EMT Wheeler

OK, OK so I drove him nuts until he sent me a picture of himself. It is nice to hear his voice but I miss his face so much. He finished EMT Training and now has to run calls when he is on duty. Normally he is in scrubs in the Operating Room at the hospital.

As the holidays approach would you please remember to pray for our military and their families. It is hard to be so far away that you don't have the choice to come home. They are serving our country so that we can enjoy our freedom. Let's make sure that we cover them in prayer. Patrick loves Guam and what he is doing but he is very lonely right now. Imagine ... the person he is the 'closest' to he has only known for 3 months. He is very much a holiday and family boy (OK, man) and he misses all of us.

Hugs and Blessings

Sherri

What does he do in Guam??

This is a picture every mother can't wait to get! That is Patrick driving his jeep down a 'canyon'. They do this for fun.

He's In Guam

OK, so I am a terrible blogger. Time has lapsed and much has happened. Patrick graduated and flew home the same day! We were thrilled and enjoyed 2 wonderful weeks with him. He packed up and left early last Saturday morning. It was a quick goodbye because he got an earlier flight out. We got several phones calls while he was in Texas waiting for his plane. We got an e-mail when he got to Japan because his calling card wouldn't work. Finally after 26 hrs. of flying he arrived safely in Guam.

Phone connection there is terrible and we have not found a good way to communicate yet. He is in temporary BEQ's while he waits for a roommate to arrive. He was told he will get to live in a 2 bdrm house on base within walking distance to the hospital. So, far he has been checking in and doing some work at the hospital. He has been assigned General Surgery and has already scrubbed in.

Good news! He will get to take the test for his E-4 in September!!! Please pray for him as he now only has 3 wks. to study. He was told he would miss the test day by and day and would have to wait until February so this is great news.

What an adventure! Please keep him in your prayers as he makes all these adjustments and tries to get things in order. I will include pictures as he sends them to us. Oh, and he says it is beautiful there!

Blessings
Sherri

Naval Hospital Guam

Welcome to Naval Hospital Guam!
We are located in paradise 2 hours west of the International Date Line. We are 15 hours ahead of the East Coast, 18 hours ahead of the West Coast, and 20 hours ahead of Hawaii. Guam is truly where "America's Day Begins". We offer a full range of medical, surgical, and operational medicine services. The staff is approximately 650 military and civilian personnel.

Patrick's orders are in!!

He just e-mailed with no details other than to say he is going to Guam and he is excited! We should know more tonight. I just had to post in case someone was perusing the site. Where is Guam? It is way past Hawaii before you get to Japan and above Australia! A long way away!
Hugs
Sherri

Last test today!!

Today is Patrick's last test for class. He starts labs and clinicals next week! Hard to believe. I must make a correction....I said graduation was August 4th when I knew full well it is the 8th. Silly Mom.

Patrick's 19th birthday is July 23rd and will of course be his first birthday away from home. I would love for him to receive lots of cards for his special day. If you don't have his correct address...PLEASE e-mail me to make sure he gets the cards.

He will celebrate his birthday by jumping out of an airplane! Yep, he is going skydiving. His dad did it for his 18th birthday so it must run in the male genes. LOL Maybe next Saturday July 19th you can say a prayer for him and me! We told him to stay away from the Brier patch and the land on his feet!!!

Hugs to everyone
Sherri

The Countdown!

Happy 4th of July America!

Tomorrow marks 1 month until Patrick graduates from Corps School. Hard to believe but August 4th is the date. Next week is his last week of class and then he has 2 wks of clinical's. He is very excited about that.

His orders should be coming anytime now. Patrick put in for overseas (2 yr. tour). He is hoping for Italy or Spain. My mom has always said "just give the boy a passport and a little cash and he is good to go!" :o) I will keep you posted. Start saving you money now. I told him we were ALL coming to see him wherever he ended up! LOL

Have a safe and happy 4th!
Blessings
Sherri

Test # 3

Doing the happy dance! He got a 90 !!! He is thrilled. This week he is learning about IV's and is loving it. He thinks it is so cool. Who knew????

I love pulling up this blog and seeing his face. Does this mom's heart good. I wish I had more pictures to post. I keep asking him to take some up there and send me.

