Thanks to those of you who responded about July 16th OCS. My son is infantry in Army National Guard and when he went to basics there was no sending goodies or everyone in his group got in trouble.
My LO will be commissioning next month and will be heading to Pensacola. Any suggestions on housing? His longtime girlfriend won't be transferring for another year. thanks
Matt's mom: Congratulations to your son! Try the group "Naval Aviation" here on N4M's. Many of those moms have had LO's go through Pensacola, and they could probably offer suggestions. I have seen others comment that there are certain areas of P'cola in which the Navy suggests NOT to live.
Hi Matt's Mom. My son graduated OCSin March and he is currently in Pensacola. He is living in the Angel Cove apartments. They are towards the back entrance to the base, which makes for easy access for their 6:30A report times. He is living with 2 other guys from OCS and the apartment is pretty nice. It is close to a Target, Walmart and 10 min from the Commissary and the NEX. My son had it recommended by previous guys. I would definitely have him check it out. Is he SNA or NFO?
Hello Matt's mom. My son is graduating next Friday. Class 13-17. He will report to Pensacola, NFO. He too will be living at Angel Cove Apartments. Just google ...apartments to rent in Pensacola. There are several all there together from what I have read. Good luck!
Congrats to Matt's Mom and USNMom! It will be over soon for your DS. The graduation is very moving--enjoy. (And take them out for some good food!) We went to the White Horse Tavern after graduation and it was exquisite. http://whitehorsenewport.com/ There is also an upscale Mexican restaurant in the historic home of a famous Naval Officer called Decatur House and the restauarant is Perro Salado http://perrosalado.com/location and then lots of terrific seafood restaurants on the bay--the Black Pearl and the Mooring are our favorites. (We have family there.). Good luck to both NFOs. They will be flying soon!!
Yes Newport.... Been a frustrating summer... She's a NUPOC just graduated from University of Miami but live in NY.... She keeps having to fly back to Miami for bloodwork and now MEPs.... Her recruiters have put her off all summer with paperwork....now saying Aug 17th but who knows....now she hopes to go to MEPs when she goes to Miami next week and passes
My son is NUPOC too. He just graduated from University of Alabama at Birmingham. After he went to DC recruiter failed to send paperwork. Keep me posted on when she goes. I'm not familiar with any of this. My other son is Army National Guard
Does anyone have a child starting in the OCS class of Aug.6th? I am new to this, and need some guidance. I don't know my son's class number yet either.I would like to get on to a facebook page. I have questions about how we can contact them once they are there.
New mom - your LO will text you the morning he gets there. It will have his class number and address to write him. Shortly after they arrive keep checking Facebook for the class page. Also, every Tuesday the Command Center will post pictures of each class. You will receive a letter from the Commander the first week he is there with important information. We heard this week that they are shortening the school to 10 weeks from 12. That sounds good. The best advice I got was to write as many letters as possible. Many families shared that their loved ones told them that's what got them through the first few weeks. God Bless
Our son read this article before he left, and we read it each week while he was there. It lets you have an idea what they are doing each day/week. Navy For Moms and Navy Dads have been great resources.
Am thinking ahead to graduation in October. Where can I find a timeline of events so I can prepare my travel plans. As a teacher I am taking a week off to travel to Newport so those plans have to be made in advance. Thanks for any insights I need to prepare for.
Eaglemom01
Don't plan to far in advance. I understand being a teacher for I dothe same. You LOay roll and then everything will change. You should be able to hook up with your LOs class on FB. What is the tentative graduation date
Tentative grad date is Oct. 6th. No plans will begin until after first RLP and GQ at the end of this week my teacher nature has me thinking ahead! What kinds of things happen on Thursday-Friday? I have heard of hi moms and then graduation but nothing else. What do I need to plan on while there? We are driving in from Texas and hope to see "FALL" on the east coast.
