Bahrain Moms

@Proudmama we do the most of our communicating through the messaging app "whats up". Not long after he left we put a hold on his phone line (we have t-mobile) and locked his phone so he could do prepaid (which he said most of them do). It gets spendy with the texts tho cause it eats data. This is a free app you can download through your play store. Its worked for us this past year just great :-)

ConcernedDad - congratulations.  It has been nearly a year now since ours left the sand. I cannot begin to express the relief when he landed in the States. Ours had some anxiety and sleeplessness as chriscwick stated in her comment. It took a while for him readjust to life in the States. He is now on the USNS Mercy on a multinational humanitarian mission. 

Give him a hug and a thank you from us when he gets back.

chriscwick. It has been a while. My husband has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and we almost lost him two weeks ago. J came home on emergency leave and has just left to go back to the USNS Mercy. It was great having him home for a few days. He is enjoying his time on the Mercy. A much different perspective of the Navy for sure. 

My son as been over in Bahrain for almost two years.  Your kids will be fine.  Yes, they will have some adjustment, but the people over there will help them adjust, what to do and what not to do.  I talk to him on Skype or Facebook chat all the time and he calls when he can.  He is an MA as well.  Just tell them to be prepared for heat, even at night.  All will be well.

Just to update, I may have jumped the gun. Seems he will be leaving Bahrain "sometime" between now and the end of the year. Not so fast there sailor!
Does leave time accrue? He hasn't had any in a year and a half now. 

ConcernedDad...Our son did not take leave while he was there and he was able to take extra time when he came home before he began his new assignment in CA. He was able to come home for 2 weeks, return to Bahrain for 1 week to exit and then home for a month before reporting to CA. Please let us know and we will do the "Happy Dance" with you. 

chriscwick... Thank you. The Mercy has been great for him. You can read up on their mission on FB under Pacific Partnership. It is really a cool mission. He is one 20 providing security for the ship and their activities. Gives him a totally different perspective of the Navy.

For those who know others going it will be great because they can acclimate together. The biggest adjustment for our son was the heat. Just encourage them to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The long hours and lack of sleep was also a major adjustment, but for ours the heat was the biggest. We will keep them in our prayers. 

Also, for those going over, know it is currently Ramadan, and all sailors are required to respect the culture.

Thank you. You can follow them on FB too. I get updates almost daily. It is so awesome. They rescued 6 critically ill recently and flew them to the Mercy. We get a lot of pictures as well. Unfortunately, the security group is never in the photos. J is really enjoying this billet.  He should be back on the ship by Monday. 

Our son will be going to Bahrain in August. He is an MA and has been stationed in the States for the last three years. We are very nervous about him leaving.  There are so many unknowns for us. I look forward to joining the group. 

Chazlyrn61...I haven't been here in a while and our son is now on other adventures. However, this is a fantastic group and I know you will find a lot of support here. It is a tough assignment, but with the group he is going over with, he should be fine. It sounds like many of them know each other. Good luck. Prayers to all of them. 

My Daughter(MA)is also going to Bahrain in Sept for 2 years, she is going as a Riverine,she is excited,Me????

Although Mommas don't usually think so, our Sailors are doing okay . . . my Airman, on her second tour, atop a helo against the Bahrain night. Miss you Woo! Godspeed to you and your mates! 

Woo'sMom... what kind of helo?

CathieRenee: MH-60s . . . she's a mech!

Woo'sMom...very cool! My son is aircrew, he flew on the MH-53E helo. His squadron has a permanent det in Bahrain.

My baby girl just got her orders for Bahrain.  Not sure what to expect, I'm new to all of this.  She's finishing A school at the end of August for MA.  When would she be leaving and how long will she be there?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My MA is also going to Bahrain in Sept for 2 years,we are planning to go visit her in a year on her first leave(and meet her in Dubai)anyone else don that?She said that is only an hour and half flight for her(its all her idea!

That looks like the norm, coming home for 10 days then going to Bahrain?  My daughter just got her orders and will finish A school at the end of August.  I'm still trying to grasp all of this...I hear that most of them love it over there.  

Irene J.

