Missing my daughter

[Navy Girl's Mom]

She left for boot camp on 3/27/17.  I did receive the initial call that she made it.  Her voice sounded different. Very serious and scripted.  I have also received her box.  I still haven't received the form letter but have been writing her letters everyday so I'm ready to get her address.  I'm a little bit freaked out about not sending a calling card with her.  I live in a rural area and so far have not been able to locate a calling card to send.  Does anyone have suggestions?

[tpadul]

Hi!!  My daughter is still in BC, she arrived on Feb 21st.  That first call is scripted and they can only say certain things, it's pretty freaky..   If you have a Dollar General store you can find the calling cards there, but really don't worry about it because they can buy them at the NEX store and they will have the opportunity go to to the NEX store after they are in BC around day 3 or so, so by the time you get your next phone call she will have had the ability to buy a calling card at the NEX store.  Hang in there Mama the first few weeks are really really hard!!  :-)    Also don't worry about her not having money either because they give them a debit card for the NEX store with about $150 to buy things they need so it comes out of their paycheck.  So for any special face lotions or face soaps that they don't give them the day they arrived she can buy special personal hygiene items at the NEX. My daughter has African American hair and needed special hair conditioner and hair lotions and she couldn't bring it with her but she was able to buy it in the NEX and I was even able to send her a package a few weeks ago with personal hygiene items and hair care products with no problem. They don't really advertise that you can send them that stuff later in the package but you really can.  No food and as long as it is stuff like calling cards, stamps, personal hygiene items that they need you can send it.  Many recruits told me this and my daughter asked her RDC and she said Yes as long as it is no food items at all.

[Navy Girl's Mom]

That is good to know!  I had read on one of these sites that they really didn't have time to purchase the card and it could take up to 10 minutes to activate that sending them an activated calling card would be best.  I just don't want my daughter to have a chance to call and not be able to because of something I did wrong.  Its good to talk to someone going through the same thing.  Sounds like your daughter is a good month a head of mine.  Please keep me updated on what to expect. Thanks.

[tpadul]

Expect that first real phone call home to be a weepy one, just like 1995Mom said below. My daughter called me for the first real phone call on March 11th, and she was crying before I even answered the call. My heart broke into a million pieces. She was hanging in there but it's very rough mentally on them the first few weeks, there is a lot of screaming and yelling that goes on. The first few weeks they are breaking them down so they can build them back up to work together as a team, so it's more emotionally draining on them than anything.  That first call was about 5 mins, but she cried and said she loved me so much and she missed me like crazy and the letters I had been sending her were helping her get through it.  Then I got another phone call two weeks later on March 25th and that call was soooo much better. She was even laughing some and was doing so much better. We talked for 11 minutes and 15 seconds.  She is struggling with her run but passed all the other stuff so far, even all the swimming right away, so now her worry is just passing the run.  So you will see many male recruits that are upset and crying too so it's not just the girls, I told my daughter in the letters to her that she was not alone in feeling the way she was.  It is much better now.  What I can say is write to her every single day and don't wait to mail the letters just a few times a week, mail a letter to her every day. You have no idea how important that mail is.  The mail once it gets to GL is really delayed in getting to their ships, so even if it arrives there, it could be several days before it actually gets to her.  We live very close to GL and we are less than 2 hours drive, we are native Chicagoans and live in Northwest Indiana now just across the border, so when I mail my letter on Monday that letter does not reach her by Friday of that week, which is not good, so it does take a while so keep a stream of mail going at all times. Some people are writing everyday but not mailing it everyday and are sending letters like 2 or 3 times a week.  But I mail mine every single day at least one. and If I don't have a lot of things to say I always am printing out inspirational quotes about courage, strength, confidence, hang in there, you can do it, etc.. I just google those phrases and looks for the images and I cut them out and put them in letters, paste some of them inside cards and I mail something every single day.  One time when she wrote to me she said that for 2 days in a row she didn't get any mail from me and that made her really sad because she looks forward to my mail the most so I don't understand how two entire days went by without her getting anything from me because I mail something everyday, sometimes more than 1 piece of mail a day to her.  They get mail every day Monday through Friday.  So keep mailing everyday.  You might receive her form letter by Friday this week, and then immediately get the letters you already have in the mail right away.  It is their lifeline right now.  

