This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.
FIRST TIME HERE?
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:
Choose your Username. For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either). Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username. While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!
Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!
Join groups! Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself! Start making friends that can last a lifetime.
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.
OPSEC - Navy Operations Security
Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind. In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships." OPSEC is everyone's responsibility.
DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.
DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."
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.
Format Downloads:
- Graduation Info
- PDF – 2.7 MB
- PNG – 2.3 MB
- JPG – 3.4 MB
- Printable PDF – 2.0 MB
Latest Activity
Navy Speak
Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms! (Hint: When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)
N4M Merchandise
Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.
Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.
Navy.com Para Familias
Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com
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Anyone with Sailors/Soldiers/Marines in War Zones and Combat Areas
Information
For parents and loved ones of deployed and deploying military personnel...Aghanistan/Iraq and any and all war zones. Please introduce yourself on the main comment page.
Members: 116
Latest Activity: Jul 14, 2020
Anderson Hall is in San Antonio, on the campus of Fort Sam Houston...the place where future corpsman will learn their trade.
"Doc" Christopher Anderson served with Marine 1/6.
(He also went to Basic and to FMTB with my son. TDM)
Corpsmen on the job in Afghanistan:
Helpful Links:
It provides access to services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration.
Absentee Voting Link Get info here on registering to vote and absentee voting.
Navy Individual Augmentee Information "IA"
Ombudsman Registry Find your sailor's unit and contact information
Seabee Info Web site Answers to many questions about deployment, etc even if your sailor is not a Seabee.
Fleet and Family Deployment Navy Facebook
Online Program Helps Military Vote Absentee
Guardian Angels for Soldiers Pets Facebook Page
Dogs on Deployment One-Stop Resource page for military members to turn to for advice and direction to all pet-related needs. They also are looking for fosters for pets whose owners are being deployed.
****Red Cross and Help for the Military, Emergency Notificaton Link to the Red Cross Military Assistance page, on the left is a list of links to important sites, including the phone numbers if you need to notify your deployed loved one of a family emergency. This note: Beginning June 13, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. EDT, all military members and their
families can use one number- 877-272-7337 (U.S. Toll Free) to send an urgent
message to a service member. The change means that all military members and
their families can use this single number to initiate an emergency communication, regardless of where they live.
Coaching Into Care works with family members or friends who become aware of their Veteran’s post-deployment difficulties—and supports their efforts to find help for the Veteran.
This is a national clinical service providing information and help to Veterans and the loved ones who are concerned about them.
Defense Center of Excellence information and help for TBI and PTS for active military, vets and their families.
After Deployment... This web site is VERY useful to service members, family and loved ones after the return of a loved one from deployment.
VAWatchdog.org Very useful links for our vets and their families.
Secondary PTSD Resource Link For families and loved ones of a soldier/sailor/Marine/airman with PTSD.
Facebook Support for OPSEC An online resource for OPSEC regs and questions concerning safety in social media web sites.
Graphic Novel Helps Corpsmen Cope with Combat-related Stress
Links to those sending packages to our deployed sailors/soldiers/marines/airmen:
Molly's Adopt A Sailor Group Join the group, or just read for ideas on what to send to your deployed kid.
Jacob's Program Another group of volunteers sending packages to our deployed folks.
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To all who drop by! WELCOME! please post below so we can get to know you. If you send a message around to 'all members' , we CANNOT respond. So, please introduce yourself below, and remember to not share dates or specfic movements by any military unit on the board! Thank you!! and again WELCOME!!
Discussion Forum
Son in Spin Boldak
Started by rysony. Last reply by rysony Mar 14, 2012. 40 Replies 0 Likes
Care Packages - lists of items, how to order priority boxes and how to fill out customs forms
Started by Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom. Last reply by millon4 Oct 2, 2012. 29 Replies 1 Like
Sailors in Afghanistan with boots on the ground
Started by Ruth, Gun's Mom. Last reply by TexasDocMom Sep 18, 2010. 18 Replies 0 Likes
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Comment Wall
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Comment by ktssong on August 16, 2012 at 12:08am
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I think those three words are as pleasing to the eyes as much as I Love you is to the ears...I just like staring at it....Is it breaking security if I post photos of making the posters on FB...I didn't know...so I have shown his family....They are all going to sign them this weekend so their names are on there with love.