It is not good to make any reservations that can be changed before the end of week 8. There are rollable events up until the end of week 8. And if for some reason your LO rolls, graduation date will change by 3 weeks. Although with the new timeline of 10 weeks, I am not sure how the rollable events will play out.
I appreciate the comments/replies. I am hearing that now the classes are only 10weeks long?? I had my LO check with recruiter, and they said it was still 12 weeks for the Aug 6th class. Are the recruiters not up to date?
You LO Is 02-18. My daughter was 02-15. She graduated on Halloween. It was nice do to we have and institute day and was able to take the 3 days. You won't need any more. Is you LO going to flight school? Yes I will tell you the date can change. It never happen to my daughter but many either rolled for grades, agility, physical. Don't plan anything yet. Wait till you get closer to the 10th-11th week. I know thing have changed sense my daughter graduated OCS.
New mom,
Things change all the time. I have been told no more Candio as we were able to send all their fav treats and a box of goodies. Don't send anything until Candio unless you were to to. Your LO and his class will suffer terribly. I thought it was still 12 weeks. I have to say it but the recruiters are never right unless they are officers themselves.
My LO starts OCS on august 27th. Any Suggestions are welcome. I joined the 2 FB groups before his, and started a page for his. 03-18 Navy OCS Family & Friends if there are others with LO in this class
Any normal, good quality garment bag will hold uniforms. I don't think there are any that will hold ALL of them, and if there was one your son wouldn't be able to carry it!!!!
Tess,
The classes are numbered 1 through whatever and the fiscal Navy year. The year begins the first of October so the first class to graduate in Oct will be 01-18. I think 17 is the highest number because my daughter's class was 17-12 and she was the last class to graduate before the end of the fiscal year 2017. Hope this makes sense!!!
Anna is right; the Navy's new fiscal year begins Oct 1, so the 2018 fiscal year will begin Oct 1, 2017. OCS Class 03-18 will be the third class to graduate in the fiscal year 2018. My son was in OCS Class 16-12, the class right before Anna's daughter! Since they start new OCS classes every three weeks, 3 x 17 classes = 51 weeks, so 17-XX is currently the highest class number per year.
I heard that they were going to shorten OCS to ten weeks, instead of twelve. So maybe they will start classes every TWO weeks then, which will give them 25 classes per year!
You'll want to get the luggage-type garment bag that holds the hangers on a bar inside, zips up, and then folds over in half, and is fastened with straps. (Not the kind where the hangers come out the top, like you'd get at the dry cleaners.)
We took a garment bag to OCS graduation for our son as well as another collapsible suitcase that we stored in our own luggage for the trip. They will have so much gear, there is no way they can pack it all in the duffle bag they are issued! Many of the families head to the local Walmart after graduation to buy luggage to haul everything, but the quality is better (and therefore higher prices) at the NEX on base. (Navy Exchange)
Are you still living the vagabond life on the road? Will you spend the winter someplace warm?
Hubby and I only have a few weeks per year to travel, since I'm still working. But we took an epic trip to Japan in July to see Dear Son and Daughter-in-Law! DS is stationed at Yokota, which is actually an Air Force Base, near Tokyo. He and DIL love Japan and are learning Japanese and embracing the cultural opportunities. They took us into town to some "real" Japanese restaurants, and not the Americanized versions near the base. We rode the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. 560 miles in only 4 hours with 5-6 stops in between! It's like an airliner on tracks! We found the people to be very friendly, and most of those in the service industries, hotels, airport, etc. spoke good enough English to help.
If any of your sailors wind up in Japan, you must go visit! Worst part was the 13-HOUR plane flights to/from Tokyo, crammed in like sardines in a jumbo jet.
beardog - I was going to bring a garment bag to graduation for my son but he said he had bought one at the NEX. As Anna said, no garment bag will be large enough to hold all of their uniforms but a normal sized bag will be able to hold the nicer/dress ones. I did bring a couple of large duffle bags to Newport in our carry on bags (Amazon: "Outdoor Products Utility Duffle" Giant size) . Between the duffle they get with all their uniforms and the garment bag, my son still needed one of those duffles when packing to leave Newport but he was happy to take both for future needs. Given the moving around these sailors will do in the next few years, duffles come in very handy. And when not in use, they fold flat and don't take up space in an apartment that larger luggage would.
