This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.

FIRST TIME HERE?

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:

Choose your Username.  For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either).  Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username.  While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!

Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!

Join groups!  Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself!  Start making friends that can last a lifetime.

Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak

All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018. 

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.

OPSEC - Navy Operations Security

Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind.  In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships."  OPSEC is everyone's responsibility. 

DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.  

DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."

Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed.  Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:

In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).  

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED.  Vaccinations still required.

**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.

RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021

Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.

Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.

Format Downloads:

Navy Speak

Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms!  (Hint:  When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)

N4M Merchandise


Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.

Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.

Navy.com Para Familias

Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com

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1. Go to Sarge's Meet and Greet!   His info was spot on for 99.9% of OUR experience.  Everyone is different, and has different needs, so take that into account.  There were plenty of us N4Ms there, but he ran out of nametags so I was the only one (I think) who had one and put my screen name on it.  I wore the same hat as in my profile pic, so I was easy to pick out.  There were t-shirts and sweatshirts you could personalize there for sale.  THINK ABOUT THIS.  After PIR you can go to the NEX on base and they have a HUGE selection.  The selection was different and you cannot personalize the shirts, but many more to choose from.  He doesn't charge for the food, so consider a cash donation, or have someone in your PIR group organize a Silent Auction type fundraiser so the $ can go to Sarge.

 2.  We got to the base about 0615, got through the checkpoints and had to wait a few minutes for the doors to open.  Birth certificates were perfect ID for the ones under 17.  We got very good seats!  The hall was chilly, but as we are from WI, not too bad, even though the temp outside was about -25 below with the wind chill.  The dress code varied from jeans to dress pants.  My jaw hit the floor when I saw younger women wearing short skirts, nothing else on their legs!  It was cold enough to freeze body parts in minutes!!!  Be smart!   NO NEED to purchase/pack bleacher cushions if you bring pillows from the hotel ;-)  We did bring lap blankets since the big garage doors open up when the Sailors enter and it does get cold.  The smaller # divisions seating is closest to the doors, so you will be colder!  Main floor seating is colder than the balcony.  If you have small children, consider sitting in the back row of the balcony.  The bleacher sits about 1.5 feet away from the wall, so there is a great area behind you for the kiddo to squirm, stand, use busy work, etc.  Our 11 yr old and another teen were able to lie down back there on the coats and slept for a bit.  They sell snacks, coffee, Boot Camp challenge coins and other souvenirs.  There are shirts with the Division Flags printed onto them.  The recruits designed these flags.  The 911's was very cool and we bought some.  The bigger sizes run out fast!  IMPORTANT!!!  Check with your Sailor and see if they purchased you any of the shirts.  Ours did, so now we have extras which is not a problem, except we need to decide which sibling gets what ;-)

 3.  The 900 Divisions do not line up like the other divisions.  You do not get to see the flags they earned or the different ribbons they earn that hang off the flags.  That was a bit of a disappointment.  They also need to leave the floor just before liberty to return the instruments, flags, ascots, aguilariets, and any other equipment.  There are announcements made saying they will come to you in the stands.  Our Sailor said one of the higher ups asked "where are you headed Sailor" to someone so he stayed put.   Just go with the flow here.  That may have been a fluke this time.

 4.  If your Sailor flies out to A School you can get them almost immediately.  Not too sure why, but ours needed to go back to his ship and pack or something.  This may be because he was in the 900 division and they needed to be at the hall early.  We walked to the NEX with him and then he went to do his stuff and he met us there at 1130.  It was CROWDED, but there were bathrooms, snacks, and a warm place to wait so it worked very well for us.  While we were waiting we made reservations for lunch at Lovells.  This worked out very well.  The resturant wasn't busy, about 15 minutes from the base but was pricy.  Better if you have a small group, we had 7!  Granted, they didn't charge for our Sailor's portion of the bill.  The restaurant is owned by Jim Lovell former NASA astronaut and a retired captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered a critical failure en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. Lovell was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8.  He was actually there when we were entering and we met him!  So Cool!

 5.  We went back to the hotel after this to relax for a bit.  Belated Christmas gifts were given, stories were told, LONG shower was taken and pictures were handed over.   Our Sailor purchased us frames to go with the package we purchased and the wooden ones are very nice if you are considering buying them.  He paid for them and picked them up just before he met us at the NEX.  Pics will be uploaded soon of the frames...  We had to have our son back at the base by 1700 since he had watch.  Gate 6 is on Illinois and the entrance to PIR is on Ohio, they are one block apart.  Easy Peasy!

 6.  He said there are 2 different flights out for the Nukes from O'Hare this week.  His group leaves for the airport VERY early (just after 0000) and ships out in the early AM.  The other group leaves for the airport a few hours later and will fly out about 12 hours after the first flight!  Meet them at the USO!  They will get you your security passes and then you can hang out with them.  Our son used his calling card to call our cells once he got there and got checked in.  This was a great way to connect and make sure we knew what his status was since he didn't have his cell yet.  O'Hare has the Hilton in it and there is a special deal for a short-term room that Sarge talked about!  It isn't available on line or over the phone.  You MUST ask when you get there.  If you have a very long wait, it may be worth the extra expense.  

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Replies to This Discussion

Great information! Thanks so much for taking the time out to share your experience. I'm actually printing this out (along with your O'Hare Experience) and highlighting key points. LOL! Hey...my memory can be a dangerous thing at times. :-)

Thanks for the great information!  My son graduates on 2/28/14 so it is coming up fast.  We are flying in from Idaho and I am trying to book our flight.  I see your son is also in the NUKE program so I thought maybe you could enlighten me a little on what to expect after the graduation.  What day did your son fly out?  I'm trying to figure out what day I should book us to fly home on. When were you able to hear from him again after that?  

BigJonsMom, I also wrote my experiences at O'Hare, since that is where my son flew out of. Here is the link My O'Hare experiences for our Sailor who left for A-School (PIR 1/2...  Not all leave from O'Hare, but I think every Nuke from the 1/24/14 PIR did leave from there.  My son had to leave shortly after PIR to go back to his ship (not sure why, but may have been because he was in the 911 and had to be at the Graduation Hall extra early).  Anyway, he met us at the NEX about 11:30 and had to be back at 5pm due to having watch.  There were 2 different departure times for the Nukes going to O'Hare.  First group left for the airport about 12:30 AM and flew out about 8 AM Saturday.  The second group left about 3 AM and had a mid afternoon/early evening flight if I remember right.  Friday was short, but we hung at the airport with him.  If you read the link, there are more details.  Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you have that I may not have covered.  Once we were at the airport he had his cell and we were texting all day Sunday and have been texting, FBing and Skyping daily since!  That is one of the great parts of A school!

Hi A's_momma_Erin, Thanks for the detailed info. You are giving me a much clearer picture and it's quite different than what I had envisioned!  I thought we would have the weekend with him.  It will be fine if we don't, but a little more info would be so helpful in booking airline flights from Boise to Chicago!  I don't really want to be in Chicago all weekend if he has already left but it would also break my heart to leave the next day if he is around all weekend.  Were you able to find out ahead of time?  You know, I never got the special letter from the Navy that everyone talks about getting a week after they leave for boot camp.  Where they tell you the grad date and all.  I wonder if that had any more info in it?

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