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I am having all his brothers and sisters and cousins and neices and nephews sign this one. I can't show the other one and it's the best but it has his name on it... I put on then took off because I remembered Security.... THe other one is a banner we are going to hold up so he knows where his people are. TDM I will definitely post the picture of the hugs now that I figured out how to put them on
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Comment by TexasDocMom on August 15, 2012 at 8:47am
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Happy, happy, happy to hear homecoming is coming your way ktssong!! photos please of the mom hug and that big smile on both of your faces! and hug that DIL for us all, please! Happy happy happy is a good thing!
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Tonight me and my daughter in law painted a welcome home banner to take with us to homeport We put "WE LOVE YOU" and then Below that His Name real Big and then under his name I drew Stick people holding up his name and we painted hearts all over it. Then we painted a sign to go in front of their apartment for all the family to sign and it says "WELCOME HOME......FINALLY" then we spent rest of night until midnight packing boxes of all the gifts and items to take down...I'm feeling alot of anxiety...but it's good...I told my daughter in law...I'm going to pack my suitcase..so we will be on standby but I told her I feel like a mom about to give birth and waiting for the delivery...it's sooooo like it even the feeling of wanting it to just be done now....haha...This baby is pretty big though.....
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I just hopped on here tonight to check in and it always lifts my spirits to read all of your posts...that was a good idea Chief88 to send your son to a Korean Spa...an ice room...I've never heard of it...tell me more..would GP have one?...
Barbara, welcome to the group...this has become my safe haven where I can share my feelings and no one rolls their eyes and makes me feel ridiculous for saying how much I think about my son...keep coming back, it will be that for you too.
When they come home I heard they get 96 hours off? Is that right? Is that 96 work hours or 96 straight hours?
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Hello, Barbara C! welcome to that group no one wants to join, and I'm glad you're feeling comfortable enough to speak up...that made me smile, that comment about the tropics and now the sand...I bet he does miss that water! When my son's Marine buddy came to town on his R&R after being injured in A, my son came up from San Antonio and took him to our local ice cold swimming spot, Barton Springs...every day, twice a day for 3 days! I asked him if he was going to show him any other sights, and he said, "water, mom, ice cold water...that's all he needs..."
And yes, prayer helps...a lot, in so many ways. Once someone on this board told me that prayer helped her because it made her vocalize her fears and get them out there in front of her. That helped me as well, when I say my morning prayers, it's like facing my worst part of the day and putting it in it's place.
Is your son a corpsman, Barbara? or a BEE? tell us a little about him, just not too much about his current deployment.
Come here anytime, other moms will be speaking up soon...because we're here and you are not alone. We all know that same fear and we are really good at worrying with you.
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Comment by Barbara C on August 13, 2012 at 1:59am
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Hi Everyone,
I don't say much but I read your posts and know you share the feelings that I have and that I can't write.
I pray several times a day for God to bless and protect our children, and our families.
My son has complained because his two previous deployment were to tropical islands. They were small and muggy. Now he longs for one of them, especially the ocean around them.
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Ktssong, Like MT says, weight loss is very normal, they aren't gettin' mom's home cookin' or filling up at hamburger joints around the base either. My son came home from his MEU deployment in October, came home to us for Christmas, told me my scale was 30 lbs off...and I said "no way!"....then he realized that he had put on 30 lbs just eating normally at the base. And life on board ship is probably not as erratic or as hot as A....altho he was running his Marines up and down every stair way to keep them fit and moving when they were at sea.
Yep, stay busy...keeps you sane, somewhat! Start planning what you're going to cook when he walks in that door, mom!
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I know too many from Viet Nam that did not have the support that finally our brave military veterans need and deserve, this man has nothing to be ashamed of, he's a hero, once more, for speaking out. If it gets one more Marine, sailor, soldier walking in a door for help, he's a miracle worker as well.Link to story
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Comment by Much Trouble on August 10, 2012 at 7:56am
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ktssong....I forgot to mention the weight loss. It seems "normal" and may not be anything to worry about. When you think of all physical exercise they are getting, the heat they are working and living in, and the extra pounds of equipment and (or) body armor they are lugging around, it is easy to understand. My son gained back the lost weight in a short time after coming home.
Yes...I think you can breathe again. I DO understand about the water! LOL Also, don't be amazed if he mentions how much he loves the color GREEN! Seriously...just seeing grass and trees, lakes, ponds, and streams, and so on will go a long way to making him feel better.
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