The Regimental Ball, part 2

Friday night, July 18, 2008, was the evening of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Regimental Dining-Out at the Fort Jackson NCO Club. I had my dress. Michael's uniform was ready. We ended up having a late lunch and when we got back to the hotel, Michael had to work on his sermon that he is preaching at chapel on Monday. It had to be turned in before we left. So, I got ready except for dressing, and then I waited for Michael. Michael finally finished his sermon, e-mailed it, and showered. We got dressed and were ready to go.

Victoria was asked to babysit for the evening. So, we drove to Fort Jackson and dropped Victoria off with the children she was watching. We drove to the NCO Club and arrived at 17:18. (I know, I know. I'm having to get used to this Army time, too.) The chaplains have been taught to arrive everywhere ten minutes early. The event was to be from 17:30 - 21:00. We think something happened to the invites or something because nothing got started until 6 p.m. (oops! I mean 18:00). Anyway, there was a neat display of the past 233 years of the Chaplain Corps. We had our picture made in front of it.

We were ushered into a "mingling" room. I'm not a big mingler. Neither was anyone in our group. So, we mingled together. :O) While we mingled, some chaplains went to a corner of the room and were messing with their shoes. Their laces were supposed to be tucked in. So, the guys examined their shoes. Michael walked over to the corner and worked on his laces.

You may be wondering about this attention to detail. I will explain shortly.

As we "mingled," my feet started to hurt pretty bad. We ended up mingling for about an hour with nowhere to sit down and rest my toes. Ouch! We were then told the head table (not the official term, sorry) was ready for us in the receiving line. We were to get in a line; we were not to shake the hand of the adjutant. The adjutant would find out our names and announce us to the Commandant. The Commandant in turn would introduce us to his wife who would introduce us to the Chief of Chaplains (two star general) and so on and so on. So, we got in line and made our way to the front of the receiving line. Michael was in front of me to tell the adjutant who we were, then I was supposed to get in front of him to move through the line. Lots to remember, isn't it??? 

After the receiving line, we went back into the mingling room...more standing and waiting. We ended up standing for about an hour-and-a-half before we were told to go into the dining room and find a place to sit. 

I already knew that we didn't sit yet and we didn't touch the chair. The Mrs. Vice (I know) gave us a little instruction as we entered. She said the proper etiquette was to find a seat quickly without talking and not to touch the chair. So, now we were standing in the dining room without touching our chairs and without talking. We waited and waited. I was ready to cut my feet off and put them out of their misery. 

While we waited, a lady's cell phone at the table next to ours went off. That was a big no-no. She quickly turned it off.

Finally, the head table was announced and made their way into the dining room and to their chairs. The Color Guard was announced and made their slow procession to the head table to post the colors. During this, a young lady behind us passed out. As I said, we had been standing an extremely long time, our feet were hurting (at least those of us in heels), and it was getting warm. Bless her heart, her husband and another chaplain helped her to a chair and people started fanning her. They escorted her out...all of this during the posting of the colors. 

After the colors were posted, the National Anthem was played, then an invocation, and then many toasts. There was a gunner at each table whose task it was to make sure that everyone's glass was full at all times. Our gunner filled our glass with a lovely sparkling grape juice, and we toasted...and toasted...and toasted some more. Finally, we were told we could take our seats. Praise God! I think I ended up standing in my heels for about two hours. Phew! I was happy to sit down.

We then had a cake-cutting ceremony. A chaplain and chaplain assistant went to the front and cut a cake with a sword. It was pretty fun! Then, best of all was the Grog Bowl Ceremony.

The Grog Bowl is the reason the chaplains were so concerned about their perfect appearance. Below is a picture of the Grog Bowl.

Yes, toilets. Into the Grog Bowl was poured different ingredients to represent the many wars we have fought in and to remember our fallen heroes. If I remember correctly, this is what went into the Grog Bowl: tea, vinegar, coffee, an entire bottle of hot sauce, water, seltzer water, Red Bull, tomato juice, and ginseng. I think that is the entire list. The "secret" ingredient was brought up by a soldier carrying an Army boot. He pulled out a sock with something in it (dry ice). And he dropped it into the Grog Bowl. The mixture created a fog that poured over the rim of the toilet. It bubbled and bubbled. 