M's mom - I am glad you were able to make it to Japan to visit your son and DIL. My son's next orders are for Sasebo Japan. He is excited. I am with you on your love of 13 hour flights! To get to Sasebo, we will have to add on another 4 or 5 hours (Domestic flight to Fukuoka and then bus/car to Sasebo). Oh the things we do for our kids! We will go at least once while he is stationed there. Great way to get both a glimpse of you LO's current life/experiences and experience some of these places in ways you never would as a "normal" tourist.
Hi everybody! I just wanted to check in and tell you all that my husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Pensacola. DS is still waiting on IFS, but it's looking like it will be in the next week or so. We wanted to go visit before school starts back here (I am a teacher). We stayed in the Navy Lodge there, and it was quite nice. The room had a kitchenette and DS was able to hang out with us quite a lot, since he is in A-pool right now. We went to the 75th anniversary of the USS Alabama kamikaze reenactment. VERY COOL. We also went to the aviation museum and I even met up with a mom from this site who lives in the area for coffee. DS has found a church and he took us on Sunday morning. Also got to eat some great Gulf seafood. If any of you have or will have LOs in Pcola, I would highly encourage you to make this trip.
We purchased a garment bag from Macy's and took it to our local tailor and had his last name embroidered in gold. It was an extra graduation gift that he will use for many years.
Nancy - Our DS will be heading to Pensacola in a few weeks. We are hoping to fly down as soon as he is able to find a place. Thanks for the information. We will be sure to check the Navy Lodge out.
Yep, still rolling across the country. Just visited the Rocky Mountain National Park and it was beautiful!!! We're in Idaho right now heading up to Whidbey Island, WA to stay with our son, dil, and granddaughter for a few weeks. Then make our way back down to OK to spend the winter there with our two daughters. I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip to Japan. Personally I hope neither of my sailors go overseas like that cause I know I couldn't handle that long of a flight. Back in the 90s I was on a band trip to London and I really struggled with that 8+ hour flight!! I just don't fly well anymore!!
My daughter spent about a year at P'Cola after OCS. I got to visit with her for a couple weeks and we also went to Perdido Key and the Alabama/Florida Point Beach, just over the Florida line on Perdido Bay!! Also went to the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Aviation Museum!!! If you're into shopping she also took me to a huge outlet mall which I think was also in Alabama!!! And just spend some time on the Pensacola Beach!!! Look for the stingrays riding the surf!!!! Depending on when you go (I went in November) you can catch the final homecoming show of the Blue Angels because they stay in P'Cola over the winter!!
Beardog,
You might want to check out the Code Alpha Hybrid Garment Duffel Bag (available on Amazon). My son ordered it while he was at OCS earlier this year and it works great. It is a garment bag that folds into a duffel and fit everything except NWUs. we had it monogrammed when he finished like the other mom with his initials and the Navy seal--very nice.
LucyJo, I was just checking out that code alpha garment bag on amazon and it looks really good. I'm curious about your monogramming, did you order the solid black one? And what color did you use for initials? I have a friend who does monogramming and even though we are through with OCS, I was thinking this would make a nice Christmas gift since we never bought a garment bag for OCS to home travel. Also, when it is all folded up, can you check it with the airlines like any normal duffel or piece of luggage?
ANavyMom
Thanks to those of you who responded about July 16th OCS. My son is infantry in Army National Guard and when he went to basics there was no sending goodies or everyone in his group got in trouble.
