Distinguished Soldier

Caleb graduated his MOS training on Friday, May 15 at the top of his class. He was introduced as the distinguished soldier from his company and was chosen to read "The Conscience of the Aviation Mechanic". I am going to post that along with some other parts of the graduation ceremony but I'm having trouble editing the footage on Richard's PC. The video plays beautifully on the camera but when I import it into Pinnacle, the video/audio skip and jump.

We are very proud of Caleb and are glad that he is home!!!

Need a Favor

Caleb turns 19 on Sunday, May 3rd. It would be great if lots of you could call Caleb today and wish him a "Happy Birthday!" If he doesn't answer his phone, leave him a birthday message in his voicemail. Even if you don't know Caleb, it would be great if you could call him and just wish him a happy birthday.

He is homesick and ready for graduation so hearing lots of birthday well wishes would brighten his day!!!!!

He does graduate on May 15th so he will be returning home soon. Richard is going to Virginia for his graduation ceremony and Kelsey and I are going to stay home. I told Richard to videotape the trip so hopefully I'll have some footage to post on my blog.

Don't forget to give Caleb a call. His cell phone number is 214.686.7610.

Thanks!

iPhone Stolen

Caleb called last night to say that his iPhone was stolen. He thought that his locker was secure when he left to take a shower but someone was able to get inside. I just don't understand how people can take things that don't belong to them. You would think that the men who choose to serve our country would have a bit more honesty and integrity than the average person. I am so very disappointed but am grateful Caleb is healthy and safe and out of harms way for now.

Homesick

Richard, Kelsey and I went to Robert and Mary's house for dinner last Sunday. While there, Caleb called! He told his Granna that he was homesick and couldn't wait to come to her house for a good dinner. He gets to go off post on most weekends and eats out whenever he can. He's getting a bit tired of army food. I don't think he will ever eat rice again!
He has spent some of his money on toys to keep him occupied. Among his new toys are a DVD player, over 20 movies and a PSP with a few games. He is enjoying the freedom that he has during the weekends. AIT training is definitely better than boot camp!
He was supposed to get his pass taken away this past weekend because the sergeant said that he didn't shave. Caleb said that he did in fact shave but fortunately the sergeant forgot by the time the weekend came so Caleb went to an all night gaming place and played video games with some of the other guys. He had so much fun Friday night, that he pulled another all-nighter on Saturday.
He told us that his troop in Ft. Worth was deployed in February and since he doesn't graduate until May, he thinks he will miss this deployment. I sure hope he is right!!

Finally!

Caleb finally called Sunday night and it was sure good to hear from him. He said that his graduation day is May 15th and that his troop in Fort Worth is going to be deployed in March. Since his troop is deploying before he graduates, he said that he very well may miss this deployment and that would be a good thing. Caleb doesn't know where his troop is being deployed but it is probably going to be Afghanistan.

He said that he is battling bronchitis right now and sounded very congested. He actually went to sick call and got medicine but he doesn't think it is helping. He and I both think along the same lines when it comes to doctors and medicine! He said that the temperature varies a lot more from day to day in Virginia than it does here in Texas and he feels like his allergies are a lot worse because of it.

He finished his classwork last week and will start working on the Blackhawks this week. He is excited about this part of the training because it is much more hands-on. Caleb gets bored easily with classroom work.

We spent a little time talking to Caleb about getting his taxes done. It's hard to believe he is old enough and makes enough to file. Currently, all of his mail gets sent to us so I gathered everything and am mailing it to him tomorrow. Hopefully he'll get it all worked out. He doesn't have access to a computer to do his taxes online so I am not sure how he is going to get it all done but it will be a good lesson for him to figure it all out.

As of last week, Caleb is part of his company's football team so his PT is all about playing football. He is disappointed that it is flag football though. He said that he is one of the only ones that can catch a football so he feels like he will probably be a wide receiver. They will play games against the other companies on base.

He is bummed out that the church is several miles away from his barracks. Arranging timely transportation there and back has been quite frustrating for Caleb so he hasn't been able to attend services. I am not sure how hard he has tried, however. Persistence is not one of Caleb's strong suits.

Our conversation ended when Caleb was called to formation. Please continue to pray for Caleb's safety and well-being.

Got Classed!

was assigned to a class this week and he will graduate on May 12th. He will spend the next 5 weeks in the classroom and then the rest of the training will be hands-on. His classs starts at 9am and ends at 5pm everyday but I think that he still does PT in the mornings.
His sergeant told him that the Frisco recruiters should have pushed harder for an E3 ranking when Caleb signed up since he has alomost 30 college hours so his sergeant told him to get his college transcript to him so he could try and get Caleb a promotion. Caleb was excited about that.

Waiting Game Continues

Caleb did not get classed today so the waiting game continues. I am sure he would appreciate phone calls, emails, text messages and a letter or two. It will not only encourage him to hear from you but it will help pass the time. He is very bored.

