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

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

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:

Latest Activity

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

Badge

Loading…

Commissioning - Is there a special gift that's appropriate?

I saw this question somewhere on the website but there were no responses.  For those of you who have had a son or daughter commission from NROTC, is there a special gift that anyone knows of to give your new Naval Officer?  Or, was there anything special that you did or gave to commemorate this special occasion?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Views: 15105

Replies to This Discussion

Good morning NMXXXY........I talked with my son and tried to discreetly bring up different things that I had heard about. I had read about the iPad and thought it might be a good idea although since it's new, I would prefer others work out the bugs first. Also, mentioned the kindle. I was surprised to hear him say that he does not like reading from a screen! He is a reader too. I know he reads a lot on his computer.......go figure. I'm guessing he means books. I have to say that I don't disagree with him. He said he could access all that from his computer (which he will probably get a new one before he leaves). The dress coats sound like a good idea (I'm sure they're pricey) but at the moment I think he would like the sword. We shall see. He is also thinking about a class ring, and I can't believe how much they cost! Thanks for all your great ideas.
I concur on the sword recommendations for commissioning- very appropriate from Mom & Dad. Grandparents and aunts and uncles could look into duty station coins or ship/sub ballcaps. I personally know that as an Ensign I was really happy to be able to have my own comforter on the ship - that I could roll up and store every day. A picture book of family members or good memories from college are great things take on deployments, like the kind you make in Shutterfly, etc. You can never get enough black socks to take - and that seems like something a grandparent might like to give!
Also most commsisioning ceremonies include a first salute ceremony, and your midshipman could get a silver dollar with some kind of meaining - one from the year they were born or one from the year they're commissioning to palm to their chosen enlisted representative to recieve their first salute. I hope this helps!
Thank you. Good ideas especially since I have other people asking as well. I think we are going for the sword. Does the ship not give them a ballcap? Where do you get things like ballcaps and duty station coins?
I asked my husband to answer this question. He said that duty station coins are not available everywhere but they would be from the base exchange for that duty station. On ballcaps, he said that most often they are bought from the ship's store and that, depending on the size of the ship, most ships will let people write in to purchase a ballcap. For larger ships, they are normally also available from the base exchange where that ship is stationed.
Thanks, Centhea. It is so nice to have people who have been or are in the Navy now on this site! Is a "duty station" the place where the ships are ported??? I've learned a lot these past few years about the Navy but not nearly as much as I've learned on this site! :)
If they are on a ship, yes, where the ship is ported. If they are on shore duty, then where they are assigned for duty.

There is a specific Naval Officer Sword.  That is what's referred to "Naval Officer Sword". 

It's part of the uniform so I don't think they can carry anything else.  Marine Officers  have the equivalent "Marine Officer Sword".

www.marlowwhite.com

>>  We did several things for our daughter for her commissioning, but she really like these two ...

>>  We had visited the USS CONSTITUTION, the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat the summer before her senior year.  While there we discovered that ppl can have a flag flown over "Old Ironsides" on any day of the year to commemorate a special occasion.

We had a flag flown on the day of her commissioning & gave it to her a few weeks later when we got it.  She loved it!!  So significant since it's the oldest commissioned warship in the world still afloat.  Since we had visited there the previous summer it was special, but it would have been significant & special anyway.

We plan to do this again next year for our son's commissioning.

Here is the link:  http://www.history.navy.mil/ussconstitution/Flags.html 

>>  We also got her a good Four-Way Catholic medal & nice chain.  It is small enough that she can wear it with her dog tags, if she ever has to wear dog tags (she's a nurse in hospital & doesn't wear them currently), and nice enough to look very nice as a necklace/medal.

Texas Aggies always appreciate the custom senior boot cases or sword cases. The mesquite ones with etched seal, outfit name and rank were about $800 in 2006.

RSS

© 2024   Created by Navy for Moms Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service