November 2010 Boot Camp

Hi Betsy, Glad to have you here. Has your son been training and studying the navy creed and history of the navy. It would be great if they were promoted before they actually went off to BC!

My son is scheduled to leave nov 9 as well, possibly SEALS, waiting on a waiver!

Wow! Very exciting news. Congrats to both you and your son..... You must be very proud

Catherine, he was given a big booklet to work on over the summer. That is all in there, but thanks for the tip. :)

Hi angelica0314 Welcome! Did your sign sign a contract? If so, what is his rate. My son has signed on as an AO (Aviation Ordenance). He will be sent over to A-school in Pensicola, FL right after PIR.

My plan is to gather as many moms/girlfrineds/wives/etc that has someone leaving this Nov. This way we can share experiences, stories, give guidance and provide support and give as much information as possilbe. Oh, and also to meet great friends.

Isn't this an exciting new adventure for all of us. So we have some time till Nov to learn as much as we can.

Is your son still in HS? Mine is, so my concern is to keep him active and busy till then. He started running and meets with his recruiter one to two times every other week to train and study. He also has to call him every Mon morning to let him know that he had a safe weekend. Has your depper started any of this yet?

Hey Angelica,

Just wanted you to know that the pic next to me is not a pic of me. LOL obviously! It is of Saint Barbara. She is the Patriot Saint of AO's...

Catherine F; Thank you for all that information, good to know! I have a feeling that this where we will end up? But my DEP is still hopeful for the SEALS contract. Still learning a lot!
He is attending some meetings and trainings with his recruiter weekly, very interesting to watch the changes that are already happening.

It is exciting BB, I wish him much success. Has he signed a contract yet, or waiting for the SEALS?

no he has a signed contract for AO and is scheduled for boot camp November 9, but if the SEALS contract comes through( we are waiting on a waiver) then that could change. If not maybe our Boys will be together i know that their ship dates are different but from what i understand that does not mean much.

very true. However it turns out I know it will be great!!!!

Hi Angelica,

Hope you had fun in Cali! Sounds like your son is anxious to start. I remember the recruiter asking him if there was an opportunity to start sooner he could indicate that to the, however I'm not to sure how it works. Can he change his rate? Or if an OS postion opens up sooner they will grant his wish? You should have him call his recruiter and find out. Keep me posted on what they say.

I think it's a great thing for him to want to start sooner. Although your heart will be heavy he has his head straight in the right direction. Awesome.

My son is graduating on the 24th of June. So we are getting excited as well.

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day!!

Happy Birthday to your son!!

Hi Angelica,

Sorry for the long time in responding. I was off the site for a while due to work. They have me going crazy. You can definatley call me Cat, everyone does. So today is a good day! I am off to attend my sons HS graduation. I guess x the mascara cause I already woke up emotional. I am so proud and excited. One step closer to manhood. The maturity level has increase ever since he joined the Navy. Our sons have such similarities. You are correct, Memorial Day did seem more special to me this year with a sense of pride and respect, I was light on my feet and really appreciated the day.

Off to get ready. Have a wonderful day!!

My son is scheduled to leave November 15 from Charleston, SC. This picture is not of him but it is the picture attached to my name from his twin brother who had PIR on September 11, 2010. Yes, we are getting ready to deal with all of this again. I haven't upgraded his picture to his uniform but I guess I better post one with both of them since I still stay in contact with the other group.

I am looking forward to getting involved with N4M again with new friends. I can't express to all of you enough how much help, guidance and support this site will give you. I wouldn't have been able to make it without all the wonderful Moms and girlfriends I got to know through the Boot Camp group and then on to our Division group. We had a great Greet and Meet and we all still stay in constant contact.

To answer the one question about the book. Yes, do tell them to study and try to go in as an E-2. My Corpsman didn't do it because he thought he could just make it up at boot. He did pass it at boot but then they lost all their paperwork so he had to wait several months after boot to become E-2. It isn't that much of a pay difference but I would think worth the wait. I am still trying to convince Willie to do the same before he goes.

My son, Willie, going in 11/5 and has signed up for EM. I'm not sure where the A-school is for that yet. He graduated in June 2009 but wanted to join the Coast Guard. Since they seem to be on hold until 2012, he decided to join the Navy. Going from Marine Biology to EM doesn't make sense to me but I think he took just whatever job came open. At least it will teach a good trade. My other son is a Corpsman. Looking forward to communicating with all of you.

Tamme

Hi Tamme, Welcome!

Glad you found us. My son Stephen has been studing and his recruiter did mention that he wants to promote him to E2. He has been training hard and even brought a few potential recruits to a meeting.

Looking forward to sharing throughout our sons new journey!

Hey Tamme..How was PIR? I bet it was wonderful!!!

There has hardly been any activity on here. I know there has to be more people out there with loved ones leaving in November......

Catherine, it is good to hear from you. I am also surprised at how quiet this site is. I couldn't get my hands on enough information before my son went to boot camp. I am so dreading going through this again. PIR was absolutely wonderful. It will take your breathe away. It is so exciting to see them after all that time. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could run down and hug him.

Take your own video camera though. We bought the video they do but it is taken of the entire graduation class, which is huge. My son was a division flag holder and I was so disappointed we didn't take a video camera. They did all kind of moves with the flags.

I meant to tell you to purchase the book "Duty, Honor and Commitment." It is all about Navy boot camp.

What date does Stephen leave? Let's keep in touch.

Tamme

Hi Tamme, Did you at least take some pics. I would love to see them. I have heard PIR is very emotional. It must have been wonderful to see your son. What hotel did you stay at or would you recommend?