Thanks!
Kim

Not Classed Yet

We talked to Caleb this week and he was not put into a class on Tuesday. He said there are still people that arrived before he did that are waiting to be classed. He also mentioned that if either females or people that have previous military background come to Fort Eustis, they get classed before those that are waiting.
If he gets classed tomorrow, then he will graduate on May 5th, two days after his 19th birthday! Now that would be a great birthday present. If he doesn't get put into a class, his graduation day will be pushed back another week.

Please pray that he gets classed tomorrow! He is bored silly!!! They do PT every morning and then they do some detail work but most of the time he just sits around.

Caleb's New Address

We've received a few text messages from Caleb as well as a letter from his commanding officer which included Caleb's contact information. Caleb said that we could send him candy and gum but not anything else. HIs new address is:

Private Caleb C. Hunt
C Company, 1222d Aviation Regiment
1003 Pearl Place
Fort Eustis, VA 23604

His email address is texanpureblood@yahoo.com and his phone number is 214.686.7610

He is allowed to keep his cell phone in his locker and can use it when he is not on duty so feel free to call, text, or email him. I am sure he would love to hear from you!

You can also visit http://www.usaals.army.mil/ and click on the 1-222d link in the top right hand corner to learn more about what Caleb is doing at Fort Eustis,

As of today, Caleb has not been "classed" but he is hoping this will be done tomorrow. Evidently, they only create classes on Tuesdays so Caleb hasn't started his training on Blackhawk helicopters yet. His day has been filled with PT, duty and detail. He sounded a bit bored when we spoke with him on the phone last Sunday. He is ready to start learning something new.

Once he has been assigned to a class, he will find out when he graduates. It should be either the end of April or beginning of May.

Caleb sent me this picture from his iPhone and titled his message: "Where I Live".

Going Back 1st Class

We dropped Caleb off at the airport about 5:30 A.M. and he was wearing his army uniform. It was impossible for me to say good-bye without tears flowing. About an hour after we dropped him off, he texted us to let us know that his ticket was upgraded to first class at no cost. He was excited about that but he said he slept the entire flight. Wearing a uniform does have its advantages.
His flight out of Dallas left late, however, so he missed his connecting flight from Charlotte to NewPort News, VA. He was put on the standby list for the 2:30 flight and fortunately he was able to get on that flight. He arrived in Virginia around 4:00 and said that he didn't have to check-in at the base until tomorrow morning so he is staying the night at Motel 6 with some other privates which is a good thing because it will give him time to get a much needed haircut before his superiors see him tomorrow.

We had a great time visiting with Caleb over the Christmas holiday and we were amazed how fast he fell into his old schedule. Almost every night he went out with his friends and then slept in the next day. I did convince him to go jogging with me one day but that is the only day he exercised. He may be hurting a little bit this next week as he gets re-adjusted to his army schedule.

I'll post his new address as soon as he sends it to me. Please continue to pray for him while he is away.

Thanks!

First Call From Virginia

This morning he called to let us know that he arrived safely in Virginia yesterday afternoon. He enjoyed the 7-8 hour bus ride because he got to sleep after having to stay up all night. They sure spend a lot of time cleaning in boot camp. I hope that his cleaning habits continue when he comes home!!
He is not sure what he will be doing this week but I'm sure it will be easier than boot camp. We will pick him up next Saturday night at 11:08 P.M. We can't wait to have him home again!

HOOAH!

Caleb graduated and we are so proud of him!!!!!! It was sunmy and dry today and according to Caleb, these types of day are few and far between. Thank God for good weather! Now I am going to back up a minute and describe yesterday's events before I talk more about graduation day. (In the picture above, Caleb is third from the left in the last full row of soldiers.)

Family day was yesterday and it rained all day long. We got to see Caleb about 10:00 and the first thing he wanted to do was get a haircut. He missed his last haircut because he volunteered to stay behind and clean weapons so it had been 2 1/2 weeks since his last haircut. I thought it was a good length but my opinion doesn't count! Caleb said that they are taken for haircuts every 2 weeks and their head gets totally shaved but since Caleb did an extra duty, he was able to get a "high and tight" cut which is shaved on the sides with very short hair left on top.
Next we went to the bowling ally and played a couple of games. I think Grandma Rogy was smiling down at us and shaking her head regarding our bad bowling form! We did not play very well at all but we had fun just the same.
We did as Caleb suggested and purchased a cheap grill the night before so we could cook steaks! We found a covered pavillion in a park nearby. The steaks tasted great thanks to Chef Richard. Not only did he do a great job of cooking but he spent about an hour assembling the grill that said "Some assembly required" on the outside of the box. Richard just laughed when he opened the box saw all the parts.
After we finished our steaks/salad, we headed for a warmer and dryer place to play some cards. After playing a game of Rummy at the local Burger King, we headed to the commisary to buy some Blue Bell, Snickers, Egg Nog and Mountain Dew....all requests from Caleb.
We went to the Solomon Center which was set up with tables and even had some video game systems set up for families to enjoy. We ate our ice cream and then attempted to play some games. I tried playing Guitar Hero and discovered real quick that I need lots of practice! I was amazed at how well Caleb and Kelsey could play the guitar.
We stopped by a little shop inside the Solomon Center and Caleb purchased a couple of gifts for some friends and then we took him back to the barracks.

