Moms of Aviation Rescue Swimmers

How wonderful Lydia. So glad your son will be home soon. Any chance you will be able to meet the ship? I hope so. You deserve to give your boy a big hug!

Hey yall, is there any news yet on our boys who started RSS last week????

THANK you Jodi....  actually he wants me to meet him up in Colorado at his sisters house when he gets his leave... so he can see us both together...and she can not take off work to go to the Homecoming...  BUT I sure wish I could have gone to it...  darn lottery!!!!!  Can't seem to win any numbers!  hahaha   But its okay cause we will smother him with hugs and kisses there.... and I am hoping to make a trip next year to San Diego to see him and meet his squadron...  

Just talked to my son, feeling really good - kicked the pt today.  There was a young man came to his room that is in his class too, a Thompson.  Anyone on here that belongs to him please send me a message.

Update! Update!  We finally have a graduation date - on Thursday the 17th (which is a change from the scheduled date of Friday the 18th) and I GET TO GO!!  I bought my plane ticket yesterday and I am headed to San Diego for 3 glorious days with my son.  I can't wait to see him.  Talk about a happy, happy Momma.  =)

MamaD was there last weekend and just sent me a ton of pictures of our boys.  They look really good.  Her son is coming right along and should be graduating some time in May (though you know how that goes!) 

Continued congratulations to all of you and your sons on their progress.  Love hearing the updates.  Lydia - it is so fantastic that your B will be arriving home soon! 

Melissa!!! Woot Woot!!!!! How exciting!!! Now what is he graduating from? FRS? How great that MamaD sent you pics! It is wonderful when we get to meet each other's sons and daughters and how we cross paths. I love that we can support each other with pictures and even sharing a meal with eachother's kids when attend graduations or even just go for a visit! I know I say this every time... but I hope you get to stay at the Navy Lodge on Coronado Island... (Thanks Aster!) ... it is just a slice of heaven there....

Lydia!!! I am so excited that you will see your B sometime soon!!! I'm going to join you in that happy dance! HUGS to you for all you do and all that your son does!!!!

Jodi- I bet your son is excited to go to San Diego! Will you get a chance to visit often?

I'm thinking of all of you out there... I sure do appreciate you all and all of your posts!

What would cause DEP to be so long?

Proudmama - yes, he is graduating from FRS.  I am actually staying at the Navy Gateway on Coronado as the Lodge was full.  Either way, I am just excited to be going!

MamaD lives (somewhat) in the area and has had several opportunities to go visit our boys.  She and her family have been great about taking in my son and sharing pictures with me.  I very briefly got to meet her son in Pensacola - I am hoping to have the opportunity to spend more time with him this trip. 

@Brendah - not sure about length of DEP (is that hold between boot camp and RSS?) If so, it could be any number of things, including too many guys currently in class, maintenance issues in the facilities, not enough guys to begin a new class.....  the list goes on.  Tell your guy to hang in there (you too!) and keep working on his swim/run times and other workouts, plus study, study, study so he is ready when the Navy is.  Good luck to you both!

Brendah, DEP is before they leave for boot camp, isn't it? My son was in DEP because he joined the Navy in his senior year of high school. His date to leave changed several times before he actually left. His first date was September so we planned a bunch of things to do that last summer then the Navy decided they wanted him sooner-like before he even graduated high school. After he reminded them of that they changed it to July. His best friend didn't leave until September but he was regular Navy. I think it may be due to having openings for that rate at bc but I might be wrong.

Congrats Melissa on being able to see him graduate. I'm so happy for you!!!

Proudmama, my son just left for San Diego this morning. I'm surprised I'm not a basket case but I think I'm holding up fairly well. We live on the opposite side of the country so I don't think we will be visiting too often but you never know haha. Thank goodness for facetime. He's meeting up with a couple of other rescue swimmers and they are traveling out together. He is excited to get out there.

Duh! Of course DEP is the delayed enlistment program.  Too, too many new acronyms in my life lately.  Jodi is right - the length of DEP has to do with the recruits age, his enlistment rating, etc.  My son enlisted during his sr year (in March) and left in October.  My son-in-law enlisted the year he graduated college and left 16 months later.  It really is just a matter of wait and see. 

