Our First Graduation

Our first graduation was at GMC (www.gmc.edu) on a Friday.  Melissa was still recovering from surgery, but she went with me to join in the raucous good time.  Both platoons (and the nighties) all got together and basically celebrated the past 8 weeks as a unit, celebrating what we'd accomplished and looking at how far we had come.  I don't remember a whole lot from that day, but something very important happened.

Drill gives out awards each session to different recruits.  This is something extra that he does to award sometimes the recruit with the most heart, the most discipline, the most motivating, and the coveted honor grad.

Discipline and Motivation awards are nearly self-explanatory, but the Heart and Honor Grad aren't exactly known to the layperson.  The Honor Grad goes to a veteran who has been around, exemplifies what DDIP is all about, and has earned a free 8 week session.  Drill has described the Heart Award as a 'rags to ritches' story of fitness.  Somebody who comes into the program with little physical prowess and completely encompasses themselves into the undertaking.

Drill called our names that day for the Heart Award.  I had no idea what it was, but I imagine that the commitment to success after the major injury to Melissa and the fact that we never faltered in our mission is what made us get recognized.

Whatever it was, it showed me that I had come a long way since being called "fatass" and "fat piece of sh!t" in high school so many years ago.  I had finally been accepted into something where there is no fake, no garbage, no politics, and no negativity.  I had waited my entire life to find something like this.  This was my comeuppance.  It was something that I deserved.  It was something that I needed.

Now that I had found it, I wanted to capitalize.