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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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.
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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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Now Your Sailor is at Dam Neck
With the N4M website growing in popularity and new billets being added to the IS program we have seen a substantial increase in the number of new members to the IS group. Welcome all of you. We have found ourselves over the past few months answering some of the same questions many times. It is wonderful that families are so involved with and supportive of their sailors, and want to know so much about what they face as they go from Seaman Recruit (SR) at boot camp, to SA (Seaman Apprentice) at Dam Neck, to IS as they exit school.
I hope in this discussion area questions about A school, C school, the Dam Neck Annex, and the Virginia Beach area can be addressed. Let me remind everyone that in the Navy there are basic rules of thumb. First, hurry up and wait...they ask you to hurry so you can sit around and wait. Second, nothing is etched in stone...base commanders change, instructors change, equipment and technology change, rules change, and orders change; that's what the Navy and our National Security need at that given time. Third, please understand that we all have come to this website for support, comfort, friendship and answers; we can not answer things we do not know or that should not be put on the internet.
Please remember that these things are subject to change:
At the time of this posting, when your sailor leaves boot camp if you can meet them at the airport, they will be allowed to bring a cell phone, a laptop, and a small personal music device (iPod or similar). You do not have to face the "kid in a box" again. Although your sailor will have a lot more freedom at Dam Neck, the first several days are busy (actually all their days are) with getting processed into the school, going to medicals to hand them their medical records, finding their way around, and in the meantime being active sailors. They will be put on a duty section where the sailor must remain at the barracks except to go to the school building, get something to eat, or if scheduled for an appointment. I have been told that duty is every fourth day now. If they are on duty, they will be assigned duties to perform, if their duty section leader assesses them and feels that they are not performing up to standard their duties may be reassigned. They may also have to stand watches.
Also, if you were not able to attend PIR or spend time with your sailor after graduation, be aware there is a strict rule that while they are out in uniform they cannot be walking and on the cell phone at the same time. Since they march in formation to and from the barracks and school that cuts into time as well. They will do PT (Physical Training) several times a week, either before getting ready for school or in the afternoons after classes. They must keep their rooms in ship shape because they do get inspected. They do their own laundry and do general cleaning around the outside of the barracks. Do not expect them to answer the phone every time you call just because they are on hold, waiting to class up. They are still kept busy.
Dam Neck is a small base just south of the main Virginia Beach. It has it's own beach as well. The MWR (Morale, Wellness, and Recreation) building has a bank of computers where your sailor can send emails or go online. They also have a projection TV, a room with gaming consoles, a small theater (there is a larger IMAX theater at Oceana, NAS), a coin operated laundry room, pool tables, lounging area, and a very helpful staff. There is a small NEX store (a larger NEX mall at Oceana), and a Chapel which has 2 or 3 services on Sundays, maybe Saturdays as well. There are I believe, 3 softball fields, a track, a walking/running path, tennis courts, and I think I remember some outdoor basketball courts. For those of legal age there is an enlisted club as well I think. A sailor is considered "legal age" on base if he/she is of legal age in his/her home state, is the way I understood it.
Phasing up: The first week at Dam Neck your sailor basically has no liberties. Once they arrive at Dam Neck though they can call, text, email the address to you and you can ship clothing, any small electronics they did not take with them, and some food stuffs. Your sailor will be told to send any parcels certified. I can tell you as other moms can too that what they mean is ship it insured. Certified is for documents and letters. If you send it USPS-insured, it will get sent to the NEX for pick up. If it is not insured, only the minimum postage paid on it, the parcel will be sent to the school building and security will have to have your sailor name off all the items that are in the parcel. Believe me Chris and I had to go through that and if there is food stuff in an uninsured parcel, they give the sailor a big frown. :( They do not like food at the school.
