We flew out of Providence as the snow was falling...well actually it was snowing sideways with the wind blowing. Flights were delaying and canceling like crazy, we got lucky. I'm not sure about the schedule at OCS, that is a different command from the NWC group. They even have different websites. I would assume that unless the base closed down, all graduations proceeded as scheduled.
Helomom-I can't wait to post what you posted. LOL. My son starts post-grad studies in Monterey, CA next month. Going for his masters in HomeLand Security. I love attention graduations. Congratulations!!!!!!!
Excellent, Adale! Our son has really enjoyed this year of school. It was an amazing opportunity. Next he starts all of his course work to prepare for his command tour as well as getting back to flying. September will be promotion to Commander. In June he and his wife will be back in Newport for Command Leadership School. She has course she has to complete too.
My son is really looking forward to this, though he thinks it will be a walk in the park. Congrats in advance for the promotion. My son just returned from the sandbox. SO good to have him on US soil! I am sleeping well.
Hi aggiemom. Congratulations to your new officer and your family! My son is in P'Cola, too. And yes, the weather is better there. I will be visiting him for Easter :)) He is a very handsome young man! We know you are so proud of him.
NurseNavyMom(Shelia)I read your entire blog. Loved it. I share the "elope" thing with you. My son and his "wife" eloped in CA(I am on the east coast)on 9-10-11 at 12:13pm. Gotta love these kids. It saddened me, but I don't let on. His father and I divorced when he was 11-he sides with his dad, and I am lucky to see him at times. He ignores my e-mail and phone calls, though does respond to texts at times....this generation! Thanks for sharing.
adale~my mothers heart goes out to you! There is a similar story on another group where the son has become distant but after marrying. Hang in there, it seems you are not alone. All we can do is love them even if from afar. They know the love is there but sometimes just put us on the very outer rings of their life's target per say. I know we shouldn't be in the middle but maybe just a few rings outside would be nice. Hang in there!
thanks Navy wife and mom........I had high hopes when they married, but seems she is treating me like he does-ignoring my phone calls, e-mails, etc. Once in a while, I get a text in response to my text, but there can be hours in between. It makes me very sad, but I love him anyway. He is back in the USA, but I hear no more often that from the sandbox!
My heart goes out to you adale. My son met his (now) bride before he went into OCS. As a result, she and we went through OCS together, and became close during that time. When he proposed a few months later, we already had a relationship with her as well. We are blessed as they both are very family oriented, and they work to share their available time with both families. Will keep you and your family in our prayers, that a line of mutual communication opens. God bless.
Hello, I am new to this group. My son is in week 2 at OCS. I am not knew to this site however, which is a good thing. My other son is in Sasebo, Japan on the USS BHR. I did receive my first letter from my son and am looking forward to graduation already!! Does anyone know if there are a limited amount of family members allowed at graduation? Thanks!
My son graduated last September. There was no limit to the number of people attending graduation. We were 12! It's a wonderful 3 days and one that will leave good memories.
ddmom: My son also graduated OCS last September. As Sconway9 said, there is no limit to how many can go to the graduation, but your son will need to submit a list of names of "his people" who will be attending anything on Base that weekend. The gate guard will check to make sure you are on the list at the gate. We were told everyone in your car over 18 yrs old needs to have a photo ID. The gate guard looked at our ID's and compared them to his list, so be prepared for that. As far as the "Hi Moms" reception the night before graduation, there is also no limit, but the Candidate Officer will have to pay so much per head for all of "his people" attending. The classes themselves decide what they will do for this--some have a full meal, and some have just cocktails and snacks. Our son's class had drinks and snacks at a Newport hotel, and it was still $20 a head! Arrive early in the graduation week if you can. You won't want to miss Pass-in-Review either, where they march in formation and demo their rifle drill.
