Graduation Information please

[az1cowgirl]

I am leaving tomorrow to attend my fiance's graduation ceremony
at Great Lakes, IL. I have already been through an Air Force
graduation but I would love it if you would share information on what
I can expect. Here are a few questions to get started but PLEASE give
me any information that you feel is important for me to know.

1. I am in Arizona, where the temperature is still 85 degrees. In
Waukegan, the forecast is for 32 degrees! Yikes! How warmly will I
need to dress for the indoor ceremony? Is it comfortably warm in there?

2. After the ceremony, how and where do we find our sailors?

3. After the ceremony, how soon are we allowed to leave base?

4. Does the Navy have the 3 second rule in regards to hugging or
kissing our sailors?

5. How far is the walk between the parking lot and the graduation
center? (this will help me decide how high my heels are going to be!)

6. The graduation brochure says that liberty is between 7-8:30 am and
TBA in the evening. In your experience.. .what time was TBA?

Thank you all very much for your responses in advance. I am a nervous
wreck as it is and your help is much appreciated.

Linda

[Suzie T]

Great questions! I will be coming from California for the December 24th graduation, so I have the exact same questions. I hope people respond quickly since you are probably packing. I heard it snowed today in Chicago..........

[Marcie]

I am from California as well and my son's graduation was on Dec 21st, 2007. We flew into Midway and being the holidays it was packed. The traffic was pretty heavy as well. I had printed the maps from home on how to get from Midway to the lodge etc.,so that was totally helpful and it saved time.
We stayed at the Navy Lodge and it was nice and comfortable there and close to the graduation. You have to be there pretty early. After you sign in and go thru security they will walk you over to the Hall and there are sections, you will be sitting in the section according to your sons division. Take a warm coat, it's cold in there and really cold on the walk to the Hall, don't forget the camera and the tissues-lol.
After they call liberty, you can then go and hug and kiss your sailor and take pictures and then my son was free to go on leave, so he went to his ship and got his sea bags and then he couldn't wait to get the heck out of the RTC, he wanted real food-LOL. We flew back that night to CA., had to sit on the floor at the airport, that is how crowded it was. It's such a proud moment when the sailors walk into the hall.
Let me know if you have any other questions, glad to help.
Marcie

[Debby]

Its cold in the building so plan on wearing something warm.. as PIR proceeds it might warm up a bit.. now my son went through it 4 years ago in Feb so it was REALLY COLD

Keep an eye on his unit once PIR is over they will be hanging out on the floor and you will go down there and find them its mass caos!!!

Leaving base afterwards depends on what he has to do first.. we left and came back and got my son because he had to move his things over to the new ship since his A school was at GL

No hugging kissing rules that I remember...

I remember the walk being a few blocks and I remember regretting wearing my heels, but then I am old and I always regret wearing heels.. haha

I think it was 11? my son had liberty for 3 days and I think he had to be back on day 3 at 11 but he will know this..


The worst part for me was parking.. they herd you in and its like a bunch of people screaming at you to get you parked where they want you to park.. and you have to park EXACTLY where they want you... I understand why because space is limited and they need to get everyone in there but they seemed MEAN LOL

Good luck and enjoy!!! Its an awesome ceremony... I remember just thinking WOW... now my son who is Army when he graduated I cried the Army's was a little more emotionally moving...

Debby

[Brittany]

i just went to PIR a couple weeks ago, and i know that it has gotten even colder since then...so i would suggest packing really warm clothes. Inside where the ceremony takes place is heated and i was comfortable in a sweater, but we did have to wait outside to get into the actual ceremony, so i would suggest bringing a coat and wearing it while you are outside waiting to get in, because right now according to my bf who is still in GL, its snowing.

The sailors are seperated by their divisions and when you enter into the building you will be directed to where your fiance's division is, so you can be seated in that area. Hopefully you will be able to spot your sailor during the ceremony and are able to get to him when they say liberty!! If not, im sure he will stay put in that general area and you will be able to find him.

Depending on rather or not your fiance's division is a grad and go or if he has to move his stuff over to a school in GL, if that is where his A school is, will determine how long after the ceremony he will get to leave base. In my situation, my bfs division was a grad and go, but since his A school was in GL, we had to wait a couple hours for him to get moved into his school before we could take him off the base. I'm sure you will find out the day of the ceremony further information about the times and restrictions of his liberty because it is not always the same for every sailor graduating.

I didnt hear of a 3 second rule for hugging or kissing.. im positive that they are not supposed to kiss in uniform, there isnt supposed to be any PDA at all while they are in uniform actually. However, i saw everyone hugging their sailors when the ceremony was over.

Our walk from where we parked to the ceremony was actually a very short one, we got there kinda late though compared to everyone else, so they started lining the cars up close to the building again. However, i saw cars parked really far away from the building, so i guess we just lucked out. But i would think that you would be ok in whatever heels you would like, just remember that there is a good possibility for snow..

Everyone's liberty is a little different. Conor ended up getting overnight liberty, so we had him from about 4:00 Friday untill Sunday night, without ever having to take him back to the base in between. However i do know of other sailors that didnt get over night liberty and had to be taken back to the base each night, i believe around 8 or 9, im not for sure though.

Have fun!! PIR is such a great experience and I wish you and your fiance the best of luck <3

[Paige (Billy's Mom)]

Hi az1cowgirl,
I am also from Arizona, so I can understand why you would be concerned about the cold temperatures there. My son had his PIR on Aug. 29th, so the weather was not an issue. But, he is there now attending school, so I have a good idea of what you can expect.
1. I would dress warm and comfortable. You can dress up if you like, but try to wear something you know will not be a discomfort to you. Wear a heavier jacket while you are outside. I would take a smaller jacket or sweater into PIR because the graduation hall is about the length of 3 H.S. gyms and until the building fills up with guests and sailors, the air may have a bit of a chill in it.

