New navy wife. Need a lot of advice!

[CCity]

My husband just joined the navy and he is currently in bootcamp. After he graduates he will be going to Florida. I was wondering how long it will take for me and our son to be able to go live with him and how does on base housing work? If anyone is married to a sailor in Pensacola,Florida it would be great to know a little more about it. I live across the United States so it is going to be a really big move for our family. I am very nervous and excited at the same time. Any information is greatly appreciated =)

[ChrisAmo]

Join the group for Pensacola moms and you'll find lots of info there. As for how long before you'll be able to join him, a lot will depend on his rate (job) and how long his training takes. It's probably best to wait until he gets a PDS (permanent duty station) before making plans to move. You could possibly do a temporary stay for a week or two if you were willing to pay for it yourself. He would still be on the base and you'd be in a hotel. Once he gets a PDS the Navy will pay for your move. There's usually a waiting list for base housing. My son and his wife rent an apartment off base and are very happy with it. The housing allowance more than covers the rent.

[CCity]

Thanks for letting me know about the group, that should help a lot. Well my husband is going for Rescue swimming and his schooling is going to be two years. They said he could be in florida from three months to a year and he moves somewhere else for the rest of his schooling.

Monica-since you got to live in Pensacola with ur husband, how long did it take for you to be able to move there? Do you think me and my son will be able to live there with him since his schooling is two years?

[ChrisAmo]

My son is a rescue swimmer, so you should join our group "Moms of Aviation Rescue Swimmers" where there's a lot of info about the training etc. My son was in Pensacola from Sept. until March (6 months) then continued his training in San Diego. The entire training takes up to 2 years but they don't stay in P'cola that long.

[BunkerQB]

Hey Chris, I have compiled many lists for everyone's convenience. Just click on "HOW TO DO STUFF ON N4M" under FORUM - you'll find 5 master list of groups. Check it out.

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

Join his PIR group ASAP..there is a lot of info and support there. If you can't find it let me know

[Tim]

ChrisAmo is correct.  The Navy will do the moving for you.  At no cost to you.  I dont recommend base housing.  They would take all of the housing allowance and you would be subject to monthly inspections.  Kinda beats down the door of privacy.  You should look into an appartment in town.  The housing allowance will more than cover the cost of living and you would not have to worry about a stranger coming in to inspect your living conditions.  The group for Pensacola moms is a good group, however, I strongly urge you to stay away from the Navy wives club.  Good luck,  and thank you both for your service to our country.

[Anti M]

Yeah, I wonder about that bit of advice.  My mom was in all the wives clubs, and they socialized a lot, helped each other out, and did all sorts of charity work.  Not every spouse club is great, and you do get bad eggs who snoop and gossip, but hey, that's people!   Join, see if the club helps you; if not, don't be active in it.

[Arwen]

Some people have very negative experiences with specific Navy Wives club. My foster daughter will not have anything to do with them because she is goth, atheist, and otherwise very different - she was treated terribly by the women in charge. They expected her to "fit in." She does not.  She spent her first two years there with no friends and it nearly ended her marriage. Eventually my foster daughter found some like-minded wives to form their own non-conforming group, and will have nothing to do with the official club.

 

I also had a not-so-great experience, since I was both a wife and enlisted. When my husband was on a long deployment one of the other wives invited me to join his ship's wives club. Everything was fine until they learned I was also active-duty. After that I was pretty much rejected.

 

It entirely depends on the people running the individual clubs, and the personality of the new women. It's like any other group that has multiple chapters - some are more accepting than others, some are better run than others. Some are cliquey, some aren't. A bad experience with one chapter can lead to reluctance to trying another. Once burned, twice shy.

[Anti M]

It is true I had nothing to do with the wives clubs; I was never invited in Japan.  Most of the shore duty commands didn't have them that I knew about.  Even as ex-Navy, having been active duty makes them see you as a threat of some kind.  But some of them are worthwhile.  

Then again, I was a bit different too and didn't/don't always fit in.  Heck, you see that right here on this board.

[Sweet*Southern*Lady]

My Fiance was in Pcola for Rescue swimmers school and something else. He was there for a year them finished his training in Jacksonville FL

[Valarie26]

When is your husbands PIR? My husband's is 3-11 so Im moving to pensacola 3-16. I would love to get to know some ladies down there too!

[izzy772]

hi we are stationed in pensacola how are you

liking it?