Camp Lejeune and FMTB-East Moms, Families and Friends

Ladies please listen to Ruthella she knows what she speaks ... Please check out the group that Marcy gave you the link to... We all belong to it and that is where I got all of my support while my son was deployed...

Alligators at the beach?!? http://www.mccslejeune.com/beach/index.html See the notice in the righthand column... Oh Melissa! .....

Our son is in A school at GL and just received orders that he will be heading to CL later this year. He is still very excited about what he is learning. Any advise for us new parents of CL?

Mama, is he going to FMTB or is this his first duty station?

I ask b/c if the latter, he'd better have a car ;)
Ruthella, I just can't get over the alligator thing. For some reason I can understand a shark taking a detour, but the gator thing? That's just too much! I always mean to ask, I got to know you halfway along your trip. Where did you begin your trip with the boat, and what was your route?

In a word - courageous. What an amazing journey. I've always wondered about how you could have begun in Tulsa and am not proud of my geography ignorance. This is just the most fascinating trek! Yep, you & I have talked about boat length before and it will be a relief to get a more manageable one for so many reasons.

OMG !!! Whats great is that I remember some of that trip...LOL Birthday suit...

Marcy, he is going for FMF/FMTB. I do not think that he will have time for a car.

Ruthella, I am learning all of this as we go. Thank you for the information. He is not very good at giving us all of the details, LOL. I do as much research as I can on the internet but I still feel very ignorant. ;( So I guess he is going to CL for FMTB then. Thanks again.

I just added a link to "Student Materials" in the first discussion above. You'll be amazed at the depth and breadth of the material, and it's great to be able to follow along.

Marcy, thank you for all of your links, I find them very helpful.

Dan has his car at FMTB now, he's glad he has it. They have evenings and weekends, except this week they are out at the rifle range and not in their barracks.

Glad mine had his car, too. They went out to dinner in groups, to Chilis etc. There are taxis at Camp Johnson for those without but must get costly as CJ is far from things. Lot of laughing for sure, happy grads at the end too! All types - male, female, tall and not-so-tall

my brother in law prefers "vertically challenged"

Marcy what can I say.... What a cutie...Melissa is truly missing out cuz she isn't going to see this pic...

Hi all, just checking in. Our grandson was here all weekend until noon today :) Also, with two teenagers home on the weekends It's almost impossible to get on the computer. I think I should see about getting my own laptop; Hmmm. Susan from SC/Corpsman Mom, were so lucky to have this group to help us through these new experiences. I'm glad to be part of the Navy for Mom Community with so many who have calming advice, experience and humor. They call your son an old man @ 22 :) My cub will be 25 soon...Ancient. Oh susan, your not alone. I wish I was more articulate with my writing but please know that my heart is with you.

Ruthella, what a story! I was holding my breath a little. Thank you for sharing. The way these men proctect each other is amazing. How is your son now?

About time to hit hotwire for reservations!

That reminds me - I mentioned this to Charlotte - when you go, get extra programs for the sailors who don't have families attending and give them out after graduaton. The program has their names printed inside and are a nice memento to add to the folder with certificates they receive.

Marcy what a great idea...

That's because she is our Marcy... She always has the best ideas... I bet she is even saying "Ladies you would have thought of that eventually" Nope we wouldn't have..LOL

Christine - YAY !!!! Your going to have a blast !!! All three of my kids are there and love it .. Enjoy...

Where are you staying Christine?

We stayed at the Baymont the first time we visited, it was nice. I looked to book last night and it was filled. I saw the Ramada had a cheap rate but the reviews weren't very good. I'll take a look at the Innkeeper.

Safe travels for all and enjoy your trip :)

Forgot to look last night. I'll book it tonight. I think I saw rooms at the Innkeeper, Baymont was filled.

Booked at the Innkeeper! The Baymont didn't have any rooms with two double beds, Dan's brother will be coming with us so we needed a room that slept 4.

Dan just messaged his mom that they're back at base after a week in the field.

Christine, did J mention anything about the 96 weekend?

wow, you get intel! we get opsec on steroids. Dan thought he may be able to come home for the weekend, of course we'll already be there! Can't wait.

\OPSEC? John, who does he think you are? That's so cute.

Mom talked to Dan tonight. They are turning in their gear tomorrow and then just a few more days of training before graduation next Friday! He also talked to hid Chief and will be able to come home for the weekend, that means we're driving down Thursday and returning Friday with Dan.

Ruthella, what is UP with the rain?? I was just looking at photos of flooding on WAVY.com. Sheesh! You ok? You did come in out of the rain, I heard :)

I think next Monday is Columbus Day, a 96 weekend at Lejeune.

Welcome Kitty! And congratulations on your son's upcoming graduation. How nice he'll be closer to home soon!

Enjoy your time with your son...All three of my children are there right now..

See you there Christine!

Some good photos coming next week I hope! Enjoy your travels & graduation experience, everyone.

CONGRATULATIONS NEW FMTB GRADS!

YES!!!! You truly earned the title of Ultimate Navy Mom this week Charlotte! Oh my gosh I can't imagine & I'm so glad I could help. Keep an eye out for Thella while you're there :) Tell us every little thing when you can!

Back home with Dan Last night. He didn't want to drive because he only had 3 hours of sleep so we drove his car to Wilmington and left it at the airport. He'll fly back down tomorrow night and drive back to base. Sorry Marcy, we don't take many pictures but here are a few...

Leaving Camp Johnson...

AKCM, isn't that lovely? I just love it all. He sounds like a wonderful guy.
John - nice job! I like the sign too. So it's now held in a gymnasium, it seems. Did you get to meet up with Christine and Charlotte?

Yes, it was in the Gym. Sound was terrible and there wasn't a flag in site for the anthem, we thought that was strange. I liked when they were ordered to sit, then "adjust!" and they all wiggled there butts in their chairs! LOL.

I saw Christine at the hotel for breakfast and then afterwards when they were dismissed. They were all ready to get out of there so nobody hung around. We got Dan and he checked out of Johnson while we checked out of our room, we were on the road home by 1:30. We never saw Charlotte.

By 1:30 mine was face down on a hotel bed taking a loooong nap!

Interesting video (8:18 in length) - The History of Field Medical Training Battalion East" ~
http://player.theplatform.com/ps/player/pds/PVZ32iOKjb?pid=IFUQvxXE...

I sure hope not! Do you think J might?

Charlotte, EOD stands for explosive ordnance disposal.

Not to worry Charlotte, it never ends! There's always a new one. My son said something that sounded like e-swaass the other day; he explained that's for ESWS, or the Enlisted Surface Warfare Service device. (A device is a pin that's worn on a uniform. Took me a while to stop thinking of a device as a gadget!)

Like the FMF pin, ESWS is earned via a formal program of study & testing within a timeframe. The ESWS pin is earned on ship deployment, & consists of written exams, walk-throughs of certain departments, & two oral boards ( one if which is called the murder board). Earning the FMF or ESWS pin is a major accomplishment...

if/of - typing on my Droid