Grad & Go Info

Yes Sobe, it is great to be able to communicate right away, that's for sure.
Lydia-enjoy your PIR experience. It is a real nice ceremony, one you won't forget. Wow, it's just around the corner for you. Enjoy your time with your sailor.

i heard in a letter from my sr that he is g&g.i already have a plane ticket to stay all weekend.how do i know if he even has liberty on friday.i am annoyed since i have to stayn until monday a.m.

Charlie's: We were in the same boat. We didn't know until Wed. before PIR when my son would be leaving GL. We had already bought our tickets to stay through Sunday. As it was he left at 10am on Sat. after PIR and we spent the rest of our time sight seeing until we left Sunday eve. You never know, your son may not leave right away and you would be bummed if you ended up leaving way before he did. Meeting my son at the airport Sat am was great, especially being able to give him his phone so you can talk more readily was one of the best things we did. Congrats to you and your soon to be Sailor! PIR was such a great and memorable event. My favorite part was traveling through the sea of graduated sailors and my son coming up from behind and grabbing me for a hug. That was one of the best hugs from him that I've ever had.

Charlie's - My daughter was PIR 7/30, and although she was grad 'n go - and on a chartered flight at 3:00 am Saturday morning - she still got liberty Friday afternoon. We weren't able to meet her at the airport, but I shipped her computer, phone and other electronic goodies on Monday and she had them on Thursday. We took the train downtown on Saturday, and went shopping at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg on Sunday, and although we might have wished for more time we used the time we had and spent all the time we could with her on Friday. Not great, certainy, but she was able to get to Pensacola and get settled Saturday night and because she had a phone card she was able to call us until her cellphone arrived.

SusanH81~My son has PIR on 9/17 and just found out yesterday from him that he's a grad n'go. Sooooo disappointed naturally but since is A-school is only 5 hours from where I live, I know I'll see him as much as I can. My question for you is...what time was the curfew for your daughter on that Friday? My son flies out at 3:00 a.m. Saturday as well and I'm trying to get an idea of just how much time I'll have with him. Thanks in advance :)

javajo50 - the time a sailor has to be back is dependent on their RDC, but the normal times are 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. Most G&G's who leave the base at 3am to get on the bus to the airport are usually asked to be back by 7pm. Have you printed and mailed the quick questionnaire above in the discussion area? (G&G questions to ask your recruit). This will help your recruit tell you which airport, which airline, etc. You mail it to them now, then they hand it to you at PIR. Glad to know your son will be so close to you in A-School - you are going to enjoy that I'm sure! I'm in Calif and my son is in Florida, so I'm about as far as you can get!

My son graduated 8/13. He wasn't sure if he was G&G when I got the "I'm a Sailor Call" He said he thought he was. I printed out the questionnaire above and mailed that to him just in case. We booked rooms for the whole weekend, but by reading other parents comments in his division and by him saying he thought he was g&g, we canceled our room for Saturday night when we got there. At PIR my son handed me the filled out questionnaire. He got to spend all day Friday after PIR with us. He left to go to the airport at 2am.Sat morning. His flight was leaving at 5 that afternoon. We told him we were going to sleep in for a bit. We had an 18 hr drive and of course waking up early for PIR. He was calling me at 5am to see what time we would be there....We got there at 9am. He met us at the ticket counter, there was 10 of us plus a three year old and they gave all of us a pass to get past security. We decided to take a train from the airport into Chicago for a few hours. He flew out of Midway. We got back around 3:30 and he flew out on time. I had a black backpack that I purchased at Wal-mart, it did have a small logo on the front. I packed his laptop, cell phone, camera and one pair of shorts and a shirt and his flip flops. So on our 18hr trip home he was calling and texting us. I'm glad he was grad and go!!! We got to spend two days with him and he got his phone back. Oh after PIR he was suppose to be back by 7pm but we got him back an hour early. Hope this helps. Grad & Go was a good experience for us!! No matter what bring lots of tissues!!!

