On Friday morning, the 25th, at 3 a.m. Brandon boarded a bus outside of the Litchfield Armory with about 18 other soldiers. They were lead by a fire truck and several motorcycles filled with veterans of war days gone by. The families, including ours, stood watch and waved as they departed for the airport, where they would fly to Mississippi for WLC (Warrior Leader Course).
The soldiers were split into two groups as there were two seperate flights going out to bring them to their destination. Brandon was chosen to be "chop commander" over one of the groups. This meant that he had to keep track of about 8 soldiers, convince airport security to let them keep their boots on when passing through (regulations these days requires passengers to remove shoes for screening), and basically just make sure everyone got there ok. Already, he's been given opportunity to exercise leadership.
He will more than likely blog more about the details later when he is able to access the internet.
They all arrived safely in the warm, muggy state of Mississippi. The first night, he and some other guys ordered pizza.
The next couple days they woke up at 0450 (4:50 am), and attended classes until about 2030 (8:30 pm). One thing that Brandon was concerned about was his PT test; a physical strength test in which he does sit ups, push ups, and a two mile run. He had been out of shape and unable to train over the past year due to a back problem (that is now back to about 98%). He was not required to pass this test to graduate the course. However, he would be given a "marginal," meaning, he was less likely to be promoted in the future. He took the test this morning and I'm so excited to tell you all that he PASSED! He even shaved a minute off of the minimum requirement for the run!
That is the news I have thus far. I will probably be blogging about life on the home front sometime later this week. Thanks everyone for your prayers!
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2 comments:
Woo-hoo and Praise the Lord! We are so thankful that Brandon passed his PT Test! Way to go Son!!!
You must feel a bit relieved...(both Brandon and Sarah).
We are breathing a sigh of relief since the emotional departure now that you are safe at Camp Shelby and have passed the PT Test. We look forward to many more praise reports in the days and weeks ahead.
Always know we continue to cover both you and Sarah in daily prayer.
We are proud of you Sgt. Anderson!
love always,
Mamms
Thanks for the update, Sarah, and way to go on the PT test, SGT Anderson! I knew that even though you haven't been able to do much physical training, that when it came time to take the test, you would find it inside of you to pass.
I remember someone running along side me one time a couple of years ago when I was struggling with a PT test. But this person recited Phil. 4:13 to me under his winded breath: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Brandon, your work ethic and your lived-out faith are inspiring. Thank you for helping me through that PT test. I know you'll do great at WLC! See you soon...
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