CS (Culinary Specialist) Moms

Just got a call from the CS in school at Fort Lee... with only 1 week left, he's managed to keep a 93 average on all his tests. This is the son who REALLY struggled with high school and 2 years of college! I am SO Proud. We'll be attending graduation next week and bringing him on leave with us!

MOM MasterofMotivation S14 D269 - the week of classes at Great Lakes Naval Base are called "Navy indoctrination". IF your CS goes to Ft Lee right away (very unusual), they'll be done in about 1 month. MOST Sailors spend 2-3 weeks at Great Lakes waiting for a class to start - they clean and help around base until there's an opening at Ft Lee (Virginia).

I'm going to CS graduation this Friday!!!! Will take lots of photos and try to post, just in case there are others.

I am such a proud mom today!! My son was just made head of diet at the naval hospital where he is stationed. 

Hi Juanita! I will be looking forward to your post!

Wow - graduation was really pleasant! They put on a great program... I suggested that the short power point program be posted somewhere so other family members could see what they did during school.  Pics of the class are here ....

https://www.facebook.com/carol.beabout/media_set?set=a.102034489102...  

But don't forget the Facebook page for the school.

Welcome Hannah. According to my sailor, who just graduated on Fri, your sailor will love A school. He had a great time there. NOW comes the hard work of actually working! (For my son, that's on a carrier that's already deployed... won't see him until next summer sometime). 

I finally got a date for my son to go to A school.  Sept 27, 2014.  He had graduated on 8/29.  Is there anyone else given that date too?

Hannah - My son says classes are from about 07:45 to 16:00 (that's 4 PM to us). Other than when on duty, they had the weekends off.

congrats Lynne78 and too the other new sailors. My son really enjoyed A school. He is loving the cs life. The other day my son was made temp Galley watch captain. 

Would appreciate prayers for my sailor/new CS. He's heading out to meet the Carl Vinson next week.... Yeah, the one that just lost the pilot. First duty, hard arrival.

therevbev -  my son has been on the ship for 11 months he is a cs on the ship and really is enjoying although there was a tragedy this week there is a very supportive group make sulre you join the vinson fb page and the n4m carl vinson group.  My daughter sailor heads to cs school on 9/20 hoping she stays closer to home...  This is my first deployment as well.

Congratulations labournurse!!1 you must be so proud!!!! my son is up for the blue jacket award on his ship !!!! and my daughter heads to Fort Lee on 9/20 can't wait to have her so close!!!

Hannah -  This I know from my Marine... Certain jobs, not because of the job but because of WHERE they operate demand a security clearance. I would assume ALL sub mariners are top secrete clearance because of what and where they serve. It really doesn't affect much of what they can tell us, since for many, THEY are not privie to the actual reports, secrets etc... They just have to have clearance by the DoD.

Hannah, dont worry...my son is also a cs on a sub and has what they refer to as a 'high' clearance.  Within the sub, a cs might be asked to serve in the ward room, which is an an area where outside of that room the discussions are not shared with anyone on the ship or not.  Those discussions could be football related and we will never know otherwise :)  As therevbev said the clearances are to make sure that the sub stays safe.  Do you know where your sailor is heading?  Make sure you join submom's group here on n4m, there is alot of good info about the sub culture and encouragement. 

therevbev, I will add your sailor to my prayer list.  The Carl Vinson and its crew has been on my heart alot since I heard the news. 

Thank you therevbev for the pics. I am looking forward to going to graduation. So if he starts on 9/27 when do I expect the graduation to be.  I have to plan early to be there.  I hoping to stay with friends who live near the base.

MOM- my son's classes ran from Aug.4-Sept 5 (graduation). I have heard of slightly longer if any Federal holidays fall in the schedule (He did get Labor day off of classes). But they are told the schedule very early on, so your CS will know the grad. date a week or so in. I'd figure Oct 31 -but that's still a guess.

MOM- - My daughter leaves GL on 09/20 for Fort Lee she said her orders say she Graduates 10/27; which is a Monday so I would think your son woul graduate the following week.

Congrats on your sons promotion Labornurse

Had an awesome day with my sailor yesterday!!!! so glad she is going to be so close for the next few weeks

I saw a pic of my sailor cooking on the carrier!!!! Wow. I had missed a call from him at 4:30 AM that morning and was feeling horrible! How wonderful to see him.

Lynnie78 - He'll be told his duty station about 1/2 way thru classes. Although, my son was given a duty station, he hasn't seen it yet. He went straight from a 10 day leave after school to a deployed carrier. (See pic below) Just depends.

Hello Mothers:  I don't have internet in my home right now, I'm at the local library.  So I have an interesting story.  Everyone should know about Fiasco that happening last week regarding the contractor who killed the navigation equipment in Illinois that messed up so many flights in the Midwest.  Well it messed with our CS Sailors too!.   Many were suppose to fly on Friday, 9/27/14.  Well the last of them went out this morning my son included.    However I am very proud of him.  He became like the Go-TO for he incoming sailors and the barracks at Ft. Lee.  He was corresponding who got what flight and where they were going.  Even when someone left their luggage. Seriously all on his smart phone.   These sailors should be a good team going in!  I just got a text from my son and they are on the last leg into Richmond, Va.