Thank you SailorMom44 and Rhonda for posting your G&G experience!

I can't say it enough, it truly is wonderful to be able to talk and text your sailor after they leave on their flight - to me, it was worth not having the whole weekend with him. I hear from other Moms who have sailors who were not G&G and they feel lost after Sunday, because they aren't mailing letters and can't ship them their phones for several days.

If your budget allows it, don't plan on leaving Great Lakes area until Sunday. This way you can spend all the time you want at the airport on Saturday, you can sleep in on Sunday and not be totally worn out by the time you get home.

It's bragging time! My son's A-School is normally 14 weeks long, but it's designed to be self-paced, so he called today to say he has completed it (6 wks early)!! He can officially use his earned title "ITSA" (Information Technologist Seaman Apprentice). He comes home for leave in 2 weeks, then will go on to C-School in Norfolk for 5 months, then he will be stationed in Italy. I am so proud of this young man and I can't wait to hug him!

I recommend you also spend the weekend and try for the chance to see your child off. I hesitated about going to the airport. He was leaving base at 3:30 am and flight at 7:30 am. But we decided to go. I could not be happier we did. We ate breakfast with him and spent a little more time with him. It was WELL worth it.

Sobe-Thanks for the g n g info. I'm happy your son was able to complete his program early and can spend some quality time with ya'll.

4myboy~ How cool that you went to the airport to spend with your son. I'm sure he appreciated the extra time ya'll spent together.

SailorMom44- I appreciate all the extra information I can get before PIR. Thanks so much.

I originally didn't plan to stay to go to the airport on Saturday until my son asked if I would & maybe have breakfast with him there. As a matter of fact, he brought it up on 3 different occasions in his letters, so I knew that it would mean a lot to him.
I can't tell you how happy I am that I was there with him. Unfortunately, I didn't stay until his flight left & I really regret that. But I am grateful for the time that we did have hanging out in the airport. Its heartwarming to see the respect & regard that the public has for our servicemen. I strongly recommend it to anyone who can to go to the airport to see your sailor off. And bring the whole family.

Sailor Mom Good info about the USO I had no idea where I would look for my son. He leaves at 2 am on 9-3 so I will be up all night probably! I am guessing this USO is at Ohare airport?

my son only sent me 2 letters, one phone call. i am pretty sure henis G&G.that is all i know.so theyb get liberty on friday? i got a plane ticket nto stay until monday.!He is going to pensacola i think.i thought everyone got liberty friday....

I'm a bit confused about grad n go and liberty as well. I just received another letter from my son and he made it sound as though there will be no liberty. I can't believe he wouldn't get a few hours off the base but I guess I need to confirm this with him.

USO locations and hours are in the discussion above. Please don't assume your sailor will fly out of O'Hare, as the USN uses both local airports!

I HIGHLY SUGGEST mailing your loved one the questions in the discussion above titled "G&G questions to mail your recruit asap. Because things change quite a bit up to the day before PIR, we recommend they don't answer the questions until the eve of PIR or early that morning, then HAND you the answers after the ceremony.

Most G&G's are told they will get on the bus to the which ever airport they fly out of at 2am on Saturday, but right before PIR day it USUALLY (but not always) changes to 5am. Some sailors fly out early that morning, some in the afternoon and some in early evening - but they bus all of them over to the airport on the same bus at the same time. Once again, I really recommend copying and pasting the questions into a word document and printing it out to send to your recruit now!

Most G&G's think they will not get liberty (or not much), but except for those very rare occassions, they all get liberty on Friday - usually about 9 hrs of liberty (from 10:35 when "Liberty Call" is announced until 7 or 8 pm that night). Your loved ones have never been through this, so those of us who have lived through it and wrote about it, we feel very confident about how this works each week.

