My daughter was supposed to get leave early next month, but like others, her leave was cancelled. I haven't seen her in two years, and I miss her terribly. Of course I understand the reason for the cancellation. She said that her leave is approved for the rest of the year, so she can take leave another time. Hopefully, I'll get to see her soon.
Stephsmom, had snow, blocking our satellite internet again, so just got access. Thanks so much for the update. Im resting MUCH easier knowing that they posted security guards around that berthing :-) Did have an email from Kelcie when I signed on. I had asked her if she needed anything sent. She said that they can't receive mail right now, so not to bother :-( I'm so glad I made the trip to Japan last fall and got to see her. My heart goes out to those of you whose sailors leave was cancelled when you hadn't seen them in so long :(
Hi everyone! I am new to this site. My son is on the USS George Washington. He graduated boot camp Nov. 5 2010. Saw him for xmas. He shipped out to Japan the end of Jan. 2011. He's the first one in my family to go into the military. So needless to say this is all very new to me. I was talking to him on the phone when the earth quake hit. WOW! I haven't heard from him since. We use to talk on the phone every weekend and on-line during the week. I hate not being able to talk to him or even talk to him on-line. Why do they do this to us moms? There just sitting of Japan in "Local waters"? How lame!!! If and when anyone hears of anything new I would love to hear from you. Thanks Everyone - LoveDolphins
hi everyone! i've been a little MIA lately...partly due to just readjusting back to this life & catching up with friends and party due to ..."Blahness"? that's the only way i can describe it. i wouldn't say i'm depressed, but more like BLAH. hehe.
i HOPE the gw is receiving mail because i just sent out a big care package at the request of my sailor. he said he was running out of toiletries...also said he might be getting sick from not drinking enough water or liquids. :( that would be awful if they aren't receiving mail. i'd hate for my sailor to be without the basic necessities on top of everything else that's going on. and as far as i know, the gw is still "chillin' in the water". no one is telling them anything!
i did receive a call from him this morning, so that brightened my day. it was nice to actually HEAR his voice and get his reaction regarding the news that we are having a baby girl! :) well, i'm signing off for now. i've been taking a lot of naps lately & i do believe it's time for another. :) hope you are all hanging in there. i KNOW how tough this is for everyone. stay strong!
abc......CONGRATULATIONS. That is very exciting, a girl. I bet daddy is thrilled!!
Vicky, thanks for checking with the ombudsman, I'll be watching to hear what you find out. I was also thinking that they might not be to well supplied with toilettries etc, which was why I asked. I was kind of thinking that they might not have had time to stock the ships store to capacity before they left. If I hear anything more, I'll share it here also.
Does anyone have any clue as to how I could get a mailing address for my son on the GW. He was only there for a week before the earthquake hit and had not gotten me a mailing address yet. would be very greatful for any help.
Claudia, yes he was on the ship. He was done with the barge. But it was the first time since he left for boot camp that he cried on the phone to me. It just broke my heart. He's fairly shy. He was having a hard time getting around the ship. Do they get internet on the ship? One more thing, what do you all put in the care packages? What is it they need and want most? Thanks for your help. LoveDolphins
I always send my Sailor her favorite things. Like cookies and candy, a card game, a DVD if they have a laptop. I wouldn't suggest sending a laptop though. I sent one last year and it has yet to arrive<grin>. Maybe a favorite T-shirt or bath sundries. International AT&T phone cards are good as well. Something simply that youe know will bring a smile to their face.
hi ladies. and welcome LoveDolphins! all the ladies have given you great ideas for care packages... toiletries, snacks, etc. one thing i did learn though is to limit the amount of "junk" you send (ie, toys, knick knacks). they don't have the room to store these items and when i visited the gw, i learned that my sailor's rack area has a little table they designate the "up for grabs" table...any junk they don't need or have room for, they leave it here for other shipmates to take (i'm not sure if they mention this to the people who send these items to them). just an insider tip, if you will! :) if your sailor is like mine and gets chapped lips from time to time, make sure to add chapstick to your package. he was complaining that the air was dry and cold & that his lips were bleeding! it's just one of those easily overlooked things that can make a world of difference for them.
