NEW NUKES//CLASSES 1132A /1133/1134

[swim4life]

Hi friends.

  This group is for anyone that has a "NEW NUKE" that just graduated BC.  MM/EM/ET are all welcome!    If you are a "veteran" NUKE MOM, we need you, too!  With 1400 members this is just a smaller forum for us "newbies"....maybe we can help each other through this next phase of training!    I know some of you already from PIR4/29/11 group...

    -Swim4life

MEMBERS:   Swim4life,                  son,   RD,     PIR 4/29/11, ET    1133/ grad 10/28/11

                     Maddie,                     son,   JT       PIR 4/29/11,  MM  1132A/ grad  8/12/11

                     JoannfromYuma,        son,   DG     PIR 4/29/11,  ET    1132MT/ grad 10/21/11

                     goliathmacdog,          son,  DM,     PIR 4/29/11,  EM   1133/grad  10/28/11

                     Shanermansmom,      son              PIR 5/6/ 11,  EM

 Penny_Nuke_MM_Power School_Mom, son  JT   PIR 1/28/11, MM Power School grad 12/2/11

                   SH/coreysmom,           son  CH        PIR 5/6/11,   ET 

[Maddie]

Since I don't get a lot of info from my kid, and also because I want to know what's going on with him without annoying him with a phone call, I made it a habit to check his facebook page regularly.  I always felt kinda funny about it--it's spying, after all--but how else am I going to know, right?  Now he blocked me from checking his wall....Ggggrrrrrr!!!  Fortunately, many of his friends are also on my friends list so I still hear about some of the things that's going on with him.  Apparently, he's already bought his tickets for his 10-day leave after A school which is from Aug 13th till the 21st. Now, there's a huge family event on Aug. 27; what are the chances of him extending that leave considering Power doesn't start till much later with all the holds going on?

[JoannfromYuma]

Maddie, Facebook does not allow Jave encription, so there is no way your son knows you are checking his facebook page. Checking a person's FB page is not spying. Maybe he hit the wrong button. Check your profile page and make sure he is still listed as a "friend" if not send him a friend link. How did you find out about leave?

 

[Maddie]

hey joann!  yeah, he didn't completely block me; just can't see his wall.  I'm just thinking that he doesn't want mom checking on him so he made his wall invisible to me. this is the kid who always told me not to worry about him.  Too in a hurry to be independent. 

 

after reading on here that they should know when graduation is on the first week of class, i asked him to tell me as soon as he finds out. he responded with, "oh, yeah, i already got my tickets.  graduation is on the 12th."  nice, huh?

[swim4life]

hey Maddie.  I'm excited that he already has the date.  It gives him a goal, something real to work for now.

  My son has called/txtd/fb less this week than ever before.  Since his classes start Monday, it will be interesting to see if that gets better or worse.  I do feel a little like a slug.  I've sent 3 care packages with stuff he asked for, but haven't sent a single personal letter or card.  I wrote to him almost EVERY DAY of boot camp.  Maybe I'll start writing snail mail again.  At least it lets me express my concerns, hopes, etc. even if it's only one way!  :)

[Maddie]

i haven't sent him a letter since boot camp either!  was just wondering about that, actually, since we're now able to talk on the phone and communicate via email/fb.  the letters were more personal so you're right, i should do the same thing. 

 

he tends to respond to my messages on fb more than anything--albeit it takes him a few days to do so. i wished him good luck on the first test he's taking today and it was almost funny how he responded right away with that one with, "dang, you know about the test?"  he forgets i hang out with navy moms.  :)

 

i just sent the 7th package to him today; he wanted his banged up vans.  lol.

[goliathmacdog]

Ha ha DM asked for his guitar, but I think I will send it with his Dad if he gets to drive down Memorial Day weekend....kind of big to mail.  He's trying to decide if his 1992 Thunderbird would withstand the trip down there :/  I hope he gives his brother the old car and he gets an "ECONOMICAL" newer one when he gets settled in and has driving privlleges, but his call.