2. When you enter the hall you will see signs near the bleachers which indicate where each division will be. There is also a sailor standing at each sign, so ask them if you have any questions. You will have no trouble figuring out where to sit. It is a little hectic once they announce "Liberty Call", but just wonder your way toward your fiance's divison and you will find each other.

3. Since he is staying in GL for school, it is most likely he will be able to leave right away. But, there is a chance he may have to check into school that day, so that means he may need an hour to two for his processing to be done. My son remained on the recruit side of the base for about 3 days after graduation before he was moved.

4. Sorry, no 3 second rule! To my knowledge, there is no rule in regards to hugging as long as it's kept respectable. However, while they are in uniform, they are not allowed to show affection such as kissing. They are expected to be gentleman and escort you by using their arm and not holding hands.

5. The walk from the parking lot didn't seem that far to me, but it might to you if you wear uncomfortable shoes or if it is really cold. I would say it is a 5 minute walk.

6. That is about the time Liberty would start in the morning. Your sailor will be informed on when he has to return that evening. For my son, he had to be back in his ship by 9:00 p.m., so we had him back to the base by 8:30 so he had time to walk from the drop off point to where his ship was.

Congratulations to your sailor!!! You will have a wonderful time. PIR is spectacular!

[az1cowgirl]

Thank you all very much. I really appreciate your help and advice.

Paige, I love the smile on your son's face!! Where are you from in Arizona?

[Paige (Billy's Mom)]

Thank you!

I live in Prescott Valley, but I work in Prescott and we get snow in the winter, but nothing like Great Lakes. When I saw that you were from Arizona, I checked your page to see where in AZ you lived.

[Brandi]

We just came back from our daughters graduation on the 14th of November. Yes it is cold, dress warm. The walk isn't too bad, but I wouldn't get carried away with the heels, they have the sidewalk torn out in spots for construction, therefore it is muddy in spots. You get to greet them right after graduation, and they get to leave right after, unless they have to go back to their ship and get instructions. Every division is different. The first day daughter had to be back at 5:30 for ship watch, So depending if and when he has watch will affect his schedule. The 2nd day she had to be back at her ship at 8:30 and the 3rd at 7:30. From what I understand though, every division is different. It's up to their leaders. We were able to pick her up at 7:45 am both days. I don't know about the 3 second rule. Be there early, as you have to go through security. As I said it is chilly, the wind is the worst part about it. Relax, have fun and congradulations!

[Jen B]

Hi Linda,

I was just there for my brother's graduation this past Friday. It is COLD!! Layer, layer, layer. Coming from Texas, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I can tell you what to expect...cold! :) The PIR hall remains fairly chilly, but I was comfortable without my coat and a heavy sweater. Get there early! Especially if you want a division shirt. They sold out very quickly. We were in the gates at 6:15, and we were able to get a great seat in the hall and get t-shirts.

There are signs located all the way down the hall, so you can find where your fiance's division is and sit in front of it. Just a helpful hint: sit up a little ways because the bottom rows are eye level and you won't be able to see anyone that isn't standing in the front row. (My brother was second to the back because he is a tall guy. We wouldn't have been able to get a glance of him if we'd been in the front row.)

I wore comfortable shoes because it is a bit of a walk from the parking lot, especially if you aren't used to the cold. :)

Have a great time! It is truly a beautiful sight and an unforgetable experience.

[az1cowgirl]

Good advice about the layering. I went out and bought a sweater to wear under my jacket so I'm hoping that will be enough to keep me warm. However, I have to say that my heart skipped a beat when the plane landed at O'Hare today and it was SNOWING! I haven't been in snow in over 20 years!!

[Toni]

best advice I can give you is dress warm for outside but it will get warm inside of bldg. When you get there the day of graduation, be early, try and be at the gate at least 20 min before it opens if you want to get a good seat. If he gets liberty leave there is a train station 1/2 block away from gl and will take you to downtown chicago and on the weekend it's $5 for a weekend pass and there is a free trolly that will take you around to sears tower and navy pear

[NavyMom(Robin)]

Nick just got home from GL on Monday...his flight was delayed due to the snow...and wind....he said the cold is so much worse there because of the wind.....he got into Tulsa and it was 49 degrees and a little breezy and he thought it felt down right balmy.....We went to PIR on Aug 1 and the weather was beautiful....Nick had to be back at 8 every evening....and was released for his liberty about 8 in the morning both days....During the PIR they will call out the Div # as they march into the building....it will take a minute (especially if they got BC glasses! LOL) to find your sailor in the sea of dress blues....but you will find them....and you don't have to worry about not finding them when its over ....you wont be able to ake your eyes off of them....and wether you know it or not ....they have already found you too....there was lots of hugging and crying after PIR...you just have to be carefull...the sailors are very paticular about their uniforms and tears and make up might stain....you may think I am kidding about that....but you'll see...my son cleaned his shoes about 50 times with a paper towel over the weekend.... the day of the ceremony it was about an hour afer PIR I guess before he could leave...but we had plenty of time to go to the Gurnee Mall.....it should be a great time of year for that! I think Chicago will be very pretty all decked out for Chrismas! And I noticed when we were there the builings served as a very good wind block.....It won't matter what you do or where you go after PIR....the only thing you will remember is how good your Sailor looked in his blues.....