NUKE moms

Did everyone remember to set their clocks forward?
At least for those of us who are in time zones that mess with it. Ugh! - Or I suppose I should say states.

WearsLargeHats - I was just wondering if there was any information packets issued by the Ombudsman. I am going to have to check and see!

Just saw this on US Navy RTC FB page:

I understand the decision that RTC made for not allowing guests to attend PIR, but my heart is breaking for all of those families and loved ones who were planning to be there.

Now I wonder if NNPTC will also be restricting guest attendance at graduations? I know that the attendance is significantly smaller than at RTC, but still...?

Does any one know how a sailor are chosen for these?

A school Honor Graduates and Commanding Officer’s Personal Excellence Award.

I see theses listed each graduation post from NNPTC on their official FB page.  

My sailor called last night and we talked a bit about COVID19.  We have looked forward to a visit to Charleston since before they left for boot camp.  I was about to book the flights and now wonder if i should wait even longer.  Of course under normal circumstance that increase the cost and the best times and prices are not on South West for us so we would loose all the money if we book now.   I am game to drive but not my other half.  And then there is the flight back to base after leave that needs to be booked even if we drive.  My head hurts again.

My heart is broken, all I wanted was to hug him!

North woods mom and any others with sailors at RTC - my heart goes out to you. I really am not sure I can even imagine the disappointment.  I know how important that was for us. 

I flew SW yesterday.  Our plane was half full, which was nice as we were not jammed in 3 to a row.  I honestly have no worries about flying at this time.  

Northwoodsmom, when was your son due for PIR?  The good news is that once they get to GC they can call you whenever they wish during their free time.  It doesn't replace a hug, but it's an improvement over no contact.  

I'm so sorry to hear that Northwoodsmom!! I know your sailor is disappointed too. 

We are planning to be at Power School graduation next Friday (March 20th.) We booked Southwest but have plans to visit Savannah and Atlanta with our son before we all head home. We'll have to wait and see now, I guess :( 

Just got phone call from my son, they are all taking this hard but he said they will make us proud.

Not being there for graduation is heartbreaking. It is good that they will still stream the ceremony and you can connect with your sailors afterwards. We'll weather this together, Moms. Facetime, Skype, we'll do whatever we have to do to let our sailors know how proud we are of them and what they have achieved so far, with so much still ahead when all the virus stuff will be in the past. It's hard but we can do it because we are Navy Moms. Hugs to you all, Sea Sisters!

Northwoodsmom - my heart goes out to you and your SR. Hang in there and be strong - we are here for you!!

partnerinwine - praying that you will still be able to attend your sailor's Power School graduation. Keep us posted.

Sea sisters waiting for PIR... my heart goes out to you as it was two years ago this month that I went to graduation. The separation was one of my most trying times so far. My heart goes out to you all!!! Stay healthy!

New Adventures - I am not sure how the sailors are chosen for the various awards at NNPTC. The Honor Graduates I think is a matter of their GPA, but I am not sure about the other one.

I have checked in a couple of times today on my email feed and read all of the comments about PIR. I am so sorry to hear this news, but I understand. Northwoodsmom - Your son sounds like they are trying to stay positive and I know how hard that is, because I know how much it meant to my son to just change out of his uniform and into civilian clothes, even for just a couple of hours. 

partnerinwine - I as well am hopeful that you will be able to attend PS graduation. 

Navy Mom (J) - Welcome! Our Admin is on vacation, but we welcome you aboard Nuke Moms. Be sure to read the information in the pages to the right - View All. And feel free to ask any questions you may have and share where you are at in the Navy journey.

My son is currently an ETN3 serving on the USS Gerald R. Ford -CVN 78. He is still in the middle of doing his ship qualifications. 

Hello!! I'm finally getting to a computer. I follow on my phone but don't get to respond often but try to keep up what is going on. I wanted to put my two cents in about the cancellation of the RTC graduation. I know we don't have any control over it so there is no sense getting upset over it but my heart goes out to all the families and Sailors. I know I lived for that day when my son was there so I can only imagine the disappointment. My heart hurts for everyone effected. 

My son is on the Theodore Roosevelt and was recently in Vietnam. Unfortunately the port call was very difficult. The seas were rough and they difficulty getting off the ship by tender. The lines were long and took a long time. Z was finally able to get off and do a little site seeing. He faced timed us from a hotel  that some of his friends were staying in. He couldn't have overnight liberty because he didn't have a passport. So those of you who have kids in school, encourage them to get their passport before they go to the fleet. Some countries will not allow overnight liberty if you don't have a valid passport. My son was planning to do some more site seeing on Sunday but before he could get off the ship they stopped all travel to Vietnam due to 2 confirmed cases of corona virus. At least he got to see something. I'm hoping the next port will be easier and that everyone get the opportunity to get off the ship and enjoy some much needed time off. I certainly understand the decision and the extra caution they are taking but I sure hope it doesn't keep them from enjoying port calls. It's a long time at sea if you don't get the opportunity to see new and amazing places. 

Have a great day everyone! :))

NNLori my SIL is facing the same thing. His sub is in port but they're restricted to the base. Poor kids can finally get some fresh air, but maybe not so fresh. 

