BelovedbyHim are you saying that your son was sent to Italy right after A school for his 3 year assignment. Goodness, is he able to come home at all during that time?
that was my son's course as well. FLW for A school following boot camp, then stationed in Gulfport as an EO. He's been in GP for the last 5 years and has re-enlisted.
NavyGma- Yes my son went to Italy right after A school. He didn't finish A school till right after Christmas so he came home for a week over the Christmas Stand down. He also was just home last month for the fist time since that first Christmas. He's been in for 2 years and in Italy for 1 1/2. Unless we can afford to go next summer we won't see him again until/ unless he returns stateside. The Navy DOES NOT pay for them to return home to visit. That cost is 100% you or your sailor. Given that congress gets to fly free I think that should be a perk for our military too!!
I need some help! Our son is graduating from "A" School in Gulfport, Misssissippi, on Oct.9th. He said he has leave (I think that was the term he used) and would like to come home. However, he is waiting on his "hard orders" to see where he will be stationed after "A" School. He also mentioned something about combat training. He wants us to wait with making flight arrangements until he knows for certain what is going on (we agree). Is there someone we can contact for advice? We have a myriad of questions, such as: What airlines fly out of Gulfport? Is there a chance that his hard orders will change as late as October 9th (graduation day)? Do we purchase a round trip airline ticket? How do you schedule travel when nothing is certain in the military? Also, might it be better if he saves his time off for Christmas? Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer!
He should be able to talk to his petty officer's there to get some of this information. They have a way to book flights and get a discount. Have him ask a petty officer in Gulfport about how to do that. When my son flew home from CA we gave him the money and he booked his own flight. His petty officer's were good about helping him.
He might need to get his orders before you know whether that would be a round trip or one way. I think if he schedules it that would be best. My son didn't have any trouble finding the information he needed.
My son got two weeks off after A school in Gulfport. I thought it was an automatic time off between duty stations. In which case he would still get to take his accrued leave. Again, good questions to ask the petty officer's there.
I don't feel like I am helping but that's all I know.
Let me know where your son goes next. If he were to go to CA I can let my son know and maybe they can connect.
My grandson is at Gulfport. He got his papers and is staying at Gulfport. He gets a 13 day leave after A-School then will go back to Gulfport for his combat school. He will then meet up with his Battalion. This grandma is happy cause it will be closer for us to visit then California.
Hi tangledskeins, my son is a BU and has been in the Navy for 4 years and in Gulfport since 2011. He changed rates soon after BC and was able to come home between A schools. He had "hard" orders at the time from Va to Ms. The Navy paide for his airfare from one duty station to the next. He may wind up staying in GP as my son did. He attended the combat school (ecs) in GP and was then attached to a Seabee battalion in GP. If you go on to the Gulfport airport website they lust all of the airlines that go there. I have used American, Delta and United before. Delta has had the best fares recently. There are no direct flights to Gulfport only to New Orleans which is about an hour and 20 minutes from GP. I have had flights that have connected thru Charlitte, Houston and Atlanta before. You should see where his orders lead him to figure out airfares. Oonce he is detached from A school then he needs to take leave until he has orders to his next base as he wont have a place to stay until he reports to his next
base. Although there is more flexibility to get leave approved over the holidays it may not be possible. My son has missed every Christmas home since 2011. He was deployed for 2 holiday seasons . We skyped for one Christmas eve too. I would not make any air travel arrangements until he knows for sure as Orders can change. I hope that this helps you. I will be happy to answer any wuestions that I can for you. My family has visited GP several times too. There is a great facebook page for the base NCBC gulfport MS i believe that was the page that had photos posted for A school graduations
Just doublechecked the facebook page for A school photos is NCTC gulfport. There is also seabee moms blue star moms and US navy moms too when your son is attached to a battalion there will be a facebook page for it too.
I want to thank you for sharing the NCTC Gulfport page! I just found my son's pics from graduating A school. I didn't think there would be any! And I didn't know where to look. Now my question is will they post pictures from the ECS training, as well? Thank you!
Good morning! My grandson is a BU and has been assigned to NMCB11. I read somewhere (BU Navy Dads, something like that) that BU NMCBs are on a rotating basis. They are 6 months at home base (his home base is Gulf Port) and 6 months overseas, Guam, Spain or Okinawa. Is this a sure thing that he will be gone every 6 months? Just curious if anyone has a son/daughter that is a BU and goes over seas every months. Thanks everyone!
