Welcome to
Navy For Moms

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:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

Add an Event

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

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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Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Information

For families and friends of Sailors who are stationed at Norfolk; for either Sea Duty or Shore Duty Sailors. Just make sure to keep OPSEC issues in mind and not disclose ship movements in advance.

Weather - Norfolk

Members: 1316
Latest Activity: Jan 13

RED CROSS CONTACT INFO:

In the event of an emergency within the sailor’s family, where you feel the sailor must be notified and considered for Emergency Leave, you must notify the American Red Cross through the national headquarters in Washington, DC (1-877-272-7337) or via their website www.redcross.org.

Discussion Forum

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Comment by always waiting on May 26, 2010 at 5:02pm: Diannep: We've only been down here for two months so I'm not sure about the hotels and such. Or the weather for that matter. I would guess that it would still be pretty warm, but probably not beach weather. When my husband was in Charleston, SC, I went down in October and it was freezing, so further north... it would just depend.

I have nothing better to do with my time so I'll look at hotels for you. :) I've been meaning to do some research for my family too.

Comment by diannep on May 26, 2010 at 1:58pm: Always Waiting: I'm going to try and go visit my son, maybe in the Fall? Thinking about VA Beach ON the beach. Can you recommend a hotel? I'm looking for something that has a separate bedroom and maybe sofabed so my sailor can stay there with me and get out of the "shipyard" for a while. I'm thinking maybe Sept or Oct? What is the weather like then? I'm from S. FLA and have no clue!

Comment by always waiting on May 26, 2010 at 1:00pm: I've never been in downtown Norfolk. Its not a hard drive, it is all highway, it just takes awhile. Especially right now with tourist season starting, there is traffic ALL the time. We live literally right off of 264 in Virginia Beach.

Comment by always waiting on May 26, 2010 at 6:59am: KYmom- Its more of a 30-45 minute drive from Virginia Beach to the base. I just wanted to correct that so people didn't think it was shorter. We live down here and the fastest we've ever made it to the base is like 29 minutes and that was at 0400.

Comment by Steph on May 25, 2010 at 8:01pm: If you are staying in Virginia Beach, keep in mind that the rates for the hotels on the waterfront will be more expensive during "peak season" (like summer time and possibly around spring break). There are lots of hotels around here though. Of you want, I can go check out the area of a hotel that you are thinking about staying in to let you know what it looks like or how easy it is to get in and out of the parking area. If you are staying in Norfolk, make sure you check to see if they have free parking for guests of the hotel. A lot of downtown Norfolk is paid parking, but I think some of the hotels will give people staying there a parking pass so they don't have to pay to park in their garage.

Comment by diannep on May 25, 2010 at 7:55pm: Yah, Julie! That sounds so neat! My son's just reported to his ship, but its in dry dock for the next 2-3 years, so no homecomings yet. But they sound so wonderful. Good luck!

KYMom: Thanks so much. I was thinking VA Beach would be a good place to stay. My sailor would probably want to stay there too to relax a bit. I'll check some of the places out for future reference. Thanks!

Comment by arlene40 on May 25, 2010 at 7:36pm: When my grand-daughter came in from sea in Norfolk, the person in charge of the ship actually sent out a real informative letter telling all about the ship, their journey, lots of things they had done during their assignment on the sea. Actually went into a lot of details. He then invited all the families to the port and let them know that the day before there would be a briefing for the families so they would know what to expect when the ship docked and the procedure of them getting off the ship and then they allowed the families to go on the ship. I kept a copy of the letter for I was so thrilled to get it and then I was sooooo proud of my grand-daughter to have been part of the many things they had done during that trip.. They were gone from Norfolk about 6 months.. The impression I got is most the time that the ships only go out for 6 months at a time... That is the Navy Ships. A Grandson in the Coast Guards they go out for four months at a time. What I read, and someone can voice their thoughts on this but what I read was they tried to only send the ships out for 6 months at a time every 2 years.. Now my grand-daughter has been out for the past few months, hitting the East Coast celebrating some of the Fleet weeks they are having.. They went to Charleston, SC and then to Cape May,which is just north of Jacksonville.. They were suppose to go to New York for the fleet week there too. So they are kinda enjoying things right now...I am so proud of my 3 grandchildren, two in the Navy and one in Coast Guards..

Comment by Steph on May 25, 2010 at 6:23pm: Julie, have you been in contact with the Ombudsman? She should be able to give you a good idea of when the ship will be coming in. They can only give out as much info as the command will allow them, but once it get's closer, she should be able to give you a more exact date and let you know when and where the pre-homecoming brief will be. It usually takes place a day or two before homecoming. I think it's great that you are going to be there for his homecoming. They may not always show it, but it really does mean a lot to look out on the pier and see someone there to welcome you home. Also, feel free to bring a small sign to hold up as the ship comes in.

Comment by diannep on May 25, 2010 at 4:46pm: Beach sounds good to me! :-)

Comment by diannep on May 25, 2010 at 12:25pm: Yes, I would like hotel suggestions too. I would like to stay in a nice area away from all of the traffic, etc! I'm hoping to go up in the Fall sometime.

Julie: You could book refundable flight tickets, but they may be expensive. Might be cheaper to book and pay change fee if you need to. Try kayak.com for your flights and hotel and see if it is cheaper. I'm sure there are other sites out there as well. What a wonderful trip you will have! Is this your 1st ship "homecoming?" I just can't imagine how exciting that must be! Good luck!