OCS Graduate Moms

My LO said that if it were at the Officers club they would have had to wear their dress whites instead to summer whites.

My LO's graduation will be January (that is, if all goes smoothly). Do you think dressy pants would work for the Hi Moms and graduation rather than a dress?

Like egbot said some people were "wedding dressed" others were more casual. I think tasteful is your best bet. Check out youtube look for Hi Mom's and you can tell what people were wearing.

Thanks for all the replies. As of this week Class 21-10 Hi Mom's is at the Officers Club from 8P-10P. My son made a point of stating the dress is 'formal' - that's why I was wondering. Have family coming from N.J and Pa -so just want to pass on the correct message.
egbot and jordosmom - ihop, subs, pizza are great for me. I know he is just anxious to eat in 'Newport' and just get off base!! Thanks again

I wore a pink cocktail dress to Hi Moms. There were other women in cocktail dresses, but also in slacks and some in more casual attire. Our party was at the O Club.

I'm sorry, I can't remember where we at in Newport. There are tons of cute little places in the old section of town. Park and walk until you find something that looks good.

Not to discount anyone's son's description of formal, I can tell you what my son told me. The Hi Mom's was going to be dinner...appetizers, hor douvers, and snacks. Maybe desserts. So with that being said, I made sure I got a bite to eat before Hi Mom's at 5:30. I am glad I did as the food that was served was well presented, plentiful, and delicious; however, it was not "dinner"!
I can never tell what is what when I ask my son. I wore a black cocktail type dress with pearls and I would say I was middle of the road. some were fancy and some were very simple. The important part is you and your LO are going to have an evening to enjoy this journey. Have fun and don't stress.

So wish I had joined N4M before my son graduated OCS, Class 19-10. I'm sure that I probably saw some of you there. I'm still getting goosebumps talking about my week in Newport, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you on here. Congrats to all of your children, they've worked extremely hard to get where they are today. God Bless

A cocktail type dress sounds good - dressy but not 'too' dressy. Just concerned for the 'men' since some comments have been anywhere from suit to dress shirt and coat no tie. Thought that before the Hi Moms reception would be a good time to eat together because of the late start--but now I don't know if he can leave base. Maybe we'll have to order take out and eat at the hotel on base-- We all just want to spend some time with our LO since he is staying in Newport for his next training and then probably to a port somewhere. I don't think he will be based here in MI unless there is a new port on the Great Lakes!

I believe that all of the Candidates had leave on Thursday night. Our LO came back with us after the Hi Mom's and stayed in the hotel with us. He had to be back on base by 4:30 AM so we all woke up at 4:00 AM (ugh)! He went back with his cousin in one car and my husband, my daugher and I went to the base and got there right before the 5:00 AM run! Your LO most likely will have leave. We also had an all "appetizer and snack" dinner! There were desserts - really good cookies, cake and fruit. We just considered that dinner and didn't stress over it! But I do know that many people made reservations to go to dinner after the Hi Moms! The Hi Mom's was scheduled for 5:30 - 9:30 or so, but quite honestly, by 8:00 or 8:15 most of the people were filtering out with their LO's!

Hello All! I hope everyone is doing great! I am a navy wife and new to the site. I hope I will learn a lot from everyone (vets of this site & the Navy life). I was thinking about the graduation and was wondering if anyone would have any advise on how things go. I know that I need to purchase airline tickets in advance (he graduates in Nov.) I am not sure on where to stay, for how long, to rent a car or not, etc.

Does anyone know when my husband will be able to call again or write. As you can tell I have many questions !lol Does LO stand for loved one?

Welcome ForHim I waiting until the second inspection to buy my tickets. Some buy tickets earlier and also buy trip insurance if their LO rolls into the next class. Keep checking the Newport Navy Lodge site to reserve a room. The rates are good the location is great. There were two graduations for class 19-10 and there were no rooms at the inn. I stayed in the Best Western (closest to the base). Have you checked out Facebook for his class. there is lots of info there that may help you too.

I didn't mean two graduation for class 19-10 there was an ODS graduation with over 100 in that class.

I am one happy MOM, had phone call from son, got to call his family and passed RLP on first try---Life is good!!!!!

Hello LZ27, I do not know what class he is in so no, I have not checked for his class. How do I find out what class he is in? I just figured I would find that out after he write me...? I will check out the Facebook and see if I can find out anything though. I was wondering...what does the first # stand for in 19-10? I figured the 10 is for the year but is the 19 for the date?
Thank you!

Do you know around what week the second inspection usually is?

