm, we got him from his new quarters. Food... that was on the boy's mind (some things never change!). We managed to drive across town and find the mall I had been told about. There was a Chili's restaurant there so we had dinner. He called grandpa, he called Bill & Holly, he called Sara. He ordered a steak and a virgin strawberry dacqueri after trying the one that I had, and discovered that eating can be hazardous to your working whites after dropping his fork and getting a little splash of steak sauce on his shirt. Panic and a trip to the bathroom to wash it out followed...lol. He was NOT happy about that!
We spent a couple of hours in the mall shopping for civilian clothes so he'd have something to wear on the weekend. The first thing he did in his new quarters was throw away all issued underware and tshirts. He hated those! As we walked around the mall, he mumbled about having to spend money, saying how much he hated doing that. I kept thinking "who are you and what have you done with my son?" Here was the boy who couldn't keep a dollar in his pocket fussing over spending money on clothes, something he loved to do before. How cool was that? He managed to find a few things and we headed over to Target for toiletries... the essentials like toothpaste, deoderant, shaving cream and razors.
By this time it was 10pm and we headed back to the hotel. I got a little lost, again, but like always, managed to find my way home. Emilee wanted to go swimming, but we shot that down. It had been a LONG day! Andy jumped in the shower, the first one that he hadn't shared with 35 other guys in 2 months. He got online, checked email and myspace, sent off a few messages. When he was done with that he took the phone outside for a bit, getting in a little private time with Sara I am sure. He settled back in the room and started to channel surf the TV, having been media deprived for a few months now. Finally, sometime after midnight, my sailor boy fell asleep.
Throughout the evening, as I listened to his conversations with others, especially my dad and his uncle Bill, I knew that my son had become a member of a vast community, drawn together by shared experiences. My dad and Bill are both Navy vets, and Andy shared stories of boot camp that only they could fully understand. It's a family, the Navy family, and now, through him, we are all a part of it. It's good to have him here :)
