Kathleeng - My son got the Guam phone and internet service and it works just fine. With the time difference, for us is 14 hours ahead of us here in Michigan so he calls when he gets up in the morning or evening so far it has worked just fine. He calls about once a week. Hope this helps.
Kathleeng - My son loves Guam and he has been there for 3 months, he tells us he lives in paradise. He is very happy and loves his job, he is an EOD tech what does your son do?
In about 3 weeks my son will be in Guam. Has anyone flown there? What is the best time of year to fly to Guam for a visit. Are there times of the year that are cheaper than others?
Proud Navy Parent, I have not flown to Guam. My son has been in Guam for 1.5 years and has flown home 1 time. The flights are expensive ($1600-1800). He hasnt' found anytime of the year to be cheaper then a different time of year. He is stationed there for another 1.5 years and unless my finances change I will not get to visit him :(. What is your sons rate? Mine is IT and he is assigned to the Frank Cable
Charlotte my son is MA Guam force security is his official billet. He has not gotten there yet. He graduates A school in 10 days then home for leave. Does your son enjoy it? I have heard great things about it.
My son enjoys it most of the time. He is getting a little island fever. When he was home on leave in Dec he got back together with his girlfriend so that is making him very home sick right now but she is going to visit him in July so hopefully that will help. He has been able to visit some great places. Hong Kong, Philippines, Mylasia and Indonesia. He said he asked around about getting a military flight and they said no. Who 'they' are, I have no idea. He sure is saving money on that island. He just advanced to E5 and still living in the barracks so he is able to save a lot. Which is great!
I asked that same question. I found out that it is better to get one there. Kinda easy to come by. They call them Guam Bombs! Passed from one sailor to the next. The weather is very hard on cars over there, so if your sailor likes there car just leave it here!
Hi Guam Moms. Today is my first day on this group. I'm coming from last years group Kids in Afghanistan/Iraq. My son's been stateside 10 months and getting ready to be in Guam. I've got my listening ears on and just been listening in lately til it was confirmed before I join and so far it sounds like. Guam is tropical paradise, a small island about 25 miles, surrounded by water and green, nothing like Afhanistan thank God. I'm still transitioning my mind from that deployment and so is my son. It was a hard one. He is a Seabee and I'm just curious what they do in Guam. Are they a presence there. Is there any concerns over there or is this just a base that's a presence? This is our second deployment. I say our because he is in but we are supporting him throughout his service. You know what I mean.
My son has been in guam since March 1st. He had a rental representative show him some apartments and decided on The Towers. A car is necessary since it's 15 min from base.
My son will be on his way there soon. How can they force them into civilian housing? I thought they had to provide housing? Unless you volunteered to live in civilian housing....
I believe there are 5 coming out of my sons graduating class. When I was in stationed aboard a ship. That was your housing. We were not given an opportunity to stay any where else unless we came out of pocket for all of it! Which we did there was 7 of us. All had different duty nights and were never all there at same time, but still not an optimum situation as stuff got borrowed and never returned.
My son just got his orders for Guam. He is currently in Chicago. Wow I am somewhat in shock I know he had asked for this as they service subs, but such a long way from home......
Cindy, my son has been there since this past October. I remember the shock as well. It certainly is a long way from home! One of the most frustrating things is the time difference, having just a few hours where we are both awake. In the beginning he was calling us at 1:30 in the morning, homesick, lonely. When he first got there he had go through more training, and after that was assigned to a room on base. Until then he had to stay on the ship. He actually doesn't mind staying on the ship at all. He's been to several countries already since being over there. I try to send him a letter or a small care package every once in awhile. They don't have room to store much stuff. It's hard some days, missing him like we do. And there's nothing we can do about it, we just get through it. I text him a lot. And he finally just got internet, so we will begin skyping.
Good luck to you and your family. I've been on this sight since October and there is finally some activity on it thankfully! If you ever need to vent, send out a message, we'll get back to you. This website has been a lifesaver for me!
Just dropped my son off at airport headed to Guam. He should be there by Sunday. He is looking forward to it! I am a bit overwhelmed by it but happy for him.
