This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.

FIRST TIME HERE?

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:

Choose your Username.  For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either).  Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username.  While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!

Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!

Join groups!  Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself!  Start making friends that can last a lifetime.

Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak

All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018. 

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.

OPSEC - Navy Operations Security

Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind.  In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships."  OPSEC is everyone's responsibility. 

DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.  

DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."

Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed.  Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:

In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).  

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED.  Vaccinations still required.

**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.

RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021

Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.

Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.

Format Downloads:

Navy Speak

Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms!  (Hint:  When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)

N4M Merchandise


Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.

Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.

Navy.com Para Familias

Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com

Badge

Loading…

My son is stationed in Sasebo.  He has a Softbank phone.  We put his AT&T phone on military hold while he is overseas.  He will be coming home on leave in May.  He said his friend said he can use his Japan phone while home since it works off of Verizon or Sprint towers, (can't remember which one).  I think that's not right because it would still be a Japan phone number so any texts or calls he makes or we make to him would be going to an international number so would cost a lot.  Am I wrong?  I can reactivate his AT&T phone, which I think is what I should do, but if Softbank will work and not cost a fortune I wouldn't have to.  Any one have any experience with this?  Thanks

Views: 289

Replies to This Discussion

I think it would be charged as international rates.  

No first hand experience yet but since this will come up for me as well, I did a bit of searching and found this: https://www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/special/military/services/

There does seem to be an option for iphones (6 anyway) to have some free/reasonable priced option for using phone with Sprint networks within the US. If he has one of those, he may be correct. However, while it may not cost him any extra to get calls and use data  don't know what cost there is for anyone trying to reach him via his Japan mobile number.

There is also a warning on that page that says: "Any use of SoftBank service outside Japan, may result in Global Roaming fees being charged, creating an extremely high bill which you are required to pay. For more information concerning Global Roaming Service, click 'See more'."

Here is the "see more" link's page: https://www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/service/global/

I would be happy to hear what you learn and if you reactivate his ATT line for his visit how easy it was to activate/resuspend.

Hello Momof2.  Your post just reminded me of all the challenges/nightmares we first faced when my Sailor arrived in Japan.  She arrived and called home several times, and that first bill was over $700!  I could not believe it.  She had Verizon wireless and each month the bill exceeded $400 and we weren’t even talking that much.  After much research, I found that T-mobile has the best plan for international calling.  We switched to T-mobile One family plan, with international for her and stateside for me.  We now have 3 lines, unlimited talk (FaceTime is free while calls cost a little)  and unlimited text and data...and we pay a total of 209.00 for everything.  Her phone is good in Japan and in the US with no surprise fees or costs.  We initially considered SoftBank but T-mobile is exactly what we need.

I often wondered what the other Sailors were using as I just could not believe the horrible options that Verizon offered.  Please check into T-mobile One...you also get the free subscription to Netflix which my Sailor is also able to use while on base.

Hope this helps.  Best wishes to you and your Sailor!

Does anyone have a Sailor in Yokosuka? I would love to hear from you. My son is a Damage Controlman. 

Interesting story.  I sent him a package on April 4th to his FPO AP address.  It went to FPO AE which is Djibouti, which is on the Horn of Africa and then back to Chicago and then back to Japan. He finally received it. (I hope according ti the post office tracking site.)  Has this happened to anyone else?

Yes I do! My son is a CTR on the USS McCampbell. He just got there last week. Any tips for me for communicating with them from the US?

His phone from Japan will probably not work, and if it does I would guess it would be an international call. I am not sure how AT&T works, but I am sure with their military suspension it would be easy to reactivate, and then again suspend.

I know with Verizon my sons phone was put on military suspension and reactivated several times. It was as easy as a phone call or doing it on the website.

RSS

© 2024   Created by Navy for Moms Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service