Comment

Comment by diannep on December 21, 2012 at 9:00pm

Wow, Carla, that is quite an honor being in the first all-female division!  Congrats to her! 

imomxfour:  It is still very early in bootcamp for all of them.  It is quite stressful at first...lots of yelling, sometimes thinking that they can't do anything right....but it gets better, so encourage him that way.  By about training week 4 (bootcamp week 5 or so), there is a turnaround for them.  Now is the breaking down process for them all...they have to get so many different personalities, ages, backgrounds, etc on the "same page."  Not an easy task for the RDCs!  But they do a wonderful job of this...and eventually...the build back up process will start for your son.  That is when you will see he is much more positive about everything...I know the homesickness is a problem for many of them...they are isolated from the world and families, other than letters and a few phone calls.  Not having "instant contact" capability anymore is an adjustment!  But it works out.

Prayers that he starts feeling better soon, knowing that you all are supporting him.  Remind him that A School is a whole different scenario.  You are back in contact with them and it is better.  So hang in there!

Comment by Lala Ribbon Queen PIR Ribbons on December 21, 2012 at 8:44pm

imomxfour, I hope he can get past these first few weeks and feel better about his decision. I know that is really hard for all of you and all you want in this world is for his happiness. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers :)

Carla, they had an all female division a few months ago. It was to celebrate the birthday of WAVES. They posted pics when some of the members from that groups who are much older now went to visit the female division at boot camp. We didn't think they would do it again because many people felt it was a step backwards for females in the military. It will be interesting to see what they do after this  new all female division.

Comment by Carla on December 21, 2012 at 6:40pm

I am a very excited mother right now!  I received my letters from my recruit yesterday. I did shed tears. Her first letter was a little heartbreaking but the 2nd one that she stuck in the envelope was more upbeat! she is excited as ship 14 Div 077 is the first all female division. She mentioned that they are the Navy's test run to see if they will allow all female divisions permanently. 

Comment by imomxfour x 3 Sailors on December 21, 2012 at 5:54pm

Patsfan, that prayers was beautiful - thank you for sharing it here with all of us!!!!

 

We finally got our letters today - 6 of them in one envelope, dates were Dec 10th through the 15th, post marked Monday, Dec 17th. He shared a few details of boot camp, but mostly he talked about us & how much he misses all of us, and  about being thankful for what kind of parents we were and all the things we did for him before he left - he wrote things to each of his siblings, and the family friend that lives with us now - and also telling our youngest what he needs to work on, if he still wants to the join the Navy too.

We cried and we laughed at some of the funny stuff - about his butt still hurting from the peanut butter shot, and how they were practically bald and had shiny heads and dumb they all look, lol... but he also said the first time he got to try the camos on he felt like a real sailor, not just a kid!!

 

I didn't post this on here last night, only on the FB group, so for those that don't know - he tried to call home last night again because he broke down and is having a rough time being homesick and they let him make the call - even let him call back because it was his little brother he wanted to speak to and he wasnt home right thehn, but the call dropped after only 4 minutes on the phone with his younger brother during the 2nd call, and then my phone must have been acting up, because it never rang again, but a few minutes later there was a voicemail that we could hear him talking to the petty officer about us being in IL, and something about going to get another one (must have been about a calling card) but then we never got another call back - so I have been worried sick for him!!

Anyhow, something that really made us cry in his letters, was him saying that the ONLY reason he is still there, is because of us. Because we have been so supportive  and encouraging, and he wants to make ALL of us proud. My husband struggles with this, because obviously we want HIM to WANT to be there for himself too - and he worries our son is now doing it for the wrong reasons. All I can say though, to comfort my husband and myself, is this has always been HIS decision, all on his own - we've never persuaded him to do this, he has said he was joining the military since he was in Jr. High, and we have always been supportive. 

The only thing we pushed for, was the Navy (instead of the Marines) when he was making his final choice on which branch. We just knew in our hearts that the Marines was not for him, and we also know people who have been in the Navy, and the experiences they often get in traveling the world and such & how much they enjoyed it - I als have friends in other branches that said if they could do it all over again, they would choose Navy, hands down!! So we felt like the Navy would offer the best experience for him - and in the end, he agreed with us, and that's what he chose.

Anyhow, some of the ladies over on FB gave me some great ideas, and I've created an event by invite only to over 100 friends & family members, and I also contacted several of his friends and asked them to write letters, send cards, etc... - anything to show support and offer encouragement to him - because I think he really needs that right now, to get over this hurdle of missing us all so much. I don't want him to get asmo'd or possibly discharged for a bogus dx of depression. This is just all new to him - he's never been away from home for any length of time, he's always been a homebody, and was family oriented - he's our *good* boy of the family, and not near as experienced in regular life as most kids are at 18 - so I have worried it would be harder for him to adjust. I'm sure being Christmas time isn't helping, either.

I'm still going to be worried sick until we hear from him again, so we know if he's ok!!! He did say they'll get to call home on Christmas Day! 

Comment by janice on December 21, 2012 at 5:30pm

AmenPatsFan923 Ship 03 Div 082  Dear lord as you heard from Pats, I would like to  send another prayer request, blessing every division and every family right now as we all gather together on this site, encouraging each other with lots of support and love as we get through this trying season Merry Christmas to all on this site And Merry Christmas to our future Sailors. I also leave everyone with

Comment by janice on December 21, 2012 at 5:21pm

Hey ladies no letter for me yet, sure would make my Christmas if I got one, I'm so happy for the one's who did receive a letter today, I'm quite sure it brought some form of peace

Comment by Wynona on December 21, 2012 at 4:42pm

@pat1930a, so good to know that you got letters. I didn't get any real letter yet since the form letter.
I am hoping to get one soon.
But good to know those updates. :)

Comment by pat1930a on December 21, 2012 at 4:40pm

just got home and there they were 2 letters from my sr. i was so happy i am crying all over again. he said he is doing good they are only allowed to write on sundays ship 14! div 078. they all got in to trouble 5 sr smuggled in a cell phone. but they are pushing thru. he sounds happy but misses us all. just wanred to share.

Comment by PatsFan923 HM Mom on December 21, 2012 at 4:18pm

Dear God, as my Son and his division start their 2-1 day of training in bootcamp, please stand over them and guide them through the upcoming tests, so that they have the confidence that will enable them to move to the next phase of bootcamp. Please help them through this very emotional time away from their families, as this is most likely their first Christmas away from home. I ask that you give them the strength they need to believe in themselves, as I believe in my Son and his division mates, and provide them with the wisdom that they so desperately need during this difficult time. Please provide strength to all of the families whose children are in this division as well to get them through this holiday season. I ask this in thy name Lord. Amen.

Comment by ellen0502 on December 21, 2012 at 3:41pm

Some quick tips on navigating this site and your PIR group page.

At the top of all pages here on N4Ms you will see "tabs" they are labeled "main", "invite", "My Page", etc.

Cliking on the "My Page" tab will do just that take you to the page with all of your information, groups you have joined etc. You can click on anyone of them as they are all clickable links to take you to where you want to go.

If you click on the "Groups" tab it will take you to the main page of all the groups on N4Ms. Just under the tabs and to the left you will see two other clickable links. One of the links says "All Groups" the other says "My Groups". Clicking on the "My Groups" link will take you to a page that shows all of the groups you have joined, again all clickable links to take you to that page.

Here in the PIR group just under the members list is a column of "Pages" the headings are also clickable links.

Once you have used the "tabs" a couple of times this site will become very easy for you to navigate.Click away, you can always use the "My Page" or "Groups" tab to take you back to where you want to be.

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