There's That Smile!

Yesterday, I had been trading emails with Jackie. While we’ve been able to locate photos of Graham, as posted by the USAFA WebGuy team of photographers, I’d not seen one that told me he was doing OK. I just needed to see something that told me he was doing fine. Then I saw this photo of him, posted just a few moments after I had expressed my concern to Jackie.

The smile we've been waiting for!

We had been warned that each photo is a snapshot in time. Each photo tells a slightly different story. In one photo, you might see no smile. Maybe you get a sense of unhappiness. And you might reach a different conclusion about what is going on with your kid as opposed to seeing a huge grin.  That is exactly how it is for these young people.  For the most part they are all doing really well.  They are figuring it out.  They have their ups and downs though.  One minute they may be in total meltdown, and the very next they are laughing and having a great time. It just depends on the exact moment that photo is taken. Snapshot in time.

We have to keep in mind that the next six weeks of basic cadet training is a marathon.  We are trying to not read too much into any one photo, or any one letter (nothing received yet!).  Just like the email I sent to Jackie expressing my concern, the moment after those words were written another snapshot in time is taken, and things can look very different.  

On Tuesday, Hellcats were in the Commissary Store getting supplies. I spied a photo of Graham holding a ruler. The basics received their rules for their upcoming SAMIs (Saturday Morning Inspection). These rulers are sized to help the basic make the perfect bed! Something I hope to see exercised whenever Graham returns home on breaks. Because I won’t believe it, until I see it. We’re told that once the basic has mastered the SAMI bed making, they sleep on the floor. As they don’t want to mess up the bed.

Ruler in hand, and some supplies picked up. Basic Cadets are paid. Yes, they get paid to attend USAFA.

They also visited the tailor as they start to get fitted for their other uniforms besides ABUs and PT gear. I can’t wait to see those first photos in his dress blues.

"Do you have anything in my size?"

The class of 1200 has already started to dwindle. We are hearing from other parents, via social media, that their child has dropped out after a few days. So, it’s hard. We know these six weeks of BCT are going to be hard. That’s why seeing the smile today was so important for Jackie and me to see.

Reminder: To see all the photos we’ve spied of Graham so far, just visit our Flickr page.