The morning after we arrived, I dropped mom off at Ft. Jackson and then as quickly as possible went to the airport to pick my dad up. His flight had been so delayed that he made it in the morning after his intended arrival. We got to the base about a half-hour after the start of the event, and were thankful that the start had been delayed due to some problems in the sound systemJ. Jesse was an honor grad, so we sat in VIP seating right in the middle. Just as my dad and I scooted into our seats, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue came over the loud speaker. I can’t describe how emotional the environment was. None of the families had seen their loved-one for about 10 weeks, and the music was perfect for that environment. As the song began to climax, green smoke bombs were set off on the far side of the field we were on. And then out of the smoke ran the new soldiers. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
The rest of that day was spent with Jesse on the base. We went to lunch, did some shopping, took a tour, played in a gym prepped with games for family day, and in the late afternoon Mom and I went to Starbucks and brought a drink back for Jesse. It was great to see him and the life he’d been living.
Instead of going into the details of the rest of the time there, I want to say thank you to Jesse and to all of our country’s soldiers. I think you all are amazing!
And here are some photos of my little bro:
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