Midway through the basic training cycle, parents and family members were allowed to visit their recruits at Fort Benning. We flew down and rented a car and got a room at the Super-8 Motel in Columbus, Georgia. Leif was allowed off base to be with us, and I took this photo of him in his uniform in the motel room. Unfortunately, I didn't get other photos of him in uniform on this trip, because he really wanted to wear civvies (civilian clothes) while he could, after two months in uniform.
Nikko drove down with a friend and stayed at the motel, too. The two were happy to have some time together again, even though it was very brief! We all could go out to lunch and dinner and see a bit of Columbus.
Leif had lost a lot of weight and was looking very strac (Skilled, Tough, Ready Around (the) Clock - a soldier who is totally squared-away in every aspect). He had impeccable military bearing.
We all hated to say goodbye, knowing we wouldn't see him until late in April when he graduated with his basic infantry class. As usual, Leif was stoic, the outwardly unflappable, unemotional man, though I'm sure there was plenty going on inside.
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