Here's my disclosure clause: I always tell people that the Navy can change the way they do business at any time, and each sailors experience can be unique. I also need to remind everyone that liberty is "earned" and although it's customary to give them liberty after PIR, it can be taken away. Okay, got the legal stuff out of the way!

I hope those of you who wrote today have read the info above, and most of the discussions. Your sons are probably preparing you for the worst, but if you read some of the past stories posted below, you will see that it's not so bad!!!

where exactly do i find these questions Ishould ask my son.........are they earlier in this discussion or does someone have them and can they be pasted in a more recent message? I really appreciate your help.

dans mom - look above, there is a whole area called "Discussion Forum". These are handy because you can find them any time. Look for the one titled "G&G questions to send your recruit". If you don't see it, click the VIEW ALL in the corner to see all discussions. All groups have a discussion forum and it's a great place to put things that people need to find quickly and often.

Click on the discussion and when it opens up, you can right click and "copy" the questions, then paste them into a word document. There are only a few questions, so you can always just jot them down and mail it to him that way too.

Hi everyone, i thought i'd go ahead and join this group, as we are pretty sure my son will be g&g. his a school is in port hueneme, so we definately know he won't be staying at GL. but i still haven't gotten any letters or phone calls yet, so I haven't been able to confirm this with him. but hopefully soon :)

Everyone have a great day!

Welcome Dorothy! Thought I'd share this info with you, not sure if you know or not: Just because he is not staying at GL for A-school doesn't automatically mean he is a Grad & Go. Lots of new sailors fly out AFTER PIR weekend to other cities. Only those who move or fly out BEFORE the weekend is over are considered G&G's.

oh ok thanks Sobe. that makes sense.

by when do our recruits know that they are grad & go when staying in GL?

The $64,000 question!!! I wish I could tell you the answer SailorMom. Some know the first few weeks of boot camp, others don't find out until two weeks before PIR or even a couple of days before! There is no straight answer. My best answer is to keep asking your recruit - and explain in your letter what a G&G is, because most recruits don't consider moving over to GL as qualifying them as a G&G. They think all G&G's fly somewhere, so they answer "no", I'm not a G&G.

If you read older posts on this group, there were moms who had to change their motel rooms from 1 bed to two because they had NO idea that their kid was a G&G, and that they would be able to spend ALL night with them for the entire weekend (so it was a GOOD surprise!). There new sailors had no idea until the day before PIR what was in store for them! Reminder, only those G&G's going to GL A-School get to have overnight liberty, unfortunately all the G&G's flying out do not.

i wish all airlines would let you accompany them through they gate, i asked when i husband went to boot camp and they said no only for deploying soldiers. i really didnt agree because military is military but i was to weak to argue, i should argue anyways, but it just makes me so angry. do you happen to know if during PIR do you need to go back to the ships at the end of the day or can they spend the night with you?

Melohhdee - first, let me say that both Chicago airports are very "Navy" friendly and so far (knock on wood) I have not heard of an airline that did not offer families a courtesy pass. But it's up to that airline, it's not standard rule. The trick is to have your new sailor wait by the ticket counter for you to arrive, then you get in ticket line with him/her so that the airline sees you are accompanying a military person who has a booked flight. You must have ID to get a courtesy pass.

Overnight Liberty: Every new sailor MUST return to RTC (boot camp central) each evening over PIR weekend, with the exception of one group: Those who are moving over to the Great Lakes A-School across the street - but they must move over during PIR weekend to qualify.

those who move over to Great Lakes A-School across the street, Do they still have to wear their navy clothes.. are their rules and liberties the same as boot camp?

@ladybug - Yes, they will still need to wear their uniforms while at A-School (any a-school) until they get to Phase II or III Liberty, then they can wear civilian clothes while off base. They have to remain in Dress Whites (or the Navy Blues if they graduate 10/8 or later) on PIR day, the rest of the weekend they will be dressed in their "peanut butters". For more ino on Phases of Liberty, see the discussion above!

