Ship 5 Moms(Formerly Ship 17)

@aloha... Our son called after chow tonight. About 830pm CST (same as Texas). He didn't know his flight info either, except that they were leaving GL at 10am for the airport and he would call me from there. He explained how each department DID NOT communicate with the next. RTC did there job, forwarded the paperwork to legal, then legal to the CO, then the CO to transportation. Not one of the dept's spoke to the next at anytime during the separation and ship out process.

Well hell!!! No wonder things run so smoothly and everyone knows everything...

(Sarcasm? Ya Think?) Geeze. It's a wonder our men and women get home at all.

I guess I should shut up and be thank full our son is coming home. I'm sure, unfortunately, there will be some SR's spending the holidays there and for that my heart goes out to the SR's and their families. We all will keep everyone in prayer until they all get home.

LEAVE NO SR BEHIND!!

@Erika... That's awesome news girl!! So glad he made it to legal. That seems to be the hardest and longest wait, to get into legal. It seems that after legal, it's a down hill slide to meet with transportation and finalize the out processing.

We are hoping and praying Erika that your bf is on that plane friday headed back to you!!

Aloha... I feel your pain. BELIEVE ME... I think everyone here will finally sleep well knowing that our SR is coming home. He and his sister have already been making plans for movie night with snacks and goofing around until all hours...

AWW HELL YA!!

"That's the way.. uh-huh uh-huh we like it uh-huh uh-huh..."

Jeanne... I'm so sorry. My son sent one of his home as well. It is kind of a kick in the teeth when you see it. However, he will be coming home soon. As I understand it, they are really trying hard to ship out as many as they can. I also understand that vacations that were initially said to have started Dec.19th, have been canceled due to high numbers of SR's in S5. We will keep you, your son and everyone in prayer as we always have and will continue too.

Remember the storm is the strongest and darkest, just before it's over.

I know it's easy for me to say since my son is coming home tomorrow, but just like you I was there and still am to an extent until my son is home.

We are all still here with and for you.

My son called again today and said they told him Thursday for sure, but he has no travel information yet either. He did say that Aloha's son left - so thats good, right???

Happy for you all!  

Hey yall. I'm super freaking out right now. My husband isn't on the list to come home Wednesday OR Thursday. He said many people went home today that got here after he did. His grandpa has taken a turn for the worst today and we are worried about time. I called the Red Cross and they told me there is nothing they can do. :(

Congratulations to all of you who have returning sons and daughters this week. For those who's loved ones are still there, try to hang in there. Maybe delay your celebration for a few days if you can.

Good Morning everyone!!

When we picked him up from the airport last night, he looked so good and was so glad to see us as we were him. We were waiting for him at the exit from the concourse to the main terminal by security.

We saw him coming to the exit and my daughter ran towards him and literally jumped into his arms and the rest is beautiful family history. My wife asked him one question about bootcamp and boy, the stories that followed for almost 3hrs straight were great. We stopped by his grandparents house on the way home from the airport (his grandfather is ex navy from 1950-1954) who had no clue he was home yet. This was a HUGE surprise for them. Anyway, he is still asleep, now at 825am, resting VERY comfortably and will get up when he is good and ready. No revile in this house!! 

Buttermilk pancakes, bacon and OJ are on the menu this morning. YUM!

A HUGE Thank You to everyone for your prayers, words of wisdom and just being a true family. You guys are the best!

Happy Holidays to all from Texas.

We are keeping everyone in our prayers as always and hope everyone will make it home for Christmas and if not by then, at least before New Years.

All I want is for him to be home for Christmas! And I know he is wanting to spend the holidays with his grandpa. I'm so nervous but am not getting my hopes up for Friday. :/ Is there a way where I can call and give him updates about his grandfather?

Well his mother told him about it yesterday, and it made him have a break down.  A petty officer let him call 11 pm last night and he told me about it. I found out some more info and wanted to update him, knowing he's probably worried sick right now. Trust me, I haven't even told him our cat ran away even though he hates that thing haha. And I will purchase a plane ticket right away if that is the case!! Do you know who I can contact to ask about that?

Does anyone know if I could call travel and ask if my husband is scheduled to come home Friday? Would they have that information?

sixft- Thanks for the advice! I did! They said they were closed (3:30 pm CST?) but the nice man helped me out as much as he could. My husband didn't sign a waiver because I read somewhere any extra paperwork to be processed may make the whole thing longer. But I answered a few questions about him correctly and he was able to talk to me a little bit about his case.

I VERY politely explained the situation and the fact that the red cross couldn't help me and my only other option was to speak with my congressman for help, and he told me that he would relay the message and see what they could do for me. He was very nice and understanding, I was surprised. So we will see I suppose.

Sorry. This whole thing is kinda making me lose my marbles. LOL

what does "The ONLY thing they can get is from the FAFSA" mean??? its not a complete statement, so Im not understanding what they "can get". Please explain. Thanks

My daughter went to legal TODAY- SHE was told that she IS a veteran- She is getting an HONORABLE Discharge- She IS eligible to RE-ENLIST- How can you say that someone that COMPLETED boot camp IS NOT a veteran, when they received an honorable discharge? They may not be eligible for ALL the benefits that OTHER veterans can get, but NOT ALL veterans that served LONGER are eligible for ALL the same benefits either. ( And BTW, my daughter was told the same thing as Navydad's son- She IS considered a veteran)

Jeanne... Yes he did enjoy it and so did we. Thanks for asking.

Yes, we are still here.

Please let us know when you hear something and keep us all updated.

Be Blessed.

http://www.moaa-nh.org/Do_You_Qualify_for_Federal_Veterans_Benefits...

In actuality, there is no standardized legal definition of "military veteran" in the United States. You see, veteran benefits weren't created all at one time. They've been added one-by-one for over 200 years by Congress. Each time Congress passed a new law authorizing and creating a new veteran benefit, they included eligibility requirements for that particular benefit. Whether or not one is considered a "veteran" by the federal government depends entirely upon which veteran program or benefit one is applying for.

Good Morning CP!!  Very nicely said. How is your son doing?

Terri, OMG!!! It's the exact same conversations as 2 months ago. WOW!

Anyway, to those of you who have loved one who have just or are going to be coming home soon, here is the deal with the FASFA.  They absolutly are concidered veterans by the US Government. However, the VA has an entirely different set of rules and, although her delivery sucks, Angie is correct in the fact that your returning SR's will not be elidgable for VA bennies. They will be elidgable for FASFA money, if school is the next step. Although the Financial Aid worker at the school will not know this and will fight with you about it. MAKE THEM CALL THE VA. As long as your kid has a DD214 that states they have an honorable discharge, they will be allowed to check the veteran status box on the financial aid paperwork which in turn will allow them independent status from you. In other words, the school will only look at their income when it comes to Pell Grant money (money they get for school that does not have to be paid back). It will make a huge difference financially for them and you. Again, you will need to force the issue, because the 180 days past boot camp is what everyone knows. Good luck, everything will be fine.

My son was sent to ship 5 after his eye exam; they say he has keratatitis.  This is a treatable eye infection, not something chronic that he's had all along. I think he must have got it at boot camp. Does anyone know how I find out if he is getting appropriate medical attention?

I am really praying I get a call.... but its not looking good. Congrats Bridgett. :)