Today marks a week since we have heard from Kyle by phone. He did communicate a couple lines via another web resource that he was still in transit and that communications "suck" (his word). We actually heard more from him while in Kuwait than we did from Ft. Carson. In Colorado there is a lot more to do in your spare time than there is in Kuwait, where all you have is spare time. We received phone calls nearly every other day for the two week wait in Kuwait. This long a period with little word is reminiscent of the BCT (Basic Combat Training). For that reason, I thought I would take a few paragraphs to recap some of Kyle's boot camp experiences.
Our first word from Kyle in BCT was a phone message on my cell phone after service one Sunday - about 3 weeks after his arrival at Ft. Benning, GA. He was a little choked up (that is a family trait) on the phone but was able to choke out that he had won a contest and had received permission to make a 15 min. call home. As it would happen, that was right in the middle of morning worship at home. It turns out that the contest was to disassemble, reassemble and fire your weapon (an M-4) in the least amount of time. That didn't surprise me that he would have this kind of aptitude - he's been taking stuff apart since he started playing with Legos as a kid. Needless to say, when I played the sad message from the rest of the family - we all teared up a bit at the thought of missing his call.
We were not surprised also, to hear him say that he loved the rigor of BCT. Both he and Brandon were wrestlers in Junior and Senior high school. They were acquainted with the practice of pushing yourself and being pushed to do more than they thought physically possible. To this day Kyle will regularly push himself until he gets sick. He says something like, "When I'm hurlin' I know I'm workin'". So it was not a surprise to read in his letters that he was having the time of his life. His phone calls from BCT often started with "This is SOOOO much fun." He would then go on to speak of Ruck marches that would cause massive blisters on his feet and result in bloody patches worn through the hide on his back from an ill-fitting Ruck sack.
We were, however, a little surprised to find that he is a crack shot with fire arms and ranked "expert" with hand grenades. The latter I can understand as it is similar to horseshoes - you only have to get close. But the rifle marksmanship surprised us. I shouldn't have been surprised when I recounted the 3 or 4 times that we played paint ball together. I always ended up whatever color Kyle was shooting, plus the colors black and blue (those little paint balls HURT). To date, he has qualified "sharp shooter" or "marksmen" on nearly every firing range he has experienced. He has fired some amazing weapons, but his personal favorite happens to be the one that he is assigned, the M-4 Carbine.
One of the great and somewhat unexpected outcomes from BCT was the imprint this time would have on Kyle's faith. He fell in with a group of believers right away. They encouraged each other and challenged each other in faith as well as physically. His letters home were filled with quotes from scripture that were particularly powerful to him. In one letter home he wrote, "I think that BCT has been about me figuring out who I am as a man of God." As you might imagine, these were welcome and wonderful words. Who would have known that the Army would provide a defining moment for faith. I truly didn't see that one coming.
Our first word from Kyle in BCT was a phone message on my cell phone after service one Sunday - about 3 weeks after his arrival at Ft. Benning, GA. He was a little choked up (that is a family trait) on the phone but was able to choke out that he had won a contest and had received permission to make a 15 min. call home. As it would happen, that was right in the middle of morning worship at home. It turns out that the contest was to disassemble, reassemble and fire your weapon (an M-4) in the least amount of time. That didn't surprise me that he would have this kind of aptitude - he's been taking stuff apart since he started playing with Legos as a kid. Needless to say, when I played the sad message from the rest of the family - we all teared up a bit at the thought of missing his call.
We were not surprised also, to hear him say that he loved the rigor of BCT. Both he and Brandon were wrestlers in Junior and Senior high school. They were acquainted with the practice of pushing yourself and being pushed to do more than they thought physically possible. To this day Kyle will regularly push himself until he gets sick. He says something like, "When I'm hurlin' I know I'm workin'". So it was not a surprise to read in his letters that he was having the time of his life. His phone calls from BCT often started with "This is SOOOO much fun." He would then go on to speak of Ruck marches that would cause massive blisters on his feet and result in bloody patches worn through the hide on his back from an ill-fitting Ruck sack.
We were, however, a little surprised to find that he is a crack shot with fire arms and ranked "expert" with hand grenades. The latter I can understand as it is similar to horseshoes - you only have to get close. But the rifle marksmanship surprised us. I shouldn't have been surprised when I recounted the 3 or 4 times that we played paint ball together. I always ended up whatever color Kyle was shooting, plus the colors black and blue (those little paint balls HURT). To date, he has qualified "sharp shooter" or "marksmen" on nearly every firing range he has experienced. He has fired some amazing weapons, but his personal favorite happens to be the one that he is assigned, the M-4 Carbine.
One of the great and somewhat unexpected outcomes from BCT was the imprint this time would have on Kyle's faith. He fell in with a group of believers right away. They encouraged each other and challenged each other in faith as well as physically. His letters home were filled with quotes from scripture that were particularly powerful to him. In one letter home he wrote, "I think that BCT has been about me figuring out who I am as a man of God." As you might imagine, these were welcome and wonderful words. Who would have known that the Army would provide a defining moment for faith. I truly didn't see that one coming.
(BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE SLIDE SHOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG)
That leads me to list a few prayer requests for those readers who believe in the power of prayer. If I can figure out how to post a prayer list in the side bar of this blog, I will do so. For now, please pray for the following:
- Obviously pray for protection for Kyle and all our troops who are in harms way.
- Pray that the COB (Combat Operations Base) to which he is assigned has a chaplain.
- Pray for him to find close friends of similar faith at that location.
- Pray for his quiet times with the Lord to be fruitful and regular (sorry - I can't help but see the similarity between that last prayer request and my doctors prescription for middle-aged irregularity ... hmmmm).
- Pray that Kyle will have opportunity to share his faith with soldiers who do not have a Rock on which to place their trust.
That leads me to list a few prayer requests for those readers who believe in the power of prayer. If I can figure out how to post a prayer list in the side bar of this blog, I will do so. For now, please pray for the following:
- Obviously pray for protection for Kyle and all our troops who are in harms way.
- Pray that the COB (Combat Operations Base) to which he is assigned has a chaplain.
- Pray for him to find close friends of similar faith at that location.
- Pray for his quiet times with the Lord to be fruitful and regular (sorry - I can't help but see the similarity between that last prayer request and my doctors prescription for middle-aged irregularity ... hmmmm).
- Pray that Kyle will have opportunity to share his faith with soldiers who do not have a Rock on which to place their trust.
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