Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

PIR: JUNE 2025

PIR ceremony was absolutely amazing yesterday. I can't express the joy and happiness I felt yesterday seeing my sailor. It truly is a memorable moment.  Thank you all for your help getting through the first 9 weeks of this journey. 

Yes, it's the best and I found myself squeezing him again this morning. 

Melanie - Congratulations to both YOU and your new Sailor!  PIR is amazing and that first hug is the best!  Enjoy your time with him!  That picture is awesome and what a great smile!

Here's the link to yesterdays PIR in case anyone missed it:

PIR JUNE 18.2025

Melanie-- Enjoy every second you have with him this weekend! You Do NOT need to respond while you are with him... We understand! We look forward to hearing all about your time together next week!!

Today is B’s birthday. Hard to believe my son is 36!

Thanks belovedbyHim!  We got to Facetime with B and the family so that was nice.  He had a good day!

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

PIR: JUNE 2025

Just received the call that my recruit passed the OPFA!! So he just has final inspection/drill and Battle-Stations. Nearly there! 🥰

Great news Staci..  so close now.. Yea!

Yay @Staci! I know you're excited!

Congratulations, Staci!!!  So excited for you and your SR!!!

Melanie - congratulations!!!  I love the picture of your Sailor!  I know you are super proud of him!!!

Love the photos of when the sailors when they were young. Met another Navy mom recently and we shared photos of our boys when they were young. No matter their age or training, part of them will always be our little boys. Know moms worldwide must feel the same about their sons. 

That is so true, AgnesB!  They are always our boys!!!

Good Morning and Happy Monday.

Just a reminder that with everything going on right now it is very important that we practice OPSEC/PERSEC.  Be very careful what you post online and what you share with friends/family.  Good idea to lock down your social media pages and don't overshare!  If you're not sure about posting something, be safe and just don't post it!

Click on this link for a refresher on OPSEC guidelines:

OPSEC Guidelines

Yay Staci!  Almost there!

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

PIR: JUNE 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.)

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

PIR: JUNE 2025

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

PIR: JUNE 2025

Happy Thursday and Happy PIR Day!

Watch today's PIR live:

LIVE PIR 6.26.2025

Jess84 posted this question up above in the discussion forum:

My son leaves for boot camp July 30th. Is there anything I need to help him with?

Please feel free to respond either up above or here on the comment wall with tips and info for her!  Thanks!

Last Month TO DO

Also, if you look to the right side of this page there are (27) pages of info.  Click on the link and it will take you to the individual page. Be sure to hit "view all" to see all of them.  Some of them are older but it will still give you an idea.

Jess84: I learned very quickly that my son was told everything he needed to do/bring to bc.  I just reminded him to read the manual he was given to get a head start memorizing the information and he worked out everyday. When it came to him leaving he just brought whatever he could fit in a sock, which was really just his toothbrush, a little notebook with mini pictures of family/friends he glued in it.

I think another really important thing is to make sure they are able to make their run time.  That seems to be a problem for many.  My son was lucky in that he was a cross country runner all through high school so he had no issues with that.  And definitely have as much of their memorizing stuff done ahead of time.  They should go over all of this in DEP.

Happy RED Shirt Friday!

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

PIR: AUGUST 2025

PIR: JULY 2025

Jesse84 - I have heard recruits get access to their personal cell phones to use when they are allowed to make calls at specified times. I’m not sure if it’s true. When my son went through, they had to use the pay phones - so I typed up all important numbers on a small piece of paper he could keep with him. Also sent moleskin cut in little strips for blisters. Gave him a couple sentimental photos. 

You might also talk about the photo package you’d like. I had told my son I wanted the big package with all the photos  having no idea what was in it. The sweet boy bought almost $1000 in photos - I had so many duplicates, more than I could possibly share with family. But I didn’t get what I really wanted ( so ordered those myself) - I bought the photo dog tag to wear (one for each me, his cousin and aunt - still wearing it 4 years later!), photo Christmas ornaments (for same people), and photo mugs. I think you can look up the packages in advance and let him know what you’d like before he leaves.

Unfortunately, we never received the letter from him with his ship number/address, so I was unable to mail letters until I received the first phone call several weeks into bootcamp. I was so sad to hear that he thought we were too busy to write him. In reality had had a bunch of letters saved up to mail to him, so he just got them late. I had been writing letters every couple days.  Anyway, assuming you will be writing encouraging letters as you wait for his address, let him know if everyone else is getting letters but him, that sometimes parents don’t get the address and you would never forget or not have time to write him. 