My daughter graduated last September also and I'm not aware of any limit to the number of guests. You do have to buy tickets for the Hi Moms reception held on Thursday night. There are limited number of chairs set up for graduation and after that it is standing room only.
ddmom is your son in class 12-13? If so here is the Facebook page for that class (if you aren't already a member) https://www.facebook.com/groups/594379210589702/ These groups are a great support and source of information.
ddmom is your son in class 11-13? I believe class 12-13 comes in this coming Sunday. I'm not a mom, I'm a wife, but my husband is there now too! He's in class 10-13! Let me know if you have any questions about anything, and there is a FB page for all the OCS classes as well, just like aggiemom said!
There are dozens of neighborhoods for your son to consider. I would consider downtown Norfolk, along Colley Ave., Granby St. up to Ocean View Ave., and most places along Shore Drive. Janet Frenck with William E. Wood has been a realtor in the area for thirty years. Give her a call.
Was super excited to see our son for an hour. He's stationed 5 states away and in tailhook pilot training. As one of his cross country trips he flew into our hometown. I had surgery and was hospitalized the week before, so it was such a blessing for both of us to get a hug in person!! Color me a very happy mom!
Daughter and son-in-law are visiting from San Diego for a few days...she just got home from deployment on Friday and they caught the red-eye east to attend a wedding. So good to have both of them in the house.
Lisbeth glad to hear your son made it to the east coast. Keep us posted what a nuclear engineer does on a carrier. The slate comes out this Friday for my son. He wants the east coast too, to be closer to his girlfriend. Oh well it was nice to have him on the west coast for a little bit. Back to the old time change thing :(
to jillmbauer: If your son is flying on Southwest, there is no change fee - there might be a fee if the new flight costs more, but sometimes there is a discount if the flight is less. My advice if your son wants to change his flight is to call the airline and say he is military and that his plans changed and he needs to change his flight. I think that the airlines are more lenient with the military than they are with everyone else. Good luck!
jillmbauer: My son graduated from OCS in Newport in September 2012, and the Navy only sent him a ticket confirmation for his flight TO Newport. After his graduation, his orders gave him about a week's "travel time" to get to his next duty, which was Intelligence School, but he was on his own as far as how to get there. We had flown out to Newport from Indiana for his graduation, and he was able to buy a plane ticket on the same flight as ours and come home with us for a few days. He was then able to collect his vehicle and other stuff, and drive to Virginia Beach for school. I think they can put in for reimbursement of travel expenses between duty stations. But, the Navy did not buy our son's plane ticket LEAVING from OCS. If that is the case with your son, he may be able to make his own travel arrangements and go through CT. I think my son's printed flight info said he must notify the Navy of ANY changes to his flight plans, so if the Navy buys his return ticket, he may have to get permission to change it at all.
Hi Jill. My son graduated ODS October, 2012. I sent you a friend request. I can give you more info on ODS as it is a bit different than OCS. So much to write about it that I don't want to take up a lot of space. Hugs and best wishes, Elaine (aka chergui)
Finished a quilt for my youngest grandson to take to day care. I had made a quilt for him when he was born, but there were so many scrapes left I felt like I had more than enough to make another quilt. So I did. I used up all my mistake blocks and the left over scrapes. I figure it would be a great quilt for him to take to daycare when he goes, its one of a kind and I worked in his name when quilting it. Lets see someone take this quilt!
My husband's parents passed away several years ago. However, in her cedar chest she had made a wedding quilt for each grandchild (our children), knitted them each a popcorn afghan for the wedding shower, and made them each a quilt for their firstborn child. Our Navy son was married in December and was overwhelmed with the two wedding items. He'll find out about the other surprise once they have a child. ;-)
Thank you aggiemom and NOAM. Yes, the quilts are an act of love. I have been asked many times to make quilts for money and I have to turn them down, as I always have quilts waiting to be made for loved ones. The list is long.
