Goodbye, Oregon; Hello, Texas

We arose early today -- as in 3:30 a.m. -- in order to get Jordan to the airport by 4:15 for his flight to El Paso, via Phoenix.

The 10-day leave that began after his graduation from boot camp in Georgia came to end this weekend and PFC Rede was required to report to Fort Bliss by midnight Tuesday or face sanctions. So, with plenty of motivation and looking ahead to the next chapter as an active-duty soldier, he diligently packed up a duffel bag, a suitcase and a carry-on to see him through the next few months.

All we know of his next assignment is that it involves advanced infantry training. Where it leads from there is a question mark, with the most likely answers being Iraq or Afghanistan. Early on, Jordan considered opting for training with the Army's Airborne Division but he decided, wisely, I think, to put that off in favor of more general training so he can get a better sense of his own interests and abilities and how they might match up with different opportunities within the Army.

Already, he's heard of at least three fellow soldiers from Ft. Benning who were dismissed from Airborne school because of injuries or certain deficiencies. The standards are rigorous -- as they should be for that kind of specialty.

We enjoyed being with Jordan in Columbus and Atlanta, as well as Portland this past week. He spent a lot of time with his girlfriend Jamie but also managed to see a few friends, too, as well as a slew of relatives at this weekend's reunion.

While it was nice to see him relax in front of the TV -- watching the UFC (mixed martial arts) fights Saturday night was a priority -- two things that I saw at the beginning and end of his visit tell you everything you need to know about his character.

First, despite arriving home around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, July 13 -- six hours later than scheduled because of an unscheduled landing in Denver, due to mechanical problems -- he came into the house, immediately set down his bags, got on his knees and reached under the dining room table so he could pet Rudy, one of our two cats, whom he hadn't seen since leaving for basic training.

Second, as we were about to leave for the airport this morning (keep in mind, this is at 4 a.m.), he paused to again stroke Rudy's back and then reached into the cage where our dog Otto was resting to give him some love, too.

He may be a soldier, but he's always been a softie with animals. No wonder that Rudy was perched in Jordan's lap the night before as he sat on his bedroom floor, packing for this trip.