The Infamous 8 Hour Pass

I am still reeling from the emotional roller coaster that was the infamous 8 hour pass. Theory: A blissful moment to break up the monotony of missing my to-be Ranger, a happy re-union between phases, an opportunity for me to shower him with love and nourishment and for him to catch up on some much needed rest... Reality: I woke up at 3 in the morning a FULL WEEK before the pass panicking that I only have one opportunity to re-fuel my other half, to give him enough energy to make it through the next 40 days, to relay all...

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Day of Phone Calls and Visits

Ladies, I am absolutely green with envy for those of you who were able to see your men today. I wish Texas was much closer to Georgia than it was... but if wishes were kisses, I'd be diabetic. So, for those of you who got to see your strapping lads in uniform, good on you! I hope you got plenty of hugs and smiles. To say this was an emotional day would be like saying that Hurricane Katrina had a little bit of wind and rain. Work was hectic -- of course the excrement hits the oscillating blades on the day that they get their...

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Ranger School Gets a Facelift

On the IBOLC Dagger Co Facebook page, one of the leaders (cadre) posted this article: Army Revamps Ranger School, Leadership Courses. For those of you who notoriously read the Clif Notes version of the great American novels in school (shame on you!), I'll give some backstory and summarize. In the past, when men when out on patrol, they'd have a pretty set objective. "Knock out a bunker," and "set up an ambush" and "respond to an ambush" were the ones I heard the most from B's time in ROTC. I heard about them so often I sometimes...

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MAJOR MESS UP

Okay ladies, I messed up big time. I ordered some caffeine gum to stick in letters for B to help stay awake... MAJOR NO-NO. The Ranger packing list specifically says "nothing with caffeine." Awesome. So that last post about the caffeine gum is moot -- do not buy it! I will have to return the stuff I was planning on sending to B. Just worried about those Arnold Palmer drinks I sent him... Anyone know when they get their care packages? I'm praying hard that it's not when they can get into trouble for having caffeine.... Moral...

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If You Give a Ranger a Cookie...

He's going to ask for a glass of milk! Or he's just going to take it, wolf it down, and run to the next Ranger game. I got B's letter yesterday after coming home from Ft. Worth/Dallas (had an awesome time, too, but that's another story). Aside from telling me what he was doing, he said it was amazing how tired and hungry he had gotten in a couple of days. And how it was hard to focus on the page when he was writing (I winced at that). But he also said that in their sleep deprived state, they are taught class after class after...

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Some Ideas

Hello ladies, I first want to thank you for letting me be apart of this blog. Communication is the biggest element in my life, and this blog will help me while D is away. Now, I want to share with you ladies what I have done for D that he said it was a great way to lift his spirit. I read about Ranger School before hand and saw that RI’s like to make the soldiers feel unloved, unwanted, and isolated for their love ones by holding their...

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Voting in the Woods

Ready to totally nerd out with me? Today I suddenly realized that our guys will be gone for the entirety of this year's voting process. (Unless they have a break in Ranger School to vote....HA! dream on.) As the political science nerds that my husband and I are, whether our votes statistically count worth a darn or not, being part of the process is still pretty important. As long as I've known him, I don't think he's ever gone a day without checking to "see what's going on in the world," as he puts it, so I've been sending...

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7 Weeks to Go!

That's right! In exactly 7 weeks, we will be heading to Ft. Benning to see our men graduate (knock on wood). And, in 1 week, they will be getting their 8 hour pass! Really, if you look at this time as 3 separate 3 week chunks, it's much easier to digest than "oh my gosh, 9 weeks?!" Does anyone have any plans for this weekend to take their mind off of the lonely time? I'm planning on going to Fort Worth/Dallas to hang out with some old college girlfriends, and I am so excited about it! I haven't seen these ladies in nearly...

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Hello! Here is what I know. All of it.

Hey all! I’m loving the direction this little community is taking.  Thanks for taking the lead, Courtney!     I’m Katy, a newlywed army wife lost here in the piney woods of Fort Benning.  My husband M and I met in college (through Model United Nations, no joke!) and got married right after graduation in December.  In fact, we were crazy enough to graduate, have his commissioning ceremony and have a wedding all in one weekend! It was fun. I’m a traveler at heart.  My blog, The Rambling...

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Ranger School Breakdown!

Hey all! Just one more quick post -- I'm hearing that some of y'all are getting letters from your man! That's so great!!! Any correspondence is a lifesaver, isn't it? Makes the whole week better. However, I did read somewhere that some RI's hold back mail from some Ranger candidates (and of course now that I'm looking for it, I can't find it to link up). I'm not sure if this is true, or false, or exaggerated, but I imagine if it is true,...

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