Jun 27, 2017
Matt's mom
My LO will be commissioning next month and will be heading to Pensacola. Any suggestions on housing? His longtime girlfriend won't be transferring for another year. thanks
Jul 5, 2017
M's mom
Matt's mom: Congratulations to your son! Try the group "Naval Aviation" here on N4M's. Many of those moms have had LO's go through Pensacola, and they could probably offer suggestions. I have seen others comment that there are certain areas of P'cola in which the Navy suggests NOT to live.
Jul 5, 2017
LucyJo
Jul 6, 2017
USNmom2017
Jul 6, 2017
Matt's mom
USNmom2017 - congrats to your son. My son is in 14-17.
LucyJo - My son is NFO.
Thank you ladies, for the information. I did see Angel Cove listed under the NAS page.
Jul 6, 2017
Matt's mom
M's mom. I tried to find the Naval Aviation page. Didn't have much luck. I will keep looking. Thanks
Jul 6, 2017
Anna
Matt's mom,
My daughter also stayed at Angel Cove apartments and she had a really cute place.
Try this link for the Naval Aviation page:
http://navyformoms.ning.com/group/navalaviation
Jul 6, 2017
JediGrey
My son also stayed at Angel Cove. That seems to still be the place to go.
Jul 6, 2017
LucyJo
Jul 7, 2017
ANavyMom
My son got delayed in going to OCS due to paperwork issues. He is supposed to start on Aug 27. Is there a FB group set up for them yet?
Jul 28, 2017
NukeMomCarol
Jul 28, 2017
ANavyMom
NukeMomCarol, is she going to Newport also?
Jul 28, 2017
NukeMomCarol
Jul 28, 2017
ANavyMom
Jul 28, 2017
NukeMomCarol
Jul 28, 2017
newmom
Does anyone have a child starting in the OCS class of Aug.6th? I am new to this, and need some guidance. I don't know my son's class number yet either.I would like to get on to a facebook page. I have questions about how we can contact them once they are there.
Jul 30, 2017
Matt's mom
Jul 30, 2017
Matt's mom
Our son read this article before he left, and we read it each week while he was there. It lets you have an idea what they are doing each day/week. Navy For Moms and Navy Dads have been great resources.
Jul 30, 2017
newmom
Thank you Matt's mom!! much appreciated!!
Jul 30, 2017
Matt's mom
Jul 30, 2017
Eaglemom01
Am thinking ahead to graduation in October. Where can I find a timeline of events so I can prepare my travel plans. As a teacher I am taking a week off to travel to Newport so those plans have to be made in advance. Thanks for any insights I need to prepare for.
Jul 31, 2017
Noni
Don't plan to far in advance. I understand being a teacher for I dothe same. You LOay roll and then everything will change. You should be able to hook up with your LOs class on FB. What is the tentative graduation date
Jul 31, 2017
Eaglemom01
Noni,
Tentative grad date is Oct. 6th. No plans will begin until after first RLP and GQ at the end of this week my teacher nature has me thinking ahead! What kinds of things happen on Thursday-Friday? I have heard of hi moms and then graduation but nothing else. What do I need to plan on while there? We are driving in from Texas and hope to see "FALL" on the east coast.
Jul 31, 2017
newmom
Noni...my LO should graduate Oct.27th. I have the same concerns as Eaglemom. can that graduation date change?
Jul 31, 2017
USNmom2017
Jul 31, 2017
newmom
I appreciate the comments/replies. I am hearing that now the classes are only 10weeks long?? I had my LO check with recruiter, and they said it was still 12 weeks for the Aug 6th class. Are the recruiters not up to date?
Jul 31, 2017
Noni
Jul 31, 2017
Noni
Things change all the time. I have been told no more Candio as we were able to send all their fav treats and a box of goodies. Don't send anything until Candio unless you were to to. Your LO and his class will suffer terribly. I thought it was still 12 weeks. I have to say it but the recruiters are never right unless they are officers themselves.
Jul 31, 2017
newmom
Thank you for the info Noni...much appreciated.