Your daughter is allowed to drive, is NOT allowed to wear a headscarf, can go shopping.  Whatever information she received about that is pretty much the opposite of life there.  She is expected to be respectfully covered in western clothing.  She may not wear her uniform off base.  Bahrain is very western in many respects.  My daughter just got an apartment after being there a year and it is beautiful.  She rented a car to move her stuff and did the whole move on her own.  Rest easy.

Moms of daughters going to Bahrain,

I was petrified at first, but Bahrain is modern with all the amenities.  Your girls are going after Ramadan so dress is more relaxed.  They are not allowed to wear the hijab or uniform off base.  It will be a good experience.  My girl has been there for a little over a year as a Riverine and has been fine.  You will also probably have more contact than you are currently imagining.  It's almost like they are off to college,  It will get easier, trust me.

Thanks Ducky for the info,my Daughter is also going as a Riverine,she is finishing in Virginia and then going over in Sept,How Does your MA like the job I bet its super Hot,do they move her around or is she based in just one spot,do you speak on the phone with her or mostly Skype? Sorry for all the ???

Lesley,

My daughter is a GM and is out on mission most of the time.  She has actually spent very little time in Bahrain.  I have seen a lot of personal growth in her while she has been there.  As she is in her last year, she is now collecting art at the different locations her missions take her to bring back.  Like any job there have been ups and downs.  The heat can be brutal, but they adjust.  Our contact varies, it's usually via FB messenger, but we have skyped and talked by phone, and I have almost daily contact with her.  She sends pictures, pinterest pins for me (keeping me in line for fashion and diet), jokes gifs.  Her sense of humor is completely intact.  She doesn't always like the locations where she is based but she is looking for the bright spots every step of the way.

Hey Ducky, our son will be arriving in Bahrain mid September and is a GM 1st class.

Thank you for the reassuring words, Ducky.  I am passing them along to my daughter. She just went active from the reserves and Bahrain will be her first assignment.  Does anyone brief them and help them prepare for shipping overseas?  She has no word on that yet. What you said is the most news she's had!  Thanks!

Does anyone have a son over there that knows how to play the guitar that would be willing to give my son a couple lessons? His girlfriend just got him one before she left to come back to the states for back surgery and he wants to learn how to play it before he sees her next. He knows nothing about music! We are sending him some books and a video but I thought it would be helpful to have someone actually show him a few things.

One word of caution, the information at the top is good, but does not necessarily apply to Riverines.  My sailor was only there two weeks before going on her first mission.  So don't be surprised if their initial time is shorter than stated.  .  Missions last anywhere from a few weeks to several months.  Just remember not to ask questions about the missions....it puts your sailor in an uncomfortable position of having to tell you they can't tell you.  You will eventually get some information, or enough to keep you sane.  The rest you just have to let go.

OK, hopefully no false alarm this time, but my son will finally be shipping out of Bahrain soon after over two years. Good luck to all you sailors and sailors loved ones still over there. Very nice group here. 

I checked on the average temps in Bahrain and it doesn't look much different from South Texas :)  I don't think our daughter will have too bad a time adjusting to the heat.  But they do have air conditioning available in the apartments off base, don't they??  Another question - does she need to bring some sort of adapters for any of her electrical gadgets, and if so, what kind?  Thanks for any help!

BabyJ, yes, my son's was "voluntold" to stay an extra year. 

I can say it now. My son is safely home from Bahrain. 

My daughter's orders to Bahrain just got delayed - they are talking about waiting till the new fiscal year.  And they are telling her just one year - she says that is usual for IS.  Thank you, BabyJ2015 regarding the adapters.  I read that they will get an orientation once there, but she is wondering about what to bring and how to get ready.  I hope she can find someone who has been there to talk to.

Congrats to you chriswick!
My son will be headed to Norfolk next. Glad to have him stateside. However, first we have him home for a month leave. The funny thing (or not so funny), our air conditioner broke yesterday and with the Texas heat, we are over 100 degrees and the indoor thermostat reads 94 degrees. He thinks we are wimps for complaining and claims that's not hot. 

Thanks BabyJ. Good luck to your sailor. As I saw this morning on the back of my son's backpack, it reads. "Keep hydrated or die". Good advice indeed.