Big Scare

[NewNavyMoMJW]

Hi All,

  It has been a while since I have bugged you all with crazy questions so I thought I would just start

  to ask, if I could. My daughter enlisted in the Navy about 2 months ago now. She has sworn in and

  received her ship date and job, however her ship date was not until January 23rd. About 2 weeks

  ago her recruiter called about lunch time and told her to be at the station in a hour because she

  was leaving the following day, that the station in Indiana called and asked for her to go. Well I

  definantly am not ready for her to leave yet and thank god they found someone else to go from

  their area so she did not have to leave. Needless to say the tears had already started once again.

  It seems like I just stopped crying from my daughter that is in the Marines. My question to anyone

  that can answer is do kids 12 and under need to be on the list for a seat at graduation? We have

  5 little kids still at home all under 12. The 4 seats that we are alotted are already spoken for and

  I am sure she will be scouting around for more as the time grows nearer to graduation. Even though

  it will be only about a 3 hour drive for us I would sure hate to think that my husband or myself will

  not be able to see her graduate because one of us will have to sit with the kids in another room.

[maboltship]

I'm not sure if you already got the answer, but my son is in bootcamp and I have the form letter.  It says children 12 and under don't need a ticket.  So, that should help you with having room.

amy

[eileenz]

Hi NewNavyMoMJW :-) What an upsetting 24 hours that must have been for you! I was told that children 12 and under did not "count" as the 4 available invites, and they can come. My youngest is 12 and we did not have to list him for PIR, but we DID have to bring his birth certificate in order to get him through security. There are no "seats" per se, it is all bleachers (at least it was in our section)....if you get there early enough you should have no problem. Good luck and God bless.

[Lorraine]

Hi MJW, When the recruits are on the Delayed Entry Program, they can indeed be called up on short notice. Was your daughter excited or hesitant like yourself? It's hard, but we have to remember our adult children have made choices that we can't control. Once they belong to the military, our job becomes encouragement and yes, we can advise, but it's best not to interfere. Sounds like you got your answer on the children 12 and under. You can do this, MJW. It is hard and it's taken me about 3 years to not be so sad that my son is often unable to communicate with us freely. But you have the young ones to keep you busy - I had an empty nest when my youngest left for the Navy. The Navy (and Marines) take good care of our young adults and I know the Navy will provide your daughter with confidence and future job opportunities/education. She has made a great choice. Enjoy her remaining time home, but now that this scare is behind you, try to prepare for the fact that she may leave before Jan. 23rd. Also, before she goes, visit a lawyer and get a POA. Then make sure once she's assigned to a duty station, that she contacts the Ombudsman and puts you on the list of contacts for her. I have a financial POA for my son and it has come in handy when buying cars so far. He didn't want to do the medical one, but I wish he had. He's single - who will make the decisions if something (heaven forbid) happens? I don't think he realizes that probably the Navy will decide, not us, as long as he is single. I'm glad you got a reprieve this time. I know you will be better prepared when the "real" time comes. Take care and we are here for you.

[NewNavyMoMJW]

Thanks so much for all your responses. My daughter was ready to go and a little upset that they ended up sending someone else instead.. She is a bit grateful though as her sister will be 21 in October so we are going down to Norfolk to spend the weekend with her and we are going to try to spend Thanksgiving with her also so it was a good thing she stayed back.. I am getting used to the fact that they will be gone from home but also ok with the decision they have made for their lives. It is really hard to handle the fact that they have grown up so fast. This daughter that enlisted in the Navy is my baby biologically, my husband and I adopted 5 little ones from the foster system so I do have others at home this is true but I worry over them all. It does seem like the Navy requires so much more from us parents I am not sure what a POA is? But if I should get one I will do it. Thanks again for the info it has helped a lot. 

[Lorraine]

POA is Power of Attorney. The financial one allows you to complete transactions for your daughter when she's unavailable to do so for herself (i.e. file and sign her taxes, do banking, purchase things like a car or property). The Medical POA is separate and is for any medical emergency in which she cannot speak for herself. This is also why she needs to put you on the Ombudsman list so you get notified not only of their return to port but of more serious health issues. Otherwise there is a privacy problem and they can't tell you anything. You and your husband have big hearts taking on 5 more children! Good luck to all of you.

[NewNavyMoMJW]

Thank You Lorraine for all your info, that is a very good idea indeed and I will get that going just in case she is called to leave again.. 

[KikiOtter]

When my husband swore in and enlisted in November, he was told he wouldn't be leaving until some date in July. Which really bummed him out because he was ready to go and get the ball rolling. He had been working very diligently the year prior to get all the info he needed and lose the weight he needed to drop (he went from about 260 to now around 190, and he lost it the right way-eating healthy and exercising, no crazy dieting, tho we did try out the cabbage soup thing the recruiter gave us info on...wasn't too bad made with v8 juice, lol).

Anyways, late February he got a phone call saying "who's your favorite recruiter?" They knew he had been itching to go and had an opening for a day just two weeks after the call. We were out to eat when he called my husband. Luckily, it was just the two of us (our 5 year old was with my in-laws) so we were able to discuss it. Both of us were kinda like "whoa...okay. This is really happening." Two weeks was when they said he'd be leaving. Regardless of being excited that he'd get to go sooner, we were both sort of in a daze at the idea of having just two weeks. But we made the best of it. We took a little family vacation and visited some family & friends out of town. So we felt good and ready when the day came, knowing there was a good possibility it would be several months before he saw any of them again. Two weeks was alright for us. But I can't imagine how it would have been if they'd said "you leave tomorrow." But, guess in the navy life now, there's a good chance we'll hear that more often than we'd like. 

Cry as much as you need to. Show those tears of pride. :)

[Lorraine]

That is the type of story that helps moms/family of those in DEP. Congrats to your husband for losing the weight the right way and to you both for making the best of those two weeks! God Bless your family. Where is your husband serving? Is he still in training?