Stealing Hugs

I've gotten a few more letters and actually got to talk to Christopher twice on Sunday and once on Monday - all legal calls! His mouth was going a mile a minute. I actually had to cut him off on speaker phone Sunday cause I was going into the church for Mass. My Grandmother got to talk to him too and he called my Mom Monday (she was working Sunday). It was good to hear his voice.

He's still having ups & downs but he's doing it and excited about graduating. He has big plans about eating at the Texas Roadhouse, drinking Sprite, eating the homemade chocolate chip cookies he wants me to bring and a huge kit kat bar.

He told me he's going to be talking to me all day long on family day because he has so much to tell me. He sounded so much better. Now he's coming into Blue Phase where they will be putting everything they've learned into practice in an encampment:

Victory Forge

Victory Forge is a 7-day field training exercise combining all previously taught basic combat training skills. It is the culmination of basic training.
Soldiers are continuously challenged on all the skills learned throughout the nine-week training cycle. Here is a general description each day during Victory Forge.

Day 1 - Pre-Combat Inspections (PCI), prepare and produce an operations order (OPORD)

Day 2 - 10-Kilometer foot march, quartering party procedures, occupy a position and establish a defensive perimeter, conduct tactical feeding, introduction to night operations and rest plans

Day 3 - Conduct "Stand-To", undergo Nuclear, Biological and Chemical training, issue a squad-level OPORD, defensive operations, conduct troop-leading-procedures, go through the Teamwork Reaction Course, conduct squad-sized tactical exercises and a night tactical exercise

Day 4 - Same as Day 3

Day 5 - Same as Day 4

Day 6 - Recover from the defense, conduct PCI/stretch, issue squad and platoon-level OPORD, move to and conduct the Night Infiltration Course, execute the
Live Fire Night Infiltration

Day 7 - Conduct PCI and ensure personnel and equipment accountability, 15-Kilometer foot march, participate in an After Action Review, and after-operations maintenance which culminates with the Rites of Passage Ceremony symbolizing the transition from Soldier-in-Training to Soldier in the United States Army.

That's when he'll know for sure he's made it.

I got 6 letters yesterday! He thought I was spraying my perfume on the envelopes I sent (I wasn't) and he said it was like getting a hug so; I sent him a small swatch of fabric in a baggie with my perfume sprayed on it with 'A hug in a bag for you. Love, Mom'. It was his routine to catch a whiff in the morning, kinda like a hug to start his day.

Someone stole it out of his wall locker, that and $20 out of his wallet. Of all the things to steal - a 2 inch square piece of scented fabric.

I imagine that when all you smell all day is sweaty guys, a lil perfume can be a slice of heaven. (Although, I wouldn't mind smelling a sweaty guy occasionally)

My solution? I've cut up 90 pieces of fabric, soaked them in 4 different kinds of perfume or powder, put one each in a tiny envelope, slapped a label on it that says:

"Whether it be your Sweetie or, your Mom,
May the hug held inside, give you warm thoughts of home!"

Son can pass them out to whomever wants them.

I'd gladly give a free hug to every soldier I could, no need to steal one.