I was fortunate enough to be able to visit with Addison when he completed MCT at Camp Pendleton base in CA. On Sunday, when I flew there, he was able to go off base since he had a buddy to accompany him. We went to the Claim Jumper restaurant and stuffed ourselves on chicken pot pie. The food and service were excellent. Monday I went to the San Diego Zoo since I was unable to visit with him. These photos will show up eventually on the blog.
On Tuesday I attended the graduation. In the photo gallery, you’ll see the first few photos of marines that may have been assembling for some training. The next few show the deck where graduation would occur. After the deck photos, you’ll see them assembling for marching onto the deck for graduation.
After they marched onto the deck, you’ll see the 4 units assembled, followed by Addison coming up into the stands. I guess he was able to pick me out of the crowd. Perhaps the camera equipment was a tipoff!
The last 2 photos are of the inside of the mess hall. We had a quick lunch and then he had to head outside for formation, go collect their gear, and be off to their next destination. I met with him after he was packed and ready to go. Soon after that I left for the airport only to be enough minutes late to miss the flight. The next flight was about 8 hours later. I knew I might miss that flight, but being able to spend more time with Addison was worth it.
Click here to see my view from the bleachers.