Camp Pendleton Corpsmen Moms

Thank you al! ready to get the week going so we can head out to California Hope everyone has a great weekend.

First of all, hurray to all the graduates!  If they have made it this far, they are graduating. 

Gate guards will just look at your driver's license.  If you have a cute daughter with you, they will just check her out and wave you through.  At least that was our experience when my daughter visited.

There are signs posted to the school house. It is left at first light, across I-5 overpass and stay on road until signs direct you to the left.  The graduation takes place on parade ground right in front of the school.  Parking is right there, too.  You will be directed by Sailors not in this graduating class.  You can't get lost.  Well, I could because I can get lost anywhere.

So happy for all of you.  I know it was a long eight weeks.   

Does anyone if it true that the guys were camping out for training for this monday-thurday and last mon-thur.?  

Jasmine, this week is clean up week.  They graduate on Thursday and the barracks has to be spic and span before they can leave. 

ok thanks just wondering

do you know if Wednesday evening if our sailor will be able to have dinner with us or will they be doing other things?

hey any imput would be great..... Once the guys finish HM in SA ....is there a long wait to start FMTB?? I am curious if it is at all like the wait for HM school??

Thank you and congrats to this weeks FMTB grads!!!

Hi KathyProudCorpsmanmom,

How long has your son been waiting to class up?? Did he get time off between HM school and going to Camp Pendleton?? 

hi everyone! I am soo ready for graduation this week! Our kids & I made the official move to San Diego last week and got to see my husband and several of his friends over the weekend...he has duty tonight so couldn't come home & its almost harder knowing he's close by but I'm alone in our new place with the kids.I'll be so ready to see him more frequently and share a household with him finally!! Yay to all the grads!! And I'll see you there Thursday! (i'll be the one running around after two kids!!)

Thank you KathyProudCorpsmanmom.....for the information. It is so nice to have fellow members ahead on the road to tell those behind you what the road looks like !!!  Have a great evening :):) 

 Does anyone know when do they get to leave after the graduation? 

Jasmine, I think they leave the barracks that day.  I don't think any stay over.  Kind of like boot camp.

ok great can't wait till I get to see him.

hoping to get to see my son this evening after they are done cleaning.

so i haven't been on here for ages after i even said that i was going to come on more often. well that was before we found out that he was deploying.... we got 45 days notice of it. so i spent every second i could with him understandably.  he is on and IA. he had to go and do training first so i had to say "see you later" to him some weeks back now. I am now only 16 days away from going to see him!!! i am very excited about that. but being that he is on an IA i don't get to see him off or see him home again. and he will have to stay with the unit for like a month longer after returning so i wont get to see him till he is back at his original base. i also have a lot going on the first few months of the delpoyment so that is helping keep me busy. i now again will be trying to come back on here more. i think that a good support group like this will help alot!! i hope all is well with all of you and yours. i look foward to reading and catching back up with you!

My son is at Camp Pendleton now; FMTB training won't start for another month but he's so glad to be there.  There is a large group of guys from his A school going through it at the same time.  They all get along well, so that's a good thing.

jacketfan, tell him to run, run, and run some more, especially up hills.  Better to get over the shin splints now than during FMTB.

Where do they have him working while he is on hold?

Kathy-sounds like your son replaced my bf in the orthopedics ward. he got deployed in feb. hope he likes it! my bf liked the people he worked with.

This afternoon, my son, granddaughter and I drove down to Del Mar beach so they could fly a kite.  When we passed Devil Doc Hall, I asked what happens to graduates who don't leave the day of graduation.  They do not go back to the Devil Doc Hall to stay until they leave, they move to another barracks a couple of buildings over until they start to travel to their next assignment or take leave.  Son said most people who don't leave the day of graduation are sailors with overseas orders.  

Every day, I learn something new. 

docsmom and kathy...I'm not sure what area of the hospital he's in, but he told us about unobstructing the airway of a 9 month old.  I need to ask him.  He ran 6 miles yesterday, but I will tell him about the hills.  He's never loved long distance running (he played football and ran track in high school, but that was short sprints) but he does it anyway to keep in shape. 

kathy- glad that he likes it there! and yeah my bf liked doing all of that kind of stuff too. he would tell me about all the wonderfully gross things he got to do. like removing nails and such.. lol boys... and he will be gone till about the end of the year before he gets back to the hospital. though only a few months later our sation will change so not sure what is going to happen. he may be back in the hospital for a few months or go to security where he had been trained in too. have your son say hi to the people there from my bf... :)

docsmom...I asked him where he is working and he said internal medicine; respiratory therapy. 

Good Morning Camp Pendleton Corpsman Moms...... I am a new corpsman mom who has a corpsman waiting to class up the end of april.  He is currently working on the pediatric floor of the bas hospital waiting for classes to begin and he loves it.  If there are any veteran moms that have any suggestions or words of advise please share with me.  My corpsman will be shipping out for Japan after he is finished and I am not looking forward to that but I am very very proud of all our young men and women who fight for our freedom and our country.

Proud2baNavyMom, seems like I have to pry advice out of my son.  I keep telling people to tell their sons to run, run, run in preparation of FMTB and my son told me the other night that running is good because you are in shape and probably won't have as much problem with shin splints (he had fractures in both shins) but hiking uphill is even better, especially if they start loading a backpack heavier for each hike.  He said the FMTB first hike, three miles, with about 70-80 extra pounds of gear, was the hardest for him.  Because he and his wife climbed a lot of trails this past year, I think he probably did not anticipate being as hard as it was once you were loaded down and keeping pace with others.   

