Marc has been communicating with me mostly via phone these days. These marathon phone conversations on everything from Marc’s reading material to the minutiae of our days make the separation bearable. I am looking forward to joining Marc in Oklahoma at the end of the summer as it has been about eight months since we’ve been able to live together. Your support and encouragement has made those eight months much easier. Advertising the details of my life, as if they are something unique, makes me feel a bit silly. Still, word has filtered back that these updates are received in the sentiment they are written- a thank you to all of you who are part of our lives. So, I will continue…
As many of you know, Marc graduated OCS on April 8th. We had a wonderful time and I felt an amazing sense of relief. Marc has his commission and the clock on his initial commitment has begun ticking. Up until the actual graduation day, I had fears that, through no fault of his own, Marc might be injured and unable to complete a graduation requirement. That would mean he would be “recycled,” as one-third of the officer candidates were for one reason or another, and would have to wait several months before returning to OCS. Any delay could have postponed his Officer Basic Course in Oklahoma, and so on.
The night before graduation, the OCS class hosted a formal dinner and after party. The very-soon-to-be-officers wore their Class A uniforms while most of their instructors wore dress blues or mess uniforms. All the civilian ladies looked beautiful in their gowns and everyone was simply beaming. Marc’s mother, father, and maternal grandmother were on hand for the festivities.
A highlight for me was meeting many people with whom I had corresponded by e-mail as one of the FRG leaders. The (mainly) wives, girlfriends, and mothers are an excellent group. People were very complimentary about the job Gina, Jessica and I had done with the FRG. The commander even brought Jessica and me to the dais to give us certificates for our work. Although all the attention was embarrassing, and I was disappointed that he wasn’t aware of the work Gina had done, the appreciation validated my efforts.
Graduation was a very special day for us. Marc passed OCS with flying colors, meeting and exceeding all physical, academic, and leadership requirements. I am continually impressed by his Physical Fitness accomplishments- he even earned an Excellence in Physical Training award! After the graduation in the auditorium, we went to the OCS cannon, in honor of the artillery, for Marc’s swearing-in. I was permitted to pin one of the “butter bars” on Marc’s shoulder. Of course, I pinned it the wrong way. Thankfully, this does not nullify the commission! We celebrated with dinner with his family and many presents for the newly minted Lieutenant.
Marc was able to return to New York for a few, too-short days. Thank you to everyone who was able to join us at Florio’s or later at the Yale Club. We’ll be sure to let everyone know the next time Marc can come to New York. Of course, no time with Marc is complete without an adventure! In November, the Honda Civic was stolen out of the parking lot in New Rochelle. As a replacement, I purchased a used ’93 Saturn. So, when we recovered the Honda several months later, we had two cars, one spot, and one driver. My parents helped me to register and inspect the Honda and Marc decided to take the Saturn on a less-than-leisurely drive from New York to Oklahoma. When Marc went to pick-up the Honda for me at my parents’ house, the car wouldn’t start. So, Marc had my mother drive him to his parents’ to pick up their station wagon. Later that night, the station wagon died us in the middle of the street. With the aid of several New Rochelle characters, we jumped the car four times; the car died on us four times. Unfortunately one of those times was after Marc pushed the car into the middle of a neighboring apartment building’s driveway. Someone called the cops, fearing drug dealers, thieves, or perhaps terrorists. Fortunately, the young policemen were suitably impressed by Marc’s military service and let us get back to the business of jumping the car, again. Most fortunately, the last time the car died, it was already safely in berth. Two cars dead, and an exhausting night. Thankfully, mechanics were able to fix both cars relatively easily.
So, Marc headed off to Oklahoma in our Saturn, complete with his new iPod, one of my graduation gifts to him. His trip there was relatively uneventful, although he did find the mid-western billboards fascinating. As Marc had about a week before FAOBC (Field Artillery Officer Basic Course) classes began, he started some research on a topic of historical military interest and perhaps modern relevance- I’ll let him tell you more about it if he decides to write a paper on the subject. He also purchased and set-up a new computer. Without me around to handle all things electronic, he has become somewhat fascinated with technology.
OBC started about two weeks ago and Marc is enjoying his physical and academic training. He is learning about various types of artillery and had a field training exercise calling for fire from Howitzers. Apparently family members were invited and the booming artillery especially excited the kids. His first test was yesterday and he acquitted himself quite well. For his first physical fitness test, Marc beat his previous high score and earned a 295 out of 300!
Always searching for new challenges, and perhaps spurred on by this accomplishment, Marc elected to do pre-Ranger physical training. Ranger training prepares soldiers for special operations, although many Rangers are in regular units. Ranger training is nine weeks of some of the most demanding work possible. The soldiers are flown all over the US for jungle, mountain, and desert field exercises. To prepare and select officers for Ranger training, the Field Artillery branch requires pre-Ranger training during Officer Basic Course. Completing pre-Ranger training will qualify Marc for Ranger school but not require him to elect Ranger training. So, this choice does not mean Marc will go to Ranger school, but completing the program will enable him to do so, should he so choose.
Although knowing Marc has some free time to join his friends for dinners and movies makes it tougher to be apart, he certainly deserves this break after all the hard work of OCS and a long day of training at OBC. I am very proud of him and what he has accomplished so far. I am sure that whatever comes next, he will do his considerable best for the United States. Although the details of the next few years are sketchy at best, I know that I am grateful for my husband and for friends and family like you.