USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)

waiting to hear from my son.comforting to know others have and everything ok

If you're not aware, check out the US Navy 6th Fleet Facebook page. Lots of photos of the work they are doing.

https://www.facebook.com/USNavalForcesEuropeAfrica

My son sent pictures from Greece!

I thought that once they pull into port it is safe to post. Certainly everyone in the port city is aware of their presence, it is hard to keep that a secret. The sailors are already posting pictures on Facebook, and the Greek press published their scheduled arrival and departure dates 5 days ago.

I am certainly aware and observant of OPSEC, and my interpretation in this case could be incorrect, so please correct me if so.

SoCal,

If they are in port it is safe to talk about the port they are in, however, we should not discuss how long they will be there and when they are pulling out.

JD's Mom, I don't see your comments on here anymore, but appreciate the reminder to remain cautious about ship's movements, location, schedule, etc. Although my son has been in the Navy 3 1/2 years, this is his first deployment, so I am certainly no expert and appreciate any and all advice.

You are correct that I also have not seen anything official from the US Navy regarding this port call, which I find odd, since sailors were already heading to shore for liberty even as I was on the phone with my son this morning.

My son posted a picture of himself, and so did his friends, saying where they were.  I can't believe he would have done that without getting explicit approval from his CO.  My son has always been SUPER strict about OPSEC and PERSEC, so I feel if he's posting it, he got permission that it was okay.  If he hadn't gotten the go ahead, he wouldn't have even sent me pictures privately, much less put one on facebook.

Just got to talk to my son! It just feels so good knowing that they are safe.

GHWB Docking at Souda Bay video 
There are some photos on this page as well.

https://www.facebook.com/137569139613769/videos/1242214805815858/?p...

Thanks for the link SoCal Dad!

Please ask the Administrator to remove ineedak@aol.com from this site.   Thank You.

Wow, thanks for posting the video! I'm going to have to look for it on my Facebook page. This is my son's first deployment, so I'm super anxious and nervous for him, but excited that he's getting to see the world at the same time.

Anita,

Do you care to elaborate on what you're talking about? 

My son said he ordered some stuff from Amazon just before they deployed, and just received it Monday (Monday also happens to be the day they arrived in port.) So, a little over 2 weeks. My guess though is that it probably depends how close they are to a port/base that can forward it, i.e. it's probably easier to get to them when they're off the coast in the Mediterranean than when they are in the middle of the Atlantic.

Just my thoughts.

Can anyone shed any light on International Calling Cards.  My son has purchased a couple on the ship.  With a girlfriend now, seems to be going right thru the minutes!!  I was wondering if they would be any cheaper for me to purchase than buying on the ship.  Although it may take a while to get there, I could email him the numbers?  Thx.

To use calling cards on the ship he needs special ship to shore cards that are sold in the NEX and on the ship. You used to be able to buy them online, however, something changed a while back so I don't know if they are still available. You can't use a standard calling card on the ship.

KWats Mom, you need to enter the data a certain way for Amazon to recognize it. especially the following:
CITY = FPO
STATE = AE
ZIP = 09513

From Amazon:

To make sure your package gets to its destination, follow these instructions for entering a military address.

1. Do not use special characters or punctuation (such as %, &, ', -, ?, !, etc.).
2. For Army, Navy and Marines: Enter Unit Number and Box Number in the "Address" field.
   For Ships: Enter Ship Name and Hull Number.
   For Air Force: Enter PSC Number and Box Number.
3. In "Address Line 2," enter optional military command or organization name (e.g., USAG J or 2/566 Postal Co.).
4. In the "City" field, enter APO or FPO.
   Please note: We cannot ship to city codes other than APO or FPO for military shipments. Entering a city other than APO or FPO will result in your order being delayed or possibly canceled. Also, do not enter the state in this field. (Incorrect: APO AE, AE.) If you are stationed in a war zone, our system also may not recognize your address.Please review your entry for accuracy.
5. In the "State" field, select one of the following:
   AE – Armed Forces Europe, Middle East, Africa and Canada
   AA – Armed Forces Americas
   AP – Armed Forces Pacific
6. In the "ZIP Code" field, enter the 5-digit ZIP code for the military unit. It must start with a 0 or 9. Any other ZIP codes in combination with AE, AA or AP will result in delays or cancellation of your order. Your billing address ZIP code (or home address code) cannot be used in place of a military ZIP code.
7. In the "Country" field, use the default choice of USA.
8. In the "Phone" field, we suggest entering the phone number of a family member or friend who is stateside. We must receive a phone number before we are able to ship.

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=98868

I heard from mine last night. He things were good!

We received an email from our son today also. He said there's nothing to report, all is well, just working a lot of long hours (as usual.)

Nice to see that it  was a good day for several of us!  Heard from mine also and he said the same-- busy but fine!  And safe thank God!

navytxmom, I don't know how big your talking, but I sent one last deployment that was a couple feet square.

I trust by now everyone has their RED Friday shirts. If anyone hasn't received them yet, please let me know and I 'll get the tracking info to you. If anyone needs more shirts, please let me know, it might be a possibility.

Sent a letter to my son Ben on 2/6/17, still waiting to hear back from him. Glad to hear that you've had contact with your kids. I'm waiting patiently, as I'm sure he's super busy, and I'm so not surprised to hear that mail is backed up. 

Mail is delivered when they have Replenishment At Sea

The COD (Carrier onboard deliver) also fly's mail to the ship often, sometimes daily. They don't have to wait for replenishment at sea for mail call. The COD is limited to how much it can carry since people, parts, supplies are the priority. A lot of the packages are left until there is a replenishment.

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/fight-against-isis-nbc-ni...

I heard from my son today , we got to FaceTime . It was wonderful and helped to calm my worry seeing a smile on his face. 

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/02/25/aircraft-carrier-uss-geo...