AZ SCHOOL - PIR 4-9-2010

[denbarb76- Ship 03 Div 146]

Hi All

 

My son will be attending aviation school in Meridian. We just found out yesterday he's a grad and go on 4-9, so we'll only have a few hours to spend with him. Looking forward to him being in his A school so we can communicate again. RTC has been difficult with only letters and little or no phone contact. I read on here that some mom's skype,  I have never utilized that and would love some feedback from those of you that do. TJs Mom

[MIMI]

hello TJ's MOM, I use yahoo IM and if he already has a yahoo address, and you do as well, then he can use the computers at the MWR ( Moral, rec, and welfare) I suggest you go back to the beging , page one, of this page, and read for a while, it will give you the true flavor of Meridian and be prepared, you're not going to like it. But I have no one there right now, and as all with the Navy, things eb and flow, so perhaps you will hit a good patch there. there is a group on here for a school in Meridian.
Tell him to go to MWR and ask for a lady named Wendy, she is great with new guys, gets parties and things going and is like a MOm away from home.
second is, bring his cell phone to the PIR and when he leaves base give it to him and not one second before. also, they will let you go to the airport with him and wait with him until he has to go. also, Grad and go doesn't always mean that, esp. when u r going to Meridian. They are about 5 wks behind in classing up, at least the last I heard, so grad and go can mean he will leave base about 2pm, or it could mean he will go in a day or two. If they know family is coming to PIR sometimes that will make a diff. They know already if you filled out your PIR form, I mean if your sailor did.
back to the cell phone...the reception is not great so if he has a problem, tell him to go to the " smoke Pit," or in front of the NEX. you can usually get a signal there. Verizon and ATT seem to have the best there, at least they did a year ago. ok, next, this is spring, there are going to be thunderstorms, huge cracking lightening and tornadoes. they have great weatherman on base, and your sailor will be confined to barracks when these storms are 15 miles away. however, If he is out and about, tell him to get inside , the lightening on the gulf coast states is awe inspiring and deadly. watch it from inside. I only include this because My son told me some of the guys from the north were a little freaked for the first couple storms and theye were there in the winter.
My son and several others spent 6 months at Meridian, others spent about 8 wks. Just depends on how you hit it. The AZ position is filled to 130% so they are looking for reasons to cut anyone, from 10 yr guys to brand new ones.
The MWR is a good one there but you have to get yourself signed up. also, tell him to volnteer for everything he can find and do it with enthusiausm. It will get him noticed and good things can happen.
ok, welcome to our little group, I suggest you ask your questions on the main page from now on, you will get many answers and encouragement I promise. We are a close knit bunch and love to help new comers along!

[Alyse]

I haven't skyped with my son but I guess I should as his laptop has a camera. I do skype, however, with my daughter in another state. I bought us each a Logitech brand camera (at Best Buy?) with a microphone since neither one of our computers (desktop) have a camera. I bought an upper end one. Skype is free to load and works pretty well. It's pretty clear although not as clear as a TV. You set up your account with an online name for yourself. When you want to use it click on the icon. It works pretty well. I like it.

As far as thunderstorms in the south, here in FL, we have those every day in the summer. My son didn't find it to be a big deal.
I don't really know the time table now for "classing up". My son waited 2 months to get into a class. One thing your son should know is that at the end of A school, they post the job assignments that are available. The sailors get to pick from them but they start with the best in class first. The number one student gets first choice, etc. I think in my son's class there was only 1 person that wasn't happy but they got last pick so it behooves you to do well. Also, the number one in the class gets an automatic promotion without taking the test. The assignments vary from shore duty to ship duty. My son chose ship duty, with his home base 4 hours from home. He told me that down the road, if 2 people were qualified for the same job and one had gone to sea, that person would get it.

Tell your son to keep busy volunteering. My son did some community projects. There is a sign up sheet (I'm sorry, I forgot where) but they only take just so many daily so do it early.
Hope this helps. Mimi is right about posting your questions in the general page where we all communicate. We all have sailors in different stages with different experiences and there will be more people to help. Please ask ANY question no matter how silly it may seem because it is important to you and we all help each other. Welcome.

[denbarb76- Ship 03 Div 146]

Thank you so much Mimi and Alyse for the great information. I'm going to copy and put it on a word doc for my son in his email so he'll have it when he gets to Meridian. We're from Florida as well, but no one should be outside during lightening. I'm going to the beginning to begin my reading:)

[Alyse]

Where do you live? I am in Palm Harbor, a suburb of Clearwater.

Also, your son will find out about "the dots". They will be designated by color as to how much freedom they get. As time goes by, they get more and more. For example, at the beginning, they are a "red dot". They stay in uniform all the time and can't leave the base. Then, in about 2 weeks?, (sorry it's been a while), they become a yellow dot which means they can wear civvies (civilian clothes) after their shift is over when they are on their own time. Green dot is when you can leave the base, say to go to the mall, movies, etc. There is not a lot there and unless you have a car, (my son did not as most) they share cab rides. They are not cheap and not the most reliable. Tell your son to always, always allow enough time to be back on the base when he needs to be. You can call a cab and they will tell you they will be there at X time and maybe not show up for another hour. This is especially true if they need to get to the airport. My son called the cab company 3 hours before he needed to leave just in case. All in all, my son, who is pretty laid back, didn't complain too much. While they wait to class up, they will also find tedious jobs for you to do but at least they are busy. I have to tell you that my son has been in for about 18 months now and really likes it. Your son won't really experience the real Navy until he is out of A school and assigned somewhere and has a regular schedule/job, etc.

[Sam]

AZ classes start today! Yeah, my son is happy! He has been at Meridian since 3/24. Not too long of a wait! He really likes it there.