GROTON, CT. SUBSCHOOL & "A" SCHOOL MOMS

SunflowerLynn:  thanks much for the response.  My son is going to CS school following Bootcamp.  Which school is your son attending and when is his PIR?

Hi NavyMum, my son’s PIR was Aug. 3rd. He’s in Groton awaiting start of BESS, in about a week, followed by A school in his rating, ITS.

Does anybody know if there are graduations on Thursday's?  From A schoo 

SunflowerLynn:  Congrats to your son on PIR.  It appears that our sailors have to wait for classes to fill up whether it's BESS or A school.  This is quite different from when I was in the Navy.

NavyMum and SunflowerLynn, My son had an 8-month wait for security clearance after BESS before A school. He was able to take leave during this time. ProudMom, his A school graduation is scheduled for a Friday.

IL Matt's Mom:  I imagine your son is anxious to get to A School.  Which one is his going to?

Thank you, IL Matt's Mom.  Wow!  Eight month wait...I didn't imagine the wait between BESS and A school could be that long, so I guess I'd better keep a very open mind about what may be happening for my son in the next year or so!  His A school is 24 weeks duration, but we obviously don't know yet when it will begin.  I guess we'll see!  Congratulations to your son on his upcoming A school graduation!! 

SunflowerLynn and NavyMum, my son's A school graduation date is early September 2018, Machinist Mate Weapons (formerly known as Torpedoman's Mate). We tried to figure out a pattern to the security clearance waiting period, but never seemed to have enough info. 

IL Matt's Mom:  Only a few weeks to go!  Congrats to your son!  

My son’s A school graduation is mid September.  He’s ready for it.  He tells us his A school is super tight and they at least all get along with each other.  So cool!

Super excited for all the other Sailors getting ready to finish up soon, too.  ( :

Just saw my son off from O'hare on his way to Groton for sub school and A-School.  There were 19 leaving in his group today, and he was the CAM for the group.  Looking forward to getting to know everyone in this group over the next several months!

My Man Graduates from BC on friday and heads to A school in groton????

Hi Everyone,

My son will be leaving for BC in Great Lakes on Wednesday.  He should have a PIR date around November 9.  He will be going to A school in Groton.  What should we expect?  Will he leave immediately from Chicago to Connecticut?  It is close to Thanksgiving. . .I'm just wondering how school submarine school works--is it like a traditional college?  What will he need at A school from home?

Thank you!

Hello my son is in boot camp graduating Oct 5th.  Anyone know how long he has after graduation before he heads there?  Trying to make travel plans. 

Thanks gor for adding me to this group. 

Welcome Krista and Viola. After PIR they will fly out that weekend. Airports and schedules vary. I believe most arrive in Groton on Saturday. You may only get a few hours after PIR, but you may be able to meet up at the airport and spend some time there. Get used to unpredictability. 
Sub school is not quite like traditional college (though the housing is dorm-like). Everything the actually need will either be issued or readily available at the NEX, You can plan on handing off their phone at the airport, but it is easier to ship personal goods once they get there and tell you what they want. Traveling light is a good trait in a submariner, though I wish mine would get some cheap furniture for heaven's sake, now that he is living off base.
The training track differs by rating. The several ratings under SECF spend the most time up there. 

Hi Krista and Viola, and welcome.  WearsLargeHats gave you some good information already.  Our son had PIR on 8/24 and we got to spend most of the rest of the day with him.  We had to have him back at RTC by about 8:00 that night.  You will want to get back early because of traffic, security, etc, and on time is late in the Navy.

Our son flew out at noon on Saturday and his group flew into Boston and then bused to Groton.  We took his phone, laptop, and underwear (VERY important, they are tired of their Navy issue tighty whities when BC is done).  I then mailed a box with a small amount of civilian clothes and a few other things he wanted.  He doesn't want too many civilian clothes because he says he doesn't have room.

Viola, with your son arriving so close to Thanksgiving I would probably not plan on him getting leave for Thanksgiving.  Krista, not sure about yours.  My son was told by someone that has been there a lot longer than him that he should not expect to get any leave until Thanksgiving for sure, so by that time he will have been there three months.

As far as the format of schooling...we are still relatively new to this, but there may be a small holding period when they first arrive before starting classes.  They will then start with some basic "life skills" classes, and then into BESS (sub school).  My understanding is that BESS is 6-8 weeks, and then they move onto their technical A-school training for whatever rate they are in. 

Welcome aboard sea sisters!

Wow.  Thank you ladies.  That is some good info. I am totally new at this and feel so lost.  When we heard from him he said “he thought” he was leaving the following Monday and would have all weekend with day passes.  We were so excited cited to hear from him, we just planned according and didn’t question it.  Sounded a litttle to good to be true!  

Thank youWearsLargeHats and Carla B.  

Does anyone know when sailors are allowed to have their car on base and drive?  Is that once they get their phase II liberty card?  We are arranging to ship our son's car out to him and surprise him (he wants it really bad and thinks there is no way he will be able to get it before he can get a long weekend of liberty to fly home), but I want to make sure we time it right.