Thanks for praying for my boy!
Blessings
Sherri

Memorial Day Hits Home !

Great News! We got to spend the weekend with Patrick. He came home for a VERY short leave. But we are thankful for any time with him. It was fairly quite and everyone got some one on one time with him. He has gained a little weight back. He is doing good.

I have a new perspective on Memorial Day now! As we celebrated with our own family cookout in our backyard I realized I had a whole new reason to be thankful for this holiday. I have a son in the Navy. My dad was Navy and Nathan's dad Air Force it seems to be running in the family. Anyway, back to perspective....I got to sub at Hannah's school Friday. I love kindergarten as only they can tell it like it is. I asked them why we celebrate Memorial Day. They were very quick to respond...it's when the pool opens, I get to go to Carowinds and most important...so we can have a day off from school. All of those things are benefits of being off for Memorial Day but not the reason. I reminded them of the true reason we have this holiday. I asked them how many of them knew someone in the military or that had been in the military. Almost all of them raised their hand. I told them how special it is to say 'thank for serving our country'. The next day as I picked Patrick up at the airport I was able to thank my son for serving in greatest military in the world.

Next time you see someone in uniform say thank you and see their face light up!

A Navy Mom's Prayer

I kissed and I hugged him and watched him walk away
He graduated boot camp and was now on his way
He stood tall and so proud as he walked and he waved
I couldn’t be happier for the path he has paved
The weekend was short, how I wished for more days
Just in awe of his presence and new Navy ways
His focus and maturity came quick in 9 weeks
I know he will find what ever he seeks
I am back to waiting for calls and the mail
Never knowing when the time comes for him to set sail
I will continue to wait for that next hug and kiss
Not doing that daily is what I will miss
My son is a man now I need to let go
I don’t know if I can, I just love him so
I am proud of my son and his accomplishments to date
As hard as it is I will continue to wait
I will wait for the hugs and wait for the kiss
I will continue to pray and continue to miss
Please take care of him God on his journey so new
It makes it easier for me knowing he has You

Grade #1

Patrick just e-mailed me to say he did well on his test. He was hoping for a 90 and got an 86. He was thrilled! Anything in the 80's is considered GREAT. There are only 46 students in his class and 7 of them failed this test. He said it was a tough test.

Thanks for your prayers!

First Test Tomorrow

Hi Everyone,
Just a little update. Tomorrow is Patrick's first test. It will be at 8:15 am (9:15 our time) if you would like to pray for him. He will have a test every week over all the material for that week. Each test is extremely important and he needs good grades. I hear from other sources they are hard.
He is having a 'BLAST' in school and loves it. He sounds so good. Again we can see God's hand upon him! I will update as soon as he calls telling me how he did.
Graduation is August 8th.
Hugs
Sherri

Classed Up !!!

Hip Hip Hooray! Finally, Patrick classed up yesterday. Which means he started school. His first class started yesterday morning. What a wonderful surprise after being told the day before it could be 2 more months!! He is so excited and ready to go. He knows it will be a HEAVY load and lots of studying. We promised to send lots of snacks since he won't leave his room much. :)

Thanking you again for your ever present and constant prayers!

Blessings & Love
Sherri

Graduation weekend and A School

Pardon my 'pause' from blogging ......

Graduation weekend was wonderful. As I predicted it was much harder to watch him walk away from us in his uniform and wave that gloved had. It nearly tore me out of my frame. Both from heartache and from being so proud I could hardly contain the emotion. A new season for the Wheeler's. God is doing a new thing.

The next phase for Patrick is A School. He has waited each week to see if his class would start that Friday only to find it would be one more week. All eyes are on tomorrow! He is so ready to start school. He likes his new found freedom and liberty! I have e-mailed his new address to all of you. If you need it again please let me know. I think he is going through withdrawal from all the mail he was getting in Boot Camp! :) He can receive packages now if anyone wants to send a treat. He has some good buddies and they are most likely to be in his room when they aren't on duty. I know a treat from home would be shared with great enthusiasm!! Sounds like a typical dorm room when he calls home.

Again we thank you for your prayers and support. One specific request is to find him a church. He has asked if I could help him find one off base. I am working on it!.

