Moms of IS (Intelligence Specialist) sailors.

JM,

You are already on my friends list but I could not get the private mesg. to work. I t was not letting me put a name into the send to field.

HI everyone, my SR is still in boot camp with a PIR date of july 15. Do you remember is your sailor left Great lakes to Virginia beach on Saturday or did they go on Sunday? i made our reservations early, and am staying in Great lakes until Monday, i did not know that they could leave for school on Saturday :(  the whole family is going from Seattle, and I'm not sure if we should try and change our flights....

Karin,

It varies. My son left on Sunday. He had to be at the airport very early as they all get bused out about the same time. Then they check in at USO, find their concourse, gate numbers, etc Then they sit and wait until time for each sailor's flight.Usually your grad pack tells when his/her division is leaving the school. (Grad and Go, leave Friday afternoon, leaves Sat, etc..) At this time of year, you might enjoy 6 Flags if he leaves early. (Most sailors, I have heard, do not go to 6 Flags as they must remain in uniform while out with their families, and don't want to take a chance on ruining their uniforms). There is also plenty to do down in the city of course. (Unfortunately, I have pics of several inches to a couple of feet of snow, when Chris graduated)

Good luck to your sailor. You will be totally amazed at the changes that have occurred in the past nine weeks. Enjoy the weekend.!

Ditto.  My son and Lisa's son graduated and traveled together (and went to Oceana for parking permits together, I heard :)  I would count on a quick departure from Base and Ohare early on Saturday.  Enjoy PIR Karin.

Anyone have an sailor that went to C school for ground?

My husbands best friend got ground. He stationed here with us too.

My daughter is graduating BC next Friday and the on her way to Dam Neck....Do they have internet access or would I need to get her an air card?  I want to make sure I can stay in touch with her every way possible.

They have internet... my daughter has a laptop and gets online with it... tho her phone service is spotty there. (Sprint)

My son finished ground C school in May and is now stationed at Dam Neck with his command.

JM my husband's friend graduated from ground in may too! I wonder if they knew each other

COULD BE, HE HAS ALREADY BEEN PUT ON A TEAM

My husband's friend is stationed on andrews afb but just left for California to do some training. You should pm me your sailors last name

My boyfriend is leaving for bootcamp in December and then will go to school for IS. Is there any time frame of how long A School and C School are or does it depend on your specialty? I'm just trying to get a rough idea of how long he will be there.

Anchorsaweigh1214, If you go to the top discussion you will see one called "Now your sailor is at Dam Neck. This is a brief explaination of IS school at Dam Neck. It will answer a lot of your questions. Hope that helps. I have two sailor in IS. One for Imagery and one for ground who is now stationed at Dam Neck.

my daughter goes tomorrow for her interview for ground... keep her in your thoughts and prayers please! :)

Best wishes to her Mom2a.  Have things gotten better with the treatment she was receiving?  She must be special if she is being considered for ground.

Hi everyone....

My daughter just arrived at Dam Neck on 7/16.  Classes start for her on Monday.  So far so good....She and another girl that came with her from boot camp, moved in with another female that had been there for a while. 

 

I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning from you all.

Mom2....many thoughts and prayers.

Just wanted to update... she called me today after her interview. She didn't get ground.. BUT, after her interview the person who interviewd her said that she is a good candidate for ground and they want her to try again, after she's had some experience in intel. She sounded real positive and was ok with not getting it now, but really wants to work for it at a later date. She is still young 19 and is a little on the shy, quiet side, but has really come out of her shell in the past year. They said to work on that and try back at a later date. I was so proud of her, a year ago she would NEVER have been so calm and confident about the interview. I had asked her if she was nervous and she said NO. That is a huge step for her. She'll get there and the Navy is really helping her become more confident and sure of herself. :)

Laurel,
YES.. after the girls talked to the chief, the boys stopped the nonsense. There is still some ribbing that goes on, but she's been able to handle it ok. They haven't been the most encouraging and like to put down the girls, but it isn't as bad as it first was.
Just T... My daughter will be in A school til Aug.5th..., if she has any questions I can PM you her last name. :)

I am told there are some very dumb boys in A School.  Enough said, but it is a good learning and growth opportunity for our sailors.  They will encounter all kinds in the Navy and now they will be prepared.  Best wishes Moms and Family Members.  Thank goodness the air is fixed because the heat dome is scheduled for VB now.

And I am hearing this from my son :)  A boy himself.

I know that there are different jobs within the IS field.  What are they and where can I learn more about them? Thank you in advance!

