Steven needs your prayers right now. He is going thru a rough spot and needs our love and support. Please be there for him.

Soldier's Psalm 91 Prayer
By Harriet Yoder
O Lord Most High, help me to dwell in your secret place and abide under Your shadow.

Help me to believe and say out loud for everyone to hear that You are my refuge and my fortress; that You are my God; and that in You I put my trust.

O Lord God Almighty, please deliver me from hidden traps and diseases.

Father God, cover me with Your camouflage; hide me under Your wings; and let Your truth be my shield and buckler against the fiery darts—the lies—of the enemy.

Lord Jesus, help me not to be afraid of terrorists' attacks in the night; or weapons that fly by day; or sicknesses that walk in darkness; or destruction that wastes at noonday.

O Holy God, though a thousand fall at my side, and ten thousand fall at my right hand; please let it not come close to me and my companions.

O Lord Most High, let me live to see the reward of the wicked, because You are my refuge and my home. Let no evil conquer me and let no plague come into my house or near my family.

O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer, please set angels over me to keep me in all Your ways, to bear me up in their hands and to keep my feet from stumbling.

Father God, help me to tread upon the lion and adder and trample the young lion and the dragon under my feet.

Lord Jesus, I love you with all my heart and I know Your name. Deliver me and lift me on high to soar with the eagles. I call upon you to be with me in times of trouble to deliver and honor me because I know Your name. Please show me Your salvation and satisfy me with a long life.

I ask this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ

Amen.

Steven has been assigned to the 1st Calvary Division Fort Hood, TX

I am thankful my son is safe today

Remember those throughout the world who are less fortunate than we, remember those who are not with family this Thanksgiving holiday, and hold close in your thoughts and prayers those who sacrifice to keep us safe and comfortable at home.

A Soldier

There is discipline in A Soldier
you can see it when he walks,
There is honor in A Soldier
you hear it when he talks.
There is courage in A Soldier
you can see it in his eyes,
There is loyalty in A Soldier
that he will not compromise.
There is something in A Soldier
that makes him stand apart,
There is strength in A Soldier
that beats from his heart.
A Soldier isn't a title any man
can be hired to do,
A Soldier is the soul of that man
buried deep inside of you.
A Soldier's job isn't finished after
an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week,
A Soldier is always A Soldier
even while he sleeps.
A Soldier serves his country first
and his life is left behind,
A Soldier has to sacrifice what
comes first in a civilian's mind.
If you are civilian -
I am saying this to you.....
next time you see A Soldier
remember what they do.
A Soldier is the reason our land
is 'Home of the free',
A Soldier is the one that is brave
protecting you and me.
If you are A Soldier -
I am saying this to you.....
Thank God for EVERY SOLDIER
Thank God for what YOU do!

by
Angela Goodwin

It's a comfort to know there are heroes among us-regular people, just like you-willing to do what they can to make the world a better place. Heroes give instead of take. They act instead of talk. They step forward and do the hard and unseen jobs, to give the best of themselves-measuring their own success not by wealth or comfort, but by the lives they touch along the way. That's what heroes do-and you are one of those people. Maybe you don't think of yourself that way-but that's what you are. And I just want to tell you how grateful I am to know you and to know that there are heroes like you in the world.

J.F Peterson

We love you sooo much Steven!

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

Congratulations son!

Steven has completed his Basic Training and we couldn’t be more proud. The trip to Georgia was amazing. To see him and hold him was……..well I can’t find the words.

Steven is now at Fort Gordon attending Advanced Individual Training (AIT). He will be there until February sometime, I believe.

Steven says to mail him every flavor of beef jerky possible, candy and his blue jean jacket – lol. His address at the present is:

Private Woodward, Steven
Echo Company 551
Signal Battalion
Fort Gordon, GA 31905

I love getting mail!

Got a call from Steven this morning! Whoo Hoo, Happy Day! Steven sounds great! He says to send more letters and pics. He loves to hear from everyone and he is looking forward to seeing everyone on graduation day!

