Moms of Aviation Rescue Swimmers

jajajo-congrats to your sailor.  Hopefully he will not be on hold too long before RSS starts.

Ann-congrats to your sailor also.  Romeo is such a long A school, I bet he is glad to be moving on. 

Mama B-congrats to your sailor as well.

Hi, everyone! My son graduates A school/Romeo on Friday and heads to SD on Saturday! 

avasmooch, Romeo is 17 weeks, Best wishes to your son!

Roxanne, would you Son be staying with my Son and DIL for a few days in SD?

Congrats to all graduates!!!

Awesome to the A school grads that are coming up!!!!   Praying for safe journeys for them!!!!

MamaB - nasty virus for sure!!!!  How did he do on that test????

Rmom - Im sure he will come away with a new outlook on life...  they all seem too!  In a GOOD way tho!

LeslieCR - yes hold time is not such a bad thing..  gives them time to re-group

jajajo - congrats on NACCS graduation!!! 

Jodijosh - July will be here before you know it!!!!

avasmooch - awesome..  Romeo !!  Long and technical - Im sure he will do great!  Lots of Romeos in here with good advice... 

Tam - how is she doing?  Is she preparing with TONS of PT etc....

CaliMom - any news yet on your boy getting his phone and puters up and running so you will have some communication??

Sweetpea - did your son and DIL get a house or an apt... on or off base... my boy and his buddy are putting in for BHA so they can get a place off base.

Well, glad everyone is moving forward!!!  My Boy is doing great..  loving his new Squadron....  studying to get his coveted wings and now he is ADDICTED to surfing..  so watch out SD moms...  they all seem to LOVE surfing!  hahaha

Lydia, I will get the info on the apartment and send you a message on facebook. Yes, they have a great apartment I think a 15-20 min drive to base. Easy commute! 

Lydia, sent the info to you on facebook

My boy is doing well, just chugging along through class...  can't wait to start scheduling jumps!  I'm glad he's excited, not so sure how I feel about it, but he'll be great.

Glad to hear everyone else is doing well!  Anyone else going to Jax from P'cola??

sweetpea... got it thank you so much

mom2four.... awesome   I / we understand....  B man finished all his and actually loved it and did great....  I just stayed awake worrying... but then whats new about that right hahahah...  Honestly I dont think i have slept one night through since my boy went in to Navy...  two plus years ago ... uggg  but that is why Im so thankful for yall

sweetpea, I am not sure if T will be staying with anyone, when he gets to SD.  His send me a friend request here and I will tell you his name.  If you are friends with Lydia she can tell you my last name.  There are 4 guys leaving on Saturday- one is flying the other 3 are driving.  Maybe the guy flying is staying with your son and his wife- I know he isn't due on base til Friday-that is when the others will arrive. I think his initials are CW-

MamaB, So happy for J, didn't know he was sick-glad he did so well on his test. T doesn't start SERE til 3 weeks after his arrival in SD. Hope they are planning out a route to SD.

Roxanne - yes its a comfort to know they'll be traveling together. I heard T knows someone mid-way and they were staying there a night, is that what you hear? J is supposed to start SERE on 03/23. We're hoping to visit him sometime this summer. Stay in touch

Hi ladies!  It's so nice to see that everyone is doing well!  I know a lot of the boys are getting ready to leave pcola and move on to the next step of the pipeline :)  I haven't been on here lately b/c we have been busy getting ready to move to Jacksonville.  Things have been hectic trying to get everything organized for the movers which will be here on friday!  This is our 1st real pcs and 1st time using Navy to move us...so hopefully it goes well.  It seems like a lot of the guys got San Diego!  I am sure they are super excited.  Cali!!!  My husband and some of his friends in his class are headed to Jacksonville (Mayport).  Anyone else? Thanks ladies for all the updates!

mom2four-my son was in VA for FRS, but he didn't do jumps until all of the other flight types were tested and passed.  He said the actual rescue swimmer jumps were not graded, so they are put to the end.  Correct me if I am wrong Lydia, but that was not what your son experienced, correct? He had some rescue swimmer jumps right off the bat or at least close to the beginning.  I mention this only because your sailor might have to wait a bit before jumping out of a helo. The flights and tests of the rescue swimmer is scheduled around those of the pilots, e.g. if a pilot needs a flight to practice a vertical replenishment, hten they will assign the rescue swimmers/air crew based on who also needs that training.   That said, my son enjoyed all of his flights whether he was jumping out or not.  He thinks he has the one of the coolest jobs ever!