Laura,

Quite some time ago our group creator, Ellen, posted a discussion on all the sub-specialties of the IS rating.  If you go to the Discussion Forum box right above where you type your comment, click on the link in the lower right corner for View All   Look for the discussion titled:

FOR NEW MEMBERS: IS RATE INFORMATION/REQUIREMENTS/SUB-SPECIALTY DESCRIPTIONS.

I don't know if the info changed that much since our boys started a few years ago, but it should give you some good general information and then the links may provide additional info.

Hope this helps!!!  There are tons of information about this rate but not all of it can be shared openly.

Thank you for the info Anna.  It gives me a place to start. I wasn't sure what the sub-specialities were.

Mom2aSailor and Laurelbc, Unfortunately not all dumbness is left at school. My son found out quickly that there are some who are quite intelligent but would rather sleep on the job, be off in their own little fantasy world or just plain don't care that much. Luckily he only personally had like two of those types to deal with over the past couple of years. Developing people skills is all a part of the job too. :-)

 

Carl and Irene, Great to see you guys back on for a check-in! Yes, I tried to send JM a message not long ago but could not get the message to send. Maybe I need to try to add her as a friend again before trying to send the message. I think Chris is supposed to be on same ship as Cam once he gets there. Ask Cam if he knows about a squadron coming from Whidbey.

 

Anna saw wedding pics at Facebook! Wonderful! I know you enjoyed having so much of the family together again.

Navy Hugs to all,

Mary

Hello all!  I havent been on in a while.  What does it mean to interview for "ground"? I havent heard that yet!  My son seems to be doing fine with A School so far. He made me a little nervous.......other thatn joining the navy did his first real grown up thing........he bought a truck. I was so nervous about him doing it, wanting to make sure he got a good deal, got a good interest rate, payments not too high. At one point I was asking him so many questions I think was really starting t bug him. So I stopped, one more time I get to let go!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer and if you live back east you are staying cool. I am in WA, I think one of the only places in the nation not really having too much of a sumer yet :o)

If you want ground intel for your C school (job) I guess you have to go through an interview process. Out of the 3 that interviewed, I think one got it. They didn't give it to him at first, then the instructors went to bat for him and they gave it to him.
My daughter didn't get it, so she is hoping to get Strike now. She graduates Aug. 5th from A school.

Hi Mmiles.  There are 4 specialties after IS A school and I think there is a discussion group that details them.  I understand they are ground, strike, opintel and imagery.  Ground is very elite as those IS people deploy with the Seals, etc.  Your son will be choosing/ being selected for one as he nears the end of A School.  I think it also depends upon availability and I hear ground is over staffed.  Not sure, just learning myself from all the other Moms.  Good to see you.

Devon... is it your husband that is still in IS school with my daughter?  She said someone came up to her the other day and said.."You look just like your mom!"  LOL  She said he said his wife and I were chatting on N4M's... 

Almost done!! Aug. 5th is their graduation!!! 

Hi everyone. I have a few logistical questions about Dam Neck.

What is the most convenient airport to fly in and out of?

How would my son get to the airport?  Are there shuttle busses?  Base transportation?

Thank you for your help.  I am trying to plan ahead. His PIR is 9/9.

Laura -  Norfolk is the closest airport to the base.  It's relatively small and easy to get in and out of.  When our son was at Dam Neck, he either got a buddy to drive him to the airport or sometimes have the "Daily Driver" run him over.

 

When he first goes after Boot Camp, the Navy handles all the arrangements.

Laura,

As Libby says the trip from GL to DN is provided by and arranged by the Navy. That is why he has no say in when he leaves GL. Once he is at his school he makes his own arrangements when he travels but there are usually an office of travel "experts" who can assist your sailor in booking flights, procurring tickets, and often have coupons for discounts to attractions in the area or information about transportation and accomodations near the base. I don't remember offhand the name of the office. I want to say it's like ITT or maybe TTI (Inform. on Travel and Tourism???). My son has often found that for traveling within the US or travel originating from the US, Priceline.com has good rates and he has more options for travel dates and times. For travel originating outside the states he can often book flights with Orbitz.com (Priceline cannot help with travel outside the US at this time).

If a sailor is traveling on orders like from one duty station to another or traveling because he/she is on a mission, the Navy makes arrangements and pays. If your sailor is on leave or makes a "side trip" between duty stations, then he/she must make those arrangments and pay for the "side trip" portion of the travel. Also if they are traveling on orders the command at their destination will make arrangements for their pick up at the airport/train station, etc. unless there are other arrangements made in advance. My son's first two duty stations after DN, he had a sponsor at his next duty station who he gave his travel info to and who would greet him at arrival, help get him to the offices for medicals, check-in, finding his barracks, finding food and work station. They are seldom left to just blindly find their own way.