I now understood why the men were afraid of not looking perfect. If they were found to be at fault, they had to drink from the Grog Bowl. But it wasn't as simple as that. In order to get to the Grog Bowl, they had to high step up to the bowl, turn and salute the President, sing and dance "I'm a Little Teapot" with all of the correct movements. After they sang, they had to shout, "Pro Deo et Patria" which is the Chaplain Corps' motto. (For God and Country) They then had to ask Mr. and Mrs. Vice permission to refresh themselves from the Grog Bowl. Once permission was granted, they were to pick up a cup in their left hand. Fill the cup with the ladle from the bowl with their right hand and then proceed to drink every drop. Once they had drunk their grog, they were to hold their cup upside down to show that every drop was gone. IF a drop fell out of the cup, they had to drink more. Finally, they had to quickly make their way back to their seat.

Do you remember the lady whose cell phone went off? It was brought to the attention of the President by Mr. Vice. He knew the table but not the culprit. The lady would not stand up and admit it was hers. Neither would her husband, an Army chaplain who is not in classes with our guys. Therefore, anyone at that table who was in the Army had to make their way to the Grog Bowl, even after they were asked to have integrity and admit whose phone went off. Wow! I couldn't believe her husband wouldn't admit it. So, they all made their way to the Grog Bowl and refreshed themselves. :O)

Do I need to say that it was a crazy night of people making their way to the Grog Bowl and some horrible renditions of "I'm a Little Teapot?" Thankfully, none of our friends had to go to the Grog Bowl. They were all very relieved. The Grog Bowl took place during our dinner. It was crazy! But, it was fun!

Dinner consisted of chicken, ham, roast beef, potatoes, green beans, rolls, salad, and dessert. It was very nice, and we had a lot of fun.

There is, of course, more to tell, but I have already written a novel. I think you get the idea that it was all very precise. Oh! One more thing, once you were in the dining room, you were not allowed to leave unless you asked permission from Mr. and Mrs. Vice and then from the President. Wow! (By the way, Mr. Vice and Mrs. Vice are the titles of the two people in charge of the event.) 

If you have comments or questions about this memorable event, please don't hesitate to ask. It was a great first experience.

The Regimental Ball, part 1

Michael and I went to the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Regimental Dining-Out last night. Before I talk about that, I want to mention what our guys had to go through in order to get ready for the big night.

All active-duty chaplains had to buy dress blues for the formal affair. That was the easy part. The hard part was putting together those dress blues. All of the chaplains had buttons to add, their name tag, U.S., and a cross (or other symbol to signify their faith). Others who had previous service had ribbons to add to that. Everything had to be in its proper place. Just how important is all of this? I have pictures. :O)



The guys gathered in Loren's room and worked together. Here, Michael is measuring everything within millimeters to make sure it is perfect.

Loren and Jeff refer to the guidelines online to make sure they are putting everything in the proper place. 

Mark and Michael work fervently on their uniforms as Jeff and Bill look on.

Michael has a little ruler he is using to make sure his name tag is in the right place.

How many chaplains does it take to put together a dress blues uniform? LOTS! Loren stands at attention so Michael and Jeff can make sure he is ready to go.

Loren looked a little off, so Michael pulled out his trusty ruler. HA!

When all of the men were together (or so they thought), they called in the big gun. Brandon served as an honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in D.C. He knows uniforms. He took a look at everyone's dress blues and adjusted where needed.  

What the pictures don't tell is that this took hours. We finally got the guys to stop so we could get some dinner, came back and they went back to work. It was really so funny seeing how intent they were to get this right. Way to go guys.

My next post will be about the ball (excuse me...dining-out) itself...with pictures!

By the way, if you know others who would like to keep up with us through this blog, please feel free to pass on the link to others. There are so many (at Menokin especially) who I don't have e-mail addresses for, and they may be interested. 

Many blessings! We miss everyone!!

~ Laura

Limbo

Michael, Victoria, and I all agree that we feel like we are in limbo. It is tough living somewhere that is not our own and not having our own things. Can we do it? Sure we can. It is just tough. I try to keep things in perspective, and I have found myself thinking about people in Africa and other third-world countries who live in dung huts and have no running water. That surely puts things in perspective, don't you think? God looks after His own, and we are truly blessed. Things could be a lot worse. 

