Sailors attending A School in Meridian, Mississippi

Emma (Lady Hamilton), I'm sure maussie meant nothing by her comment and had no idea of the devastation. I know we are not getting too much news of it in our papers down here. It is very sad that over 300 on-base families lost all of their possessions from what I read on line. Our hearts and prayers are with all affected by these awful floods.

Thank you maussie64-and yes that is true, they are not sure when his orders will come through now, looks like he might have to go straight to Cali, without even coming home at all, I sure hope not! I think He an We need some time together, and Lady Halilton, diannep, is so right, I don't kow why they are not telling us more about what is going on down there, it is truly horrific, and our prayers are with them!

Diannep, Thank you. You're right about the news coverage. For some reason, the CA stations don't seem to find it newsworthy. And I don't receive the newspaper anymore. (It not even worth the price of the subscription in my town.) I certainly wasn't trying to make a joke of anyone's misfortune.

Lady Hamilton, my PIR group was a bit more relaxed and probably would have informed me of the situation in the south, while leaving the reprimand out. That said, I am sorry to have offended you. From now on, I will be sure to set my sense of humor on the shelf when addressing this group.

Oh Nancy, I hope that isn't the case. Was he a grad n go? My daughter was, so we only got to see her for Friday and a few hours at the airport. We consoled ourselves with the thought that A school is short and she will have leave and be able to visit us soon. But, she did warn us in the beginning that it could happen.
We will be praying that he gets leave time before he has to report. Keep us posted.

Maussie-please don't lose your humor, sometimes, like candy-nicksstipmom-said, we really need that! It would be nice if the "Navy" or someone would let us all know if we could help, but communication to families seems very very low on their list, This was my first mothers day without them all home, sad, but I've been very blessed, hope all you other Mom's had a great day!

Juli-Your so right! Good luck with your son's b-day, what is he going in for?

AW! How thrilling! I know your feelings! My son got to carry the flag for graduation as well, just made your heart jump!

That is great Juli! What a great mother's day gift. Is he Executive officer of his LS class? How did he earn it?

my daughter is at her command for about 10 dyas. her ship came in today the USS ABRAHAM LINCOln and she was on the team to tie it to the peir. she sounded so happy and proud said they could see the ship coming in and it was HUGE. she also e-mail that gave me chilss and brought a tear to my eye this' THE FAMILIES ARE STARTING TO COME ON THE PEIR" i can't wait for that experencie.

Wow, Dorie; How neat that your daughter already got to observe a "homecoming" for her ship! I bet that did get her so excited! I just can't even imagine the emotions on that day...now she knows what awaits her when she returns on her first homecoming.

Hi, Kyle! Ask any questions you like! But A School is SO MUCH BETTER than bc! You can stay in touch which is such a good thing!

Oh, meant to say that mine graduated from Meridian in April....YN....so if I can help, let me know!

Hey, I recognize some of you gals....

I have a question; What are the living quarters like at Meridian?

Kim, my son sad they were GREAT! It is like a pod of 4 rroms with shared common space. He had a roommate, as did most of them. But the roommates come and go...he had one who finished really fast, so he had a room by himself for a while. Then got another roommate. After leaving in BC, they feel like they are in a luxury hotel where they are!

Oh, forgot to say....Hi, Kim!

Hi Kyle Melissa, my daughter recently graduated from A school in Meridian. They do get liberty, but she was there during rainy season (I guess) and they cancelled it often due to weather. They would get confined to quarters a lot due to tornado warnings.
I think the ones that are there longer can take leave. She was only there for 8 weeks.
She made a bunch of friends and actually misses the place sometimes.

i told my son what you said and he said it sounded like heaven.

Kyle Melissa... Will you be visiting meridian?

Diannep... I thought i read somewhere that this is a self paced program. Do you know if this is true. Is it possible to complete faster than 8 weeks. My son is LS

When my daughter was was there we talked and texted often. When she was allowed to that is. There was no reception her her room so she had to stand outside. Bloody hot for her, but it was so nice to be able to talk regularly again after BC.
Now she is on Diego Garcia. No cell service there and we have to wait for her to call us. 8((

Same here My son just left on 8/7 Last time I heard from him was when he was at the airport I know he is OK just waiting to hear from him because he decided not to take his cell phone from us because he was not sure if he could have it yet I want to at least talk to him and get his address The graduation was SOOO beautiful I still cannot get over it Even though he only had the day with us I was just so happy to see him I did alright though I didnt cry this time when he had to leave LOL So glad this group is here

When they finiish is there another graduation like BC

Kim, yes, it is self-paced. YN was and so was LS. Yes, it is possible that the course can be completed ahead of the 8 weeks. But when my son was there, they all had long "hold" times after graduating before they could take leave. He finished up April 1st, graduated April 7th, and didn't get leave until April 30. They were very backed up with YN orders.

Kyle, Liberty is on a graduated basis. They arrived under "red dot" status and are moved up from there. They have the buddy system in place and believe me, there is BIG trouble if they don't return with that SAME buddy. Possible Captains Mast. They go through indoc when they arrive for a week or more. There isn't much to do in Meridian (but the mall), but my son loved being on the base there with all of his buddies. He was one of the last to leave and had a hard time saying goodbye to everyone! Luckily he met up with many of them where he is staitoned now.

