Getting Pinned

Fort Benning, GA

Day 24-Year 3

Team Zybko

June 30, 2014

C130 going down the strip

251 gonna take a little trip

Stand up buckle up shuffle to the door

Jump right out and count to four

If my chute don't open wide

I have another one by my side

If my reserve don't blossom round

I'll be the first one on the ground

Lo, right- left

lefty , right lea eft

lo, right left

lefty-right left

We were there alright, standing at the correct airfield, on time, with bells on and everything. Drex, La and I waited patiently for the pinning part of the ceremony in the hot, hot, hot Georgia sun but missed the photo op and special moment by mere seconds anyway. No ones fault really, who knew how difficult it would be to find your kid amongst a couple hundred straight faced silent soldiers. With sweat dripping from every nook and cranny we searched the orderly rows and rows of camouflaged buzzed cut and tight military hair buns. A real life Waldo hunt. Although I am pretty good at inadvertently embarrassing my kids I did have enough sense not to call out in a desperate mommy voice for Dylan's whereabouts. Just as we thought our efforts were futile I see a familiar hand raise up above the heads of the other proud parents from the very back row. No picture of the official military dude pinning the gold wings on his uniform, you just have to take my word on it. Congrats Dylan and the rest of Charlie Company. 

Airborne...all the way!  

These Silver Wing peeps were amazing to watch fall from the sky. Each one of them gracefully landing upon an "X" neatly laid out on the grassy ground. A targeted spot roughly the size of our dinning room table. Wow! Most of them clocking in over a thousand jumps each, impressive to say the least, I can barely jump off my living room couch and land on my feet! Hooah.