Cindy, my son has been there since the fall as well. It is far, but I also send him care packages, and with email, texting and skype, we keep in touch quite a bit when he is on the island. He is on base now, but eventually will be moving into an apartment off base. So far, so good.
How does that work with texting? My son arrived in Guam a few weeks ago and got a new phone with a new phone number. I'm afraid to text him and then see on the bill a huge charge.
My daughter and son-n-law were stationed in Guam 4 yrs. My husband and I went there for 2 weeks when my granddaughter was born. It is really a nice place. They lived off base and then lived on base.
My son has been in Guam for 1.5 years. He is getting tired of the island life but still has 1.5 to go. We get to text, call and skype while he is on the island.When they are underway it's a bit more difficult. He has been to some pretty nice countries. Viber is the application we use on our iphones. Its awesome! His girlfriend is currently visiting him. He is an E5 and will need to move off base soon. He was able to come home last Christmas and is hoping for the same thing this year. They travel is LONG, tiring and expensive! I am very proud of him and his accomplishments!!
Thanks for the words of encouragement from all. Will he have room for his laptop? We don't have I phones is there a different app for other phones for cheep calls? He is so happy to be going over to work on subs, he wanted to be on a sub, but was unable to due to color blindness, we never knew he was until he went to the navy. He will be home the end of the month for leave before going, we will surely enjoy our time with him and make good use of every moment.
My son got an iPhone when he got there and they told him iMessage was free along with FaceTime! I also got an app on my phone that displays two clocks ours and his and I always check it before sending and calling!
Proud Navy Parent- I think FaceTime is only included when he has internet or wifi service, other wise he will go over on his data plan and that can be costly. So make sure he checks that so he doesn't get any unexpected charges. Good luck to your son in Guam.
Cindy, my son is from Chicago and arrived in Guam at the end of April. He is an AM. He is happy there and we text regularly and talk about 1x per week. He was working days and then switched to nights. He was put back on days and, as he explains it, he must request job training and must complete it on his own time. I'm trying to understand why his training stopped and he must work a 10-11 hour day and then try to get training on his own time. I thought (maybe mistakenly) that training is what he "signed up for" for the next 4-years and it would be provided to him once he passed A and C schools. Can someone help me understand this?
Hi moms. We are really new to you. I talked to my son today. He is turning off his home port phone tomorrow. When he is in Guam what should he do to get a phone that I hear you say he can call home and text at no crazy costs. I also don't understand the viper app. Is it necessary. How does it work?
Hi ktssong. I do believe the phone company is GTA or something like that. My son bought an iphone from them. We downloaded the free app Viber. We can text and call for free through that app. I know there are others but we use that and it has worked great for us. I don't know if you have an iphone but i know other phones had apps. Just type in 'free international call' and I'm sure something will come up. Of course we can always talk via Facebook or email. I hope this helps :)
Ktssong we use the viber app too so we can text free and use Skype to talk because my son has it on his iPhone. My son got his phone there so I'm not sure what service he has. When he arrived at Guam he called from another sailor's phone and it cost a lot for the call and that is when everyone recommend the viber app. The viber app can be used on an iPhone or other smart phone.
Several things. Phone service no mainland cell service wont work here. However if you have a phone it is possible to have it unlocked and use a guam provider. Gta, docomo, and it&e are popular. We use gta. Texting to us is.10cent each they do offer packages. Calling to us is also .10 cent per minute there are also packages.
I am not sure where the info came from that they use military transport to get people here... they dont. You fly commercial,usually united airlines. There are military flights for servicemembers and dependants to use but they are not on any particular schedule and can be hard to use.
Stores we dont have much. Kmart, gap, macys , foot locker. That is about it for major national brands. There are quite a few high end stores rolex burberry. .. things like that. If you want to get them things I would not suggest gift cards. Instead save up for a trip over its amazing here.
Hey everyone, I'm on the opposite boat. My sailor and I are from Guam and he's stationed in the mainland (I'll be moving out in a few months or so). The best way to communicate is through online apps such as WhatsApp, Tango, Skype, Viper or FaceTime. They let you talk, text, and video chat for free.
