Flag Day and Swearing In

The four CEs in the 138th

These past few weeks have been rather exciting for Erik too.  Three weeks into this adventure, the 138th Specialist Class had Flag Day.  It's a wonderful ceremony where the Specialists learn the post they will be going to after their training.  It was rather anti-climatic for us because we knew that CEs (Construction Engineers or Construction Executives) first post is Rosslyn, VA. However, it was exciting to see where our new friends were going (Vienna, Austria - how fun!).  The procedure was they called the country (region), then the position, then the name of the Specialist.  I think the most interesting part was seeing all of the flags representing the countries that these future diplomats will be going to. What a learning experience for the kids!

All the flags waiting to be distributed.

The end of week three brought the swearing in ceremony.  This occurred at Main State and after a VERY in-depth security check, we were allowed to watch this process.

  The 138th Specialist Class was sworn in by The United State's Under Secretary of State for Management, Patrick Kennedy.  We were very proud of Erik and the entire 138th.  They are going to do great things!

Did I mention, this was the first time the girls rode the metro? They were pros!

 After the swearing in, came lunch with his new co-workers and an afternoon of rest.  And for Erik, he started over at a new job on Monday.  We said when we started that this would be an adventure - so far, it's been one adventure after another!