America has gained another Marine to fight for, protect, and guard her interests! My son graduated last Friday from boot camp in San Diego!! We’re all extremely proud of him and very happy that we’ll actually get to have him home for 31 days before he has to ship out to infantry school. Normally leave is around 10 days but with the timing of the holidays it looks like we got lucky! I like luck.
We decided, partly through our airline flight availability, that we would stay 5 days. The original headcount was to be five of us, but the group grew a bit, so at our largest, the group was 8 adults and one small child! To move us all around, we rented a HUGE van, which worked out quite nicely. I didn’t even mind the people coming up to me and asking what time the shuttle leaves for ‘xyz’ destination! Hehehe..I could’ve probably made a few bucks with that gig but we were full and didn’t really have time.
A few things jumped out at me this trip and really challenged assumptions, opened my eyes, or just plain made me stand there with my mouth open and no words to come out. First off, the US Marines move a TON of recruits through the depot-known as MCRD. Secondly, a drill sergeant can run LIKE THE WIND, even in dress shoes! Oh, and the smoky bear hat magically stays put. As an aside, if you ever attend a Marine graduation, don’t be like the morons that can’t seem to follow directions-STAY OFF THE PARADE DECK! They all trained us on family day to yell at people who did that, after all, there were several hundred of us in the bleachers so we could see a mouse if it decided to step out on that parade deck!
Another thing that really stands out to the parents is the transformation in their sons. Yes, they’re still the same person, but the level of maturity, and certainly discipline, self confidence and appreciation are all noticeably more. I say appreciation because that rebellious teenager that left 3 months ago will now be happy to tell you that he missed you and home, and loves you, etc. That transformation must be an incredible eye opener for those whose sons were hard to deal with, we’re lucky that ours wasn’t!
OK, the biggest eye opener to me in San Diego... Yes the traffic is incredibly heavy, that’s not it. The roads take off willy-nilly in every direction with multiple interchanges and highways, that’s not it. The signs on most of the streets totally suck by not being lit at night, nor even being very reflective..that’s not it either! The amazing thing about driving in San Diego is that when you put a turn signal on, people will let you over. Oh sure, there are some impatient people that don’t want you in front of them, but in general, the drivers are friendly, forgiving of kamikaze traffic maneuvers, and tolerant of those who don’t know where they’re going! Not once did I put on a turn signal and have somebody speed up to block me. Of course, as SOON as we got back home to Big D, I had to go back on the offensive as drivers here would rather see you upside down in a ditch than for you to take that open space in the lane in front of them!
Of course I could write pages and pages about the scenery and fun things to do in San Diego! By no means did we even scratch the surface, but I’ll recommend a few things if you ever find yourself out there: the Hotel Del Coronado-a historic hotel that boasts of having movie stars staying there going back to the 20’s. It’s open for tourists to walk through the lobby and shops, and has an ice rink, sculptures of Dr. Seuss characters in the courtyard, and a really cool pier that is set up for sitting outside on chilly nights with a cool firepit surrounded by comfortable chairs. A great place to drink hot chocolate when it’s in the high 40’s at night! Of course there’s the awesome beach!Keep in mind though, if you’re scared of heights and long bridges over the water, you may want somebody else to drive there and back, you see, Coronado is an island. A very cool and beautiful island.
La Jolla is a very cool place to see as well. You really need to head down and take a walk along the beach, see the seals, the weirdos, the cool vegetation, everything you expect in California but had no idea was so awesome to behold!
The San Diego Zoo. Even if you’re not a kid, you’ll like the zoo. Bring comfortable walking shoes and a big memory card for your camera!
The Gas Lamp district is also a very cool place. Expect parking to be a pain so you don’t get too wound up, be prepared to walk a few blocks if need be. Keep your eyes open! We saw Hare Krishnas, homeless bums drinking out of cans they pulled from the trash, girls who forgot to bring their clothes with them (almost), guys who apparently don’t know there’s a gender difference between men and women, a couple people fighting, some wild cars, and a ton of very friendly people. Everybody in California ‘does their own thing’, not always in your face, but you just never know exactly what you’ll see just looking around.
Above all else though-and where I started-is how incredible it was to attend the graduation of our son from Marine boot camp. The culmination of months of hard training, sleep deprivation, pain, and the deep sense of honor that these MEN now hold was, and is, a privelege to behold.
Semper Fi to my son and all those who graduated from Fox Company!!