Graduation started at 10:00 A.M. sharp at Hilton Field. It was a good thing that we packed a warm blanket. Those metal bleachers were very cold! The sequence of events went as follows:
Formation of troops, invocation, forwarding of colors and National Anthem, presentation of awards to soldiers in each company that scored highest on the physical training test and marksmanship tests, remarks by the commander, soldiers recited the soldier's creed and then each company marched in front of the bleachers as the army band played the army song.

Immediately after graduation, Caleb had to get into formation after being bussed back to the barracks. A drill sergeant talked to his platoon for about 10-15 minutes and then ended by having them do "Mountain Climbers" while singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Then they raced up the stairs to clean the bay for about an hour. They had to clean until the drill sergeants dismissed them for the day. We finally got to see Caleb about 1:00.

He walked out of the barracks with two bags that he wanted us to take home so he wouldn't have to lug them to Virginia. His backpack was filled with civilian clothes and we purchased a garment back so that we could take his "Class A's" home as well. He also gave me a birthday present which was a parent appreciate plaque wrapped in an army t-shirt. Richard and I both cried as we read the plaque. It was one of the most thoughtful things Caleb has ever done! It sure meant a lot to both Richard and me.

We took Caleb off-post and he was very excited about that. It was a nice change of scenery for him! We ate Mexican food for lunch and then hung out at the hotel until it was time to go to the movie theater. We saw Transporter 3 and then went to a very nice restaurant for dinner called Diane's On Devine. It was highly recommended by the concierge at the hotel. It was sure nice to have both our kids at the dinner table once again!

As soon as dinner ended, we had to take Caleb back to the barracks. Even though we are going to see him next Saturday, it was still very hard to say good-bye. Below are a few pictures of our time together.
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Wilderness Training

Caleb just called to say that his 1 week in the wilderness was over. He camped out for 6 nights with temperatures dipping down into the single digits some nights. He didn't go into much detail about what they did during those 7 days and 6 nights but he did mention that he went on a 9 mile hike loaded down with his gear (probably 40-50 pounds). He said it was absolutely cold and miserable and he is glad it is over.
He said that he feels like he is running a fever but he won't go to sick call because he doesn't want to miss out on training. I am a bit stubborn when it comes to going to the doctor too but I sure hope it doesn't turn into pneumonia or bronchitis.
They are forecasting a cold rainy day for family day which is Thursday so we may be stuck inside all day but Caleb said that he would just love to hang out and eat. We aren't sure what restaurants are around Fort Jackson but we are planning on bringing him lots of great food. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so that Caleb can show us all around the base. Graduation day is supposed to be sunny but cold.

This past Saturday, we met at my mother-in-law's house and baked cookies for 6 hours. Caleb was excited to hear that we are bringing a bag full of chocolate oatmeal cookies, his favorite!
I sent him $60.00 a few weeks ago so that he could order pictures for me. He said that he left his locker to go to the restroom and when he came back, the money was gone. I sure hope that life is not like that in Virginia. Caleb said that he is going to share a room with 2-3 guys and I hope that he doesn't have to keep everything under lock and key constantly.

I am bringing my laptop to South Carolina so I will try and upload some pictures of family day and graduation. Please pray that we have a safe trip and mild weather.

Thanks!
Kim

Not one but TWO!

Caleb called soon after we arrived at Aunt Karen's house, around 1:30. He said that he pretty much had the entire day off and that they were being fed a nice Thanksgiving meal. Of course, Caleb would think it was nice if they just served turkey and rolls since he really doesn't care for any of the other traditional Thanksgiving foods. Richard and I talked to him for about 15 minutes but then he said that Matt, one of his friends, was calling him and that he would call us back since he was given 2 hours of phone time today. In his conversation with Richard, he mentioned that he was able to use a grenade launcher as well as throw hand grenades. He also was able to witness a Claymore go off which doesn't mean a lot to me but Richard thought that was very cool. He was able to shoot an AR-15 which is an assault rifle, a saw, and a .50 caliber gun. I didn't know there was a gun called a saw but Richard told me if you got shot by one, you could be sawed in half, hence the name saw.
Caleb feels like he will be moving to blue phase this next week. He said that he will spend one entire week in the wilderness and then it will be time for graduation.
This week I found out that his Christmas leave is Dec. 20th-Jan. 3rd and Caleb confirmed that when we talked on the phone. We will pick him up from DFW at 11:08 PM on Dec. 20th and he will fly out at 7:00 AM on Jan. 3rd. We are very ready for him to be home for a couple of weeks!!!!

