USS George Washington Sailors

So exciting to hear Moms planning to see their sailors for the holidays. Navy Ma, I feel for you. I never expect to see my son until right before time for him to step on the plane. He has never been called back but I know it can happen. As for Christmas later...it works well for them. Yes, they miss home on the holidays as much as we miss them being there but they muddle through, just like us. We celebrated Christmas late two years in a row, and we got out Christmas lights, music, and ran Frosty the Snowman on dvd in May. He actually got better gifts cuz we were able to save up a bit longer and got "after Christmas sales" stuff.

I suppose the Christmas that was hardest was his first Christmas in. He left for GL the week before Thanksgiving and did not graduate until after New Years. He was not home for any of the holidays. By far though the worst was Christmas because he got to call home for a few minutes. He cried, I cried, and everyone else had just left so he was only able to wish me a Merry Christmas. We got over it though and he got a few of his gifts the weekend he graduated.

This year, he and his wife have decided to save up for the honeymoon they did not get time to have before he moved to Japan. They can't afford to come home and go to Europe for a couple of weeks, but this time is important to them. I am buying them a new camera (the one he got for hs graduation got stolen outside his work area about the time they were in Hong Kong) for Christmas so they can take nice pictures while they are traveling.

Good luck with holiday plans everyone! I will be missing my sailor and his wife but they are planning a holiday meal at their apt with a couple of shipmates and a couple of neighbors. If your sailor is at Atsugi, maybe she/he will be eating with my sailor!  

I am so happy to hear about all of your sailors coming home, ohh happy days those will be.  We will not be that fortunate this year and I knew better than to hope for it and I was okay with it but I didn't expect my son to beg me to come to Japan.  This will be our first Christmas apart. He is my oldest child and I have 3 others at home under the age of 8 so picking up and flying to Japan for a week is not an option for me since my husband does not have vacation time to stay home and watch the kids and we have no one else willing to watch them either.  Any advice or suggests to get into the holiday spirit would be welcome since I normally have my shopping done by not and this year I just do not care.  To make matters worse my husband is working Thanksgiving Day so we will be home doing nothing.

I am so happy for all the mom's that are planning on going to Japan to see their Sailor's!! How exciting! My son has his leave approved, so he will be home on Dec. 29th. I would love to plan a trip to Japan, but would want to go with his GF, and she is in Nursing School. Maybe someday before he's done in Japan. I feel lucky because I get to communicate with my son frequently, either on facebook, or he usually calls once a month, if time allows. I miss him very much, but I am very proud of him. We all understand, when they leave us to join the Navy, they belong to the Navy, and we have to take what ever communication we can get. They will always be our sons, or daughters, no matter where they are! Peace and Love to all! 

TraceJ, I feel your pain. I went through the same thing, and it took me a while to develop a Plan B.  I finally found a wonderful group that delivers meals to people with terminal illnesses on Thanksgiving. Now i do this every year. I'm sure there is something like this near you too. Your kids might enjoy it and it'll teach them at a young age about helping others. Of course nothing takes the place of having your son at home, but skype may be the next best thing. all the best to you.

Navy Ma... keep yourself busy with smiling until your cheeks hurt.

I got an email this morning too. My good news is one of his buddies is going to introduce him to his fiancee girlfriend... woo hoo. I like the idea that he's excited about getting back to shore for a while and meeting a girl. I hope they like each other and he has someone to look forward to seeing when he gets into port.

I salute all my friends and family that are serving or have served. Thanks fellow veterans!

kate,

They have family meetings regarding ship movements. Also if there are any parties being planned, etc... on base. If you Sailor should tell you anything regarding ships movement don't post it here unless it has been released by the Ombudsman or the commander.

May be reminding them of last minute details...new curfew, holiday work schedules, travel info, and what to tell family members who will be meeting them at the dock, etc. It's also within a week or two of time for the 2nd cycle of advances to be posted so, who knows? It could also just be a congrats on a safe deployment, what they have accomplished, what they have learned, etc.

I certainly don't worry about meetings when they are this close (except I did read where there was a fairly devastating quake in Myanmar yesterday which is reasonably close to their patrol areas). All in all, I think all hands meetings are good.  

Does anyone know of any Cheap plane flights from Atsugi Japan to the USA? My daughter has leave Nov. 30 - Dec. 14 but tickets from Tokyo Japan to Denver Colorado are around $1400.00!

childcare fun for kids,

That is cheap. It will probably be the best you can find right now. Your daughter will fly out of Narita. The only cheaper flight you will get would be a military hop to Seattle and then purchase a ticket from Seattle. But there is no guarantee of getting on a Military hop.

I would call Delta, American and United and see what they have, looking one day later/earlier on each end. $1400 is not high but you may get a little consideration for luggage, change fees and what the airlines call "military discount". The military hop is a great idea coming home, your daughter could go and wait for a flight but you have to get a definite return back to get to Japan on time. I booked my son's flight a while ago and I am paying $1450. My son is based at Atsuji and he is going out of Haneda ( airport closer to Atsuji - he can take the train) and back into Narita where he can take the bus or train back to base.Good luck finding a flight. So excited for you to see your daughter soon.

