Thanks for the kind comments. One of the best sources for information on 29 Palms activities is the Marine Corps website: http://www.marines.mil/searchcenter/Pages/Results.aspx?k=mojave%20viper%20training&s=All%20Sites

This should lead you to many news releases about 29 Palms and the training there. Also check out Military Times or Marine Times on line. You can also Google "enhanced mojave viper training" and get some information.

Best of luck to you and your Marine. The journey can be scary at times, but the ride also can be pretty spectacular, too.

Bob

Hi Born2x: Glad to meet you.

Your son will find that 29 Palms (or 29 Stumps as a lot of Marines call the place) is as close to deployment in Afghanistan as it is possible to get without actually being there. There are continuous live fire exercises, interaction with trained "actors" who speack Afghani dialects, and lots of information. There's also -- just like in "real life" -- lots of boredom. It seems all our Marines are the sort who like plenty of action, no matter what it is, doesn't it? Communications from the place are spotty -- at best -- too, so don't expect to hear much. Good luck to you and your Marine.

Bob aka Double Dad

Good Morning Debbie~ You are such a breath of fresh air to me... :) 

 Now as far as care packages.....my son usually loves beef jerkey, gum, poptarts, poptop lid cans of food such as raviolli, fruit, veggies, unscented baby wipes, those packages of little boxes of cereal, magazines such as sports, guns, nature....  Now I don't send these all of the time,  I mix it up so its not the same stuff each time. I've also well stocked him with Covert Thread (company name) socks as well as vitamins, Tylenol, nose spray incase he gets a bug.  

There have been items he's specifically requested such as eye protection replacements, blast boxers (cha ching), protein powder mix, but only as he requested.  I would make sure you have a Power of Attorney filled out and keep one on file with his bank, have all account info and pin numbers etc so if there is a situation that arises, YOU can deal with it for him.  It has already come in handy for him and I since he wanted me to order some stuff using his card and all.  It also came in handy when i had to deal with his cable company on a mess of of theirs....they weren't going to talk to me until I mentioned the POA (power of attorney)....I was able to get THEIR mess up taken care of an off my son's record~ 

Thats about all I can think of off the cuff this morning....ask as you think of questions and I'll let you know what has worked for my son and I and pass on any info that other moms have shared with me as well. 

Ok...gotta run and get to work, so I wish you a wonderful day~ :)

Hey there Debbie!!!! Bless you for your kind words!!!! I am reading your journey and so far I totally get what you are saying about how many changes in just one year.  Oh my goodness the tear in my heart from when my son left for bootcamp, through to that incredible day of seeing him on family day, to having him home, to having to say goodbye again for his MOS training, to finding out his PDS (Camp Pendleton, which is the best one for me since its on the same coast as our family is), to our family getting to visit him before he deployed to saying that final good bye and getting that final hug and watching him board that bus and now looking forward to the 'next' conversation no matter what time of the day or night he calls....HUGE transition year!!!! On top of that I have his dear sister who is a senior this year I need to keep in focus and make sure I dont' over due it focusing on my son vs my daughter.  I feel like I've learned to walk a tight wire better than I ever thought I could, but in fact its God that has been holding me steady!!! He is my guide and my ever ready help.  When I feel like I am ready to crash, He fills me with peace and so far there are many people around me who ask why I haven't broken down...well its because of God and his help in keeping me steady with all thats happened this year!  I also have a dear husband who is the comic relief in my life even if it does get irritating sometimes, but he does get me to laugh at the silly things in my life.  So I have been so blessed even while my world as it has been, has been changing at warp speed! 

Debbie, if you ever have any questions, I will try to answer them for you or at least help you find and answer.  Looks like I am just a bit ahead of you on this road and as those ahead of me helped me, I'm looking back to see who I may help and am so blessed when I am able.  So feel free to let me know if you need anything ok?

Again, its nice getting to know you, so stay in touch.  Have a wonderful rest of your weekend now!

~Kathi

Hello Again Born2x!  Sounds like your son is deployed as well....mine headed out early fall....when did yours head out?

First off Born2x, thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes!  I wish you and your family a wonderful day also....as far as my son originally assigned as a mortarman, but he is actually doing infantry with a CAAT team and is a point man when on foot on his exotic vacation! I see your son is a saw-gunner...gotta love that huh? LOL!!!  ((HUGS)) You take care and know I hold you and your son as well as all the other Marines, in my prayers!

Kathi

Hi Born2x!

My son is the saw-gunner for his team.

Have a blessed day!

Joy

Hello Born2x!

Thanks for the friendship. I was just about to request you, but you beat me!  I am looking forward to getting to know you.  : )

Blessings!

Marla

Born2x,  We're not affiliated with the Marine Corps so we don't have specific knowledge of homecomings.  Because of OpSec they usually aren't mentioned in the news until after the fact.

The article I'd posted in the Ohio news articles topic was specific to one Marine arriving at the airport.  He had already been stateside for about two weeks at his base.  His family and friends were welcoming him to his home town....and what happens is people alreaady at the airport will welcome him, too, if they can before catching their own flight.  Sometimes there's an article in a local paper about a military person coming home on leave and it will give date/time to greet him/her at the airport.  You might check with your local VFW or American Legion post to see if they know of any one military person arriving home in your area.

A whole group of Marines flying from Afghanistan won't get off a plane until they reach their home base - their PDS.  Planes carrying them may stop on the East coast only to refuel if they're travelling to CA.  Homecomings for the group are at their base.  They stay on base for a couple of weeks then have their leave for up to a month to return home.  That's what the article was about - one Marine's return to his hometown at the airport.  So...hard to know when someone is coming home.  Sorry I can't help you out much.

Sandy