LoveDolphins....my heart goes out to you. I heard a saying once that said "A mom is only able to be as happy as her unhappiest child". There is a lot of truth to that. He will adjust and make some friends, hopefully sooner rather than later. It can be a hard adjustment, especially since they packed up and headed out so quickly. This group will help you get thru it, and you will sometimes know things even before your sailor does. My daughter used to find things out from me before she heard it from official channels, thanks to N4M. We will all support you the best we can. It's a great bunch of ladies!!
Just put him back on the plane after 2 week 2 days leave at home. Took all my resolve to let him go. Felt really luckey when his boarded flight headed home; he sat on the tamac for 6 1/2 hrs on the 11 th while the earthquae hit and then after the aftershocks slacked they were allowed to take off. Then I started reading about canceled leaves (Sorry Moms) and again felt lucky. Not feeling so good and lucky today though. :(
Thank ya'll, I know this is what he wanted and he really squeezed alot into 16 days. But like the rest of ya'll I am just so concerned with the situation there. He assured me he will be okay but ya'll know its a moms job worry. Thanks again for the support. I don't post often but do read our groups posts just about everyday to stay informed.
Hi ladies. I'm Courtney, proudly dating a Sailor aboard the GW. Kathy16 is a friend of mine, and also the mother of my boyfriend. She had introduced me to this site almost a year ago, and I completely forgot about it until now.
hey ladies! yay! finally saw my sailor in a picture for the 1st time also!!! i'm also confused about the mail. i sent a package out a few days ago....i thought the ombudsmen said that they WERE receiving mail? or maybe i missed something in the posts...i'm a little behind. :/ hope everyone is continuing to stay strong!
Hello - You moms are hilarious, I love it, being chased around the ship with a camera clicking shipmate and photo shopping!!! I needed that. After seeing Ant in Japan for just a few hours, I am even missing him more now, but however I have gotten more emails than before so guess some good outcome. ABC, good to see you posting! I am confused too about the mail, sent a package, guess will just have to hope he gets it. You ladies have picked up my spirits, was feeling pretty bluesy, but after those posts I actually laughed out loud. I needed that, thanks.
Rosemary, talked to Kelcie today. She said that there is a form your son can sign that links his ATM card to his Navy Cash Card. They will issue him a temporary cash card on the spot. She also said that the store is taking cash right now because there are so many civilian contractors on board. It was the first time I had talked to her since they pulled out of Yoko. It was SO good to hear her voice. She sounded like she was in pretty good spirits. She's working nights, so slept thru the steel beach party.
Glad and happy for all of you that got to see your sailor in the party pics. I got one of Kelcie during last years party and it was so exciting :-)
Hi again ladies... I really need to be better about getting on this site on a daily basis. I feel like I am missing so much! So the confusion about mail?? Do or do not send? I have 13 cases of Girl Scout Cookies to send to the sailors and I don't want them to sit somewhere and ruin. I must say I guess I am lucky, my son posts pics of himself out in town all the time! So I do get to see him that way. Would love to hear about a leave for him though, hugging him would be so much better than pictures! Thanks for all the updates and for the suggestions on care boxes. I always feel like I am sending the same things over and over
Hope you all are doing well and hope you have a wonderful day!
I am so excited! I went to look at the beach party pics and my son is in at least one of them!!! My heart skipped a beat, he looks good and healthy. Seems to be enjoying some time with his ship mates! I am so proud!!!
Hi Navy Moms! You all must have high ranking sailors to be able to get emails and even phone calls from them. I'm happy for those of you who get to talk to your sailors. But on the other hand I get sad cause I haven't heard from mine. He works on the flight deck moving the planes around? Not sure. He has a lap top and a camera and I still haven't heard anything. It's driving me crazy not being able to talk to him or read a email from him. :( So I'll just sit here getting more gray hair and wait. I wish I could get a message to him to get a email address there on the ship. Anyway, Prayers and good wishes to all.