POVs (Personally Owned Vehicles) :
When Chris phased up to being allowed his car on base we checked with Fleet and Family Services at Oceana and they gave us the hours of operation for the Pass and ID office at Oceana. To bring the vehicle on base (or even one visiting on base) a pass must be issued for the vehicle. If it is during the weekend and you are simply visiting, those passes can be issued at the gate but ONLY if the Pass and ID office is closed. Otherwise ALL vehicles must go to the Pass and ID Office. A couple of moms have posted more current information about vehicle registration below. (Sorry I'm having trouble making my Admin tools work properly, or I would paste the links here)
After approximately 6 weeks at Dam Neck your sailor will be phased up to full liberties where he/she can leave when their liberty begins on Friday and remain off base until Sunday night. All liberties are considered a privilege that can be recalled at anytime the Navy decides they need your sailor more. Also if they are scheduled for duty over the weekend they will either have to swap with someone in advance or they will have to remain at barracks during that 24 hours. Plan visits accordingly.
Visits: You may go to Dam Neck and visit your sailor. There are many places available in the Virginia Beach area. They vary in prices, availability, services, etc just like anywhere else. I stayed at the Navy Lodge right there on the Annex and found it very nice. The room was clean, there was a small kitchenette, and more than enough towels. There was also a small play area for younger kids, charcoal grills out back and picnic tables. It was just about a slow five minute drive over to the barracks so Chris was able to leave the room just before midnight and be checked in, in time. He came back over early the next morning. If you are out and about on the base (the MWR, riding around, the NEX, etc) your escort (sailor) must remain with you. Except for traveling directly to and from the Navy Lodge they should be in the car with you also.
School: The school hours and days may vary by holidays, mandatory medicals, Instructor's meetings and things of that nature. Most of the time school begins at 8:00am and runs til lunch break, they march back then to barracks or the galley, have their meal and then march back for the after noon session. On some Fridays they may be excused around lunch time, and those not on duty can usually begin their liberty if they have earned it.
Both A school and C school are very competitive and demand a lot of study time. If a sailor fails a unit they can sometimes retake the test but they will be put on mando (mandatory study time), or they may be put on hold and have to be dropped from that class and wait until another class makes it to that unit. It is not unusual for students to go back to the schoolhouse after evening meal and study until, 9:00, 10:00 or even later at night.
A school is 13 weeks long. it is a general over view of Intelligence specialties and whatever else they learn. (Who knows?) C School is job specific. Near the end of a school a sailor has the opportunity to make his/her "dream assignment" known. The Navy will then release a pool of job openings by the specialty and/or location of the job. The highest ranking student in the class (highest grade average) is allowed to choose first. The second highest gets to choose second and so on. These are only preliminary choices that may be changed later. That happened to my son. He picked DC and the instructors began talking to him about the area and 3 weeks into C school his orders were changed to go overseas. Again, nothing is etched in stone.
Depending on the specialty that the sailor trains in during C school determines the number of weeks that his/her C school will last. One specialty school lasts about 6 weeks, another I believe, lasts about 15 weeks, and then Strike and a couple of other more classified areas train for I think about 8-12 weeks. Those, I am not as sure about since my son starts shutting up on some of it and there is not so much info out there on those couple of specialties. Everything in IS is a "need to know basis" and that's stuff I don't need to know. There is more info on all this in Ellen's discussion about the IS rating in general.
When a sailor completes A school there is a very brief and very informal graduation for them. I understand that when C school is completed the "ceremony" lasts a little longer but still informal. I understand that family may attend. I will post more about this after I attend my son's graduation soon.
The one thing I can tell you is that I asked a few moms whose kids were already out in the field and they have all said that their sailors like what they do. It is a field that is vital to our security and gives them a wonderful background for other jobs after coming out of military service. Please tell your sailors thank you for their service and congratulations, they've earned it.
It sounds as though there are a lot of negatives here but it not really so bad and there is free time. It’s just better to be aware that they are still in the Navy and are basically on the job 24/7. Will post more later about the VB area.