Jodi- How exciting for your son to be traveling with his buddies to SD-I wish your son and his friends-safe travels!  Are they having to travel quickly or are they getting to stop and visit friends and family along the way?  I hope you get a chance to visit your son out there..... often! How many ways can we earn travel points????

question for any vet moms- Even though I have read "Path of a rescue swimmer" many times, I am really not clear as to what happens after A school. So, in my son's case, everyone who graduated was assigned to Romeo. His class started AWAT today and then they will eventually start A school. My question is... once his class completes A school, will they all leave P'cola  to the same location for FRS?  Does the same class then all go together to start SERE or do they get divided into groups.... this group goes to SERE and this group goes to FRS here and that group goes to FRS there.

Any insight any of you might have would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks ladies!

Proudmama, I can't speak for all classes but in my son's case some of the guys in his class headed for San Diego for SERE and FRS and some headed for Jacksonville. My son and his buddies went to Maine first for SERE before going to Jacksonville. Now they are headed for San Diego. As far as traveling they have to be there by Monday. They are spending the nights at campgrounds along the way so that they can enjoy the trip. Personally I would be staying in a nice hotel but after SERE  a campground probably feels like the Hilton to them lol.

I'm not sure why but he was in Jacksonville for about 9 months I think. It may be because he was a Bravo and they phased that portion of training out and that is why they are moving the last three Bravos to San Diego. Is your husband a Romeo? My son's other friends are Romeos and they think they will stay in Jacksonville after graduation.

Thought you all would enjoy this!

NavyWife....My son finished A school in Feb. and went the next day to San Diego for SERE and FRS and he is a Romeo.  He starts FRS next month in May and he is going to be there until April 2015.

Jodi- I laughed out loud when I read your comment about your son going camping along the way with his buddies following SERE. That reminds me of when my son was in the thick of RSS, he would spend his weekends at the beach swimming, skim boarding etc. These guys just love to do this ...it is part of them. I'm with you...I would have loved to drive through the beautiful parks right up to that Hilton. Sit on a balcony, overlooking natures beauty!! I'm just into comfort theses days....

Thanks Oneproudmomca and Jodi for the info! It was helpful! Navywife's hubby and my son are in the same class so we are trying to keep each other in the loop!

Jodi- one last thought! Loved the poster! I wish I could find a sweat shirt with that same logo on it!

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!!

Jodi~ Did your son complete his FRS in Jacksonville and now getting stationed in San Diego?

I just returned from a great visit with my son in San Diego - he graduated FRS on Friday.  He is a Sierra and will be stationed in San Diego for the next three years with HSC-8.  I also got to visit with MamaD's son, and several of the other swimmers and instructors.  All in all, they are a great bunch.  My son was allowed to give me a tour of the flight line (Jodi - I saw the hanger where your son will be working with the HSC49, though my son informs me that the Sierra's and Romeo's do not mix) including a bird's eye view from the roof deck of the flight school.  Great view!

Graduation was held outdoors, the width of a street across from Coronado Bay - during graduation 2 Navy ships and a 4-masted sail boat moved through the bay.  Those HUGE, gray ships are absolutely silent moving through the water.  Impressive, but kind of spooky. 

Kind of quick response to the question about A School locations - someone correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that Romeo swimmers go to San Diego or Jax for A school and then are generally stationed with the fleet in Jax, SD, or Norfolk, while Sierra swimmers go to San Diego for A school and then are stationed with the fleet in Guam, Japan, or San Diego.  As to graduating groups staying together, the answer is both yes and no, depending on the whims of the Navy (though I am sure they will tell you that they have a system!) people are moved to SERE then FRS as they have openings.  For instance, my son and MamaD's attended A School together in Pensacola, but my son was sent to SERE, then FRS 2 months ahead of hers, though they both attended SERE and FRS in San Diego.  Billets are not requested until the FRS student has completed all requirements and a graduation date is set - then billets are given based on where the Navy needs bodies.  Of the 7 boys who graduated FRS with my son on Friday, all 7 are staying in San Diego, while the group that graduated two weeks ago had a swimmer go to Japan while the rest remained in SD.  Your guy won't know his billet until he has a graduation date - and I can tell you from experience, that date can change multiple times based on flights, equipment, pilot availability, weather, etc.  All I can really tell you is to hang in there.  Patience really is a virtue when it comes to dealing with the military. 

