Comment

Comment by djloch (Zac's Mom) on July 23, 2010 at 9:30am

that is wonderful to write to the other recruits...I mailed my sons letters (I write him everyday) the afternoon I received his address and it took a week to get to him...it broke my heart when I read my son's letter telling me he was so excited to get my letters he been sitting waiting to hear his name called every night.. so that just made me think how sad is it that others are sitting there hoping to hear theirs and never do...Ive asked my son in my last letter for names of any that dont receive letters so I can write to them, just hate it be that much longer before I can get one to them..better late than never though I guess..
My son is Division 285 and I believe all his division is grad-n-gos the way he talked in his last letter..but it sounded as though overall his group doing well except for still a couple struggling..no names from him yet of anyone Im not sure if hes buds with anyone here's son, but maybe the next letter..I love us all sharing our info..it helps so much to be able to put it all together and keep up with their progress..I just cant hardly wait to see him!

Comment by SOBE,PIR 6/4/10 IT Mom, Italy on July 22, 2010 at 8:29pm

Jophers - just posted a comment on your profile.

Comment by trisha on July 22, 2010 at 8:19pm

Jophers- my son is in 941 but he has been pretty quiet about how the divison is doing. His letters are pretty short and not alot of meat to them. I worry becuase it seems this division is having a hard time. Hope mine is behaving?

Comment by SOBE,PIR 6/4/10 IT Mom, Italy on July 22, 2010 at 7:21pm

Jophers - If you "friend" me and give me some recruit names (and addresses), I will be happy to send dear recruit letters. I'm writing to 5 others, so a couple more doesn't hurt me a bit!

Comment by SOBE,PIR 6/4/10 IT Mom, Italy on July 22, 2010 at 7:16pm

Heads up ladies - I've been reading the posts for PIR 7/23, the families are arriving at Great Lakes as we speak. The traffic to GL from both airports (Midway and O'Hare) is horrible, some may be late or even miss the Meet & Greet. Please try and get early flights or drive there to arrive by 1 or 2 pm.

Comment by TxNavyMomWifeCPO(Ship6Div941) on July 22, 2010 at 6:45pm

Hi diannepp-not to be partial...but your son is is a great rate! He certainly will be exposed to all sorts things--I have worked at BUPERS as selection board admin, intel, a logistics squadron(in which he might travel around the world as admin support), a personnel mob unit...all sorts of things. And like I said...a rate can be "closed" or over manned at one point, and wide opened at other times--sometimes with in the same year. Just timing and at what rank level. Like nikos also said it just varies. A little secret about advancement however, just study really hard...if there are quotas to be had for a rate...all one has to do is better than anyone else and cut a good score. I never had enough what is called "time-in-rate" which does count--but I always studied really hard and that was the key.

Jophers-My daughter is also in 941 and she says the same thing(she is the tall red-head from Texas). Don't worry though. If the "slugs" do not get it together soon, they will have a little one on one time with the RDC's. Yes the RDCs want the division to come together as a team--that is the most important concept that the recruits need to learn....however, the RDCs will not let the whole ship "sink" just because there are a few dim bulbs in the group---they will be dealt with!

Comment by Jophers(Jo- Cameron's mom) on July 22, 2010 at 6:07pm

Two letters for me, 2 for his girlfriend and one for his brother. Just to read the letters shows how much my son has grown and changed. My son is going to be a snare drummer in the graduation ceromony, I am so proud and he is thrilled. Other than the navy, drumming and band have been his world since 6th grade.
He also gave me a run down of people that have been ASMO'd out(kicked out I think) He says his division was 88 and now down to 82 and the chief thinks they will be in the 70's by the time PIR happens. :(. That makes me worry. My son is the mail PO for the division, he said it's great to see the faces of the recruits who get letters but the sad hurt faces on the guys/gals that don't get letters is hard to take, so that has given me encouragement to write more and I am going to do a Dear SR letter for him to give somebody too. He is not grad and go but he is in 941 and most of the grad and go's seem to be in 285. He also said that they share their compartment with 939 division that have be so helpful to them like big brothers, watching over them and giving them advice.
The RDC said they are beggining to pull it together although he can't see it yet, he feels like it is happening too slowly.
He too passed his swimming and first PFT, he gets 00:00 to 2a.m watch,has had inspections that make him nervous but he has passed so far, and made some good mates. He said he feels the guys and girls that are in his division in general have his back and he has theirs. He said there are some dumb asses that will probably get kicked out but it is slowly coming together. So that's one little insight to 491, would love for some other moms from 941 to share. Also he only gave me last names and I don't really want to post those here so I will ask him where they are from and what their first names are.

Comment by diannep on July 22, 2010 at 5:58pm

Great post TxNavyMom; Thanks so much for enlightening all of us. My son is a Yeoman....sigh....on the part you wrote about that...oh well...he just needs to work hard and hope that he gets an "open year" for promotions!

Comment by m'smom on July 22, 2010 at 5:48pm

diannep-I am so glad you are here, ready with info for us. makes it easier. I have a friend whose son is in nuke. She says "the Navy doesn't care what I (the mom) thinks"
I am hoping my son doesn't change his rate either. But it is his decision. If and when the phone call comes, I will tell him to make sure he knows what he is switching to. Soneone told him before he left, to be sure he knew what he was raising his hand to volunteer for, before he raised it!! I will remind him of that as well.

Comment by TxNavyMomWifeCPO(Ship6Div941) on July 22, 2010 at 5:42pm

Nikosmom-it is best not to "rock the boat" so to speak. Especially if there is already a quota waiting for your recruit in "A" school. Not every rate is overmanned although the new "Navy Times" has an article about how the Navy will be drawing down 25000 jobs. I was on base yesterday and at the exchange(they seal the publications in a plastic sleeve so that you have to buy the newspaper to read it). I suspect however that the draw down is going to be the more senior ranks who are not advancing as they should--getting rid of the dead wood so to speak. What it really means for the recruits is that it will be more difficult to advance in an overmanned rating. I know people who should be the next higher rank, but cannot advance because of overmanning. However, too one rate may be wide open for advancement one year and closed the next. When I made Chief Petty Officer, my rate was relatively open and many were promoted to Chief in the Yeoman rate. However, this year in the Navy Reserve not the case--not very many Yeoman Chiefs were promoted

In the past a classifier could not change a rate once a contract has been signed. Otherwise the contract would be null and void. However, there might be a little arm twisting going on. But I would be careful about changing rates until I knew what was going on. It is very possible to cross rate(change rates) after boot camp if there is a critical rate. Intelligence Specialist(IS) has historically always been an wide rate, but you can be sure that you would be going over to the sand box(Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) Hospital Corpsman(HM) used to be a wide open rate too, but it is overmanned now.
The bottle line--things change based on people getting out of the service, national security issues, and of course federal funding. I would advise someone to stay put in the rate they accepted--it is so changeable like musical chairs.

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