tmlawmom, I got your message and I'm not sure how to message you, but we live here in Coronado, and my husband is at OCS right now, just about done...after that he's coming back here to start training, same program as your son! In fact, what class was your son in? They probably know each other! If you message me I would love to help out! :-)
Lucky son! We lived on that amphib base for six years and loved every minute of it. If they want to live on Coronado, there are several apartment buildings on (they call it an island, but it is really a peninsula) Coronado. The best way to find local rentals is to check out the listings in the Coronado Islander, which is the local paper. They could also look in Imperial Beach, the community at the landward end of the peninsula. The biggest problem with living in San Diego and working on Coronado is driving across the bridge, especially when the aircraft carriers are in port. Imperial Beach avoids the bridge and is easy to access from the base. Their housing allowance is pretty substantial, so if he has a roommate or two he can easily afford something quite nice. My daughter and her husband are stationed at the Naval Station (aka 32nd Street) and they live on the water in Ocean Beach. Great location, but might be a nuisance for someone heading to the amphib base.
yes, I live in San Diego and I am working in Coronado, beachmom76 is right. It's better to have a place in IB and the housing cost in Coronado is pretty high
Can anyone please tell me the best way to wash a Navy Whites officer cover? My son is a MIDN & his cover is too dirty to take on cruise. We don't live close at ALL to a dry cleaners & i'm hoping i can wash it at home somehow?? I know how to take it apart & put it back together, but i don't know if i can machine wash it, or hand wash it, or if i just have to try to spot clean it ??
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!
It's been awhile since I had to clean a white cover but after washing it, let it air dry and then iron it using a light spray starch. A trick we were taught was to iron the cover over a roll of toilet paper since you won't be able to iron it on a flat surface.
jmwrites ... Thanks for the ideas and I have no idea if it's "truly a MIDN cover," but it's just like all the covers the MIDN wear at their Unit. It's not plastic or waterproof. It's a piece of white cloth stretched over a frame with elastic around the base of the cloth. White shoe polish would never work lol. Both my MIDN have told me they're always told to "just take uniforms to the dry cleaners." Who really knows lol i don't think our dd ever washed her white cover in 4 years as a MIDN & this is first time son's is dirty enough to have to clean it -- to go on his 1/C cruise.
I'm sure he could do it himself, but i'm trying to help out & pamper him a bit the short while we get to have him home ... and he's pampering me & helping me out by doing difficult yard work & heavy work jobs around the house.
Helomom
We flew out of Providence as the snow was falling...well actually it was snowing sideways with the wind blowing. Flights were delaying and canceling like crazy, we got lucky. I'm not sure about the schedule at OCS, that is a different command from the NWC group. They even have different websites. I would assume that unless the base closed down, all graduations proceeded as scheduled.
Mar 9, 2013
adale
Helomom-I can't wait to post what you posted. LOL. My son starts post-grad studies in Monterey, CA next month. Going for his masters in HomeLand Security. I love attention graduations. Congratulations!!!!!!!
Mar 9, 2013
Helomom
Excellent, Adale! Our son has really enjoyed this year of school. It was an amazing opportunity. Next he starts all of his course work to prepare for his command tour as well as getting back to flying. September will be promotion to Commander. In June he and his wife will be back in Newport for Command Leadership School. She has course she has to complete too.
Mar 9, 2013
adale
My son is really looking forward to this, though he thinks it will be a walk in the park. Congrats in advance for the promotion. My son just returned from the sandbox. SO good to have him on US soil! I am sleeping well.
Mar 9, 2013
aggiemom
Anna–yes there was an OCS graduation in the snow yesterday. We arrived Wednesday and had wind, rain or snow the entire time we were there.
Mar 9, 2013
Paymaster
Aggiemom....Welcome to our group and congrats on you graduation.
Helomom....Congrats on your graduation. They are always so happy to get back to flying!
Mar 10, 2013
Anna
aggiemom,
Congratulations on your new officer!!! Sorry you had such lousy weather for it!!!
Mar 10, 2013
Helomom
Mar 10, 2013
aggiemom
Thanks for the welcome ladies. The weather is better in Pensacola, I'll look forward to visiting there.