I was reading the earlier posts about what we have here on Guam and think the best part has been left out - NO TAX! Of course, our commissaries do charge some sort of maintenance fee for upgrading the building, etc. and our baggers do work for tips, but that's about it. Our local grocery stores and such have tax included in the prices, but they still are competitive prices. And of course, no tax in shopping malls or high end boutiques, etc. (yes you can vacation here and get that Coach bag for the tag price and nothing else).
There are only 2 main military bases, one up at the northern tip of Guam (Andersen Air Force Base) and one down south (Naval Base). I don't know why, but you will find that the NEX and commissary prices are cheaper at Naval Base. This place is only 12 miles wide and 32 miles long... You won't have much trouble with gas here, and the highest speed limit is 35mph (if you're going 60, best believe people will think you're in labor or something because that's about as fast as you may ever need to go).
Please feel free to message me if you'd like more info on what Guam is like or if you need to know where you or your sailor may need to go for certain things. Again, I am a Navy wife born and raised and residing here on Guam! Would like to help you all as best as I can before leaving the island for San Diego! :)
Thank all of you for the helpful information. I just. Guess its the viper app getting me confused. I'm not understanding how that works. Would his calls come over viper and all my other calls just come like usual?
Yes, your calls to and from people here stateside would work just as it always has, just don't add your son's new contact information to your normal contact list. Once you download the app and you get the shortcut, it looks like a contact list. You then text or call from that contact list your normal contact list. Do you have an iPhone or smartphone?
Ktssong, regarding the phone. My daughter was there on deployment a year ago. She said they had a service that the Navy allows to come on base. She could call the US free, the call would hang up after 29 mins. She would just call back. unlimited calling to home so to speak. With the contract, they pay I think and this could have changed, like 30 a month. Once they get ready to leave, it is not an issue to end the contract. They just show orders or whatever they ask for. It was clear and decent. This way it did not depend on wifi. Well worth it I will say. Unfortunately they do not offer this where she is at now. I wish they did.
I hope I don't sound like a cry baby but I just wanted to talk to anyone out there that's a mom that is missing their kid. I last saw my son in July before he left. Up to that point we have talked since he's been homeport from last deployment from Afghanistan once a week. He was home 8 months. I kinda feel like I have fully recovered from the emotions of that and so since he's left I only had one successful phone call. I had a second one but it dropped in the middle of the conversation and he couldn't get it to go back through. That was last week.
I'm just choked up today because we had a family gathering and his big brother went in his room and was looking at photos and I thought he was looking of photos of everyone and I told them they were in the other bedroom and he said no mom, I just miss my brother and wanted to see him. He hadn't seen him since last Christmas so it will be almost a year. It left me emotional the rest of the day and I had to go work tonight and the movie I had to take the person I give care to was an emotional movie so it didn't help. I came home thinking who will understand days like this. Hopefully someone out there. I am a strong person most the time but we all have our days. This was mine. I think I would feel better if I just heard his voice and shared some laughs. I know he's in a safe place and I'm not concerned about that. Just a little homesick feelings going on today.
On another note. My daughter in law said she gets texts all the time from my son and she doesn't know how come they aren't going through to me. She said they are imessages. We have not been successful getting them through to him. They meaning me and one of his siblings. So pray we figure this out.
ktssong, sorry to hear you are having a hard time. I can feel some of your pain. Our son has been over there since October. It's been a month since we've heard from him. Some days it doesn't take much to bring me to tears. The silliest thing can make me so emotional. Time goes by and we know they're doing ok and we go on with our lives, but dang it, sometimes I just hate this.
I wonder why you aren't getting text messages to come through? Do you and your son ever use skype?
I wish you the best this week. Hopefully you will hear from him soon. That always helps us get through a few days doesn't it.
