Finally, time to see my son! It's been 5 weeks of not knowing how well he's REALLY doing...mentally and physically. The short texts here and there were great, but I couldn't wait to lay eyes on him and give him a hug.
Eric enjoyed being on base. He wanted to stop everytime we passed a cannon or tank.
Advanced Camp (AC) is a mandatory training event for 4th year ROTC Cadets that is designed to assess a Cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. It is the most significant training and evaluation event in Army ROTC. AC is 38 days of complex, challenging, and rigorous training conducted in a stressful environment. Here's his Delta company. Luke is 3rd from the right.
Advanced Camp included marksmanship (rifle cleaning, controlled breathing, shooting accuracy), a PCFT (physical fitness test) where he scored 560/600, three rucks (6, 8, and 12-mile walks in your boots carrying a 35 lb sack), rappelling, an obstacle course, day & night navigation, chemical warfare training (his worst activity), and field training exercises (playing Army in the woods).
While some of this may seem fun, it was anything but that. The cadets had "fire watch" where you had to stay up during shifts every night. The cadre would often get the cadets up at 4:30am, or earlier, to begin an activity. There were nights he slept outside in the rain with no cover, had spiders crawling on his face, was covered in poision ivy rashes, and became really deydraded. There is no privacy, either, whether for showers, toilets, or changing clothes. His physical endurance and stress was pushed to the max, and he came home 10 lbs lighter. But, he completed the camp successfullly and still had a smile on his face!
Eric blended into the military base so well (ie. shaved head, fit, big muscles) that he felt he belonged. People we'd walk pass would do a double-take as if they should recognize him as a visiting General or something. He decided to go for a jog and play the part, ensuring he passed in front of other cadets.
When it came time for the graduation ceremony, the four companies in 5th regiment marched out onto the field. Luke was in Delta company, the 4th group. Each company is lined up in order of height to appear uniform. The tallest are in front, so we knew to look there for our son.
Luke was in the front row and directly behind the Company Cadet Commander. Durng the ceremony, the Live video feed captured a great close up of him.
Towards the end, each Company marched in front of the podium and guests as we applauded and acknowledged their accomplishment. Luke is front row, 3rd from the right.
Here's the cadre and cadets who were there during 5th regiment from the University of SC.
Yep, my baby is home. 💛