MamaD - I can answer that for Jodi since she and I have had this conversation - yes, her son (he's a Romeo) did FRS in Jax and will be stationed at SD with HSC49. 

Melissa, I'm glad you got to visit with your son and see his graduation from FRS. It is exciting to see isn't it? Plus you had the added benefit of seeing ships in the background. How cool! My son's graduation was only for 3 but since it was the last Bravo group to graduate from Jacksonville it was well attended.

What you heard about locations agrees with what my son told me. He said Romeos are stationed in Jacksonville and San Diego (he did not mention Norfolk). I didn't know that Sierras and Romeos don't mix. It will be interesting to see if that is holds true for my son since he had friends in both. He was supposed to meet his squadron the other night at a cookout but he didn't call so I don't know how it turned out. I have a feeling the 3 hour time difference is going to take some getting used to. He is reporting in today. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of it all.

I think part of the not mixing Jodi comes from the fact that the Romeo hangers and the Sierra hangers are at different ends of the air field. 

They graduated 7 last Friday, but it was a combined 2 classes of 4 each (the one who didn't graduate is graduation complete, but has 4 SOD's - flight failures -  so they held him back from graduation for more flights before sending him to the fleet).

Coronado is gorgeous - be sure to tell your son to take a trip to La Jolla to see the seals.  You can hike right down to the rocks where they are and listen to them and watch them play.  The cliffs at Sunset are gorgeous also and people dive off them, but the water was freezing last weekend, so we didn't. 

Melissa, right now he's stuck in traffic on the bridge. For a "country" boy he's got a lot to get used to. I mentioned to him about the not mixing but it turns out none of his Sierra friends are out there anyway. I'll be sure to tell him about the seals. I think he'd get a kick out of seeing them. Thanks for the tip.

Melissa, Jodi- why are the FRS graduations so small? Attrition rate? Do the classes start small?  I agree that Coronado is beautiful!! It was so hard to leave when I was out there last summer:( I'm hoping my son will eventually be stationed out there!

Melissa, as far as my son's class, they were phasing out the Bravo (which was a Romeo that flew in helos with older equipment). I don't remember but I think their class only had 3 in it to start with. The commander told us at the graduation they really pushed the boys a lot harder and faster than usual to get them through and were very happy with how well they did with all the information they needed to learn.

woooooohooooooooooo   busy busy in here.... wooow  !   Hey I had to go back 2 pages to catch up...  sorry if I missed anything...  the only thing that caught my eye was the A school discussion......       A school is always done in Pcola...  once they grad A school then they THEN will be assigned to a base for their Romeo and Sierra training and after that, when they graduate they are assigned to their actual Helo Squadron...    Congrats on all the achievements and everyone moving forward... wooow so great!

Yup my boy will be home on _________... the helo squads and marines disembark first the day before... then the ship will be in the next morning....   so close I know they can all taste it!  I can not WAIT to see that boy of mine in a few weeks!!!

So happy for you Lydia!. I'm sure you have been missing him.  Do you get the Navy photos of the day? They show a lot of Sierra's flying. I don't recall if I saw his ship listed or not but  it's cool to see what they are doing.

Jodi, I hope your son finally made it over the bridge - my parents and brother got stuck in traffic on it once for more than 2 hours!  My son said they mostly take the ferry across the bay when they go into San Diego - $10 round trip and it's only about a mile walk to base from the dock. 

Yeah Lydia!  So glad your boy is almost home.  I am nearly as excited for you to see him as you are yourself! 

Proudmama - I don't know why the small size classes for FRS; there were no drop outs in my son's class.  It might have something to do with the number of flight hours they have to finish before graduation - each swimmer needs so many flights and there are only so many pilots and helo's to go around. 

Jodi.....   can you send me the link... hahah I am on sooo many but that might be one that I am not on???  thank you so much for thinking of me!!!!!

Melissa... ahhhhh   thank you so much...  I think that the hardest job is being a mom or wife of military.. we try to stay up beat... think positive.... send TONS of care packages... but it takes its toll for sure...   so I am so happy to be here to help any mammas and wives not just through the pipeline... but deployment also -----    we think Boot Camp is the ultimate Roller Coaster... nope....  it goes on and on...  

