ALUMNI OF PIR 09/11/2015 TG 44 - 13 Divisions (299-308, 817-818 and 944)

Minongirl:  The ship number is the barracks number....so all in the same division will be in the same ship. 

You are very welcome, Pmmom.  That is what we are here for!

HooyahWife:  Hang in there!  "A" School is a whole different scenario with contact established again.....so just hold your breath and get through Bootcamp the best way that you can!

Greetings!

     "There is surely a future hope for you,

       and your hope will not be cut off."

                                        Proverbs 23:18

Gals,

Please check out the Pages section on the upper right.  There is so much info there.  Also, in the "What ARE They Doing in Boot Camp? Synopsis and Day-by-Day" there are Return to Boot Camp videos for you to view and it shows what happens during the process.  Also, there is a day-by-day guide for you to get an idea of their proposed schedule.  Please be aware that some divisions will be ahead or behind and day activities switched, but at least you have an idea...

You stay right here Love2Quilt, Your divisions discussion will be just above this. I was waiting to find out ship numbers for all the divisions and am still looking for a ship for 307/308.

I bet they magically appear soon. :)

Thanks Gavin's mom. I'm planning on flying out on the 10th and some of the cheaper flight either get me there at 5:45 am or around midnight of the 11th so I figured that I would just keep our bags in the rental car and travel straight to graduation depending on which flight I end up taking. we may end up hanging out at the airport until closer to time to get on base for the graduation. I'm on a very tight budget, but don't want to miss this since my Mom didn't miss my Army boot grad and I remember just how much that meant to me at the time :-)

I finally got my form letter today!! My son is ship 13 div 306.  His hand writing was so neat, and he addressed the envelope to MOM rather than my name.  Of course that made me cry!

Lu,

If your SR son has A school at Great Lakes, please plan on staying until the morning of the 14th if you can.  You will get Friday afternoon into the night, and all day Saturday and Sunday with him into the night, but no overnights.  The Navy Lodge's rates are about $77 a night for a two bed with kitchenette.  No deposit is required to book. Call now to book under your SR's name because it fills up fast~~ 800-628-9466 is their worldwide reservation number.  It is best to book everything separately.  Those sites like Expedia, Travelocity, etc... all expect payment up front and you are locked into what you booked and cannot change usually.

Sorry, I am a little confused. If my SR has his A school at Great Lakes will he have liberty all weekend or will he have to take leave? I would hate to make my flight arrangements too short if he is free all weekend, but I know he is trying to save his leave time for his brothers wedding coming up. 

Good Morning!

AWP6:  Yes, he will have Daytime Liberty (until 9 or 10 at night) through the weekend.  Lucky you and him!  He will move over there shortly after PIR is over....takes a few hours.  Then you pick him up over there after he calls, although some head over there around 2pm and just wait for the different groups to march up to the gate.  Try to fly out Monday if you can...otherwise, as late as you can Sunday night so you miss no time with him!  He can return from Liberty with personal items:  phone, laptop, Ipads, a few civilian clothes (can't wear until they phase up), etc.  By the way, this is not Leave....this is Liberty.  It does not count against them.  It is earned because of graduation.  He earns 2.5 days of Leave a month, starting in Bootcamp....he can't use those days until after he finishes A School, and then it is dictated by when he has to report to duty station.  So no worries! 

ChiefsMama:  They can purchase telephone cards there at the NEX but if you can send one, it saves them money on their Supply Card.  Usually the drug stores, Target, WalMart, etc have them.  Make sureit is not a cell phone card and get one with at least 250 minutes on it...preferably more....the connection from the pay phones eats up alot of their minutes. 

Daughter is Ship 11, DIV 307. Has anyone heard from their SR's ?

*sure it

Loren'sMom:  Push division just means the division filled up later and they have a few less days to get it all done....but they do! 

For those flying Southwest Airlines into either Chicago-Midway or Milwaukee (Milwaukee is a faster drive, no traffic)....no change fee if your plans change for any reason/2 bags check for free....I have been told that the airlines will offer you a discount code for car rental. 

FYI - Just called the Navy Lodge to reserve for 9/10 - 9/14 and they have no rooms left for 9/11.  Is there any other place to reserve rooms nearby?

SissysMom  My son is Ship 11 DIV 307

mimfabs:  Most likely, those flying out will only get PIR Day, returning to RTC at around 8 or 9 that night...they will be bussed to the airports later that night to wait for Sat. flights, which can start at 6 a.m. and go throughout the day.  You can meet them at the airport.  Take ID to get an airlines gate pass so you can wait at the gate until they depart! Occasionally they don't fly until Sunday, but that is not as common.  So if you can book your return on Sunday rather than Saturday., you won't miss time with your sailor.  If that is not possible, try to book back as late as possible on Sat. night.

and no, we haven't heard from him unless it's down in the mailbox now.  we are heading out to walk down and see! 

SissysMom: Try the following:

Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, Courtyard, Holiday Inn Express, all in the Waukegan/Gurnee area, 4-5 miles from base (10 min drive).  Call these hotels directly and ask for the Navy Graduation discount.  If you really want to stay at the Navy Lodge, book at another hotel and keep calling the Navy Lodge back directly to check for cancellations.  They DO get them.  If you are finally able to book there, no problem cancelling your reservation at one of the hotels I mentioned above.  Be sure to go ahead and book a reservation now at some hotel as they DO fill up!

SissysMom:  I should add that the hotels I listed are all very close to Sarge's MeetandGreet held for families of sailors the night before PIR.

Thank you diannep for the hotel info.

HooyahWife  when I was a new armywife many years ago, my ex needed my parents' address for his secondary on the insurance, I believe.  Your dh may not have been able to say all that on the phone.  Sorry it was short and to the point.....I remember a few informational calls like that.  Hard, but he will get to call for social talk soon!  

Yikes - $700 for hotel room for 4 nights - but definitely worth it to see our sailors graduate!!

You're welcome~  

Thank you for clearing that up diannep!! 

SissysMom:  You are very welcome!

HooyahWife:  If he needs special clearance in his Navy job, they do a history on him and interview people who "knew him when" which is possibly why they needed the address also.

mimifabs:  It is up to you how you want to work the hotel.  There is always a possibility that they won't fly out until Sunday, but that is not so common.  You won't know what airport your sailor will be flying from until probably PIR Day....they don't find out until right before then.   The airports are about 30 miles apart. 

I think I may be missing it, but is there a division discussion for Ship 02 Division 944?