Hi CarlaB,

I don't think a surprise car delivery would work. The car cannot be delivered on base. I found that transport companies would not commit to a firm delivery date and time. 

We could not find a transport company that would work with us, so ended up driving our son's car out.

We were out visiting and took delivery for our son's shipmate's car at our hotel.  The delivery window was missed due to weather and traffic and the sailor had to be back on base (the car arrived at 1:00am). If we wouldn't have been there, the car would have been dropped at the trucking depot in Mass. and the sailor would have needed to find a way there to pick up the car. 

My recommendation would be to have your son have backup people that could possibly take delivery oh his behalf, especially those with a slightly different schedule and duty section.

IL Matt's Mom, we are not even going to try to have the car delivered to base.  I figured his availability with classes, etc, plus security would make that challenging.

I have actually contacted the local Honda dealership since he has a fairly new Honda.  They have agreed to accept delivery since we also asked them to service it with an oil change and inspection before he picks it up.  Should work well.

I am now just trying to get timing right to make sure that we hold off on having it delivered until he is able to drive it and have it on base.  He is close to his yellow card, so wondering if that phase he will be allowed to have the car.

Hello.  My son is headed there from boot camp.  I was just wondering if he would be in a dorm style room or barracks?  Also, how does the phone privilege work?   

Thank you CarlaB.  He will so relieved about that!!! 

AFAIK, the Navy doesn't have barracks in the sense of "racks" in a big common room. Even in the fleet, the unaccompanied accommodations aka the BEQ are dorm-like. My son's in Hawaii was like a 2 bedroom efficiency with a small kitchen, pretty nice. Of course, aboard the sub is another thing. He also was on an accomodation barge for a few days in Guam, but I never got a report on that.

Unmarried enlisted sailors are usually required to reside in the BEQ until they are E5 or E4 with 4 years of service, at which point they are encouraged or required to find housing off-base.

Jdkdmom, do I understand that your son just had PIR on 10/5 and is now heading to Groton?  If so, so is my son.  

GRADUATION 10-25 GROTON 

I was wondering if anyone is going to graduation Oct 25. I'm not going to be able to make it and was wondering if possible someone can take pictures or video. That would be awesome and GREATLY appreciated.. if not I completely understand. Thank you

Hi all, 

I was wondering what "rate" is?  How do I know my son's rating?  He will be in school for SECF. His PIR date was set back to November 16.  In a recent letter he said he would have the ranking of Petty Officer in 6 months--not even sure what that means, lol.

Thank you!

Viola

"Rate" is the Navy's term for rank. "Rating" is an occupational specialty. Very confusing, but the terminology goes back to the age of sail. Then there is paygrade, which is used to set pay levels and rank equivalence across services, and between  NATO countries.

My son is STS3(SS), which means he is a 3rd class Petty Officer (E4 paygrade), Sonar Technician, qualified on submarines.

WearsLargeHats--

Thank you that helps--so helpful.  I believe that is what my SR would like to do.  He say if he was about to chose one of the 3 areas under SECF umbrella, he wanted to be a Sonar Technician and he currently has an E3 rating at boot camp.

Hi Viola

SECF's will find out their final rate when they get to Groton.  My son was SECF and he is an FT - Fire control technician, which is weapons control.  

I am by no means an expert, but I don't think he can be a petty officer in 6 months.  My son also was an E3 upon enlisting, and he just told me last night that it will likely be next September when he can take the advancement test.  He said they have to be 6 months out of school and in their final position before they can try for advancement.

Viola, SECF is a family of technical ratings: ETR, ETV, FT, STS. (Communicates, Navigates, Targets, Tracks.) Your son will be placed in one of those based on needs of the Navy, aptitude, and preference. I am not sure when that happens, but the training doesn't separate until after the first 2 phases: BESS and ATT.

With certain credits or for certain rating tracks, sailors can leave boot with an E3 paygrade, Seaman rate. In 6 months they are eligible to advance to E4, which is PO3. Some ratings have "pushbutton" advancement on completing A school, but I am not sure about SECF. Others have accelerated advancement.

The term Petty Officer again goes back to the age of sail, to refer to specialists or experienced sailors who, traditionally, can be given more responsibility.

CarlaB & WearsLargeHats--

Thank you ladies for the information.  It helps so much to understand.  My SR is not the best at filling in the blanks, lol.  

Hello! 

My SO recently graduated boot camp and is heading that way.

does anyone have a rough timeframe that newly arrived sailors can go and buy a phone and/or laptop? He doesn’t start until November something. 

His phone was a very old iPhone. The charger was one of those very wide ones so he elected to trash it. Is it going to be a while before he has the privilege to go out and get a new phone? It kind of bites not having much form of communication 

Deva, IIRC, the NEX is right there on base. It has been a couple years since I've visited that one, but they typically carry such things, and at good prices. I don't know about shopping in Groton, but they should get weekend liberty before long, with some restrictions. Sailors have a way of working things out.

Good Afternoon!

I was wondering how the holidays work once my SR arrives for A school.  His PIR is scheduled for November 16th.  I am assuming he will not be able to go anywhere for Thanksgiving--other than local.  As for Christmas, will he be able to take time to come home?  If not, can family come visit over the holidays?