Just as we were finishing dinner, Caleb called again. For the next 30 minutes or so, we passed the phone around so everyone was able to talk to him. Before we hung up, I encouraged him to call his grandparents. I was thankful that he was allotted so much phone time today.

Only 14 days until he graduates and 13 days until we see him again!!!

Red Phase Re-visited

Caleb called last night which was a big surprise. So far, all his phone calls have been in the early afternoon. He said that some of the other privates are making life a bit harder for everyone in the platoon. Evidently some of them keep breaking rules which has resulted in the entire platoon moving back to red phase which is the strictest and hardest phase of all. Caleb said that the training is becoming more specialized so he enjoys it but it sounds like he is just tired of being around guys that are very immature. It appears that Caleb has done a bit of growing up himself.
One of the guys just came back from the army hospital and he brought a Babe Ruth with him. Unfortunately, the drill sergeants caught him with it and they made him eat it while the rest of the platoon watched. Then everyone had to do a lot of extra PT. I guess I won't be trying to send Caleb any more Snickers bars. It's a good thing I gave him the heads up about them being hidden in the box so he didn't open it in front of anyone. He said that he got rid of the evidence as fast as he could.
It sounds like he is receiving his mail a little quicker too. He received all of our letters and care packages so far. He got the last set of letters along with the chap stick in about a weeks time.
Caleb says he doesn't have much time to write. Every third night he has to wake up in the middle of the night for Fireguard Duty. That means he gets to clean and when he is done with the cleaning, he simply has to stay awake until his 2 hours is over. He usually writes letters to help him stay awake but it sounds like that is the only time he has to write.

If you haven't had a chance to send Caleb a letter, I know he would really appreciate. Thanksgiving will be a bit lonely for him this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Kim

Snickers Ploy Successful!!!!

We received Caleb's third letter today and YES, the snickers ploy was a success!!! The snickers bars that I so cleverly concealed in an acne box, passed right under the noses of Caleb's sergeants! They took the deck of playing cards but they did not discover the Snickers bars. Caleb got a kick out of that!

His letter was a bit random as he jumped from one subject to another but I am sure you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
*******************************************************
Hey family,

I'm actually about to set this letter down and scrape my face and fangs to get ready for the rest of the day and I already wrote a letter to Granna and Matt so just letting you know that I'll probably be picking this up again in 2-3 days to continue what will probably end up being an absurdly short letter, but we'll see....Hey-O.

Found some more time and yeah it's been two days. Just got your last package and that is pretty funny. It's Sunday so I may be writing this right before I get to call, who knows. I should probably be dating these because it sounds like there's almost as much of a delay in you getting my letters as me getting yours. If I finish this one today, it will get mailed out on the 17th so there you go.
Hey, in the next set of lyrics try to get "Wake the Regiment" by The Wedding. Not too many people here appreciate my constant singing....go figure.....Then again, most of the people here never matured or threw maturity out the window when they came to boot camp. There's another Hunt in my platoon. He's from Florida and reminds me of Rayce kinda.
Getting that feeling in the pit of my stomach when I know I'm about to be leaving. Got it last time about a month before I left too so, what's new?
That's pretty funny about Angel though. Who'd a thought!
Sunday services are pretty sorry here too. It seems like there is just a lack of dedication and motivation from the staff. By the way, did y'all find a new worship minister and has Chuck left or what's going on there?
Yeah, your ploy worked by the way and I got the Snickers but the cards got taken up as predicted. Yeah I realize that I jump from topic to topic but oh well.
I thought that it was the most shocking thing in the world when the chaplain stops a worship song in the middle and turns around and says, "You get the point." Not exactly what I'm used to. Never been in such a time crunch that I didn't have time to finish worship. Crazy world.
Thanks for sending the lyrics you have so far. Send some David Crowder next time if you don't mind and there isn't a limit on my end as to how many lyrics I can receive per letter so keep 'em coming. I guess I'll probably call Jo and Matt and Josh this week. I'll call you if there's time after that but I didn't get to call them last week so I'll call them this one. Thanks for getting my address out to my friends at Preston Ridge. I haven't gotten a letter yet but it's only been a week and again, I don't get mail quickly.
By the way, this pen doesn't write very well horizontally so my writing keeps fading in and out and we had to pull a 50]50 fireguard half the night last night so I'm not really checking my grammar and spelling. Also don't worry about be getting enough food. I'm eating more than I usually do but I'm a lot more active so there is a balance, except when we have "hot A's" but that's the exception to the rule. Drill sergeants told us at the beginning of the cycle that we do more before 0900 than most people do the entire day so yeah.
Stop by next Sunday and tell Pastor Gerald that I said "Hi" and Chuck too if he's still there. Sorry I don't have more time to send letters but I'll keep trying. Got to go.
Hey-O White Phase,
-Caleb
PS Send some Newsboys too please.
*********************************************************
Caleb said goodbye to white phase as he started the last phase, blue phase, this past Monday. Blue phase is the least restrictive of the three phases so hopefully he will receive his mail in a more timely manner and have a little more free time.
If you have time to write him a short note, I am sure he would appreciate it. As you can tell from reading his letter, he loves the lyrics that we send. Pick out one of your favorite Christian songs and send him those lyrics. He will LOVE it!!

