Questions about PIR

[Lori B]

I will be going to Great Lakes on January 8th for my son's graduation on the 9th. Do you get to see your child before the Graduation? How long do you get to spend with your child after the ceremony? My son told me he has Liberty that weekend. Does that mean he is able to spend the whole weekend with us? Is there anything special I should know or do prior to going to the ceremony or to Great Lakes? I already see how bad the weather in Chicago is. Thank you!

[lemonelephant]

It stands for Pass in Review--it's the graduation from boot camp.

[justme_2009]

Hello Donna ,

Does a Grad n Go , mean they leave after graduation or something different .
If it stands , my son says , he will leaving to Mississippi for "A school ".
He's not in the navy yet , he will be there Feb 5, 09 . I'm just getting information
before time , so I know the procedure , what's going to happen before it does.

If you can tell me more , that would be nice . Thank you , justpicky

[Meganmeister]

So how did your son do in Pensacola? My son is doing PIR this month and will be going to Pensacola for A school after. Any personal experience or advice you can share?

Thanks,

Megan H

[Charlotte (Jason's Mom)]

Meganmeister,
My Marine son went to A school in Pensacola. He absolutely LOVED it there. School there was like school anywhere, but the beautiful weather and the abundance of fun, clean, outdoor activities made it very enjoyable. He enjoys swimming, fishing, jet skiing, sailing, walking on the beach, etc. After A school, he went to Norfolk, VA for C school. He did not like it as well up there because it was always cold and rainy. He is now stationed in Beaufort, SC and is just getting settled in there. I think he will be deployed on a ship at sometime in the future.
Best wishes to you and your son.
Charlotte

[Lisa]

Hi Lori,
I feel like you do so many questions..my son said he will not know if he can be with us or what kind of plans we will be able to make for the weekend till the morning of PIR!!! Im with Lori B ...I just hope the weather is ok for flying into Chicago and I get to hug and see my son for even an hour I will take it! I cant wait!

[Lori B]

I can't agree with you more. I was lucky enough to get four phone calls since he has been at boot camp. Christmas call was of course my favorite because as you could imagine noone really was excited about opening presents without Philip here. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather is perfect on January 8th for our flight. I will do the same for you!

[Mary (Chris' mom)]

Lori, What Div is your son in? It has been the thought of several that if he is grad and go then the entire division is. If you look at the white brochure you got in the grad pack it should tell on what I will call "page two". At the top of the page is a schedule of events for the 9th and down underneath that section mine says in bold letters "Division Departs RTC on Sunday". I know that someone who works at the RTC posted several weeks ago that if the recruit is grad and go it should still be written on there somewhere. I believe in the same area.

[Lori B]

My son is Div 060....I am going to check out the grad pack again. Thank you!

[Tena Fleming]

Lori,

No you won't get to see your child/recruit before graduation. Our son did call us the night before to tell us when he graduated and to tell us YES he was graduating! We were having dinner at a Pizza place on Michigan Ave. The BEST Pizza ever!!! Make sure to have the time to take your sailor to see Chicago after graduation (if they aren't a grad and go, and get to spend time with you after). I never thought of my son not getting to see Chicago. They never get off the base! They have no idea what the world looks like outside of boot camp. Ha! Anyhow, we only had Christmas Day with our son in Chicago and pretty much everything was closed. So make sure that your sailor gets to see that beautiful city before you leave! Also make sure and take the propper shoes. I wore sneakers and my feet froze the entire time. Too much snow and water on the walk ways! Also long johns and gloves along with your other winter attire.
Good luck to you, and Happy New years to you and your sailor!
Tena

[Debbie (Kevin's mom)]

Lori:
My son's PIR on was 12/19. As you have already been told....nothing is set in stone. He was told that he was a grad and go and would not be going on leave after PIR, but would have liberty for the weekend in GL. We were told that we would be able to see him after graduation for pictures and visiting. The night before PIR, he was told that he would have to report to "A" school on the other side of the base before he would have liberty to visit with us. He was told that he had to be back in his ship by 11:15 a.m. after PIR to get on the van to the other side of the base. He was playing the drums, so when liberty was called, he had to stow his gear, which didn't leave us any time with him at all. (about 10 minutes) The check in process was long. He was not able to call us until 6:00 p.m. that night to tell us that he was told he was on leave and to come and get him, that he was released to go home until Jan. 4. We had originally planned to stay in GL until Monday to visit with him while he was on liberty, but ended up having to change all of our flights to come back to AZ on Saturday after PIR. Some of his shipmates were told that they would be leaving on Monday for Florida, and ended up leaving Friday night. Others were planning on leaving on Friday and were held over until Monday. All in all they do a great job of moving a lot of people in different directions at the same time. Unfortunately, with the restrictions on recruits using phones, and the slowness of the mail, getting the information out to the parents is sometimes tricky. One thing is for sure BE FLEXIBLE. You are on Navy time now!!!!

[Lori B]

Wow, I hope we don't experience that much change in his schedule. I tried to change our flights back to AZ but they wanted double what we paid for the tickets. Does that sound correct to you?How were you able to change? Thank you for all the information, I guess we will have to wait and see what happens on January 9th.

[Dianne]

You won't see your sailor until graduation. It is a wonderful ceremony. If he has Liberty he will get to see you for the weekend but has to be back on base each evening (I think by 2200 hours aka 10:00pm). Bring your camera.