USS George Washington Sailors

navymomfromCT- definitely your son will be fine because like my son he met another sailor at Seattle airport though different rate but at least both of them headed to the same ship. And AMC plane is a military plane thus all passengers aboard are military may be a navy, marines and other military branches and Yokota airport is not a commercial one but an air force base that caters military and other gov't related flights.And that would surely make us moms/parents at peace because our sailors are in good hands. As my son said, there were always help available from Seattle airport down to Yokosuka base. Hope this info helps.

Right now my son is undergoing INDOC which would be finished in 2 weeks. Yesterday, he said they had a whole day tour of some significant places/tourist spots in Japan, they visited temples, shrines & etc. And by the way I remember, my son has 2 friends(same rates with him) who are travelling the same date with your son,  Aug 30th, right? Your sailor may not know it though until they get their tickets from AMC ticket counter in Seattle. No more worries, your son will be fine.

Carol - the ship to shore phone card works like any other phone cards? My son had his cellphone unlocked, his phone(t-mobile) doesn't work anymore when he arrived Japan, he asked me to have it suspended until he comes home, however   at Recreation center he can connect to WIFI for free and also at the barge where he is staying while completing INDOC. And by any chance, do you have any idea if it's really advisable for them to buy a sim card? The last time I spoke to my son, he said he thinks he doesn't need to buy one. I've read somewhere that there are sim cards that cost around $30..how does it work? is it pre-loaded ? Or they have to pay a monthly fee for that?sorry have a lot of questions here. Thanks.

Imnadelady - mine is with the Diamondbacks.

nigel's mom - My understanding is that they need a specific Ship to Shore calling card (it's through AT&T but a regular AT&T card won't work from the ship.) That's only on the ship. In port mine also 'calls' via wifi using his iphone. We suspended the account like you did. In Hong Kong he was able to purchase a sim card for $20 or so that gave him 100 minutes of calls to the US. But...that was only in Hong Kong! (His iphone was unlocked before he left so he could use a sim card.)

None of those options works if he wants to communicate with other Navy friends in Japan, so I think many (most?) sailors also get some kind of phone to use locally. Don't know anything about that, except I think they're readily available on the bases.

Good luck to all the travelers....and peace to all the travelers' moms!!

He made it!!!!  Yay thank you so much for your help!! 

He text me last night a bunch of times when he got there.....wonder how much that is going to cost me...need to call Verizon.......he checked into a phone at the NEX and he said that they were very expensive and so was the plan........so wondering if he should get a phone or not and if I should suspend his phone??   Can he keep his phone and get on the plan out there?? 

He said he will have three weeks of INDOC before going out to the ship.....that is great that they bring them places to get them acclamated to the area.....right now I am assuming he is sleeping like a baby....I'm so glad he is there safe and sound. 

He has his laptop...do they have internet on the ship to skype?

No internet on the ship??????  I guess I thought we could skype or facebook while he was out to sea.....Little do I know....LOL

So I guess the best thing to do is get him the AT&T ship to shore calling card.

 I got the craziest news yesterday. My sailor's recruiter will be heading to the GW. My sailor has been in Japan since May 2011 and is now an MM2. His recruiter was previously on the GW as an MM2. I am guessing that they will be in the same shop now?at the same rate...

navymonfromCT- ny sailor had a verizon phone when he got in Japan.  Since he couldn't get service for it, he opted to just get a prepay phone for local.  He gave us a number we could text too. We text and it goes to his computer. However FYI, I read that Verizon has a new global option as of June, he is going to check into it when he returns to Japan.  

OK everyone want a good laugh.  My sailor gets to Japan and text me to call him at such a #, so I tried thru the telephone operator after getting a couple additional #'s Japan country #, but couldn't call on our landline phone plan.  So I tried my cell.  What is  a mother to do when you get a # to connect with that long distance sailor.  To make it short, my 45min phone call was $175.  It was the best $175 phone visit I've ever had and the last.  LOL.  

lmnadelady- just had a good laugh. thanks for that joke.

Lisa CCMom-yes they will send him back to A school just like my son's friend. He worked as undesignated for 2 yrs and was sent to Pensacola for A School.

lmnadelady-actually i'll take it back..twas not a joke..twas a real life story but very funny...i know i'm gonna do it too if i were in your shoes..how we are capable of doing crazy things just for our children

Imnadelady - To avoid such a large phone bill, you can get a Verizon international phone card at RiteAid for $20. On the back it tells you how to dial directly to your sailor's phone # using 011 for Japan's country code, 804 for the city code and then his number. This may save a few $!

