Last week Will asked if we would mind if he joined the local National Guard unit for a weekend drill as a guest of one of the members; a boy in his grade. I was a little surprised that a) he was allowed to join a drill weekend as a guest, and b) that he wanted to do that rather than go skiing. Still, I said "Of course you can" and signed the liability release form (a form some have jokingly called the 'Death Waiver').
Friday night we had tickets for the whole family to go see The Hobbit in the theaters. Will decided not to join us, however, since the movie went late and he planned to leave the house at 6 am Saturday morning. So, we went to the movies without him and he went to bed early. I got up early on Saturday morning to see him off on his weekend of adventure. I really had no idea what he'd be doing. I just hoped that he'd enjoy whatever it was.
He got home Sunday evening. He told stories of being issued an M-16 (unloaded) and being taught how to dismantle, clean, and reassemble it. They had drills on speed and accuracy. They worked as teams to dismantle, clean, and reassemble grenade launchers. He also told of learning hand to hand combat techniques and practicing choke holds on each other. One soldier passed out because he failed to "tap out", or let his sparring partner know when to release him. He told us about time spent in classrooms, the 'chow hall', and PT (physical training... sit ups, pushups and the like). He told us how the sergent and other active duty members jokingly called him "Ron Weasley" (for his long red hair) and how the sarge would say "10 points for Griffindor!" whenever Will did something well. The joking and teasing was done in good humor, though, and he always felt welcomed by everyone there. He told us about experiencing simulated combat using an assault riffle attached to a compressor (shooting at video projections, not real people) and how much different it was from a video game. More sobering and scary. He told us it was the longest weekend of his life, and he told us he wants to join.
He wants to join the National Guard when he turns 17. That will be this coming May and he'll need a signed permission form from us to do so. He plans to serve in the National Guard while going to college, then joining the Army once he has graduated. He is still interested in majoring in Computer Science. He is interested in either working with the rovers (unmanned tanks) or on developing combat training simulators.
In the meantime, he has been invited to continue participating in drill weekends with the National Guard unit, and wants to get his ACUs (training uniform) right away. He wants to officially join in May, after his 17th birthday, and hopefully go to basic training this coming summer.
We had Will's SEOP (Student Educational Occupation Plan) with the high school counsellor today. That's a meeting to make sure that the student is on track for high school graduation, and for making post high school plans. Mr. Bayles, the counsellor, asked me how I felt about all of this (after Will told him his plans). I am proud of my son and support him all the way in his desires to serve his country and go to college at the same time!
This may seem a strange post to follow my post about too much violence. However, I can't help but feel proud of my son for wanting to do his duty for his country! The military is the right setting for assault weapons and the military is the place to learn their proper use... in the defense of our country and our freedoms!
So, yes. I will sign the papers in May if that is still his wish.
0 comments:
Post a Comment