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Comment by LedaB on March 24, 2012 at 10:24am

Inaipaul,
Thank you for the kind words and prayers. That is the one thing he continuously asks for in his letters, lots of prayer. He says his faith has gotten stronger while he has been there. It is a very emotional time for everyone. Continue the prayers everyone and I will update on here when I hear from him again.

Comment by lnaipaul on March 24, 2012 at 7:50am

Divermom,

What a beauitful story. It becomes a journey for the whole family especially the moms. We worry so much about our boys and what they are going through. Its a very tough program. Almost every day in dive prep someone drops out. You just play it day by day. That was the hardest time for me. I spoke to my son at night I told him how proud I was of him and reminded him to mediatate . They are pushed to the extreme in dive prep.

Ledab I remeber my first letter. Its very emotional. I am happy your son is doing well. We,ll keep him in my prayers.takecare

Comment by Bensmom on March 23, 2012 at 7:17pm

DiverMom, As I was reading your son's story, tears came to my eyes as I remembered my son's journey through BC, Dive Prep, and Dive School. Though my son was almost 26 when he started his journey, your description of the tough mindset and "can do" attitude is identical to my son's endeavors. As a matter of fact, all of our divers must have these attributes to become a Navy Diver, the best of the best. Congrats to your diver and thank you for sharing your story.

Comment by LedaB on March 23, 2012 at 2:46pm

We received a letter from our son yesterday. He is halfway finished with BC! He is head LPO (laundry petty officer) and has made a couple friends. He has mentioned some names so you can message me if you think they could be your sons. This was the first letter that seemed positive so I cried tears of joy!! I can't wait o see him again!

Comment by CaronMS ND Mom on March 23, 2012 at 1:34pm

Yes, Congrats. It is an amazing accomplishment!  My sailor son is now stationed in Hawaii and can't believe he actually gets paid to do something he absolutely loves.  He made it through boot camp, pre-diving and diver training without any major hiccups.  Even graduated "Honor Man".  We are all so VERY proud of him.  Oh, and we can't wait to go visit. :)

Comment by lyndahl (04/803) on March 23, 2012 at 1:08pm

DM-- how inspriing and beautifuly said and you should be proud, your Son sounds like a wonderful man!  What a great testament to your job as parents.

Congrats!!!!!!

Comment by DiverMom on March 23, 2012 at 12:19pm

What an amazing journey....WOW!  I am still in awe of the accomplishments of my oldest son and to say that I am SO PROUD is a complete understatement!  We always tell our children that they can do anything they set their mind to and be anything they want to be when they grow up.  Reality is, life throws us obstacles, and there are hurdles to overcome.  It is all in how we deal with those challenges, and the choices we make, that shape who we really become in life.

Ryan’s plan started in 9^th grade when he was challenged with a school assignment to research future careers.  His original path was to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and become a 3^rd generation Ironworker….we are what we know and we use the heroes in our lives as role models.  We all want to be like them, right?  His plan was set and he would attend Vo-Tech training in welding the following year.  He also had an interest in Scuba diving.  He was a natural and he was good at it.   While researching careers, he looked at underwater welding as an option.  This would combine the things he liked to do and it is never really “a job” if we love our work.  That sounded interesting to him.  It was an opportunity for a new adventure every day…but how would he get there?  He formulated a plan.  The first part of the plan was to join the US Navy and let them train him.  He would get to serve his country, see amazing places in this world, and be the best of the best, join an elite community of US Navy Divers.  WOW!  Big goal!  The odds of securing the job, getting through training and succeeding the first time on this goal were slim.  The backup plan (there is always a backup plan), was to use his GI Bill to receive training at a school in the mid-west, following his service. 

He graduated from High School on June 6, 2011.  He left for boot camp on July 7, 2011 for 8 weeks.  For him, it was no ordinary boot camp training.  It was Spec Ops, training.  He faced a more intensive mental and physical boot camp than many of the 900+ in his boot camp graduating class.  Communication with him during that time was limited and the RDCs were determined to break him physically or mentally.  Hard work and sheer determination prevailed.  He received a promotion in boot camp to EL-2.  He graduated from boot camp on September 1, 2011.  Now, the “real” fun lay in store for him.  He started the dive prep course in Great Lakes, Il with 23 hopeful divers.  In November 2011, a total 10 diver candidates completed the course.  The next destination was Naval Diving and Salvage Training Command in Panama City, Florida with the “best of the best”…Nine trainees were sent from Great Lakes to Florida. 

On Wednesday, March 21, 2012, I had the honor and the privilege to witness my son and 3, (yes 3) of his original boot camp division, graduate from Naval Diving and Salvage Training Command in Panama City, Florida, to join a very elite brotherhood of service members.  He set a goal, he worked hard, he kept his focus, and he accomplished what very few are able to achieve, the status of Navy Diver.  He did it!  He really, really did it!  He took it one step, one challenge, one mission at a time, and he succeeded in reaching the goal that he set so many years ago.   The enormity of this accomplishment is overwhelming!  I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be a mother to this wonderful young man.  I am humbled by his commitment and dedication.  He has reaffirmed for me that in this world, anything really is possible, if you set your mind to it…you really can achieve your dreams, and be anything you want to be!  Obstacles are challenges that can be overcome with hard work, perseverance and focus on the goal.  WOW!  ND3 Bennett, we look forward to following your journey “between the devil and the deep blue sea, come hell or high water”…Congratulations, my Son!        

Comment by lnaipaul on March 20, 2012 at 7:49pm

Ledab,

Hope everthing is ok with your son in bc. The special ops bc is different than the regular bc. All spec ops r in the same division. There workout starts at 4am n goes all day.its mostly mentally challening for the guys. Its a huge wake up call but only the best makes it and that who we want protecting our freedom. Keep us uptodate. Takecare

Comment by Zenda 04/823 on March 11, 2012 at 9:39pm

LedaB....I know several SR's didn't make it through bc when our son was there. It's very physically and mentally challenging on them all. The most difficult for us family members back home is the unknown of what is going on with our loved ones in bc. It's hard, but try to remember "no news, is good news" Just keep sending him loving, supporting and upbeat letters. I also sent a ton of jokes. Our son shared them with the division and tried to keep the others smiling also. Let us know. Hugs to all.

Comment by LedaB on March 11, 2012 at 12:01pm

We received a call the other day from our son. He was very upset and said some in his division (or all, I'm not really sure) were not going to graduate on the 13! He said they were being held back for a couple weeks! Has anyone else received this call?

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