Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Watch today's PIR live:

LIVE PIR FEBRUARY 6, 2025

as your own sailor's PIR/graduation date gets closer, might want to watch one of the events to get a feel for everything. it's really cool.. you will no doubt do the Where's Waldo.. Sailor version.. I never did figure it out lol

Hi, Staci!  So glad Masaleza wrote and shared the No news is Good news mantra.  It helps in BC and in the fleet!!!  I'm not sure if someone shared this with you already, but someone told me that when our recruit is at BC, we are in Mom's Bootcamp.  We are learning to "not worry" (LOL - maybe "worry less" is a better phrase) and we are learning to operate with no news.

You've got this!  Just continue to reach out to vent, seek encouragement, etc.  And don't forget to signup for USPS Informed Delivery.  I wrote my son every day, and when I saw his letter was coming in the mail, I got the return address off the USPS image.  When the postman dropped off Joseph's first letter, he picked up 10+ letters addressed to Joseph.

The Informed Delivery is a lifesaver!  Here's the link:

USPS Informed Delivery - Sign up and receive an email from the US Postal Service showing what mail you will be getting each day (if available in your area).  

Informed Delivery®

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

Thank you so much MomofJoseph, “Bootcamp for Moms” is the best description!

I knew I wrote on this wall for a reason…I received a notice from USPS this morning that my son’s first letter was coming today! It was an actual hand written letter too! No idea what happened to the form letter…lost in the mail I suppose. But the return address was for a standard ship/division and was postmarked ~12 days after arrival so I’m going to assume he passed the initial tests/phases and now it’s a matter of maintaining his will and fortitude. Thanks all for the words of encouragement! Good luck to all of the new BC moms, hang in there!!

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles!

Super Bowl Champions!

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

Staci, I'm so sorry, but I had a busy week and didn't see your message until now.  How was the letter???  Is your son doing well???

@staci, how long did it take to receive a letter from the day your son arrived at BC? It's officially been one week today and I've already written several letters that are just sitting here until I get a mailing address :( Our daughter called the first night but we got cut off and haven't had any communication since. Her sisters ask all the time how she's doing. My husband was Coast Guard, so he's very reassuring with stories of his own experience but I'm definitely ready for some direct communication. 

katielev - you should receive the letter around week 3.  Give or take lol!

katielev - Staci's info should be more up-to-date, but I thought I'd pipe in and say that when my son was there (3 years ago), his first letter came 12 days after arriving at BC.  We were fortunate that there were absolutely no setbacks (P-days were not delayed; it was during covid and he was not quarantined; etc.)  So I think that 12 days is about as early as a letter could be expected.  (Oh, and we are in NC, so it took 3 days to get here.)

Thanks so much, @momofjoseph and @b'snukemom

hey katie. I think it was like 3 weeks for me. loved informed delivery.. they do have to get someone trained for mail duty too which causes some delay

@katielev, my son left for boot camp on 10/29/24, graduated on 1/9/25.  After the initial "I arrived" phone call, I got a post card with the QR code for graduation info a week or so later, but he didn't write his address on it.  It was pretty generic.  3 (long, long) weeks after he left, he was able to call and give us his address, and if I remember correctly we got his first letter that same day or the day after.  I think we only got 4 phone calls the entire time he was there (including Christmas day) and 2 the week of graduation.  Once you can write, it's a little easier...but mine was a pretty good letter writer and we received letters from him about twice a week (less as it got closer to the end and he was exhausted.)  Those first weeks are SO hard, but once you can communicate it gets a lot better.  You CAN do this!!  I promise the first few weeks are long, but then it goes really quickly, and soon you'll be able to hug your daughter!  And now that my son is at his A School he can call & face time most days...so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  Keep writing those letters and send them as soon as you get her address!  The first letter I sent to my son was 36 pages long, I just kept adding to it, kind of like a diary of our day to day life and he was thrilled to get it,  I also highly recommend Sandboxx.  They send a return posted envelope for your recruit to send back to you with their own letter.  My son loved getting those (but did like to see hand written letters, too.)

@Trey - Informed Delivery was awesome!  I'm disappointed now that he's at A School...I never have fun letters coming!

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

No worries @momofjoseph. 😁 The letter was such a relief and surprisingly long at 3 pages on their standard RTC stationery! I tried to get my family to open it and send me screenshots so I could read at work. But no, they thought it would be fun to torture me, making me wait until I got home. lol

@katielev we received the letter exactly 15 days after arrival. It took ~3 days to reach us in California. It was a Thursday and we received the first phone call two days later on Saturday. Having both the letter and the phone call almost back to back was such a relief. It was so hard to just let him talk and not blast him with a million questions heehee. I think we were able to talk for a total of 7-8 minutes.

Apart from devouring everything on NavyForMoms, the things that got me through the wait were:

1) Writing him letters (a couple I will save until he finishes  bootcamp because I don’t want to make him homesick)

2) Watching for the USPS notification every morning

3) Watching YouTube videos about bootcamp and the Navy. The documentary posted on this site’s homepage was fantastic.