I hear there is a tradition of buying supplies to decorate an anchor for your hotel door at graduation. I made one too, but covid stopped families from attending. Anyway, you may want to start planning what you’d like to do. Here’s the one I decorated (painted) as well as a tribute area I keep of him in our family room. 

Lastly, we watched boot camp videos together in advance so we’d all know what he was going through. It was kind of fun. Took family photos with a professional photographer, had one last group camping trip and a going away bbq where we shaved his head - everyone who wanted to got swipe with the shaver. It was fun. Made a photo book of it all and he has copies on his phone. 

Good luck on your journey - it’s tough, sad, rewarding and so wonderful to watch the transformation into sailor!  

Melanie - our sailor started this journey during COVID. I realize a lot has changed since then. He was told he could have a small notepad, I wrote phone #'s and addresses in it. If they can keep their phones, they could be entered there. They got some time, though not a lot, to write letters. My sailor wrote his grandparents and my mom still tell people how much that meant to her. They will get money to spend on essentials while there. They will help them get their direct deposit set up. If your sailor wants to continue to use their hometown bank, make sure they have routing and account numbers. Navy Fed CU has some distinct advantages so you might have your sailor look into which way they want to go.

There was an opening for the rate our sailor wanted. He jumped on the opportunity. The downside is he had 3 days from notification to when he had to report to the hotel the night before he left. He had to get moved out of his apartment, etc. I'm telling you this because if you don't get all the boxes checked on the "to do" list, it will still be fine. I didn't know about Semper Gumby then, but nearly 5 years later, that has been one of the biggest lessons I have learned. 

I don't know how old your sailor is or how independent, but the more you can let them figure these steps out the better off they will be. They will need to advocate for themselves and sometimes need to make big decisions at short notice. 

They will be fine and so will you!

@jesse84, my son is at bootcamp right now, PIR 7/3! :-)

This was our experience and advice for future recruits. Pay attention to what they teach you at DEP (read materials etc) because there are “academic” portions of bootcamp that they will be tested on (it’s not just physical). My son did fine with them likely because he went to all of his DEP meetings and didn’t have to learn a ton of new stuff. I can’t imagine it’s easy to memorize a ton of new info when you’re barely getting any sleep and are constantly being yelled at

Agree w/the advice to start running early. Even people who are otherwise athletic may not be able to sustain a run at the required pace for the required distance.

It sounds like everyone is allowed a small notebook, but my son was told he could only bring the clothes on his back, his phone, and a bible. We wrote notes for him in a bible along with all of our phones #s, addresses and bank account info.

They are allowed to use their own phones to make calls. The phones get charged ahead of the call on behalf of the recruits. However, they have to sign a document saying they will only use the phone function, no facetime, texting, social media etc. As a matter of fact, we overheard an RDC chew out 2 recruits for hopping on social media during one of the calls with our son. Unfortunately, they cancelled the call because of those 2 recruits.

They don’t get a ton of time to write letters but it’s important that you still send them. The first 3 weeks are really tough mentally and physically, especially if it’s the first time your recruits have lived away from home. The notes you send with them and/or write to them keep their head in the game 100%. They will be given stationery to write letters. Show them how to address an envelope and stamp placement etc. We forget that nobody writes letters anymore so depending on their age and experience they may need instruction.

Watching the documentary about bootcamp is a must ahead of time. I think it helps when they know the RDCs are breaking them down to build them up. They aren’t just being monsters for no reason. Remind them that there is millions of $s of research put into the most effective ways of training. Remind them that the first three weeks will be miserable as they figure out who is/isn’t cut out for Navy life. But they can get through it. After those first 3 weeks they begin to gel as a division and feel like they’ve turned a corner…and the rest are a ton of memories that will build and shape them. Best of luck you all will get through this!

Melanie - I apologize, my post was in response to inquiry by Jesse84. Oops!

Lora - Welcome Aboard!! - I hope you receive your call soon. It is a scripted call, where she is reading off of a paper they give her. At least that was the way it was for my son. I thought it was a robot calling!! I just kept saying "I Love You, over and over." 

Be sure to stick around here, and this is the best place to post your questions and your comments. Be sure to scroll back and read some of the recent posts as well. 

Lora - Welcome to the group!  Everyone is to helpful here!  Hope you get the call soon!!!

Lora - I mean't so helpful here!