My 1/24/14 PIR experiences

[A's_momma_Erin]

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.  

[momof1navyguy]

We had PIR the Friday before 1/17/14 and my sailor was in the 910 div and we seen all of their flags that they won, and their div flag. Maybe this was just a fluke for you all. How many div did you all have? We only had 9, maybe that was the difference. Congrats!!

[A's_momma_Erin]

1/24/14 had 9 divisions plus the 911.  It was a pretty full house, but we enjoyed every minute of it...

[A's_momma_Erin]

Who carried the flags or where were they for your graduation.  We only saw other divisions march in with their divisional flags and then the 911 carry in the state flags.

[lemonelephant]

momof1navyguy, your Sailor was in a Sticks/Flags division and her Sailor was in a Triple Threat Division. I've seen that before concerning Triple Threat. There are "extras" in the 900 divisions that are Sticks/Flags and Ship Staff/Honor Guard, so they do bring in the flags for those divisions, but apparently that is not the case for Triple Threat.

[A's_momma_Erin]

Good to know!  We did order the Division pic so all the flags are on display there!  Nice to see the ones they earned...

[Pine View Ranch]

Thanks, read every word, very helpful.

[A's_momma_Erin]

added a discussion about our O'Hare experience too. 

[lemonelephant]

That's at My O'Hare experiences for our Sailor who left for A-School (PIR 1/2.... I've added links to both within PIR Day and Liberty during PIR Weekend. Thanks for sharing.

[A's_momma_Erin]

Glad to share my experiences if it will help others.  Thanks for adding the where they will be seen...

[lemonelephant]

I like to include info that is going to help others. Thanks again.

[roguevalgal]

Great info and details.  Much better understanding of what to expect when we're there in less than 2 weeks. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this important experience with us.  Much appreciated. 

[Ryan's Mom - Vicky]

Thanks Erin - great to read all the ins and outs for this week!  Hoping the weather cooperates for us.  Flying out tomorrow!!