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:

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

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How to live in Japan with your sponsor on unaccompanied orders. IT IS POSSIBLE!

My story:

I married my husband between boot camp and A school so he had already been given orders to Yokosuka, Japan as unaccompanied once he left boot camp. He could not change them and long story short I spent 6 weeks scouring the web and asking lots of questions from every source I could get in contact with. He is an E1 so he was denied command sponsorship and everyone on his base told him he would not be able to get me over there.

I am currently in the states still waiting for my passport. I will update this discussion on my situation once my passport arrives and I arrive in Japan. My husband is already scouting apartments for us, and has found very affordable places to live.

(UPDATE!)

I was very worried when I headed to the airport because I thought I needed a lot of paperwork that I didn't have. I flew Japan Airlines and they made me sign a paper saying that they explained to me that I could only stay 90 days with a tourist visa (because I had a one-way ticket). However, once I arrived in Japan, I showed them my military ID and they told me which forms to fill out and I received a SOFA stamp. Easy as pie. So don't sweat the legal stuff, you're covered. Make sure you have a place to stay and go to Fleet and Family asap to talk about employment, AOB (a short course that introduces you to Japanese culture), and other great resources. I love it here!

Why I'm sharing:

I really wanted to create a post on this site, because it has been so helpful for me through this whole process, and I'm sure there are other new wives in a similar situation who could benefit from this information.

What I found out:

You will basically be in Japan on SOFA. SOFA is granted to all US armed forces AND their dependents. SOFA status waives all Japanese Visa requirements.

What you need to get SOFA:

  • Military Dependent ID (Yup, that's it.)

What you need to know about being on SOFA (not being command sponsored):

  • US armed forces members and their dependents are exempt from the Japanese passport and visa laws and regulations, regulations on registration and control of aliens, but are not considered to have any right to permanent residence.
  • You should carry your military ID and passport at all times.
    • You need to be able to show this to any Japanese authority who asks to see it at any time. (I have not personally been asked by anyone for this, but it's better to be prepared and have it in case you would need it.)
  • You will not get separation pay
  • You need to find your own place off base
  • Sponsor will need to apply to live off base (which may not be granted depending on their rank, but they can get liberty for the night/weekend and come home.)
  • Benefits may be limited due to you not being sponsored (I will post more on that when I get over there, because I honestly do not know yet.)
  • You will need to go through additional steps to work off-base (I will post more on that once I get over there, because I have not found out exactly what hoops you need to jump through for that yet either.)

Sources:
http://www.japanbases.com/forums/aft/8957.aspx
http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/usa/sfa/pdfs/fulltext.pdf

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