Delayed Enlistment - Mom of a Senior in high school - now a member of the Air Force!

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Permalink Reply by Sherry Weaver on August 8, 2011 at 10:50am

Sherry Weaver said:

Hi moms,  I just found this site and my son, Travis went in on July 5th.  He was in the delayed entry program too.  His recruiter did really well with his training and it has made things much easier in BMT. 

I had periods of depression off and on the whole year.  Anytime the subject was mentioned, I would choke up.  It was especially bad at church.  I thought , this is really bad, am I causing him to worry about me?  I was trying to figure out all my emotions.  The week before he left is when he started to feel it.  He had times when he wanted to stay incredibly busy and times wen he just wanted our small family unit to be together.  The last week is when I felt I had to be strong for him and the raw emotions were replaced with bravado until I was alone. 

I have always worked outside the home but quit working for the 3 months before he left and that allowed us to spend more time together.  I arranged to start a new job 2 days after he left for BMT.  At that point my prayers were for the Lord to get us both through this, mentally and emotionally intact.  And to please, let me be available for that 1st phone call.

The first phone call came the evening of the 5th, the same day he flew to Lackland.  It was grab a pen and paper time.  He was very stressed out and I got confused on the street spelling of Truemper.  He was yelling " you've got to get this mom, I don't know how long I can stay on the phone, make sure you get it this time.  I told him I got it in the calmest voice I could muster, and prayed that I actually had.  That was the worst phone call I had ever had.  It was still better than none.

I heard from him a couple of days later, I had fallen asleep in the recliner and didn't hear my cell phone ring, it was on my lap.  I woke up and saw his missed call and I got so excited that it was from his cell phone, I called hime back.  "Mom, what are you doing, I told you not to call me back.  Didn't you listen  to my message?  I'll call you later".  Everything was repeated  in whispered, panicked urgency before he hung up the phone.  It was horrible.  It was still better than none.

Then I got a phone call at work and I, thankfully, was able to step away and take the call.  He sounded really good and said he was doing really good.

My letters to him are a great stress relief for me.  They are very positive and uplifting and I know the Lord is taking care of all of them, and us too.  They are making friends during this tough time and are helping to build each other up through our words of encouragement.

I am much stronger now that we are no longer waiting and this is actually happening.  It's just that the anticipation of, things were not ever going to be the same once he left , that was killing me.  I am so excited for all the possibilities that will be open for him.  In a recent letter to his dad, he said, "I am staying true to all my values, Im not losing them and I am praying for you guys every second of the day."  I could not be prouder of him.

We will get to see him early in the morning on Sept 1st.  I'm so excited, I can't stand it. 

The flights that went in at that time will be participating in BEAST next week.  That will more than likely dominate my prayer life, this week and next. 

They're making our dreams for them come true, in ways that we never could have imagined.

 

Travis' nick name is "Big Country".  He's 6'5" and a well fed Texan boy, the nickname doesn't suggest that  they are aware, he is one of the biggest Christian Metal Head rockers that there is.

Permalink Reply by Lynette on August 11, 2011 at 1:08am

Welcome Sherry, glad to hear your son is doing well at BMT.  My son also went in with a strong set of values which has helped him, especially during Tech School when they have more freedom. What part of Texas are you from? We lived in Levelland for 4 years (just west of Lubbock) I really liked it there.

 

Permalink Reply by Sherry Weaver on August 11, 2011 at 1:22am

Hi Lynette,

     How long has your son been in the Air Force?  We actually live in New Deal.  It is just a little north of Lubbock. We have a Lubbock address.  It is so dry here this year.  You know, the wind blows and the dust rises.  It just rises a little more this year.

 

Permalink Reply by Beth Salvatore on August 22, 2011 at 5:09pm

Does anyone know if the airman that go in via delayed enlistment graduate from BMT as Airmen or Airmen 1st Class? What if they have signed up for 6 years as opposed to 4 years?

Permalink Reply by Sherry Weaver on August 26, 2011 at 3:02am

Hi Beth,

     I was wondering if you had gotten an answer to your question?  That is something that I have been wondering too.  How are things going for you?  It is your son in BMT, isn't it?  I am very much a Newbie at this.

Permalink Reply by Lynette on August 26, 2011 at 6:50pm

Beth and Sherry,

Grant did DEP and was an A1C when he graduated BMT but he was told it was because he had 4 years of AFJROTC in high school and he was an Eagle Scout. I have also heard that if you have a certain amount of college hours (not sure how many) they also graduate as A1C. I don't think being in DEP and signing up for 6 years makes them an A1C but I could be wrong. Sorry I'm not more help.

Permalink Reply by Beth Salvatore on August 26, 2011 at 7:29pm

That sounds right, Lynette. From what I've been learning, if you are in DEP and enlist for 6 years, you will be A1C after 20 weeks of Tech School, or after graduating from Tech School (whichever comes first). You remain an Airman until then.

 

Permalink Reply by Brenda Robinson on August 29, 2011 at 10:30am

Beth, the additional benefit of getting A1C 20 weeks into Tech School is that the rank of A1C goes back to the beginning of basic which gives an earlier time in grade. So obtaining the rank of E4 will be quicker.

Permalink Reply by Lori Thueme on September 1, 2011 at 11:42pm

Welcome Alicia, I will soon be in your shoes and we can go though the senior year together. My daughter is also a senior and talked to the recruiter about going into DEP in November. I already have an Airman who celebrated his two year anniversary in July. But here we go again. A journal is a great idea and will be something your son can treasure when he is off to BMT and tech school.

Permalink Reply by Lori Thueme on September 1, 2011 at 11:48pm

Lynette, my son is also an Eagle Scout and enlisted for 6 years. When he graduated BMT he was classed as an Airman, he went in one rank higher. When he graduated tech school, 8 week program, he was A1C.  Other Airmen who graduated BMT with him did not make A1C for almost a year after he did. He also had done six months of DEP. He will be finishing up his 2 year tour to Germany the first of the year and he should make SRA before he comes home. That was according to his recruiter a couple of weeks ago when I was there with my daughter.

Permalink Reply by Lynette on September 3, 2011 at 11:48am

Lori, then I guess also having 4 years of AFJROTC is why Grant was an A1C when he graduated from BMT.

Permalink Reply by Lori Thueme on September 3, 2011 at 2:27pm

Yes, Lynette, they are rewarded for their ROTC by ranking up faster. Congrats to Grant for his hard work before going into BMT!!!

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