An idea to track a sailor from PIR to retirement

How to Track your Sailor from Recruit to Retirement

My son just graduated last Friday from Great Lakes. While driving back to our home in PA, I was thinking of a unique idea for tracking my son's career highlights as they come and go. My idea is this.... I am having him send me a small rock about the size of a half dollar from Navy Station Great Lakes. I am going to put the rock into a rock tumbler in order to polish it. It will then be mounted on a piece of stained and varnished oak about 16 inches long. It will have a small brass tag with the location, date and event listed on it. I will ask him for a small rock whenever he gets stationed at a new base, gets promoted or receives an award and will polish and mount it on the piece of wood to the right of the previous stone. When a piece of wood holds 7 stones, I will make a new piece of wood. Eventually they will form a design like a few stairs. These will be his "Stepping stones from Recruit to Chief", or, his "Navy Milestones". It will eventually make a unique gift for him when he retires. After I polish and mount his stone from Great Lakes, I will post a pic of the piece for others to copy if they wish.

---Captain Dale---