OH and as far as FRS grad....   Im with Melissa...  she is right on it....  sooo many things depend on their grad...  from classes sizes to pilots...  BUT it will happen... patience!!!  arrrrg....  then after that.....  WINGS and even that can take so much time again depending on so many factors!!!  hang in their yall....  xoxoxoxoxo

Jodi - my son is in FRS in San Diego and will be graduating at some time in the next few months - can you tell me if there is any special small gift that is usually given at this time?  We got him a coin for boot camp graduation - after that we kind of forgot about those things, but I think this is a special graduation.  Any ideas?

airmom10, honestly we didn't do anything for him (am I a horrible mom?). I think he was just happy to have us there for the graduation.

Lydia, I can't remember exactly how I got started getting the photos but I think I went on navy.mil and clicked on the "subscribe to Navy News service" at the top on the right above the search box. I also get news from time to time from that also.

OMG yalllll     for those of you who are at various phases of this pipeline...   I want you to know that when your child deploys it is harder than the training part of this....   i have been a blubbering mess for 10 months and mostly these few days...  an idiot... crazy woman... cause my boy is HOME after 10.5 months...   I can not lie....    this is a hard life for family...  but if they love what they are doing as my son does then its okay...  today I celebrate my boy being on American waters finally... and home to soil tonight...   my emotions are crazy...  i am telling yall this because one day you will be in my shoes and you will remember... and at that time....  i will be here for you cause I understand it.....   and there are others also here who don't come on much who understand it.... the training pipeline is arduous but the deployment is the toughest...  so love yall and thank you for your love and prayers for my B...  I will see him in 2.5 weeks

PS   airmom....    did not purchase anything for my son either...  my sis in law who is a Navy Captain however...  had a coin created (only they can do that) for him...  they just want to know you love and are there for them physically or spiritually... it is a small but kewl ceremony...   

Thanks for your comments Lydia and Jodi - we're hoping to be there for his graduation and we are planning on being in San Diego in June, but, of course, graduation date continually changes and with us working we have to make specific plans.

Lydia - So happy for you to see your son - enjoy!

Oh Lydia, I certainly understand and agree with you 100 %. It's a long journey. The deployment phase is by far the hardest. My son is deploying "soon".  I cannot even explain my emotions.

Hey all Vet moms who have gone through deployments- I tip my hat to all of you. I have no idea how hard it is when you get to that phase of your son or daughter's navy career. Thank you to all of you his/her service! Thank you to all of you for being there for all of us who are in the early stages of the pipeline.

Lydia!- I am so excited that your son is back and completed his deployment! He will have stories to tell...of that I can be sure.... I celebrate with you!!!

My son is beginning A school (Romeo) beginning of May and so the journey continues...

hi AIRR  !!!!!!!!   good to see you on here!  Prayers for safety for your boy...  as thing escalate in the middle east and Russia we become more and more afraid!  keep us posted on his deployment...  

SoupMom...  I understand for sure.  Keep us posted on his progress and deployment... many prayers for our kids who are in this phase of their lives!

My son knows some of the Romeo guys and some Marines ..  they go to his church...  it is as AIRR said...  they are just on opposite ends of the base so they don't really get to do much together at all unless it was someone they knew from before.  After they are assigned their Squadron it becomes their family....  and most everything they do is usually within their own group.  They are all a Brotherhood and most of them know that!  

Proud.... kewl beginning of May?  Man that is just around the corner!  With lots of studying, he will do fine!

airmom10 - I know it is frustrating cause they never seem to have definitive dates for anything...  so many things effect their graduations..  so last minute...  all I can say is that they are usually on a Thursday but even that can change.. especially FRS graduations...  hang in there...  Just check KAYAK for good flight deals when the time comes...

OHHHH and for a gift if you want to send one...  I gave my son a really kewl Aviator watch...  black with red trim...  he loves it!!!!  Water proof...  they are pricey though...   this is not the exact one but it was like this one...   Citizen watches but you can look up Aviator Watches and find lots of them.  xoxoxoxoxo

PS...   I did not give it to him at graduation but I shipped it to him after he deployed for his Birthday..  but it would make a great grad gift

Lydia - Thanks for the great watch idea!  My husband are driving out for three weeks in June so, hopefully, he will graduate in that time.  With work and other commitments, we're not real flexible - maybe when we retire!!!!!

My son got his written orders - he reports to his Squadron on the 19th.  He's excited to be finished with training and out of the schoolhouse. 

