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Comment by Letitraine on April 8, 2014 at 9:42am

I'm sorry I know this has probably been discussed somewhere, but I can't seem to find it this morning. I am thinking I would like to take the shuttle from the Ramada to PIR. Can my SR ride back on the shuttle with me or will I have to shuttle back, pick up the car, and then pick her up. She is traveling (Pensacola) for A school.

Comment by RedneckHippie on April 8, 2014 at 9:00am

Does anyone know how much liberty time my son will get after PIR?l He is going to A School in San Antonio.Just curious.

Comment by ABHMOM on April 8, 2014 at 12:26am

So much goes on in here, and as always the best info to go on. Thank you for all you knowledge . It is appreciated and accepted with gratitude. Thank you

Comment by diannep on April 7, 2014 at 11:41pm

Leach:  For those staying in GL for A School, just remember that when you return to pick them up, it it is over at A School base, not RTC.  They will call you when they are ready for pick up....they are bussed over there shortly after PIR is over and it takes a few hours to move there.

Comment by Angelina and the Doggies on April 7, 2014 at 10:38pm

Craig I Love this story I will share it with my Brother and Anyone that will listen. Thank You Soooooo much this and the link I just saw the Secret Handshake to give the this very special coin to my Brother. I assure my Brother Thanx as well.

Comment by Craig on April 7, 2014 at 10:25pm

Angelina - Per the Ship 3 coin.  The number on the coin, 10110, is something I designed into the coin out of respect of Adm Grace Hopper.  Here is how it started:

Short story is:

You would have never figured it out….

The number 10110 means “Life” or “Live”

 

Long story is:

Since you asked I’m going to tell you how it came about.... but you will find this weird.  I’m going to write this very basic.  I know someone else, besides you, will come along and ask the same question and I don’t want to write it again… You just happened to be the 1^st.   I just can’t believe I’m telling you this.  Sorry about the long story….

Admiral Grace Hopper was a genius as far as computers. She knew her stuff. To honor her, I wanted to put some type of computer code on the coin. This computer code is called "Binary". Computers only understand "1's" and "0's", it knows no more. Much like a light bulb in your house, it's either on (1) or off (0). When you run the ones and zeros together it is call Binary Coded Decimal (BCD). So if you look at the attached picture you can see that a computer would recognize a letter "c" as "01100011", and a large letter "G" would be "01000111".

Since I designed the coin, and since I am an electronic guy, I wanted to do something that meant something to me. Since Grace Hopper was such a cool Navy officer, the enlisted sailors loved her. She was down-to-earth and is what every enlisted sailor wants to see in an officer. She brought "life" to many enlisted sailors.  However, I could never figure out what I wanted. I needed some type of binary code, but it had to be small enough to fit on a 1 ¾ inch coin.   It was driving me crazy. 

Now to switch gears to the science world.  For some reason, God knows why, I like taking college classes for fun and to learn different things.  When a friend at work had identical twins I found out that they had identical DNA.  So I took a class on Genetics.  I found that if one twin committed a crime, they would never figure out who did it.  The DNA code was exactly the same.  I’m sure years from now, they will find the DNA code at the 10,000 millionth positions is different, but our science hasn’t got us to that point yet.  It just so happened when I was sitting in class learning about DNA, the teacher brings up a slide with the DNA code of 10110.  She said “For every Homo sapiens (Mankind) you must have DNA 10110. Animals don't have that code, only man. It's what brings "life" to man”.  
It was like something hit me with a ton of bricks.  I needed to put that code on my coin.  The other binary code on the coin means nothing, it’s just random code. 
You can read more here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/10110

So, it truly means nothing to 99.999% of the world, but it does to me. As the designer it's just my way of honoring Grace Hopper.  

Weird huh?

Comment by Craig on April 7, 2014 at 10:11pm

Angelina - Here you go...

Hi all,

Some of you have messaged me on wondering if it's proper for a parent to give their sailor a challenge coin...    Here are my thoughts as a sailor....

