AECF - FCs and ETs

If you have a car and want to drive, there is a parking lot right across the street from the gate where you wait to go in for PIR.  It is the train station and there is a machine where you pay $3 to cover the whole day.  Get there early to get a space there are about 50 or so spaces. Also do NOT use the regular roads to get there. the lines are Loooong.  There is a way to go around and come in from the other direction.  while the long line is waiting at the light to turn right to go to the gate, you can come in at the other side of the light..where NO ONE goes in...and make the LEFT turn ahead of all those waiting in line.  EAsy.  Try to attend the welcome party given by Sarge the nite before PIR. he gives good directions from all hotels as to lots of short cuts around the base and which gate you need for what pick up..where to park to miss the crowds.  After PIR when you are going to the school base ( not PIR base) you hang to the left lane when all the cars are again waiting to turn right into the base  There is a 2nd entrance to the parking lot and you will go right in no waiting. None of us new to town know that without having been told.  Also tell your sailor to meet you by the BIG ANCHOR in the parking lot.. not at the main gate where hundreds of sailors who all look alike in uniform are all trying to find family. Sarge has all the good info!! Our PIR was Oct 5.

Oh Yeah... it is COLD standing in line waiting to get into the gate for PIR. Lots of warm clothes, scarfs, gloves, hat, long underwear, etc. Walk way down the walkway straight down to find the entrance.  You may pass another crowd standing outside at a building along the way. They have already been thru stop one.  You go on down and enter the front of the building. Have ID ready and the name of your sailor. You must be on the sailor's list of 4 unless they have extra room after all the list-guests go in.

Comfy walking shoes girls!

They're stopped letting the extra guests in.  One more new rule.  They can wait in the visitor's center I think.

My daughter just got her orders to go to Dalgren Va, does she need to find housing and buy a car before she get's there?

Son (ET) finally got orders to his first overseas post and will be home for Christmas - but will not give me more info than that!  Now I have a zillion questions about cell phones when they are gone etc....any suggestions on where to learn this stuff?

Odi... where overseas?  I know that in Japan they either buy new phones or use other plans and apps for free texting.  US phones may work overseas, but the roaming charges are killer.  

Odi, my kids are in Guam, and before they left, we set up a magicjack - it works through the computer, and they can get a US phone number that they can take with them wherever they go.  They sell it at Radio Shack, and a bunch of other places, and it's about $100 to buy, with the first year free, then $30 a year after that, or another $100 for five years.  In Guam, the cell phone service is all local, and none of the big companies had a plan which covered it.  Depending on where he ends up, it might be a good bet to set one up so he always has one number that will follow him wherever he goes.

He is going to Bahrain - anyone with experience in that area?

Chrissy did not get her cross-deck approved. Poor kid has such bad luck in that area. The person who was going to switch with her didn't follow thru with it.   

Anti M - I have seen talk of the Family Readiness Group before my daughter

goes to Deployment in May.  Do you know anything about this group and how do I join?

The Family Readiness Group you need will be linked to her ship.  There is an entire network of such groups, so you need to find the correct one.  Her official ship website should have a link to the appropriate group. Let me know if you need help finding it.

Here is a link explaining what they do:

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadin...

Anti M  - Thank you for your advice

Looking for some advise and encouragement I guess.  My husband finished ET A school a little over a month ago and he just received orders yesterday.  I am due with our first baby in 3 weeks.  He flies to Dam Neck for a 3 month C school in a week.  He will not be here for the birth or our son (unless by some miracle I can get this baby to come early) but at least he will be able to come back for holiday stand down.  After he is done with C school, he has been assigned to the USS Wayne E Meyer in San Diego.  That part is great, since San Diego is home for us.  The only thing is, we are unfamiliar with where to live in relation to the base.  (We are from North County).  Any tips?  Groups you recommend I join?  I want to start networking and looking for a place to live.  We are thinking that I will move back to San Diego by the end of the year if possible.  Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated!  

Housing is nice in San Diego. We rented because we had one cat too many, and the wait list for us was a full year.  We lived in Birdland, a secluded neighborhood above Mission Valley, between Linda Vista and Serra Mesa.  Most of hubby's command (on North Island/Coronado)  lived out in El Cajon, but the drive is pretty long.  Others liked Chula Vista, but I didn't.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdland,_San_Diego

Do you have a link regarding the testing for advancement?

Thanks, Chrissy is hoping to be on that list, Mary.

So - can we view the advancement list?

list is out. Woohoo Chris made it. Yea for my ET2.

ET2?!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks guys. We're excited. I have a question. Chris will be leaving for Norfolk for a 3 month school in Dec. He has called and sent emails and so has his Chief to who ever the person is that he is suppose to make contact with. The question he is trying to find out is Will the school he will be attending have a Christmas break. If he will get a Christmas break he wants to buy flight before the price is to high. The person in Norfolk does not return his calls or his Chief. Hope someone has an answer for us.

Chrissy got her first NAM!

Wow!  Give her my congrats.  

Exciting for Chrissy - and Chris.   Looking forward to seeing my sailor hopefully next month

Vickyrun, Congratulations to Chrissy. I am very happy for her. Also Congratulations go to Chris a new ET2.

I have great news ladies. My son made FC2 ya!!  I am so happy and proud of him. I have wanted to tell you ladies since Tuesday but could not sign in via my Iphone. So here I am bragging my little heart out. One happy mom here..

Congratulations Sandy on your son's promotion. I don't know about your son but Chris is more excited to be able to receive BAH. LOL

Vickimed. My son is too. He is also trying to marry his sweetheart but their schedules do not match.

Very excited about the advancements!