Blessings
Sherri

Some Things You Just Gotta Have

Today we shopped a little, ate a little, swam a little and rested a little. Patrick did manage to get his Starbucks and cheesecake fix. We were not successful in getting him a laptop. I guess we will continue to look when we get home. We have to mail it to him anyway.

The stories of Boot Camp are interesting and sometimes funny. It is neat to hear more about what he experienced. It is amazing to actually see where the hand of God was and has been upon him through Boot Camp. Even neater that Patrick can see it himself. Sure beats trying to read it in his letters.

Tomorrow is our last day and I can already sense it will be hard to say goodbye. Pray for all of us if you think about it tomorrow.

Graduation Day!

We made it to this wonderful day! We are so proud of Patrick. He has really grown up in 8 wks. We have enjoyed the day with him and had to take him back to the base early. He has duty this evening.

As you can probably tell from this terrible photo he has lost a lot of weight. He also has no skin on his heals! Ouch and yuck! But he has such a good attitude about everything. Tomorrow we (ok, Dad and Patrick) will shop for a laptop for A school and eat at the Cheesecake Factory!

He has preliminary orders to move over the his new 'home' on Tuesday and start A school on April 24th. That is a huge answer to prayer. We didn't want him to have to be on 'hold' for a long time waiting for his classes to start.

It's Official

Patrick is now a SAILOR !
He passed Battle Stations and called a little while ago. He is exhausted but elated.
We leave early Wednesday morning for Chicago. Graduation is Friday morning. We will post pictures on here for everyone as soon as we get back to the hotel.

Thanks again for your support and prayers

Battle Stations Today!

Patrick is in Battle Stations now. He started at 6:30 am and won't finish until tomorrow morning. Please keep him in your prayers. It is his last "Big Thing"He is excited and ready to get it over with. He will get to call tomorrow night and tell us he is officially a United States Navy Sailor!

We can't wait to see our Sailor! We will post pics to this blog after graduation while we are there with him. I am sure he will have something to add. :)

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Battle Stations

Here is a great explanation and description of Battle Stations. Patrick will go through this on Monday April 7th.

USS Trayer is the Navy’s latest training tool and part of Battle Stations 21, a culmination of basic training and a recruit's last evolution in boot camp.Before recruits graduate from boot camp, they spend an entire night on board Trayer loading stores, getting underway, handling mooring lines, manning general quarter stations, stopping floods and combating shipboard fires. It is as close to being underway as a recruit can get before they receive orders to their first ship. It is also considered the final evaluation of a recruit’s reactions in tight situations and a chance for the recruit to see how far they have come in their training.“It’s 12 hours of anything that can happen aboard a ship at sea from missile attacks that can cause fires to flooding caused by exploding undersea mines,” said McKinley. Battle Stations 21 also uses lessons learned from actual events, attacks and mishaps at sea. The 2000 terrorist attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) in Yemen, mine damage to USS Tripoli (LPH 10) in Desert Storm in 1990, and the missile attack to USS Stark (FFG 31) in the Persian Gulf in 1987 have all been incorporated into the training curriculum. The training also incorporates past and historic at-sea accidents, like the fire on board USS Forrestal (CV 59) during the Vietnam War in 1967.The destroyer simulator was designed by award-winning Hollywood set designers and has state-of-the-art special effects technology. There are scenes and flats on the pier that can be changed to make it look like the ship has pulled into a new port.Trayer also sits in a pool of more than 90,000 gallons of water and there is a lighting system to make it look day or night on the pier. All this scenery and Hollywood-style setting is the first thing the more than 80 recruits from each division see before boarding the destroyer for their “underway” time.“You actually feel like you’re coming down a pier, walking across the brow and boarding a ship. Then you feel like the ship is under attack and you have to fight the ship, stop the fires and flooding, to save the ship,” McKinley said.Trayer is outfitted inside and out with salvaged gauges, pipes and electrical gear from decommissioned ships. Inside, compartments are outfitted with berthing spaces, control rooms and the bridge. There are also special controlled areas where magazine spaces flood and compartments are engulfed in flames.“We’ll now be able to give these new Sailors a chance to see what real battle damage, real flooding and a real on board fire can do and what it takes to fix it, stop it or put it out,” said Senior Chief Quartermaster (SW) Anthony A. Kachinsky

A Funny Story

Patrick's newest letter!