Jodi - did your son make it over the bridge and get settled in?  Hope the weather in Coronado is being fabulous for his welcome.  It was kind of dreary when I was there - but still better than where I usually am!

The watch is a great idea for a swimmer gift - just make sure it is waterproof.  My son actually has two, a dress watch that he wears with dress uniforms, and a digital one he wears daily.  He said it drives him crazy when guys don't wear watches because you always are calling out times or needing to report somewhere at a specific time.  The digital one also has 'stuff' on it so he can record his PT times, set alarms for whatever, etc - all things that come in handy for a Navy Aircrewman. 

Morning, ladies.

Melissa, yes he is settled in. His friend found a house to rent so my son will have a place for his dog, thank goodness. He is very happy with his squadron. He started flying Tuesday and had a night flight last night. I think he's glad to finally get to work. My son also wears a watch. It seems weird to see him wearing it since you really don't see many people wearing them anymore, although I have heard they are coming back as a fashion accessory.  Is your son coming home for awhile or is he staying in San Diego? I bet he can't wait to get on with his job either.

Melissa...  Congrats on his moving forward!  Now MORE training with his new squadron...  and then those all wonderful golden wings one day...  awesome...  OH and yes, the Aviator Watches are almost ALL waterproof to certain depths...  We paid a lot for my sons... but it has everything and all the features that he needs daily.  So it was a gift worth the money... he loves it and it is his daily go too he says!  All the Rescue Swimmers in the squad have a similar one..  

Jodi... so glad that your son will have a home for his doggie!  yea!!!  I know he feels better!  

A little over a week and I am flying out to see that boy of mine..  I can not wait..  !!!!!  It is hard to contain all the emotions that us mammas go through with our kids in the military...  glad we all have one another to lean on!  xoxox

Lydia or any other vet mom with a chance to answer this: Once my son completes A school and SERE.... does he get "stationed" for FRS and then remain at that location for the remainder of his tour? Will he go through FRS in one location , graduate from that school and then be assigned to another location afterwards?

Lydia- I am really excited about you getting to see your son, it i just around the corner! Happy Dance!

Have a great day wherever you all are!

Proudmama,

My  Son was in SD for FRS. After FRS they get their orders and are sent where ever.

Mine is a Siera

Proudmama, my son went to Jacksonville after SERE for his FRS training and then was sent to San Diego just recently to join his squadron.

HI  yall.........

YUP exactly what sweetpea said.......   and Jodi.......  after A school in Pcola, they are assigned their training base for FRS and SERE.....  after 1.5 to 2 or so years of FRS training they will graduate and get assigned to their perm duty station and squadron....  could be anywhere in the world...  you never know...  my B was blessed as he requested SD Cali and got it... the no 1 in class asked for Guam and got it...   once they are assigned their Squadron and Base... there are many many more months of training before deployment... and wings or wings and deployment...   from A school and base for FRS... there are many many months years before they actually are assigned...  lots of training and testing and honing those skills....   B man was in FRS for 1.75 years...  then squad....  then 1 year more of training then deploy (give or take a few months sorry)   then deploy for 10 months and now just back home......  while on deploy tested for E-5 and got it...  so in other words...  there is a lot to being a spec ops sailor or spec forces....  much training and honing the skills needed to fill the bill so to speak...  this is the reason for the high attrition rate of these young men and women in RSS school....   so many goals and milestones in the interim  ......   hang in there yall.....   

Hey I never ever heard about our kids that were in RSS weeeeks ago????    makes me worry....

anyhoooo   xoxoxoxo      one week tomorrow and Im seeing my boy!!!!!   hugs kisses and more...!!!!!!!   its okay he knows me and he does not mind!!!!!   heheheheeh

I bet you are counting down the days, right Lydia? And I saw a pic of your daughter-very pretty. She's going too, isn't she?It won't be too much longer until you are giving him hugs and kisses. Lucky momma! Safe travels.

My son will be graduating FRS in San Diego on June 6th, so if anyone will be there, please let me know. Maybe I can get a couple pictures. Then it is off to Norfolk, Virginia to continue his journey. Originally he was Sierra, but then was offered CSAR, so onto new training. He is hating the thought of leaving California and all the friends he made there, but he is ready for new adventures :)