Hello all, my husband is a BU in NMCB 11 as well. I have some answers for you ladies. No, they don't post pictures of ECS. NavyGma, the deployment rotation is 12 months home and 6 months over seas. They did return home recently so your grandson has a little time before deploying. I also recommend that if you are on Facebook to find the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Eleven facebook page. Sometimes they post pictures of our Bees.
SarahA Thanks so much for your quick response. I guess I am just a nervous nell grandma that is just wanting to know what her grandson is doing. Actually he is still in school and then will do his combat training then after that I think is when he will report to NMCB 11. Not real sure what the order is, but just going by what he us telling me. He of course thinks his gma is being silly by asking all these questions but.......what can I say...he is my youngest lol
Yes computer and most imoortant the cell phone too! Tv for barracks etc. make sure that you sign up for nctc gulfport on facebook if you seabee is in Gulfport
As long as CT is his Home of Record he can keep his CT licence & register his vehicle there.
Go to your CT DMV website - there should be info there for registering vehicles that are bought by military members out of state. Your son will probably have to print out forms & send them in..
For Oregon we have to have an on base MP verify vehicle VIN # on the form - I don't know for CT.
Question about the barracks in Gulfport for A school - can you describe how they are set up? Is it like a dorm suite is for college? Or more like it is for basics with a giant room full of bunk beds?
Harleys BF- 2 guys to a room. Very much like a dorm room. They may be on hold for weeks or months waiting to class up.
The class up procedure is- Active duty from the fleet, active duty from other branches, reserves, new recruits- All in Alpha order based on arrival date. They can get bumped if someone shows up that is higher on the priority list.
They are sort of off in the middle of nowhere but there are a few fast food places and the beach is within walking distance. My Bee managed at least 3 trips to the mall and generally enjoyed GP.
I agree with belovedbyHim. Our son had 1 roommate while in "A" School in Gulfport. Each had their own room with a small, communal space. He said the communal space had no furniture. From the photos he sent, it looked spartan, but clean and spacious. He liked the living arrangement. He said there wasn't much to do in Gulfport. He said they could not go swimming in the Gulf because there are flesh eating bacteria. He said there are casinos if you are interested in that sort of thing.
Does anyone know what its like for their final days at a school? How much time do they get to get to their new base if driving? Any information would be helpful, thanks!
After our son graduated from "A" School, he came home for approximately 1 week. While he was home, he worked for 3 days at the recruiter's office. If I understood correctly, these 3 days are "refunded" to him. Then he returned to Gulfport to complete 4 weeks of combat training. Our son couldn't drive to his assignment. He was assigned to Rota, Spain! I have a feeling there are many different scenarios possible, however, this was our experience. Hope it helps a little.
My son just had PIR last week and is now in Gulfport for A school. When do you start counting to determine the end of A school - from arrival or when classes begin? He is processing this week and said class will start by the end of the month, maybe next week, unsure at the moment.
Harleys best friend-- You start counting from when they actually start classes. My Bee was waiting 2 months to class-up for a class that was only 2 1/2 months long. My Bee said classes started every 2 weeks but there were a bunch of people that were eligible to start ahead of him. He's a BU BTW.
NavyGma
BelovedbyHim are you saying that your son was sent to Italy right after A school for his 3 year assignment. Goodness, is he able to come home at all during that time?
Aug 22, 2015
mom2nw
that was my son's course as well. FLW for A school following boot camp, then stationed in Gulfport as an EO. He's been in GP for the last 5 years and has re-enlisted.
Aug 24, 2015
pooks9661
Thanks, mom2nw!
Aug 26, 2015
belovedbyHim
NavyGma- Yes my son went to Italy right after A school. He didn't finish A school till right after Christmas so he came home for a week over the Christmas Stand down. He also was just home last month for the fist time since that first Christmas. He's been in for 2 years and in Italy for 1 1/2. Unless we can afford to go next summer we won't see him again until/ unless he returns stateside. The Navy DOES NOT pay for them to return home to visit. That cost is 100% you or your sailor. Given that congress gets to fly free I think that should be a perk for our military too!!
Aug 26, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all. Have a wonderful day today.
