Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Thank you for the words of encouragement. Sending all the letters I can get out between last Thursday and next week. She can do this and yes, I'm sure they do want them to succeed.

katielev - I think every letter my son wrote during BC said, "Please pray I don't get ASMO'd"  He worried about it for exams, for PT, for everything.  It was a big motivation for him.  I will be praying for your daughter to have great success!

AZ_RACCOON - So excited about your letter and we also learned about Informed Delivery from this site and we still use it.  My son's boat is going to be commissioned this weekend and they sent the admission tickets by US Mail.  All of my family members signed up for Informed Delivery so they could look for the invitations!  :-)

I have the June PIR group posted:

PIR: JUNE 2025

@AZ_ Raccoon - Yay for letters! 😃

@katielev - My son didn’t have the exact same experience, but his PIR is delayed due to injury (thank goodness I won the argument w/my husband to spend the extra $s on refundable tickets lol). I can’t speak to the timing of her extra training, but can say you are doing the best thing possible by writing to her a lot. Take advantage of sandbox if you can - our son says they really do get those letters much faster. You never know when that one letter will make all the difference for her.

On our first call with my son after he had been in RCU for a week he said he was ready to give up. He’s typically a fighter once he has his mind made up so it was heart-breaking to hear him say that - I think it was a combo of mental exhaustion from the prior few weeks, pain from the injury, and boredom from being stuck on crutches that put his mind in a twist. We got a call from him the following week and he said he was going to do everything he could to heal and stay in the game.  We asked him what changed his mind and he said it was our letters, the right words coming at the right time. 🥰 

From what I’ve been reading, it seems like they have several opportunities and programs to get the recruits where they need to be physically and academically. Especially if the recruits aren’t disciplinary problems and have met standards elsewhere throughout bootcamp. Not sure if you watched the Navy’s bootcamp documentary (link posted somewhere on this page) but at one point an RDC says they won’t give up on the recruits if the recruits don’t give up on them. 

Many hugs to you and your recruit. Hang in there!

AZ_RACCOON -- Yay for the letters!!! It helps you feel better to hear from them but the most important thing is that you keep sending them!!  They are a huge morale boost to the SR's

katielev -- I'm so sorry that your SR is struggling.  They want them to succeed and sometimes getting set back a week or 2 is just what is needed.  I second the suggestion to use sandboxx if you think it would help.  Let her know that you will be ok if she gets set back but you have faith that she will give it her all and that she can master this!
The Videos that Staci mentioned are these:

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

They are also pinned to this page near the top on the left hand side. (when viewed on a computer or in Desktop mode)

We are here to encourage you so you can encourage your SR.  Keep us posted, cry, rant, cheer.... all of it here so you don't send it to your SR.  Remember you have all of us plus your local friends and family, your SR only has you in the letters you send!!

The BEST news - we got a quick call last night that she passed and is moving on to battle stations. A huge thank you to everyone that took the time to share words of encouragement. She sounded so much better when we spoke with her yesterday. Last week when she called, she was very weepy and kept talking about coming home. I think it was mental and physical exhaustion paired with not passing her test. She was much more excited last night and ready to get to graduation. Thank you again. Anyone else's SR graduating next week? 

katielev - That's fantastic news!!!!!  So happy for her and you too!

@Katielev that’s so exciting! I bet your mama heart is bursting right now. Not much longer and you get to hug your recruit!! 😊 

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

katielev -- That's FANTASTIC news!!!! This will make your first Sailor hug just that much sweeter!!! Enjoy every second of your time together!!

katielev - Congratulations to your SR and to YOU!  I know you are so happy!!!  Thank you for sharing this great news with us!!!

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

katielev - Woohoooo! BNMH to your sailor, and YOU! we all knew she could do it! She's gotten thru a big hurdle and upped her self-confidence. On to Battlestations...and beyond!!

katielev - Such great news to hear!!

Congratulations to all of our new sailors!!

Congratulations to all our new Sailors and their families! Enjoy the day/weekend and your time for rest and relaxation and celebration together! 

Good luck to all those headed to Groton for sub school! 

Happy Thursday and Happy PIR Day!

Watch today's PIR live:

LIVE PIR APRIL 3, 2025

Happy PIR day!!!

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

Does anyone know what all of the individual ship flags look like at RTC? I was able to find a picture of all the other flags, the ones they can earn, but I was curious about what each ship's flag looked like.

AZ_RACCOON -- Each Division flag?  Those are designed by the SR's themselves and thus each Div will be 100% unique from all the other's.  Those are never the same twice!

