Moms of "A" school Sailors

Shirley - My son is in San Diego and their Christmas break is from December 19th - Jan. 3rd.

My son is actually coming home for 11 days from the 23rd to the 2nd. He wants to be back to the base early. We haven't booked his flight yet, because he wants to finish all the paperwork and approvals first. Carol, how come your son isnt fliying out of Oxnard Airport (OXR) or Burbank (BUR), which would be closer to him? There are some pretty cheap flights out of Burbank. Just a thought for next time.

Yep I have to agree, they make us wait to get the tickets then we really have to pay...oh and that's if that flight is sitll available. I may do what Carol did and buy it now and pay if we have to make any changes.

Am I misundersting this or do we have to pay for or sailor to come home after A school? My son, Michael is in the reserves and will be finished in a few weeks, he hasn't mentioned about getting plane fair, but he was also told that he would come home for 10 tens after boot camp.-but that never happened. We will just have to wait and see. Carol , I loved the picture of the pup! How adorable-We had a boxer that passed away will Michael was in boot camp, she was 12 years old. We just got a boxer puppy , Mike can't wait to see her. He said he hasn't seen a dog since he left!

The Navy pays for reservists to return home after A school. My nephew finished his A school this summer as a reservist and they took care of the flight.

Hi everyone, Thanks for letting me know that the Navy will pay for Michael to come home after A school. He is in Gulfport in the builders or construction unit.Hopefully he will be able to get into a construction job when he gets home. But if he doesn't he said he will just sign up for active duty,we will just wait and see what happens. I know what you mean about cell phones though. It was very hard for me while he was in boot camp only getting a letter on Thursday! I am so grateful that he can call on weekends. I am surprised that the Navy doesn't pay for our kids to come home- it just seems sad that they don't.

A young man wrote his mom and told her about a boy that gets no mail AT ALL in bootcamp. On top of that, the guys make fun of him.

Thought you guys might want to know...

SR Rodriquez, D.
DIV 020 Ship 09
Recruit Training Command
3415 Sailor Drive
Great Lakes, IL 60088

Thank you! Hugs!
I want this kid to be overwhelmed with cards and letters!!!!!

Hoppi - it is nice to have you here to clarify things for us :-D

They earn 2.5 days per month leave.

I know one school in GL is shut down starting Dec. 19th but I would not make any plane reservations until he has his leave approved. Not everyone gets to leave just cause the schools are on standdown.

My sailor just suprized us last night and came home- he is in the reserves so we don't know how long he will be here. I guess it depends on whether or not he is able to find a job. He really seems good. I can't believe the change in him. I just pray that he stays away from the kids that he need to get away from before BC. Does anyone know the website for the Navy reserve Moms?

Debi - what a nice surprise. Is he a Seabee? If so there are Seabee mom groups on the site.

Mary- yes he is a Seabee, He just finished A school in Gulfport,Mississippi. Do you know the site?

I your son a Seabee also?

Debi, our nephew is a Seabee Reserve and he completed A school in Gulfport in May. Our son is enlisted and is A school.

There are alot of great Seabee moms on the site - go to:
http://www.navyformoms.com/group/seabeemoms

Thanks so much for the information. I think this is such a nice thing for us Moms -

Cindy, most A and C school graduations are somewhat of a non event - especially after boot camp PIR. There maybe a handful of parents present and they do have a certificate now that they will give to the parents but most of these graduations last 30 minutes or less depending on how many are in the class. Many sailors take leave after A school which can be another factor on attending or not - they can be on a plane home immediately following the grad.

I had not heard about the MA graduation - that does sound really nice.

Hi Ladies, some of us have been around here long enough to remember the promotion that Build-A-Sign ran that offered a FREE banner for your sailor. They provided 10,000 of them for just the cost of shipping ($10). We were lucky to get one (maybe someday I'll get to use it!!!) but I just found out in honor of Veteran's Day they are providing 20,000 banners just for the cost of shipping. This are nicely done and can be reused over and over again depending on what message you have put on them. If you would like one, I would encourage you to order them soon as they will go quickly.

Here's the info for you...
Go to www.buildasign.com/troops and order a free banner. Excellent quality, shipping charges were about $10. I believe on their website they have them priced at $65, I showed our banner to a sign maker and he said locally they are charging $100 for that size banner.