Navy Ma , all the more to smile about to keep hubby on his toes. LOVE IT!

Moose, sorry I didn't see your post earlier. Congrats to you and your sailor and best wishes for everyone. Always part of the family.

So excited, booked my flight today for March 5th!!!

kwassaimee, were you able to get a reservation at the Navy hotel?

kwassaimee, which base will you be traveling to? How much will it cost for Navy Lodge there if that is where you are staying? I am thinking that maybe in late 2013 or early 2014 I might be able to go.

My Daughter just called the internet is really bad or has been down. the phone line was pretty bad also.

Yeah, would love to get a room in the Navy Lodge but were going to figure out the hotel situation when they get back to their ports, which should be soon.

We are leaving Saturday for Japan! We were able to get $1100 fares on United just about 3 weeks in advance. That was about the lowest I've seen. Will give a report on the Navy Lodge when we return - we are staying for a week at Atsugi. I have not wanted to jinx things by posting (or even thinking!) about the trip...but I'm getting very excited!! Not sure how it's all going to work out as the details seem to change daily......but it will be an adventure!!

Carol: how exciting for you! I thought they where suppose to come into port Thanksgiving? Can't wait to hear about your trip when you get back!

Rose 

OH Carol, so excited for you. You are going to have the BEST time EVER! We were in Japan a couple years ago and just loved it. We have friends there and were treated VERY well and saw a lot. I'm excited to go back and see the upper part of the country with my son. I'm sure our friends will join us for a while at least.

I got an email and my son says he won't be taking leave this time around. I didn't think he would. He's so new and still learning the ropes. I don't ever say anything so he learns for himself. It will be very different this year without him. Maybe he'll call though.

OH CAROL... can't wait to hear about your trip!!!

CArol, If you see my son and his wife while you are at Atsugi, tell them hello and Happy Thanksgiving (and of course give them a big Navy Mom hug). Enjoy your trip and find out all you can about places to visit, places to eat, and other stuff!!!! So happy you are going. Have a safe trip and a happy holiday.

I will be packing lots of hugs!! ;)

@ Carol - So psyched for you. Enjoy!

Does anyone know how long after a sailor completes their 4th year, it takes to get their hash at the bottom of their sleeve? Does their 1st year start the day they arrive at bootcamp? I just realized my son has been in 4 years as of this week. Wow time flies....only 2 more active to go (unless he reenlists for another 6, which I think he will).  

Hello Everyone! My husband is on the GW and the kids and I are finishing our paperwork to come out to Japan. :)

PLURkittie, Yay! Navy Mom and Navy kids!!!! So happy you will be able to join him. If you are going to Atsugi, you need to find my DIL. When the ship is out, she spends a lot of her time baby-sitting for the sailors' kids. They recently bought a car so she would be happy to help you get places, too.

What is your guy's opinions on how much someone should save for japan if they were to be there for three weeks. If plane and hotel is already paid. Aside from that.

Has anyone heard from their sailor?  For weeks now, we've had nothing but dropped calls.  The reception has been horrible.  Usually I will get return e-mails though, and now I'm not getting e-mails either.  Just want to make sure everything is ok.

Christmas ideas are needed too!  I've heard plenty of "I don't have room for anything", so I need something small and creative :)

I received an email from my sailor this morning.  They have had many issues with email and phones, according to him.  He calls very infrequently, but attempts to email everyday.  Everything is going alright, as far as I can tell. And they had the Fray on board Friday night.  He was really excited about getting the photos and videos to share later.

Kimberly, I think they have been very busy winding down the deployment. I read somewhere that they were also prepping for the Physical Fitness tests, they just completed another joint operation with the Japanese fleet and yes, I saw the pics of The Fray at the Washington's fb page. I'm so glad they have gotten to have a well deserved reward.

Oh yeah! I also saw a link where they were reporting Navy news and the Advancement Center has said the results for the PO advancements should be posted as early as tomorrow (19th) but no later than the Thanksgiving holiday. I will see if I can go back and find the link to post here. I think it was at navy.mil

I got 3 calls yesterday but the reception was terrible and we kept getting cut off and I too usually at least get an e-mail about how bad the phones were and nothing. I keep telling myself just to be thankful they have the phones even if they don't work very well.  I heard his voice and other than the fact that he said he was cold and he sounded tired...he is alive and I heard his voice.  Thanks Katlanta for the Christmas ideas. 

Amazonmom,

No your son does not need a passport to come home or go back to Japan. He needs to have a copy of his leave chit and his Military ID and that is it. And I only book flights directly on the airline site. I have only used American Airlines for my boys flying to and from Japan. And they have been great for them.