Jul 31, 2017
tlx5
My LO starts OCS on august 27th. Any Suggestions are welcome. I joined the 2 FB groups before his, and started a page for his. 03-18 Navy OCS Family & Friends if there are others with LO in this class
Aug 5, 2017
ANavyMom
tlx5, my son starts on Aug. 27th!! I looked for a FB page and didn't see it.
Aug 9, 2017
tlx5
ANavyMom
Here is the link for the 03-18 Navy Ocs Family Facebook page..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Aug272017OCS
Please let me know if this doesn't work
Aug 9, 2017
franodwk
Aug 9, 2017
Noni
Aug 9, 2017
beardog
Does anybody know the dimensions for a garment bag that holds the officer uniforms? My son graduates OCS next week.
Aug 15, 2017
Tess099
Does anyone know how the classes are named? Why 03 and why 18???
Aug 15, 2017
Anna
beardog,
Any normal, good quality garment bag will hold uniforms. I don't think there are any that will hold ALL of them, and if there was one your son wouldn't be able to carry it!!!!
Tess,
The classes are numbered 1 through whatever and the fiscal Navy year. The year begins the first of October so the first class to graduate in Oct will be 01-18. I think 17 is the highest number because my daughter's class was 17-12 and she was the last class to graduate before the end of the fiscal year 2017. Hope this makes sense!!!
Aug 16, 2017
M's mom
Tess099,
Anna is right; the Navy's new fiscal year begins Oct 1, so the 2018 fiscal year will begin Oct 1, 2017. OCS Class 03-18 will be the third class to graduate in the fiscal year 2018. My son was in OCS Class 16-12, the class right before Anna's daughter! Since they start new OCS classes every three weeks, 3 x 17 classes = 51 weeks, so 17-XX is currently the highest class number per year.
I heard that they were going to shorten OCS to ten weeks, instead of twelve. So maybe they will start classes every TWO weeks then, which will give them 25 classes per year!
Aug 16, 2017
M's mom
beardog,
You'll want to get the luggage-type garment bag that holds the hangers on a bar inside, zips up, and then folds over in half, and is fastened with straps. (Not the kind where the hangers come out the top, like you'd get at the dry cleaners.)
We took a garment bag to OCS graduation for our son as well as another collapsible suitcase that we stored in our own luggage for the trip. They will have so much gear, there is no way they can pack it all in the duffle bag they are issued! Many of the families head to the local Walmart after graduation to buy luggage to haul everything, but the quality is better (and therefore higher prices) at the NEX on base. (Navy Exchange)
Aug 16, 2017
M's mom
Anna,
Are you still living the vagabond life on the road? Will you spend the winter someplace warm?
Hubby and I only have a few weeks per year to travel, since I'm still working. But we took an epic trip to Japan in July to see Dear Son and Daughter-in-Law! DS is stationed at Yokota, which is actually an Air Force Base, near Tokyo. He and DIL love Japan and are learning Japanese and embracing the cultural opportunities. They took us into town to some "real" Japanese restaurants, and not the Americanized versions near the base. We rode the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. 560 miles in only 4 hours with 5-6 stops in between! It's like an airliner on tracks! We found the people to be very friendly, and most of those in the service industries, hotels, airport, etc. spoke good enough English to help.
If any of your sailors wind up in Japan, you must go visit! Worst part was the 13-HOUR plane flights to/from Tokyo, crammed in like sardines in a jumbo jet.
Aug 16, 2017
CindyN
beardog - I was going to bring a garment bag to graduation for my son but he said he had bought one at the NEX. As Anna said, no garment bag will be large enough to hold all of their uniforms but a normal sized bag will be able to hold the nicer/dress ones. I did bring a couple of large duffle bags to Newport in our carry on bags (Amazon: "Outdoor Products Utility Duffle" Giant size) . Between the duffle they get with all their uniforms and the garment bag, my son still needed one of those duffles when packing to leave Newport but he was happy to take both for future needs. Given the moving around these sailors will do in the next few years, duffles come in very handy. And when not in use, they fold flat and don't take up space in an apartment that larger luggage would.