Mine should start flying next week. We will see if he has any jumps

Calimom- yes, I am sure that he has a ways to go, but at least it is all within sight- or closer to being in sight.  :)

It's just so nice to see how they progress and grow through this experience...

Calimom...  yes exactly correct....  the Rescue Swimmers are more or less at the mercy of the helo pilots and trainees....  what ever training THEY need is what our boys have to do...   B got lucky I guess cause one of his first flights was a jump...  yes...  the Rescue Swimmer Sierra's are basically trained to fly the helos if needs be in ann emergency....  my boy said that he sits in the back of the helo with all the manuals and if the pilots screw up... the RSS have to read the trouble shoots out to them...  they do so much more than just rescue...  awesome training...  Romeo's too....once they get into their actual final Squadron they will study to get their wings and THEN they will get the jump and land rescues that they will be doing....  vertical repl. is an important part of their training also... Calimom... did your boy get his communications up and running.. I been thinking about you...  hard not having communication 

sweetpea...  very kewl!

Navywife...  I figured that you were in the moving mode!!  hahaha!!!!  awesome

MamaB and Rox... kewl that you are both on here and both boys are buddies... how kewl is that...  I wish more moms knew about N4M....   I try to take the time to go on the new PIR groups and invite the 800 RSS here to our site...  some just dont know....

rsmom...  did we get the call from the SERE boy yet???????

Hey just to comfort yall about SERE....  the instructors know EXACTLY what they are doing nuff said.....   =0)    all good!

HUGS yall!!!  

yep, SERE's training is tough but an absolute must do!!! It's a heck of an experience for them. My Son lost 11 lbs!!!!!!

At the end, they appreciate the training!!!!

Lydia- got texts while he was still on the bus....still waiting on the call!  Want to hear that voice  :-)

Rmom, R is finished SERE? How is he? T graduates tomorrow and heads to SD on Saturday, should be there by March 22nd. 

MamaB, So excited tomorrow is graduation, Yes T said the same thing about stopping half way and yes he has a friend half way, I think that is the plan.  Hope to see some pictures from graduation, T tells me someone will be taking them.

Lydia, Yes, MamaB son and T are friends, they graduated form RSS together and were roommates along with Navywife April's huggy.

Roxanne- yes he got out today!  Talked to him a little while ago....tired and hungry but already talking about snowboarding over the weekend :-)

So exciting T is graduating tomorrow! Congrats to you all!  I'm sure they will all be happy to hang out again!  R had a week after grad before orders to leave pcola and week to get to SD.  They did arrive on that Fri., however,  even though they took their time and stopped along the way.  He started sere right away on that Mon.  Really hasn't had time to catch his breath since being back in SD but at least he was already familiar with the base and the area.

Rmom - glad he did great...  I knew he would..  Yea B said they ate and ate and ate and slept and slept for a few days after..  Then all back to normal....

Rox - today is the BIG day for our T-man...MamaBs man and Wifes huggy hubby too!  super awesome... 

Ann1 - It is nerve wracking and no we will never retire for the worry and pain of being a momma....  My son drove alone from Pcola to Houston to see me for a few days then he met up with a buddy here and drove together on to SD...   Id say if the SUV has high miles that the guys will need to maintenance it real well before they leave and take their time...  they do give them plenty of time to get to the base..  like about a week or so...   my B made it here in one day and stayed here for 3 then got to SD the next day after leaving...  and he was still 2 days early... 