[Maddie]

His guitar was the number one thing on his list until he realized how much space he has in their place.  I'm sure he's going to rethink that pretty quick.  

 

But he definitely doesn't want his car.  He traded his newer model for one that he fixed up but now he's afraid it won't make it even halfway to GC if we try to drive it there. Could have bought a brand new one with the $ he put down fixing this junk.  Kids!!!

[goliathmacdog]

Talked to DM for almost 2 hours tonight!  That wouldn't have happened a year, or even  6 months ago :)  Liked a lot of what he said. He clarified that the (EM's) start class this coming Monday....Wow it took him a while to figure that out. And they are class 1133. He said he applied for class leader, and got assistant class leader.  The only girl in the group is the leader, he said they worked well together and it was good.  I guess there are 3 class officer type people.  He described their duties a bit. It was interesting.  He said there were 2 ladies who were not in the Navy, but somehow connected, and their job is to help them not be depressed and have some fun. These women had pizza for them tonight at 9 pm and showed the first TWILIGHT movie on an outside projector for them to watch. Sounded nice.

[swim4life]

Hi guys!  I finally had a call from RD and he confirmed that his classes start Monday, and that the class is a mixture of

EM/ETs.  He was in Charleston enjoying the day and he sounded good.  I think he's finally over the nasty cough he's had since March when he started Boot Camp!!!   He said his PFA was going well, that he's dropped another minute off of his running time, and pushups and situps are "good".  He said that he knows he won't have much time after Monday, that the days will be long.  I asked him to call once a week, maybe on Sundays, just to check in.  He said the math is easy so far, but that they want it "done a certain way".   Guess that means he might have to finally, FINALLY show his work instead of

doing everything in his head!!???  He was frustrated that Wells Fargo wasn't open later on a Saturday to get a temporary debit card, but that he can survive using his Visa Card until he gets the new one in the mail.

   I was glad to hear from him, and he's looking forward to us driving out there for 4th of July weekend...

[Maddie]

Yay!  Everyone's getting on the program, finally!

 

I was chatting with one of the MM moms after the first MM exams on Friday. Apparently, her son's score got deducted for doing the math not exactly the way they were shown how in class.  So, yea, it looks like it has to be done the navy way.  

[goliathmacdog]

Just talked to my EM after the first day of "real" class.  Mostly math today.  He said not too hard (yet), but as someone else said above, the big thing is showing your work and doing it the "Navy Way", which may be a little different than he is used to. I guess they also have an Electricity class, but just got an intro today.  He said that the initial way he told me to address his mail has changed somewhat and we are to now include the class # or it will take up to 3 days longer for it to get to him,  I asked for an e-mail/fb message showing exactly how to do it.  Hopefully he will send that soon.  He said he went to Foly (SP?) Beach on Sunday and looked around.  I need to send his swim trunks with his Dad when he goes to visit this weekend.  He said  a group of them walked on the pier and saw some people catching REALLY big fish and it was fun.  I looked up info for him and trying to get him to go off base to Mass on Sunday in Goose Creek....I offered to send him cab $....we'll see if he goes.  I know he wants to go, but doesn't want to wear his uniform (???) and I think he feels strange going alone.  I'm encouraging him.

[TN Navy Mom (Stennis Nuke Mom)]

Coliathmacdog - My MMs experience with HAVING to wear his uniform was soooooo positive in the Goose Creek/Charleston area.  The folks there really seem to embrace the men in uniform, so tell him not to worry about the uniform.  We have tons of photos of my sailor when he was able to come home the first time after A school and chose to wear his uniform to church.  He seemed to stand a little taller!!

 

About the tests, my sailor would get dinged for not "following procedure" when answering some math problems, since they have to show their work to prove how they arrived at the answer.  He said that several times on homework, he would get the correct answer but the instructor would mark it ABA (Answer By Accident).  I kind of got a kick out of that but after having the formulas beat into their heads, they learn the "procedure".  Mine explained it to me that EVERYTHING in the military MUST follow a certain procedure.  They start them now so that following proper procedure is not optional but becomes a part of their everyday lives.