It was awesome! After a 15 hour drive (from PA )we got to the Holiday Inn Express at Northlake. Highly recommended-get the room with the huge whirlpool tub. We went right over to Ft. Benning (the evening before the "Turning Blue" ceremony) and boy, am I glad we did. No crowd at the visitor center and plenty of time to ask questions and chat with the nice people running the center. We got a 2 day visitors pass,that made it much easier to come & go on the base. HINT-the road work around the base makes it very slow, so leave lots of traffic jam time. The exit signs come up fast, so be alert! Getting to the ceremony early was necessary, cause the parking is horrible. Also, the tables set up to sell tee shirts, etc. get congested as it gets more crowded. HINT-bring CASH. Some only take cash and using cards takes forever. We spent an hour at the briefing, which was interesting but not necessary if you're pressed for time. Then we all walked over to the field (BIG HINT- wear sneakers, pants and bring something warm, because it's COLD in Georgia in the morning in February!) The actual ceremony is fairly short but fantastic. Just seeing them march onto the field in their dress uniforms is something you'll never forget! HINT-find out where your soldier will be standing, because when it's time to attach the Blue Cord, everyone runs and it's bedlam. There's no time to hunt around, and oddly enough, they all look the same from a distance! Your heart will break when you see men who have nobody there to attach their cords (the DS has the honor, but it's not the same) My Mom-ness kicked in and I hugged every soldier that was standing near my son. Then we got to take him out with us till 9pm, so of course we hit the IHop for a huge "snack". HINT-the waitresses at area restarants are wonderful to our boys, so tip them well! Get there early for Graduation, because it's even more crowded than Family Day. HINT- It was absolutely freezing and you sit on metal bleachers, so bundle up, bring a stadium cushion and gloves and hats and blankets! The ceremony is awesome;I won't spoil the suprise by telling, but it is unforgettable! We were lucky enough to get two days with Tim before he left (Army paperwork snafu!) and every minute was precious. Now he's all the way out at Fort Carson, Colorado and we're back in Pennsylvania. HINT-once they leave Basic, they can actually call home, so get that cell phone right away! Tim got a Blackberry, so he can call and E-mail and send pictures whenever, it's great! I'll finish by saying that if it's at ALL possible, families must go to the "Turning Blue" and graduation ceremonies. (I took money from the 401K, what else is more important than being there for your kid?!) We love them, we raise them, and then we let the Army put on the finishing touches. FOLLOW ME, HOOAH, and GOD BLESS OUR SOLDIERS!!

WOW, just reading your post brought tears to my eyes!!! I attended Family Weekend at Ft. Benning on Feb 6-7th and I cried when i saw my son staning in formation in his uniform. It was such proud tears of joy!!! I go to his basic training graduation next week. Turning Blue is hopefully on thursday and graduation on Friday, March 13th. The reason I say hopefully on the Turning Blue is because during Family Briefing by the Commander when i was there for Family Weekend, apparently my son's group will be the first group to graduate at the new stadium/field and at the time they were not sure if it would be ready for Turning Blue. I am anxiously waiting to hear from my son in regards to this. During Family Weekend i stayed at the Holiday Inn Express (Phenix City) which was exactly 9 miles to the security entrance so it was a short straight shot. This time I am staying in a bit of a different area since my son will get to stay with us for the weekend and be closer to restaurants, etc. He reports to Airborne immediately following graduation but does get to leave after he reports in and gets to stay for the weekend. i am so excited about the graduation, I can hardly stand the wait!!! I do appreciate all of your tips & suggestions. I will be the one pinning his cord on his which will be so moving, because his (so called father) cant make it. i hate this for my son because I know how important it is for him. I have a 9-1/2 hr drive but would not miss it, God willing for anything!!! My son will be staying at Ft. Benning for a few more months thru Airborne then Ranger and he, as well gets his cell phone after basic training graduation - I cant wait to have more contact with him!!! If you think of any more suggestions please forward them as they are much appreciated!!! Good luck to your son & best wishes to yoru family!

I agree with all the earlier suggestions, but would like to add a couple of my own. First of all, you can buy a DVD of the graduation ceremony, which cuts out the stress of videotaping it yourself. Sometimes when you are concentrating on other things (keeping the camera still, making sure no heads are in the way etc.) its hard to be "in the moment" and really enjoy it. Secondly, I saw many people who were dressed up and miserable! I totally agree with the "wear sneakers and pants" advice. It rained throughout my son's ceremony and it's a pretty good walk from the field (at least the old one) to the parking lot. Be comfortable!! You will enjoy the experience much more that way. One thing that I saw someone else do that I wished I had thought of, was to bring a small gift for their son's DS. Obviously this is not necessary, but I thought it was a nice gesture and wished I had thought of it myself. They just brought him a coffee mug from their home state - just a small gesture but a really nice one for the man who has molded your son into a soldier over the last several weeks. Also I didn't pay much attention to the shirts for sale, thinking I wouldn't wear that as I wanted something that said "Army Mom" instead. What I just realized (literally last week when my son was home on leave and I saw the shirt he bought @ BCT) was that these shirts have the last names of all the soldiers in each platoon listed on them. A very nice keepsake for your soldier to have! Another thing that I wish I had thought of was to bring a sign or something to let my son know where we were in the bleachers. Just as it is hard for us to identify them from so far away, it is also hard for them to see us. My son said after the ceremony that he wished he knew where we were. Had I thought of that, I would've brought a sign of some sort "We're proud of you" etc or at least worn a large hat or bright colored jacket so we could be identified in the crowd. My last suggestion - as soon as the ceremony is over, either hit the road right then or bring a snack! The traffic getting out of the parking lot is horrible!! - and I was truly SHOCKED at how rude some of the people were while trying to get out considering what we had all just experienced together. Very sad. Hopes these tips help the next ones heading out to graduation...

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One other VERY important thing to remember - Ft Benning is in the EASTERN time zone. Phenix City ALABAMA is in the CENTRAL time zone. If you are staying across the state line, you could miss the ceremonies if you aren't aware of the time differrence!

Actually, if you google Phenix City time zone you will see that the official time zone is Central but the town, because it is so closely associated with Ft. Benning and Columbus, GA, observes the Eastern time zone.