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Comment by Matt's mom on August 16, 2017 at 3:27pm

We purchased a garment bag from Macy's and took it to our local tailor and had his last name embroidered in gold.  It was an extra graduation gift that he will use for many years. 

Comment by Nancy on August 16, 2017 at 12:23pm

Hi everybody! I just wanted to check in and tell you all that my husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Pensacola. DS is still waiting on IFS, but it's looking like it will be in the next week or so. We wanted to go visit before school starts back here (I am a teacher). We stayed in the Navy Lodge there, and it was quite nice. The room had a kitchenette and DS was able to hang out with us quite a lot, since he is in A-pool right now. We went to the 75th anniversary of the USS Alabama kamikaze reenactment. VERY COOL. We also went to the aviation museum and I even met up with a mom from this site who lives in the area for coffee. DS has found a church and he took us on Sunday morning. Also got to eat some great Gulf seafood. If any of you have or will have LOs in Pcola, I would highly encourage you to make this trip.

Comment by CindyN on August 16, 2017 at 9:02am

M's mom - I am glad you were able to make it to Japan to visit your son and DIL. My son's next orders are for Sasebo Japan. He is excited. I am with you on your love of 13 hour flights! To get to Sasebo, we will have to add on another 4 or 5 hours (Domestic flight to Fukuoka and then bus/car to Sasebo). Oh the things we do for our kids! We will go at least once while he is stationed there. Great way to get both a glimpse of you LO's current life/experiences and experience some of these places in ways you never would as a "normal" tourist.

Comment by CindyN on August 16, 2017 at 8:49am

beardog - I was going to bring a garment bag to graduation for my son but he said he had bought one at the NEX. As Anna said, no garment bag will be large enough to hold all of their uniforms but a normal sized bag will be able to hold the nicer/dress ones. I did bring a couple of large duffle bags to Newport in our carry on bags (Amazon: "Outdoor Products Utility Duffle" Giant size) . Between the duffle they get with all their uniforms and the garment bag, my son still needed one of those duffles when packing to leave Newport but he was happy to  take both for future needs. Given the moving around these sailors will do in the next few years, duffles come in very handy. And when not in use, they fold flat and don't take up space in an apartment that larger luggage would.

Congratulations on your son's graduation!

Comment by M's mom on August 16, 2017 at 12:53am

Anna,

Are you still living the vagabond life on the road?  Will you spend the winter someplace warm?

Hubby and I only have a few weeks per year to travel, since I'm still working.   But we took an epic trip to Japan in July to see Dear Son and Daughter-in-Law!   DS is stationed at Yokota, which is actually an Air Force Base, near Tokyo.  He and DIL love Japan and are learning Japanese and embracing the cultural opportunities.  They took us into town to some "real" Japanese restaurants, and not the Americanized versions near the base.   We rode the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima.  560 miles in only 4 hours with 5-6 stops in between!    It's like an airliner on tracks!   We found the people to be very friendly, and most of those in the service industries, hotels, airport, etc. spoke good enough English to help.

If any of your sailors wind up in Japan, you must go visit!  Worst part was the 13-HOUR plane flights to/from Tokyo, crammed in like sardines in a jumbo jet. 

Comment by M's mom on August 16, 2017 at 12:36am

beardog,

You'll want to get the luggage-type garment bag that holds the hangers on a bar inside, zips up, and then folds over in half, and is fastened with straps.  (Not the kind where the hangers come out the top, like you'd get at the dry cleaners.)  

We took a garment bag to OCS graduation for our son as well as another collapsible suitcase that we stored in our own luggage for the trip.  They will have so much gear, there is no way they can pack it all in the duffle bag they are issued!   Many of the families head to the local Walmart after graduation to buy luggage to haul everything, but the quality is better (and therefore higher prices) at the NEX on base. (Navy Exchange)

Comment by M's mom on August 16, 2017 at 12:28am

Tess099,

Anna is right; the Navy's new fiscal year begins Oct 1, so the 2018 fiscal year will begin Oct 1, 2017.   OCS Class 03-18 will be the third class to graduate in the fiscal year 2018.  My son was in OCS Class 16-12, the class right before Anna's daughter!   Since they start new OCS classes every three weeks, 3 x 17 classes = 51 weeks, so 17-XX is currently the highest class number per year.  

I heard that they were going to shorten OCS to ten weeks, instead of twelve.  So maybe they will start classes every TWO weeks then, which will give them 25 classes per year!

Comment by Anna on August 16, 2017 at 12:00am

beardog,

Any normal, good quality garment bag will hold uniforms.  I don't think there are any that will hold ALL of them, and if there was one your son wouldn't be able to carry it!!!!

Tess,

The classes are numbered 1 through whatever and the fiscal Navy year.  The year begins the first of October so the first class to graduate in Oct will be 01-18.  I think 17 is the highest number because my daughter's class was 17-12 and she was the last class to graduate before the end of the fiscal year 2017.  Hope this makes sense!!!

Comment by Tess099 on August 15, 2017 at 10:54pm

Does anyone know how the classes are named?  Why 03 and why 18???

Comment by beardog on August 15, 2017 at 2:33pm

Does anybody know the dimensions for a garment bag that holds the officer uniforms? My son graduates OCS next week.

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