I don't think I mentioned before, but Michael had to move off-post last week due to more future chaplains coming to Fort Jackson and a real lack of space. He is now at The Whitney. Very nice. Supposedly, his was the only platoon that was supposed to move. But, two days ago, another platoon was told they would have to move, too. So, they are having to move tomorrow, the day of the regimental ball. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for that platoon. So, if you think about it, please pray for our friends in the 3rd platoon. It is going to be a long day.

Also, Michael is a new squad leader. I am very proud of him. There are four squads in a platoon. I'm learning lots!

Have a blessed day!

Michael's deployment...

Michael met with the head chaplain from Fort Hood today. She came to Fort Jackson and took all nine of the chaplains headed to Fort Hood out to lunch. They will learn next week who they will be attached to. They are all ready to know. But, they did learn that they will be deployed any time between December and February. At least we know that for certain. We are praying that Michael will be deployed in December. Our main concern is we don't want him to miss Victoria's 16th birthday. If he is deployed in December, he will only miss her 15th birthday. 

So, that is the update as of today. On a *brighter* note, I went shopping for a formal gown today. Michael and I are attending the Chaplain's Regimental Ball Friday night. It will be our first formal event, and we are excited about it. I am very glad that my friend, Virginia Mace, gave me her notes about how to "behave" at a formal affair and how to handle the receiving line. So, thank you, Virginia! I am going to read over those notes again!

Until next time...have a blessed day!

4th of July at Fort Jackson

The 4th of July is a wonderful way to celebrate our independence in our great nation. It is especially great when you are surrounded by hundreds and soldiers, and your husband happens to be one of them. 

I was so excited about spending the holiday weekend with Michael and the other chaplains and their wives and families. Victoria and I drove to Fort Jackson on Thursday, July 3, in order to witness Michael's graduation from CIMT (Chaplain's Initial Military Training). It is commemorated by the "donning of the beret." Michael told me it started at 9:30 a.m. Victoria and I arrived just in time to see all of the chaplains leaving! We couldn't figure out what was going on. Two other wives had shown up, and they missed it, too. Of all times for the Army to be EARLY, they chose a day when family members were coming in to witness this auspicious occasion. :O) Oh well. Michael thought we were late. I told him we were on time, but they donned their berets before 9:30. C'est la vie!

We enjoyed the rest of the day getting to know other chaplains' wives and children. Victoria and another girl, Olivia, hit it off right away. Olivia will be a freshman in the fall, too, and her dad will be going to Fort Hood. Unfortunately, Olivia and her mom will be staying in LA. But, at least Victoria had someone to hang out with.

Everyone was excited about the 4th. There was to be a drill and ceremony with hundreds of privates. I had no idea there were so many people at this fort. We see so few of them, I guess. There was going to be music, the National Anthem, and the grand finale...Torchlight Tattoo (fireworks). Around 6:00 p.m., we decided to walk to the event with about five other families. I guess it was about a mile-and-a-half. Not too bad. Just a little uphill. :O) We got there and spread out our blankets to sit. The chaplains have the weekends off and did not have to be in uniform, so they were all in civies (civilian clothing...HA!). So, it was really cool to see company after company of privates marching in shouting cadences. It was so awesome to see, and there was an excitement in the air in expectation of what the night had in store for us. 

