AnnieKay - My son has been able to call me in the late afternoon or early evening, but that is because he hasn't started his long shifts yet. Also, he has been more of a communicator than most of the sailors I hear about. 

AnnieKay - I haven't done FaceTime yet, but we have skype set up on our computers and utilize that a lot. When he is out on the ship, that will be different not to be able to see him occasionally. My son is still doing ship training and INDOC items because he said he hasn't started duty days yet. For him that means he has his weekends available for the time being.

I accepted your friend request and I was going to send you a pm, but it is getting late my time so I will try to send you a note soon.

Chipmunk,

If your son is free on the weekends, maybe he could come over next weekend or any weekend he is free. :)

Yvonne and John

John & Yvonne - thanks, I had not really thought about it. Yesterday was a rather busy day for us, and today as well. He did skype with his younger brother most of the day.

Chipmunk,

I'm sure his younger brother really was stoked to be able to skype with his 'big Navy brother'!

That's ok. I know you're busy. Maybe in the coming weeks you can let him know about us and we can pm you our cell number. :)

Have a blessed day!

Yvonne

AnnieKay - I did some searching on here and found the info I posted below.  Unfortunately it is from 2014! 

It might not be good info anymore since it's so old but you might luck out and get someone that can help/refer you to a current contact.  I'll keep looking.

And here's the link to the Bataan group on here:

USS Bataan

It hasn't been active in a while but sometimes when you start posting in a group you can get it going again.  Worth a try.  And you might find some helpful info in their discussion pages.  ;-D

AnnieKay: I found this page on navy.mil with some contacts listed: https://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/lhd5/Pages/ombudsmen.aspx

Hi AnnieKay,

My son is currently deployed and he was allowed to tell us.  I don't know if it depends on where and the situation but hopefully you will also be privy to that information from your son.

The Sailors who come over to our home on the weekends usually tell us. And they post pictures of the different ports they go to.

We don't say anything on our texts though. Hope that helps. 

Yvonne

AnnieKay - yes, your son can tell you in private.  You might also want to come up with some sort of "code" so when he deploys and wants to give you dates you can email without divulging anything.  For example he might say "we are expected back in 45 days after mom's birthday" or the dog's birthday - just something that you agree on before hand.  That way he doesn't say the exact date.  Homecomings/communication can be changed due to loose lips.

Does anyone know if there is a fireworks show on base? I was wanting to share the information with my sailor if I found out anything. Thanks!

Chipmunk,

None of the bases have fireworks, but there are many places that do. Fort Monroe is one of those places. We've been there and it's really a great show. Williamsburg has them also. Many of the cities here have them. Some on the night before.

Yvonne and John

Thank you for the suggestions!

Thankful to whoever stopped by to help my sailor with changing his tire after a blowout!!

That's awesome Chipmunk!

Yvonne

I just want to say thanks to John and Yvonne for hosting my sailor at their home the other day!  I would encourage anyone who has a single sailor in the area to reach out to them and connect your sailor with their hospitality. They invite the sailors over for games, movies, food, fellowship and some time of Bible and prayer. 

Our sailor's ship is being deployed from Norfolk.  Is family allowed to see the ship off?  Is there a place I can look up information on this?

Cat123 - I am not a veteran mom with regards to deployment, so I am only sharing my meager knowledge, but I would say that your sailor's ombudsman would be the one to give you this information. Your sailor should have that information, or you should be able to find it on the ship's website, maybe? Here is a link that describes the ombudsman's role.

https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/NNPTC/Ombudsman.aspx

Also, I believe your sailor has to give their ombudsman your contact information, so that they know they are able to share this sort of ship information with you. So, I would honestly ask your sailor, they should be able to give you the answer to your question.

Thank you; I appreciate the help!  I'll talk to my sailor.  This is all new to us.

Cat123 - You are welcome! This is all new to me as well, as our sailor just headed to the fleet earlier this summer after his training. My son acquired the information needed to share the ship's FB page with my husband (I don't do FB), and then he also had to give the ombudsman our contact information so that they would know it was okay to accept my husband on the FB page or to send communication to us.

Cat123 - you can see the ship off - the only problem is you would need military ID to get on base.  Sailors usually have a curfew the night before deployment so they can't get you on base.  Another option is to watch the deployment from Fort Monroe.  It's a National park so you have access to it.  Here's the link with some info on it:

https://www.nps.gov/fomr/index.htm

Also check Wavy 10 for Livestream - they may or may not show it - they usually do homecomings and I don't remember if they show them leaving.

Wavy 10 Livestream

B'sNukeMom - Thanks for sharing this information!

Thank you so much for all the help!  I am grateful that I have a home here--appreciate everything.

This was info I posted back in 2015 (on the Truman page) when my son's ship was getting ready for deployment.  It was the instructions we were given to get on the FRG mailing list for the newsletter.  I'm sure your son will have to do something similar.  He should get this done before they deploy.

***FRG NEWSLETTER***

Make sure your sailor has you set up to receive the FRG newsletter:

Your sailor will need to email a request from his/her CVN75 account with the following:

-Sailor's rate & department

-Sailor's PRD date

-Family member's name, email and relationship

-Family member's city of residence

Requests should be sent to: Communications.Trumanfrg@gmail.com

Both the Sailor and family member should receive a confirmation 1-3 days after the request is received.