Hey-O for now!

Ring-a-Ling-a-Ling

Caleb just called! He only had a about 2-3 minutes to talk so I don't have a lot of information to share. He did sound a lot better than when he called a week ago. I don't think he is as congested but he still hasn't made it to sick call because he doesn't want to miss out on training.
He said that the weather in South Carolina is crazy. One day it will be sunny and warm and the next day it's windy and cold. It sounds like the weather in Dallas!
He still hasn't received the two care packages we've sent but I told him about the two snickers that I hope go undetected by the sergeants. He got a laugh out of that.
Only one more month until we get to see him!!! I can't wait!

2nd Letter

Before Kelsey and I left for school Friday, I remembered that I didn't check the mailbox when I got home from work on Thursday so Kelsey went to check the mailbox to see if we got a letter and to our surprise we did! What a wonderful way to start our Friday morning!
When I spoke to Caleb last Sunday, I asked that he describe his day from start to finish. I decided to type his entire letter. Currently he is in the white phase of boot camp which is not quite as bad as the red phase so it sounds like he spends a lot of time on the gun range.

Heya family,
So pretty boring around the house now? Ooh, did y'all get the 360 set up? I know I forgot to do that before leaving, sorry. Well the average day at basic........We wake up at o'deck o'clock and to barracks maintenance for about 45 minutes and then we do PT for an hour and after that we change into ACU's and eat a short breakfast. Then it's a quick march to the BRM range. We usually stop for lunch around 1300 and pick back up in 30-45 minutes till around 1530-1600 when we'll head back and either to more PT or weapons maintenance or have a class or something before dinner at 1800. We may do PT after that if we didn't do it before and then is personal hygiene, final formation and lights out. Not too much to our day but frosty mornings and cold winds. Good experience so far. I understand the drill sets so they don't really get to mess with me much. If you could, send me a box and a pocket size container of kleenex. It's hard enough trying to shoot with full battle rattle on without having snot drip off my face. Fun stuff, though, getting to shoot this M16. By the end of the cycle, I'll get to shoot a .50 caliber too which will make Matt pretty jealous. Getting a sore throat though. I haven't had an opportunity to go to sick call for it. Mostly because I don't want to miss training. On family day, the drill sergeant suggests that instead of getting food here, you go buy food and bring it on base for family day or bring a grill and cook food here. Otherwise we'll be waiting in line for hours for a whopper from BK, not your thing ma. Oh, and wake up? There is an intercom system and wake up goes something like this: 'Fireguard, lights on! Let's go Echo! Wake up! First formation is at 0530 in full winter PT's. Wake up!'
And yeah, it's real loud. No, my stamps haven't been stolen again, yet, it really does feel like a den of thieves in here. Mom, you really do need to start proofreading Dad's letters too. Dad, just because spell check doesn't complain, doesn't mean you used the right version of the word, but song lyrics to more songs are nice, heck, letters period are great. No, we don't get to listen to music either. Ok my fireguard shift is almost over and I'm going to mail this in the morning so until my next letter, love ya and see ya soon. Mom, enjoy your new car. Dad, let Mom proofread, and Kelsey, send more letters.

Basic basically sucks,
Caleb
P.S. These days really do fly by like they're nothin' but more letters make them go faster. Give some of my friends from PR my mailing address like Gabby, Nathan, and Caite. Thanx
Hooah!

Caleb would love more letters so if you have time, please send him a letter. His address is listed in the post titled "Clarification from the Sergeant"
Please call or email me if you have a question. Thanks for supporting and encouraging Caleb through letters and prayers.

Unbelievable but True

Last night, Richard and Kelsey were watching a show on TV. Then Richard noticed an awful smell and immediately sent Kelsey to investigate. Angel had a very loose bowel movement when we got home from work that day so he thought she had an accident somewhere in the house.
After just a few seconds, Kelsey asked Richard to come upstairs. Richard was not looking forward to helping Kelsey clean up this mess! He met her upstairs only to find that Angel had jumped up on Kelsey's commode and did her business and most of it hit the target! Kelsey still had to do some clean up but it was very minimal. We knew Angel was incredibly smart but we are amazed that she did that!!! Unbelievable!!!

Billy Graham's Prayer for Our Nation

I agree with Billy Graham's view of what is going on in our country!



'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

7 Precious Minutes

Caleb called as we were driving home from church today. Since my car has blue tooth capability, we were all able to take part in the conversation without passing the phone around. I couldn't believe that we actually got to talk to him for seven minutes. He sounded very stuffed up but said that he didn't feel too bad. He never was one to complain even when he was running a high fever.
I asked him if they were feeding him well and he just said that they don't feed him enough. I sure hope he is not losing weight! His body needs a lot of protein with all the working out he is doing. I guess he will survive but I don't like that he is not getting enough to eat.