I've had my "homecoming" banner ready for two months...hopefully for Christmas.

I was very impressed with the banner when we received it and this time they are offering alot of designs and you still get to customize them for your sailors.

I took time to send a thank you to Build A Sign - giving away 30,000 banners is not an inexpensive gesture.

3 out of 5 boys...WOW - you are going to have a nice holiday Melinda!

Annette, are you a member of the STG group yet? There are moms there that might be able to tell you about their sailors and how they got thru the program. He might be feeling the pressure of school - it's very diffirent that boot camp pressure. Hope that it works out for him.

Joanne, STG is a group for Sonar Techs -

http://www.navyformoms.com/group/stg

Hey Pine Farms, we have a group for ETs and FCs - please stop by the AECF group and join us.

Hoppi is an active duty sailor and is actually a career counselor for the navy and she is married to sailor so she has lots of knowledge to share.

Dawn you are really lucky she was in school so close to you. I wish mine was close, I would go to his A school graudation for sure.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Lisa q, Yes, they can get a tattoo in A school, they need to get a CHIT for it and yes it has to be where it can't be seen. Tat's are big for kids in A school.

You might drop a note in the Q and A with a recruiter forum and see if they can tell you. I would think that the recruiter that they work for would have to sign off on some paperwork verifying that the sailor did in fact report to the recruiting office.

Julie, he won't know for sure until he reports into Pcola and requests leave during the holidays. The school might be on standdown but not every sailor gets leave as the base has to remain operational. We are up against the same thing ourselves right now and probably won't know until the last minute if our son will get leave or not.

Wow Michelle, you may have the best "before and after"stories of your son than anyone!!! Ceromonial Guard is a huge honor, have you joined the Ceremonial Guard group on this site?

I don't think C-school is in the enlistment contract. It depends on your rate/job and the orders that you get.

San Antonio is a great city, I love it around the riverwalk.

Geez if you think 30 degrees was cold, we were able to attend our son's A school graduation in GL...it was negative 7 degrees one morning and we did get to see snow - which was a treat for us...since we were leaving the next day!

Greece - is beautiful, hope that you will get to go visit.

They won't dine out during boot camp but once your son moves to the "other side" he will have some options as explained McDonalds, Subways, enlisted club on the base. He will pay for any meals at these locations. Our son is CHEAP and tends to eat at the galley as much as possible so he is not spending more money.

What school will he be staying in GL for? Our son just graduated from AECF, he did his PIR back in April so he's been in GL for a loooong time but he will be home on Friday for the first time since February!

Wow Dawn, I have been reading the posts, I'm glad she finally got her orders!!

AuntieJ ~ Wow, what a great surprise!!!

Carol F ~ It really does suck that he has to use two days to drive, but at least he will be home with you!!

My son comes home Tuesday, we are all so excited!!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year!!

I may not do a good job explaining this but - the Navy provides him with the money on his LES to eat and they take it back from his LES - if he eats or not. It is done this way for accounting purposes. Your son should eat in the galley more often...it does not impact his net pay.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

Many of us will be returning our Sailors this weekend and it may not be easy but I'm going to try to remember two things; we had them home for the holidays if only briefly and they are working on their futures ...and that's not all bad!

Mine leaves tomorrow, I predict water works in Omaha!!! Boy this is hard, I wonder if we will ever get used to it.

Seems like we just about get used to the empty house, and in a few short weeks we have grown accustomed to their "noises" with them home. Then we now have to get used again to letting them go. Oh the ups and downs! Don't get me wrong, I would not change the time of them being home for anything, but walking around the house that was left 'destroyed' of their stuff being left behind, their smells (?! OK, bittersweet, both good and bad!)...I did sleep much better knowing they were home, so now have to regain sleep as it fits in again! Plus, as they let me know they made it back to GL, they stated it as "we made it home OK"- I just thought, wait, THIS is home...and it has to hit again, oh yeah, this is no longer home, but MY home. THEIRS is wherever the sea bag goes! It is just tooooooo quiet here now!

HI all....just reading the comments on here...and ya...I feel I am being selfish..since my sailor has completed A school and is now in fleet and on first deployment....I would love to help answer ANY question{s} you may have
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxo..if I can???