To me, boot camp is a major accomplishment. In 8 short weeks, the Navy will return to you a mature and capable young man or woman that will have the foundation to be a leader. They will have the ability and knowledge to be a successful person in life. This is an honor for me, as a parent, to see my sailor's life change. You too, will soon realize that for 18 years or so you have been the "referee" in your sailor's life. You were the rule setter and the penalty enforcer. But as your sailor's life changes, so will yours. You will now become the "cheerleader" for them. You will watch and cheer as they work their way through the advancement system, the qualification standards, and simple things like just folding their towels correctly. You will stand and scream at the PIR as their division enters, and you will stand and cheer as their ship enters San Diego or Norfolk after a deployment. I have decided it is far more important for me to be a cheerleader than a referee. I don't waste my time on the sadness, I focus my feelings on the positive things that will help my sailor. When I show my sailor that I am proud of him, it goes a lot further than an award that the command "might" officially recognize him with. I am his "cheerleader".

Many people will say "but they didn't officially earn the challenge coin". Let me tell you, no coin is officially documented on a sailor's page 4 entry in their service record. It's only the sailor that will remember when, where, and the reason for what the coin was given. If you did receive a coin from a command and you happen to lose it, the only way besides begging the command to give you another (which they rarely do) is to buy it. So does that cancel out the spirit of the reason you receive the coin? No. You received it for something you accomplished. Whenever my sailor pulls that coin out, he immediately remembers how proud I am of him. It's ever lasting.

Comment by Craig on April 7, 2014 at 10:10pm

Con't...

Some will say it's only proper for the Commander or a military member to pass the coin, this is wrong.  It is proper for the family member to pass the coin to their freshly minted sailor.  It is your day with your sailor. This is your time to show that you have learned the Navy as well as your sailor. The proper way is to greet your sailor with your hugs and kisses, then while everything starts to wind down and while still in the graduation hall, you will tell them to stand there because you want to make it official for them being a sailor. Then you will do the "secret hand shake" passing the coin (here is how to do the secret hand shake). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28663038#28663038

or, present it to them in the presentation box.  Both the coin and presentation box can be purchased at www.PIRGifts.com.   This is the family’s big day, live it to its fullest!!!!!

Your sailor will always remember this day.  They will always remember when they were "coined", they will always reflect back when they got coined at future coining, and that you were the 1st to coin them, and they will always wonder how you knew how to officially present the coin to them.  It's very enjoyable.....

Now let me ask, after PIR you go into the Navy Exchange and buy the mementos from boot camp that your sailor wants. You might buy a Navy Boot Camp water bottle, maybe a glass, patch, or hat that has "Great Lakes Navy Boot Camp" on it, or maybe even a t-shirt. But what item do you think will stand the test of time? It will be the challenge coin that your sailor's grandson or granddaughter will hold up and say "What is this? What does it mean? How did you get it?" That is when the grandfather or grandmother (your sailor) will get a warm smile on their face and will proudly tell them about what it was like to be a sailor.

Just my thoughts....

 

Craig
PIRGifts.com (Providing 100% funding for NavyDEP.com)
NavyDEP.com – Our Mission: Remember - Honor – and Teach
“To Remember the fallen; Honor those who serve, and to Teach our future sailors the value of freedom.”

Comment by Angelina and the Doggies on April 7, 2014 at 7:40pm

Liz I am Waukegan yes they accept doggies but the trip is too much for them. My Brother "A" school is there in Great Lakes so I know in the summer I will have to take them out therefor my Brother to see them the Doggies I mean. I fell he wont make it through Summer without them. but for that I plan to rent an RV. ROAD TRIP!!!

Comment by Angelina and the Doggies on April 7, 2014 at 7:36pm

Hello Everyone! finally I am able to get to my Computer. Thanx for the compliments on my Doggies outfits. And Dianeup I Know what you mean it is hard to find cute stuff for the Big doggies. I have had Rottis, German shepard, and even Masttiff. The dogs in the pic are a Yorkie and 2 Chihuahuas. the other 3 are a poodle, and 2 chihweenies. So 4 girls and the 2 Chihuahuas in the pic are boys.

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