@Hoppi - not sure if I understand your question. It's not that everyone "should" be allowed, it's just that family would like to do that. I always remind them that it's up to the individual airline company to decide if they want to allow this, and if so, how many people per sailor. Why parents and familiy want to do this is easy to answer - they want to spend as much time with their loved one as possible. I always try to show the positive side of being a G&G, but the fact is, all the other families get to spend the entire weekend with their sailor, whereas G&G families do not. It's kind of interesting that the form letter we receive, which is written by the Navy, invites us to come to PIR, but then they ship so many of them out early. So I work with the reality of the situation and try to make the best of it. I am very glad and grateful that my husband and I, as well as my son's GF were allowed beyond security. We had five incredible hours eating, talking and laughing with our son. And I thanked the airline for allowing us this privelege!

My son graduated on 8/27. He was Grad & Go. This is our story. It was well worth getting up at 2 am to spend time with him at the airport.

Had a great time with our son. I agree that when those doors open and they are standing there, it is such a rush!! The ceremony is just wonderful, so formal. Made the long 8 weeks feel really important, which it is of course. We all know that but the fact thet the Navy does it every week, without it getting sloppy or old, lets you know that they appreciate the efforts of the sailors and the families.
We spent almost the afternoon in the hotel room. M went on facebook, texted some friends, went for a walk with the GF, took a nap and ate the enchiladias I had made for him (his favorite). Didn't finish all the cookies!! Took him back for 7.
We met him at the airport at 3:30 am. He was on the 7:00 flight to P'cola. Had a few hours to talk about all kinds of things. He proudly introduced us to alot of his division mates. We watched him walk onto the plane, a confident and happy new US Sailor!
He was in P'cola before we could get across Ohio!!

my son also was G&G 8/27.it was a fantastic day..high energy and great relief.just be prepared to let him go again and to be soooo proud!

m'smom~thanks for sharing your grad n go story. So cool that you could make his favorite enchiladas. I'm sure he really appreciated that! My son graduates on 9/17 and I look forward to any time we are able to spend together. His A school is only 5 hours from where we live, so I hold onto the thought that I'll be able to visit more with him then.

yes m'mom thanks for your story. I will be sure to meet my son at the airport. I live only an hour away from GL and a half hour from the airports, his flight is at 2am on Friday. Do you know what kind of things I can throw in his back pack besides his cell phone? Can they take snacks on the plane and to their "A" school?

Wonderful stories ladies - thanks for posting!

@CathyJ - I'm sure it was hard not to have his undivided attention, but I really like the way you appreciated the fact that this was HIS weekend. And isn't it wonderful being able to talk to him on a regular basis now? Very sweet indeed!!!

@junjens - odds are, it's his bus that leaves at 2 am, most flights don't start until after 5am, so you'll have more time than you realize. Yes, passengers are allowed to take food/snacks with them on any commerical flight, they just can't go through security with liquids (water, coffee, soda's, etc.). But once past, they can buy a drink and take it on the plane with them. Chartered flights will be totally different though, let's keep our fingers crossed that your son isn't on one!

Everyone: Did you notice that CathyJ used the quick little questionaire that is listed in the discussion area above? Makes it very simple for your recruit to give you all their flight info and hand it to you at PIR. Most common thing they forget is which airport - which is kind of a big thing to know!

Cathie J love the story! Thanks Sobe for the info too. Getting so excited to see him.

Hey everyone, I will be laying low for the next several days because...... our sailor is coming home on leave TODAY (can you see me doing the happy dance!!!).

I am hoping that there are enough "seasoned" moms who have now experienced this that they can help field any questions. I will try to pop in quickly at least once a day, but I am not going to see our son again for quite a long time - but I don't need to explain myself to you guys because Navy Moms & Wives are truly the only ones who understand this - bless you all!

