FORT BENNING, Ga., (Jan. 27 2016) -- Families, friends and loved ones were invited to spend the final day before basic combat training graduation with their new Soldiers.
They populated the bleachers at Pomeroy Field on Sand Hill Jan. 20 as the basic combat trainees of 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, marched on and were honored in an informal ceremony.
Sharon Cooper, mother of Pvt. Lloyd Cooper of Rankin, Georgia, said she, her husband and their son's fiancee, Charlie, spent Family Day visiting the area. They had lunch at Peachtree Mall, relaxed and did some site seeing.
"It was a great," Sharon said. "We're so proud of him, just so proud."
For Charlie, seeing her Soldier was good and bad because she knew he would soon be shipping out to attend advanced individual training.
"I have to go back and he doesn't go with me," she said.
Aside from the separation, Charlie said she was proud of her fiance.
The Army lifestyle is unfamiliar to many Families, so the company held a seminar inside the Regimental Chapel on Sand Hill to introduce married couples and Families to Army life.
There, the Soldiers and their loved ones learned about Tricare, the Army Family Readiness Groups, asked questions about on-post housing and received instructions on obtaining dependent identification cards.
The chaplain also spoke to the new Soldiers about marriage retreats, Family retreats and different offerings through the chaplain services.
Pvt. Jeffrey Schlein's mother, Sonya Yauneridge, said her son decided after he graduated high school that he wanted to join the Army. She said seeing him graduate made her very happy.
"I'm very proud, excited, sad - now, he is all grown up," she said.
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