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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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:
Events
**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:
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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Bahrain Moms
Information
If you have a son or daughter in Bahrain or going to Bahrain heres the group for you!!!!!!
Members: 402
Latest Activity: Feb 26, 2024
I have many moms asking me, hows life in Bahrain? So I thought I would put a few things together, post it and update, make corrections as I remember something. Well aside from the very hot sun, nice beaches,museums,malls on and off base,the sand storms , which reak havoc on the weapons some carry :). Here are a few thing that might help.
New Arrivals
1. 2 or 3 weeks of training and classes to learn Bahrain customs,laws and the Navys do's & don't's
2. Not allowed off base til the training is complete.
3. No family housing. Non military persons were removed after 9/11. ("09" spouses allowed back )
4. Lower rank personal(I'll check the rank) must live on base in barricks. Others live off base in rental units.
Duty
1. Shifts are 12 hours long.
2. No uniforms are to be worn off base at any time only civ's (civilian cloths)
3. Unlike the States, there week is Sunday - Thursday weekend is Friday and Saturday.
Misc.
1.They buy cell phones on base at the mall or Nex. They can call you for about 10 cents and send texts for 10 cent per text. (Tho in Bahrain they go by BD'S Bahrain Dollars).
NOTE: They CAN NOT text to some cell phone services. The ones I know are Nextel,Verizon and Sprint.
2. Everything they need can be bought on base at the mall or Nex. Even computers,tv's, music,movies .....everything......
3. Drinking: 18 is the legal drinking age in Bahrain on and off base.This goes for the military personal also with one Navy rule in order to buy/drink liquor or whiskey you must be 21, but at 18 they can consume/purchase beer and wine.
1. They have a on base post office. Which is closed I belive on Monday's.
2. On packages/letters you send DO NOT write Bahrain,middle east or Manama anywhere on the outside of the mail. This may make it arrive to the town P.O.(Manama) instead of onbase. The military ships its own mail but if it does not arrive to the state side base to be shipped to your sailor than its put on a internatial mail flight and sent to the town P.O. Your sailor will have a p.o. box with a FPO address on base only use the address he/she gives you and your return address. It will look something like this.
*Rank Name*
PSC ??? Box ???
FPO AE 09840-2800
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/home.asp
http://www.bahraintribune.com/index.asp
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/bahrain/index.htm (This one is the base news)
Sailors on a Liberty Tour
Discussion Forum
re:Son going to Bahrain - I have so many questions!!!!
Started by julie(Shane's Mom). Last reply by DiG Jul 13, 2018. 15 Replies 1 Like
Our son has moved on ...
Started by Penny_Nuke_MM2_NimitzNuke. Last reply by navymomds Dec 16, 2016. 1 Reply 1 Like
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Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Navy mom and dad 731 on November 7, 2017 at 7:29pm
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Out daughter has been deployed to Bahrain. She just enlisted earlier this year. When may we expect to hear from her and be able to send her things for the holidays. If so should we send it to the ship or the base? So many questions....any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Comment by BoiseMom on October 31, 2017 at 11:11am
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Thank you Tyler'sMom. I read all of these comments to my son over the phone and he is now understanding that having his car shipped there is not an option.
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No problem on the questions! We help each other through this.
My son bought a new SIM card for his phone in order for it to work there. Verizon service is way to expensive put their Verizon service on military hold.
My son uses uber whenever they go off base, a car is impractical. Some of them buy them there and then just sell it or leave when they leave. It must depend on your job and rank whether you live on or off base.
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Oh my gosh, you guys are wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to fill me in on these details. I will call my son and read to him what all of you have said. Ellen0502, I'm curious about why your son was there for a year instead of two years. I see below that MAs are there for 2 years. My son is a GM. Might your son be a GM too? Maybe it depends on the group they are with rather than the rating?
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Comment by ellen0502 on October 29, 2017 at 1:28pm
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My son just returned from a year in Bahrain. We used FB messenger to make calls, it is free, and worked great. He enjoyed his time there, but was happy to leave the heat and humidity.
He had to live off base, but he never needed a car. He only lived about a mile from base and he did walk to work in the morning if he could,. too hot in the afternoon to walk home. He used taxis off and on, but most of the time he used Uber when he needed a ride (yes they have Uber). He never had a problem getting where he needed to go.