JayDee659- Oh man that stinks!! Those sailors definitely need fresh air!! I hope they are able to make arrangements for all these situations! They work hard and deserve some fun!! 

NNLori my son is also on the Roosevelt. Was the virus confirmed in the city, or on the ship? Hopefully the city. My son did get liberty and was able to stay a night in Vietnam but said it was hectic getting off the ship.  

Ladies - I agree!

Mona- from the  info I've gotten from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Facebook page it was 2 British tourists that came to DeNang that were diagnosed on Friday. As of now there are NO cases on the ship. I have my fingers crossed that there won't be. 

NNLori- Thanks for the info. Praying all our sailors stay healthy!

NNLori - I second everything you said. That has definitely been on my mind the last few days. Health and safety is paramount, but I’m sure that it would effect morale if they could not get off the ship. Fingers crossed for the Ike!

Northwoodsmom - Congratulations on your new sailor!! I thought I would mention this here instead of in BC Mom. One thing I have learned since my son has been in the Navy, is that nothing is necessarily the same for anyone else - However, some routines will stay the same. Assuming they fly your sailor out after PIR and he is not held in GL for any reason, he will arrive at NNPTC with other sailors. He will have his phone. My son called us when they landed in Charleston and were waiting on their ride. Then he got set up in his BEQ, they went shopping at the NEX. On Saturday night when we were at the hotel he had called to ask me how to get the black shoe polish out of his white uniform. He had his phone and we had communication. It was great! 

Your sailor will be able to give you information on his liberty time at A school, it may not be until after he goes to class on Monday but he will be able to call and talk to you on Sunday as well. Many of the classes start on Monday after PIR, but some of the sailors are in what is called INDOC. It is sort of an in between time until there are enough sailors of their rate to make a class. INDOC sailors will still have some orientation classes, but they will also be assigned tasks to do around NNPTC and they will have more of an opportunity to get their UI's (Under Inspections) done. I explain some of these things in my discussion above about A school. 

NNPTC is different than a lot of the other A schools as I gather and so unless there is a new curfew placed on the sailors, they will have liberty time on the weekends, so family can go visit and see them, they will just have to be wearing their Uniforms when in public. There is a possibility for you to fly and see your sailor in GC if that works out. The most important thing to remember, is that your sailor is the best source of information regarding visiting them, and if they don't know they answer they can go check with their SLPO.

Eve - Welcome to Nuke Moms! - We have a lot of information in the discussions above and also the pages to your right. Be sure to click - View All. Feel free to ask any questions you may have or share with us about your sailor.

My sailor is out in the fleet now, he graduated Prototype in April 2019. 

Thank you Chipmunk, my son was upset yesterday when he called about not being able to see us. I told him that we would come as soon as school lets out. I know that is 3 months from now but he was ok with that. By then he should get a weekend off. We rented a house and am bringing his dog down to see him, that cheered him up. I feel so bad for them, they all worked so hard. The Navy has been giving them more talk time so that does really help. Let's pray this Virus gets killed off. Thanks again for all the information.

I am also very saddened that the PIR's have been put off hopefully just for a while. But a problem that I see developing is that most of us brought our sailors their phone, computers, laptops and all those extra touches from home that they would need and had to smash, cram , and  pack in their green bags to take to the new assignment. So much to think about..

mom of mrams - The SRs no longer mail their cell phones back home after arriving in GL. They are kept in a box at GL and then given to them at some time after PIR. I do understand that transferring of computers and laptops being an issue, but those may also be mailed. 

Northwoodsmom - I assume your sailor is an MM if he only has a 3 month A school. And so it might be more reasonable for you to wait until then for graduation, but I do know they have liberty time on the weekends and we have others who have had grandparents or other relatives who could not attend PIR, travel to GC to see their sailors there while in A school. 

I'm sorry, he is a ET but I read the Sailors schedule u on this page and it states after they have 8 weeks in that they have weekends off starting Friday and they have to be back on Sunday, am I misunderstanding this, I also read their radius for the miles also increase.

Just saw on FB that NNPTC has suspended guest for graduation. My heart goes out to everyone affected! Hang in there mamas!

Glad to hear that things have changed about the phones ! But still....I am sorry for the families.

mom of mrams - Yes, I think it is helpful to all of the new sailors to have access to their phones after graduation. And yes, I am sorry for the families affected by this decision as well.  

The Hammer - I just read the ombudsmen post you have and they are saying liberty is still being allowed, if I read correctly. This is contradictory to what is posted on the RTC FB page that was posted yesterday and as best as I can tell has not been changed or updated.  I have been off and on BC Mom group most of the day and even Ellen0502 said they were not being given liberty, so I am not sure where the Ombudsman source is coming from.  

Northwoodsmom - the information you are reading is older, and I was looking earlier because I thought B'sNuke mom had posted a more recent copy (not sure if it is updated any better), but they have started mailing out newcomer packets to the families and someone had shared a copy of theirs. 