Okay - up in the forum I posted a bit of my PIR and GnG story - Its in View All - PIR 09-02 GnG Lydia... hope it helps some

So just found out today that my daughter is Grad-N-Go, so i Can give her her cell phone on Friday?? Or do I have to wait untill I see her at the airport Saturday morning??? What about her lap top??? So many questions....

Congrats AirRescue Mom. I know you're going to have a wonderful time :)

I'm excited cuz next Friday is my sailor's PIR....woo hoo!

Just talked to my son today and he confirmed that those that are Grad-n-Go to Great Lakes will have all weekend liberty. Jamie is currently in Corpsman school (three more weeks!!) and he has two new roommates that were able to move over to their A School as soon as PIR was over. Since this was possible, they had the entire weekend to spend with their families. Including nights. Jamie had to wait until the following Wed. after he went through PIR to move over so he was not allowed overnight liberty.

Hi everyone, I've been out of touch for the last 10 days enjoying my son who was home on leave!!

@Kim - as Hoppi said, they cannot bring anything back to the RTC base that night after PIR, but you can hand them their cell phone at the airport as long as they are not on a chartered flight.

Sobe; so happy for you. It must have been wonderful. And oh so hard to let him go again. But isn't it amazing how much they have matured!

Greetings Everyone!

I am new to this site, my husband is Ship 13 Div 327. Thank you for all the helpful information regarding G&G.

I know that the Navy is very unpredictable however I will go ahead and ask....

My husband will be attending Submariner school in Groton, CT. Does anyone know if he will most likely be G&G?

Trying to decide whether I should stay until Sunday night or leave on Saturday. Thanks!

Mountain Ocean ~ My son will be going to sub school in Groton also! He graduates on 10/8. He told me last weekend when he called that he "thought" he was grad and go but was not totally sure when he was leaving. He made mention something about possibly at 2:00 am on saturday but he was not sure. I assured him not to worry about us that we would spend whatever time we could with him. We will be driving there so we will probably leave shortly after he does. Wish it would be more time but not a lot we can do about it!

Thank you so much for your responses Maribeth and Hoppi!

I went ahead and planned on being there the whole weekend. If I camp out with him on Saturday before he leaves then at least I will get a good nights sleep before I take off Sunday.

I know that I will never really know anything for sure from here on out. Hoppi, I think I will post the 'Prepare for the worst, Hope for the best, Pray for the rest!' motto in my home. : )

Hi ladies (and gents if any),
Sorry I haven't been on this site for a while. I am dealing with some health issues right now and hopefully the surgery they have scheduled this coming Friday, 10/1 will take care of it. Just know that I will try and check this group more often, but you are all in good hands with the numerous seasoned moms who are members of this group.
Sobe (Lisa)

If my step daughter is grad & go but staying in Great Lakes, does anyone know what the rules for liberty are? I believe this is the group that will get to stay off base overnight, but does she follow the same liberty rules as other recruits who are not Grad & Go at Great Lakes?

stivan - your daughters grad and go can go either way. If there is space available for her in her new location and she gets to move over there right after PIR, the chances are good you'll have her the entire weekend. However, if there's no room for her to move over and she is put on hold at the Training Center, then she will have restriced liberty. As long as they are attached to the bootcamp area they have to abide by the rules of bootcamp. Which, of course, are very restrictive. Which A School is your daughter going to at GL? My son is currently in A School for Corpsman and graduates on Wed. He had to stay at the bootcamp area until the following week and had to be back on base by 8:00 p.m. every night of PIR weekend.

@momtocurtis, What form at you talking about??? We are not sureif our son will be a G& G yet, but would like to have things ready and in order. He is going Nuke and we do know that he will be in GC. He PIR's on 11/12. Thanks for the help.

@Sharon-PIR...
Try clicking on the following link: http://www.navyformoms.com/group/gradgoinfo/forum/topics/gg-questio...
If that doesn't work, the original post is in the discussion forum list and is titled "G&G questions to send your recruit"
Hope this helps!

@PhotoMom, THANK YOU! I copied it into word. Appreciate the help!