SON JUST LEFT TODAY FOR BC..12-15!!!!

[Kelly Giacone]

My son left 12-15 for great lakes and i havent heard a thing yet..not even the i am here call!!!!
do you think he is ok? what should i do next i am worried about him????

[Lynn Winfree]

Hello I will definitely pray for you and your family, I remember when my son went l4 years ago to BC and we had to
take him to a hotel in downtown phx, and we all cried and the next day they were picked up by van to MEPS
to go to BC..

Lynn from Mt Home, Arkanssas

Praying for you ....Have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

[Eileen Starns]

Hi Kelly, Reading your note brought be back to a year ago when my son left for BC. He called me on his one allowed phone call to let me know he got there and that he was OK. I hung up and I thought I would curl up in a ball and never stop crying. When the first letter came it was unbelievable to hear the beginning of many changes he would go through. When we went up to see his PIR there wasn't a dry eye among us...the pride of seeing your son march out and the feeling that this boy who you held in your arms and help grow was now a member of the United States Navy was a moment I will never forget. He is now serving on the USS Roosevelt and has been deployed since September. The pride I feel for him and the growth in him has been amazing. Our relationship has always been wonderful but now it is not so much me being Mom to him but a relationship of mutual love and respect. Everything you are feeling right now is leading you to an accomplishment of strength and purpose. You are in for a wonderful journey that you will take with your son. Best wishes to you both.

[Dianne]

Hi Kelly,

Here's what to expect...
1. About 4 days after your son arrived in GL you will receive "the box" of all his stuff.
2. About 1 week later you will receive a form letter, which gives you info about boot camp, his address and a two line note from your son.
3. About the 3rd week you will receive your first letter from him. After that you should receive one letter a week. They are given time to write on Sundays.
His first two weeks will be the hardest, so don't be surprised if his first letter isn't an upbeat one. After that they get into a routine and it gets easier on him. In fact, if you were to ask my son today, he would say he liked boot camp. They LOVE getting letters, so write everyday!! Hallmark has some nice military cards. Do not send musical cards, the RDC's hate them. Also, do not put stickers or things on the envelopes, just regular envelopes, nothing that stands out. I wrote most of my letters on the computer and added a photo to every letter. Anyway, I hope this helps!! The time will go quickly and soon you will be in GL so full of pride watching your son graduate!!!
Oh and as for phone calls, well, I didn't get any, but if your son has a NICE RDC you will probably get one around week 3.
One more thing...his recruiter will have access to his address 72 hours after arriving at GL. Call him get it and start mailing letters!!! Hope this helps. You will be surprised how fast it goes and then you will be at his graduation with so much pride!! Hang in there!

[Kelly.SATX]

Hey Kelly, hope all is well with you. Did Brandon call last night? Chris got in late last night and started his processing after midnight so we know he's well and safe. Despite loosing both his address book & calling card on the trip he seemed in good spirits. We won't hear from him again for another month. Hope Brandon is doing well too.

[Jan (Jason's Mom)]

Kelly:

You might not feel like it now but you are o.k. I'll keep you and your son in my prayers - it was a tough time waiting for my son to finish boot camp but we made it through and you will too. You might want to keep a daily journal (in addition to writing to him). I didn't get my son's address for a couple of weeks, and the journal was letters to him that I will show him this Christmas. I actually wrote in it every single day he was away and it was a great help. Hang on to your mother's strength - you think you're proud of him now - just wait!

[Kelly Giacone]

brandon left 12-15 and jan i havent heard a word yet!!!! not even the i am here call!!!!
he can call my cell phone cant he? thats the only number that i have i dont have a land line phone am i ok???
do u think he is ok? his recruiter has not been very helpful at all.
i dont know what to do.

kelly

[Joey, Katie's Mom]

Hi, my daughter left on this date also. I got my "I am here" call at 1:11am. I know she was cold & tired. I have already started my letter writing and will drop them in the mail once I get her address. I called and left a message for her recruiter to see if he has it yet. I know she will do good. I just worry about it after a couple of weeks in, I am afraid that is when it will hit her. I am here if any one needs to talk.

[Kelly Giacone]

help!!! my son left monday the 15th of dec, 4 days ago and ive not heard a thing yet not even the i am here call!!! his recruiter doesnt seem to know much either, do u think he is ok?
what should i do next?

kelly

[Joey, Katie's Mom]

You should ask for the head recruiter and let him know that you have not heard anything. I would think that that is unsual. I received K's box today and she flew out of Miami on Monday. I did call her recruiter today and left a message to get her address, but he has not called back yet.

Let me know what you hear.

[Dianne]

I'm sure he is fine Kelly...if you read what I wrte above you should receive his box soon. There is nothing you can do, except wait. In about a week you will receive the form letter, then after that you will receive one letter a week. Hang in there, I hope you get a call soon.

[Chris A.]

Not everyone gets the "Hi mom, I'm here" phone call. There are only so many phones (many of which don't work very well) and TONS of recruits lining up to use them. If they don't get the chance, most of them are too intimidated to tell their RDC so if you don't get a call, don't worry. If there was anything to worry about believe me you'd have heard already. The first 3 weeks they are kept so busy and isolated from the world that they don't have time to even think about calling home. You won't get a letter for 3 weeks and if you're lucky you MAY get a phone call. After that, it's up to the RDC's as to whether they get to call. If the division is doing well without too many screw-ups then they'll be rewarded with phone calls. You can't do anything right now but sit tight, stay on N4M and pray. Don't worry, he'll be fine, the Navy takes good care of them.

[Kelly.SATX]

Hi kelly, I'm so sorry you didn't get a call. I did tell our chris to look out for Brandon though.