Mar 11, 2013
chergui53
Hi aggiemom. Congratulations to your new officer and your family! My son is in P'Cola, too. And yes, the weather is better there. I will be visiting him for Easter :)) He is a very handsome young man! We know you are so proud of him.
Mar 12, 2013
adale
NurseNavyMom(Shelia)I read your entire blog. Loved it. I share the "elope" thing with you. My son and his "wife" eloped in CA(I am on the east coast)on 9-10-11 at 12:13pm. Gotta love these kids. It saddened me, but I don't let on. His father and I divorced when he was 11-he sides with his dad, and I am lucky to see him at times. He ignores my e-mail and phone calls, though does respond to texts at times....this generation!
Thanks for sharing.
Mar 13, 2013
Navy Mom (J)
adale~my mothers heart goes out to you! There is a similar story on another group where the son has become distant but after marrying. Hang in there, it seems you are not alone. All we can do is love them even if from afar. They know the love is there but sometimes just put us on the very outer rings of their life's target per say. I know we shouldn't be in the middle but maybe just a few rings outside would be nice. Hang in there!
Mar 19, 2013
adale
thanks teachjar.............your comment brought tears to my eyes. I try so hard. He knows I love him unconditionally.
Mar 19, 2013
adale
thanks Navy wife and mom........I had high hopes when they married, but seems she is treating me like he does-ignoring my phone calls, e-mails, etc. Once in a while, I get a text in response to my text, but there can be hours in between. It makes me very sad, but I love him anyway. He is back in the USA, but I hear no more often that from the sandbox!
Mar 23, 2013
NOAM
My heart goes out to you adale. My son met his (now) bride before he went into OCS. As a result, she and we went through OCS together, and became close during that time. When he proposed a few months later, we already had a relationship with her as well. We are blessed as they both are very family oriented, and they work to share their available time with both families. Will keep you and your family in our prayers, that a line of mutual communication opens. God bless.
Mar 23, 2013
ddmom
Hello, I am new to this group. My son is in week 2 at OCS. I am not knew to this site however, which is a good thing. My other son is in Sasebo, Japan on the USS BHR. I did receive my first letter from my son and am looking forward to graduation already!! Does anyone know if there are a limited amount of family members allowed at graduation? Thanks!
Mar 27, 2013
Sconway9
My son graduated last September. There was no limit to the number of people attending graduation. We were 12! It's a wonderful 3 days and one that will leave good memories.
Mar 27, 2013
M's mom
ddmom: My son also graduated OCS last September. As Sconway9 said, there is no limit to how many can go to the graduation, but your son will need to submit a list of names of "his people" who will be attending anything on Base that weekend. The gate guard will check to make sure you are on the list at the gate. We were told everyone in your car over 18 yrs old needs to have a photo ID. The gate guard looked at our ID's and compared them to his list, so be prepared for that. As far as the "Hi Moms" reception the night before graduation, there is also no limit, but the Candidate Officer will have to pay so much per head for all of "his people" attending. The classes themselves decide what they will do for this--some have a full meal, and some have just cocktails and snacks. Our son's class had drinks and snacks at a Newport hotel, and it was still $20 a head! Arrive early in the graduation week if you can. You won't want to miss Pass-in-Review either, where they march in formation and demo their rifle drill.
Mar 27, 2013
Anna
My daughter graduated last September also and I'm not aware of any limit to the number of guests. You do have to buy tickets for the Hi Moms reception held on Thursday night. There are limited number of chairs set up for graduation and after that it is standing room only.
Sconway9,
What class was your son in?
Mar 27, 2013
Anna
M'smom,
Didn't see your post while I was typing mine. Didn't mean to repeat all your good info!!!!
Mar 27, 2013
aggiemom
ddmom is your son in class 12-13? If so here is the Facebook page for that class (if you aren't already a member) https://www.facebook.com/groups/594379210589702/ These groups are a great support and source of information.