Yes, as with maussie's daughter, my son too had some problems with phone reception and would call from outside. They have to be in their rooms by 10 weekdays, so he would be hurrying to get up there on time. They still have room inspections, personal inspections, muster up to march to and from class, and when in "hold", they muster them up several times a day. But it is a welcome relief from bc, believe me!

mfavored: Not even CLOSE on the graduation like PIR. My son said few if any parents attend. It is very low key.

mfavored and dillon's mom. I mailed my son his phone by priority mail and he got it in 2 days. Sometimes the mail is tricky...packages apparently are in a different place from regular mail. So he needs to check that out. He should be able to use a friend's cell or his phone card to call you with an address this first week. He will be in indoc this week. What rate are your sons?

This group moves rather slowly...not like the PIR groups. But hopefully if more get on here, we will move again! There is nothing quite like the PIR groups! They are so much fun!

Welcome to this group, ladies!

Let's start with the good news first, Kyle. "Muster up" is line up to march. They use it to make sure all are accounted for in hold situations also when there is more free time.

Captains Mast is disciplinary action with the top officers. Reserved for the most severe infractions. They are scared to death of it! Can't tell you what is done as thankfully my son has not had this nor have his friends. I hope it STAYS that way!

Somehow we N4M ladies stay together even after PIR!

Hello. My son just graduated from Meridian. LS... Navy Lingo... just google it. google.com. It is a new language for sure this military lingo. Yes, phone reception is terrible within their rooms at Meridian and I think in many of the buildings. Although my son found a spot near his room (it sounded like he was in a stairwell) and the calls would not drop. If I recall correctly, they are not allowed to walk outside & talk on cell phones. However, he would put me on speaker once or twice & I guess that went under the radar, so to speak. They have to be extremely careful when on watch to not succumb & use their cell phone. Yes, Captains Mast can be a consequence. Prior posts here indicate a number of sailors got in hot water for it. There is no internet access in their rooms... (which is just as well, my son was totally spent from a full day & sleep became extremely important... he really appreciated the weekends he got to sleep in !!! whooda thunk !!!) However apparently the library & the bowling alley (of all places !!!) has wifi. So we chatted on FB several times while he was at the bowling alley. (His one big purchase was a laptop.) I think the saving grace for my son was the golf course. $20 or $25 for the whole kit & kaboodle... golf cart, clubs, balls & greens fees. From his pics, it looked like a nice retreat in & amongst the jack pine. He said it really helped him clear his mind. There are also several basketball courts... Meridian is a small town with a major civil war history... Personally, I would've explored that, but our young adults usually are not into history as much as us 'old folk' are... lol. I know my son took several trips into town (by cab - The cabbies must do a fairly nice business) for movies & a steak dinner. My son said the food on base was as good if not better than BC. He was super busy with classes, studying, marching, runs and standing watch. One of his last was early morning and I got a wonderful text about the wildlife in the wee hours of the morning... coyote, fox, big spider, and praying mantis. A new world. My son came home on leave last Wed & its been wonderful. I'm super proud of his results from Meridian... he was shooting for a promotion, and while that did not come thru, he was the only Sailor in his group to get posted to Hawaii. We feel that is a reward all by itself. (Yes, we are planning a vaca to Hawaii next summer !!!) He has been assigned to a squadron with a tremendous history... how cool. I am so looking forward to the new experiences that await him. Thank you NAVY !!!

Lady Hamilton: In my son's mind, he was scared to death of Captain's Mast, serious offenses or not. What is deemed serious to one sailor may not be to another. Remember, they just got out of boot camp where all was so strict, they are sensing some freedoms now, and so any form of discipline in front of officers is HUGE to most of them. My son's buddies felt the same way...thank goodness. I would not want anyone to dismiss Captains Mast as not a big deal,no matter what the offense. I wasn't talking about offenses that might result in time in the brig...I was talking about regular offenses that can mess up ones life, even if temporarily. I would like for all of the new sailors to have a healthy "fear" of Captains Mast.

Interesting note about the YN's Legal Clerks Course.

My son loved it there, Cyndi. He likened it to a college campus...but MUCH STRICTER! It is a step up from bc...so much less pressure, although of course still lots of structure. I think she will like it and you will like talkiing to her....maybe even skyping if she can find a signal! That is the challenge...the signal for the phones and internet is hit and miss...but some find "spots" to get some reception.

My son arrived on 2/7, started classes on around 2/16 and finished 4/1 But he got stuck on one of the mods for much too long...he was a week to two weeks behind many of the others in his class. He had orders 2 weeks later. He was on "hold" until 4/30 (he said they were told that part of that was because the guy who schedules was on vacation and they weren't processing as quickly...and also there was a backup of YN during that time). He got his 14 days leave. Not sure when he will be home again.

Yes, we know that holidays won't be the same. Mine misssed Thanksgiving and Christmas this last year because of bc. Birthday too...even though he was finished A School in time....he was on hold when his birthday came around.