Congratulations on your son's graduation!
Aug 16, 2017
CindyN
M's mom - I am glad you were able to make it to Japan to visit your son and DIL. My son's next orders are for Sasebo Japan. He is excited. I am with you on your love of 13 hour flights! To get to Sasebo, we will have to add on another 4 or 5 hours (Domestic flight to Fukuoka and then bus/car to Sasebo). Oh the things we do for our kids! We will go at least once while he is stationed there. Great way to get both a glimpse of you LO's current life/experiences and experience some of these places in ways you never would as a "normal" tourist.
Aug 16, 2017
Nancy
Hi everybody! I just wanted to check in and tell you all that my husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Pensacola. DS is still waiting on IFS, but it's looking like it will be in the next week or so. We wanted to go visit before school starts back here (I am a teacher). We stayed in the Navy Lodge there, and it was quite nice. The room had a kitchenette and DS was able to hang out with us quite a lot, since he is in A-pool right now. We went to the 75th anniversary of the USS Alabama kamikaze reenactment. VERY COOL. We also went to the aviation museum and I even met up with a mom from this site who lives in the area for coffee. DS has found a church and he took us on Sunday morning. Also got to eat some great Gulf seafood. If any of you have or will have LOs in Pcola, I would highly encourage you to make this trip.
Aug 16, 2017
Matt's mom
We purchased a garment bag from Macy's and took it to our local tailor and had his last name embroidered in gold. It was an extra graduation gift that he will use for many years.
Aug 16, 2017
Matt's mom
Nancy - Our DS will be heading to Pensacola in a few weeks. We are hoping to fly down as soon as he is able to find a place. Thanks for the information. We will be sure to check the Navy Lodge out.
Aug 16, 2017
Anna
M's Mom,
Yep, still rolling across the country. Just visited the Rocky Mountain National Park and it was beautiful!!! We're in Idaho right now heading up to Whidbey Island, WA to stay with our son, dil, and granddaughter for a few weeks. Then make our way back down to OK to spend the winter there with our two daughters. I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip to Japan. Personally I hope neither of my sailors go overseas like that cause I know I couldn't handle that long of a flight. Back in the 90s I was on a band trip to London and I really struggled with that 8+ hour flight!! I just don't fly well anymore!!
My daughter spent about a year at P'Cola after OCS. I got to visit with her for a couple weeks and we also went to Perdido Key and the Alabama/Florida Point Beach, just over the Florida line on Perdido Bay!! Also went to the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Aviation Museum!!! If you're into shopping she also took me to a huge outlet mall which I think was also in Alabama!!! And just spend some time on the Pensacola Beach!!! Look for the stingrays riding the surf!!!! Depending on when you go (I went in November) you can catch the final homecoming show of the Blue Angels because they stay in P'Cola over the winter!!
Aug 16, 2017
Anna
LOL, that second paragraph was meant for Matt's mom!!!
Aug 16, 2017
LucyJo
You might want to check out the Code Alpha Hybrid Garment Duffel Bag (available on Amazon). My son ordered it while he was at OCS earlier this year and it works great. It is a garment bag that folds into a duffel and fit everything except NWUs. we had it monogrammed when he finished like the other mom with his initials and the Navy seal--very nice.
Aug 17, 2017
Nancy
LucyJo, I was just checking out that code alpha garment bag on amazon and it looks really good. I'm curious about your monogramming, did you order the solid black one? And what color did you use for initials? I have a friend who does monogramming and even though we are through with OCS, I was thinking this would make a nice Christmas gift since we never bought a garment bag for OCS to home travel. Also, when it is all folded up, can you check it with the airlines like any normal duffel or piece of luggage?
Aug 17, 2017