Comment

Comment by JJ on October 20, 2009 at 9:21pm

I have read the comments made by many of you regarding the officers and enlisted. I am so surprised by many of the comments and can only say, that the way you feel is very normal for those who have not been in the Navy for a long time. Things will change as time gets longer. I have been at this for a long time, nearly 20 years, and things will change for your children. My son has never treated anyone any differently than he would like to be treated himself.

Keeping in touch with your loved one is much easier today than it was 20 years ago. Try to remember that we live in an age of technology, where you can reach some one by email or by phone, in a matter of seconds. There really was a time where a hand written letter was the ONLY way to communicate with our service personnel. Several weeks, or a month was not uncommon before the letter arrived and then to get a response, well...that might have taken another month or longer. So, if you don't hear from your son or daughter for a few days, doesn't mean that you are forgotten. They may be very busy and unable to take that time needed to respond. They still love you and think of you more than they want to admit.

There have been many times where I have not heard from my son for a month or more. No news is good news! I send out my prayers and don't worry about things that I can not do anything about. My son has been in many places that I wished he hadn't and has been half way across the world. He continues to serve his country and I am very proud of him and all the men and women that serve with him. God bless all our troops!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful day for I keep you all in my thoughs!

Comment by Paymaster on October 20, 2009 at 8:34pm

Vinessa....Have you gotten to go and visit him there yet? When you go, there's a great store called Wings. It a must for pilot mom's.

Comment by Paymaster on October 20, 2009 at 8:56am

Vinessa....Welcome to the group. What is your son doing in Pensacola?

Comment by BunkerQB on October 19, 2009 at 12:50pm

Chris, my son is a nuke officer on a sub out in the middle of the Pacific O. I am with Leslie on chat rooms - on occasions when I wondered in, I thought the conversations lacked content, I can't type fast enough and I don't speak the same language. My husband and I were invited to the homecoming for an enlisted nuke (just finished his Prototype training). This sailor is a very intelligent young man. I asked him if he was going to try to get his college degree and apply for OCS. He said he would not want to be a nuke officer - too heavy a responsibility. That comment certainly made us appreciate our son's accomplishments more. Our son is actually younger in age than this enlisted sailor but he has had to mature quickly since Dec 06 when he joined the Navy after graduating from college.

Comment by BunkerQB on October 19, 2009 at 12:32am

Inflation, perhaps?
I just read an article that stated the cost of building a Virgina class submarine to be over 2 BILLION dollars. I was somewhat shocked. I thought it was no more than 50 to 100 million. Maybe the cost includes all the training and testing - which we all know is extensive.
DJ, I have been thinking about what you wrote. My son has observed on occasions that the officers (particularly the JOs) were not as courteous to the enlisted guys as he felt they should be. I know he makes a point of getting his own coffee, unless one of the guys is getting one for himself and I know he goes in on his day off to help the guys clean sometimes - he said they really appreciated the extra hand - then everybody goes home earlier.
Our son has been gone since May. We have not heard from him since late Aug.
Bea

Comment by JJ on October 18, 2009 at 11:35pm

Ruth.....The Navy doesn't want anything to happen to their multi-million dollar ships nor the men and women who serve on them, so I am sure that the ship is on the move to a little saver waters. They may hit high waves and rough seas, and some may come down with sea-sickness. Although I do not have my loved one on board, I remember when Eric was an Ensign serving off the Washington coast (some 16 years ago). With 40 foot waves hitting the ship, it made it a bit difficult for him to "hit the head" as he was throwing up! LOL Happens more often than you think! Your son will do just fine, might complain about it, but he will be fine! Those Navy ships are built to withstand a lot more than a little rough weather. I will send out an extra prayer for both your son and for you, too.

Comment by BunkerQB on October 13, 2009 at 1:58pm

I had to go back a few comments to figure out what site you are all referring to. I found this on this site on the internet.

Click HERE to go directly to From Our Hearts.

Bea

Comment by Diane2557 on October 12, 2009 at 9:22pm

Leslie - could you check the URL for the card website you mentioned. I tried it and I got a "This site may be for sale" notice.

Comment by Diane2557 on October 11, 2009 at 1:44pm

Good Sunday morning to you all. And welcome to the newcomers. Thanks for all the great advice on sending packages. While my son's not going on his first deployment till early next year, I've already asked him for a list of things he would like. I got, "Aw, Mom! I don't need anything." My answer..."I need to do it." So hopefully when we visit him and his wife during Thanksgiving, he'll give me ideas. Otherwise, I will use all of your great ideas, ladies, so keep them coming. Plus, I told him, if he doesn't need or want anything I send, to just give it away to those who don't get anything from home.

Chris: my son is flying the Ea6b jet fondly called the Prowler with the VAQ-129 squadron. After his first deployment, he will be retrained on the EA-18G Growler, a new electronic warfare derivative of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. With all that electronic jamming equipment onboard, they fly out before the F-18's go in to do their work.

Comment by JJ on October 10, 2009 at 9:50pm

Just a reminder regarding shipping ideas: If it melts...Zip Lock Bag it!! Anything that has a smell (like soaps) double-zip lock bag it!! The zip lock bags are your BEST friend when it comes to shipping. ALWAYS ask you child what they want BEFORE you send it since space is a major luxury except at home. If you are putting several items in a box to send, make sure that you make a detailed list of what's in that box. The post office also has a list of items that you can not send to certain countries, so check with them first before you send.
Have a great day!!

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