Norman Schwarzkopf:
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.

You are alomst there Steven!

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure. ~Colin Powell

BRAVO COMPANY BULLDOGS

Steven is on his way to graduating Basic Combat Training.

Bravo Company holds a Family Day the day before graduation beginning at 9:00 am on September 30th at BLDG 3245 Bravo / 2-47 Company Training Area. Following a short Family Day ceremony, Steven will get a day pass to spend some well deserved time with us. Graduation will be October 1st at 9:00 am at The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center located at 3800 South Lumpkin Road. We will have several hours to spend with Steven after BCT graduation.

IMPORTANT: In order to gain access to Fort Benning and Sand Hill, drivers must have current state registration and insurance along with a valid driver's license. All occupants over the age of 10 must have a valid photo ID card.

On Friday, October 2nd, Steven will be transported to Fort Gordon, Georgia - the largest communications-electronics facility in the free world - to complete Advanced Individual Training (AIT). The training Steven receives during AIT is designed to teach him his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) that he will use once he reaches his first assignment.

it is rough

Steven called today (Thank GOD!). He sounds beat. He told us things are rough and his Platoon is still in the Red Phase of training and have not progressed to the White Phase. Last night was his first night in a bed since last week. The Platoon was on a week long field training mission. Steven said it is real rough being one of the youngest. He asked us to send him song lyrics. Steven also said he is super hungry for anything but had a dream about a Big Mac and McFlurry! Said he could see the McDs at the end of a long hallway and he was running for it as it kept getting further and further away until he tripped and woke up. :( Poor little guy broke out in a cold sweat. >>>This is so funny to us because he normally hates McDonald's food<<<

There is only a little over a month before we can go see him. All are welcome to come and we hope to see many there. Steven would be greatly honored if you are able to make it to Georgia. We will post the dates once confirmed. At the moment, graduation should be October 1st, with Family Day the day before.

Gas Chamber Training

Steven went through Gas Chamber Training today, twice! He sounds amazing and sends his love to everyone. Please keep Steven in your prayers and send him as many encouraging, positive thoughts as possible...he really likes letters and pictures too :)

Private Woodward, Steven 453

B Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th IN 192 Bde

Fort Benning, GA 31905

Please write often so Steven knows how much he is loved and so that he knows without a doubt that we all support him.

He especially wants us to send him pictures of everyone, and asked us for stamps and envelopes to write.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
~Aristotle

NEW MAILING ADDY TBA

Steven has a new address, I will update ASAP

The man who takes a chance . . . who walks the line between the known and unknown . . . who is unafraid of failure, will succeed. ~Gordon Parks

Steven, You are a brave person to know what it is you want and head out after it. We are all so proud of you and the man you are becoming. We miss you dearly and love you even more. We talk about you each and every day and look forward to seeing you next month!

Mainling Address

Steven should have his new blackberry soon so no more phone cards are needed (whew)! Thanks to everyone that sent one in!

Steven said this will change soon, for now his mailing address is :

U.S. Army Infantry Center
Bravo Company 30th AG
Private Steven Gregory Woodward
Fort Benning, GA 31905

Follow your honest convictions, and stay strong.

~William Thackeray

Red Phase

Let me say this, I am ABSOLUTELY sure going through this and making it happen every day is much more different than we can ever know, but here is the gist of what our precious Steven is doing right now.

Steven is now in the Red Phase (or Patriot Phase) of his Basic Combat Training. In these three weeks this phase focuses on starting the “soldierization” process.

· Orientations
· Initial Values Training
· Physical Training
· Inspections (Barracks, Uniforms, and Equipment)
· Drill and Ceremonies (Marching)
· General Subjects (Nuclear Biological Chemical Warfare, Map Reading, Communications, First Aid, and other mandatory classes)
· Bayonet Training (Assault Course/Pugil Training/Bouts)

Following the Red Phase Steven will enter the White Phase (or Gunfighter Phase) then the Blue Phase (or Warrior Phase). Finally, after graduation he will enter into the Advanced Individual Training (his job training).