It all requires paperwork, but your sailor learns after the first or second leave/duty station change how it all works to make subsequent travel easier and smooth. Good discussion though, thanks for the question.

Navy Hugs,

Mary 

Yes, my husband is finishing A school today. It's exciting--just wish he could come home while he is between A and C--maybe he will get to for a weekend or two since it sounds like he will be on hold for a while. :)

Thanks for the information.  I probably should have been clearer with my questions.  I am an Army wife and I am familiar with ITT travel and travelling on orders. (sorry that I didn't mention that upfront)

My concern is (should he be lucky enough to come for a few days over the holidays) how he will get from Dam Neck to the airport?  I feel better knowing that there is a "daily driver".  Can he always count on that?

Most Army bases are not so accomodating when it comes to getting to the airport for personal trips.  I pray the Navy is more helpful!  We already know the quality of life is better.  We were thrilled when our son went Navy!

Laura,

I'm sure you know that you can never count on anything being provided then. While his command and his instructors will help guide him all they can, he will have to ask to get authorization for the daily driver to go that far and I think they have to pay for the gas too. He might be able to work out a late weekend flight so folks coming in from GL or leaves are getting a ride one way and he could get a ride the other way. He is likely better off getting a student with a POV there to take him. I'm sorry I cannot be a bit more helpful but we live close enough that we took my son's car to him after he phased up. He did not have to deal with that until he graduated.

Having been involved with the military before we may be looking to you for general military info! :-)

 

As a side note, my son got to his new command yesterday afternoon. Of course the past three weeks were way too short but it was so nice to see him. Now we just have to wait and see how long before he must head back overseas. :-(   After 2 years of shore duty, he is excited to know he will finally get to do some time on ship.

 

Hugs to All,

Mary 

Mary,

You should tell Chris to look up Catherine at the PSD at Kitsap!!!  What base did they send him to?

Thank you Mary & Carolyn for the information.

He isn't even there yet and I am already planning for him to come home on leave.  How pathetic is that?!  I can't help myself.  I started planning for my hubby leave first as a girlfriend, then fiancee & wife.  Now here I am as a mother planning  (hoping) for my son to have leave!  I need a break!

Laura, LOL...funny, he needs a leave so you can have a break! I remember feeling that way. I wanted to call GL and say, "But sir, you don't understand..." When the chips were down and I needed my son at home the Navy not only allowed him to come home, but asked him a couple of times if he needed to extend his leave time. His command there in Korea was totally awesome.

Anna, Good to see you have been around over here. I'm still waiting for you to call me back. LOL...first, did you read online about Dee's husband Rick, having a close call with his heart? He is alright, he spent one night in ICU but was lucky that he paid attention to his body and went to the ER when he did. New doc, new meds, I'm going to call them this evening and check on them.

Ok, second, I did tell Chris several weeks ago to see if he can get time to go to Kitsap to see Catherine. That will of course be contingent on him getting a ride down there unless they offer a shuttle or he is duty driver one day. The other thing is not knowing how long he will be at Whidbey Is. His sponsor is at sea so nobody seems to know what he needs to do to get squared away. He is going to do a little more investigating this morning and then work on it hard tomorrow. He has already seen folks from A school, C school, and Korea who he remembers or has worked with. Once he is settled, I will remind him about Catherine and Nick. 

I hope everyone has a great day. Hugs!

Mary

What are the quarters like at Dam Neck?  I am curious about the set up.  I picture a dorm like room with a regular twin bed and a real closet!

How many sailors to a room?  I know that I will hear all about it soon enough (in about a month) but I am trying to focus on life after boot for my son.

He said in a letter that not being able to listen to music is killing him!

Laura,

The rooms are small but usually they keep it 2/room although they have at several times had to pile them into rooms during renovations, repairs, etc. They each have a twin bed and I believe a wardrobe type cabinet and a desk. There is space for a small TV but everything must be kept presentable. They are subject to inspection most anytime. They have a small dorm size fridge in most of the rooms as well as a microwave. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think they also had a two burner electric "range" (if so it was like a counter top type.) I know at holidays they all tended to buy one or two items and cook then bring it in to the common area and have their own little holiday feast. Chris' fav part of the barracks was sharing a bathroom with only 1 or 2 others!

