Latest and greatest tips on PIR from a mom who just got back!

[MamaLamaDingDong: AO/Pensacola]

I have obtained permission from Aster PIR7/27/12 tp copy and paste her posts here from earlier this afternoon. I thought they were informative and a few tips handed out that I hadn't seen before!

Here you go... 1 0f 3

Wow back from PIR 7/27/2012! What a wonderful time! Information for PIR, book your hotel as soon as you know your date, all of the hotels let you cancel the last week, if there is a change of PIR for
your SR. I was unable to get into Springhill Suites (waited too long), but rnterry, and other parents and my husband and I stayed at the Waukegan Courtyard by Marriott, http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chiwk-courtyard-chicago-wauke..., don’t forget to use your rewards cards for hotels, cars and airlines! It is about 10 minutes from the RTC, very easy to get there. Christine the manager is wonderful as well as the entire staff. It is immaculate, comfortable and across the street from a Wal-Mart (to purchase those small things left at home) and half a mile from Sarge’s Meet and Greet. Our family flew Southwest into Chicago Midway (a little over an hour from the hotel), due to the ease of changing flights without huge penalties, just in case your PIR date changes. I heard
several families using different airlines stated they flew home Monday as the rates were less expensive. My husband and I flew home Sunday. Renting a car, I recommend obtaining a car with an iPass so there are no difficulties with the tolls (carrying lots of change, missing tolls, getting huge fines if not paid, fines will be added to rental charge). I suggest ordering ribbons from Lala, so it is easier to spot other N4M members in the same division, also helps at PIR! That is how I met my sailor’s RDC! He saw my ribbon; we shook hands and spoke very briefly. Sarge’s Meet and Greet – Attend it! He supplies all the food and
sodas, I suggest leaving a donation as he pays for this out of his pocket. We had salad, two types of pasta, meatballs, sausage, breadsticks, fruit and soda, very nice! WE met some of the people we had been e-mailing and writing on N4Ms. He had a video of service going on as we ingled, and then he did a slide presentation. He will answer the same question repeatedly for those who do not hear the first time or two. He is extremelyhelpful. Sarge has a fleet of new minivans for transport, if you get his voicemail, he will call back within 5 minutes. Do not hesitate to use his service, please RSVP by call or on the site as to how many in your party so there is sufficient food. PIR/graduation is wonderful, while waiting for it to begin, there are 2 stands on either side of the floor, selling small souvenirs, such as the white navy covers (sailor’s hat), and drinks.

[MamaLamaDingDong: AO/Pensacola]

2 of 3 from Aster

If you bring children to PIR, bring small toys for them to play with, all the children that attended ours were wonderful! The speeches were informative and brief, I suggest if you have them, bring binoculars to try to locate your future sailor. If you towards the top of the metal bleachers, you can see about the first 3 to 4 SR’s after that it is difficult, they have them standing in height order, shorter SRs in the front, taller in the back. When you get your “I am a sailor call”, your sailor where he will be standing so you can position yourself to try to get a glimpse of him/her. Your SR probably will be groggy, I had to pull out of mine that he is a sailor! LOL! He said it was easy! And his entire division passed! There were some of us moms in our division e-mailing each other, and we promised to e-mail/text others when we were done with our call to let the others know as some were out of cell phone contact area…or if one of us had a sailor on watch. Just to let you know the
RDCs do look at this site, please do not write anything that will clearly
identify your SR. We in our division got a wonderful, unexpected bonus, our sailors were shipping out Sunday, and so we were able to spend Saturday with them. Friday, we took our sailor to the Navy Pier (his request), we went via the Metra (train), and it is $8 to park all day next to the station. The station office was closed and we purchased our tickets on the Metra and rode on the top. You get off the last stop (Ogilvie Station), go downstairs, hailed a cab and off to navy Pier. When you head back, purchase your ticker in the station, it is a little cheaper than purchasing on the train. For those of you who do not want “touristy places” to go, there is a plethora of choices in Chicago. I recommend to go to your AAA and get a map and a tour book, or go
online to http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_tourism.htm,
museums are clustered, parks everywhere, tour buses (we did the double decker) and boat tours. Lots of tours! We went to Millennium Park, took our photos by the Bean…Oh, one thing to prepare your sailors before you go. Many people came up to our sailors to thank them for their service, we instructed our sailor to thank them and wish them a good day in return. We also had girls approaching them to
get their photos with them in their dress whites, their sailor heads were 
quite swollen on the ride back to Great Lakes, and we had to squeeze their big heads through the train doors! LOL!

[MamaLamaDingDong: AO/Pensacola]

3 of 3 

They can NOT take anything back into the base with them, you can follow the buses to the airport and give them their phones, iPods, iPads, computers, and whatnot at the airport, and that is the only negative event of the entire weekend. The USO man was rude, and generally not pleasant, I told him I did not appreciate how he spoke to our sailors and that is all I am going to write about that, I am in the process of writing to the main USO office of Illinois. But, if you are able, follow the bus, give your sailor the phone and one last hug, then on to the next fantastic journey of this wonderful young adult! We cry for ourselves, we grieve what we are losing, boy have I cried a lot! But then, we smile and think of what’s coming next! Hooyah! I am so proud to be a mom of a US Sailor!

[diannep]

MamaLama:  So sorry that there was a rude USO person...so unnecessary and normally they are so wonderfully kind to our sailors.  So glad that Aster will address this. 

This was great info that you posted from her.

Wanted to add....that you can also remain at the airport with your sailors.  Families (with ID) can obtain airlines gate passes and wait at the gates with the sailors until they fly out.  When the sailors are announced to board, there are standing ovations for them in the entire area!  So wonderful!  I missed this with mine (didn't know about airport visits...I was such a newbie way back then). 

So....hoping that many will get up in the "wee hours" of the morning to go wait with the sailors at OHare and Midway airports.  They are usually bussed out there around 1 or 2 a.m. to wait for flights.  So if someone doesn't want to follow the bus, they can still meet up with sailors there later.  Family members already there are wonderful in letting sailors use their cell phones to call family members back in GL so they can meet up.  But the USO is a great place to meet up with them....in OHare, it is before security.  At Midway, it is past security so sailors will need to meet you before security.

Sounds complicated, but it works out.  SARGE will have more info about this at his MeetandGreet.

[MamaLamaDingDong: AO/Pensacola]

Thanks diannep! Now I'm all excited and still have a month and a half to go! Lol! Aster also posted that she took homemade cookies with her to "deliver" to all of the sailors at the airport. I thought that was a cool thing to do!

[lisafriess (Norfolk Sub)]

A multitude of thanks for sharing your experiences as to enhance our visits at PIR!!!