Caleb said that he just received our first letters which were mailed 3 weeks ago so if Caleb hasn't responded to a letter that you sent, it may be that he hasn't received it yet. The drill sergeants must hold on to the mail for awhile because I am sure it didn't take 3 weeks to get to South Carolina!! He did say that he didn't get smoked so I must have addressed the envelope to their satisfaction.

Caleb made sure to tell us not to send food or drinks because the sergeants will come and tell Caleb "thank you" and then will proceed to eat and drink what is in the care package. Caleb won't get a bite or a drink. He did request razor blades to fit his razor along with some shaving cream. He also requested $50.00 so that he could buy the photo package that they offer. I put a deck of cards in the package along with a couple of snickers bars. I put the snickers bars in a package labeled "skin serum for ance prone skin". The package was taped up and just like new so hopefully they won't look inside!! They will probably take the cards away but I thought it was worth a try.

The only things that Caleb can do on his off time is laundry, write letters, clean his gun, and sleep. There is no T.V., radio, computer, etc. I know that Caleb is just dieing to listen to some music. In the letter that Richard composed 3 weeks ago, he wrote down the lyrics to a song by one of the Christian groups Caleb likes. Caleb made sure to tell his daddy that he really liked the lyrics and would love for him to send some more. He said that he shared the lyrics with some of the guys in his platoon. I guess that is as close to music as he has been since he got to boot camp.

As I stated in an earlier post, he graduates on December 12th and then has to report to Fort Eustis in Virginia by Sunday evening. He said that we could drive him to Virginia which is 410 miles away from Fort Jackson. Hopefully we can work out the air travel but if we can't, I guess Caleb will have to take the army bus to Virginia. The good news is that we will see him for a couple of weeks over Christmas break.
I usually roll my eyes when the stores start selling Christmas stuff in October because it seems that Thanksgiving just gets overlooked (and that is my favorite holiday), but this year, Christmas can't get here soon enough!!

Happy Birthday "Rogy Style"

Here is a birthday song for my sister, Kelly; my brother, Keith; and my step-father, Rob (a.k.a. Scoop)! Kelly celebrated her 45th birthday on Oct. 31st and Keith and Scoop celebrate their birthdays on November 5th. See if you can guess the artists that sang this song!!

Looking forward to seeing all of you at Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Kim

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Almost 2 Weeks

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've heard from Caleb. Many of you have been asking about him but I don't have any new news to share. I promise I will create a new post as soon as I hear from him.

He did mention in the voicemail that he left 2 Sundays ago that some of the guys in his platoon haven't figured out how to follow the rules so the entire platoon was being punished. Perhaps they lost their phone privileges this past weekend. 

I did see one of Caleb's good friends, Jo, when I voted today. She said that Caleb had not contacted any of his friends this past weekend either. I hope we hear from him soon! 

If Caleb writes or calls you, please feel free to add a comment to one of the posts about Caleb if you want to share some of what he said. Thanks!

Softball Highlights

Kelsey loves to play softball and really enjoys having her daddy as her coach. Her favorite thing to do is run around the bases. She rarely gets tagged out because she is such an awesome slider. This video is only 87 seconds long.....I had to delete some of the great plays Kelsey made because I was busy watching the play instead of paying attention to where I was pointing my camera! Enjoy!

RED

Last Sunday I picked out a new car! We decided to down-size and get something more economical and after test driving a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and a Nissan Altima, we decided on the 2009 Nissan Altima. We were treated quite well at Courtesy Nissan in Richardson and  they did not give us the run around like the Honda and Toyota dealerships did. All three cars were about the same price but the deal Courtesy Nissan offered was far better than the other car dealers. They found the car I wanted at an Oklahoma dealership and I took delivery on Wednesday. We got a great deal and the salesman and sales manager were both very nice. If you are thinking about purchasing a new car, I would definitely recommend Courtesy Nissan. Our salesman was named Jeff and he was very down to earth, knowledgeable, helpful and of course courteous!

This is the first car I've had with a sun roof and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I've driven the car for three days now and I still have over 3/4 tank of gas!!!! It sure beats the 14 miles/gallon I was getting with my Chevy Tahoe! The exterior of the car is about the same color as the word "LOVE" above and the leather interior is tan with a brown dash and wood accents. It is very pretty!

I will take a picture and post it soon.

2nd Phone Call

Caleb called this morning while I was in church so he left a voicemail. I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to talk to him but I am grateful that he called and left a message.

He told me that his directions for addressing his envelope were incorrect so if you have already written his address down somewhere, please make this correction in your address book:

Write his name Hunt, Caleb C instead of Caleb Hunt. Also make sure that the number 2 that you write on the flap of the envelope doesn't touch any other part of the back of the envelope. It must only be written on the flap. I also corrected his address in the post titled "Clarificaton from Sergeant" so you can refer to that post to find his address.