A typical day looks like this:

0430 Wake Up
0530 Physical Training
0630 Personal Hygiene/Breakfast
0730 Move to Training
0800 Training
1200 Lunch
1245 Training
1630 Return to Barracks
1700 Dinner
1800 Preparation for Next Day/Counseling/Extra Training
2000 Soldier Preparation Time
2100 Lights Out

whoooooa hoaaaaaah!!!!

My baby just called!!!! He sounded super, super beat (bless his heart). He says he has been doing great since he has been in Georgia. He just woke up from working a night shift and he couldn’t talk long because they were getting ready to do formations. He said we can finally start sending him packages and letters. As soon as I get the address (he mailed it to us) I will post it for anyone that wants to write.

When I asked what he needed, this is what he said…….
He needs stamps and phone cards like crazy!, Cologne (Diesel or Polo), lead for his mechanical pencils, AND photos of everyone that loves him!

He says he is still loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank GOD

Thank you Steven

your son sounds like a great man... and i am proud of him for doing such a great deed for our country
~Christine

Thank you Steven

We wanted to say Thank you so much for your strength and bravery and your commitment to our country. We appreciate you and your family for everything that you are doing for all of us.

~Donna and Bruce

Just doing drills

Steven called us Saturday, although his voice was very hoarse he sounds marvelous! He said they are doing drills every single day. We talked to him again on Sunday and he sounded much, much better. He says he mailed us another letter but it has not arrived yet :( trust me………we are stalking the postal delivery person daily!

We all can hardly wait for the time we can mail things to Steven. Waiting by the phone for his call is hard. We miss him so very much.

We think about our precious son every single day and hope and pray he is happy and content with his choice. Steven is an amazing and kind person and we enjoy so much watching him grow into a fine young man.

Time's Up! grrrrrr

Steven called and was able to talk for about five minutes this time before his Drill Sargent came by and yelled “Time’s Up!”.

He sounds so good. When asked what he did during his downtime he asked “What downtime?!?!” Steven said they are worked out every single day. We miss him so much and look forward to watching him grow into a good man.

We finally got a letter from Steven! He asked that we tell the Family hell-o and that he misses and loves everyone. He says it is hard to find time to write and he had written the letters in his bunk. We still cannot write to him or send him anything. He says he would “get smoked” by the drill sergeant. Steven said they are rotating the Platoon leader responsibility. He is working hard and wants to make everyone proud.

Please send him your prayers and support. Steven has a long road in front of him. We will be able to see him at graduation in Georgia, and then he is off to AIT training. The next opportunity we would have for him to come home, depending on his schedule, would be in January.

Nooooooo.......missed call.....

Mom, they took my gum.

Oh Happy, Happy Day! Steven has been saving his ONE phone call for FATHERS DAY! Shane couldn't stop smiling, the best Father's Day gift ever.

I know he has been gone for only six days but not being able to talk to him anytime we want is torture!

He sounds sooooo good! He was with his buddies when he called (figures) but you could hear shear happiness in his voice. He says he LOVES it so far, except for the “birth control” glasses [he can’t wear his contacts until after Basic Combat Training is over]. His hair is gone and he is sporting his fatigues. You know he is a super cutie.

Double checked with him and he confirms……still not able to write to him or send him any packages. His only prevailing comments were about the glasses and one other thing……..Steven said, “Mom, they took my gum.”

Steven said to tell everyone hi and he loves them and not to worry about him because all is well. He did say he missed us too, a little because it has only been a week! lol

It has been four days already!

Still no word (or phone call) from Pooter Button! Soooooo, I called Fort Jackson this morning and found out we cannot send mail for another 3 weeks! He is still in “processing” mode and we won’t be able to send anything until he gets to Fort Benning

Already missing Steven!

It has officially been 24 hours since heading off to Basic Training. We can hardly wait to hear from him. He will be able to call us once within the first 48 hours to let us know he has arrived safely. After that, he will not be able to call us for 21 days! We will be able to write to him. Once we have the address we will post it here.