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Comment by eBearFlorida on December 8, 2018 at 2:06pm

Thank you! That was all super informative. I am crossing my fingers that he does fly out of O'Hare obviously because that is where I have tickets to fly out of also. I am so glad to hear that he will be able to call home or us call him whenever we want other than class time. The no communication has been so hard now while he's at RTC. 

Comment by SunflowerLynn on December 8, 2018 at 1:50pm

Hi eBearFlorida, my son's PIR was Aug. 3rd of this year, and he flew out of Chicago O'Hare on Saturday morning around 9:00am, if I remember correctly.  He flew into Providence, RI with 7 other sailors.  Again, if my memory serves, they contacted the Sub School in Groton when they arrived, and a van was dispatched to pick them up.  (Or possibly the van was already there, because the base knows when they're coming in.  I'm not 100% sure which way it went, but I do know they were on the base within about 90 minutes to an hour of landing in Providence. Either way, your SR's ground transport from Providence to Groton will be provided by the Navy.)  Sometimes, I was told, the sailors bound for Groton will be flown into Hartford, CT.  The Providence airport is about 45 minutes from the base, Hartford is about an hour.

When my son was at BESS, he could call (or text or Skype) pretty much as often as he wanted, when he wasn't in class or on duty.  They definitely have more freedom at BESS, though some of it is still fairly regimented.  E.g., every afternoon they line up outside their barracks and march to chow at the galley in formation.  They muster in the mornings before going to class.  They have group PT.  Etc.

Living arrangements while at BESS are in barracks set up sort of like college dorms.  My son shared a room with one other sailor, and they shared a bathroom with the room next door.  So there were 4 sailors sharing the bathroom, but two to a bedroom, if that makes sense.  They also had a refrigerator and microwave in their room.  

They'll spend time in class, in hands-on trainers, getting quals in various "basic sailoring" areas (watch-standing, etc.).  Depending on their liberty card color (white, yellow, blue, etc.), they might be allowed to leave the base for short periods, usually restricted to a certain number of miles radius of the base, and with a set time they have to be back on base.  On base, there's a really, really nice NEX and commissary, also a Subway, and a food court at the NEX with a hamburger stand and coffee stand (Green Bean Coffee...really good!).  There's a theater on base that shows a couple movies each week, and a golf course.  There's also a nice Liberty Center for young sailors where they have video game consoles, music rooms, etc.

Warn your SR that the base is pretty hilly, and he (or she) will be doing a lot of walking to get down to the NEX, theater, etc.  He'll be in great shape.  Oh, also, there's a branch of Navy Federal Credit Union right on base, so if his/her account is there, banking is pretty easy.  

If you have any other questions I might answer, feel free to ask.  

Comment by CarlaB on December 8, 2018 at 1:46pm

eBearFlorida
It could be different for you as far as airport and timing, etc, but here is what our experience was: Our son flew out of O'Hare the next morning. There will be a group leader, which my son was, that is responsible to make sure everyone gets on the flight, etc. His group flew to Boston, which is about a 2 hour drive to Groton. My son had to call the bus to come and pick them up once they got to Boston. They will get checked in and assigned to their room that same day.
As far as how often they can call when they get there, you can take your sailor their cell phone at the airport before they leave. They cannot take their phone back to RTC the night of graduation, which is why you have to take it to the airport. After that they are free to use it at will, except when they are in class.

Comment by eBearFlorida on December 8, 2018 at 1:26pm

Can anyone explain what to expect once my SR has completed at RTC? I guess I am just wondering what your experiences were as far as what airport they fly out of to go from IL to CT? Did they fly out the day after PIR or have to be put on hold to fly to CT? When they get to CT do they check in with someone at the airport? How often can they call you when at BESS? I am just wondering how it all will go after RTC. Thank you for sharing your experiences. 

Comment by Viola on December 6, 2018 at 8:13am

Matt's Mom--thank you!  That is great information to know.  I'll go ahead and book his ticket through one of those airlines and if we need to change it for whatever reason, we will be able to!

Thank you,

Viola

Comment by IL Matt's Mom on December 5, 2018 at 10:23pm

Viola,

For flights, Southwest does not charge change fees. Delta and the other major airlines offer military fares with no change fee. You will need to call a special number for the fares (may have limited hours).

Comment by Viola on December 5, 2018 at 12:23pm

Thank you CarlaB,  I'll call my Sailor tonight and ask him about itinerary.  Thank you!

Comment by CarlaB on December 5, 2018 at 11:49am

Viola - My son got a chit for the second half of stand down.  For him leave starts on the 28th, but he isn't flying out until early morning on the 29th because he was not sure what time to book a flight since there will be hundreds of sailors trying to check out for leave.

My son also told me that he needed to have his travel itinerary in order for his request to be approved because they would want that.  I am not totally sure if the leave won't be approved without the itinerary or not, but that is what he told me.

Comment by Viola on December 5, 2018 at 11:31am

Good Morning Sailor Moms!

I have a question about leave for Christmas.  My Sailor put in his request on the days he was told he can take leave over the holiday.  We wanted to purchase his plane ticket home, prices are going up and we don't know if we should wait for some of approval beforehand?  We know the days he was told to request, but not time?  Do you know what time leave would start?  Is this on an individual basis?  Any help or clarification would be greatly appreciated!

Viola

Comment by SunflowerLynn on November 28, 2018 at 3:06pm

Viola, I LOVED hearing from my son every day!  That was the biggest and best change from boot camp (for me).  We still talk or at least text pretty much every day, and we Skype often, too.  

I really don't know how many quals they're getting while in BESS.  Enough to keep them busy, I guess! They still have room inspections, and that (along with other things) affect what kind of liberty card they receive (white, yellow, etc.).  The color of their card determines whether they can leave the base, how far off base they can go, etc.  It's a big motivator!

I did attend his BESS school graduation last month, and it is much more low key than the PIR, of course.  But I was so glad I went.  My son's a twin, and I took his twin brother with me.  It was great for them to get to see each other.  

Best to you and your sailor! 

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