He also mentioned in his message that he is going to the gas chamber on Wednesday. I guess he'll get to experience what tear gas feels like. He said that it would be interesting but that is not the word I would use to describe going to the gas chamber!!!

He commented that punishment is not fun. Evidently there are other privates that haven't learned that it's best to follow the rules and do what you are told. It sounds like he is a bit frustrated with these privates! As many of you know, Caleb liked to "discuss", I called it "arguing", when he lived at home. It looks like he has become a rule follower rather than someone who wants to "discuss" the rules. That's a good thing!!!

Kelsey's Fall Band Concert

Kelsey performed in the Clark fall band concert this evening. She played the oboe and was asked by the band director to play a little solo for the audience. She performed well and we are very proud of her!

The song she liked best from tonight's performance was titled Tunes That Go Bump in the Night Arranged by Williams 

You can hear that song in the video clip below. The music stand covers Kelsey's face but I got a great shot of her fingers as she played her oboe. Enjoy!

Clarification from Sergeant

Ok, I just returned from the Army office in Frisco and got some clarification re: Caleb's first letter.

"Getting smoked" means to have extra physical training (PT). In order for Caleb to receive his mail, he has to do extra training but if the envelope is addressed incorrectly, he has to do a lot more PT. It sounds like that all the platoon does during the red phase of boot camp is lots and lots of PT so Caleb really doesn't want any more PT added to what he already is doing. It is Caleb's request that you address the envelope exactly as I have described below so that he can avoid extra PT.

I actually talked to an ex-drill sergeant and his advice was to write lots of "I love yous" etc. on the envelope and of course all the army guys in the office readily agreed with him. He said that in order to pass the PT test, the privates need lots of physical training so he said that I would be doing Caleb a favor by addressing the envelope in a different manner. However, I am going to address the way Caleb requested.

I asked if it was a good idea to send cookies and again I was told "SURE!!!" Once again they laughed and then the sergeant explained that if I sent cookies, that the drill sergeant would make the platoon do extra PT just to smell the cookies....they may not even get to eat them. The sergeant said that it would be best to wait until December to send cookies because there would be a better chance that the platoon would get to eat them. If you do send cookies, treats, etc. make sure you send enough for 60. That is about how many are in his platoon.

If you send Caleb a letter, make sure your return address is on the front of the envelope in the top-left corner. On the back of the envelope, you need to write the number 2 centered at the top of the envelope.

Address the rest of the envelope like this:

Hunt, Caleb C

Eco. 2/39th Inf. Regiment

2nd Platoon Punishers

Fort Jackson, SC 29207

I am sure Caleb would love to hear from as many people as possible.....even if he has to do some PT to get the letters. He misses everyone and I am sure some encouraging words from his family and friends would lift his spirits. Thanks!

First Letter from Caleb

I received my first letter from Caleb today. He mentioned in his phone call on Sunday that I needed to "follow directions" so that he wouldn't get in trouble. Well he should know that I am quite the rule follower but he seemed worried that I would not follow the directions to a "T". That is all he said on the phone as his time was limited.

The first thing he mentioned in his letter was warning us again to follow the directions he wrote on the back of the letter so that he wouldn't get "smoked". I am not sure what that means but I know it's not good. Caleb is quite worried that even if I follow the directions that he will get "smoked". I don't like the sound of that!!! 

His directions just showed how to address the envelope when I send him a letter. Since his handwriting is not that neat, I am a little concerned that I won't address it exactly as it is supposed to be. I am going to check with the sergeant that recruited him so that he can verify Caleb's address before I post his address for everyone else. 

Right now, Caleb is in the red phase and will be for 2 more weeks. Then he will be in the white phase for 3 weeks and then the blue phase for 3 weeks. Then he will have one week of out-processing and his graduation will be on my birthday...Dec. 12th. I don't know what those phases mean......Caleb tends to leave out a lot of details when he writes. Hopefully when he responds to my letter, I will be able to fill in some of those details.

He said that he hurt his knee but that it is starting to feel better. He wasn't surprised to find that he was the only guy who doesn't cuss but he said that it sure is a culture shock having to listen to it all the time. He hasn't had any drill sergeants "in his face" yet so he sounded hopeful that things are looking up.

The roll of stamps that he took to boot camp got stolen so the only thing he asked for were some forever stamps. He said that "Everyone steals everything here." It's a good thing that they aren't allowed to bring much to boot camp!

When I write to him, I will ask him if he wants others to send him letters right now. It may be that if he gets a lot of mail, that he will get "smoked" a lot and I don't want him to have to go through that. He may want us to wait until he is in a different phase of boot camp before he receives letters/care packages. I'll let you know.

Volleyball Highlights

Kelsey's team, The Clark Cougars, played a great game against the Stafford Spartans. The video shows a few of the great plays that Kelsey made tonight. We are proud of you Kelsey!!!!

She is the tallest one in the front row.....Number 15.

