Chris is on the move....the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference

My blog today is about Chris' current travels with an ambassador program of the Department of Defense. So if you are interested....read on!

Chris called three times Friday. The first call came at 8AM to let me know he arrived safely to Washington, DC. The second call came in the late afternoon after the tour of the Pentagon and opportunity to meet the group he will be traveling with for the next 10 days. The last one, the quick Goodbye call late in the evening, surprised me a little. I have gotten accustomed to the physical distance between us, but this time, there was a little struggle for me. Realizing he will be out of touch in some amazing situations, I just have to find comfort in knowing how much he is growing and learning, and whatever God's plan is for his life, he is walking the pathways that are opening to him. A mother's love being what it is, there is always yearning to be with him more and to talk with him more. But I must put my selfish mother desires aside again. This is his life, being well-lived. That is what I raised him to do, and I support every step of it. And I am so proud of the man he has become.

So for anyone who is interested, here is what I know about his travels so far. The program sponsored by the Department of Defense is described simply on an internet site. If you google JCOC, (Joint Civilian Orientation Conference), and click on the first thing that comes up, you will see it. In his first call yesterday, he had arrived at the Pentagon and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, one of the best hotels he's seen. All day yesterday was spent viewing the Pentagon and meeting people like Admiral Hamm, the deputy to Gates who replaced Rumsfeld as Sec. of Defense. He related standing with a group that included an obviously important fellow who was telling the group about himself. Somebody asked him where he was from and he responded, "I'm from a small town in Illinois named Quincy." Well you can imagine Chris did a double-take on that! The guy is a former student from QND, Kevin Wensing, who went on to become an accomplished Navy man and is now the special assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense! He and Chris talked about Mario's brother Edmundo, etc., and Chris found out that Kevin is accompanying the group on this trip. So once again....a small world. Also in the first phone call yesterday, Chris related some of the itinerary as he understood it so far: leave Andrews Air Force Base in Washington at 3AM Saturday morning on a C17 Military transport for Guantanemo Bay, Cuba. I think a day there, then on to Rio de Janiero, Brazil for 2 days. Next stop, Honduras, and at some point, Bogota, Columbia. Honduras is apparently where the pesky mosquitos are that carry malaria, and he was unable to get the malaria vaccine. So we have to pray the malaria mosquitos don't land on him! He'll spray down with Deet and cover up and hopefully not come home with any new disease! At some point, the group lands on the George Washington aircraft carrier, literally dropped onto the ship by a C-2 jet. O MY. He related that there are about 40 civilians in the group, divided into smaller groups of 8-10. He had already met some men from the group--the CEO of Sony, the Sr. VP of AIG, and a well-known cardiologist from some big hospital in Houston. He saw the Oreck CEO but didn't get to speak with him yet. He said, "I stick out like a sore thumb here," meaning the group is composed of men and a couple of women in their late 40's and 50's. But he says that's not a problem, that he can talk with all of them. Next he related that they asked for volunteers to suit up with the Marines at a certain point and carry 100 lbs. of gear like they do and go through their drills with them. So Chris and another fellow volunteered to do that. Somewhere in Bogota, Columbia, they are going to a shooting range to fire the weapons the military use, and that seemed interesting to him. And they had a lottery to see who gets to have a seat in the cockpit on the ride home to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington when they are through, and they drew Chris' name. So that will be some kind of thrill for sure. And he was pretty enthused by the cool Department of Defense gear that they all got. He said it was good quality stuff--jacket, shirt, hat, blanket, and other things I can't recall.

So they finished the day in Washington Friday with a nice dinner, then back to the room to pack a back-pack for the first 2 days of the trip. The rest of the luggage would not be with them, so whatever they need for the first 2 days had to go in the back-pack. He was wondering how the two women would handle that! It was the final thought he expressed in the 3rd call of the day late in the evening, just before "Goodbye. I love you."

I am thinking that by now, (Saturday morning), they are in Cuba already, and the real adventure has just begun. I will post anything new when I hear from Maria. He will have a couple of short phone opportunities with her during the trip, and she will call us with info. Please pray for safe travel and good health for Chris.