Patrick now holds a licence to use deadly force. Isn't that comforting???
He scored expert on shooting. Only 1% of recruits score expert. Remember he wasn't allowed to play with guns when he was little! :)

Funny Story~ (from Patrick)
Shooting is so natural for me and I was just putting rounds down range when my instructor stops me. "What the heck did you do before you joined the Navy?" At this point his eyes are real big. I proudly replied 'I worked at Chick-fil-A'. You should have seen the look on his face! "Were you dishing out more than sandwiches?" he asked. Need less to say he praised me up and down saying that my shooting was some of the best he'd seen. Out of a possible 240 score I got a 230. This is huge because I will get a medal for it.
(Ok, I just had to brag a little. Proud Mom)

I made him fill out a long questionnaire (fill in the blank) and send back. It has some fun questions and of course he had to add some side notes. Here are a few
~Have you had to go to sick call? Yes um I'm on a first name basis with the staff haha
~Someone mentioned that you only have 5 minutes to go to the bathroom, are you handling that o.k.? Ha ha you try it and get back to me
~The hardest thing for you so far has been? Not having music!
~Do you get to sleep in on the weekends? Ha ha only someone who's never been here would ask that!
~Does the entire division sleep in one big room?Yes ... No, No we have our own rooms with TV, refrig and entertainment center!
~Do you get mail everyday? yes
~Can you read your mail everyday? Yes for 2 mins.
~ Are you sore from all the PT? Yes, every time I move, the Navy loves squats, I now have Rambo thighs

He went through the Gas Chamber yesterday (Friday). We prayed for him but can only assume he did fine.

Battle Stations will be coming up his last week. I will post what Battle Stations is so you can be well informed! :)

Hugs and thanks to all of you!
Sherri

Two Letters one for you and one for us

Patrick updates:

~He is feeling better and got his voice back. He still has sinus pressure and nosebleeds but feels good. Thanks for your prayers.

~He gave us a list of things he wants to do after graduation. He has 3 days of liberty with us. 1st he wants to find a Starbucks. I think we should tell him they don't have any in Chicago. Then he listed eating out at Bubba Gumps (coconut shrimp), shopping a little for a few things he needs. (he needs a laptop for A School), taking a real shower and just relaxing.

~He won't find out when he starts A school for another 2 weeks. We are praying that he isn't put on hold to class up. Meaning waiting for enough people to start a class. Sometimes that can be a lengthy wait.

~He loved going through the Marlin Spike last week. They practiced bringing a ship in and out of port on a huge replica of a ship. Though he has heard it is NOTHING compared to the USS IOWA. A mock ship used for Battle Stations. It was built by Universal Studios and is said to be the next best thing to a real ship.

~Loves his job as Duty Yeoman. "RANK most certainly has its privileges, but also its responsibilities." His job is to maintain and manage the schedules of 10 Divisions (0ver 600 personnel) and report to and update the ships officer and senior chief (the big wigs)

~One of the perks he talks about is that he gets some alone time. As we all know Patrick needs his alone time. (Just like his mama).

~He is learning all about banking, savings, CD's etc.

~Lastly he asked if anyone would like to write a card or note to a female recruit. She isn't getting much mail. He told her his family, friends and church back home would love to send her some. So Patrick! If you would like to send her a card let me know and I will give you her address. He only asked that you don't mention his name. I don't think males and females are even allowed to talk to each other. I can only assume that because of his position he knew she isn't getting any mail. I cannot even imagine being a young person away from home in total seclusion and not getting any mail. Breaks my heart. I have told Patrick that there are many recruits there who have no one praying for them. Let's bless this young woman with some good 'ol southern North Carolina & Georgia mail.

Hugs to all of you
Sherri

A LETTER FOR YOU!

Dear Family, Friends and Bethlehem Church,

Thank you so much for your letters, prayers and support! It has meant so much to me to know I am bring prayed for and supported by all of you back home. There are many trial s and tribulations in Boot Camp as one can imagine, but I know I am blanketed in your prayers. As of tomorrow 10 March I am officially halfway done with Boot Camp! Please continue to pray for me and my shipmates as we continue the journey to become Sailors. I look forward to coming home in a couple of months to visit!