I never actually saw one of the rooms but Chris did send home a pic of himself by his bed showing he really could make a bed, if he had to. (I love the Navy!)

 

I hope this helps and that my information is accurate. At this stage the emphasis is on learning. Most are just thankful to be finished with boot and beginning to wonder what the first duty assignment after school will be like. :-)

 

Hugs,

Mary

The barracks room have 3 twin beds in them with storage under the mattress. They each have a closet/locker to secure their clothes and personal belongings. Each room has its own shower and sink. They have a small fridge/freezer and a microwave. Electric stoves are on some floors in the commons. Each room has one window that can be opened. They have 2-3 sailors to a room. There are 6 floors in the barracks building with an elevator and stairs, good thing too because the elevators are slow and break down a lot. Much better living than at RTFM.

Thank you all so much for the information including the little details!  It gives me enough information to form a visual image, which is great.  The wondering and the not knowing can be unbearable at times.

I look at the training schedule and try to guess what he is doing at basic each day.  At least at Dam Neck, I will have a bit more information from him, hopefully.

Two more questions - #1)  Carolyn, you said that there were issues with the cell signal at times.  Were you able to use Skye at all?

#2)  Only a question that a mom would ask...Do they get to use their own sheets and pillows or is it Navy issue only?

 

My son's friend in Nuke school was able to personalize his room, but then again that school is 12 months (maybe 18 months) long.

Make that Skype not Skye, sorry. 

Younger son had oral surgery for 4 wisdom teeth today.  It is late and I am dead tired.  Vicodin did not wipe him out, it made him energetic & hyper!  Another few hours of this and I am going to pop some Vicodin.

Yes they can Skype. If they want internet in their barracks room they'll need to pay for it. It's reasonably priced but I can't remember how much, usually roommates split it. If they don't choose to have internet in the room there is free internet access at the oasis. Which is like a lounge with a small movie theater room, computer room, subway, pool tables, vending machines, couches. I spent a lot of time hanging out there when my sailor was in school. Most guys would probably be embarrassed to Skype with their mom in the oasis though :)

oh and yes they can have their own bedding.

Laura,

I do know that Skype from the rooms is possible and if the internet connection is good then it might be preferable to trying to use cell. We also had problems with cell phone drops and static (I tend to think it is a lot of the equipment used there for training the students, jamming signals and interferring), but one of the students when Chris was there, Skyped with his mom and slowly turned his laptop (and camera of course) around in the room so she could get a good idea of the room. My son was lucky enough that he had only one roommate the entire time he was there. There were only two beds in his room but other rooms there were three beds. I must agree with Carolyn though, that my son and most of the moms who had sailors in school about the same time, all would say that they really don't have a lot of excess time at night for making calls. Many of them were at the school until late at night and there were a few mornings my son said he was going in at 5:30am to work on some stuff. Like Carolyn, I knew that when Chris did not have school or was busy on duty he enjoyed going to the main beach or out to eat or off shopping at the NEX Mall or one of the malls in the area.

 

On a separate note, my son just reported to his second duty station since IS school. When he went to Korea, he went with a buddy from C school thought they were at separate bases once there. Once there, he made friends in the IS community quickly and a few guys (and gals) came afterward who he knew at Dam Neck. Last week upon reporting to Whidbey Is., WA, he saw several people there he knew either from Korea or from Dam Neck. It is a small community and during school is a great time for them to begin networking. There is a chance they will eventually run into each other again.

 

Need to go, and I feel tired enough I don't need Laura's vicodin.. :-)

Hugs,

Mary    

Thanks to all you experienced IS Moms.  My son is graduating (hopefully, you know how these things can change) on 8/26 from A School.  All my worries during Boot Camp seem like a distant memory.  I have always appreciated the insights from the "senior" Moms and some day I may be one :)

And Laura, the first thing my son did was go to Walmart and buy sheets.  Apparently the Navy issue ones are pretty rough and worn out.  But, it's a real mattress unlike boot camp so all in all, it's an upgrade.

Thanks again to all of you for your comments!  Don't worry, I won't be one of those crazy helicopter mom hovering over their child!

I'm sure that whatever little time he has to himself he will be spending it communicating with his girlfriend!  Thats OK.  I like her and she comes over or calls me to give me an update from his letters.  She gets WAY more details than I do. Go figure!

I say a prayer every night that he will keep concentrating and studying through boot and IS school.  I don't want his mind to wander too much.Sorry, its in my blood to worry.   When this Italian momma gets stressed or worried I make meatballs.  Needless to say I have hundreds in the freezer!