Mindy4boys ---thank you. It's nice to hear a mom who understands. I just got wifi at my home and hope he will try to FaceTime me. His wife is up from Mississippi so she gonna stop in a see if my phone is set up correct. Tomorrow I might just go to the Sprint store and let them check. You are right. Just hearing their voice can get us through.
ktssong, I'm sorry you are having a few bad days. I feel your pain and understand. I go through such ups and downs with communication to Guam! My son and I were trying to Skype today and kept getting cut off. I know I mentioned before if you have an iphone. I love the app Viber. You can download it for free. It will only work if he has an iphone and the Viber app also. You can call for free and text at anytime for free. My son is assigned to the USS Frank Cable. What about your son? I often find myself 'holding it together' during family get togethers. Some days are just harder then others. We have to hang onto the fact that they are safe and probably having a good time! ;)
NJNavy (IC,CS)
Hi, all it seems my sailor must be very busy ..no communication for a couple of days. Keeping my fingers crossed .
Apr 4, 2013
NJNavy (IC,CS)
Prayers to All Our Sailors and the Military!
Apr 11, 2013
Regina
Kathleeng - My son got the Guam phone and internet service and it works just fine. With the time difference, for us is 14 hours ahead of us here in Michigan so he calls when he gets up in the morning or evening so far it has worked just fine. He calls about once a week. Hope this helps.
Jun 14, 2013
Regina
Kathleeng - My son loves Guam and he has been there for 3 months, he tells us he lives in paradise. He is very happy and loves his job, he is an EOD tech what does your son do?
Jun 14, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
In about 3 weeks my son will be in Guam. Has anyone flown there? What is the best time of year to fly to Guam for a visit. Are there times of the year that are cheaper than others?
Jun 16, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
Proud Navy Parent, I have not flown to Guam. My son has been in Guam for 1.5 years and has flown home 1 time. The flights are expensive ($1600-1800). He hasnt' found anytime of the year to be cheaper then a different time of year. He is stationed there for another 1.5 years and unless my finances change I will not get to visit him :(. What is your sons rate? Mine is IT and he is assigned to the Frank Cable
Jun 17, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jun 17, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jun 17, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
My son enjoys it most of the time. He is getting a little island fever. When he was home on leave in Dec he got back together with his girlfriend so that is making him very home sick right now but she is going to visit him in July so hopefully that will help. He has been able to visit some great places. Hong Kong, Philippines, Mylasia and Indonesia. He said he asked around about getting a military flight and they said no. Who 'they' are, I have no idea. He sure is saving money on that island. He just advanced to E5 and still living in the barracks so he is able to save a lot. Which is great!
Jun 17, 2013
Anita B. (Josh's Mom)
My son went on a hike with other sailors yesterday too...what's your sons name? Josh has been in Guam since March 1st.
Jun 23, 2013
Anita B. (Josh's Mom)
Is your son on a ship?
Jun 23, 2013
Maria Villa
Hi, all does anyone know the steps to ship my son's car overseas? Also is a car really needed there since the island is so small?
Thanks
Jun 24, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jun 24, 2013
ktssong
Hi Guam Moms. Today is my first day on this group. I'm coming from last years group Kids in Afghanistan/Iraq. My son's been stateside 10 months and getting ready to be in Guam. I've got my listening ears on and just been listening in lately til it was confirmed before I join and so far it sounds like. Guam is tropical paradise, a small island about 25 miles, surrounded by water and green, nothing like Afhanistan thank God. I'm still transitioning my mind from that deployment and so is my son. It was a hard one. He is a Seabee and I'm just curious what they do in Guam. Are they a presence there. Is there any concerns over there or is this just a base that's a presence? This is our second deployment. I say our because he is in but we are supporting him throughout his service. You know what I mean.
Jun 29, 2013
Anita B. (Josh's Mom)
Jun 30, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jun 30, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jul 1, 2013
Cindy
My son just got his orders for Guam. He is currently in Chicago. Wow I am somewhat in shock I know he had asked for this as they service subs, but such a long way from home......
Jul 12, 2013
Mindy4boys (ship 04 Div 806)
Cindy, my son has been there since this past October. I remember the shock as well. It certainly is a long way from home! One of the most frustrating things is the time difference, having just a few hours where we are both awake. In the beginning he was calling us at 1:30 in the morning, homesick, lonely. When he first got there he had go through more training, and after that was assigned to a room on base. Until then he had to stay on the ship. He actually doesn't mind staying on the ship at all. He's been to several countries already since being over there. I try to send him a letter or a small care package every once in awhile. They don't have room to store much stuff. It's hard some days, missing him like we do. And there's nothing we can do about it, we just get through it. I text him a lot. And he finally just got internet, so we will begin skyping.