Your Son, Brother,Grandson, Nephew and Friend in Christ,
Patrick

Another Week

We got a new letter today. Patrick finally got to the Doc's and got some medicine. His throat was closing up but they got it in the nick of time. He sounded a little better. He is very thankful to be at the 1/2 way point and looking forward to graduation.

What he misses most: Starbucks,MUSIC, fast food, XBox and doing what he wants when he wants! LOL

He seems to be excelling in the job of Duty Yeoman. Sounds like there are some perks even though it is a lot of work. No more watch!

He sent a beautiful letter to Hannah. I cried so hard I was choking and then when I read it to Hannah she had HUGE alligator tears running down her cheeks. Her brother's blessing.

Again he thanks everyone for the letters and cards! Asks for continued prayer as he approaches some of the harder elements of Boot Camp.

Hugs to all of you for being so faithful to lift him in prayer and send encouragement his way.

A Letter and a Phone Call !

Friday was a great day in the Wheeler household! We got a letter on Thursday saying Patrick was calling on Friday to have our phones with us! JohnMark even got a letter wishing him a Happy 16th Birthday. It was a real brothers blessings and made us all cry.

We couldn't wait for the phone to ring. Patrick is still sick with something new. He is going back to the Doc's today. He has had strep and a stomach virus and now has hardly any voice. Our phone connection was not good and his voice is almost gone so it made for a fun phone conversation. We also lost the call 3 times and he had to redial all those phone card #'s.

Bottom line....he is doing good. Anxious to finish. He is at the half way point. He says it is hard at some points but them gives him such a sense of pride at other points. He has been selected to be on Captain's Watch and is training to be a Duty Yoeman. Both a big honor. He gets to carry a 9M with 5 rounds in a magazine. He loves it.

He said to tell EVERYONE thanks for the cards and notes! They keep him hanging on. Truly! They mean the world to him even though he can't write back. He does get mail everyday but can only write on Sunday's for a short time (less than an hour) and only if he has everything else done.

The next 3 weeks will be really tought. Please continue to pray for him. He says he can really feel the prayers that are covering him. Especially since he has been so sick and still working. He knows that is the only way he is able to do well. Two big things that are coming up the Gas Chamber and Battle Stations. They are both big and have to be passed to graduate. He said April 6th is Battle Stations but only said that the gas Chamber would be in about 2 weeks. I will post more when I get a better time frame or date.

He sounded so grown up and mature on the phone. He misses everyone!

Thanking all of you!

St. Patrick's Day

Most of you know Patrick has always thought this was his holiday. Since he was a little boy! (smile) So, in his honor I would like to flood him with St. Patrick Day cards. If you could mail him one that would be great. It will bring a smile to his heart and face. I am sure he needs it about now.

I got another letter today. He has been very sick for 2 days throwing up every couple of hours. He misses all of us and sends his love and hugs. He said graduation is Apil 11th. So, now I can make reservations!

Thanks so much!

Post a comment!

Are you new to blogging? Here is how to post a comment. Look down at the end of each post. You will see my name and then the word comment. Just click on comment and it tells you what to do. Just fill in the box with your comment and hit enter. Let's see who will be the first to leave a comment!

I got the form letter AND a 3 page letter on my BIRTHDAY!

Just can't believe the timing! God is so good. I got the form letter that has 3 lines at the bottom for recruits to write on AND a 3 page letter! Wait til I tell Patrick it arrived on my birthday. I guess because he is still in P week they let them write home last Sunday.

He says it's tough and freezing! So glad to hear he thinks -15 degrees is cold! He asked that I tell everyone to pray for him. He can feel the prayers and has an 'unbelieveable peace' but wants everyone to continue as he starts the actual hard work. There is some talk of his Div doing Boot Camp in 6 wks instead of 8 wks but not sure. I have no idea when graduation will be now. Please be very careful what you send. They are very hard on them if they get cute, frilly or silly things. He says he is doing good but praying for this season to be over quickly! His bunkmate is also a corpsman so they will be in A school together too. He misses everyone and sends his love!

Now if you get a letter from him please post a comment on here to let us all know.

My New Business Adventure !

