To Whom It May Concern

Day Three - 01Apr05

WOOOO!! Today is Graduation Day!! The culmination of three months of hard work for my sweetheart! I woke up at 4 in the morning and prepared my class A dress uniform. I have one thing to say, if you have cats, the sticky lint roller becomes a best friends for times like this. I must have run that thing up and down my uniform some 20 times as I got ready, all the while standing on a large garbage bag that I had put on the floor in the bathroom area to avoid getting my socks wet heh heh, what a dump. In case I have never mentioned it, I HATE the beret, it's a hat made by the devil to torment anyone who tries to wear it correctly. And to make matters worse, I brought my garrison beret instead of my dress beret so I had to spend extra time to make it look presentable. I didn't have polish for my brass, but that's okay, being the old soldier that I am (HAH, old) I know many of the tricks of the trade, so out came the toothpaste to shine everything up with.

All in all I was quite satisfied with how the uniform turned out. I brought the linty roller along with me and we checked out of that crap hole of a hotel, and away to graduation at Parris Island we went!! I was the very first person in the parking lot at just before 0600, so I ended up getting out and walking around the parade stands, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of early morning Parris Island yet again. The bleachers were covered with early morning dew, so I didn't sit down on them. As people started slowly rolling in for the 0900 graduation ceremony, I became "Mr. Information" for a variety of them, as I was the only one around in uniform. I would guess most of them didn't even realize I was in the Army heh heh. Thankfully, I knew the answers to most of their questions, although "Where can I purchase some coffee" caught me off guard and I was unable to provide any help for that person.

Thankfully someone brought out a bunch of paper towels and I got to wipe down the seats where Belly's family and I would be sitting. Then I had an idea... I crossed the black rope, yes, I did it!! I BROKE THE RULES, and I wiped off the seats where the 'broke marines' would be sitting. Oddly enough, I think being in uniform kept anyone from asking what I was doing, and I wasn't about to let my lil' Marine get a wet ass!!

Belly's parents and brother showed up at about 7:45, that was good because the stands filled up VERY fast. At about 8:30 Belly and the injured recruits showed up, I was glad I wiped the seat down because they would have had some really damp behinds, the other seats were still quite soaked. A little before the ceremony started, the husband of the Parris Island Commander (yes, the commander is a female) came over to the 'broke marines' (I still hate that term) and gave a really rousing speech, about not getting down on yourself for not being out marching, that the focus should never be what one does NOT get to do, but on what one has done, and what one WANTS to do in the future. It was a very good speech, and I think it really helped out the graduating Marines who were unable to march with their fellow graduates.

I couldn't believe how many people showed up for the actual graduation in comparison with family day the day before. People were sitting in the aisles and on the steps and down in front of us on the sidewalk, it was really quite amazing. About 5 minutes before the ceremony started, a disheveled woman, about 5'5" tall, probably around 50 years old, showed up, with a large bag in one hand and a Greyhound bus ticket stub in the other. Seeing me in uniform, she made a beeline for me, and quite emotionally asked where she could find her son. She didn't know what platoon he was in right offhand, so I searched through the different platoon numbers with her till she figured it out. She was so thankful, and I have to admit it impressed me as much as anything else I saw there, as she headed off to sit in the family area of her son's platoon, that someone would endure so much to see their child graduate.

As the ceremony started, I found it difficult to sit at attention, as a person should do when wearing your military dress uniform. I would look over to Belly though, and the other recruits, who, despite injury, sat perfectly still, eyes front, back straight, hands on their knees, holding perfect military bearing. I was able to stick with it for awhile but then my butt just started to hurt heh heh. I tell you what, blue jeans have like 100 times more cushion than dress pants do, OUCH!! The ceremony was quite nice, the graduating platoons did marched by the assembled dignitaries and did an 'eyes right' as everyone cheered for their corresponding platoons. The Parris Island Marine Corp Band was really great (although, I have to admit, the Texas A&M Band has them beat by just a smidgen heh heh).

