7/18/10 D-Day (Dillon's Day)

The morning began at 6:45a.m. I woke Dillon as he uttered "ugh...I don't want to go". He did however drag himself out of bed and into the shower. I had butterflies in my stomach and know that he did as well. We were out the door by 7:30 and off to Starbucks for a quick cup of joe and a snack to get us on the road.

The drive down was long and I could feel the tension growing the closer we got to SLO (San Luis Obispo). We talked quite a bit about what he was feeling and his concerns. Dillon was actually in a great mood. The first time I had seen the excitement and curiosity greater than the nerves and fear. He said that "6 months isn't that long, and I'm only 2 1/2 hours from home". I thought this was a great attitude to have.

Aunt Dene called on the way down and gave him some encouragement

and some laughs as well. She said that if anyone messed with him to tell

them that aunt Dene was going to kick their ass. I'm sure that made all

the difference in helping Dillon to feel secure......grin.

We got to SLO a little before 11:00 and were instructed to eat lunch before arriving at GYA (Grizzly Youth Academy). Dillon wanted to go into Pismo, but we didn't have time. We were lucky enough to find a small version of F. McClintocks in downtown SLO. This would be his "last meal" so to speak. A BLT with home fries and a coke. Probably not the best choice on a nervous stomach, but he was able to choke it down along with some of mine as well. Then we were back on the road and headed to his home for the next 5 months.

When we arrived, we met up with Patrick and Kyle who had rode down on their motorcycles. Dillon put on his black pants, black t-shirt, black hat, white socks, and tennis shoes as instructed. There were several other boys with the same outfit and the same worried look on their faces. We lined up along with the other cadets and families and waited in line.

A sergeant was making announcements. "Only your parents can go in with you. Once you cross this line, YOU BELONG TO US!!"...the first upset of the day. Kyle and Steve had made the trip with us in hopes of going in with us for processing. But, the rules are the rules. Dillon said goodbye to his brother and Steve and then we were next to be processed.

The sergeant asked Dillon a question and he replied"yeah". In response he heard, "That's YES SERGEANT!"....his first taste of how he would be treated over the next 22 weeks. We proceeded through the intake line where all of the things we had so carefully packed into his black bag were dumped out, rifled through and handed back to him all wadded up to be put into a new clear bag. They went through everything and checked in every nook and cranny looking for any unauthorized contraband. Dillon was embarrassed when they discovered Q-tips that I snuck into his shaving kit....I just wanted him to have clean ears...jeesh!! But it wasn't authorized so they took them away. Later, I saw other mothers walking around with boxes of Q-tips that had been handed back for them to take home. "If they need a Q-tip, they can ask for one and it will be issued to them." Gulp!!

Next were 4 different stations that we were sent to hand in our paperwork and make sure we had all the i's dotted and the t's crossed. Station 1 - Counseling Packet intake. Here we handed in the paperwork for psychological purposes. Some kids are in counseling and others are on probation. Dillon has neither a therapist or a probation officer so this was a fairly quick stop for us. One of the women did give Dillon some great advice. She asked if he was nervous and he said "YES"..not yeah like before. Took only once to learn that skill. She continued to tell him, "They are going to yell at you and try to break you down. Don't take it personal and just do what they ask, you will be fine". I really think this was helpful to Dillon. He seemed to relax a bit after this. He then got his picture taken and then a family picture with his dad and me.

Station 2 - Mentor Paperwork intake. Here we waited in a very long line and handed in our mentor paperwork. Dale (Dillon's mentor) had already e-mailed most of the information over and had everything in order. "Very efficient" she said. So that was a quick stop for us.

Station 3 - Transcript and School Transfer intake. Again, we had everything we needed. Copies of school records and transfer sheets. The lines were long because most people didn't come prepared. There were several parents that looked confused as if they were seeing this paperwork for the first time. We've had the packet for about a month, so they really made it easy for us to be prepared. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation and confusion led to long lines and more nerves on the part of the cadets.

Station 4 - Medical Paperwork intake. We saw the nurse right away. She was great. Dillon has an inhaler that he uses occasionally when needed for asthma. She instructed him to use it this morning (7/19) when he got up....she said she was giving him a clue as to what his day would be like. I will be curious to hear what today was like for him.

After we left Station 4, Patrick and I had to say our goodbyes. Dillon went to cadet orientation and we went to parent orientation. We were all waiting outside in different areas about 50 yards apart. I was watching as Dillon sat with the other cadets. At first, he looked a little scared, and then true to form, Dillon started chatting it up with the other boys and cracking a smile or two. That's my boy...Mr. Social.

Next, Patrick and I went into the parent orientation and that was the last time we saw Dillon. He now belongs to them for the next 5 months. My heart sank and my stomach was turning.

Just last week he and I drove up the coast on Hwy 1 and found a olallieberry farm where we picked berries, and had some great laughs. I know he is going to learn so much and grow in so many ways, but he's still my baby boy and I am going to miss him. He left a boy and will return a man.

It is suggested that we all write to him as much as possible to keep him connected. Mail call is every night around 8:30 after a long hard day and a shower, they get to read mail from home. Here is his address again for those who missed my e-mail:

Dillon Oliver

3rd Platoon

Grizzly Youth Academy

P.O. Box 3209

San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3209
We were told, only positive news, no sad or negative news. These are the words that he will be reading as he gets ready to go to sleep. The staff sergeant said that the boys that get mail do much better than those who don't so please write when you can. I'm sure that he will get back to you eventually, but they don't have that much time to respond to mail. He gets a call home once a week and I will keep you all posted as to how he is doing.

The Friends and Family visit day is Sept. 11th from 10:00 - 4:00. I would love all of you to join us if you can. It's a picnic day for the cadets to visit with everyone and we can bring as many peeps as we want. Let me know if you are in and we will set up carpools. It is a 3 hour trip, so I know it's too much for some. But if you are up for it, we would love to have you.

Dillon is more lucky than most. He has a very supportive family that loves him very much and will see him through this journey.

Thank you all.