Good luck to you and your family. I've been on this sight since October and there is finally some activity on it thankfully! If you ever need to vent, send out a message, we'll get back to you. This website has been a lifesaver for me!
Jul 12, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jul 12, 2013
ccpoet
Cindy, my son has been there since the fall as well. It is far, but I also send him care packages, and with email, texting and skype, we keep in touch quite a bit when he is on the island. He is on base now, but eventually will be moving into an apartment off base. So far, so good.
Jul 12, 2013
wisconsinmom
How does that work with texting? My son arrived in Guam a few weeks ago and got a new phone with a new phone number. I'm afraid to text him and then see on the bill a huge charge.
Jul 12, 2013
Irene McClure
My daughter and son-n-law were stationed in Guam 4 yrs. My husband and I went there for 2 weeks when my granddaughter was born. It is really a nice place. They lived off base and then lived on base.
Jul 12, 2013
Maria Villa
Jul 12, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
My son has been in Guam for 1.5 years. He is getting tired of the island life but still has 1.5 to go. We get to text, call and skype while he is on the island.When they are underway it's a bit more difficult. He has been to some pretty nice countries. Viber is the application we use on our iphones. Its awesome! His girlfriend is currently visiting him. He is an E5 and will need to move off base soon. He was able to come home last Christmas and is hoping for the same thing this year. They travel is LONG, tiring and expensive! I am very proud of him and his accomplishments!!
Jul 12, 2013
Cindy
Thanks for the words of encouragement from all. Will he have room for his laptop? We don't have I phones is there a different app for other phones for cheep calls? He is so happy to be going over to work on subs, he wanted to be on a sub, but was unable to due to color blindness, we never knew he was until he went to the navy. He will be home the end of the month for leave before going, we will surely enjoy our time with him and make good use of every moment.
Jul 13, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jul 15, 2013
Regina
Proud Navy Parent- I think FaceTime is only included when he has internet or wifi service, other wise he will go over on his data plan and that can be costly. So make sure he checks that so he doesn't get any unexpected charges. Good luck to your son in Guam.
Jul 17, 2013
Proud Navy Parent
Jul 17, 2013
Ranger
Cindy, my son is from Chicago and arrived in Guam at the end of April. He is an AM. He is happy there and we text regularly and talk about 1x per week. He was working days and then switched to nights. He was put back on days and, as he explains it, he must request job training and must complete it on his own time. I'm trying to understand why his training stopped and he must work a 10-11 hour day and then try to get training on his own time. I thought (maybe mistakenly) that training is what he "signed up for" for the next 4-years and it would be provided to him once he passed A and C schools. Can someone help me understand this?
Jul 17, 2013
ktssong
Jul 31, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
My son has been in Guam for 1.5 yrs and he says there is only a Kmart
Jul 31, 2013
Regina
kathleeng- If you want a send a gift card you could send a visa gift card he can use it anywhere.
Aug 1, 2013
ktssong
Aug 13, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
Hi ktssong. I do believe the phone company is GTA or something like that. My son bought an iphone from them. We downloaded the free app Viber. We can text and call for free through that app. I know there are others but we use that and it has worked great for us. I don't know if you have an iphone but i know other phones had apps. Just type in 'free international call' and I'm sure something will come up. Of course we can always talk via Facebook or email. I hope this helps :)
Aug 13, 2013
OKCsuzieq
Aug 13, 2013
luvinmatt
I am not sure where the info came from that they use military transport to get people here... they dont. You fly commercial,usually united airlines. There are military flights for servicemembers and dependants to use but they are not on any particular schedule and can be hard to use.
Aug 13, 2013
luvinmatt
Aug 13, 2013
luvinmatt
Aug 13, 2013
ScarletteFromGuam
I was reading the earlier posts about what we have here on Guam and think the best part has been left out - NO TAX! Of course, our commissaries do charge some sort of maintenance fee for upgrading the building, etc. and our baggers do work for tips, but that's about it. Our local grocery stores and such have tax included in the prices, but they still are competitive prices. And of course, no tax in shopping malls or high end boutiques, etc. (yes you can vacation here and get that Coach bag for the tag price and nothing else).