When did your son start OCS? The first number is the class number. My son's was the 19th of the year 2010. 02-11 I believe just started. The 02 is the second class to graduate in 2011.

Hi ForHimIWill, My LO's class 20-10 ( graduating 9/10/10) second inspection was the end of the 6th week. Classes start every 3 weeks, so your LO's class might be 02-11 if it started 8/22/10 (like the post above by MaryD) and graduating Nov 12, 2010. I'm not completely sure, but I've seen posts saying the Navy fiscal year starts in Oct. so class numbers start over. The first number is the numerical order of the class that year and the second number is the year. Hope this helps!

The second inspection is usually the 6th week in.

Has anyone stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Newport. It's close to the base and quite inexpensive, but got some mixed reviews on line.

The closest place to the base to stay is the Best Western. Also Motel 6 is not to far away. The Best Western was clean and the restaurant seems to be open extended (if not all night) hours. I found the hotel pirces in Newport are on the high side. With "leaf peeping season" here I do not imagine any price drop. Staying in Newport (the town) is quite lovely, but traffic and parking is crazy. Excellent restaurants...high prices. We celebrated at Bowen 22. The food and service was excellect.

Thank you Sue. A relief it was. I was sadden for the total of 6 that got rolled but will keep them in my prayers!!!

Thank you ladies....I have a better understanding of how it works.

stay strong every week it gets alittle better, my son is in class 21-10 and heading to graduation the first weeeks are the hardest

My son is also in class 21-10 and said the first 3 weeks were the hardest. It's still hard now but in a different way. The class has 5 weeks left and they are looking forward to being Candio's - using their cell phones and recieving packages from home. Keep up the letter writing so they have some idea of what's going on outside the base. Congratulations to the LO's in 01-11 that past RLP.

I also have a son in class 21-10. He says this is a big week. Any insights into graduation? What happens to those who are rolled? Is this class smaller than most?

My son also said this is a big week-- drill competition and lots of tests(finals) and inspection. Graduation wil be Wed Sept 29 & Thurs Sept 30th. Activities on the Wed 29th are Pass in Review ~2PM and then the Hi Moms reception 6-8P. (everyone is invited) Right now the reception is suppose to be at the Officers Club. On Thurs ---- at 5AM all family members are encouraged to watch them run, and demonstrations. Graduation is at 9AM on Thursday.
The candidates that are 'rolled' usually end up 1-2 classes behind, so they do not graduated with the class they started with. My son said this class only has 37 candidates (they started with 44)--yes it is smaller than most. The class behind them has >100 candidates.

Here's the scoop... for PIR be there to get a seat in the front by 1:15 -1:30. They will march in about 1:40 and do some of their drill stuff. The class behind them will be there too. they don't do anything but stand there. 19-10 were dressed in their blueberries. There are a few "speeches" nothing major , mostly information. The the Navy band was on the stage. After the speeches they let the families on the floor to take pics while they stood in parade rest. I was TOLD don't take too long as they had to stand there until everyone was seated before The Brass came in. the paraded passed the dignitaries and that was that.


Graduation. The stage is set up with chairs for all the important people (DI etc) The best seats are on thie right side on the edge closest to the wall as that is the way they march in. Great photo opps from there. they will each go on stage(on the left) to receive their commission folder and exit the stage on the right (another great photo opp) they do an about face and throw their hats in the air. It happens really quick and photo opp can be missed easily. There will be risers set up to do a group shot and it is over. You can take photos in the hall but they go outside for the first salute but the red and blue balls. Get some great pics with the bridge in the background. After all that is over they have to get all their stuff out of the rooms and they are on their own. that kind of sums it up. I think that pretty much covers it. Anyone else who has been there and done that feel free to add any additional info.

Hi all,
Regarding the medical records. My son's dentist said there is a form that the military has for doctor's to fill out ref medical/dental history. Anyone aware of the form and how to get it? Also, my son will be flying from Florida to RI. He will only have luggage large enough to carry what he is bringing. After graduation,how does he transport all of the uniform items? Are they boxed? Do they supply luggage, duffel bag or something? Little over 30 days 'til my boy leaves and still have a million unanswered questions!!!

My son had two seabags. The airlines give allowances for those with military orders and over the one piece limit. My son had a garment bag brought for his dress uniforms and a carry on he brought with him. His two sea bags would have exploded if stuck with a pin they were so full! I took some of his stuff with me (he did come home and drove to his next assisgnment). You can take some of his things and ship them unless someone has another method of dealing with all their stuff.

Okay, so the get the seabags and garment bags with the uniforms, right? Nothing he has to bring in advance?