[Navy Girl's Mom]

Thank YOU! I do plan to mail a letter every day once I get the address. I've even bought some blank "thinking of you cards" to hand out at church with her address and stamp already on them just so she can get more mail.  I know people say they will write but put it off.  I can't wait to hear her voice again, but I do dread that weepy call.  My heart just breaks thinking that she is worrying and sad.  She's only 19.  I know this is going to all turn out great but just getting there is a process.  Thank you for your words of advise and encouragement.

[tpadul]

You are welcome and my daughter is only 19 too!!  She turns 20 in August!! Hang in there, these next few weeks are filled with lots of emotions!!  As soon as you get her form letter and know her PIR graduation date call and make hotel reservations ASAP!!  Try the Navy Lodge first as it is the most affordable. We are not staying there but at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites on Buckley Road in Libertyville, they have a free shuttle to and from PIR, but call the hotel and make a decision where you want to stay right away and get the reservation in, most of the hotels have no penalty for changing dates if by some reason they don't graduate on time.  We are not driving onto the base as it is too hectic and the lines are super long if you want to drive a car onto the base, so the ideal thing is to look for a hotel that has a free shuttle to and from PIR they will drop you off right at the front gate.  If you stay at the Navy Lodge it is not inside the actual base but a mile and a half down the road, you can get a taxi ride to the front gate of the base.  Driving on with a car is a real pain when instead you can have a shuttle drop you off right at the front gate.  

[Navy Girl's Mom]

Just booked rooms at the Holiday Inn also.

[1995Mom]

Hang in there Navy Girl's Mom, it is really hard having a daughter in the military my heart has been heavy a lot but each day get's a little easier I am so proud of her, my daughter left on March 13th and exactly 5 days after I received the box, and 10 days the letter. She called on the 3rd week on a Saturday which was just this last Saturday. Her voice was a little weepy, I could tell she was home sick, i put her on speaker phone so her dad and I both could talk to her and hear her voice. You should be seeing the letter with her address very soon. If she does call you and you can't hear her ask her to turn the volume up it may help (advise because I forgot to ask my daughter and I had read that but was so excited to hear her voice I forgot) I picked up my calling card at a Rite Aid I am not sure if you have those where you live but most drug stores have them and you can ask a person that works there to help you find one they will point you in the right direction. Keep me posted on when you get your letter.

[Navy Girl's Mom]

I will be checking the mail everyday until I do get that form letter!  I understand your comment "heavy heart".  I don't know how else to describe it.  I don't know of a Rite Aid here in our town but I'll google and see how close one is.  Thank you for your reply.

[1995Mom]

Do you have a Walmart, or any other drug stores that are a chain? Check even a Grocery store that has give cards they may have calling cards too. Good luck to you in finding one

[Navy Girl's Mom]

I just received the form letter. Her graduation date is May 26. I had read on something it was easier to drive your own vehicle but you disagree. That's good to know. I will get reservations asap.

[1995Mom]

Oh that is good news glad you got the address to start seding those letters too she will be so happy to hear from you when my daugher called she said she was gettting our letters her dad and I write to her daily. It is so important to them to get those letters in the eavning, I tell her in everyone I am so proud of her and can't wait to see her at graduation so she feels like it will be here before you know it and I tell her that too.

[Anna]

You received lots of good information on here.  Don't know if you have a Walgreens but that is where I got calling cards to send to my daughter who went to OCS.  I hope you get your form letter soon, you can also contact her recruiter who processed her into Bootcamp and they can look up what ship/div she is assigned to.  Then you can check the RTC website to get the address.  Just in case your letter doesn't come in soon!!!!  I also agree with getting a hotel that has a free shuttle to the base for PIR.  We stayed at the Sleep Inn on 41 just south of the base.  There is a lot of heavy traffic in that area every Friday.  We lived in Waukegan a couple years back.  You also have to fight traffic for those that are heading to work as there are lots of businesses in that general area.  Plan for extra time sitting in traffic!!!