Rmom, So glad R is done and is planning his weekend. T is looking forward to moving on-it's been a long time coming.  He was is P'cola for 15 months total,for the 3 schools and holds. T says he doesn't start SERE for a few weeks.

Lydia, Yeah, T has graduated from A school/ Romeo. Although they are leaving at the same time,  Navywife's huggy graduated March 1st.  T got rolled a week, worked out for him.  So for any new Mom's here,  there will be ups and downs through this process, just hang in there and say a prayer. 

Ann1, I am with Lydia, we had our son's car completely serviced for the trip to SD.  It has help me to feel better about the drive. Still kinda worried about all of the other stuff, saying a prayer and leaving it in Gods hands. I will be very relieved when they reach SD safely!!!

A IRR, Awsome story make us proud!!!!!

We all have funny stories about how they have matured. LOL

Ann1, Sounds like you have done everything that you could, he most likely can get rid of the car and ride with someone else.

AIRR Mom 86- Great story and I will remember everyday this week while my son is driving to SD.  I will pray and remember he is a man now and can handle it.

happy St. Patrick's Day yall!!!    Well, here's to praying for all our traveling kids to arrive safe and in time for Monday muster!!!!!!   yes, they are learning to think on the feet for anything unknow or unsceen!   That is Spec Ops!!!  of course some pre trip maintenance wont hurt either!  hahaha......    ALSO praying for our RSS boys....    HUGS and yall have a GREAT day....  Im going to have lunch with Gabby!!!!!   Yippie!!!

Happy St. Patty's day to everyone. Finally got to have a brief text message with my son yesterday.  It was good to finally touch base with him.  I'm still getting the hang of him usually being a day ahead of me so forgot to wish him a happy St Patricks day yesterday.  Oh well.  I was just glad to exchange a few words with him.    

CaliMom - GREAT and I know that has to be weird!!!  Be careful when his birthday comes up hahahahahahah!

Hello Everyone...Wow..it's been a while since I have been on and I am amazed at how many of our sailors have graduated and classed up one way or another...Congratulations to ALL !!!!  Many answered prayers.....

Rmom and Rox I have been keeping up on the guys progress with C.... sooo happy that R is done and so surprised that he had the energy to go snowboarding...lol..Super thrilled that T is graduated and on his way...saying prayers for a safe and fun trip....

I am constantly amazed by the incredible qualities these sailors have...I too have learned a lot through this process about trusting that they are wise beyond their years and are very equipped to deal with and handle in a capable way, anything they are faced with...although I still have my "mom moments", the concerns seem to be much more manageable...I guess the worry muscles and trust muscles are getting a lot stronger....lol..lol..

My guy has just classed up in SD and has officially begun the last leg of the pipeline...it will still be a while but the wheels are in motion...I must say, I was very "OK" with him being on hold for a bit...hahahaha

Even when I'm not on, I still keep all the sailors and their families (actually all those in the military) in my prayers every day...xoxoxoxo

Good day mommas!!!!!

NavymomGG......  HI sista!  Glad that your boy is doing well...   Hey anyone in SD....  my boy has found a Kewl surfer kinda church and has several of his buddies going with him on Sunday...  believe it or not... the pastor is a man whom I dated waaaaay back in college hahahah!   GREAT guy super church... tell your boys to hook up with my B or R... they been going ....  NavymomGG - mention it to your boy!!!!

As for snowboarding...  my B is selling his BUT he is addicted to surfing now hahah!  Man to be young again huh!  HUGS to all!!!!

Thanks NavymomGG....I was surprised at his energy too, but they were due to get fresh snow so I guess he wanted to make sure to get at least one more quick trip in before the season's over.  And Lydia...surfing is definitely his 1st love as he grew up on the coast and started very young.  When we went to Pcola we took 2 surfboards, snowboard and a long board (skateboard).  So basically, he'll ride whichever is most convenient.  No hardship going back to SD....one of his boards he actually bought in SD when he was there for SWCC. Will be sure to mention the church to him.

