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Comment by Mark on January 30, 2009 at 11:48pm

Wow, thank you all very much - nice to know I'm not boring the crap out of everyone...lol :-D

Comment by lauren on January 30, 2009 at 2:24pm

Ok moms Just have to tell you the great night i spent with my son while on watch lastnight !!! First 30 mins was spent with all the guys still on the boat talking in the conversationI ( I love it when you get a bunch of young guys telling the same story " it is so differnt"....lol) Then I got on Google Earth and while we where talking my son pinpointed me to the exact spot of his sub, and even though it is not in real time he step on the pier and waved to me. Then as I toured with GE he took me on a tour of Pearl Harbor and his new neighborhood he moved to. and we looked around the sland and he showed me places he is going to take me when I'm there.. It was so cool and I understand so much more about the different things he talks about now.
And Mark TY you explained the fast attack life just like my son has.
And for you moms that only get to spend time at OHare Kel says the USO there is great.

Comment by Mark on January 30, 2009 at 1:22am

Joyce,
I'm a little skeptical that anyone can have much certainty that their recruit is grad-n-go just a week or so into bootcamp. There are several factors that go into that. I wouldn't take that seriously until you get his grad packet around week four or five. Even then, things can change prior to PIR.

Comment by LLovesmysailor on January 30, 2009 at 12:41am

My son didn't leave for A-school until early Monday morning so we had the entire weekend to spend with him. We were incredibly lucky. Especially since that was Mother's Day weekend. So, you can expect anything from a few hours to a few days with him. Ya, I know that wasn't much help. All I can suggest is to stay flexable.

Comment by Mark on January 29, 2009 at 11:25pm

Lea,
There are pros and cons of both boomers and fast attacks. Boomers have a very regular schedule, and two crews that take turns taking the boat to sea. You can project your schedule out a couple of years with a high degree of confidence, making them easier on families. They go out for a little more than two months at a time. Down side for the crew is that carrying missiles, they do not make any foreign port calls, a big reason many join the Navy in the first place. Their underway time is also less interesting, because their job is to go out and hide in the middle of the ocean, avoiding any contact with other subs etc. Fast attacks have a single crew, go to sea fairly frequently for short periods (like a week or two), and also will usually make a long deployment (about six months) about every eighteen months. Their operating schedule is a little tougher on families. The positive side is that they do make occasional foreign port visits (spouses can occasionally meet the boat overseas, as well), and underway time (particularly for guys involved in the tactical operations, like sonar, fire control etc...) is more interesting as they spend more time engaged in war games and stuff.

Comment by Kaye S. on January 29, 2009 at 7:43pm

I ask my son anything... and he has learned to talk around his restrictions. For example, when they returned to port unexpectedly from a cruise, I asked him why they had come back so soon. He said, "The boat had a boo-boo we need to fix." LOL!

Comment by LLovesmysailor on January 29, 2009 at 7:35pm

"You know your kid has to be really smart to be a Nuke!" That is a bit of an understatement. I married a Navy Nuke and he's still a Nuke (civilian). I always knew he was smart. My son, well I was not so sure. He hated school and was the last person you would expect to become a Nuke. Of course I was proud of him when he got into the program. But it was how proud and impressed my husband was that said everything. When Alex graduated from Nuke school in GC, my husband not only took off from work but flew in the rest of his family to see the graduation. I must confess that I get to know a lot more than most Moms. Not from my son but from my husband. I would say that when you are with your sons, ask them questions. Just don't be upset if they say they can't tell you something, but let them share what they can share, so they know you still care.

Comment by Mark on January 28, 2009 at 8:59pm

Great recommendation, Kaye. "Carrier" was a terrific production (why not, Mel Gibson was behind it!) and the access the film crew got was remarkable. They were allowed to very realistically depict Navy life - it's great stuff for anyone thinking about enlisting as well.

Comment by Kaye S. on January 28, 2009 at 3:13pm

Diannah is right... especially when on cruise, they work so hard, there's not time for "other stuff" (do you remember having toddlers and your mother would complain that you hadn't called to chat recently?! HA!).

PBS produced a series called "Carrier" which I highly recommend to ALL NAVY MOMS AND WIVES! It shows daily life aboard an aircraft carrier for the duration of a cruise. Granted, sub life is a little different, but I learned so much about the Navy culture and life... Son was only in Nuke school, but I learned that when he was on the boat, there was a reason I might not hear much from him; but it would NOT be because he wasn't thinking about me. Hugs! k.

Comment by NevadaSierra on January 28, 2009 at 10:35am

PS I just thought that he was being private - not only because he is told to-but because he has a family and has no time - but also because he was chopping the apron strings. We've been so disconnected. This will help greatly - we don't get to talk much and this will give me a chance to understand better! Thank you!

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