Comment

Comment by Chipmunk on August 27, 2019 at 11:44am

Navymom18 - How true!! Sounds like you all have had more than your fair share of the "hurry up and wait" scenario though! Yes, THU is another possibility - after PIR. For some it has proved to be beneficial to them, for their sailor to be THU. Thanks for sharing!

JayDee659 - We keep candles and flashlights ready. We get spoiled though when our area has one of the top recovery response times, however we learn to be patient when it doesn't work that way. It is a good excuse to go visit my daughter today. 

I don't recall if it was 2009 but we did indeed experience one of the hurricane's that actually came through our neck of the woods. That was an experience but I did not realize it had gone so far your direction. My youngest was too little to remember that one, so he enjoyed being on the front porch with the rain saturating it, which doesn't usually happen, and video taping it on his phone!

Comment by Navymom18 on August 27, 2019 at 11:12am

Our PIR experience was different. Immediately after PIR our sailor ended up in THU (temporary holding unit, for 8 weeks) because of a paperwork error. So - we ended up being able to stay near GL the whole weekend, picking him up early in the morning and returning him to base in time to muster in the evening. Then on hold waiting to class up when he finally arrived to GC, then put on hold again during A school after he came home for a funeral. And now on hold again waiting for Power School to start. I guess the moral of the story is, be flexible. Be patient. Expect the unexpected. We always say the Navy does what the Navy wants on Navy time. 

Comment by JayDee659 on August 27, 2019 at 10:52am

Chipmunk, sorry you're without power.  Ours is out frequently as we live in a rural area, one learns to work around it.  

Back in 2009 (I think) Hurricane Ike's winds carried along and blew through the Ohio Valley with 90 mph winds.  The weather forecasters were caught off guard and we had no idea what was coming.  My beautiful 100' trees were down all over my house and power was out for almost 2 weeks.  I think you're too far west to have gotten hit by it, but it was classified as a hurricane.  It far surpassed any storm that I'd experienced.

Comment by Chipmunk on August 27, 2019 at 10:45am

Canuka - Thank you for sharing your recent experience at PIR! Flexibility is the key to PIR weekend especially. I am glad that you were able to make the quick adjustment and be with your sailor. My son as well spent most of the early morning taking a nap on my lap.

I thought I would share here as we also are discussing similar on BC Mom. Personally, I have always hesitated posting the leave times of the buses from RTC here on the open forums, because I view it as part of our OPSEC training, and why I offer people to friend me if they wish. That said, trying to figure out the whole meeting up after the airport issue is challenging, and even worrisome for those of us who are planners and like to know what to expect. I honestly am not sure whether our sailor told us on the phone during the call after BST-21 or if we found out from another family at Sarge's Meet n Greet who had been through this once before about the leave times of the buses - and yes they can change. 

So Canuka, thank you for sharing your experience with Cjohanni. It has always been my understanding that their are two leave times very early in the morning from RTC for the sailors no matter which airport they are being taken to. And so my suggestion is be ready to leave your hotel anytime after midnight!! 

Comment by Chipmunk on August 27, 2019 at 10:31am

Good Morning everyone!  I am posting while sitting in our nearby Panera Bread as we have had no power since about 9:30 pm last night, due to a "mini hurricane" as my youngest called it storm. - Not really but the closest we get to that type of storm in the Midwest. Needless to say our power is still out, two of the major school districts in our area closed schools and our day is readjusted but I am thankful for the local businesses who are still open and offer free WiFi and their electricity to charge our phones.!

Comment by Canuka on August 26, 2019 at 10:55pm

Cjohanni: my sailor PIR'd a couple months ago so I have recent experience. The bus time changed several times, even from Friday to Saturday early a.m. He and about 20 buddies were on a 7 ish morning flight out of O'Hare. We had arranged to meet at the airport at 3 am, he called at 2 am asking us to be there asap as they were put on an earlier bus. By the time we got there, they had left the USO & were getting ready to check in but we made it in time to give him his "stuff". As for gate passes, the airline ticket counter people were awesome-they do this every week so are very used to the process by now. We sat for several hours at the gate with the group, some had family stay, some didn't. They were all beginning to relax after realizing that they were really free from BC. It was a bit bittersweet for me-we had a wonderful time on Friday afternoon; by Sat. am, our guy was ready to move on--to the next adventure with his new friends (but he did nap on our shoulders/laps). Our good-byes were very quick because the new sailors were boarded first, to huge applause, despite being in later boarding groups. Good luck!

To all: I assume most hotels in the area are used to the weekly routine too. Ours had a conference room streaming the ceremony for family members who could not attend in person. Our hotel also had a noon check-out time, so we were able to sleep for a few more hours on Saturday am.

Comment by The Hammer on August 26, 2019 at 8:03pm

Hi Chipmunk!

Comment by Chipmunk on August 26, 2019 at 6:35pm

Hello - The Hammer!! 

Comment by The Hammer on August 26, 2019 at 6:32pm

I live in southern Wisconsin. They bussed my son to O'Hare early morning and I met him there. I was able to go thru security and we hung out together at the airport until his 6pm flight. It was a great day together and a very special memory for us both. They let him board first and we had the whole gate in tears with our goodbyes.

Comment by Chipmunk on August 26, 2019 at 5:00pm

Cjohanni - Great to hear your son found out his Nuke rating - My son is an ET as well, so if you have questions feel free to ask. 

New Adventures - their actual Nuke ratings are assigned to them at BC from every thing that I know. He should find out soon, just as Cjohanni's son did.  - No matter how little time you have with your sailor after PIR, it is so worth it - not only for you but for them as well. And to get their phone to them. Then you can have communication again, even if it is still limited. Family members that can not get a ticket for PIR can still go to the airport with you to see your sailor off and they can watch the live stream on hotel wifi and computer if it is available. 

FYI - As for gate passes, you should still be able to meet your sailor at the airport and get a gate pass to go back with them. My son's flight was at 0630 on Saturday morning. We were at the airport at 0100 and honestly spent more time with him at the airport than we did after PIR - due to delays in orders that were happening at that time two years ago. - I believe my discussion What PIR might look like for those flying out of GL is currently bumped into the discussion BC Mom group. I recommend you read it, if you haven't already. Feel free to add any questions there as well. 

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