5-26-07  Caleb called with some BIG news.  He made the next rank, which also means a pay raise.  He is now an E4.  He also said that his deployment date got pushed back to October.  So he won't be home in August for his birthday or the family reunion in Traverse City. 
                    
He also said that he has to move out of his apartment and back onto the ship.  He was rooming with someone of higher rank that was in his chain of command and that is a no-no.  I guess that may cause his superior to play favorites (or the opposite if he didn't like Caleb).  Somehow the word got out and now he has to move.  Instead of finding a new apartment he chose to just move back onto the ship.  Hey, look at the bright side....he can still hang out with his friends at the apartment and not have a rent bill!!!  This just might be a blessing in disguise.

4-7-07  Caleb bought his first car. 
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HREF="https://www.angelfire.com/hi5/holtpage/calebs_car ",">THE CAR</A>
                          
2-27-07  Caleb is stationed in Little Creek, VA.  His ship is in for repairs right now but they will be deployed again this coming September.  This is sooner than expected and I'm sure it must have something to do with President Bush's plan of have more troops over in Iraq to get the job done.  
                    
He has an apartment that he shares with some other shipmates.  He does sleep on the ship when he has to work the next day.  He doesn't want to be late!  He also changed from a Sprint cell phone to a Nextel so he can "two-way" his mom and dad (who have Nextel cell phones).  Every now and then I hear that familiar voice coming out of my purse (where I keep my cell phone).  He called me today just to say he loved me and that he was still alive.  I think he just wanted to use his new phone with that "two-way" feature.  What do you think?

11-24-06 Caleb will be home from December 16-27. We finally get to have Christmas together. Last year he was home after Christmas. I think he will have a lot to talk about this time. From news reports from around the world we have learned that he has not only been in the Mediterranean but also in the Persian Gulf, and not too far away from the Kuwait/Iraq coastline. They are the US security for those areas. We are so proud of him. Even though he is just a cook on the ship, he is still putting himself in harms way for our country. And someone has to feed all those hungry sailors and marines!!!!

Caleb called us from Italy a few days ago and in the news they said his ship made a stop in Tunis, Tunisia (North part of Africa in the Meditteranean) for a Veteran's Day ceremony. I have to constantly look at a map to see where some of these places are located. And we have gotten his calls in the middle of the night (2 am) or right before I leave for work in the morning. There is a 6 or 7 hour difference and he doesn't always calculate what time it will be here before he calls. But that is okay. I will take his calls anytime.

Shortly after he left last June he called from Rota, Spain. I had no idea where that was and was looking for "Rhoda" on the map. Silly me! One time when his ship went into port he Instant Messaged us. I asked where he was and he didn't answer me. He just kept right on chatting. I asked again, and he still didn't answer. I asked if he wasn't allowed to tell me where he was, and I laughed when I got the response. He couldn't tell me because he wasn't sure where they were. He just got off when the ship stopped and he was enjoying his time off. No time for formalities when there is fun to be had! That's my Caleb!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I cooked the whole Thanksgiving feast for my family (except Caleb) and had Eric's mom and two of Josh's friends over as well. One of those friends was a last minute guest. Since he didn't have family in town he was just going to eat at McDonald's, so we just set another place at the table.

7-21-06 Caleb's ship is one of a few US vessels evacuating people from Lebanon. Watch the news on TV or search the internet for the USS Whidbey Island. If you want any news of the USS Whidbey Island sent to your email, just go to Google Alerts and then type in the name of the ship in the first box and anything about the ship will be sent to your email. That will save you a lot of searching!!! I love Google Alerts.

6-23-06 Here is Caleb's address on his new ship:
Caleb Holt,
USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41),
FPO AE 09591-1729

6-14-06 Caleb emailed yesterday to let us know he was doing fine, but he couldn't tell us where he was. He left June 6th for the Mediterranean, but it is possible they are monitoring other areas as well. It's all hush hush. Can't give away military secrets, not even to mom! He's probably sweating in the galley cooking for everyone. Someone has to do it! We love you, Caleb! Proud too!!!!

5-23-06 Caleb is home! He will be here until Tuesday (May 30th). He got home around 10:20 last night and I was ready for bed. We got a couple good hugs and "I love you's" and off to bed I went. I'm sure he stayed up most of the night catching up on his computer game that he plays online. He was asleep on the coach this morning. It is soooo good to see him. We are so proud of him too!

5-2-06 Caleb will be home from May 22 - 30. It will be nice to see him before he ships off to the Mediterranean again. This time he will have to stay out there for the full 6 months. FUN!!! He will get to "see the world". Hopefully things remain peaceful over there.

4-17-06 Caleb called over the weekend to say he was back from a 3 week cruise for manuvers. He will have one more of those before they leave for the Mediterranean on June 6th. They will be there for 6 months. So, he will finally get a full tour of the Mediteranian! He said he enjoyed his first ship more than this one. This ship is older and he said the people aren't as friendly. Before they take off in June, Caleb should be able to come home between May 25th-31st, or somewhere in that area.
4-5-06 Caleb emailed and said that his ship will soon be deployed for 6 months. He didn't say where they would be going. He probably can't tell anyone. But whenever they are sent out for a long period of time they get to take a "leave" before deploying. So, we will get to see Caleb again soon! By the way, Caleb graduated in the top 10% of his class at A-School. Way to go, Caleb!!!!

3-29-06 Caleb has finished A-School for cooking in San Antonio, Texas and is back in Virginia. He is on another ship at Little Creek, which is by Norfolk. He is now on the Whidbey-Island (LSD 41). I looked it up on the internet and this ship seems to be very similar to his last one, but only 10 years older. It has a landing strip, cargo area for amphibious vehicles, and lots of room to transport Marines or other troops. He emailed and said they were going out for 3 weeks, but didn't give anymore details. Hopefully soon we will have an address for you so you can send the goodies he so loves.