I don't mean the individual DIV #, I meant the Ship's Flag, such as the USS Arizona, USS Hopper, etc. Their barracks.

AZ_RACCOON - I don't recall the ship flags. But I believe they did have challenge coins for each of the ships which you could purchase for your sailor at PIR. And then each Division makes their own Division flag. When my son was in, there was a company that would screen print the flag onto a T-shirt and then sell those. My son bought a few for Christmas presents. 

I am not sure if all of this is up to date. Lemonelephant put it together a few years back. - 

Division T-Shirts, Graduation Photos, The Keel, and DVD of PIR - Na...

It is one of the pages of information on this group which you can find when on a computer or in desktop mode on a mobile device. 

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

You can also get challenged ge coins on Amazon. We got some really nice ones for our SR last fall. 

Also, if you attend Sarge's dinner he has groups there that can make jewelry, shirts, blankets amd hats with your SR's ship etc. They customize it while you eat. 

Welcome to all our New Moms -- You have come to the right place.  This is your best place to ask general questions about boot camp, What to expect, Concerns, and support.  More of our Mom's keep an eye on this page since the PIR pages are Closed. 
No Question is Too silly to ask.  Even if we've been asked before, this is all new to you so ask away!!

Tip of the Week... (Maybe) we practice OPSEC and PERSEC so please no Real Names or Specific Dates.  This is your training ground so if you forget, it's not the end of the world but you may be asked to remove your comment and repost. 
Here's a Helpful Example...
NOT Allowed -- "My SR Davy Jones is going to have Battle Stations on Wednesday and I'm leaving on the following Tuesday from New Orleans, LA!"
BETTER -- My SR is nearing BS21.  I'm so excited to see them soon!!

I want to start to make travel arrangements to attend PIR. My SR leaves next week for bc. Do I just count 9 weeks and assume PIR will be on that Thursday?

Melanie -Welcome Aboard! We are glad you are here and asking questions.  One thing you will learn about having a child in the Navy, is you do not assume anything! :-)

That does not mean you can't try to plan but if you make reservations, especially airline reservations, be sure they are refundable or changeable!!

It is best to wait until you receive the "form letter" or whatever electronic means - Sandboxx App for BC - they are using now to notify family of which training group (TG), Division and ship number a SR is assigned to. There are many factors which can affect your SRs actual PIR date. The first being when they are actually assigned to a Div upon arrival at BC. Other factors are injuries or something else that can delay them, in which case they should be able to notify you of the change. 

Hopefully, someone who has attended more recently can share the latest on how they notify the families of the SRs PIR date. Mine came by paper mail and as I recall it was about 3 weeks from when he had left home. 

Melanie - I would hold off for a minute until you get that official letter.  Anything could happen.....

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

Thank you both for all your guidance. All of your links have been very helpful and have guided me through this process. Thank you again. 

Melanie - You are welcome!! I used to be the biggest family planner - whether it was a short weekend trip, or a 3-week family vacation. Everything had to fall just perfectly in place. My son knew this very well, to the point that he did not write me one Sunday, so that he could go to medical to be checked out for a cough. He knew how important it was for him to graduate on the date that I think we were actually given by the recruiters!!

Needless to say, the Navy has taught me how to be a lot more flexible, and I plan even less than I probably should now. And my biggest lesson came not with getting to PIR, but after PIR was over and nothing happened for my new sailor the way anyone had shared on this site!! 

You're in good company! The excitement is all there, we want to see our new sailor, but there is a lot between now and later. We will help you learn to navigate these new waters, as best as we can. 

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

Happy Thursday and Happy PIR Day!

Watch today's PIR live:

LIVE PIR APRIL 10, 2025

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

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR: MAY 2025

PIR: APRIL 2025

I hope someone got a phone call this weekend!! Or letters in the mail?  Be sure to come share with us!

Praying for our SR's to have the physical strength, self confidence, perseverance and mental strength to push through these last few weeks! Since my Son is not a letter writer, I am anxiously waiting for my next call. I always appreciate when you all share your responses from your SR's. May Godd Bless our SR's and our families.

NavyMomThrower - Have you gotten ANY letters from your SR?  I know that's super-challenging to have to wait for the phone calls!  I hope you get one SOON!!!

Praying for all of the SR's and families!!  My son wrote 2 letter because he was not a writer either, but we wrote twice a week!  He did say getting the letters from us was so nice.  The calls were always what we lived for and when they came we knew he was okay.  Stay strong and know he is okay and will get through all of this.  You will get the call soon!!