PIR 4/8/2011 Alum Group!

We are safely back home in CA (arrived last night about 11pm). 

What a trip!  My eyes are still sore from crying!  What a wonderful graduation!  What a wonderful experience!

We were able to spend about 7hrs with our Sailor on Friday, and then we were able to meet him at the airport and spend another 6 hrs with him on Saturday. 

He loves the Navy...that makes me soooo happy!  And, now that he has his phone and laptop...we wont be out of touch as much!

How nice it was to meet some of you at the Meet/Greet.  And how nice to make new friends too!  I only wish that everyone knew about this site.......what a blessing you all have been!

I am sure everyone has a wonderful time with their Sailors...even if just walking around the mall (like us) and hanging out for a bit in the hotel room!

Best Wishes to all of us...and our new Sailors.

Jimscupcake (Susie)

We had a good trip back to NJ.  I've had my  fill of airports for awhile..We also went down to O'Hare and sat around with our sailor before his flight. I've been surprislingly teary.  He was very sweet and understanding. He is thrilled with San Diego, and I have to keep reminding myself of that.  I purposely took today off from the office. Tomorrow i go back. it was really great meeting some of you, and seeing allthose recruits graduate.  I have to admit, the Navy hymn has made me cry for, oh, I don't know..the last 50 years, so when it was my own kid in the Navy........wonder what is next...

PIR was awesome! seeing those doors open and the feet marching under it was sooo cool! Especially since Div 121 led the way!!

Craig- had to tell you that my son loved the card reader and what he can use it for! Also got the coin- loved that too! Thanks for the great suggestions!

After grad ceremony we went to the Gurnee mall because my sailor couldn't wait to get rid of his BC's! An hour later he had regular glasses again!

Spent many hours at the airport on Sat. - but was well worth the extra time spent with him! He's in SA and loving it!!

Thanks to all on this sight for all the great hints and tips!

What an incredible experience! Graduation was wonderful.  We are so proud and wish all of the new sailors the very best in everything they have ahead of them!

Just got back from GL.  My hubs is staying there for Corpsman school.  I was shocked to find out he was allowed Liberty all weekend!! OMG, amazing.  The kids had an awesome time!

I didnt get very many pictures b/c the division was not really in front of where I thought they would be.  I was in the upper balcony bleachers and a post was right in front of my view. Dang.  Oh well. 

Oh-- can I say-- I think the Navy is going to cause my husband to have OCD... way too many details about EVERYTHING they do.  LOL. It would drive me crazy.

Our PIR was April 8. Outstanding! As an Army brat myself and mother of 3 boys, I thought I had some idea of what to expect. Let me tell you, Nothing can prepare you for what you will experience. Best analogy I can think of is childbirth. You hear others advice and experience and you educate yourself, but until you actually go thru it, you truly have no clue. What an amazing experience for our Sailor and our entire family. Thank you RTC! Bravo Zulu ~

Do you just want me to rename this site so we have all the history of emails?

I'll be home after 8pm and can update it then if you'd like!  Whatever works!

Mama - that would be great - and change the objective - I love the history that we share and we can look back......let's do that!  Probably should have asked before starting the other group but at least I got people back responding here!  

So - what is your Sailor doing now?  Where did your sailor go?  How was your graduation experience?

I had a great, although short, time at graduation.  My son left for the airport bright and early on Saturday.  He is in A school in Pensacola, in Cryptology.  He will be a CTR.  I will NEVER know what he is doing but, as you probably remember from my boot camp experience, that is nothing new for me!  He is perfectly suited for the job of keeping secrets!  

He volunteered for Colors and has been in indoc - he said it takes 10 days!  Wow!  So far, he likes Corry Station.  It has been nice to talk to him more often. 

My son ended up having weekend liberty after PIR.  He flew out Sunday to Pensacola so we were able to spend alot of time with him.  What a difference I saw in him. 

PIR had to be the most wonderful thing I ever saw.  The whole experience was just amazing.  Everything I read here really helped make the experience what it was.

I love the fact that we can talk more now.  I wrote him a letter last week (he got it already) and sent him his sunglasses.   What a difference from just a few weeks ago.

Exactly!!!  Our phone rang Sunday and I almost wanted to say "who is this"!

Those had to be the longest weeks ever....

My son arrived in San Antonio for Hospital Corspmans school on Saturday immediatly following PIR.  We spent a very relaxing Friday in the hotel room.  My son just wanted to relax and chat online with his friends. We arrived to the airport bright and early to meet our son for his flight to SA. It was short but, we took advantage of every possible moment we were able to spend together. 

A school classes do not start till 4/26.  He has participated in a building dedication ceremony to for fallen corpsman. I have only talked with him by texting.  Patiently, waiting for a phone call.  He is enjoying a "little too much" liberty and meeting new friends.  I look foward to classes starting so he can get down to business. 