Thank you, momof2sailors!  I did book American and directly through the site, but kind of freaked out there when it said he needed a passport.  He had told me he did not, but glad to be reassured. 

I accidentally deleted my comment instead of replying to it.  It's been that kind of day around here!  Thanks again for the reassurance! 

Amazonmom,

Make sure if you haven't already get him a frequent flyer number. When flying back and forth from Japan the miles really rack up. And make sure you call American and let them know that he is active duty. That way if he should get recalled he won't have to pay any chg fees for his ticket and stuff. And also there is no question about you being able to go thru security in order to meet him at the gate when he arrives. My son arrives on the 4th of DEC from Japan and I am so counting down the days. T-minus 16 days. WOOT WOOT

Good advice on the frequent flyer number...didn't think of that.

We went to Kyoto when visiting too, just beautiful there. We also went and saw pearl divers, temples and ate LOTS of good food. The plastic models in the windows are a great help.

Nancy W, just reading your very interesting post...you mentioned staying in a ryokan - I looked up a few of these when I visited last year and the prices seemed much lower than the hotels. Did you find this to be true? I was concerned about not being able to speak very much Japanese, but if you think it's not necessary, maybe this would be an option. Do you have any advice about it?

In regards to the sheets. If you send really nice ones they get stolen. And that is why in the past moms have sent the goofy sheets. And another thing to think about is, when I send my sailor a care package I get a medium size brown box instead of using the post office large flat rate boxes. I can send more in the brown box than I can in 3 of the large PO boxes. I try to only send care packages when they are deployed. Mine and his shop like to get Starbucks Whole Beans and Dunkin Donut Whole Bean coffee. And the flavored creamers and fiber one bars. You know the healthy stuff. I do throw some junk in there to. And the reason I was send 3 large PO boxes is because my son shares with his squadron. Hence me moving to just one big box. And when they are deployed I try to send one box a month. 

I have received several calls from my sailor and they last about 30 seconds....Enough to say Hi...how are you and then lost.....I hope they are back to port soon.....once they get back to Japan can anybody tell me where they sleep....is their home the GW when they are in port or do they get to move into barracks???  Thanks!!  Hope everybody who gets to see their sailor for the holidays has a great time!  I haven't heard anything so I am assuming since its his first year he is not coming home....???

There is a story on the Navy website saying that Airwing 5 has left the GW and returned to Atsuji.

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- The forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington's embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, conducted their fly off to return to Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan, Nov. 17.

Navy Mom,

The F18's do fly off the plane before the GDUB comes into port. The crew like my son who works on them will return to port when the GDUB pulls back into Yokuska.

Another thing I have heard is that they can opt to live on the ship (cheaper rent). As katlanta says, rate has something to do with it as well, so does marital status. Befoe my son's wife moved to Japan he was in E4 barracks (more often with only 1 roommate). As soon as his wife moved there (during the first 1/2 of this deployment) they got an apartment (eighth floor) on base. His time home during their stop in July/August was filled with moving his belongings from barracks and ship to their apartment.  

I don't know about others but my son has never really had a bad or lonely Christmas or Thanksgiving while overseas. His first ones (both at GL) were the hardest for all of us. Since then he has been lucky and either been able to come home or has been where we could Skype for an hour or two.

When he was in A school and C school they had co-ed areas and small ranges in the rooms so everyone pitched in a created a large meal. I think some of the guys went to KFC and got a few boxes of chicken and the girls cooked beans, corn, potatoes and a few appetizer type things. They all ate together in the common area of the dorm and had their own feast. He did similar events in Korea.

It is sooo hard for them to be around the world at holidays but it is actually worse for us thinking about it, than it is for them. They are with friends experiencing how another part of the world celebrates holidays, and working, and having fun, and growing. Maybe home for Easter? Or next Christmas?? :-)

Thanks Katlanta for the info on the housing.  I am so glad that your here to help.  I really had not asked my son, but he had asked for some pictures and said don't put them in frames because I have no idea where I will be living when we get back. He only said it depends on what's available and who's on the list etc. He's an E4, but he just got there right before they left in July. Luckily he's pretty easy going and really doesn't care where he is living. His only complaint so far was that he has to work on Christmas day...on the ship.  He didn't say it but I think he was worried that he wouldn't be able to call home that day.  When I reminded him that we are about a day behind him, so really he will be working on Christmas Eve our time, he was like Oh that will be ok. And I told him he can call me any day or any night and it's like Christmas to me. Just like peetreesmama said. 

Kimberly, one thing you might want to think about is trying to find an inexpensive digital frame. If you can find one of the small ones that can be battery operated he could take many pictures to barracks, office, or ship...only one frame. Actually most sailors take iPods, laptops, etc during deployment so they must have power available on ship. A small electric one might work, too.

Just got a facebook message 'back in Yoko!'

Congrats TX Mom!! My DIL texted earlier to say my son was on the shuttle back to Atsugi.