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Comment by Dona on June 13, 2012 at 11:40pm

Julieb-we do the same-stay in Gulfport and do day trips to New Orleans.

Our Seabee came home today on leave-moving from Coronado to Gulfport for  deployment in the near future. He just made E5 last week, too!! 

Comment by julieb1019 on June 13, 2012 at 6:47pm

AWESOME  Halfofawhole and seabeewife20 great ideas!!! I ban always count on Navy Moms for help and advice!!! Traveling from New York so it will be a great trip>  thanks so much

Comment by SeabeeWife20 on June 12, 2012 at 11:49am

I have lived in Gulfport or over a year now and have yet to go to New Orleans. Wish I could help you, Julieb, but you may do better searching and looking at star ratings to determine a good hotel.

Comment by julieb1019 on June 11, 2012 at 10:38pm

Hi all planning a trip to Gulfport this summer and wonder if anyone has a suggestion for family friendly hotel in New Orleans we will be staying at the navy lodge in Gulfport but also want to visit New Orleans. Thanks . Have not seen my Seabee since March so really looking forward to an awesome trip.

Comment by SeabeeWife20 on June 11, 2012 at 11:03am

After boot camp:

"A" (Apprentice) School-UT & CE's go to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX. It's a small town with very little to do. Most of them stay on base in their dorms and study. When my husband wasn't studying, he was sleeping. He came home to me on the weekends, because I moved to Texas with him. His graduation was about 10 minutes long and they take lots of pictures for you. We then came to MS, where SOME not all will report for ECS. There were several people my hubby went to A school with that were sent directly overseas to their new duty station....one to Italy, another to Japan, etc. When they leave A school, depending on report day, they can take leave. They usually give them about 10 days with no problems.
 
ECS- is about a month to two months of training. It depends on hold times and how well the class is doing. It won't just be those fresh out of A school either. My husband had officers and many tenured sailors in his class. They have long days of learning-medical training, gun training, etc. They will stay in the barracks during this time and have very little rules to follow. As long as they show up the next day for class, they don't really care what they do. Since my husband was stationed in Gulfport after ECS, we already had a home. So he lived with me during ECS. Directly after ECS he reported to his battalion (and actually deployed to Japan 2 weeks later). Usually they know all this before they even leave A school. My husband graduated in February from A school, but we knew in December where he was going to be stationed. It depends on how quickly they can process the orders during a certain time.
Once in the battalion, they will begin using all those skills they have learned. My husband has also cross-trained learning many of the other jobs. There were actually days where he didn't even do his job, but someone else's. It's a great learning experience for them. I would suggest to any of you that when your kids bring up SCWs (Seabee Combat Warfare), that you strongly encourage them to get their pins as quickly as possible. When at homeport, they have certain jobs they will be doing but there is A LOT of downtime too. There is no reason they can't focus on getting it finished. It looks better in their "portfolio" and can help when it comes time to advance. They go through a long process of testing and taskings, then have a huge "Murder Board" they go through. They sit in front of a panel and have to answer questions and do many other things. Once they pass this they become Seabee Combat Warfare qualified. They also have to go through FTX to get this. My husband finished all the paperwork last year in July. He just went through his first FTX this month and was awared his SCWs pin yesterday. It's long, boring, and not always fun.....but if they try hard enough and work hard enough and try to enjoy their jobs, the military is one of the best jobs they can have (at least in my opinion). Hope this helps out with some of the newer mom's, wives, girlfriends!

Comment by SeabeeWife20 on June 11, 2012 at 11:03am

Hi proud mama. Welcome to the Seabee group. I am a Seabee Wife (my husband is also a UT) and have been for about two years now. I have a little information for you that will help you understand what your daughter will do during and after boot camp.

During boot camp you will have little to no communication. Depending on her division and her instructors, she could have reward calls home or none at all. She will send you a box, often referred to "kid in a box," and she will send home every item she takes with her on her trip to Chicago that isn't authorized. This will include her clothes, any electronics she takes, etc. You will get this within the first week or so of her being gone. She will pretty much go through hell the first week, these are called "P" days. This is where uniform sizes are taken, shots and medical information is done, and all the other important paperwork she will do. After that she'll he sent to her ship and begin her 7 to 8 weeks of boot camp (depends on how long P days are...my husband was only there for 7 weeks). You will receive the information packet within the first three weeks. This will examine her graduation date, rules of attending members, and her address. Once you get the address start sending letters!! She will need these letters to help keep her morale up. I wrote my husband every day from the moment he left, and he still didn't get a letter at every mail call. She will start writing you around the second week. They are only supposed to write during down time, which is normally Sunday. A lot of time they will try to sneak in a letter at night before bed. I don't recommend that because she will need all the sleep she can get. She will go through long hours of class and training. She will do great. Once she finishes her final task, she will call and say "I'm a sailor!" PIR Ceremony will come after and it is AMAZING! The long 8 weeks with no communication, heart ache, worry, and every other emotion is so worth it at that moment. The pride you feel when your sailor walks into that Hall makes you undertstand why they would want to join the military. You will watch as she graduates with hundreds of other sailors. She is now part of a larger family that only 1% of American's get to experience. So when you're missing her, look forward to this moment. Now, just a little explanation of Seabee's. They are a construction group. UT is Utilitiesman and is basically a plumber in the civilian world. Seabees are often referred to as dirt sailors, because they will probably never step foot on a ship. The post above has information which will explain the after boot camp stages.

Comment by Steph Proud AG Mom on June 6, 2012 at 3:21pm

Hi,  I  am new to this group- my daughter leaves for bc in the Fall and will be a UT, Any suggestions, or advise????

Comment by Ann-Marie(Proud Mom of Nick) on May 31, 2012 at 5:33pm

Hey Ladies,

I will be in Gulfport for a few weeks as my son can't tell me when he will be coming home... If anyone wants to meet up for lunch or a cocktail let me know..

Comment by ebigirl on May 28, 2012 at 9:04pm

I'm trying to find out how to get on base in Everett when a ship comes in. Yes, my son is a Seabee, and I know Seabee's don't go on ships!! LOL!!  This is not for him. There is a Sailor on a ship that I would like to greet when the ship comes in sometime in the next month. I'll check with the ombudsmen as you advised. Thanks!

Comment by Philip'sMom (Deb) on May 28, 2012 at 11:19am

Many of you are sitting back reflecting on our sons and daughters who proudly serve the US.  Thanks to our loved ones who make such a sacrifice to protect our freedom and to keep us safe!  Thanks also to all of you who have provided a wealth of information, with whom I have shared tears and laughter.  I truly treasure the friendships I have made along the way.  Thanks for helping me along in this journey!  Please keep our children safe!    

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