That's FIRST lieutenant, thank you!

So last week, after a long two years, I finally put on the rank of 1st Lieutenant!  I realize that it's automatic to go from 2nd Lt to 1st, but I don't care!  It's a big deal to me!  And I had one of the best promotion ceremonies ever, if i may be so bold as to make that claim. 

My brother, Chuck (in the picture with me) is also active duty, he is a doctor (a Radiologist) in the Army stationed in Tacoma, WA.  He's a Major Promotable.  For those who are rank-knowlege impaired, that means that he has a line number to put on Lieutenant Colonel even though he is still wearing the Major rank.  Why explain all this, you ask?  Because as a senior ranking officer he has the authority to officiate the ceremony of my promotion.  And boy did he ever!  I, of course, am in Louisiana.  Quite the hike from Tacoma!  But he made the trip, midweek at that, for the sole purpose of officiating my promotion ceremony.  It was even cooler because he was the only person wearing a green uniform in a sea of blue.  Hee hee! 

The woman in the picture, pinning on my rank along with Chuck is Wendy.  She is my closest friend here in Louisiana.  

So enjoy the pictures and remember, when you call me Lieutenant now, you have to mean it!

Oh say can you seeeeee......

I am not sure if I have ever written an entry about my singing the National Anthem before, so I suppose I have to start this entry by saying that I sing the National Anthem for official functions at Barksdale AFB.  There are three or four of us who do it and we rotate through the ceremonies.  I sing at retirement ceremonies, Change of Command ceremonies etc.  I also sing for some of the college graduation ceremony's that take place on base.  It's not that I am Whitney Houston or anything, far from it actually, but I have a passable voice and the guts to sing the National Anthem sans music in front of a crowd.  It's fun and i take a lot of pride in doing it.  The interesting thing about singing at official military functions is that there is a specific protocol involved.  The Honor Guard posts the colors, they dip the flag, I sing.  When I finish, the Honor Guard finishes posting the colors and they march out.  During this whole time everyone in the room is standing at "attention" and in complete silence.  The silence continues through the posting, my singing and through the chaplain's invocation which immediately follows my singing.  The great thing about that is two fold...1) No one is looking at me when I am singing and 2) I get to go sit down when the chaplain comes up to speak and blend back in to the audience.  It's all very much on the DL and I get to remain fairly anonymous.  I actually prefer it that way.  

Occasionally someone from within the Shreveport/Bossier community will have an event that requires someone to sing the National Anthem and they call the base and ask if they can send one of the singers.  Well last week, I got my first chance to sing at a community event.  It was for the 2006 Special Olympic Summer Games opening ceremony.  It was so awesome!  The difference is that when you are singing in the community, there really isn't protocol like there is for military ceremonies.  The crowd at the LSU gymnasium was very excited and enthusiastic and when I got out on the floor they were cheering and clapping.  When I started to sing, everyone sang along with me!  It was great!!  I had a smile on my face the whole time.  It's incredible to hear 300 people all singing the National Anthem at the same time.  After I was done (or after WE were done as was the case!) there was more cheering and I was totally humbled.  There is no cheering or clapping or any noise at all for that matter at military ceremonies.  This was really neat!  Who'd a thunk it?