Camp Pendleton Corpsmen Moms

Moms whose sailors have already graduated, is FMTB graduation the same as A and C school?  After graduation, they clear out and head to next assignment or leave?

Yes, graduation is on Thursday.

Ruth, my husband was just out in San Diego, visiting our son, and they went out to the pier to eat.  It is really, really, really long, isn't it?  I could certainly use the exercise.

Hoping our FMTB sailors get the weekend to rest as they have had a pretty strenuous past few days and from the video I saw, it is just the beginning.  Praying that our boys stay injury free.   

docsmom, did you get to see a video of the past few days for the boys? mine didn't mention a video but he doesn't share much...lol

Ruth, can't wait for the pier and I will try and get the waitress with the pink dress and red hair...lol

Rena, the video I saw was one posted on Youtube for an earlier class but it is what our sailors are going through.   I just searched for FMTB West and found a video that was 19 minutes long.  Was quite interesting.  Sorry for my confusing message!

Glad they survived their first "camping" trip with no major injuries.  My son feels like someone beat him up with all the bruises and scrapes. But, I think he actually enjoyed it.

yay! gloria, so glad you are going! it is such a wonderful thing getting to see your loved ones accomplish the next step in their lives!

God bless all of you; I have faith that God is covering all of US.

My son Efrain is a Corpmen. Nerve wrecking for me. I am proud, sad, scared, happy, nostalgic...all those emotions in one.   My second son is leaving for Air Force boot-camp Nov 22. So here I go again...7months without both of them.

I hope to make some more friends with this group/forum. All questions,concerns and feedback are welcomed. :)

best regards,

Joan :)

Excuse my ignorance ...lol  what is FMTB? my first year in a half as Corpmen mom..lol

Thank for the compliment. :) Nervous but proud always...:)

FMTB stands for Field Medic Training Battalion. it is a course that pretty much all male and some female Corpsman go through. it is a combination of a marine boot camp and medical field training. it teaches them how to work out of the field with marines and how to pratice working in stressful situations with wounds. also more about how marines do things, so they can work hand in hand with them. it is a couple of months long. but they learn a lot!! it is tough! but by the end they all say its worth it!!

Glad to report that my son, as well as Gloria's, has survived the 4 mile and 6 mile hikes and sleeping on rocky ground.  Believe today was the 4th of 5 written tests but haven't heard results yet.

I know this experience is a huge confidence and ego booster for our sailors.  I've seen the hill they are hiking up and the one they came down yesterday.  If there was snow on it, it would be a black slope for sure!  I would have to slide down it on my bottom.   

Ruth, I met one of my son's neighbors the other day and he was also deploying on Monday.  Must be the same ship.  He was spending his last day with his two little children.  What a heartbreaker.  I know this is ahead for my little granddaughter early next year when her mommy is underway.  Thank goodness Daddy will still be here for her.  

I am sure it will be a long 7-9 months for you.  Will add your son to my prayers.  Never can get too many of those. 

Less than a month left of FMTB.  My son is happy that he can weigh in wearing full uniform and still be below his maximum weight. I know he aches all over but he is probably in the best shape he has been since boot camp several years ago. 

Been lurking for a little bit as my hubby just got to Pendleton. No news from him, just waiting to go visit him in a couple weeks and bring him the car. Wanted to share this photo of our son that I took the other week at the Veteran's Day Celebration in our home town. It has quickly become both of our's favorite photo.

corpsmanwifeschu, this photo should be in a magazine.  Beautiful little boy with a heart warming message.  Thanks for sharing.

corpsmanwifewschu- suck a wonderful picture!!!! welcome to the group!

Hello all....been away for a bit (just busy with a class I signed up for-work related). I justed wanted to check in and wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Welcome to all the newbies.

I will be hosting 3 or 4 of the boys and I'm so thrilled to have them and have the house full life. I will start my cooking tomorrow.

I can't believe Graduation is coming up so fast. I'm looking forward to it and not.  Knowing that they will be off again will be heartbreaking.  I've been so blessed to have him so close and after graduation he will be so far. He will be going to VA next.  

Enjoy your Turkey feast and some football of course.

This will be an interesting Thanksgiving for me.  Instead of eating at home, we (son, granddaughter, and I) will be eating dinner with my daughter-in-law on her ship in San Diego.  Menu sounds great.  Just hope I don't have to go up and down those crazy ladder-stairs too many times.

As of next Monday, our sailors will have less than three weeks till FMTB graduation!  Praying that they will all get through and make it to the big day.

I visited her ship a couple of weeks ago and just walking through the galley made me drool.  Not anything like the food I expected to see.  Think Thanksgiving menu is turkey, prime rib, shrimp scampi, and all the fixings.  I will need to be going up and down those stairs to burn the calories! 

hi everyone! I just found out yesterday that my husband will be going to CP for FMTB in January as well. Our permanent station orders are for San Diego. My husband's current officers (In C school down in Pensacola) think he may be able to live off base and commute to Camp Pendleton everyday so we (our kids and myself ) can get to San Diego and not wait until after FMTB..does anyone know if theres any truth to that? Or do they make them stay on base while in training? Any advice would be so helpful!

yenni- yes there is alot of possiblilites so i am not totally sure, but there is something called "brown baggers" (like bringing a bag lunch from home)  i think its called that. it means that they are people that have familes that live near the base and they can drive there and back. they have certain rules to follow but i think there is a chance that it could work for your situation. but he may have to stay on base for the first few weeks till the first restciction is lifted... you may be able to find more if you google FMTB at CP. i know you can download like the whole package your husband will get, rules and all.

docsmom- that sounds like soooo much fun!!! hope you had a good time! cant wait to hear about it!

