1. Your name (as you would like it to appear on the website):

Jenn

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?

Ft. Knox

3. When did he attend basic training?

He left in February of 2007

4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and letters)

I received one phone call while he was in reception. It lasted a few minutes but he was able to let me know he got there okay.

I received two or three phone calls (I think), one on a Sunday and one in the middle of the week, throughout his basic training. Once he finished all of his training, they let him call me before family day. He was allowed to talk to me for a whole 20 minutes!

He wrote letters to me every day so the only day I wouldn't get mail was on Wed/Thur (because of no mail on Sunday), but then I would get two letters the next day. The mailman and I were on a first name basis by the middle of his training.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?

It was during reception, so the first week he left. I think it might have been 2 or 3 weeks into BCT before I got a phone call from him there.

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address for him?

Looking back on this, it was pretty funny but DH and I were not thrilled at the time. His drill sergeants were not allowed to stop them from sending/receiving mail. However, the DS wouldn't tell them what their own address was. My husband and the other guys finally figured out what their address was about 3 or 4 days before I received a letter from the commander with the address on it. The address the guys had put together wasn't written properly (out of order) but he still received the mail I sent him to that address

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?

The only things I could send him were the items that were on his approved packing list (like more toothpaste, shampoo, soap, foot powder, etc)

I also sent some family pictures. Be careful not to send pictures that you wouldn't want everyone there to see.

8. Were you sent information about family day and graduation?

Yes, but they ended up changing the time of graduation. They announced the change of time at the end of the family day ceremony, so a lot of family members that came down just for graduation day ended up missing most of the graduation.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.

Yes, we had all day after the family day ceremony together. The ceremony only lasted about 15 minutes and it was very nice to see them. They all looked the same, I couldn't pick him out of the formation! We went out to eat and hung out at the hotel most of the time. He was so stiff most of the day. It was kind of like he didn't know how to act with freedom. When I brought him back to post we ended up getting lost in there and he was a little late.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.

The graduation ceremony was much longer than the family day one. It was about an hour or maybe a little more. They gave out some awards and talked about some of their achievements. After graduation, he was only allowed 15 minutes to say goodbye to family before they had to line up and get on the bus. However, I was able to meet up with him at the airport and that gave us quite a few more hours together before his plane took off. When we first got in the airport I got a pass for my children and me to escort him past the gate. I have heard that most airports will let family past the gate to escort a serviceman.

11. Is there a website for his basic training unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online?

Yes, on the Fort Knox website there was information about his unit with pictures/information on what they would be doing. However, I did not get to see any pictures of him and what he did until after graduation. It was on the DVD they sold.

12. Any other tips or information?

It was pretty hard learning to live alone at first but after a couple of weeks it got easier. I accepted help from anyone that offered (like watching the kids for an hour and such). Do not forget to get POA forms before he leaves too!