I hope in this discussion area questions about A school, C school, the Dam Neck Annex, and the Virginia Beach area can be addressed. Let me remind everyone that in the Navy there are basic rules of thumb. First, hurry up and wait...they ask you to hurry so you can sit around and wait. Second, nothing is etched in stone...base commanders change, instructors change, equipment and technology change, rules change, and orders change; that's what the Navy and our National Security need at that given time. Third, please understand that we all have come to this website for support, comfort, friendship and answers; we can not answer things we do not know or that should not be put on the internet.
Please remember that these things are subject to change:
At the time of this posting, when your sailor leaves boot camp if you can meet them at the airport, they will be allowed to bring a cell phone, a laptop, and a small personal music device (iPod or similar). You do not have to face the "kid in a box" again. Although your sailor will have a lot more freedom at Dam Neck, the first several days are busy (actually all their days are) with getting processed into the school, going to medicals to hand them their medical records, finding their way around, and in the meantime being active sailors. They will be put on a duty section where the sailor must remain at the barracks except to go to the school building, get something to eat, or if scheduled for an appointment. I have been told that duty is every fourth day now. If they are on duty, they will be assigned duties to perform, if their duty section leader assesses them and feels that they are not performing up to standard their duties may be reassigned. They may also have to stand watches.
Also, if you were not able to attend PIR or spend time with your sailor after graduation, be aware there is a strict rule that while they are out in uniform they cannot be walking and on the cell phone at the same time. Since they march in formation to and from the barracks and school that cuts into time as well. They will do PT (Physical Training) several times a week, either before getting ready for school or in the afternoons after classes. They must keep their rooms in ship shape because they do get inspected. They do their own laundry and do general cleaning around the outside of the barracks. Do not expect them to answer the phone every time you call just because they are on hold, waiting to class up. They are still kept busy.
Dam Neck is a small base just south of the main Virginia Beach. It has it's own beach as well. The MWR (Morale, Wellness, and Recreation) building has a bank of computers where your sailor can send emails or go online. They also have a projection TV, a room with gaming consoles, a small theater (there is a larger IMAX theater at Oceana, NAS), a coin operated laundry room, pool tables, lounging area, and a very helpful staff. There is a small NEX store (a larger NEX mall at Oceana), and a Chapel which has 2 or 3 services on Sundays, maybe Saturdays as well. There are I believe, 3 softball fields, a track, a walking/running path, tennis courts, and I think I remember some outdoor basketball courts. For those of legal age there is an enlisted club as well I think. A sailor is considered "legal age" on base if he/she is of legal age in his/her home state, is the way I understood it.
Phasing up: The first week at Dam Neck your sailor basically has no liberties. Once they arrive at Dam Neck though they can call, text, email the address to you and you can ship clothing, any small electronics they did not take with them, and some food stuffs. Your sailor will be told to send any parcels certified. I can tell you as other moms can too that what they mean is ship it insured. Certified is for documents and letters. If you send it USPS-insured, it will get sent to the NEX for pick up. If it is not insured, only the minimum postage paid on it, the parcel will be sent to the school building and security will have to have your sailor name off all the items that are in the parcel. Believe me Chris and I had to go through that and if there is food stuff in an uninsured parcel, they give the sailor a big frown. :( They do not like food at the school.
POVs (Personally Owned Vehicles) :
When Chris phased up to being allowed his car on base we checked with Fleet and Family Services at Oceana and they gave us the hours of operation for the Pass and ID office at Oceana. To bring the vehicle on base (or even one visiting on base) a pass must be issued for the vehicle. If it is during the weekend and you are simply visiting, those passes can be issued at the gate but ONLY if the Pass and ID office is closed. Otherwise ALL vehicles must go to the Pass and ID Office. A couple of moms have posted more current information about vehicle registration below. (Sorry I'm having trouble making my Admin tools work properly, or I would paste the links here)
After approximately 6 weeks at Dam Neck your sailor will be phased up to full liberties where he/she can leave when their liberty begins on Friday and remain off base until Sunday night. All liberties are considered a privilege that can be recalled at anytime the Navy decides they need your sailor more. Also if they are scheduled for duty over the weekend they will either have to swap with someone in advance or they will have to remain at barracks during that 24 hours. Plan visits accordingly.