Yenni, the fellows who have family at home in the San Diego/Camp Pendleton area can become "brown baggers."  It doesn't start right away and privileges can get yanked for your sailor because of what someone else has done which means you might have dinner ready and he is not coming home that night.

There are mandatory study nights when they don't get home until very late and they have to be back at 0430 (or earlier) for muster during the week days or around 1700 on Sundays to prepare for Mondays.  They go for three days at a time to the "field" camping (4 times) and are filthy dirty when then come home.   Also, Fridays are "field day" which means barracks cleaning and they don't get relieved until after they pass inspection.  This past Friday my son got home around 2100.  Your husband's commute would probably be about 45 minutes in little traffic and a lot longer in traffic if you were living in San Diego.    

My d-i-l is assigned to a ship in San Diego and my son is attending FMTB right now and will be assigned to a clinic on Camp P upon completion.  They live in base housing on Camp Pendleton.  The further away you live from the base, the more difficult "brown bagging" becomes.   

Consider the extra pressure your husband will be under while attending this physically and mentally demanding course.  He will be exhausted from PT when you are ready to go shopping.  But, if you are flexible, you can do it. 

As I have told a couple of other loved ones on this list, my husband and I had our granddaughter with us for over a year while her parents were in school in San Diego.  They realized that with both of them in school, it would have been virtually impossible for them to complete an extremely demanding course and be the great parents they are.  It was hard but, between visits and Skype, we all survived.  Right now, because my d-i-l's ship is in and out, I am staying with them and taking care of my granddaughter so they can be a family again.  Just couldn't hold out another two months. 

I envy you your assignment here.  There is just so much to do and see.  When I drive down the hill my son's family lives on, I see the Pacific one minute and the mountains the next. 

When my son comes home tomorrow evening (they are in the field now), I will ask him what his recommendation is since he is seeing it from both points

.

Oh, about that exciting meal on my d-i-l's ship...didn't happen.  As I just mentioned in my post below, expect the unexpected when expecting your sailor to be home.  My son ended up with 24 hour duty on Thanksgiving and I am too chicken to drive to San Diego on my own and my d-i-l was also on duty in San Diego.  Lucky my granddaughter really doesn't understand that turkey comes Thanksgiving, not the day after. 

Before I forget, tell them to buy the "optional" mouth guard on list of things to buy.  I wouldn't want to be sharing.

Ruth, you are correct about buddy being with you.  Depends on rank and what your platoon has accomplished, I think.  I believe you have to apply to be a "brown bagger" and I don't know if singles can apply or not.

Good thing my son doesn't have to bring home a buddy.  There are enough people in this house with wife, mother, and little girl. 

The brown baggers, except HM1s, got a free turkey for Thanksgiving. 

Asked my son about brown baggers last night.  Says it only applies to married students and doesn't take effect until 2 1/2 weeks into the course. 

My son looked totally wiped out last night but still managed to press his dress blues and polish his shoes for inspection today.  One problem, he has lost so much weight that he could pull up his pants without unbuttoning or unlacing them.  Wonder if they will give him a rope belt (like the high schools do now) if he "sags?"  He'll have to buy new pants before reporting to his new job.

Wish these last 13 days would go by more quickly! 

thank you everyone for the advice! After much thought, we decided it would be best for me to stay back in Kansas where we're from..until he is completely done with traning..I hate that its that much longer before we're together again but it just makes sense for him to focus on his training and for me to continue working! Hope the next 3 1/2 months go by quickly!

Yenni, I think you have made a wise but difficult decision.  I know how difficult it was for my son and d-i-l to leave their daughter with Oma and Poppa while they attended IDC school but now that it is over, they agtee it was the best thing to do.

This morning started the last field exercise for this FMTB class.  On Thursday morning, they will do their 8 mile hike and PRT is Monday, I believe.  I, and my son, will be so relieved when we know his old body has made it through! 

Son passed inspection without losing his pants!  I wish I could say my pants are as loose as his but I seem to have developed the opposite problem since he started IDC school last year.  I eat when I am a nervous wreck and I worried the whole year long and FMTB hasn't helped, either.  January 1, my diet starts! 

D-i-l's ship is out this week and son won't come home until Thursday evening so my granddaughter and I will have a very quiet week holding down the fort. 

Just got text from my son, "made it."  Seven weeks ago, he did not think he was going to make it through this course, especially the 8 mile hike.  Would have been especially embarrassing as second in command of the 200+ students.  I am so incredibly proud of all his accomplishments the past eight years.  Academically, IDC school was probably the most difficult thing he has done and FMTB the most demanding physically and mentally.  My buttons are just bursting from pride (or eating). Just one week till graduation!

My husband starts FMTB in January!! We have orders to Camp Pendleton after. So we will be staying there. He is on shore duty right now, and I'm sad that it's ending. We will be moving on base on the 22nd!! Pretty excited.  :D  Anyone else have someone starting in January? 

hi Aaronswife! My husband is starting in January too! We have orders in San Diego afterwards..I'm not moving to California until March I think..I have yet to actually join my husband so still very unsure of how military life will be!

Lida, so glad you are enjoying time with your son.  Is he exhausted?  Thought my son was going to fall asleep at dinner.  Would have been embarrassing in the restaurant!

Congrats to all the new FMTB grads (and all the moms, spouses, dads, etc. that supported them from near and far) ;-)

congrats to all the new grads!!!!!! good luck on your new adventures!!