Rox...will be praying for T this week....I'm sure they'll have an interesting trip.  R and his buddy camped in Dallas, somewhere in N.M. , stayed in Grand Canyon for 2 nights, then went to Big Bear to snowboard before heading to SD.  Still got there on Fri.

NavyMomGG and Rmom, T is super excited about his arrival in SD, He will most likely arrive Wed, he is in AZ as we speak.  Was with the other 2 guys (I think) but he went north they went south, and I think he is driving a little faster.  I was kinda worried about him being alone, but he said he is having a good time.  Went to the alien museum in NM, LOL...GG So happy for C classing up! Rmom happy the R is doing well, I know the first thing T will want to do after SERE is eat good food!  R's trip sounds like more fun then T's.

Thank you for all for the prayers.

Praying for all sailors!

AIRR mom  that was a great video..Thanks for sharing...xoxo

Lydia ..will mention that to my guy....Thanks for the info..xoxo

Good day ladies...   So happy everyones journeys to the cost are going well!!!! 

AIRR mom thanks for sharing the video!

Its fun to hear about the guys driving across country!My son did it in 3 1/2 days from Jacksonville. They just wanted to get back home to the west coast. lol My son grew up surfing with his dad and my husband is glad to have his surfing buddy back.

Just wanted to thank CW aunt and uncle from Texas (I think) who took B and a few buddies to dinner at Torrey Pines and treated them to a fantastic meal. My son really needed that lift! So greatful for strangers who do that. :)

My sons squadron is assigned to the Carl Vinson. Yay!!!

First Flight today!

sweetpea...  I know he LOVED it!!!!!!

Ann1 - did they get that vehicle checked out... of course they did... these boys are so darn smart!!!!! 

Westcoast - very kewl!!!!!!!

Doing a Happy Dance !! Just booked a trip to smooch my sailor in San Diego !! Yay yay yay...hahahaha..Has anyone stayed at the North Island Navy Lodge?

NavymomGG - please find my boy and smooch on him too.... hahahaha - okay well how bout a GIANT momma kinda hug!!!!!

My son's MD took a CT of his wrist and said it's 90% healed so he now can move on to SERE/FRS. Do they get leave before being transferred or how much time do they have to get to their destination?

Lydia, Prayers to you and your hubby. Hope all goes well!

Andys...  B had like 7 days to get from Pcola to SD.... made it in plenty of time

Hubby has to start radiation next week.. every day for 6 weeks... thank you for the prayers ... been here done this tired of it!!!!   =0(       HUGS everyone

Hi everyone, T made it safely to SD, and was greeted by a group of awesome guys, he sounded so happy!! 

Andysmom, My son had 6 days to get to SD and it was plenty.  It took him 5 days but only because he made several detours-Roswell, NM-Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas.  He really enjoyed the trip.

NavymomGG, I am very excited for you, I hope to be booking a trip there soon.

Hi everyone, I signed in  when my son enlisted...  and now he and Momma B's son had a great trip to SD and even got to see cousins and his new niece along the way. He was born and raised in SD so it's going home for him.  I love this group and have already read some great posts that have encouraged me, especially about the unknown of SERE.  

Vitamama... welcome honey!!!!!  I cant believe you have have stayed so quiet. hahah well welcome honey!!!!

SERE... all I can and will say is they do stellar.... the  instructors know what they are doing.

Rox... a sigh of relief I know...

Ann....  god speed

Vitamama, My son graduated with your son too. Romeo and RSS.  He was the one driving all over by himself-he had a good time and made it to SD yesterday.  Glad your son and MamaB' s son had a good time and made it safely,

Hooyah! Thanks for the welcome Lydia. I can't believe I haven't been on here either!  And roxanne, it sounds like he had quite a trip!  What a great group of young men we have, eh? 

Vitamama, Yes they are an awesome bunch of guys and I am so glad they have each other-makes us mama's feel better to know they have a whole lot of brothers who have their backs.

Hi, all!  New to the group as my sailor is new to the group too!  We are gonna try to visit him during April.  Any recommendations of a hotel close to base in Pensacola??  Hooyah!!