Along with prayer, I have been trying to come up with an idea of something I could make to offset the cost of our trip to Great Lakes for Patrick's Graduation. I was suddenly inspired with this 'great idea'. A Boot Camp & Deployment Survival Kit for Military Mom's, Spouses, & Family. It is a tote bag with the military branch emblem of choice and 25 - 30 assorted themed cards. I already have 7 orders! Just wanted to share!

The Box Came!

For those of you who don't know what that means...let me explain. When Patrick got to processing at Boot Camp the first thing he did was take off everything that he had on and put on new Navy Sweats. All of his clothes were shoved in a box that he addressed and was sent home.

I have on numerous occassions pleaded with him to 'slip' me a note in one of the pockets. Assuring him that I would check every pocket in every piece sent home! He would laugh and say 'yeah right Mom...let me just tell them that...."could you hold on here I have to write my mom a note!" ' Well, a mom has to try and needless to say there was no note! Only a lonely airline ticket, his cell phone in one shoe and the battery in the other.

I asked the Fed Ex man if he knew what was in that box. He just looked at me and then the address and said 'no ma'am'. I said well it is my son's last wordly posessions! He went to Boot Camp last week. He just said "oh Ma'am I am so sorry" and for some odd reason he left quickly!

Ok, so I had a really good cry! It smelled just like him. I didn't smell the dirty socks! I could remember that just fine. His handwriting on the box was harder than his clothes ....I think.

The next piece of news will be in the next few days. It will be a form letter from the Navy and at the bottom it will have 3 lines where he can write to us. Of course, it will be monitored.

Keep praying and writing. Thank all of you for your support to us and Patrick

I have his address!!!!

Ok, everyone start writing! I can't post his address on here but I have e-mailed it to you! The recruiter said he was in a special division. Usually you have to volunteer for it. Is ANYONE here surprised??? I didn't think so.

Today had been my hardest day. I think we said good-bye so many times that it didn't sink in. OF course the events over the last week has been busy as well.

Note: That is Patrick getting in the van to go to the airport.

Please keep all our troops in your prayers. They sacrifice so much! I will let you know as soon as I get an address so we can flood Patrick with mail and encouragement.

It's Official

They've got him! He called his "DAD" last night when he got to Boot Camp. The scripted 10 second phone call. "Dad? is Mom there? well this is the call. I am here and safe and gota go" So, it is official..he is an active duty Sailor!

Don't it just figure...we carry them for 9 months and in my case have a c-section to get him here, his first word is Dadda and when he leaves home to travel the world, his first call is to his dad!

He arrived!

3:30 pm I just got a call that he made it to Chicago after 2 flight delays today! He is boarding the bus to Boot Camp as I type! It is for real now. He is very excited.
Keep him (and us) in your prayers.

Ship Date

Well, after saying goodbye a hundred times and feeling like my cheeks were salt basins here I sit to update all the inquiring minds (our friends and family) about Patrick's adventures. Everyone who knows Patrick, knows that he comes with a story and adventures. Things are never cut and dry. So, of course I have one to tell.

Monday was the day we took him to have one last "test" and then to dinner with the family and off to the hotel to spend the famous night before MEPS. We had already cried all weekend, had a wonderful time of prayer and celebration at the church. It was an incredible send off. Can you dehydrate from crying too much?? hmmm Anyway, we find out at the 11th hour that we can spend the day (Tues) with him at the MEPS office, take pics of his Swearing In Service and say goodbye as they take him off to the airport. Did I mention that the chairs are hard and it was a 7 hr. wait? Ok, so we cried again and said goodbye. We waved as they drove away. I had a lump in my throat the size of Texas!

Around the time he should have been boarding the plane my phone rings. Ok, 3 guesses but the first 2 don't count! Yep, it's Patrick saying his flight has been cancelled. Could we bring him and the 4 other stranded Navy recruits some clean clothes, toiletries etc. By this point I am three sheets to the wind physically and emotionally and can barely see straight. But it is Patrick. Of course we would come! Nathan and I gather up a goodie bag and head to the Charlotte hotel again. We ate dinner with him and had another nice visit before saying goodbye. Now instead of tears there are smiles wondering what he will need next and if he will really be on a plane tomorrow at 12:20! Yeah, there was still a knot in my stomach as I realized soon I wouldn't be a phone call away when he needed something.

So there you have it....
until we hear from him today that he got on that plane!!