***Remember dates cannot be shared in any public forum.  The FRG CAN NOT/WILL NOT share any info with you if you are not on the email list.  This is for your Sailor's protection.

If any of you have sailors that are assigned to the USS FORD, I would like to invite you to join our group - USS Gerald R. Ford CVN78 - if you can't find it, send me a friend request and then I can send you an invite to join it. 

Here is the link for the group - https://navyformoms.ning.com/group/uss-gerald-r-ford-cvn78

Sorry, I haven't figured out how to get the blue hyperlinks to correctly copy and paste in comments. 

I talked to a Navy Mom and she said that your Sailor has to give your name to the Ombudsman and then she will contact you to be able to see a ship off and for the homecoming. Hope that helps any Moms who aren't sure. 

Have a fantastic day!

Our sailor is deployed.  We just got his address on his ship.  What kind of things are we allowed to send in care packages?  Does it take a long time for things to arrive?

Cat123 - I don't know much about deployment and this site seems to not be followed as well as I was hoping. B'sNukeMom is currently on vacation.  - Did you get on the Ombudsman's list? I believe for Subs they have to get their packages to the Ombudsmen before they deploy but not sure about surface ships. 

Here is the link for the Care Package Ideas group 

https://navyformoms.ning.com/group/carepackageideas

You might be able to search through the discussions and see if you can figure anything out or post on there with your questions. 

Chipmunk - Thanks for the information.  I'll check out the link you sent.  

Cat123,

As far as sweets, most anything can be sent...except don't send fudge and chocolate ..it melts.  And if you send cookies, I usually individually wrap them and put them in a container. It's wise to put strong tape around the container so that the cookies don't end up out of it. Snacks are good, like nuts and trail mix. Some send some of the personal things like deodorant and things like that if they can't get them themselves. As far as how long it takes...sometimes a month and sometimes much longer, depending where they are. One suggestion from me: if a birthday is coming up, rather than try to send a cake, I make peanut brittle in the microwave, put it in a cake pan to harden after I've put a candle size hole in the middle. Then I send the candle, some balloons, a funny movie,  Dollar Tree games, etc, Let your imagination run away with you. :) Sometimes candy one usually gets at the movie theater too. :) I hope that helps!! Have fun. Oh, and if they are out on a holiday, I try and send things related to that holiday, even a very small Christmas tree with little decorations. they usually share some of those things with others. :)

Yvonne and John 

John and Yvonne - Thank you for all the suggestions!  I didn't realize packages would take so long to arrive.  Is that true of regular mail too?  I may have to send some documents and wonder if there's an expedited way to mail to an FPO address?  Thanks again for all your good ideas.  

Hello Cat123.

It all depends as far as how long care packages take and where they are. There have been times when the Sailors have gotten them much earlier than I expected. Concerning regular mail-I would think that it would get there earlier, but I'm not sure. I'll have to ask around. 

Yvonne and John

Very excited that we got an email from our sailor!  He doesn't think he will receive any packages or letters until they get to port in some months.  Does anyone know if we send him mail or packages if they will be held or do they get returned if they're not in port?

You can mail him letters and packages to his FPO/APO address and he will get them at sea. They deliver them at RAP (replenishment at sea).

Thanks for the information.  I'm learning a lot.

Anyone know of good motels near where the USS Gerald R Ford is located at? Thanks!

Chipmunk,

I have no idea of motels near there. If it was for where we live I could recommend some. Sorry. I would suggest googling them. You should be able to find some good ones. 

Yvonne

Yvonne, Thank you! I also needed to know specifically where the Ford was moored, so I could decided which was the best location. My sailor was finally able to call me this afternoon and by the time I got done with the other reservations and started on the hotel ones, things were already booked!! 

But I found something that will accommodate the family and not toooo expensive. This trip is one expensive birthday present. Now to figure out how to get a cake made for him. Not sure if I can make that happen. 

Chipmunk, glad you found what you're looking for!  how many people are coming for your sailor's birthday? Sounds like a big group!  Do you belong to Sams or Costco ? I know they make cakes. My daughter bought a cake at Costcos and it was delicious!  If you do belong to either of them, you could google the ones here and put in an order. Hope that helps. :)

Yvonne

Yvonne there are just four of us coming, but that makes 5 in a room with our sailor, so I was trying to find adequate space and beds. Thanks for the suggestion to check out Sam's. 

His favorite cake is an orange cake with caramel frosting. Duncan Hines use to have a premade one, but at least in our area, they have quit carrying it. So in the past, I have made from scratch.   

Chipmunk,

Are you driving or flying? I'm guessing driving?

Sams might be able to make that kind, or You could make the cake at home  and put in an ice chest so it would stay fresh. Just a suggestion. :) How long will you be here? We would love to meet you if you have the time.

Yvonne

Fleet Week - my husband just shared this information with me. https://www.pilotonline.com/military/vp-nw-aircraft-carrier-tours-f...

Does anyone know if you have to have your sailor with you to attend these activities? I am sure you do for the discounts?

Just a reminder - today is when you can visit the Aircraft carrier at Norfolk if you would like. the information is in the link from my last post. Unfortunately, our time last week in Newport News was occupied with other activities for our son's b'day and we had to be back home, but I would have enjoyed doing the tour, even if there was a crowd!!