There are only 2 main military bases, one up at the northern tip of Guam (Andersen Air Force Base) and one down south (Naval Base). I don't know why, but you will find that the NEX and commissary prices are cheaper at Naval Base. This place is only 12 miles wide and 32 miles long... You won't have much trouble with gas here, and the highest speed limit is 35mph (if you're going 60, best believe people will think you're in labor or something because that's about as fast as you may ever need to go).
Please feel free to message me if you'd like more info on what Guam is like or if you need to know where you or your sailor may need to go for certain things. Again, I am a Navy wife born and raised and residing here on Guam! Would like to help you all as best as I can before leaving the island for San Diego! :)
Aug 13, 2013
ktssong
Aug 14, 2013
OKCsuzieq
Aug 14, 2013
OKCsuzieq
Aug 14, 2013
ktssong
Aug 28, 2013
Tobianne
Ktssong, regarding the phone. My daughter was there on deployment a year ago. She said they had a service that the Navy allows to come on base. She could call the US free, the call would hang up after 29 mins. She would just call back. unlimited calling to home so to speak. With the contract, they pay I think and this could have changed, like 30 a month. Once they get ready to leave, it is not an issue to end the contract. They just show orders or whatever they ask for. It was clear and decent. This way it did not depend on wifi. Well worth it I will say. Unfortunately they do not offer this where she is at now. I wish they did.
Aug 29, 2013
ktssong
Aug 31, 2013
ktssong
I hope I don't sound like a cry baby but I just wanted to talk to anyone out there that's a mom that is missing their kid. I last saw my son in July before he left. Up to that point we have talked since he's been homeport from last deployment from Afghanistan once a week. He was home 8 months. I kinda feel like I have fully recovered from the emotions of that and so since he's left I only had one successful phone call. I had a second one but it dropped in the middle of the conversation and he couldn't get it to go back through. That was last week.
I'm just choked up today because we had a family gathering and his big brother went in his room and was looking at photos and I thought he was looking of photos of everyone and I told them they were in the other bedroom and he said no mom, I just miss my brother and wanted to see him. He hadn't seen him since last Christmas so it will be almost a year. It left me emotional the rest of the day and I had to go work tonight and the movie I had to take the person I give care to was an emotional movie so it didn't help. I came home thinking who will understand days like this. Hopefully someone out there. I am a strong person most the time but we all have our days. This was mine. I think I would feel better if I just heard his voice and shared some laughs. I know he's in a safe place and I'm not concerned about that. Just a little homesick feelings going on today.
On another note. My daughter in law said she gets texts all the time from my son and she doesn't know how come they aren't going through to me. She said they are imessages. We have not been successful getting them through to him. They meaning me and one of his siblings. So pray we figure this out.
Sep 8, 2013
Mindy4boys (ship 04 Div 806)
ktssong, sorry to hear you are having a hard time. I can feel some of your pain. Our son has been over there since October. It's been a month since we've heard from him. Some days it doesn't take much to bring me to tears. The silliest thing can make me so emotional. Time goes by and we know they're doing ok and we go on with our lives, but dang it, sometimes I just hate this.
I wonder why you aren't getting text messages to come through? Do you and your son ever use skype?
I wish you the best this week. Hopefully you will hear from him soon. That always helps us get through a few days doesn't it.
Sep 8, 2013
ktssong
Sep 9, 2013
Charlotte(ship02Div930)
ktssong, I'm sorry you are having a few bad days. I feel your pain and understand. I go through such ups and downs with communication to Guam! My son and I were trying to Skype today and kept getting cut off. I know I mentioned before if you have an iphone. I love the app Viber. You can download it for free. It will only work if he has an iphone and the Viber app also. You can call for free and text at anytime for free. My son is assigned to the USS Frank Cable. What about your son? I often find myself 'holding it together' during family get togethers. Some days are just harder then others. We have to hang onto the fact that they are safe and probably having a good time! ;)
Sep 9, 2013