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

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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.

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Navy Speak

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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

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I know certain things that my son particularly likes but are there things that make care packages .... "great". I have looked online and found some good ideas but thought since this site is full of navy moms, some of you moms that have done this before have it mastered...lol Just looking for a few good ideas that really mean alot when they open the packages......... any ideas or suggestions???? Thanks so much!!

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Anything he cant get on the ship. Snacks for him and his shipmates to share. any homemade goodies that travel well, like rice krispy bars travel well, he will be everyones best friend. They have a lot of generic things to buy like shampoo etc, so name brands especially razors or refills for razors. Great magazines he can read in his rack, and share if he wants. they have magazines for just about every sport or hobby. A water bottle that filters the water, I think Camelbak makes it, but they sell them in Target stores with replacement cartridges. New socks and inserts for cushioning for his boots, they are in them all the time. When my sailor told me how hot it was on the deck, I packaged up freeze pops, triple bag them! Many have use of freezers and its easy for them.

Oh thanks. That is some good ideas. Do you have a secret of making brownies or cookies to keep moist and send. I am thinking it will take about 3-4 weeks getting a box to him. He loves my homemade baked goods and I just wish I could send him some of those. I have been looking online and there seems to be alot of different ideas out there... just wondering if anyone has had any luck with any of them.

If you like making cakes or brownies, you can bake them in a mason jar. :) I did that for my husband (and made a bunch to share) and it was a huge hit! I followed the instructions at this website Cakes in a jar and it came out very well. The packages took approximately 3 weeks to get there and they still tasted fresh. I also sent along containers of frosting so they could frost the cakes too. :) You can put your sailor's favorite candy in the middle as well to make a special treat on the inside! It's a great way to get them their favorite chocolates without worrying about it melting :)

For cookies I used a vacuum sealer to package them and it seemed to work well.

I usually theme my care packages and decorate the inside of the box to match the theme. I've done movie night boxes, ones for each holiday, "hang in there" (with a monkey theme), I love you boxes, etc.

For shipping cookies or brownies wrap 2 or3 cookies in saran wrap then put in a baggie really helps.  If your sailor is young 18-19 you can fill a pumpkin with candy (hard individually wrapped) for Halloween he can set it out in their commune area. white t shirts crew neck .  my best place is the dollar store from now till homecoming. theater size boxes of candies are great or bulk used as filler . after october you can send chocolate less chance of melting. depending are where she ends up do NOT send pork items as a precaution. You can go on line to usps.com and order your mailing supplies including military flat rate boxes and custom forms and they will be delivered to your door.

Thanks so much for the helpful tips. Much appreciated.

 

I've been sending to several family sailors.  Mine aren't into sweets, too much gedunk gets old, but I know they still like it.  Mine liked new socks, Mio liquid or electrolyte drink powders, a refillable water bottle, tuna packets, cup noodles, jerky, slim jims, hard pretzels, and all sorts of gum and hard candies.  He said no chocolate, it gets too melty.  My nephew liked Popular Science and Smithsonian type magazines, everyone send sports and truck mags, and he wasn't into that.  

Don't send minty things or fragrances or soap in with food.  The smells transfer into the food.

Great tips. Thanks so much. This is all new for us and we want to make sure we do it correctly so everything isn't ruined when he opens it. I can only imagine that is heartbreaking for them to open items that are ruined.....!!! I am sending my first one tomorrow..... Hopefully all will go well. Thanks again.

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