Sep 22, 2015
tangled skeins
I need some help! Our son is graduating from "A" School in Gulfport, Misssissippi, on Oct.9th. He said he has leave (I think that was the term he used) and would like to come home. However, he is waiting on his "hard orders" to see where he will be stationed after "A" School. He also mentioned something about combat training. He wants us to wait with making flight arrangements until he knows for certain what is going on (we agree). Is there someone we can contact for advice? We have a myriad of questions, such as: What airlines fly out of Gulfport? Is there a chance that his hard orders will change as late as October 9th (graduation day)? Do we purchase a round trip airline ticket? How do you schedule travel when nothing is certain in the military? Also, might it be better if he saves his time off for Christmas? Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer!
Sep 23, 2015
pedeypete
He should be able to talk to his petty officer's there to get some of this information. They have a way to book flights and get a discount. Have him ask a petty officer in Gulfport about how to do that. When my son flew home from CA we gave him the money and he booked his own flight. His petty officer's were good about helping him.
He might need to get his orders before you know whether that would be a round trip or one way. I think if he schedules it that would be best. My son didn't have any trouble finding the information he needed.
My son got two weeks off after A school in Gulfport. I thought it was an automatic time off between duty stations. In which case he would still get to take his accrued leave. Again, good questions to ask the petty officer's there.
I don't feel like I am helping but that's all I know.
Let me know where your son goes next. If he were to go to CA I can let my son know and maybe they can connect.
You are welcome to email me as well.
Sep 23, 2015
tangled skeins
Thanks so much pedeypete.
Sep 23, 2015
NavyGma
My grandson is at Gulfport. He got his papers and is staying at Gulfport. He gets a 13 day leave after A-School then will go back to Gulfport for his combat school. He will then meet up with his Battalion. This grandma is happy cause it will be closer for us to visit then California.
Sep 23, 2015
julieb1019
base. Although there is more flexibility to get leave approved over the holidays it may not be possible. My son has missed every Christmas home since 2011. He was deployed for 2 holiday seasons . We skyped for one Christmas eve too. I would not make any air travel arrangements until he knows for sure as Orders can change. I hope that this helps you. I will be happy to answer any wuestions that I can for you. My family has visited GP several times too. There is a great facebook page for the base NCBC gulfport MS i believe that was the page that had photos posted for A school graduations
Sep 23, 2015
julieb1019
Sep 23, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all! Have a beautiful day today!
Sep 24, 2015
tangled skeins
Thanks to julieb1019 and NavyGma, too! I appreciate it so much!
Sep 24, 2015
julieb1019
Sep 24, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all! Have a wonderful day and weekend! :)
Oct 2, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all! Have a beautiful day today!
Oct 7, 2015
StaceyJG1 (Mom of a SeaBee)
I want to thank you for sharing the NCTC Gulfport page! I just found my son's pics from graduating A school. I didn't think there would be any! And I didn't know where to look. Now my question is will they post pictures from the ECS training, as well? Thank you!
Oct 7, 2015
NavyGma
Good morning! My grandson is a BU and has been assigned to NMCB11. I read somewhere (BU Navy Dads, something like that) that BU NMCBs are on a rotating basis. They are 6 months at home base (his home base is Gulf Port) and 6 months overseas, Guam, Spain or Okinawa. Is this a sure thing that he will be gone every 6 months? Just curious if anyone has a son/daughter that is a BU and goes over seas every months. Thanks everyone!
Oct 7, 2015
SarahA (SeaBee wife)
Oct 7, 2015
StaceyJG1 (Mom of a SeaBee)
Thank you, SarahA!
Oct 7, 2015
NavyGma
SarahA Thanks so much for your quick response. I guess I am just a nervous nell grandma that is just wanting to know what her grandson is doing. Actually he is still in school and then will do his combat training then after that I think is when he will report to NMCB 11. Not real sure what the order is, but just going by what he us telling me. He of course thinks his gma is being silly by asking all these questions but.......what can I say...he is my youngest lol
Oct 7, 2015
Harleys best friend
Being in A school for BU, can a new sailor have a computer of their choice?
Oct 19, 2015
julieb1019
Oct 19, 2015
Harleys best friend
julieb1019 - he will be in Gulfport for A school. so during school, do they stay in barracks? still figuring out how things work.