The sailors have different phases they go through once they class up, so as an ET, it is possible  your son could be delayed almost a month or so before he classes up, and starts earning the privileges for each phase. But it is my understanding that they still have liberty on the weekends. They do have a curfew and they don't earn overnight liberty until later, but generally classes are over at 4:30 pm on Friday afternoon, and unless they are standing a UI, or have PT, then they should have liberty until their curfew. They should have liberty on Saturday and then generally they need to be studying on Sunday, but if they haven't classed up, they would likely have liberty time on Sunday as well. 

My concern with planning a weekend getaway for your sailor, mid-term, is where he is at with his studying and tests. Each sailor is different and they all study differently, but if they are below a certain grade point, or how they score on their tests, they will have mandatory tack hours of study time and that will include the weekend. So, even planning a weekend in 3 months may not offer the same amount of down time and reunion time you are wanting. 

It is very hard to plan!  Sorry.- None of this is easy. 

*And I am going by what my memory serves me and my experiences with my sailor while he was in A school 2 + years ago and not the comments on the pages to the right above. I need to read back through my own discussion and what my sailor helped me write, to verify some things as well.

Chipmunk- TheHammer’s post was from the NNPTC ombudsman regarding GC graduations. The RTC FB page was regarding boot camp graduations. Two different things so no contradictions. 

ProudOfK - Thank you for correcting me! Too many acronyms and late at night for me. My apologies!  Glad to know that our sailors at GC will have liberty.

The Hammer - thank you for sharing this. I know we had families on here who are happy to hear that news.

Northwoodsmom - I can give you one ET’s mom experience. We did make a trip to Charleston about half way through A school. We went for about a week and stayed near the ocean. Fortunately our son was on Vols a lot of the time - meaning he had no mandatory study hours. We were able to meet him for a quick dinner Thursday evening then Friday after class we picked him up and he stayed with us near the ocean until early Sunday evening so he could go and do some studying . But as Chipmunk said it is also possible that they have lots of study hours to get in. It will depend on your sons GPA. And being on Vols doesn’t mean they don’t still need to study some - it’s just up to the sailor if and when they do it. 

Well bummer. My son wasn't aware of there being no guests at his PS graduation. I'm sure they will update everyone today. We are going to power through and celebrate afterward! 

Northwoodsmom- we also visited Charleston during A School. We booked an Airbnb near Sullivan's Island. Our son stayed with us Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. He felt better getting a couple hours of study in each day though, so we drove him back and forth. We had plenty of time to see the sights together, walk the beach a few times and just catch up. I think it was a nice break for him. We weren't able to go to PIR either so it was GREAT to see him. 

I have a question for those who had a Sailor in Power School over Christmas.  Did your Sailor get to come home over the holidays or did they continue schooling throughout that time?  Asking because I believe my Sailor will be starting Power School in July and I wonder how that will affect the 26 weeks.  

Thanks in advance.

Baker1013- My son started Power School in October. He was able to come home for 10 days. He went back to GC a couple of days early just in case he ran into weather delays. I think he had to report back on Jan 2nd. 

Any training command such as NNPTC will have a Christmas stand-down to allow both students and instructors to take leave. NPTU (prototype) works more like the fleet: if operational considerations allow it, which for prototype it will, holiday leave will be in 2 or more phases so that they maintain enough crew to man watches while others take leave.
Example on a submarine in the shipyard, my son was able to come home for Christmas, but on return he had to work 3-day duty rotation instead of 4 for a couple of weeks.

partnerinwine and WearsLargeHats, thank you!  That is very helpful info to have!  

Thank you ladies for all the wonderful information, I wasn't planning on having him with us for all 3 days, infact after the disappointment of our missed PIR a couple hours would be nice. Our daughter lives 4 1/2 hours away so we would be visiting with both of them. I see the availability of the houses are filling up fast for the summer months around Charleston do I don't want to wait to long. Do you not think he could phase up in three months. He only missed getting the academic excellent award by .07 so he is pretty smart but I am sure A School is alot harder.

Northwoodsmom - if he starts classes right away he could phase up in a month. 

Northwoodsmom - That is wonderful that you will be able to visit your daughter and son at the same time!!

Regarding phasing up - it appears that they can even phase up while in INDOC now. My son arrived to GC on Feb 1 and was placed in INDOC, so he was just attending briefs, cleaning, landscaping, etc, for one month. Then, on the Friday before his A school started, he was granted permission to be in Phase 2, which made him happy because he could wear civilian clothes off base on weekends!  He is hoping to reach Phase 3 before we come down to visit him in April, so that he can be off base for the whole weekend and not have to report back each night.

Thank you Velvetenor, my son was a few weeks behind yours so I am hoping he can do the same by June.

Hi all - Happy Thursday! 

I'm back to work and trying to catch up.  We had a fantastic time in Cabo and came home and now this whole Coronavirus thing is out of control.  From boot camp grads being cancelled, to A school grads and liberty cancelled to  NBA season done, to baseball opening day postponed, to college classes switched to online, to NCAA sporting events being cancelled to Tom Hanks testing positive for the virus!  It's absolutely unbelievable how quickly everything has escalated.  Stores are out of TP, wipes, sanitizer, water.......and it's been pouring rain all day here in SoCal - what the heck is going on?!?