Hello Everyone! It's nice to be part of this group and although I've been following your comments for a while I've finally decided to participate.  My daughter Constance is an ABF (Fuels). She fuels all the birds on the GW and has been aboard since January of this year. She has had several rough experiences on board with some of her male shipmates. She loves being on the flightdeck. Constance celebrated her 21st birthday when the ship was in Hong Kong. It was a such fun she said.  We communicate often via ships email, Facebook, Skype, texting and she calls when she can using a phone card we sent early on. She also has a cell phone that she purchased when she first arrived in Japan.  I do have a question for those any real experienced mom of a sailor. My daughter was recently diagnosed with a serious medical condition that will require surgery. Who do I contact to find out if we can be there for the surgery and all that her treatment will entail?  I would appreciate any help and would also appreciate prayer for my girl.

ssnowden12 nice to have you join the conversation.  Will be praying for your girl  and you!

Thank you to those who have responded to my call for prayer. I don't think my daughter would mind if I told you that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer. She just turned twenty-one in July. She is pretty devastated and we are as well. She just hasn't been able to get past the diagnosis yet. She is in training to be in security patrol but is having difficulty staying focused in class and her MA doesn't know what's going on. He just thinks she's slacking etc.  and is being very hard on her. She also doesn't understand why the delay in treatment. I don't believe she's been offerred any counseling support. How do they expect her to continue to function with this?  How would any of us?  Thanks for the start of the ships Ombudsman. I just can't see waiting until she gets back to Yokosuka for surgery.

Hello ladies! It has been a few days since I have posted but have been keeping up with all the conversations.

@ssnowden-I am soooo sorry to hear about your daughter.  It is our instinct as mothers to covet our children from any pain.  I cannot imagine having to go thru all of this with her being so far away.  I agree with the other ladies about contacting the ombudsman.  I have received helpful responses from the ombudsman myself.  That leads me to this......from my experience ONLY and working in the healthcare field for over 20 years and having a dear friend with cervical cancer.  I am assuming that she had a positive pap smear and they did additional biopsies to check for the depth of the affected tissue.  If not, this will first be performed.  After this, which they may do several times, and is considered an "office procedure", they will then do a procedure called a conization or a cone biopsy.  From there they will proceed further with cervical ablations.  Unfortunately, the process of treatment is very long and grueling.  The positive thing is that the cervix regrows itself. It is one of the areas of the body that does this. Also, if caught early, they will just continue with paps every few months for 2 years.  If she has had regular annual pap smears, this should be the case. Only after doing these procedures will they consider removing the cervix.  You need to be sure that they are actually telling her it is cancer or if she is showing positive for HPV or pre-cancerous cells.  If this is the case, this is really not too bad of a situation and can easily be treated.  I cannot believe that if she has undergone all of this and being officially diagnosed that they would not move her to a medical center for treatment. If this is the case, she can go to the chaplain and discuss the issue to be addressed with her superiors and physician.  If this fails, I would advise contacting your local Red Cross and see if there is anything that they can assist you with in getting the correct information and her back home.  I pray for you both and that she is in the beginning stages of biopsies and this is not actual cancer.

Please do not misunderstand me, I am not trying to make light of this situation at all because it is very serious.  I am just trying to help you (and her) understand the process and what may actual be going on.  :) Prayers with you both! Mom hugs to you!

Thank you all for your support and info during this time in our lives. My daughter has emailed me again to say that today she was feeling more focused during work. I have already heard back from the Ombudsman team for the GW.  They've encouraged me to have my daughter meet with the Chaplains on board for support/counseling. They've also asked if I want my email forwarded to any of the command leadership and Chaplains.  I ask for wisdom. I will be emailing my daughter to find out what she wants. In her last email to me she said that she could fight to be sent back to the US to have everything taken care of rather than at the base hospital in Japan.  I don't know what all has been done but that surgery is being scheduled. Again, please know how much I/we appreciate the wisdom being given, the support of you moms and Constance has said she already can feel the powerful prayer support. I can too. It made it possible for my husband and I to do our music ministry although I did lose it after worship.  By the way, my name is Sharon and my husbands name is David.  Our thanks and love to you all! 

@Sharon-I would ask my daughter what she wanted to do before you forward an email to her command.  Which surgery is being scheduled?

I will do my best to help you guide her thru the medical field.  As always, knowledge is power.  It is easier to slay the dragon if you know everything about him.  You may email me here if you would like to discuss anything in a private email.  My prayers are with you and your daughter for guidance, wisdom and healing hands to touch your daughter. 

@gamagnolia  I have emailed my daughter and asked what she wants me to do. Thank you for your help.  I have also encouraged her to go back to medical to meet with the doctor again for clarity on her diagnosis and treatment plan. I will update you when I hear back from her. I agree, knowledge is power! Prayer is even more powerful!

@ stephsmom  Thank you for the prayers! All prayers lifting Constance up are really being felt by her and our family.  Ask Stephanie to ask Constance what nickname her parents/sister call her.  Then I know if it's the same Constance.  :)

Constance has an appt with the doctor to go over everything thoroughly. Again, many, many, thanks to you gamagnolia for your input. It's helped Constance focus on what questions to ask etc.  

Thank you Jesus for each of these wonderful women who have already given so much of themselves to aid me and my daughter.  Bless them and bless our children who answered the call to serve God and country.  Godspeed to all aboard the GW cvn73.