Oct 20, 2015
julieb1019
Oct 20, 2015
Judy
To mominconnecticut,
As long as CT is his Home of Record he can keep his CT licence & register his vehicle there.
Go to your CT DMV website - there should be info there for registering vehicles that are bought by military members out of state. Your son will probably have to print out forms & send them in..
For Oregon we have to have an on base MP verify vehicle VIN # on the form - I don't know for CT.
Nov 2, 2015
Wildcat_girl
Hello! I am new to the seabees, was wondering if this group is only for moms? I am currently a girlfriend.
Nov 8, 2015
julieb1019
Nov 8, 2015
julieb1019
Nov 8, 2015
Wildcat_girl
Thank you @julieb1019 I believe he will be headed to Port Hueneme California for A school.
Nov 8, 2015
julieb1019
Nov 8, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all! Have a wonderful day today!
Nov 9, 2015
Harleys best friend
Question about the barracks in Gulfport for A school - can you describe how they are set up? Is it like a dorm suite is for college? Or more like it is for basics with a giant room full of bunk beds?
Nov 10, 2015
LAKE MOM
Good morning all! Have a wonderful day today!
Nov 10, 2015
belovedbyHim
Harleys BF- 2 guys to a room. Very much like a dorm room. They may be on hold for weeks or months waiting to class up.
The class up procedure is- Active duty from the fleet, active duty from other branches, reserves, new recruits- All in Alpha order based on arrival date. They can get bumped if someone shows up that is higher on the priority list.
They are sort of off in the middle of nowhere but there are a few fast food places and the beach is within walking distance. My Bee managed at least 3 trips to the mall and generally enjoyed GP.
Nov 10, 2015
tangled skeins
I agree with belovedbyHim. Our son had 1 roommate while in "A" School in Gulfport. Each had their own room with a small, communal space. He said the communal space had no furniture. From the photos he sent, it looked spartan, but clean and spacious. He liked the living arrangement. He said there wasn't much to do in Gulfport. He said they could not go swimming in the Gulf because there are flesh eating bacteria. He said there are casinos if you are interested in that sort of thing.
Nov 10, 2015
MainemomJulie
I have a brand new Seabee Reservist! Our daughter swore in yesterday! So Proud!
Nov 11, 2015
Harleys best friend
Thanks all for comments. Sounds like they have there own space so they are able to keep personal things secure which is good to know.
Nov 13, 2015
Akmomto3
Dec 20, 2015
Bradsmom
Hello, my son is at RTC amd will be heading to A school in Missouri.
Dec 29, 2015
Stardust
Dec 29, 2015
Harleys best friend
My son is heading to Gulfport after PIR on 1/8/16. What is your sons job?
Dec 29, 2015
Stardust
Dec 30, 2015
Bradsmom
Congrats to all that Graduates this week!
Dec 31, 2015
Wildcat_girl
Does anyone know what its like for their final days at a school? How much time do they get to get to their new base if driving? Any information would be helpful, thanks!
Jan 7, 2016
tangled skeins
After our son graduated from "A" School, he came home for approximately 1 week. While he was home, he worked for 3 days at the recruiter's office. If I understood correctly, these 3 days are "refunded" to him. Then he returned to Gulfport to complete 4 weeks of combat training. Our son couldn't drive to his assignment. He was assigned to Rota, Spain! I have a feeling there are many different scenarios possible, however, this was our experience. Hope it helps a little.
Jan 8, 2016
StaceyJG1 (Mom of a SeaBee)
My son did that, as well. He came home for 9 days and "earned" 5 days back. And he didn't have to put an entire day! It was a great thing!
Jan 8, 2016
Wildcat_girl
That is not want I wanted to hear..Haha. Maybe things will be different since he didn't come straight from boot camp.
Jan 8, 2016
Harleys best friend
My son just had PIR last week and is now in Gulfport for A school. When do you start counting to determine the end of A school - from arrival or when classes begin? He is processing this week and said class will start by the end of the month, maybe next week, unsure at the moment.
Jan 14, 2016
belovedbyHim
Harleys best friend-- You start counting from when they actually start classes. My Bee was waiting 2 months to class-up for a class that was only 2 1/2 months long. My Bee said classes started every 2 weeks but there were a bunch of people that were eligible to start ahead of him. He's a BU BTW.
Jan 14, 2016