After PIR-Friday and Saturday Departures (What is Grad n Go?)

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

What is Grad n Go?

Here is a link to the group:
http://www.navyformoms.com/group/gradgoinfo

 

It has new AND old info on it. Here is my current understanding of G & G.

(Any veteran Moms…please correct me if I am wrong OR add to this!) 

Okay. My Sailor just PIR'd on 5/26. I just looked at my form letter and it didn't say anything about Grad-n-Go specifically so I am wondering if they have changed the form letter.

There has been a lot of discussion about the term "Grad-n-Go".

 

I cannot find the term on the RTC website under Family Information.

The G & G group explains that the term is obsolete.

So, what does that mean?

Means, I wouldn’t bother using it.

They are now called:

Friday and Saturday Departures

Friday Departures
Means those Sailors attending “A” school at Great Lakes. They “depart” Friday, after Graduation, to move over to Naval Station Great Lakes from RTC. This can take from 3-5 hours. I do not know how much time they get directly after graduation to spend with you before they have to go move their things and get settled and briefed. I am sure it is not very long though.
When they are done they may spend the rest of PIR day with you. They will be given a time to report back to their compartment. Then they should get Saturday and Sunday to spend with you. Times and such will be given to you by your Sailor. This could change daily!

Saturday Departures
Means those Sailors attending “A” school somewhere other than Great Lakes.
They usually get to leave right after PIR and spend the rest of the day with you. This is subject to change. The time they report back to RTC on Friday …is subject to change! (Are we seeing a pattern here?) It is usually 8-9 PM.
They then get ready (or already are) TRY to get some sleep and then muster up and board the buses to go to their airports around 1-2 AM Saturday Morning. Thus the Saturday Departure. Their flight could be ANYTIME on Saturday…the Navy only makes ONE trip for all Sailors.
There are three airports. Midway, Milwaukee, O’Hare. You won’t know which one probably until PIR day.

 

Here is what happened to me:

Mine PIR’d on a THURSDAY (Memorial Day weekend) and was supposed to depart FRIDAY AM. (Think Friday and Saturday as the norm). He was attending “A” school AWAY from Great Lakes.
While I was flying to PIR on TUESDAY he called and left a detailed message that everything had changed and he would now not leave until Sunday around 1-2 AM!
“Subject to change.”
His report time every night was different. His Pick up time in the AM each day was different. He had watch on Friday from 4-6 PM and none on Saturday.

 
So, what I was told to do was book to stay the extra days if I could.

I am so glad I did because it ALL changed! I would not have got to spend time with him if I had gone home Friday and he would have been stuck on base. I just decided that IF he did leave Friday that I would take a vacation!

SO...

 

The Basics are:
Friday Departures
Great Lakes “A” school- need 3-5 hours after PIR to move over to Main Base and get the rest of the day and weekend with Family. (No overnights though)

Saturday Departures
Those traveling to other bases for “A” school should be a Saturday Departure-but there can be variables.
You won’t know anything definite until you speak to your SR. They will keep you informed. Mine did, but it changed twice during BC and AGAIN while I was en route.

It’s just the way it is.

NOTE: This term is STILL being used in spite of the Navy trying to change it…so if your SR says they are a G & G…ASK them what they mean by that!

[ashngaly]

Was your son allowed to have his phone on base with him at night after he graduated BC?

[Denise-- Seabee Mom]

No cell phone or other electronic's are allowed in the RTC bootcamp side

[Denise-- Seabee Mom]

Fire..since they term is no long a term that is used and has been removed on the RTC website I wonder if it wouldnt be a good idea to remove from our posting here on N4M. Just evplin this stuff as how much time will you have with your sailor. Something on those lines. Using the term that isnt being used just adds more confusion to new moms.

Just a thought

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

At the time I created this discussion it was still being posted on the RTC website. However...it was talked about being done away with. THEN they changed the Family Guide to say "Friday and Saturday Departures." That is what I explain in my post...that the term is obsolete and what is NOW being used...in the hopes that we can all get on the same page...so to speak.

The problem has come in in that moms are STILL reporting that their recruits are saying they are Grad n Go's. So while the Navy is "instructing" the RDC's not to use the term it is still being thrown out there. That is why I added for them to ask their Sailors what that mean IF they say it.

I will be changing the post...eventually...when it truly stops being used. It has to stop at the source though. RTC says they are using up the letters and up until they changed the new site I DID find the term on a seperate page still being used. But it is easier to explain it once in a discussion, direct the moms to the post rather than to do it over and over in a PIR group on the main page.

 

[Denise-- Seabee Mom]

I went and chacked with RTC this morning cause I had moms say that their SR is a grad n go. This is what they posted on their fb page to me

 

U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command You are correct: We are no longer using the term Grad & Go because it no longers means anything. Yes, the initial form letter home still contains the term but that's only because those letters were pre-printed and we're using them up before... the new letters omitting the term are used.

Years ago, Grad & Go referred to those recruits flying on the same day as graduation. The it referred only to the recruits checking into their A School here in Great Lakes the same day as graduation. All other recruits either departed on Saturday or later in the week.

Today, all recruits depart either Friday (if staying in Great Lakes) or on Saturday (if going out of state for A School).

We are instructing the RDCs to stop using the obsolete term because, again, it doesn't mean anything.

The term has been removed from our website and we do not even use it on Facebook.