Driving there for him was not an option, too many issues with other drivers, and no real rules to driving. He figured the money he would spend on a car, insurance and upkeep would probably cost more than the taxis, and uber he used to get around.
The MWR in Bahrain does have tours once a week, so there are things to do. Like jlrb said, they are kept pretty busy there.
We also found the mail service very fast. It would only take one week, in some rare cases two weeks for packages to get to him. Ditto on the "generic" labeling on the customs form. The mail does go through military mail, but the mail must go through local customs.
Cooling towels and cooling t-shirts were what he wore when not in uniform (uniforms can only be worn on base). He said they became his favorite clothing. LOL You can find both on Amazon, and they are not too expensive.
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Comment by jlrb on October 29, 2017 at 11:59am
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My son was there for two years. It was an adjustment but he had a great experience.
He lived off base so he needed a car to get to work. He bought a car there. He sold it back to the dealer when he left. The extreme sandy conditions apparently is very hard on cars. Cars have to pass inspection in Bahrain and I have heard of some people whose American cars did not pass inspection so the cars are returned to the import location. If your son has a really nice car he may be better served to just leave it in the States anyway. The sandy conditions may cause some engine damage and also the drivers there are crazy. Apparently all the vehicles there have dents or damage of some sort because people don't drive decent there. Driving conditions are crazy. No one abides by any of the traffic rules. If your son lives on base he really shouldn't need a car. If there are times when he needs/wants a car renting a car should be an option.
They are always SO busy there. My son worked a ton of hours and didn't have much free time anyway.
They have all of the American fast-food places and shopping there. My son loved the local food there too.
My son was able to port at the major cool cities around the Gulf. I wanted to visit him there but he discouraged me from going there and told me to save my money/trips for when he goes to Japan or Italy.
There are different communication options so contact is usually no issue. (Skype, FB Messenger, Project Fi, and the ones already mentioned.)
USPS Priority Mail to the FPO/APO box works great and is quite speedy. When documenting the contents on the customs label make sure you are very generic when listing the item. Don't be specific. For example if you mail a PS4 game don't put PS4 game just put game.
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Thank you Tiesha and Tyler'sMom. Your experience is helping me envision what's in store for us. It sounds like talking to your sons is not a problem. Verizon told me that international plans are very expensive. Are you using Skype or something else, or did you sign up for the international plan? Another question I have is, how do you get around? Do they use cabs? My son heard that the Navy will pay for his car to be shipped there. I'm not sure that's accurate and I talked to my insurance and they won't cover him there, so he'd have to buy his own. Not sure I want him driving there anyway, but I would like him to be able to travel. Do groups of them take trips, like to Dubai and other places? I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions, but I sure do appreciate any info you can give me.
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Boisemom, my son has been there since April and will be there for 2 years. If your son is an MA he will be there 2 also. They automatically get 30 days leave but can't use that until after 1 year. They will accrue leave while they are there along the way. My son just told me he requested leave for January so we are waiting to hear if that is approved. Christmas is hard for them to get.
We do us whatsapp and so we text and talk often, so grateful for that. I send packages every couple of weeks. Takes about 1 1/2 weeks. I have to tell him I sent it so he can watch for it. He has adjusted well but he has told me that some have not. Some of the younger ones struggle. You can fly into Bahrain, flights aren't terribly expensive. My son has said he doesn't want us to come there. Manama is very dirty and poor. There are some very nice and expensive resorts on the island. Hope this helps. There are worse places for them to be.
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Yes they do have access to internet and he will be able to text it my son is asking me to buy him the EGG the internet booster tying to figure all that out now if he hasn’t left yet I would suggest he buy one and take it
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Yes he is happy I hear that is the best place to go In the Middle East. His body has to get adjusted to extreme heat and going back and forth from AC to heat my son got sick his first couple of weeks I speak to my son at least 5 out of 7 days and he tell me if he is going out and I won’t be able to reach him. My son is there for 2 years I was thinking of going to Dubai or abu Dubai for spring break next year but he is telling me it may not be worth it. We both are adjusting it feels good that I can speak to him often it makes the distance feel less. My next adventure is trying to mail stuff over there I will keep you posted! I would but the Bahrain time on your phone to get a feel of when he may be up and when he is sleep.
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