I love the phone calls to. He leaves me comments on FB very early in the morning. My son stayed in GL for A school and started yesterday, well somewhat. Tonight he moves to his new room. PIR was amazing!!! I can't stop looking at the pictures and videos. 

My son wanted a phone after PiR so when we were able to get him, we went to the mall and got him a new phone. I  brought his old one with  us to GL so  that he was able to get some of his phone numbers. My son is staying in GL and also started school yesterday. He did mention that he would have to change his room also. I felt so bad that we didn't get to sit with our division at PIR! We were in the balcony. It was hubbys fault I wanted to leave our hotel early! So glad that my sailor can call and text me now!

Mumzie~I am very interested! (please forgive me "PM" is just not registering in my brain a the moment??  Help me out here)

Our son is all settled in CT.  Now I email/text everyday.  He wont even bother giving me the address...as he is so available.  Waiting on today's grads to get there so they finally have enough to start a class, I am under that impression anyway.

His graduation press release was in our hometown paper today.  They made us relive our wonderful trip of just 2 weeks ago.

I feel very odd not writing everyday. Having somone to send letters to would be wonderful.  Please contact me, I would love to help.

This was posted in one of my groups:

Comment by Angie (Dan's Mom) 1 hour ago

When my son was in kindergarten, the school sent this poem home in their May monthly newsletter.   Ive kept it pinned to my bulletin board at work ever since.   My son is now 21 and in the US NAVY.  I was scanning it to send it to my niece who is celebrating her first Mother’s Day and thought I needed to make a little revision to it.   You’ll see my revision at the end.  Happy Mother’s Day everyone

For All Mothers 

This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at soccer games instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see my goal?" They could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick children in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Meyer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."

This is for all the mothers who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers of Kosovo who fled in the night and can't find their children. 

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see and for the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes  and for all the mothers who don't.

What makes a good mother anyway?  Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?

The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it heart?

I think so.

 Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes you from sleeping to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?

Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

I think so.

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And mature mothers learning to let go.


So this is for all the mothers  who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.

This is for reading "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year.  And then reading it again, "Just one more time".

This is for all the mothers who mess up. Who yell at their kids in grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two year old  who wants ice cream before dinner.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started to school and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. 

For all the mothers who bite their lips (sometimes until they bleed) when their 14 year olds dyed their hair green.

This is for all the mothers who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won't stop.

This is for all mothers who show at work with spit-up in their hair and milkstains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

This is for mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home or are grown.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children's graves.

This is for all the mothers whose children have gone astray and who can't find words to reach them.

This is for all the mothers who sent their child to school with a stomach ache, assuring that they would be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away.

For working moms and stay-at-home moms.  Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money and mothers without.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

This is for you, so hang in there. The world would be a terrible place without the love of mothers everywhere.  You make it a more civil, caring and safe place for the precious children in our world.


"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."

Author Unknown

As I read this, I knew I needed to add this paragraph below for us!

This is for all the mothers who first heard the words “Mom I want to join the military” and didn’t lock their child in their bedroom for the next 40 years.   Who lite those candles when their child was going through their final test of bootcamp.  For those Moms who kept their phone glued to their side, even when in the bathroom so that they won’t miss THAT call.   For all those Moms who gave up a weekend with friends to create that care package not only for her child but for all his buddies who aren’t getting any care packages.  For all those Moms who celebrated too many birthdays, Mother’s Days, Easter, 4^thof July, Christmas without their children, praying that their sons and daughter were safe, and warm and hopefully had a nice meal.  This is for all the NAVY, ARMY, AIR FORCE, MARINE and COAST GUARD Moms. 

Wow!  Had tears streaming down my face reading this one!  How true!  I miss my son and hope and pray he stays safe and is happy!  Thanks for sharing this poem.  Hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day :)

Precious...thanks for sharing. 

Have a wonderful Mothers Day everyone.

very sweet, says it all. Hope everyone is doing well in "A" school.  Proud of our SEALS that's for sure

Very nice...thank you!

Debi~enjoy you son...how very lucky you are!

I hope all the Sailors are enjoying the Navy as much as my son is!  I talk to him almost everyday..and he just cant believe he gets paid to do this.  I am so happy that he is so happy.

ICsailorsgirl,

Taxi Service:  "Sarge" Phone number:   847-212-0246. Glowing recommendations from several moms.  He is relaible and cheaper than most regular taxis/shuttles.  You can also text him and he should answer fairly quickly.

texasmom, glad to hear he's on the upside of things.  We all felt such compassion for what you were going through.  My son sounds very upbeat and doing well. 

It's nice to know they're doing what they really WANT to be doing.  Take care!