Visits: You may go to Dam Neck and visit your sailor. There are many places available in the Virginia Beach area. They vary in prices, availability, services, etc just like anywhere else. I stayed at the Navy Lodge right there on the Annex and found it very nice. The room was clean, there was a small kitchenette, and more than enough towels. There was also a small play area for younger kids, charcoal grills out back and picnic tables. It was just about a slow five minute drive over to the barracks so Chris was able to leave the room just before midnight and be checked in, in time. He came back over early the next morning. If you are out and about on the base (the MWR, riding around, the NEX, etc) your escort (sailor) must remain with you. Except for traveling directly to and from the Navy Lodge they should be in the car with you also.
School: The school hours and days may vary by holidays, mandatory medicals, Instructor's meetings and things of that nature. Most of the time school begins at 8:00am and runs til lunch break, they march back then to barracks or the galley, have their meal and then march back for the after noon session. On some Fridays they may be excused around lunch time, and those not on duty can usually begin their liberty if they have earned it.
Both A school and C school are very competitive and demand a lot of study time. If a sailor fails a unit they can sometimes retake the test but they will be put on mando (mandatory study time), or they may be put on hold and have to be dropped from that class and wait until another class makes it to that unit. It is not unusual for students to go back to the schoolhouse after evening meal and study until, 9:00, 10:00 or even later at night.
A school is 13 weeks long. it is a general over view of Intelligence specialties and whatever else they learn. (Who knows?) C School is job specific. Near the end of a school a sailor has the opportunity to make his/her "dream assignment" known. The Navy will then release a pool of job openings by the specialty and/or location of the job. The highest ranking student in the class (highest grade average) is allowed to choose first. The second highest gets to choose second and so on. These are only preliminary choices that may be changed later. That happened to my son. He picked DC and the instructors began talking to him about the area and 3 weeks into C school his orders were changed to go overseas. Again, nothing is etched in stone.
Depending on the specialty that the sailor trains in during C school determines the number of weeks that his/her C school will last. One specialty school lasts about 6 weeks, another I believe, lasts about 15 weeks, and then Strike and a couple of other more classified areas train for I think about 8-12 weeks. Those, I am not as sure about since my son starts shutting up on some of it and there is not so much info out there on those couple of specialties. Everything in IS is a "need to know basis" and that's stuff I don't need to know. There is more info on all this in Ellen's discussion about the IS rating in general.
When a sailor completes A school there is a very brief and very informal graduation for them. I understand that when C school is completed the "ceremony" lasts a little longer but still informal. I understand that family may attend. I will post more about this after I attend my son's graduation soon.
The one thing I can tell you is that I asked a few moms whose kids were already out in the field and they have all said that their sailors like what they do. It is a field that is vital to our security and gives them a wonderful background for other jobs after coming out of military service. Please tell your sailors thank you for their service and congratulations, they've earned it.
It sounds as though there are a lot of negatives here but it not really so bad and there is free time. It’s just better to be aware that they are still in the Navy and are basically on the job 24/7. Will post more later about the VB area.
Views: 16336
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dyon Abbott - Kevin's Mom on
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Super good info, Mary!!!!
Dyon -
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Permalink Reply by Mary (Chris' mom) on
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Thanks Dee! Ellen pulled a fast one on me and set me up as an Admin for the group. With the limited time I will have once classes begin week after next and Chris coming home for a couple of weeks, my time on here will be very limited. I figured this was a good way to try to answer some of the frequently asked questions. If I get too tied up later on, all you wonderful moms, can direct the new ones to a discussion, where we can try to address issues that will be easy to find. I also had help from one of our guys who got out a couple of weeks ago, he can take credit for all the corrections!