Vicky~ Your son must be high ranking to be able to make a phone call. I would like to get a message to my son to get a email address for the ship? Do you know anything about this and how it's done? My son has his own laptop. I've been reading where some of the sailors personal stuff is getting stolen. My son (JD is his nick name) went through that in high school. Don't want to see it happening here too!!! God I just want to hear his voice or even an email to let me know how he's doing. JD is the first in my family to go into the military. I am one very proud mom!! Hope you hear from yours soon. Thanks for your message, it does help.
Claudia and Stephsmom ~ Thank you for all your help and kind words. I also wrote the obudsman on the GW and he said he would try and locate him but to give him 48 hours. I feel within the next couple of days I should hear from him. Again thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys are GREAT!
Sherill, my g'daughter's e-mail has the same format. I believe the "cvw5" stands for Air Wing 5. That is the air wing assigned to the GW.
Anchorsmom is right about the sailors having to use computers in their shop. They also have access in the library but it is limited. My messages are typically one-line messages. When they were in port, the messages were longer.
hi everyone...how are we all holding up? i have been back for 2 weeks now and STILL can't fully believe everything that's happened. my time in japan almost seems like a faint dream! i'm not sure who originally asked, but i do believe emails go by the first 6 letters of your last name and then your 1st initial (vicky, you are right). so if your name was...george washington, it SHOULD be washing@ ........
and bigdmom, i'm still hanging in there as always! i don't have much of a choice, do i? :) ANXIOUSLY waiting to hear/see what happens next... and the baby is due to make her appearance august 15th (which is coincidentally my bday as well!) hence my screen name!
Kelcie has had intermitent problems with her email also. I usually hear almost daily, so when I'm not hearing, I kind of assume that they are having problems again. When I talked to her she said the food was better than last year, she thought because of all of the civilian contractors on board. She said the civilians were griping about the food, but the crew was loving it :-)
Is there anyone out there that can help me find my son onboard the GW. He got on the day before they left japan and I have not heard a word from him since. I have tried the ombudsman with no avail. I am starting to freak a little. Please if anyone can give me ideas or suggestions. This is his first command after bootcamp. Undesignated SR.
What is his job? I do know that the ship was in Sasebo, Japan. But they were there only for a day. Heading...? who knows. Try writing to gw3ombudsman@yahoo.com I got a responds right away. I know what your going through. I went through the same thing. Just be patient.
Nick'sMomTerri, From the sounds of what they were doing I would think that they were really busy so not hearing from him is normal. Also there is limited access to email when they are out of port so that could be another reason. I am just glad that they are not in Japan right now. I am glad that I found this group it is nice to know that there are others who sometimes freak when you don't know what is going on. Hang in there, we are with you.
GW just rec'd mail and made port. Check the face book page. So glad to see all our sailors are safe. We had planned a trip to Japan the end of April now we are not sure where we may be able to meet up with our daughter.
hooray for mail! hopefully, my sailor will get the package i sent him...and i hope those girl scout cookies arrive there soon also. what a sweet gesture! too bad you couldn't send a few my way...i've been craving some thin mints! :)
Got a call from Kelcie while they were in port. She was one of the lucky ones who got to go ashore. I asked what she did and she said that mostly she filled everybody's shopping lists at the NEX that weren't as lucky as she was to get to go ashore. It was good to talk to her. Still no idea what their plans are for after this stop.
So I am assuming by the posts below that I can finally mail the other 250 boxes of GS cookies I have sitting in my living room? My daughters and their troop are getting anxious to see the sailors enjoying their donation...Also I have gotten two very weird emails that originated from a hotmail account with my sons name on them that weren't from him? Anyone else with this issue? And one last thing, with the Ombudsman address below I am not sure of my son's rank, I am assuming that it would be ATAN, which is how I label all his boxes? It probably sounds crazy to all of you that I don't know that? LOL
I am glad to hear that you are all hearing from your sailors. Just wishing I could hear something, anything from mine. I have not heard a word since the day before they left Japan. He had only been there a week when the earthquake hit. In his phone call he said something about going to Guam but have not heard a word since. I don't even have a mailing address for him. I don't know what division he was assigned to because he went to the GW as an undesignated seaman recruite. I have emailed the ombudsman group and got now where with them. They told me without having his division and box number that I could not send mail to him cause they would just toss it aside. So someone, anyone please help me in finding out how to contact my son. PLEASE!
