ship 7 division 350

[suesmom ship7 div 350 PIR 10/29]

Hello. a group for division 350 ship 7 to discuss letters and such. My daughter called saturday and got to talk for 15 minutes. She said they are all doing Ok. and doing a lot of ironing and folding..

[CootieBug]

Hi suesmom! My stepson is Ship 7 Division 350 with a PIR of 10/29/10! His mom got a 15 minute phone call, too. I think they were supposed to start their training today! Nice to meet you! (P.S. My daughter graduated from Great Lakes in May and is now stationed down in Pensacola for "A" school, so this is my second time around with this whole basic training stuff! If you have any questions, I might be able to help you and if not, I can always ask my daughter!)

[suesmom ship7 div 350 PIR 10/29]

Hi CootieBug it is nice to have someone else in this division. I did not know they were going to start training today. It should be interesting for her because she said her feet already hurt......

[CootieBug]

The boots absolutely killed my daughter's feet. They really aren't made for women's feet! I think the boots were one of the worst things about "boot" camp for her!

[CootieBug]

BTW - My daughter ended up going to medical and they made inserts for her boots that helped a little. She has very narrow feet . . . :)

[suesmom ship7 div 350 PIR 10/29]

Thanks. I will write to her and tell her that she has the option to go to Medical. She has very tiny wide feet and has always had a horrible time finding shoes to fit her feet. Is your daughter happy in her A school?

[CootieBug]

She's homesick something terrible, but other than that, she's doing okay. It's just such a huge adjustment for them! My daughter is 24 years old with a college degree and joined the Navy because of the limited job opportunities out in the real world. So she went in with a little more "maturity" than some others. The Navy really does watch over them pretty closely so I am thankful for that. They have pretty strict rules about leaving the base, what you can do on your liberty, etc. She should be done with A school towards the end of October and then we will find out where she will be more permanently based once she gets "out into the fleet" and working a job.

What I found very helpful to do when she was in basic training was to send her questionnaires. I would include a SASE so it was quick and easy for her to complete and send back to me. I sent her a bunch of them. You can ask your daughter if she's made any friends, how many people in her division, what are her RDC's (drill sargeants) are like, what are their names, how's the food, what time does she get up/go to sleep, how is she doing on her PT's, what classes/training she has had, etc. She loved getting them and I loved having all my questions answered! It helps you to build a mental picture about what her daily life is like. You can also go on You Tube - there are some really good videos out there that show what type of training she'll be going through.

My daughter has very narrow feet and the boots just killed her. Your daughter will do just fine. She'll be amazed at the end of it all when she realizes just how much she is capable of achieving!

[McFresh]

Hi suesmom! My son is Ship 7 Division 350 with a PIR 10/29/10 too! He called Saturday for a short 15 minute call but it couldn't have been sweeter! It was so good to hear his voice and I couldn't ask him enough questions about what Navy life is like. He had a cold, but he's doing ok. In fact, he said most of the recruits are sick - something to do with the ventilation. They were supposed to start PT Tuesday. Up to now, it's been training on making beds, ironing, etc. He said the first couple of days were the worst. He went 40 hours without sleep! I think they've now gotten into a rhythm.

I think what cootiebug suggested about sending questionnaires is a great idea so we can learn more about their daily life. I have so many questions and I want to know everything. I just got his address form letter on Friday with all his information, so I sent all the letters I've been saving up for him the same day. I feel better knowing he's ok and I know how to contact him - even if it's through letters.

[suesmom ship7 div 350 PIR 10/29]

Hello. Welcome Mcfresh . My daughter told me that she had a cold also. I guess being in such close contact with one another it is bound to happen. I am so glad thier RDC let them call home on Saturday it relieved so much of my worrying about her. She is very much a stay at home kind of girl who likes to ride her horses and play with her ducks. she did not like college because she was homesick most of the time. We are both hoping that being in the Navy will help her gain her independence. It makes me sad because we are very close and I miss her very much but I know for her own growth and happiness she has to do her own thing.

Cootiebug- did your daughter go in as an officer since she has a college degree? did she get the job she wanted? how about your stepson? Thanks for the idea of the questionnairs I will definelty give it a try.

[CootieBug]

suesmom - No, but she went in at a higher pay rate - E3. They don't automatically go in as officers even with college degrees. Officer's training is a whole different thing from regular enlistment. (Most recruits going in for officers training are coming out of military academies but I think enlisted sailors with college can work their way up the ranks!) She is training as an AE - Aviation Electronics. She tested very high on the ASVABs and surprisingly qualified for this training. (Recruits do need minimum test scores to qualify for certain jobs but ultimately, the Navy assigns you to where they need you at the time. And enlistment is so high now, unless you want to wait to start your training for years, most recruits take whatever job pops up on the screen at MEPS when they are sitting there signing the papers.) She was offered CTT and IS but would have had to wait for a period of months (for the training rotation) before she could begin (and she didn't want to wait). Her enlistment is for eight years - four years active, four years inactive reserve. She graduated from Great Lakes on May 14th and was sent to Pensacola on the following Wednesday. She has about three more months of school and then she'll find out where her duty station will be.

My daughter is a homebody, too! So, struggling with being homesick has been the worst part of all this for her. She misses her three puppies something terrible! What is your daughter's job rate? I will let McFresh tell you about my stepson because she's his mom!

[Jessie's mom (Div 350 Ship 7)]

Hi CootieBug,
My daughter is in Div 350 Ship 7.. She is going in as an E-3 into the same program as your daughter. My daughter went to college for 4 years but could never settle on a major..!! She's very quiet logical and creative.. I see that people have heard from their sailors, but now worry that she called but no one was available.. how sad is that? How did your daughter do in boot camp? did it change her in positive ways? Thanks

[CootieBug]

Hi Jessie's Mom,
My daughter aced boot camp and did really well. She ended up as a section leader and was able to march at the front of the line in their formation during graduation. She said the Navy has made her realize that she can do things she never thought she could do. It's been a very positive experience for her so far . . . just the homesickness gets really bad sometimes. I'm sure your daughter will do great. I think it really helps a lot to enlist when they are a little older with some life experience behind them!

[CootieBug]

One more thing ladies! Do not send any musical, talking or singing cards. Do not send any gifts, candies or treats. Do not put stickers or kiss marks or anything on the outside of the envelopes. My daughter told me that the recruits are usually made to do IT (intense physical training), also know as being "smoked", when they get something silly in the mail. The most I could sneak to her was minty breath strips in her letters and she loved them! After weeks of being deprived of any sweet treats, she would sit in her bunk after lights out at night and enjoy her little breath strips. Just put a little warning "open carefully" on the part of the letter that shows once it's tucked inside the envelope so they can see it when they open it and the breath strips don't fly out all over. She still talks about how awesome it was to get those in my letters! I sent about 12 strips tucked inside each letter and she would share them with her bunkmates!