Duty, Honor and Commitment? Is this a bood I could purchase at Barnes and Nobles?

Stephen is off to BC Nov 16th. He will miss Thanksgiving, Christmas and his 18th birthday. I am planning a big party for him the week before he leaves to celebrate all that he will miss. I am starting to get antsy... It is less than two months away.

I will try to send you some pictures. I bought the book on amazon.com but you may want to try your Barnes and Noble. Willie leaves on November 15. That means there is a very good chance they could be in the same division. Willie will be 20 in October so that would be great if they end up together.

Wow. I hope so. How neat would that be... Let me know the plans you will be making for PIR. Hopefully we will have chance to meet in person.

I forgot to answer you on hotels. When you receive the letter from the Navy with Stephen's division (about two weeks into camp), you will receive a brochure with several hotels and the discount number to use for reservations. We stayed at the Homewood which wasn't too far away but there are hotels closer. The Homewood was nice because it had suites and was easier for our family. When we went back to Great Lakes to visit when Wade was in A-school, we stayed at the Navy Lodge but Stephen would have to sign you in so that wouldn't work the night before graduation, unless someone in your party is in the military.

great, thanks for the info. Stephen's father and I are divorced. I remarried and so did he. I beleive we only get four tickets and will have to split them. I guess a small hotel room would be sufficient, however Stephen's sister is heart broken. They are very close and she is so sad that she will not be coming along.

There are no tickets. Stephen just needs to list the names of all who will attend on a sheet they will give him at boot camp. I would suggest making that list for him and having it put it in his wallet. His wallet is the only item he will be able to keep. Everything else will be sent back to you in a box which you see referred to on the website as the "kid box."

so then you mean it is possible for my daughter to also attend!!

Definitely. We had ten of us.

Hi, I'm Arwen. My son went to boot camp in Dec. 2009, and I'm also a Navy veteran (as is my husband). I'm here to offer my support and answer any questions you may have.

Regarding the Navy Lodge, the ONLY time you can check into a Navy Lodge without a sailor checking you in is for PIR. As long as you have your sailor's name, division and other PIR information, you can stay there.

For getting more than 4 people in, that entirely depends on the size of the graduation. At small graduations, 6-10 divisions, they pretty much let everyone in. However, at large graduations (13-18 divisions) it is unlikely that anyone other than the four on the list will be admitted. For medium-size graduations (11-12 divisions) it entirely depends on how many sailors' families actually shows up. They make the "extra" guests wait outside until all "approved" guests are seated. If there is room, they let them in. If there is no room, then they turn them away.

An option for large graduations is for your recruit to ask his/her shipmates if they have fewer than 4 guests on their list, to add your recruit's guests to that list. They key here is to make sure the "extra guest" knows the name of the recruit who sponsored them in!

Thank you Arwen this helps a lot because I have several people wanting to go and now I can at least tell them the have a chance that they can possibly go.

Hi, I'm Kathy from Texas. My son leaves for BC November 8. He's set to go to AO school after he graduates.

welcome to the November group!

Hi All, I have been out of commision for the last two weeks due to some surgery but I am back in action and i see more moms have joined. WELCOME!!

Hi Kathy, Jessica, Sammilynn Tammi

Arwen, your knowledge is greatly appreciated. My daugther will be happy to know that there is possibility she can attend PIR

thanks Jess,

Hi Angelica, glad to hear from you. All is well. Is your son preparing himself? We are now just a month away.

Kris, RTC Great Lakes is a restricted-access base, even to retirees and Navy personnel. Access is granted by need. Having a retired military ID won't make much difference in getting in to the graduation. It's a unique situation.

I guess I need to search around for groups more because I just found this one today by going to someone's profile from the other DEPper in Nov group. Just two more days for us because the boys both leave on Monday. We can pick them up from the hotel on Monday night to take them to dinner. Their B-day is on Nov. 12th and they will be in GL. I promised them I would only write a letter and not send a Bday card. They are going to get enough hassle just being identical twins! Hope everyone is doing well.

Tamme keep your chin up for Willie and at least he has a brother who can help him out when he graduates BC!!!!!

wow both your boys are going in at the same time... that must be hard on you. idahojeep....

becki it has been very hard but I am so proud of them! We only have the two boys so our house is going to be very quiet.

Bootcamp and empty nest - I'm not sure I could have handled it all at once. Willie has had to deal with all our attention as being the last one home.

when do your boys leave

oh i see now Monday.. so they will be there with my son. I was just in the chat room and someone said it is in the 40's in the GL right now..

idahojeep, becki, Tamme, I am right around the corner from all of you. My son leaves the 16th... It is emotional but we have each other to lean on.. I am so proud of all our boys!!!

Catherine, it will be so interesting to see if they end up in the same division.

I know Tamme. How you holding up?

Thanks annm, we would love any input you may have.

Catherine, now that we've actually hit November, it is really settling in. My other son comes home tonight so we are excited.

How nice, Enjoy your time with him.... It has hit. Stephens party is this weekend so once that's over and I have nothing to do I will probably go insane...LOL

Catherine, it is so great to have our son home and we worked with Willie last night on his A-Z codes and ranks. I am so glad Wade could come home to work with him before he goes in. It is so great to have both boys together but it is also a reminder of how close the 15th is getting.

I glad you had some time with both your boys but hang in there.....we all are here for each other. Before you know it, we will be at graduation

Yes, having the holiday season will be hard on them but it will make time pass faster for us with all the bustle.

One day of bootcamp down many more to go....

Becki, did you get a phone call?

yes, around 11:00 wed. night. he was so tired.... i hope he got to sleep last night...