Nick'sMomTerri, If your son said something about going to Guam, that would make me think he is part of the air wing. Each squadron within the air wing has its own ombudsman and they are different from the GW ombudsman. Do you know the plane on which he works? Please make me a friend and I will ask my brother to check to see if he can find his military e-mail. My brother is a retired pilot and he has helped me in the past. Don't know that it will work but it can't hurt to try.
@DC - G'mother & Masue, I don't know if his is attached to an air wing. He was on the barge and then the ship pulled out of Japan. Thank you all for your help on this. It is just driving me nuts not hearing from him.
My son is also in Guam and he told me to hold off on mailing him because he didn't know where it would end up. He said wait til he gets back to the ship but had no idea of when that would be and since the new quake today I wonder if that will change things again, hopefully not.
kathy, thank you! yes, those thin mints are the best! i couldn't take it anymore, so i went out and bought some thin mint ice cream at the grocery store...it's the closest i could get to the cookies! :) i'm getting more and more anxious about this baby...i am now 5 months! the baby makes me feel closer to my sailor. i'm sorry to hear that your sailor's "down in the dumps". have you been able to talk to him? :( it's not an easy life, that's for sure....sigh.
also, my sailor received my care package, so mail definitely is getting through now. can't believe they got 10,000 lbs. of mail at one time!
Welcom mommyto4boyz! I am also fairly new to this group, but you will soon find that you feel like family here. When I am feeling down about missing my boy these ladies are always a great pick me up! Be so proud of your sailor he is making such a difference in the world! Great to have you here!
Ok so I finally heard from Nick today. He called me from the ship. I was so happy and now I have an address. He said he is doing good just working a lot of long hours. Thank you all for your help in finding him. You are the best.
Terri I am SO glad you heard from your son, that I am sure was a great moment for you!! mommyto4boyz my son Zachary is also my oldest of 7 children so this seperation with him in Japan has been really tough. We too are also very close and I miss him dearly! He loves Japan and is glad he chose to go there on his first deployment. Unfortunately he tried to call 3 times last night on my cell phone while I was working and missed his calls :-( I was so upset! It feels like forever since we have spoken so I am hoping to get another call in the next few days...Michele have an awesome trip!
Claudia, Nick said he is in 1st division but is already cranking. They assigned him to MWR for the next 90 days. Said he would rather chip paint than try and figure out what movie to play. I told him there was plenty of time for that and to enjoy picking out movies. lol again thank you all so much.
Love hearing the stories of how you all get your saliors & sailorettes calls! We have no cell phone service at my house and I am now figuring out that it's worth the extra money to go by a personal antenna which is on my list of things to do this week. Then I can always hear that sweet voice of my boy! Sherrill I could not agree with you more about how much more they appreciate family when seperated from them. I know this expierence is making him a man, but he will always be my little first born forever! Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Off to do laundry UGH!
Cell phones are the only phones we have so Nick knows that no matter what time of day, he will reach me. I am just happy that I finally got to hear from him.
Thanx for the kind words. We text each other daily. He is SO looking forward to this journey in life.It would be selfish for me to lay a guilt trip on him. That's why I LOVE this site! You moms and significant others KNOW what I'm going through.
He texted that they hafta do an iodine/sik test sometime this week. I am guessing that means checking the sailors for allergic reactions??
1) Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. 2) Never give up work. Work gives meaning and purpose and life is empty without it 3) If you are lucky to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away.
This comes from my son many years ago. Wish he could read it again. I got a phone call from his late last night. (1:30 am) Only got to talk to him for 30 sec. Phone card ran out and we were cut off. Not at all a good phone call. He had time to tell me he loved me and misses me and that he HATES the ship. I told him he should go talk to the Chaplain. Then we were cut off. So I went to sleep crying. I'm worried now. Things are not going well for him and I hate it. Any suggestions?