Mar 28, 2013
TropikalParadize
ddmom is your son in class 11-13? I believe class 12-13 comes in this coming Sunday. I'm not a mom, I'm a wife, but my husband is there now too! He's in class 10-13! Let me know if you have any questions about anything, and there is a FB page for all the OCS classes as well, just like aggiemom said!
Mar 28, 2013
aggiemom
Guess I miscounted there, the newest current class is 11-13. There is a fb page for that one also.
Mar 29, 2013
Paymaster
All I need to know I learned from the Easter Bunny!
Happy Easter!
Mar 30, 2013
beachmom76
Congrats, Navy wife and mom! It is always wonderful to see our children recognized. How special that you were there to share in it!
Apr 3, 2013
J/J Mom
That is awesome Navy wife and mom!! Congrats. beachmom76 is right, it's even more special because you got to share the time with him.
Apr 3, 2013
Helomom
Apr 3, 2013
Rosemarie
HI All,
My son has to report to Norfolk in May and wants to rent a house. Anyone know of any nice, nearby neighborhoods and/or a realtor?
Apr 3, 2013
Chris
There are dozens of neighborhoods for your son to consider. I would consider downtown Norfolk, along Colley Ave., Granby St. up to Ocean View Ave., and most places along Shore Drive. Janet Frenck with William E. Wood has been a realtor in the area for thirty years. Give her a call.
Apr 4, 2013
Barb
NavyWifeandMom, Just saw your post--Congratulations! And how wonderful that you were there to be a part of it!
Apr 4, 2013
NOAM
Was super excited to see our son for an hour. He's stationed 5 states away and in tailhook pilot training. As one of his cross country trips he flew into our hometown. I had surgery and was hospitalized the week before, so it was such a blessing for both of us to get a hug in person!! Color me a very happy mom!
Apr 7, 2013
AnnfromLouisiana
Apr 7, 2013
J/J Mom
NOAM -- that's great! You are right, what a blessing to get to hug your son.
Apr 8, 2013
beachmom76
Daughter and son-in-law are visiting from San Diego for a few days...she just got home from deployment on Friday and they caught the red-eye east to attend a wedding. So good to have both of them in the house.
Hope everyone gets a much-needed hug soon!
Apr 8, 2013
susank
Apr 10, 2013
Sue
to jillmbauer: If your son is flying on Southwest, there is no change fee - there might be a fee if the new flight costs more, but sometimes there is a discount if the flight is less. My advice if your son wants to change his flight is to call the airline and say he is military and that his plans changed and he needs to change his flight. I think that the airlines are more lenient with the military than they are with everyone else. Good luck!
Apr 17, 2013
M's mom
jillmbauer: My son graduated from OCS in Newport in September 2012, and the Navy only sent him a ticket confirmation for his flight TO Newport. After his graduation, his orders gave him about a week's "travel time" to get to his next duty, which was Intelligence School, but he was on his own as far as how to get there. We had flown out to Newport from Indiana for his graduation, and he was able to buy a plane ticket on the same flight as ours and come home with us for a few days. He was then able to collect his vehicle and other stuff, and drive to Virginia Beach for school. I think they can put in for reimbursement of travel expenses between duty stations. But, the Navy did not buy our son's plane ticket LEAVING from OCS. If that is the case with your son, he may be able to make his own travel arrangements and go through CT. I think my son's printed flight info said he must notify the Navy of ANY changes to his flight plans, so if the Navy buys his return ticket, he may have to get permission to change it at all.
Apr 17, 2013
chergui53
Hi Jill. My son graduated ODS October, 2012. I sent you a friend request. I can give you more info on ODS as it is a bit different than OCS. So much to write about it that I don't want to take up a lot of space. Hugs and best wishes, Elaine (aka chergui)
Apr 18, 2013
Paymaster
Welcome Melle!