Nearing the end of the ceremony my behind had been reduced to an irritated set of buns, but I was still so happy when they handed the Marine pin to my recruit, oops, correction, to my Marine, as I watched my lil' PFC put her pin on her hat!! I was just beaming with pride, as was her family. As the ceremony ended, we were able to get a few photos together, you can see some on her site, at www.mink.com, then Belly was whisked away to sign some paperwork, because after her 10 days of leave, she had to report right back again to Parris Island, on 'graduation hold' due to injury. Before you can move on to your next duty station, you have to be cleared medically by the Parris Island medical staff.

This took about an hour to complete, then we headed back to her platoon bay, took a couple pictures with her Senior Drill Instructor, then headed to the base Travel Agency to see if they could get a good deal on a plane ticket for Belly to fly from Omaha back down to Parris Island once her leave was up. They were unable to match the price her father got online, so we bought the ticket online instead. This little venture must have taken about 2 hours to complete, but it was important because it had to be done before she could go on leave from Parris Island, to prove she had arrangements set up to get back. Unfortunately the person who needed this paperwork proof was gone until 1 p.m. and it was only like 10 in the morning, so we went off base to get something to eat.

At this point Belly's parents headed to their hotel while we went back on base to put her stuff into a locker at the FBMP Platoon housing, where she would be staying when she returned, and to give the paperwork to the desk sergeant on duty at the time. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and yikes, we found out the paperwork was supposed to have been brought to the sergeant BY 1, not after 1. So needless to say, the Sergeant was not very happy with us, but she didn't go off all that much. Belly couldn't go on leave wearing her dress uniform so she went and got changed and then we headed off the island, much to her relief (well, for the time being, away from the island.) I probably should have changed on the men's floor, but I thought I would wait, ended up changing at a gas station a little ways down the road, haha, I just wanted to get some 'civies' on, to be more comfortable.

We headed off to Savannah and I got to see some of the places that Belly hung out at when she was at the Savannah Art School years ago. Her dorm was more like a bed and breakfast, at least looking from the outside. We saw a few little bars and places she frequented, then we decided to get a room at a hotel, and it was here that I got a little lesson in travel and correct procedures to follow when planning a trip. A lot of times, you can't get a hotel the night you arrive somewhere, fraNk never thought he would have to deal with this... unfortunately, I was wrong. The entire city was booked solid.

We went and met with her parents at their hotel. Belly's mother very graciously offered to let us stay on the fold out couch in their hotel room, but I really hoped Belly and I could find a place to stay to get a little time to ourselves and also give her family their space too. I think her father was thinking the same thing, the way he was rattling away at the keyboard looking for a hotel room for us. I really can't be thankful enough for his help, actually for her entire family and how wonderful they are.

Her father was lucky (or should I say skilled) enough to find us a place just up the road about 8 miles. Before going though, we all went out to a nice little mexican restaurant, where Belly and I proceeded to order two margaritas that were FAR too big for our appetites haha. Afterwards, we all headed back to their hotel, where we said our goodbyes to her family, hopped in the truck, and took off for our own room.

After checking in, I think we laid beside one another and talked for about 2 hours, about all sorts of stuff, it was so wonderful just listening to her relate her experiences, and how they corresponded with my own 'adventures' at infantry basic training at Fort Benning, 15 years before. We were both so tired, as I ran a hand down her back I was like "WOW", to which she responded "HUH?" I think your hands hold a specific memory of what someone feels like, and it was amazing how much muscle she had built up in the three months at boot camp. Belly has always been relatively fit, but this was different. Little ribbons of muscle along her shoulders and down her back, all interconnecting. Two ridges of muscle along her spine that were quite a bit more defined than before. And quite the defined calf muscles too, none of it overwhelming or manly, but my Marine was just that, a lil' packed bundle of 'devil dog' power, yet still feminine. Again, proud doesn't seem enough of a word to express one's feelings.

I think that's about all I really remember from that day, considering that I pretty much passed out at that point. What an amazing day it was though, to see Belly get the recognition she had earned for three months of dedication, commitment, and hard work. Belly is now a full fledged Marine.