My ET and I had to get married on the fly, in Vegas.  We were both stationed overseas, but not together, and had managed to wrangle leave at the same time.  He's from WV, I was visiting my parents in UT.  We drove down to see my brothers in AZ, and Vegas was conveniently on the way.  If we hadn't married in jeans on the spot, there was a good chance we'd have never seen each other again.

Anti M, funny you should mention Vegas. I was half joking when I suggested that to me son, LoL.

The problem is that his fiance just graduated from the police academy. So she is a plebe for the first year. They have been trying to go to the Justice of the Peace near base. Unfortunately, her schedule is Monday to Friday during court hours. 

Is there somewhere online to find out a sailor's rank? My son was supposed to rank up sometime around now and as usual, he tells me nothing. I know his social security number if that helps at all. Is there a website?

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/05/navy-petty-officer-advancemen...

That's great, but that's from May of this year. Anything more current?

Here's the new list...

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/11/navy-petty-officer-advancemen...

Not finding my son's name on it though. Dang it!

The Navy did pay for my move here after my husband graduated BC.  I am not aware of the policy changing.  But that doesn't mean it hasn't.  To my knowledge though, as long as his orders say he will be in GL for at least 6 months, the Navy should pay for your move here.

Rebecca- the navy will move you. there isn't any policy change that i'm aware of :) as long as the school is 20 weeks or longer, they will pay for you. BUT you have to wait until his 'live ashore' packet is approved and finished (about a month after he gets there usually). that might be what he heard.  if you move before that's completed, they will NOT move you and you'll have to pay at your expense. also if you move earlier than that's completed he won't be able to live with you until that's done "/ TONS of rules at a school. since it was our first move, we got a dislocation allowance on top of moving (we did a ditty move as well). i was moving from the other side of the lake in michigan and we got around 1600 for dislocation alone. it was pretty awesome and helped with furniture etc since it was our first apartment together. hope that all helps!

I just moved here in sept and the navy paid for everything. You do not have to wait for the live ashore packet to be done. I was here almost a month before he got it all done and it sucked that he couldnt stay at the house with me but at least I got to see him everyday. you do have to wait for his orders to be issued though, which usually happens a day or two before graduation and then once he is over on the TSC base he can start getting the packet together and getting you signed up for base housing (if your interested in that). But techincally if you had a place to stay already then you could come for graduation and not go back home.

Has anyone heard of a new policy for FCs which would deny them a certain C school just because they were married?  Something about lack of housing for dependents?  I know it was never an issue before, but if there's new info out there, we all need to know it so we don't give bad advice.  

I'm talking about C schools orders, after A school is completed.  Unverified, so no one panic.  

About moving to A school: whether or not the move is paid for is right on the orders.  Dependents authorized or accompanied means a paid move if you do it properly.  

Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this...as I understand it, there will be three possible locations for the FC to attend C school; one in San Diego and two in coastal Virginia, one near Norfolk and one on the Potomac. The location of the school the FC will attend depends on his choice of which kind of weapon/missile he will train.  Once trained in a special weapon that will be his area (rate?) for his Navy career, no changes.  San Diego is for Tomahawk only and Tomahawk training is in San Diego only.

IF...IF the no married FC in certain C school is a fact?...we don't even know which C school this might be? ...is seems as if being married might have an impact on the FC career choice./ weapon training.

My FC is single (18 ) and just finishing ATT school in GL, to begin A school after Christmas stand down/holiday leave. I would also like to know it this
info is accurate concerning marriage and C school and also which of the C school locations this might? apply. Thank you.

There have been paid moves for AECF spouses in the recent past. Personally,  I would trust the hard copy orders more than the POA.  There have been spouse on A school orders for the AECF program, although not for any of the schools under 20 weeks.  So for the most part, the POA was correct.  

I know, I'm not official, I understand why you might think I was mistaken.  That's okay.    Ask other wives who have had paid moves in 2012.  AECF is long enough to qualify. 

BR549 ... the C school/married info is not verified, which is why I was asking.  So I'd say "not accurate" until someone coughs up a new instruction on a change in policy.  I'm trying to find out for someone who asked me about it.  Thanks for the detailed reply.

Can't hurt to pursue the paid move while having a move out of pocket as plan b.  I think some of the unpaid moves were simply because no one told the young couple how to proceed.   

Hi, Rebecca. I don't weigh in here too much because I'm here to observe for now - my son won't go to boot camp until March.  My son-in-law, however, has been a nuke for six years, he and my daughter have moved twice now, and are preparing for a third move in the spring.  The one thing they've learned, the hard way, is that everyone you talk to has a different answer about what's allowed and what's not, and that can be very frustrating, as well as expensive.  Anti M's advice is right on the money - always have a plan B, and don't trust anything you hear about being reimbursed until it's on paper.  You'll get the best advice on these message boards, and many times you'll be more knowledgeable than the people who are supposed to be helping you from whatever command it is, so be prepared, ask the right questions, and challenge what they tell you if you need to. 

Hi all, Chrissy is doing her cranking now. I don't know why she is doing it so late but she says " I don't make the schedule" lol That is the Navy for you!

Just wondering...OK, so I guess my son has finished C School since he just sent me his travel plans home. Now what? Is there another holdover or does he get sent to his ship right away? Is it like GL where they have you cleaning and standing watch or do you have free time?

I dunno. He tells me little. I know what ship he's going to, but no idea how soon? The ship was supposed to return to port, then it wasn't? I don't know if someone needs to depart before he gets on? It's a small ship.

he's probably going to his ship after his leave.  my daughter took some leave between A and C and will do the same after C.