Thank you for your help!

Hi Viola.  Your sailor will probably not get time off for Thanksgiving or Christmas since he will be arriving in Groton mid-November, but as far as I know that should not limit you from visiting them.  He'll have to let you know what his training and watch standing schedule is, and you'd have to work around that.

Our sailor has been in Groton since March and was able to come home in September for a short visit (9 days). He won't be able to take off for Thanksgiving, but is trying to get off for Christmas. We've already decided if he can't get home for Christmas we are going there and will visit with him as much as schedule will allow.

TexGal75

Thank you! I really appreciate the information. In my heart, I have him coming home for Christmas. Obviously, we are at the whim of the Navy and not my deepest wishes, lol. I'll just have to adjust my thinking.

--

Piggybacking off of this. My SO decided to stay on base for both holidays. (They arrived late last month). 

Are they able to take leave later on in the year when they've acquired more days?

I don't travel well; especially to colder climates so I won't be able to visit him during the holidays either but I'm wondering if he can take leave later on during March/April or August? 

Viola, the training commands typically do a Christmas stand-down, so it is quite likely your son will be able to come home for Christmas, or somewhere close to it, assuming he wants to shell out for the plane tickets (from PVD or BDL).
Deva, a lot depends on which rating you SO is training for. Your SO might be able to swing leave in between phases.
They will almost always get a relocation/transfer leave before reporting to their first command. I say "almost" because certainty just isn't a thing in the Navy.
They accumulate 2 days of leave time per month, the problem is always arranging the time to get away. In training, they have to work around the academic schedule, in active service the watches still have to be manned, so they have to take leave in rotation.

Good Morning!

My sailor has arrived in Groton for BESS the week before Thanksgiving.  He was not on "duty" or had academic classes over the weekend and enjoyed the first free time he has had since he left for boot camp in September.  Any words of advice for what to expect next?  He says he will graduate BESS on February 1st and then he will go on to A school.  His rating is for "radioman" or ETR. 

Thank you,

Viola

Hi Viola, my sailor graduated BESS mid-October (on a Friday) and began his A-school (ITS) right there in Groton the very next Monday.  Sometimes, I understand, they might have to wait for a class to fill before starting, but his was ready to go immediately.  At BESS, they'll be spending time in hands on trainers, as well as having classroom instruction.  They'll be busy, also, getting some quals completed in some basic "Navy" stuff (watch-standing, etc.).  They'll also have routine PT, marching, etc.  It's better than boot camp, but still pretty regimented.  Once he gets to A school, he'll have a bit more freedom.  

I'm sure no expert on any of this, but I'm happy to share my experiences as my son goes through the process.  

Lynn

Thank you, SunflowerLynn!  My sailor son says he has been studying for basic quals--seems to have much more freedom right now as he waits for BESS to start.  I am talking to him every day since he graduated boot camp which is nice. Are there a lot of quals?  He says right now he is in Life Skill classes until BESS begins.

Viola

Viola, I LOVED hearing from my son every day!  That was the biggest and best change from boot camp (for me).  We still talk or at least text pretty much every day, and we Skype often, too.  

I really don't know how many quals they're getting while in BESS.  Enough to keep them busy, I guess! They still have room inspections, and that (along with other things) affect what kind of liberty card they receive (white, yellow, etc.).  The color of their card determines whether they can leave the base, how far off base they can go, etc.  It's a big motivator!

I did attend his BESS school graduation last month, and it is much more low key than the PIR, of course.  But I was so glad I went.  My son's a twin, and I took his twin brother with me.  It was great for them to get to see each other.  

Best to you and your sailor! 

Good Morning Sailor Moms!

I have a question about leave for Christmas.  My Sailor put in his request on the days he was told he can take leave over the holiday.  We wanted to purchase his plane ticket home, prices are going up and we don't know if we should wait for some of approval beforehand?  We know the days he was told to request, but not time?  Do you know what time leave would start?  Is this on an individual basis?  Any help or clarification would be greatly appreciated!

Viola

Viola - My son got a chit for the second half of stand down.  For him leave starts on the 28th, but he isn't flying out until early morning on the 29th because he was not sure what time to book a flight since there will be hundreds of sailors trying to check out for leave.

My son also told me that he needed to have his travel itinerary in order for his request to be approved because they would want that.  I am not totally sure if the leave won't be approved without the itinerary or not, but that is what he told me.

Thank you CarlaB,  I'll call my Sailor tonight and ask him about itinerary.  Thank you!

Matt's Mom--thank you!  That is great information to know.  I'll go ahead and book his ticket through one of those airlines and if we need to change it for whatever reason, we will be able to!

Thank you,

Viola

Can anyone explain what to expect once my SR has completed at RTC? I guess I am just wondering what your experiences were as far as what airport they fly out of to go from IL to CT? Did they fly out the day after PIR or have to be put on hold to fly to CT? When they get to CT do they check in with someone at the airport? How often can they call you when at BESS? I am just wondering how it all will go after RTC. Thank you for sharing your experiences.