HE CALLED! HE CALLED! Richard called home. He's in medical for the night (some form of viral infection that has caused his face to swell), but he's feeling fine. IT WAS SO GOOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE! It's only been 4 1/2 weeks. He loved the port call in Singapore about 2 weeks ago. Only big issue is LOTS OF LONG DAYS (12-13 hr) and a brand new computer busted in transit! Hoping he calls again tomorrow since he'll be SIQ

I am excited.  My son graduates next week 10/31/2014 at Ft. Lee and he has his orders.  He will be on the USS Blue Ridge Yokosuka, Japan.  I can't wait to see him when he is on leave.  I will not be able to attend his graduation and if there anyone who is going will you please send me pictures.  Thank you in advance.

Hi Everyone,

My son is currently in A School at Fort Lee, he just classed up yesterday. He's my 2nd Sailor, so I'm not new to the journey, but it's nice to connect with a a group of Moms whose Sailors will be/are the same Rate. My son will actually be on a sub when his schooling is finished.

DimontesMom - Welcome! Be aware that Ft Lee school is about 5 weeks long. Let us know how he's doing.

Rich is out on "America's Favorite Carrier" in the Persian Gulf - somewhere. Joined up after already deployed and is finding hard not to get breaks or make friends - too much work! He'll live. 

@DivontesMom. My daughter  is in A school in Ft. Lee  and she said she will be graduating  Jan 9. She's my 2nd sailor too. My son is in Norfolk, VA with USS Truman. 

My son called today, he had to go to medical & have 2 IVs, he wasn't feeling well Monday & was SIQ  yesterday. Today he was dehydrated. He hasn't eaten in 3 days. Luckily he's feeling better now, but one of his friends just informed him that he'll be getting set back as he missed 2 days. He has the roommate from hell, who coincidentally also just got set back today. Glad A School is only 5 weeks! @ Malen my older son is also in Norfolk! :-)

Hello Moms --- such a heartbreak about Sailor Andrew Adams that died at booth camp yesterday in GL.   prayers go out to the family.   

just wondering if there is a private group of cs moms in fort lee

out there

I just learnt of this tragedy on my son's fb!  Very very sad!

That is a horrible tragedy. His family is in my thoughts.I can't imagine, they were supposed to be attending his PIR tomorrow, instead they are planning his funeral. My heart is broken for them.

To DivontesMom and/or others with submarine knowledge:   My son goes to Fort Lee for CS A School January 3.  At graduation, he mentioned that he is interested in being on a submarine. I've heard the application process is really tough to get submarine duty - any info on what a CS would have to do to accomplish that?  Is application for CS on a sub as demanding as applying for, say, the nuclear "technician" or "engineer" or whatever jobs on a sub?   

Hi InquiringMind. My Sailor will actually be a CSS - Culinary Specialist Sub. He didn't have to do anything extra for that. At MEPS he was told that was one of his options. So he signed up for CSS from the 1st appointment at MEPS. He was guaranteed that rate with no 2ndary choices. That usually means there is a need for Sailors in that rate. So, no I don't think it is as demanding as nuclear technician or engineering. Those rates require much more schooling that than CSS. He has to go to Sub aka B.E.S.S. school in Groton after A School. I've heard that's about 5 weeks. He started A School in Fort Lee last Monday, but got pushed back a week due to being sick, hopefully started again today.

Thanks, DivontesMom!   I've heard various things about working on subs, such as all submariners are "cross-trained" to do multiple jobs, and that there are "background investigations" done on everybody who works on subs because of the top secret nature of the work.  Also that it is hard to get details about sub-related things due to security concerns.  I don't want to pester my son about it right now because he's just starting out, plus it would be better if he figures it out for himself without "Mommy" intervening.  But still, Mommy wants to know (plus, I think it would be uber cool if he was a submariner)!  Hope your son gets better soon and back on track with A School!!

I've heard that too. But we didn't get calls like some other parents do. I have heard they all do get cross trained on each other's jobs. When they learn all jobs they earn their dolphins. But I think that just means they understand what everyone does. (not 100% sure that's right) because obviously  not just anyone is going to be able to step in & do a job that someone else took a year or more to train for like the nukes. Thanks, he's definitely feeling better. Had to have 2 IVs on Wednesday. Said he felt much better after that. He wasn't going to find out until this morning whether he could start again today. So hopefully no news is good news right now.  

Well I sure hope the Navy is taking good care of your son and the rest of our sons and daughters.  I'm absolutely sick about the young man who passed away at Great Lakes and his poor family.  What a terrible tragedy.  My own son is there right now, he just did PIR the day before Thanksgiving, and he sounds pretty shaken up by it too.  

I am doing a happy dance since I just got a ship-to-shore call from the "CS of the Month" on the USS Carl Vinson!!!  He really needed that kind of recognition as he's been feeling overused and overlooked. We could not be prouder of his hard work during this long and dangerous deployment.