Janis
Mar 27, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
Mar 27, 2011
LoveDolphins
Mar 27, 2011
abc815
hi everyone! i've been a little MIA lately...partly due to just readjusting back to this life & catching up with friends and party due to ..."Blahness"? that's the only way i can describe it. i wouldn't say i'm depressed, but more like BLAH. hehe.
i HOPE the gw is receiving mail because i just sent out a big care package at the request of my sailor. he said he was running out of toiletries...also said he might be getting sick from not drinking enough water or liquids. :( that would be awful if they aren't receiving mail. i'd hate for my sailor to be without the basic necessities on top of everything else that's going on. and as far as i know, the gw is still "chillin' in the water". no one is telling them anything!
i did receive a call from him this morning, so that brightened my day. it was nice to actually HEAR his voice and get his reaction regarding the news that we are having a baby girl! :) well, i'm signing off for now. i've been taking a lot of naps lately & i do believe it's time for another. :) hope you are all hanging in there. i KNOW how tough this is for everyone. stay strong!
Mar 27, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
abc......CONGRATULATIONS. That is very exciting, a girl. I bet daddy is thrilled!!
Vicky, thanks for checking with the ombudsman, I'll be watching to hear what you find out. I was also thinking that they might not be to well supplied with toilettries etc, which was why I asked. I was kind of thinking that they might not have had time to stock the ships store to capacity before they left. If I hear anything more, I'll share it here also.
Mar 27, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Mar 28, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Mar 28, 2011
LoveDolphins
Claudia, yes he was on the ship. He was done with the barge. But it was the first time since he left for boot camp that he cried on the phone to me. It just broke my heart. He's fairly shy. He was having a hard time getting around the ship. Do they get internet on the ship? One more thing, what do you all put in the care packages? What is it they need and want most? Thanks for your help. LoveDolphins
Mar 28, 2011
yvette fanestiel
Mar 28, 2011
abc815
Mar 28, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Mar 28, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
Mar 28, 2011
dac
Mar 29, 2011
dac
Mar 29, 2011
Court
Hi ladies. I'm Courtney, proudly dating a Sailor aboard the GW. Kathy16 is a friend of mine, and also the mother of my boyfriend. She had introduced me to this site almost a year ago, and I completely forgot about it until now.
Thinking of everyone with a loved one on the GW!
Mar 29, 2011
abc815
Mar 30, 2011
ant'smom
Mar 31, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Mar 31, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
Rosemary, talked to Kelcie today. She said that there is a form your son can sign that links his ATM card to his Navy Cash Card. They will issue him a temporary cash card on the spot. She also said that the store is taking cash right now because there are so many civilian contractors on board. It was the first time I had talked to her since they pulled out of Yoko. It was SO good to hear her voice. She sounded like she was in pretty good spirits. She's working nights, so slept thru the steel beach party.
Glad and happy for all of you that got to see your sailor in the party pics. I got one of Kelcie during last years party and it was so exciting :-)
Apr 1, 2011
jennils
Hi again ladies... I really need to be better about getting on this site on a daily basis. I feel like I am missing so much! So the confusion about mail?? Do or do not send? I have 13 cases of Girl Scout Cookies to send to the sailors and I don't want them to sit somewhere and ruin. I must say I guess I am lucky, my son posts pics of himself out in town all the time! So I do get to see him that way. Would love to hear about a leave for him though, hugging him would be so much better than pictures! Thanks for all the updates and for the suggestions on care boxes. I always feel like I am sending the same things over and over
Hope you all are doing well and hope you have a wonderful day!
Apr 1, 2011
jennils
Apr 1, 2011
LoveDolphins
Apr 1, 2011
DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor
Apr 1, 2011
LoveDolphins
Apr 1, 2011
LoveDolphins
Apr 1, 2011
DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor
Sherill, my g'daughter's e-mail has the same format. I believe the "cvw5" stands for Air Wing 5. That is the air wing assigned to the GW.
Anchorsmom is right about the sailors having to use computers in their shop. They also have access in the library but it is limited. My messages are typically one-line messages. When they were in port, the messages were longer.