We will take any time that we can get with him. I'm going to visit him in the Fall for a weekend.

My daughter arrived on 4/24. Waited a week for classes to start and arrived home on leave 6/23. I was expecting some notice and a long wait before she came home on leave, but she called on Wed. and said "I'll be home tomorrow." That was a pleasant surprise.
The travel arrangements weren't what the recruiter said they would be. No surprise there, right? But, she was able to reroute for $30.00. God was definitely in the details there.
She had almost 3 weeks leave before she had to report.

Kyle, isn't it frustrating to be so "in the dark" about everything?
I don't think they will hold her at Gl until then. They like to move them out quickly. My guess is that she will be at Meridian waiting to class up.

Hello to all, been awhile since I have been on, anybody know details about the Corpman School in Chicago? And he finally got to come home while being in "limbo" after 4.5 months!!! LOL So hang in there Mom's!!! He looked just great!

Kyle: Ditto what maussie and Juli said. Makes no sense to hold her in GL. But I don't pretend to know how the Navy does things! She may be on hold after her schooling too. My son finished April 1st, took the financial class (required) April 6th and 7th, graduated the 8th, had orders a week later, and couldn't leave base until April 30. HURRY AND WAIT...that is the motto!

Juli: Kyle's daughter already PIRed last weekend.

My bad. How long was she on hold there?

Kyle. (this is Kim, new picture since PIR). My son says they start school this Friday.

I noticed the same change in my daughter during BC. She has always been appreciative. But, she was so thankful for the support and letters and prayers and prayers and prayers.

i have a question i'm hoping someone can help me with. My son said he is doing 2 watches tonight and that he was trying to get certified. That he needed to complete eight. ????

Does anyone know what he is talking about?

A watch is when they keep watch over a certain area. When my daughter was there she told me about keeping watch in the am hours and checking rooms. Sometimes they just sit in one spot and stay awake. They have to do it eight times as practice before they get certified. But, they will have watches their whole time at Meridian. And most will have them their whole time in the Navy.

hELLO LADIES Its been awhile since I have been able to write
Hope all is well with everyones Sailors as they are getting settled in. So happy about being able to communicate now. It makes a world of difference. My son had to switch carriers because T Mobile doesnt get service out thee at all. I shipped his phone to him via UPS he got it in 2 days. The service is still not that great so the majority of the time we usually text. Once it was so bad he told my daughter and I to hang up and just text him. Some spots are better than others. We did keep in touch through FB until his phone arrived.
He seems to be doing fine which makes me feel good. He says he is just ready for his classes to start. He;s been there since the 7th but classes don't start until the 23rd. I don't understand the long wait because definitely he's gonna be there longer than the 8 weeks he anticipated. I got off the phone with him a little early because he has watch tonight. Hope he;s able to get some rest.
Looking forward to getting info and going through this part of the journey with all of you. I am so grateful for all the info and comments that I get from this site. Take care and God Bless

Maussie64... so is the certification something they all have to achieve while at A school.

Every time I talk to my son I forget to ask him all these little detailed questions. It's all about (how are you, what are you doing, and mom can you ship this or that to me)...

Maussie64.... where is your daughter now. Did she have any options over where she ended up.

My son is so worried he will end up somewhere cold. We are from TX so snow and cold is something we don't endure well...;-)

Kim, I think it is something they have to get done in A school. It doesn't take long.
My daughter is stationed on the Emory S Land. It is a sub tender based on Diego Garcia, very small atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It is very tropical, almost always 85 degrees with a constant breeze. It is also about 11,000 miles from home. 8(( As far a picking their station - I'm sure some get what they ask for, but she asked for Hawaii, Italy or San Diego. :/ (We are only an hour from SD.) Maybe next time though.
What is your son's rate? Where does he hope to be stationed?

Ouch! Praying for a successful surgery and a painless recovery.

Will rate is a sore subject. He was rated up to an E2 in boot camp but the last week someone realized the RDC's in his unit had made a mistake and dropped the E2 rank of more than 40 recruits back to E1. He was the Medical Yeoman and should have been rated up for that but by the time the mistake was caught it was to late and 40 guys lost their rate. So to answer your question he is just an E1

Kim, something similar happened to S. She passed a test that promoted her to E2 before she left for BC. Then she failed a PFA (that she took while she had pneumonia) and got dropped back to E1 i BC.
But actually, that is 'rank'. Rate refers to their occupation.

Thanks Emma. I appreciate the clarification. So much I still don't know.

Maussie64 My son is LS? You have so much wisdom to share.

Thank you! Boys doen't divulge as much info as girls do. " Hi mom, i'm fine, Can you send me my laptop. Luv ya. Bye mom"

Too funny Kim, my daughter is more like a boy in that respect. She write abbreviations and things and just expects me to know what they are. LOL
But, the Ladies here are so helpful (like Emma) and there is always google. 8)

Emma, maybe you can answer a question for me.....
Is being stationed on a ship that is based in an area that is considered forward-deployed a deployment? How long would a female usually be there?