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Comment by Momma TS on January 1, 2014 at 3:46am

Happy New Year!!!

Comment by Sundown on December 26, 2013 at 1:55pm

@Valk that is awesome your sailor is going home. Mine came home last weekend for 3 days. All he did was eat and sleep. We had family Christmas early but it was great.

Comment by ValK on December 26, 2013 at 12:58pm

Salutations & Felicitations this Holiday Seaton.  I had a hard cry Christmas morning missing my Sailor Man but he's coming home on Saturday.  He said all he wants to do is sleep in his bed & eat home cooking.  Apparently the food trucks are gone from the Yard.  Plumbing seems to be fixed on the Essex.

Comment by Sundown on December 26, 2013 at 12:54am

Merry Christmas! I am missing my Sailor this Christmas :( He had duty for the second year in a row.

Comment by Momma TS on December 25, 2013 at 12:45am

Merry Christmas!

Comment by ValK on November 5, 2013 at 8:30pm

Greetings All. Our sailor will be home the week of New Year's.  If sailor has duty, they're on/available for 24 hours. Otherwise, his day was usually over by 1600.  Great idea about restaurant gift cards. I know they had a "skating party" over Halloween.  I hope they have a nice Thanksgiving dinner.

Comment by Momma TS on November 5, 2013 at 12:38pm

Wow, that's crazy! Thanks for the info Trinket. I usually try to send my son a care package every other week. So far he says he doesn't need money, do you think that will change? I've sent gift cards for the restaurants close or on his current base though.
I will be glad to have him back in the same time zone!
May I ask what hours they are forced to work? Also, what are your son's rate/job's?
Do they get time off around the holidays? We are new to the military life experience, so not sure what to expect.
Prayers to all our military and their families!

Comment by Trinket on November 5, 2013 at 11:41am

Jane, MM Mom,

I'm so glad your son found other living arrangements.  You're right about how expensive it is to live in San Diego.  You must have been so happy to have him off that barge and eating again.  I'm so happy for him. =)

Momma TSOften when we have sent money and food packages to our son at the address he gave us, he can not easily pick it up.  His long work hours keep him from being able to get the mail and the Sailor assigned to pick up the mail for them is also working long hours and he was unable to get it either.  It has taken 3-4 weeks for him to get what we have sent to him because of this.  We have started using Western Union to send him money and also have sent packages to a FedEx office and this seems to be easier for him to pick up.  Just a heads up. 

Comment by Momma TS on November 4, 2013 at 4:04pm

Thank you ValK and Trinket for all the information.  How long have the USS Essex sailors been living under these conditions?  Seems to me that prisoners are treated better...... I hope the conditions have improved and that they are able to move back on the ship or to barracks soon!

My sailor should be reporting at the end of the month.  I will keep in contact with you. 

Thanks again,

Momma TS

Comment by Trinket on October 31, 2013 at 7:20am

The barge is a "temporary" place for them while the ship is being repaired.

Sadly, the mess hall is often closed before our guys get off of work from the ship. Many of the Sailors just rely on snacks that they stuff into their lockers or go off base to eat after the long hours they put in at work. I hear tomorrow they are having a BBQ for the Sailors, if they can make it in time. I bet there won't be any leftovers. 

The barges only have a few toilets (when they are working) and few outlets for charging their phones.  Many of the Sailors have bought "super chargers" to charge their phones quickly because there just aren't enough outlets.  There is no wifi on the barge, so emails via computer are out unless they go to Starbucks or some other place where they have wifi.  I am not sure how much locker room they get, other than a standing locker and the one that is part of their rack/bunk.  I'll ask for you.

 ValK, I agree with you about this being a health hazard.  My son said that most of them now don't have clean clothes to wear either now because of the lack of water.  They are buying bottled water with what little money they have.  Thank God for the ship nearby them that has allowed the Sailors to go there for showers. 

It isn't what I expected either.  My son had bed bugs in his rack in A School the entire time even after he repeatedly asked for a replacement mattress.  He eventually bought some spray and a mattress cover and treated it himself. 

Hopefully, these Sailors can move to barracks soon.  Although it takes some time to get into them because they have to do certain listed things before they earn the right to move there.  I will ask if they are able to live off base. 

Just send lots of love and support to our guys. They need it.  They are good men and have certainly proven how tough they are.  God bless them all.

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