He will get the seabags in RI, they are part of all the stuff he will get (buy). You can bring the garment bag for the uniforms when you go to graduation. He only needs to bring minimum items. His recuiter should be able to provide him with a list to things to bring and things not to bring.

Thanks Sue and LZ27!

One less thing to think about :)

I was wondering .....does anyone have LO that is in the Navy for SWO? If so, what happens after he/ she graduates OCS? Will they have to move soon after (within a couple of weeks) or are they required to stay in RI for additional training specific for SWO? Or do they go back to RI for training after they move to where ever they are stationed?

My understanding is that SWO training will be in RI and they may or may not have some time off between graduation and SWO training.

Rosemarie - my son flew to Newport with a carry on bag. There is a list on the OCS website of items to bring. When we flew out of Newport we all left together, including our LO. There were 7 of us and when the porter at the airport saw my sons seabags he immediately grouped us all together. He never weighed anything and never counted bags. All of your son's medical/dental records should already be on file with the Navy and the Navy usually forwards the medical records. Your LO will need to bring their orders. Check with your recruiter to be sure.

My son is also SWO graduating with 21-10 the end of Sept. He will stay in Newport for training(starts Mon after graduation) then to his base--he just hasn't heard when he has to report. Hopefully the orders will give him a few days since he has just the 'basic' OCS clothes in RI. Hopefully he will have a few days to get a few other things before he reports. Thanks for the information

I already told him I could pack some of his civilian clothes in my suitcase if he wanted a few pairs of jeans etc. He left in early July with shorts and it will be a cooler by the end of Oct when he's done with school. Just waiting to hear what he wants me to bring. I told him to worry about the tests this week and once he gets his orders we can figure out shipping the other 'stuff' he may need.

kab-telling your son to worry about his tests and nothing else was the best advise you could give him right now, nothing else matters if he doesn't pass those tests !! Even in a summer class, they were issues sweat pants and shirts, he will be ok in the cooler weather, and he can always get things at the NEX, if he needs them before you get there. My sons SWO class was canceled, so he had to report to his ship for 6 weeks, then return to Newport for the three week class. Hope my info helps, I'm new on here too !!

Hoping someone out there can help me with some advice related to the graduation ceremonies. My son is in 21-10 and his aunt wants to fly up from Atlanta for the graduation and swearing in. Can anyone tell me what time all the ceremonies are over on graduation day. My son will have a private commissioning ceremony, and I don't know if that takes place before or after the 9:00am graduation. His aunt has to catch a flight out of Providence in the early afternoon, and I'm trying to figure out how early she could fly without missing any of the ceremonies. Any input would be gratelully appreciated. Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for the help. My sister is desperate to be the for the ceremony and was worried that she wouldn't be able to attend. I think the timing you described should work out fine for her. Thanks again and all the best to you and yours.

Our class commissioning was over around 10 am also. After that is a coin ceremony near the sand pits, we walked across the base to pick up paperwork, and then we were done. My brother and family were headed home by noon. Also, the PIR on Thursday afternoon started about 1:40, so get there early for good seats. It is all so very impressive, I hope you are able to be there for all of it. Best of luck to you and your family !!

Thank you ladies for your experiences on what happens after a SWO graduates from OCS & when he would be 'usually' expected to go to SWOS. We live in IN. (nowhere near water) and know we have to move. I did not know If I should start packing now or if I have a little more time after he graduates from OCS. The advices regarding personal commissionings were also helpful. Thank you all so much!

Does PIR only apply to bootcamp or does it also apply to OCS? a bit confused on the term.

On the page for my LO class 21-10 -- they are mentioning earning anchors for their uniforms--can anyone explain what that means?

What is SWO?

ForHimIWill - just wanted to say that I am from WLafayette, IN - small world, isn't it?

Regarding where to stay, we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in Middletown. Very nice. Not very expensive and a two bedroom can accommodate up to 6 people so it can be cheaper per person. Also, they have a very nice free breakfast and it is not a continental breakfast - they have eggs, sausages, freshly made waffles, cereals, potatoes, etc. On Friday, the day of graduation, we got to the base at 5AM for the run and demonstrations and then went back to the hotel to have breakfast, shower and change and then went back to the base for graduation. The hotel was maybe 5 minutes away from the base!

gdawg- yes, it is a small world. The other day I was behind a car that said 'Navy Mom' and I felt like getting out of the car to say hi! lol

2 in the service- Thank you for your detailed information regarding your understanding/experience of what happens after OCS for SWO's. I have a better understanding and feel a bit relieved.