4) Talking about it to everyone. Yes, I’ve become that obnoxious person telling everyone at work, the grocery store, the UPS shop, the doctor’s office etc that my son is at bootcamp. 😁 

4) Lastly, resigning myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on much of anything for at least 2-3 weeks.

Also make sure you’ve signed up w/Sandboxx. You won’t be able to use it to write letters until you get their address, but you can poke around and read the articles. I used it to send my son a letter overnight on the day I received his. Depending how much you write, Sandboxx can get pricey at ~$4/letter but is totally worth it if you have something you want to get to him ASAP. 

katielev -- It's been almost 12 years for us.  In fact our Sailor just deployed today to Antarctica.  (Not breaking OPSEC because it's a Public Joint Mission with several other countries and he's been there previous.  Otherwise we do not discuss deployment until after it's happened)  These ladies have given a great deal of helpful Information. This may also be useful
https://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/Recruits/
This is the Bootcamp Schedule.  Start at the top left and pencil in the dates starting from they date they arrived at Great Lakes.  DO not skip.  There are 5 training days that fill the week so some of these topics cover more than one day but it will give you an idea of when to expect possible phone calls.  They can earn additional phone calls.  They mailed out a postcard with the qr code (New change since my sailor went in) during P-days.  It should be arriving shortly.  I know it's hard but your SR (Seaman Recruit) is in good hands. The RDC's are tough but they want the best for every SR.  Keep writing and know it will all be ok.

Sandboxx also has a nice little weekly summary of what is going on at boot camp. It wasn’t always exactly what he was doing that week, but he had either just done it or would be soon. It helped me mentally, feeling like I was “in the know” and gave me questions to ask him. I tried to write every day, so it got hard to think of new things to write in the mundane days.

Happy Thursday and Happy PIR Day!

Watch today's PIR live:

LIVE PIR FEBRUARY 13, 2025

I had trouble coming up with something to write about every day. Letters don't have to be super long and newsy, just want them to know you are thinking about them. I found a joke book that belonged to our sailor. Sometimes would print a picture and a joke and mail it off. There are some fun questionnaires on here that were a hit. I sent extras for the guys who weren't getting much mail and sure enjoyed their responses.  You can also recruit people you trust to follow the "rules" to send letters. Apparently, my mom's letters about her ongoing war with the deer in her garden were popular with the guys in his section. 

The Questionnaires were a huge hit when our son was in boot camp.  He often didn't have a lot of time to write so he could easily just fill in the blanks or circle answers.  You can change them up to fit your needs.  Here's the link:

Questionnaires and encouragement

Definitely NOT trying to scare any of you new parents...just posting (public) information.

Yesterday a fighter jet crashed into San Diego Bay - both pilots ejected safely. 

And last night the USS Truman collided with a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean sea, near Egypt. No injuries reported.

Please say an extra prayer for safety for all our military men and women!

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

The April PIR group is now posted:

PIR: APRIL 2025

Moms whose sons have an S.O. Contract headed to BUD/S there is a group for you.

It is called, BUD/S and SQT (Stages of a S.E.A.L.)

Interested:

Send a friend request to NavyMom(J) for more information.

(Click on the highlighted links.)

Good afternoon, everyone - had a funny memory of the bootcamp days as shoveled snow. Our sailor was in Great Lakes during the winter. He said they would volunteer to shovel snow to just get the chance to do something different. He was not impressed with the snow shovels provided. He said they were the equivalent of a dustpan on a broomstick. He decided it was all part of the bootcamp game. We got a lot of chuckles listening to him talk about shoveling snow with a dustpan! 

AgnesB - I recall you telling that story when your son was at BC!! I enjoyed the chuckle again!!

Chipmunk - I know right! I sense of humor has been a big part of this journey for our sailor and our family. :)

Be sure to join your PIR group.  Here are the links:

PIR: APRIL 2025

PIR: MARCH 2025

PIR: FEBRUARY 2025

If you're able to attend I highly recommend Sarge's Meet N Greet.  It's held the Wednesday night before PIR.  NO sailors are present but you get to meet other families.  We went back in 2012 and really enjoyed it.

Be sure to RSVP for Sarge's Meet N Greet.  

Here's the link:  

Sarge's Meet N Greet

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Thank you.

I highly recommend attending Sarge's Meet n Greet if you are able!!

Our daughter struggles with course work and is a terrible test taker. I'm worried she might be delayed in her BC schedule, but also trying to make plans for her graduation date. If a recruit falls behind, are you notified?

If there is a change in graduation date you will get a call. Might not be long but enough for new division number and date 

Thank you @trey

katielev - It may depend on when the setback occurs. To my understanding, most parents will know ahead of time when there is a setback. However, back when my son was at BC (almost 8 years ago) if they did not pass Battle stations, you might not know until you were already in GL. Hopefully, others who have experienced setbacks with their SRs will be able to offer you some information.  

It looks like Trey managed to reply before I got this sent. :-)

Eek, I hope there's not a potential situation where we would fly out there and find out onsite there's a delay :(

It could happen, our son completed Battlestations the night before we flew out.. didn't hear from him until we were in the airport.. keep things refundable and flexible but should be okay. they do try to keep you informed about delays/changes