I will keep you all posted on our progress.  Thanks again!

Glad I could help! Prayers with us all! Please keep us posted.

ssnowden12 my heart breaks for you. I can't even begin to imagine the desperation you must be going through. I will keep your daughter, you and your family in my prayer. God bless.

- miriam

Good morning all, I'm sure this question has been asked pleanty of times but does anyone know how long it takes for a package to get to the ship? I sent a couple of packages to my daughter (8/18 and 8/20) and though I have a tracking number, the package according to the tracking number left Illinois but that's all the info they have. Is having a tracking number even relevant when sending to our sailors overseas? Thanks

@ Miriam43   Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Also, our packages get to the ship when they get there. Tracking numbers don't mean anything. They will only show your package reaching the base - if that. My daughter said that it will probably take a month to get our care packages while deployed.  I just keep sending them and sending them and sending them. . .

Snow and Katlanta, is it okay if I email you the address I have? I just want to make sure I have it correctly, it's soo strange and foreign to me that I just want to make sure it looks right before I send more boxes to that address - thanks again ladies :)

See that's not exactly how it looks like :/

Actually, that's not it at all :(

what i have is this:

Rate, Sailor's Name

VFA (#), Unit (#)

FPO, AP 96602

does that look right?

My sailors address is a little different from the standard format also.  Sometimes when they work in a special division that is also included.

I know, its still something I'm not used to. Actually, I don't think I'll ever get "used to it" it's just a different way of living and I have to be strong and support her. But still, doesn't mean I have to like it ;0) Thanks ladies a bunch! I'm sure in a couple of days or so I'll be getting that "thanks mom" email from my sailor til then... a shopping I must go!! :)

I don't believe everyone has the same Zipcode.  My Airman's goes to the Squadron and is 96601

@ stephsmom  Oh, interesting that there is another Constance on board. My daughter has been there since January of this year.

@miriam Oops that's what I meant. I was told by the USPS that since our sailors

have an FPO, the mail goes to San Francisco then to wherever they are stationed.  I live in Suisun City, CA (Northern California) so it only takes a day from here to SF then to wherever.  :-D

I mailed my first package two weeks before Christmas (he had just reported to Seattle Dec,1)  The package got to San Diego from NY in a day and half.  Then it took 5 weeks.  The Squadron was just returning from a deploy and they all went on leave.  Seems no one wanted to get the mail or something.  My hubby and I had spent an entire day baking 4 different Christmas cookies for him..  They all woofed them down when they did get them.  :)  Seems to take a couple weeks on the ship, but with his email access sketchy, I'm not sure how long.  But I keep shipping them!

no such luck :0/

mine didn't fly out to the ship until the 24th.  Last email was Aug 28th.  Curious where they are,  maybe they will post something soon.  I'm getting tired of just drifting LOL!

@imnadelady  They are in Guam. Per the postings on Facebook. There are pics of dignitaries visiting the ship and taking tours.  I hear from my sailor everyday via ships email.  Btw everyone, my daughters lab tests came back pre-cancerous cells.

Thank you Jesus!  So, biopsies to come and another test.  Thank you all for your prayers!  Keep praying!

ssnowden-That is awesome news.  A real easy fix, this is not uncommon.  It actually happens to over 75% of young women under the age of 28.

Vi-love to hear when the little ones are excited about school. Too bad it doesn't stay that way forever.

We have had a few emails from our sailor, No mention of the packages yet though.  Hopefully soon.

You can add wintergreen lifesaver mints to that Irish spring list.  It will made everything smell and taste like Wintergreen. I put them in a Ziploc freezer bag to try to contain the smell.

I haven't heard from my daughter in a while. I sent her an email via yahoo and via f/b but I haven't received any response so it's not like I can tell her anything :0/ When I don't hear from her, it can feel so (I don't even know if there's a word to explain it) almost like a falling sensation and you still haven't hit rock bottom. When I hear from her I'm good but the mind is a powerful thing and it can play tricks on you and that's how i've been feeling lately. Last time I heard from her she was working nights. She said it was "cool" - I would think it's terrifying working on the flight deck at night but then that's me. She also said she was a bit sea sick and the pills she was taking made her sleepy which "sucked" lol - oh well, my daily prayer, God please be with them, give them calm seas and, keep them safe. I know they're "adults" but to me (being in my mid 40s) they're babies so I ask God to please take care of our babies at sea. Happy Thursday ladies, God bless :)

snow....thinking of you and sending prayers!

My sailor made it to Japan...It has been a week...he is on a barge and taking classes for INDOC and getting acclamated to the area......He got a phone there so we can talk and text......he was told that the GW is full, so he has no idea when he will be going out to the ship....anybody run across this situation???

I am so ANNOYED with USPS right now.  I sent my sailor 2 packages, and he still hasn't gotten them.  I saw thepics on FB of a mail delivery , so I'm hoping.  I will send things UPS from now on.  Although I did tell him to watch out for folks who smell like shortbread!