On Being the Mother of a Soldier - Part 2

Arriving at Fort Knox
(faces & details obscured for Opsec reasons)

The day my son Justin first arrived at Fort Knox, Kentucky for his Basic Training, was a difficult one for him obviously, but also for me, for his stepfather & for his sister. It was on that day that I realized that my son, my child (albeit my grown child, but my child just the same), was no longer within my sphere of protection & that I no longer had any control over what happened to him. He was a new Private, with the rank of PV2. His was one rank below a PFC, or Private First Class, but a Private nonetheless, with all the treatment that goes along with being the lowest rank in the Army. I knew that he was going to have a difficult time at Basic Training, as they all do. 

On Being the Mother of a Soldier - Part 1

My sister once gave me a journal, on the day we had a going-away get-together for my son Justin (who has given me permission to use his name) shortly before he left for Army Basic Training at Fort Knox, KY in 2010. With great intention, I wanted to write my feelings down in the book each time I felt the pangs of worry or the swell of pride for my son. I found myself paralyzed with the inability to jot my thoughts down, much as I had a desperate need to, & chose instead to internalize my feelings & keep them safely tucked away in my head. I didn't like the thoughts going through my mind.