Alicia, well said! As our sons and daughters hit a new milestone in the Navy we are excited and tend to want to rush to the next one but at some point that generally means...a big grey ship! So I'm trying to treasure the school days and know the rest of it will come before ...I am ready!!!

Barbara - your son is correct, the Sailor pays for personal leave but not when they have orders for a new command. Think of it like taking a vacation from work - we have to pay for that cost but if it is a business trip, my boss pays for it.

Taking leave with orders, will cost the sailor some $$ but minimal compared to just paying a ticket for leave. They pay the difference in the cost of the ticket - in some cases it's been $35 but it depends on when/where they are traveling.

Great information, as always, Hoppi!!

Hi! My son PIR'd 01/09/09. He got to Dam Neck last week (01/11 09) and is waiting to start IS classes. Does anyone else have a son or daughter at or on the way to Dam Neck/Virginia Beach for "A" school? He has made it out to the mall and I believe he made it to the NEX at Oceania but that's about the extent of his jaunts so far.

Boone'sMom (Lori) if you will add me as a friend, I will send you a copy of the pics we took at the meet and greet. I hope Daniel's doing well.

Judy (Chris' Mom) Hi! I did not realize they had an MA school at Dam Neck! Yes the Annex is small but it seems pretty intimidating when you drive through. Christopher and I went up there last fall so he could get a feel for the place before he starts school. We only saw a few things. We went to the MWR and they gave us some good tips and suggestions. Then we drove by the building where his classes will be held. There were barracks across from the MWR building and they pointed out the bowling alley, we went inside and saw their theater the computer/game room, the big screen TV, the laundry area, and got a directory of phone numbers (that Chris has misplaced) for places like PAO, MWR, renting cottages there at the base, etc. Chris was supposed to send another home but as of yet he has not. I will likely have to go get it myself. :)
Chris has not said anything about meeting anyone else named Chris so far but that does not mean much since most of them only know each other by last names. I do remember his roommate is from the west coast and has been there a week longer than Chris. They would not be in the same barracks according to my son. I asked and he said he is pretty sure that everyone in his barracks is IS, although some are returning from the fleet.
Chances are though that they've run into each other somewhere. As you said it is small. Oceania is very big but the runways take up a huge amount of ground. If you go up to see your Chris be sure to take earplugs!!
We drove out to the main beach a few miles North and got on the take-off side of Oceania. I had my windows up and still had to shut off my cell phone because about every 20-40 seconds all you could hear was a horrific thunder. Chris says he has gotten used to it now. If he is working, he doesn't even look up anymore.
Well Judy, I'm glad you're on here. Have a good day!

Hi Dawn! I wish my Chris could meet up with yours so your Chris could tell him what to expect. H.S.Truman is a carrier? You can tell I'm still new at this stuff with the ships. LOL Sorry but for all I know about the ships it could be a sub too. (only a liieettle difference, right?) I know I've seen where several others have been attached to the Truman so I figure it's gotta be big like a carrier.
At what part of school do they get their ship assignment? Does your son think IS will be everything he had hoped it would be? What will be his specific rate? (If that's the term I'm looking for). There's so much about IS that I want to know and so much that I can't know! UGH!! How long did it take Christopher to get all his clearances or has he gotten them all? It seems like the NAVY would want them to have all their clearances before starting "C" school although I've read that it can take a very long time to get them. Does someone let them know when they have clearance or do they let them know when they fail the checks? Or do they just train and do the job and assume it's all good?
I know, questions, questions, questions! Oh well it's good to have an "experienced" mom here.
Thanks for any answers you may have. I'll be happy to relay any info to my Chris if your Chris has any advice for him! Have a great day.

Yeah Judy, Chris' addy is IS "A" school but the street name he gave me is the one that his class building is on. I don't remember seeing barracks over there but I could well be wrong since it was the first of Nov. when we were there. He got his laptop and other stuff yesterday so I guess he knew what he was talking about.
He is so happy now that he has his cell phone and laptop, I don't hear from him now. He will have to call before too long though because he wants me to bring his car up soon after he is allowed. I'm going to wait until his 3rd or 4th week of classes anyway. I want to know that he has those study habits formed before he gets too much freedom. That's the really bad part about all the waiting around to start classes. They teach the recruits time management at bc then let them waste days upon days waiting.
I suppose they and we will muddle through it all. I'll also ask my Chris if he knows any of the MAs. C-ya!