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Comment by Conny Ahoi on March 6, 2012 at 9:40am

good morning ... thank you all for the info... yes little brother is 11 years old ... so just a birth certificates... now i have a new question, what if a friend wants to come along  ?

today it is a week ago since we saw him at MEPS ... i miss him so much, i mailed out 6 letters yesterday, from his sister and brothers, my husband and me and from a neigbor... i cant wait to get letters from him... i catch me so often to pause what i am doing, saying a prayer and wondering what he and his hole group is doing... it is the strangest experience i have in my life.... the no way to call him feeling and not seeing and hearing him is so so hard... i wish you all a blessed day and thanks for all the info here...

Comment by diannep on March 6, 2012 at 9:22am

Good morning, all!

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 4:41am

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 4:11am

I have added a Link for information about your Meet and Greets. These happen the night before PIR for families of new Sailors to connect up.

The link is up above under the RTC symbol under the Navy Picture Cube.

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 3:34am

The Form Letter:

First, PUT IT IN A SAFE PLACE. Do not throw it away!

It has important information on it that you will need for PIR.

1. Your SR's address. It will look like this:

           SR, Last Name, First Name, Middle initial           

           Ship ##, Divison ###           

           Recruit Training Command           

           #### Something Drive or Avenue           

           Great Lakes ILL 60088-####         

           "Recruit Training Command" can be left off of the address. Also, if they write a ship name (all of the Ships (barracks) at RTC are named after real Naval vessels.) that does not need to be on the address either.

2. PIR date. Pass-in-Review. This is the ceremony that you attend on the last day of BC for your new Sailors.

3. Confidential password for entry into RTC. This is in ALL CAPS and you will need it near the end of BC to be able to access and print up your pass that allows you to enter and park your vehicle onto RTC. You do not need it if you are entering on foot (though you do need government ID for entry into PIR); say if a hotel shuttle, taxi drops you off or if you park outside of base.

Do not give out this password to anyone.

4. Access List. You will see that your SR has listed up to four names on the Access List. These are the loved ones that they wish to invite to PIR. These four are guaranteed access to Midway Hall with proper ID. They will finalize this list later near the end of BC...that is why you might see names like Nana, Granpy, Sis, Bro, or even the dogs! Communicate with your SR as to the proper legal name for the list.

** You are guaranteed four guests...you may also bring extras. They will wait in the Visitors Center (USS Yorktown) until 8:45 (when all guests in Midway Hall are asked to be in their seats), then space permitting extra guests will be allowed to enter and be seated. Most of the time, all extras make it in. We have heard of TG's (Training Groups) with 13 Divisions...and extra guests have made it in. The TG behind this one has 14 and that is when RTC starts issuing a statement that some extra guests might not make it in.

5. A note from your SR. There is a few short lines on the very last page for your SR to write a comment...time permitting. Some squeeze a lot in there and some write a very brief note. Everyone is different. My SR wrote:

SAY HI TO THE DOGS FOR ME!

In his new Navy block Upper case lettering.

In fact, your whole form letter will be in new Navy block uppercase lettering and the zero's will have a line through them.  0 Zero; O letter.

Just so you’re not surprised and wonder about it!

There will also be a brochure for hotels and services in the area. More is available on this site.

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 3:29am

The Box:

...of smelly clothes! LOL

If your SR (Seaman Recruit) took their cellphone with them it will be returned in the box...look in the pants pockets and the shoes if you don't see it outright. Often times it will be taken apart and stuffed into the toes of the shoes.

If you're wondering why one or both pants legs are rolled up...it's because they get their feet measured and they have no time to roll them back down (they're gonna take 'em off anyways!)

The box will arrive by Fed Ex about 5-7 days after your SR arrives at RTC (Recruit Training Command).

Some don't send a box home...they just wear the clothes on their back (donate or throw them away), bring only the necessary items that they can keep and use the payphone at RTC for their "I'm here!" call.

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 3:28am

Calling Cards -If you did not send your SR with a Calling Card then it may be a good idea to send one. If it is a scheduled call they most likely will have time (and they have to have permission) to go to the NEX (the phone room is near the NEX) and purchase one...but it doesn't hurt just in case they get a surprise call.

Make sure it is activated (nowadays that is usually automatically done at the register) and has the MOST minutes you can find! Usually, 30 minutes get eaten up with the first use! If you can't find a large one buy a couple! Also, make a photocopy of it so you have the info and can reload it if need be.

I purchased a 600 or 700 minute one at Target for $20 on sale ($30 normal price). I hear Sam's Club has them and some have looked online for Virtual Pre-paid Phone "Cards" - Google or Yahoo search it. I know AT & T has them for as high as 1000 min for $40. 1000 min? Hmmm...16 plus hours?

Comment by FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW on March 6, 2012 at 3:14am

I do this weekly for the first month or so of a PIR group as members join.

Please be careful what you post...

N4M’s Community Guidelines and OPSEC

Hello Everyone.

Safety for your SR (future Sailor) and you!

Sailors LAST names are not allowed anywhere on this site. If your last name is different from your sailors it is still not recommended. This site is publicly viewable.

FIRST names are allowed but I, and some of the other “veteran” moms, will most often advise you not to use them. So, let’s say you use your last name in your N4M name, post a picture of your SR...call him/her by their first name...it makes it very easy to match them up with you while in Boot Camp.

SR=Seaman Recruit...this is a good way to refer to your loved one while they are in BC.

Why does that matter? Your SR's are trying to get through BC with as little undue attention as possible. "Fly under the radar", so to speak. So...Less is best!

The MOST important reason for being discreet is OPSEC-OPerational SECurity. This is a way of life for us now. It will be for your Sailors career and for some of them, even more so, depending on their individual security clearance.

Here is a link to the "Community Guidelines" for N4M:

http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/navy-for-moms-n4m-community

Here is the link for "OPSEC is everyone’s responsibility" specifically:

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=3342

Here is a link to the video on OPSEC on this site:

http://www.navyformoms.com/video/opsec-internet-safety

Please take the time to review this information.

Thank You.

Comment by diannep on March 5, 2012 at 8:25pm

Happy to help, jennifer!

Comment by Lala Ribbon Queen PIR Ribbons on March 4, 2012 at 11:29pm

Hi everyone, I am also one of the veteran moms here to help answer questions. I have been on this site for about 2 years. My daughter and her husband (boyfriend then) both had PIR in 2010. They are finished with school and are based in VA Beach. She is an AO and he is an IT. We all know how you are feeling and want to make this experience as good for you as we possibly can. Any questions you have please post them on this page and one of us will be here with an answer pretty quickly. For now start writing letters and write every day if you can. Even if your recruit said not to worry about or write one a week they will most likely change their mind and be begging for more mail :-) Hearing their name at mail call is like Christmas for them and your letters are what will get them through each day. The days they are in boot camp will seem to drag but the weeks will pass quickly :-) I look forward to getting to know all of you.

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