What is it like during the 14 days of ROM?

These discussions with Command Master Chief Twiford may answer some of your questions about boot camp in light of COVID-19:

Navy Bootcamp Updates With Command Master Chief: Part 1

Navy Bootcamp Updates Part 2

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Navy Continues 2 Weeks Off-Base Isolation for All New Recruits (updated 12 June 2020)

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ROM has been at one of several hotels in the area, including Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark.

Beginning 21 August 2020 ROM moves to Fort McCoy, an Army Reserve base in Wisconsin almost 3 1/2 hours from RTC for most or the Drill Hall at RTC for 1400 recruits.

Recruit Training Command Begins Recruit Restriction of Movement at Fort McCoy (17 August 2020)

There are trailers with showers for the recruits housed in the Drill Hall. There are partitions in the Drill Hall to help to divide up the recruits.

The following will still be in effect from what has been made public.

Drug testing, Urine Analysis, is now at MEPS rather than after arrival as prior to ROM.

Recruits are paid from the time they check in at MEPS on the way to Great Lakes. This has not changed. Recruits fill out direct deposit paperwork while in ROM.

Recruits arrive at the ROM location straight from the airport, bus station, or local MEPS.

When the recruits arrive at the airport they practice social distancing. While waiting on the bus the recruits stand in a line (six feet apart) and tell the RDCs some information like clothes size and where they came from. The recruits are transported by bus to the ROM location.

When the recruits arrive at the ROM location they are sorted into groups depending on where they came from. They are designated as high, medium, or low risk of corona virus based on the number of cases in the area they arrived from.

They pack up their things in boxes and are issued Seabags with the basics. Some of the things they have include 2 sets of PT clothes, sweats and sweater, shower shoes, the ditty bag, hygiene kit and other kits, Blue Jacket Manual, and Recruit Training Guide. Recruits keep their civilian shoes during ROM.

Reveille is at 6 am and Taps is at 10 pm.

Recruits are given time to clean and study. The RDCs teach by speaking to a small group at a time while maintaining social distance and all have masks on at all times.

A catering company provides a hot breakfast and dinner, and sub (or other cold sandwich or wrap) for lunch. Examples of meals include: pancakes, waffles, or French toast for breakfast; a sub sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, or cold wrap for lunch; and chicken, pork chop or burger (one recruit even mentioned steak for one meal) and rice or potatoes or a pasta dish for dinner. All meals include some sort of vegetable and/or fruit and Capri Sun and a granola bar or cookie. Most recruits indicate the food is good, just not very generous.

Laundry is put in a bag with the recruit's name on it and collected and returned later washed. (Some have mentioned wearing the same sweats all 14 days without them being washed.)

In the hotels, there are two to three recruits to a room. Recruits sleep in a bunk bed for two. The third recruit uses the only big bed. (That may be different depending on which hotel a recruit is placed in, but there are no more than three recruits in any room.) At Fort McCoy and RTC Drill Hall the recruits sleep in bunk beds.

At the hotels recruits can watch TV. They just have to be off during academic study. There are no televisions at Fort McCoy or at RTC.

Recruits can speak with the person or person in their room and with those in the room across the hall from them, but they cannot leave their room. They can take one step outside the room for instruction time and wellness checks. Similar restrictions are in place at the other ROM locations.

Recruits are given iPads to learn basic training material.

Recruits in ROM can't do official PT and the RDC's can't IT recruits since they have not been medically cleared. There is a sheet of approved exercises. It’s up to the recruits to get their workout in if they want to. Some do; some don't.

Recruits will be able to make one call from Fort McCoy. Recruits will not make any other calls while in ROM. If a recruit calls during this time, it is due to being moved due to a fever or other issue.

Recruits are able to write while in ROM, but they are not able to mail those letters until after they complete P-days and have had their first holiday routine.

Feel free to add any things your recruit or Sailor has shared and I will update if I see anything of interest.

The Page, What does ??? mean? (A Guide to Navy Abbreviations and Terminology), will help you with many of the new terms you will come across.

The form letter now arrives around 10 to 14 business days AFTER ROM.

The above information is provided by lemonelephant, the mom of a retired Sailor.

Last updated 08/18/2020

Comment by lemonelephant on July 10, 2020 at 7:39am: NicksMom, the recruiter would be the one to ask about snacks. This is what I found from RTC on what to bring: Refer to the packing (and can bring, and don't bring) list under the "prepare yourself" tab at https://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/recruits.html The ONLY change / addition for the off-site ROM is a personal entertainment device with no camera and / or two books.

Comment by lemonelephant on July 9, 2020 at 5:31pm: LadyBluefire, you are very welcome. All is good. I didn't edit the comments and some additional punctuation would have helped with that one.

Comment by LadyBluefire on July 9, 2020 at 5:26pm: thanks lemon - after I posted I reread and realized it could have been interpreted 2 ways, lol.

Comment by lemonelephant on July 9, 2020 at 4:55pm: LadyBluefire, it is the doors of the rooms that house recruits that are left open, not the boxes. The boxes belonging to each recruit in the room are outside the hotel room where those recruits are staying. Those rooms are all interior facing rooms with no immediate outside access.

Comment by LadyBluefire on July 9, 2020 at 4:08pm: Their box of stuff left open day/night to the elements is a little concerning since their cell phones are in there!

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What is it like during the 14 days of ROM?

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