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Comment by jsefamily on April 10, 2017 at 3:49pm

The officer sword is a popular and beautiful gift. Check out Jake'a Mom's photo! Wow! They aren't required to be a part of an officer's uniform until a few promotions later, but I doubt anyone wouldnt like to have it. They are often used to cut the cake at military weddings, too. Some people give an engraved watch, others go more practical with stitched garment bags for uniforms. Those are nice because they need them right away to leave OCS. We gave our some the commissioning frames for his formal commissioning portrait and commission (certificate). The mats are engraved and actual come from a company that makes them for (university/college) degrees. They are very striking, too. I thought they would look nice in an office. You can find a few companies on the internet that sell them, but here is who we used: http://sportsnchips.com/usnavy.html

Know that anything you give him will be be wonderful and meaningful.

Comment by Jake's Mom on April 10, 2017 at 3:38pm

We got out son a sword from Marlon White and had a family member create the display rack. The sword was engraved with our son's name and commissioning date.  

Comment by Bridget Davis on April 10, 2017 at 3:10pm

Hello All.  Crazy I'm writing this as I didn't think this time would ever come!  My son is commissioning in mid-May and will head to Pensacola for flight school in June.  I'm looking for a meaningful gift for him.  Any suggestions?  Thanks so much!

Comment by M's mom on March 31, 2017 at 10:51pm

BuckeyeMom:  You will also need some customs forms to go along with any box you send to a FPO (Fleet Post Office) address. You can get those at the Post Office also, and it's easier to fill it out at home and just give it to the clerk when you mail the box.  You have to list the contents of the box such as "cookies," "magazines," etc.    There are certain things you cannot mail, so you might want to check with the PO in advance for guidance.  The clerk always asks me if the box contains anything flammable, perishable, or any liquids, even perfume.  By "perishable," I assume fresh fruit is forbidden, but dried fruit is OK.  Homemade cookies are OK if you pack them completely airtight so they don't get stale and/or moldy, since it may take 2-3 weeks to get to the ship depending on where they are.  Be cautious of sending chocolate to hot climates! 

What my son liked best in his care packages was individual snack packs of cookies, crackers, chips, candy, etc. He liked to share with his shipmates, and it was easier (and more sanitary) to pass out individual snack packs than have them all grab into a big bag of cookies, and it helped his own portion control!  I also sent him books and magazines that I knew he would like, and he passed those around to his shipmates also.  They have very little personal storage space on a ship, so don't send him a lot of "stuff" that can't be consumed or shared around, or ultimately thrown away!

Check to see if your son's ship has a Facebook page. The USS Carl Vinson does, and they posted photos and sometimes videos during the cruise of day-to-day stuff on ship, and also from the ports-of-call along the way.  That really helped me, because we didn't have lots of communication with my son, but at least we could keep track of his ship on Facebook!   

Comment by BuckeyeMom on March 31, 2017 at 6:30am

Thank You! He will be on a cruiser for quite a while but because it's a cruiser it's expected that they will be in and out of ports along the way.
I ordered my boxes from the post office website already! I was so glad for that information!I'm making mental notes about what to get together as 'we' prepare the journey... He may know, but I did not know about banks of phones or the international chip. I will be checking on that.
Thanks again!

Comment by Helomom on March 30, 2017 at 10:31pm

Thanks, Glenni. They are taking a vacation and then he has his post command tour. Finally just a normal couple of years at a staff job.

Comment by M's mom on March 30, 2017 at 9:32pm

BuckeyeMom:  You asked about cell phones on deployment, and wrote that your son was "headed for the Gulf."   Do you mean on a ship or to a base?   My son was deployed for nearly 10 months on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the Gulf in 2014/2015.   He left his cell phone at home and his service provider gave him a military suspension.  No cell phone service or texting anyway in the middle of the ocean!    He was able to email us from the ship, but we couldn't expect an immediate reply.  Sometimes the ship "went dark" for a few days, and there was no email.  Whenever the ship stopped at a port-of-call in Singapore, Dubai or Bahrain, etc., he called us from the dock, because he said there were banks of phones set up for that purpose. 

We sent care packages to him using US Postal Service flat rate boxes, and they were delivered to the ship. There is a military discount for the large flat-rate box, I believe. 

Some sailors get international chips for their cell phones before they leave which will work overseas, but my son didn't want to spend the money, since he would only be able to use his phone while in port, and he found there were phones there to use anyway.  If your son will be stationed on land at a base, he may want to get international service.   My son is presently stationed at a base in Japan, and he has his cell phone service set up through Google on his computer somehow.  Much cheaper than paying international phone rates!   I'm not sure how it all works, but when we call him, it just shows up as a local call on our bill.   Not sure that would work on a ship, though.

Comment by BuckeyeMom on March 30, 2017 at 8:19pm

He is a helo pilot, MH-60r, He got his wings in 1/16. His first deployment is coming up soon! I am still learning...

Comment by Glenni on March 30, 2017 at 6:26pm

Wow, Helomom, what a terrific career so far! BuckeyeMom, is your son a pilot?

Comment by Helomom on March 30, 2017 at 5:44pm

My son was NROTC with a BS in Nursing and was commissioned into the Navy Nurse Corps in 1997. In 2002 he became an Unrestricted Line Officer and completed flight school. He has been a Naval helicopter pilot ever since. In 2013 he attended the Naval War College and received his Masters degree. He just completed his operational command tour. It has been quite a ride, fortunately he has a very supportive wife and family.

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