At one point, it started to sprinkle. We got a little concerned, so Michael decided to take our things back to the room. We had our digital camera, iPods, books, etc. Things it would not have been too good to get wet. But Michael didn't get to run quickly by himself. He had an entourage. Victoria, Olivia, and another little girl wanted to go, too. So, off Michael went with three girls trailing after him. Thankfully, the storm blew over very quickly and it was sunny again. I was sitting on my blanket, chatting, and people watching when I looked to the right of where I was sitting, and there was a gigantic, black storm cloud approaching. It was very ominous. I started to get concerned. My concerns were justified when a lady calmly said over the loudspeaker, "Please return to your cars and leave. The soldiers will be led to the bleachers." Oh my! I knew I needed to find Michael and the girls. However, another chaplain told me to go under the bleachers with everyone else, and he would find Michael and the girls. I reluctantly said okay. So, as I was walking to the bleachers along with everyone else who didn't have a car, it started to rain. We got under the bleachers as soldier were being marched into the bleachers. I FINALLY saw Michael and the girls running towards the bleachers. I was very happy to see them. By the time they got under, it was pouring. P O U R I N G ! ! ! Soldiers were drenched! I felt so bad for them. There were soldiers still standing in the field waiting to be told they could run to the bleachers. It was crazy! The rain starting falling sideways, so it would blow under the bleachers. I had our blanket with me and held it up to keep the rain off of us as much as possible. We were crowded under the bleachers like sardines. 

I'm not sure how much time passed under those bleachers. Michael thinks we were under there for about an hour. As the rain started to subside, soldiers were let out of the bleachers and escorted onto buses to take them back their barracks. Our group decided to walk back to our housing. By the way, our group consisted of six chaplains, six wives (one of which is pregnant), and seven children (one just 18 months old). As we stumbled out from under the bleachers and headed on our way back home, there was a loud boom to our left...the fireworks were under way. LOL! I guess they wanted to give everyone something besides just a drenching. So, as we walked, we would stop now and then and watch the fireworks. But not only that, God provided His own fireworks. There were many, many lightning strikes included with the manmade fireworks. It was awesome!

We finally made it back to our "hotel" and decided to have an ice cream social. Several men went to Wal Mart, got three things of ice cream, some toppings and we had ice cream in the lobby. :) It was the perfect ending to a very eventful 4th. Victoria said it was the best 4th of July ever. Needless to say, it was certainly memorable. :)

By the way, if you want to see some great pictures of the fireworks that include the lightning, too, visit http://prodeoetpatria.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/chbolc-day-28-independence-day-and-a-thunderstorm 

The pics are by a chaplain who decided to stay in his room. It was worth it. 

Me? Blog?

I never in a million years thought I would be a blogger. I had no interest. I had no desire. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to share tidbits of my new life as an Army wife. Why? I don't know. Perhaps no one will ever read my little piece of the net, but at least I will have put it out there.

My husband joined the Army as a Chaplain. I didn't marry an Army man. I married a pastor. Needless to say, it has been an adjustment. However, knowing we are in the will of God is most reassuring. Nothing can go wrong when God is in charge. I feel safe, secure, content. 

Michael, my husband, is stationed at Fort Jackson, SC, for chaplaincy school. He has been here since June 5. My daughter and I moved to Chapin, SC, on June 16. Yes, we are living apart. That has been the biggest adjustment. Thankfully, we live about 40 minutes from the Fort and are able to see him and stay with him.

Victoria and I went to the library on post yesterday. We wanted to check out some books. Since Michael is not permanently stationed at Fort Jackson, I had to bring in a copy of his orders in order to check out books. Victoria and I went back to Michael's apartment, got a copy of his orders, and headed back to the library. This isn't the first time we have needed a copy of his orders. I have decided to keep a copy with me at all times. Next time, I will be prepared.

PX and Commissary...I really didn't know which was which. So, I headed to the PX for the first time to pick up some groceries. Wrong place. The PX is the military "mall" and doesn't sell food. So, I got back in the car and headed to the Commissary. Bingo! The Commissary is the grocery store. I also learned that the bag "boys" expect to be tipped, and the common tip is $.25 a bag. I only bought a few things, went through the self-checkout and didn't need a bag person. So, I didn't have to tip. My question is, if we HAVE to use the baggers and tip them $.25 a bag, what is the point in paying no sales tax? I don't get it.

Michael wanted me to see his group of chaplains get "smoked," as they call it, in PT. So, Victoria and I hung around on Sunday to watch this. We watched them get into their squads and platoons. (I'm finally learning what is what.) Victoria and I waited for the torture to commence. In 25 minutes, all we saw them do was stand at attention, then at ease, then attention, then at ease again. And, the drill sergeant checked their canteens to make sure they had water. All of that in 25 minutes. So, we left. It was boring.

So, those are my first reflections. I'm sure there will be more.