Have a good evening. Will catch you at the llama discussion. teehee.
Mary -
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Permalink Reply by Sailor's Mom on
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Thank you so much for this detailed info... Our son will be going there in July.... I know Virginia well, as my father was stationed at Langley AFB.... But the Navel area will be new to me.... Patti
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Patti, I'm glad it has helped. I am going to try to add more info over the next couple of weeks while Chris is home and can help me. Good luck to your sailor!! We look forward to hearing about him and getting to know you!
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Permalink Reply by GULDAN on
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Hi there ,my husband was suppose to be a MA but things changed and now he is looking in to IS .He is done with boot camp but still waiting .I was searching for IS and i found this group u guys did an amazing job.
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Thanks Guldan and Sherry. It's a joint effort I assure you. Guldan, if he wanted to be MA then I'm sorry it did not work out for him but Rene's son Jared was in the same boat, and he is glad he got IS instead. The IS rating gets more training and far better prepares a person for civilan jobs than MA. Anna's Chris was in A school with my Chris and he is a fleet returnee. He used to be an AO (air ordnance) who loaded bombs on the fighters. When he came out and decided to reenlist he looked and decided that between the security clearances and the training that IS was a better field for preparing him for police work as well.
Sherry, my son got to Dam Neck just before your son left I guess (Jan. 11) and after three trips to Dam Neck I decided it was time to try to put some answers up about the base and general training. We were getting so many questions about liberties, cars, electronics etc, the board was getting crowded with the same questions. I'm glad we were able to get some of our guys to help with basic info so that everyone can be aware of what to expect. I'm sure you know now as well, that all things are subject to change, so maybe as moms come along they can help to keep it updated. Thank you both and we look forward to hearing from you ladies at the main discussion group!
Navy Hugs!!!
Mary -
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This is great info. I wish I had known about this site and this group before my son finished school in Feb. He is now in San Diego on the BHR.
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Hello everyone! My name is Charity. My husband Mike is currently at boot camp (division 245 ship 09). He graduates 7/17 and will be going to A school here at Dam Neck to be an IS. My grandfather and father are both retired Navy. I have lived in Virginia Beach my entire life so if anyone needs any information on Dam Neck please do not hesitate to ask. My father served at Dam Neck for 8 years total. Mike and I were married at the Shifting Sand's in Dam Neck and I grew up swimming at that beach and the pool out there. It really is a beautiful area. When Mike is done with all of his schooling and hopefully is stationed here on a ship (fingers crossed) I am joining the Navy next. It really is a great life and I hope Mike and I can do as well for our son as my family has done for me. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone here. God bless our service members and all of their families.
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Alfonzo?,
Yes, you are correct since the new commander took over several months ago, they have become more strict on many items. My son did notice though that if you "keep your nose clean", and do well with school, the instructors tend to try to work with you when possible. The commander is actually pretty nice also, she does seem to take a personal interest in the command, the students, and instructors although I only met her at my son's C school graduation. I try not to be too specific about times as phases, etc. depend on duties, the day of the week your sailor arrives, how well the sailor does in getting all the signitures required, etc. Also once in school it may depend on their academic progress. Failure to make minimum grade requirements can result in have to go before the academic review board and possibly being "phased back down". Congratulations on classing up tomorrow. Thank you for serving. Any new info from Dam Neck please feel free to add and again thanks. Give that baby a squeeze when you see him!
Mary -
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Permalink Reply by glbeiser on
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Thank you for the Info, I really wanted to know about this step of my daughter's training.
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Thank you Mary for this wonderful information. My son is going to Dam Neck after his PIR on July 17th and I appreciate what you have written. It is nice to know what my son will be doing and what he can bring with him to 'A' school. God Bless the Men and Women serving our country!
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Amen Pam. It great to have a place where we can come for support and some knowledge. It also a wonderful opportunity to thank and honor our service men and women both past and present. The best of luck to Billy, he will enjoy his job and I hope he enjoys the Navy.
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