5-2-06 Caleb will be home from May 22 - 30. It will be nice to see him before he ships off to the Mediterranean again. This time he will have to stay out there for the full 6 months. FUN!!! He will get to "see the world". Hopefully things remain peaceful over there.

4-17-06 Caleb called over the weekend to say he was back from a 3 week cruise for manuvers. He will have one more of those before they leave for the Mediterranean on June 6th. They will be there for 6 months. So, he will finally get a full tour of the Mediteranian! He said he enjoyed his first ship more than this one. This ship is older and he said the people aren't as friendly. Before they take off in June, Caleb should be able to come home between May 25th-31st, or somewhere in that area.

4-5-06 Caleb emailed and said that his ship will soon be deployed for 6 months. He didn't say where they would be going. He probably can't tell anyone. But whenever they are sent out for a long period of time they get to take a "leave" before deploying. So, we will get to see Caleb again soon! By the way, Caleb graduated in the top 10% of his class at A-School. Way to go, Caleb!!!!

3-29-06 Caleb has finished A-School for cooking in San Antonio, Texas and is back in Virginia. He is on another ship at Little Creek, which is by Norfolk. He is now on the Whidbey-Island (LSD 41). I looked it up on the internet and this ship seems to be very similar to his last one, but only 10 years older. It has a landing strip, cargo area for amphibious vehicles, and lots of room to transport Marines or other troops. He emailed and said they were going out for 3 weeks, but didn't give anymore details. Hopefully soon we will have an address for you so you can send the goodies he so loves.

12-28-05 Caleb will be home this Sunday evening (New Year's Day). He will be home until February 7th. He will then go to San Antonio, TX for school. His cousin, who is in the Air Force and lives in Texas, has promised to take him out for dinner when he gets there. Thanks Rebekah (and Brent)!!! Caleb will love the special treatment! I'm sure it will be hard to go back after being home with family, friends, and familiarity for a whole month. It was hard the last time after being home for a mere two weeks. Caleb is a good kid (or should I say, "young man") and we are very proud of him. Love ya Caleb!!!

12-20-05 Caleb is in Virginia. He will get to come home after the first of the year and be able to stay until the beginning of February. He will probably leave for San Antonio, Texas around the 5th of February. That is where he will learn to be a great cook. At least good enough for a Navy galley. Maybe he will cook up a meal for us while he's home. That would be nice! We'll keep you posted.

12-14-05 We got another call from Caleb today. He called from Bahrain. Not sure if I spelled it right. It's somewhere over in the Mediterranean in the middle east area. He will be leaving his ship by this Saturday and should arrive in the states Sunday or Monday. I asked if he has been taking pictures and the answer was, "no". I suggested that he get a disposable camera and take some pictures. He may never be there again. Just wanted to let you all know of his escapades.

12-11-05 Caleb called at 2 am. this morning. I asked him what time it was there and he said 10 am. I then asked if he knew what time it was here. I told him it was 2 am. He then asked, "You're still up?" Well, he woke me up but I was glad to speak with him. He will be leaving his ship even sooner than expected because of traveling plans the Navy is making. He leaves in about 3 days and will be back in the states in about 6 days. The bad part is that he had already asked for Leave for the beginning of January and they won't let him change it. So, even though he will be in Virginia for Christmas, he won't be able to come home. So, please don't send anything to his ship address because he won't be there anymore. Once he finishes school he will be given new orders and will most likely be on another ship. We will keep you posted on any new addresses. We can let you know his school address too as soon as we know it.

11-22-05 Caleb called a couple nights ago from Italy. He actually got to see Rome. He also said that no one should send any packages since he will be back in the states at the beginning of January. They are sending him back to get ready for school. He will be able to spend some time at home before going off to Texas for cooking school. School actually starts around February 9th. What a surprise!!! After school is done he will get new orders and doesn't know yet where he will go. In the past he has wanted to be stationed in Japan. Maybe he will get that chance. We will keep you posted. When he gets a new address we will post that too.

10-24-05 Caleb will be leaving for the Mediterranean on November 4th. He hopefully will be sent back in March or April to attend school (cooking or computers).

8-19-05 We enjoyed our visit with Caleb. He was really reluctant to go back. He really enjoyed being home with his family and friends. I just heard in the news that a US Navy ship was almost hit by a terrorist missle near Jordan. That makes me more nervous now. Caleb's ship will head out for the Mediterranean in a few weeks and he will be there for 8 months. I guess no place is really safe. Please continue to pray for his safety.

8-6-05 Caleb comes home for a week visit tomorrow. After he gets back his ship will go out for a couple of weeks to places nearby, but a couple weeks after that his ship will be out for 8 months in the Mediterranean. Keep him in your prayers. Mom would appreciate that. While he is home we will celebrate his 21st birthday early. He was hoping to be home in late August for his birthday, but his ship schedule made that impossible. It will be good to see him again. We haven't seen him since last December.

6-11-05 The Navy is helping Caleb see the world. He just got back from a month-long trip to Haiti, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Caleb is a cook on the USS Carter Hall. Check out the link above for info. on Caleb's ship. He is hoping to come home for a visit around his birthday in late August. We haven't seen him since last Christmas. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU, CALEB!

Here is Caleb's address: Caleb Holt, USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), FPO AE 09573-1738

I am sure Caleb really appreciates those letters and care-packages since mom and dad have been too distracted to do their part in this department. Sorry, Caleb. We love you! We keep in touch by phone though. It is nice that Caleb has his own cell phone and we can talk often when he isn't out to sea.