address and Letters

[crdn]

My daughter is enroute to Great Lakes today to begin boot camp. I can remember getting letters in basic training in 1989 and what it meant to me. I have already written her something and I am holding it until I get an address.

 

My question is when will that be, and how will it come?

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

[lemonelephant]

The address will come in the form letter, which will arrive sometime in the next 3 weeks, although most receive the form letter in less than 2 weeks.  Number the letters on the outside.  Some do ask the recruiter for the address and if you do that, double-check the address the recruiter gives you against those at http://bootcamp.navy.mil/contact_recruit.asp. Recruiters sometimes give a generic address for the RTC and if the street address is not correct, then mail can be delayed for up to 3 weeks.  Know that letters mailed before you get the form letter do not get to your recruit much quicker, if at all, than letters mailed after receiving the form letter because the recruits cannot receive mail until they are in their ship and a Recruit Mail Petty Officer has been trained in how to handle mail, which means it is usually sometime in the third week or later when they start receiving mail depending on when P-days end and the division forms. Recruits can write only on Sundays at first and cannot write until the first Sunday after they are in their ship, which is usually the second Sunday they are there, but it could be the third Sunday, depending on how quickly the division forms. They later MAY be able to write, and maybe even mail letters, on other days as well. Once your recruit can receive mail, Mail Call is every weekday evening (M-F).

You may want to check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvKAhmgkoj4 and http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433. They will give you an idea of what is happening and you can see if it is similar to what you remember.  Thank you for your service.

You may want to join, or at least check out, Boot Camp Mom's, PIR Reference Information, and New Members Stop Here. Once you know his PIR date and/or division number, watch in Boot Camp Mom's and/or at http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/groups-listed-by-pir-date and join the group for that.

(Group names within this reply are clickable links. To join a group, click on the group name and after the group page opens, click on "+ Join..." in the upper right.)

[jacobsmom]

My sons recruiter told me he would have it by Friday (9/28) I am going to call him tomorrow to see if he has it. If I get it I will let you know!

[countrykris]

Hi Chris, usually it takes one week to get her "kid in a box" and them about a week after that you should get your letter, So about their second full week, I hope that helps..

A Gentleman last week sent me this about bootcamp, I hope it also help...

BOOT CAMP OUTLINE

1. Week One - During week one you will go through processing. You will fill out a lot of forms regarding health, benefits, wages, direct deposit, insurance, the Montgomery G.I. Bill and much more. If you haven't yet memorized your social security number, you will want to before you leave for boot camp, you'll be writing it on everything. Once you've finished processing, then the real fun starts.
 
2. Week Two - Week two finds you tired, irritable and wondering what the heck you got yourself into. You will get used to waking up at 0600, I promise. This week you will begin physical conditioning and participate in a confidence course. The focus for this week of training is team-building. You will learn to rely on your shipmates, and the confidence course is a big start.
 
3. Week Three - In a hands-on environment, this week you will learn first aid techniques, signaling with flags, the proper procedure to board and disembark a ship, and basic seamanship. You will do this training on a real ship situated in a large hangar. Your first PT (physical training) test is administered during week three; the areas tested are 1.5 mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. This is often called the PT0, because it is the starting point from which you will improve.
 
4. Week Four - Time for weapon training. You will go through safety training, then weapon training in a supervised range environment. This is the halfway point in your academic training, as well as the week during which you will take your graduation photos in preparation for your Pass and Review ceremony.


The Second Half of Boot Camp
 
You've reached the home stretch at this point, with four more weeks to go! Here's what you'll do during the second half of boot camp:
 
1. Week Five - More classes, more training, and a lot more PT. By this point you've learned how to do everything the way the Navy wants you too, and though you may not feel like it -- you've changed. Rigorous training and a restricted diet, a fast paced and active training style in and out of the classroom, and a behavioral structure deeply rooted in forming a team bond between you and up to 100 total strangers have all contributed to your change, and in most cases this change is for the best.
 
2. Week Six - Firefighting training, and shipboard damage control classes. This week you will learn how to put fires out, how to properly don fire safety gear in case you must fight a fire onboard ship, how to open and close watertight doors, and operate firefighting equipment. This week also finds you and your shipmates inside the gas chamber, being exposed to tear gas while you and everyone else recites name and social security number. You will also go through the confidence course again, further solidifying the concept of teamwork and camaraderie.
 

3. Week Seven - At this point, you're nearly finished with boot camp. Excitement sets in and now you're ready for the final test: Battle Stations. Battle Stations is a twelve hour event held to test your entire division on how well you've absorbed everything you've learned so far. If you are present at the call for Battle Stations, this means you have successfully passed all academic and physical challenges presented to you up to this point, and are ready for this final test. You will be pushed to the very brink here, and will find that once it is over and you stand in the finishing room, dirty, beyond weary, emotional and drained. All that fades away as the Commanding Officer in charge of RTC Great Lakes comes in to personally congratulate you, presenting you and your division with your new status as a United States Sailor -- your Navy ball cap.
 
4. Week Eight - Graduation/Pass and Review. Aside from everything mentioned above, part of your training has been in drill and ceremony. That portion of your training will come in to play here, where you march proudly, shoulders squared and with a bolstered confidence before friends, family, and thousands of supportive individuals from all walks of life. There is nothing like it in the whole world.