Apr 2, 2011
abc815
hi everyone...how are we all holding up? i have been back for 2 weeks now and STILL can't fully believe everything that's happened. my time in japan almost seems like a faint dream! i'm not sure who originally asked, but i do believe emails go by the first 6 letters of your last name and then your 1st initial (vicky, you are right). so if your name was...george washington, it SHOULD be washing@ ........
and bigdmom, i'm still hanging in there as always! i don't have much of a choice, do i? :) ANXIOUSLY waiting to hear/see what happens next... and the baby is due to make her appearance august 15th (which is coincidentally my bday as well!) hence my screen name!
Apr 3, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
Hi all,
Kelcie has had intermitent problems with her email also. I usually hear almost daily, so when I'm not hearing, I kind of assume that they are having problems again. When I talked to her she said the food was better than last year, she thought because of all of the civilian contractors on board. She said the civilians were griping about the food, but the crew was loving it :-)
Apr 3, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Is there anyone out there that can help me find my son onboard the GW. He got on the day before they left japan and I have not heard a word from him since. I have tried the ombudsman with no avail. I am starting to freak a little. Please if anyone can give me ideas or suggestions. This is his first command after bootcamp. Undesignated SR.
Apr 5, 2011
LoveDolphins
Apr 5, 2011
usnaproudmom
Apr 5, 2011
yvette fanestiel
Apr 6, 2011
abc815
Apr 6, 2011
Mollie...Kelcies Mom
Hi All,
Got a call from Kelcie while they were in port. She was one of the lucky ones who got to go ashore. I asked what she did and she said that mostly she filled everybody's shopping lists at the NEX that weren't as lucky as she was to get to go ashore. It was good to talk to her. Still no idea what their plans are for after this stop.
Apr 7, 2011
jennils
Apr 7, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 7, 2011
DC - G'mother of My Fav Sailor
Apr 7, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 7, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 7, 2011
usnaproudmom
Apr 7, 2011
abc815
kathy, thank you! yes, those thin mints are the best! i couldn't take it anymore, so i went out and bought some thin mint ice cream at the grocery store...it's the closest i could get to the cookies! :) i'm getting more and more anxious about this baby...i am now 5 months! the baby makes me feel closer to my sailor. i'm sorry to hear that your sailor's "down in the dumps". have you been able to talk to him? :( it's not an easy life, that's for sure....sigh.
also, my sailor received my care package, so mail definitely is getting through now. can't believe they got 10,000 lbs. of mail at one time!
Apr 8, 2011
jennils
Welcom mommyto4boyz! I am also fairly new to this group, but you will soon find that you feel like family here. When I am feeling down about missing my boy these ladies are always a great pick me up! Be so proud of your sailor he is making such a difference in the world! Great to have you here!
Jennifer
Apr 9, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 9, 2011
jennils
Apr 10, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 10, 2011
jennils
Apr 10, 2011
Nick'sMomTerri
Apr 11, 2011
BADma
If any of yas are on facebook there are a bunch of new pix of rthe GW sailors going on liberty in Sasebo!
My sailor is still on hold at GL.He will be on the GW. I am not sure that I am ready for this!
Apr 12, 2011
BADma
Thanx for the kind words. We text each other daily. He is SO looking forward to this journey in life.It would be selfish for me to lay a guilt trip on him. That's why I LOVE this site! You moms and significant others KNOW what I'm going through.
He texted that they hafta do an iodine/sik test sometime this week. I am guessing that means checking the sailors for allergic reactions??
Apr 12, 2011
LoveDolphins
1) Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
2) Never give up work. Work gives meaning and purpose and life is empty without it
3) If you are lucky to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away.
This comes from my son many years ago. Wish he could read it again. I got a phone call from his late last night. (1:30 am) Only got to talk to him for 30 sec. Phone card ran out and we were cut off. Not at all a good phone call. He had time to tell me he loved me and misses me and that he HATES the ship. I told him he should go talk to the Chaplain. Then we were cut off. So I went to sleep crying. I'm worried now. Things are not going well for him and I hate it. Any suggestions?
Apr 12, 2011