Apr 18, 2013
Paymaster
Finished a quilt for my youngest grandson to take to day care. I had made a quilt for him when he was born, but there were so many scrapes left I felt like I had more than enough to make another quilt. So I did. I used up all my mistake blocks and the left over scrapes. I figure it would be a great quilt for him to take to daycare when he goes, its one of a kind and I worked in his name when quilting it. Lets see someone take this quilt!
Apr 21, 2013
aggiemom
Love the quilt, that is a work of love.
Apr 21, 2013
NOAM
Priceless Paymaster!
My husband's parents passed away several years ago. However, in her cedar chest she had made a wedding quilt for each grandchild (our children), knitted them each a popcorn afghan for the wedding shower, and made them each a quilt for their firstborn child. Our Navy son was married in December and was overwhelmed with the two wedding items. He'll find out about the other surprise once they have a child. ;-)
As I said - Priceless.
Apr 22, 2013
Paymaster
Thank you aggiemom and NOAM. Yes, the quilts are an act of love. I have been asked many times to make quilts for money and I have to turn them down, as I always have quilts waiting to be made for loved ones. The list is long.
Apr 25, 2013
TropikalParadize
tmlawmom, I got your message and I'm not sure how to message you, but we live here in Coronado, and my husband is at OCS right now, just about done...after that he's coming back here to start training, same program as your son! In fact, what class was your son in? They probably know each other! If you message me I would love to help out! :-)
May 3, 2013
beachmom76
Lucky son! We lived on that amphib base for six years and loved every minute of it. If they want to live on Coronado, there are several apartment buildings on (they call it an island, but it is really a peninsula) Coronado. The best way to find local rentals is to check out the listings in the Coronado Islander, which is the local paper. They could also look in Imperial Beach, the community at the landward end of the peninsula. The biggest problem with living in San Diego and working on Coronado is driving across the bridge, especially when the aircraft carriers are in port. Imperial Beach avoids the bridge and is easy to access from the base. Their housing allowance is pretty substantial, so if he has a roommate or two he can easily afford something quite nice. My daughter and her husband are stationed at the Naval Station (aka 32nd Street) and they live on the water in Ocean Beach. Great location, but might be a nuisance for someone heading to the amphib base.
May 3, 2013
Melle
yes, I live in San Diego and I am working in Coronado, beachmom76 is right. It's better to have a place in IB and the housing cost in Coronado is pretty high
May 3, 2013
J/J Mom
Can anyone please tell me the best way to wash a Navy Whites officer cover? My son is a MIDN & his cover is too dirty to take on cruise. We don't live close at ALL to a dry cleaners & i'm hoping i can wash it at home somehow?? I know how to take it apart & put it back together, but i don't know if i can machine wash it, or hand wash it, or if i just have to try to spot clean it ??
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!
May 13, 2013
J/J Mom
Thanks Suzie -- i was hesitant to do that, but glad to hear it's so easy :]
May 13, 2013
Anna
Jn/JfMom,
It's been awhile since I had to clean a white cover but after washing it, let it air dry and then iron it using a light spray starch. A trick we were taught was to iron the cover over a roll of toilet paper since you won't be able to iron it on a flat surface.
May 13, 2013
J/J Mom
jmwrites ... Thanks for the ideas and I have no idea if it's "truly a MIDN cover," but it's just like all the covers the MIDN wear at their Unit. It's not plastic or waterproof. It's a piece of white cloth stretched over a frame with elastic around the base of the cloth. White shoe polish would never work lol. Both my MIDN have told me they're always told to "just take uniforms to the dry cleaners." Who really knows lol i don't think our dd ever washed her white cover in 4 years as a MIDN & this is first time son's is dirty enough to have to clean it -- to go on his 1/C cruise.
I'm sure he could do it himself, but i'm trying to help out & pamper him a bit the short while we get to have him home ... and he's pampering me & helping me out by doing difficult yard work & heavy work jobs around the house.
Good trade off in my book!!
May 13, 2013