I love reading new corpsmen family member posts about their children enjoying each new procedure they learn.  It brings back memories of when my son removed first stitches, got to suture someone's head, removing toenails, etc. and the excitement in his voice when he told us about it.  Even eight years later, he still calls to tell us his latest accomplishment.  I could do without some of the detailed descriptions but I love hearing the confidence in his voice.   Our kids never stop making us proud, do they?  

proud2be...your son and mine may be in the same class.  He is also waiting to class up at the end of this month and will be going to Okinawa as well in July.  He said there were several of them from A school that were going to Okinawa at the same time. 

He said they got to go PT on the beach this week...he texted me a picture of the ocean and a picture of him in his scrubs.  He looked so professional!  I am so proud of him!

jacketfan, yes my son is going to Okinawa.  Funny story is, one of his buddies from A school is also going.  They have been together since BC and are now headed in the same direction after A school.  Our high school pricipal is a retired Navy officer and told my son some of the best friends of your life will be your Navy buddies.  I guess he is right.  Where r you from jacket, we r in Missouri and my son's friend is from Illinois so they are not even very far apart when they are home. 

We are from SC.  He's gone through boot camp, A school, and now this with quite a few of his friends...It's really cool that they could stay together and bond like they have. 

Hello Everyone!

Here come the standard newbie questions :) Actually, my sailor is in A school in SA right now, and will be moving onto Pendleton in August. I know this is sad, but I am sort of clueless as to what, in particular, he is learning there. He is also reservist, and this will be the end of the full time line for him. I've no idea, as a reservist, what will happen next and what he is qualified to do as far as full time support positions...

Thanks, Kathy! I am definitely all over that group as well :) My husband is reservist so I don't think there will be any duty picking for him. I think we are trying to think to the future and what other avenues we will be able to explore post C-School.

Did anyone sailor buy the the dvd of their time in fmtb?  Mines did but his didn't work so i was wondering if someone had the same problem? And if they didn't would anyone mine uploading the dvd?

Less than a month until our son comes home from that sandy place! I have a list of questions to ask him that I'm constantly adding to, but otherwise I'll forget! He will get 06 hours leave, then back to base for 2-3 weeks, then leave! So excited!!!

Hey All!!  My husband just got his orders, looks like he'll be starting class for FMTB-West in July.  Just wanted to say a friendly hello and warn ya'll that I'm going to be asking a bunch of questions!  I have a few, hope you can help...When it comes to liberty and phasing up, is it like A-School in San Antonio or do new rules apply?  I've been looking into flights out there, just wondering if anyone had any advice on where to stay and what to do.  Thanks in advance!!  I can't tell you how great it feels to have this kind of support, the Navy is so awesome!  Hooyah!

My son starts FMTB this coming week too and is very excited. The past 4 months he was at San Diego hospital.

Kathy-He said he had 4 corpsmen friends going together.

Hi my son is doing FMTB. I want to visit him later this month. Can anyone reccomend lodging?

If at all possible I need some info from a seasoned mom.  My sailor was supposed to start FMTB training this week and did not pass tape.   Arrrggggg, he has worked so hard and according to what he said (may not have told me everything) he was under tape when checked 4 different times then when fmtb trainer taped him he was over.  Now he is kicked back to next class and if he does not pass he says they will strip him of rating and send him back to start all over and that he will even loose corpman status.  does this sound correct or is my wonderful sailor leaving something out.  I am very worried and concerned.  Any help would be greatly appriciated.

proud2baNavyMom, just asked my son your question.  Good news, your son WILLwill pass his next taping because he is going to be doing PT like crazy the next two months.  Bad news, he will be doing a lot of crappy jobs while waiting to class up again. 

My son said that if he is a new corpsman, then he is correct that he could lose his rating.  If he is not a fleet returnee (hasn't had another command other than boot camp and A school), he would lose his rate.  If he is a fleet returnee, he would retain his rate but would probably be barred from reenlistment because he is not world wide assignable. You have to pass FMTB to be world wide assignable. 

I have been a Navy mom for over eight years and have not learned so much about the Navy as I have in the past year as a member of NavyforMoms.  Thank you, loved ones, for all the knowledge you have given me.  Also, thanks to my son for finally answering my questions that he used to half answer like so many of the young guys do.   

docsmom thank you so much for answering my question.  I know he is doing a lot of pt bc he has already told me that.  I know he will pass next round, he was only over by a little but enough that he did not make it.  He is a very determined person so I know if this is God's will he will make it.  You have been sucha great help explaining.

So just wondering what does "taping" mean?? My sailor just graduated corpsman school and is home on leave for one week. Then he heads down to CP ... I have not been on this site much so I may be asking some silly questions, forgive me!!! What can we expect for the next few months??? Where do they stay/live? Can they have a car? Once they start FMTB can they still have their phone ? Any info you think is enlightening would be great!!!! 

Does anyone happen to know in what location the FMTB school is on Camp Pendleton? My husband is looking for a place to live but we heard the base is rather large that we'd have to know where his school is before he can start looking for a place. Thanks!