An Unexpected Phone Call

As we sat down to dinner last night, my cell phone rang and it was Caleb's ringtone! I was surprised that the Army was letting Caleb use his cell phone instead of using the pay phone at the base. It was so good to hear that ring!!

Caleb told me that he only had 5 minutes to talk so I quickly started asking questions!! He said he was doing well and that boot camp was not as hard as he thought it would be. He attended church on Sunday but said that it was a little boring....definitely not the type of service he is used to attending. He actually had the entire day off but didn't know if that was the Sunday norm or not. I guess he'll find out next Sunday.

Before I had a chance to ask more questions, Caleb quickly interjected that he wanted to make sure he had time to call his friend, Matt. I told him that Kelsey wanted to say a quick hello first and then he ended the call with "I love you's" for everyone.

He mentioned that he mailed a letter and that I should be receiving it soon. He was able to include his address in this letter so I'll include that in my next post.

Caleb leaves for boot camp

Saying good-bye to Caleb on the evening of September 29th was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Over the next couple of days, I waited anxiously for Caleb's call that he arrived in South Carolina safely but that call didn't come. I finally called one of the sergeants that recruited Caleb and told him I hadn't heard from Caleb. The next day, while deer hunting in South Texas, Richard received a phone call from Caleb. Since he was hunting, he did not have his phone turned on so Caleb left a voicemail saying saying that he made it to boot camp and that he loved us all.

That night, Richard called to tell me about the voicemail and Kelsey and I were eager to hear it for ourselves but when Richard returned on Sunday he explained that he mistakenly deleted it.

A week after Caleb's departure, I received a postcard from him. One side was titled: Watch Your Soldier in Action! Gas Chamber, Victory Tower, Marching, Weapons and More! A Once in a Lifetime Event! I personally think that they should have left off a few of those details!!! Apparently, we can purchase a basic training highlight video as well as a video of the boot camp graduation ceremony. 

On the other side, Caleb did have room to write a short message:

Hey Mom and Dad,

This is the actual grad video information. Missing y'all already. Tell Matt and them I said hi. Tell sis I love her.

See ya in a few weeks,

Caleb

I now find myself running to the mailbox each day hoping to find another note from Caleb. He didn't leave his address on this postcard but I feel like his next letter will include his mailing address as well as the day he graduates. I will post that information as soon as I get it.

Please continue praying for Caleb. 

State Swim Meet Results

Kelsey and I did well at the state swim meet in San Antonio. Kelsey placed 7th in the entire state in the 50 yd. backstroke event for the 13-14 age group. Her medley relay placed 11th and her free relay placed 10th. We are very proud of Kelsey!!!!

I was fortunate enough to swim on two 18 and over co-ed free relays. We were able to break state records in both the 100 yd free relay and the 200 yd. free relay. I also broke the 50 yd. free record with a time of 26.67 and the 100 yd free record with a time of 1:00.09, however, another lady beat me by .4 second in the 100 free so the record will be in her name. I also swam on a women's 18 and over 200 free relay and we took a bronze medal in that event.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Welcome to the Hunt Family Blog. I thought that blogging would be a great way to keep everyone up to date on what is going on with our family. Here is a little summary of what has happened so far this summer.

Kelsey started her summer off by going to church camp at Camp WOW. Her best friend, Meagan, went too. As many of you know, Meagan moved to Arkansas this past December and Kelsey has missed her terribly so we were very excited when we found out that Meagan was going to camp. After camp, Meagan stayed at our home for about a week and a half. Kelsey, Meagan and their two friends, Tyler and Harrison, spent a lot of time together. They hung out at our house, sold lemonade to the golfers on the golf course, went to Hurricane Harbor, and ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. They also spent a lot of time at the creek. When I came home from work one day, I discovered a turtle in my sink and a duck in my backyard!

Caleb graduated this year and is currently taking a 3-hour summer class at the community college near our home. He did decide to join the Army reserves and he leaves for boot camp at the end of September. Boot camp, which will be held in South Carolina, will last 9-10 weeks and then he will attend AIT training for 14 weeks. That training will prepare him to work on the Blackhawk helicopter. Caleb will receive a signing bonus of $20,000 after he completes his training as well as $667 per month for college and a $20,000 loan repayment plan for college.

We just found out this week that Caleb passed the three college AP exams that he took in May so once he finishes his summer class, he will have 30 college hours. The AIT training will count toward his college hours too but I am not sure how many hours he will receive for that training yet. Please pray for Caleb as he prepares to enter boot camp. Once he leaves for boot camp, I will post his address for those that would like to write to him. I am sure he will enjoy hearing from his family and friends.

Caleb, Kelsey and I just returned from our family reunion in Arkansas. Aunt Becky and my cousin, Michelle, organized the Mountain Home Summer Goofy Olympics. Our family was divided into two teams. Mandy was the captain of the Lakers and Ally was the captain of the Mockingbird Meanies. The races were all very close but the Lakers were the 2008 Goofy Olympic Champions! "Oh snap, look at that! The Lakers just scored!"