Great Lakes A School Q&A

Good Morning ladies.  My SR is still in BC but will go to A school in GL.  I was wondering at what point can he have a cell phone?  Just wondering how we will communicate after PIR and registering for A school.  Do we just hang around & wait.  I am assuming that we can't go with him.  I'd love to see the school, but by some of the comments, it doesn't sound like we will be able to do that. 

You can hand him his cell phone as he goes over to his A school.  He has to go over with the rest of the students, so no family.  It is just nuts checking in, he would have no time for you.  You can go wait at the visitors center, and possibly the base naval museum while you are waiting.  Takes a few hours.

The schools are pretty dull, pretty much like office buildings for the most part.  

Hello everyone my daughter pir was 5/10/13.now she is in A school on hold for OS class to start.Does anyone have any idea how long that might take??

Sunita -

It might be a week, it might be a month, you really don't know.  When my son was waiting to "class up" he was woken up at about 11pm and told that he started ATT the next morning and to muster at 0600!  The important lesson to learn is to be patient and flexible.  :)

how do you get a PIR driving pass? My husband's at boot right now. They just gave me a password to get on and off base. Not like an actual pass. By then I should have my military ID though. Another question, my husbands RDC said that if I moved to chicago, he would be able to live with me during A school. I know the Navy wouldn't sponsor that move because it will only be 4 months. But does anyone know anything about this? My husband said he was trying to get more information.

oh, one more! sorry! My husband graduates on 6/28 and will be staying in Great Lakes. Will he have any liberty over the following week because of the 4th of July holiday? I know that's a long shot but figured I'd ask.

J's wife: here is a link to follow. Once your husband is 11 days out from PIR you can print off the gate pass.

http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/upcoming_grads.asp

In regards to what your husband's RDC told him about you moving up there... I'd let your husband find out the facts before you do anything drastic. My husband is up at GL right now for A school and he will be there for 3-4 months as well. I only live 4 hours away and I just looked at a sublease this past weekend. My husband and I decided to not get it for multiple reasons but one of them was because HE needs to have time to study and be focused. If I am there I will demand more of HIS time and he wont get as much study time in. I have even thought of only seeing him for dinner most nights and I still think it will be too much of an intrusion on his time to get stuff done.

They really do keep their sailors busy through the whole week. Between laundry, class, studying, duty sections every 4 days. There isn't a lot of time to spend with your husband.

It is a very hard and difficult realization to come to but over the past 3 weeks I am getting there and starting to see the picture.

I hate to say this because I would move up to GL in a heartbeat if I felt it was the right thing to do, BUT it might be better for your husband to live on base and you come visit during some weekends. That is what I am going to do.

This past weekend was my first visit with my husband since PIR and it was WONDERFUL but I felt like I took a lot of time away from him too. He has his first school test tomorrow along with his oral board to phase up. He could have spent more time studying this weekend if I wasn't there.

On the other hand he got Friday night and Saturday night liberty!! He had to be back by 6am on Sunday but this was something that both of us were not expecting!

Obviously I cannot tell you what to do and you will make whatever decision you want but from my perspective I would recommend that you not move up there and if you don't mind driving, stay on a few weekends throughout his 4 months.

Also to answer your question about having contact in phase 1.. yes he gets to have his phone with him after he checks into A school.

Since he will be in Phase 1 during the 4th he will have to fill out a Chit and have it get approved to leave base with you. Because he will be fresh on base I don't know if the chit will get approved. It is definitely worth trying though!

Like I just told you, the weekend liberty with my husband happened during his Phase 1. It might be uncommon though and I hate to steer you in the wrong direction.

My son's PIR is June 7th! Can I bring him a laptop to use while in A school?

Any ladies here in great lakes yet? I moved up here valentines day and would love to make more friends :). Little bit about me I'm 24 I have 2 boys ages 2 1/2 and a 5 month old. I have two dogs as well I'm originally from Georgia lived there my whole life. I'm very friendly and love to talk lol. So if your up for more friends because you just moved here like me please message me! 

My son is staying in great lakes after PIR for A school. Can I bring him stuff like under clothes and phone etc. ?

Yes he can ha e that stuff but he won't be able to wear his civilian clothes until phase 2. Now he can wear his underwear and other things in his room before then. I brought my husband some lounge clothes and socks and things like that. I brought his phone,tablet and iPod. Then when I got home I shipped him the rest of his things until I moved down there 2 weeks later.

Howdy! My son graduated boot camp PIR 5/24/13. We lucked out because it was Memorial Day weekend and we had an extra day of Liberty to spend with him. We stayed at Navy Gateway which was very nice and very close to his ship. His rating is EN and he's looking forward to getting started. I'm looking forward to meeting you all and gathering all the information I can.

Are wives allowed to be with their husbands at A school?

Anti M- do you think that would be for the weekend, also? Or just the actual holiday?

Wooo hooo! Just got my "I'm a Sailor" call today!!! He will be staying in GL for Machinist Mate A School.......what groups are available?

I'm jumping a little ahead as my SR is still in BC but I had a question about A school.  Since guests are limited to 4 for PIR, some of our extended family members want to visit our son in A school.  He will be in GL for A school.  Will they be able to spend time with him? How does it work?  We are from So. California so it will flights & hotels would have to be booked ahead of time.  He said his A school is 14 weeks.

Thanks Angie, Anti M & Cathy....That is all very helpful.  My SR said that he's heard great things about A school & he is excited to go.  He's hoping he'll be able to room with another SR that he met in BC.  They are both GSM.  I have another question......I've read that some sailors are waiting for enough sailors to make a class before they start school.  Is that also a possibility if you are going to A school in GL?

Angie- I think you're right now that I'm looking at it. His A school has 2 parts, so I had assumed it was A and C. But it looks like it's all just one.

lol That's awesome; Hooray for engineers! 

My son will graduate GSM A school in June.  Welcome to the new GSM-ers :)  Don't see a lot of us around.

My son went to A School this past Monday.  Classes haven't started yet.

Angie....thx for your reply.  What is indoc & BECC?  Navy Speak didn't have a translation for it.

Indoctrination teaches them about the base policies, liberty phases, local area, and so on. Basic how to be a sailor on our base stuff.  BECC is basic engineering core course (I'm guessing the exact name), sort of like a prep course.

Anti M & Angie....thx for the info!  I'm trying to learn the language as much as I can so I don't spend most of my time asking what everything means and what's next!  I'm sure that will never end, but at least I'll know a little bit! haha!

Oh, don't worry, once you learn it all, they'll change it.  TSC Great Lakes used to be NTC Great Lakes.  RDCs used to be CCs.  Our divisions were platoons.  BEQs are now called ships.  It never ends, ou are so right about that!

Anti M I didn't know you were a twidget! That is what my son is. :)

ET?  There's more than one type.  

Anti M....you are hilarious.  Good to know, it will keep me on my toes!

Anti M or ellen0502.....just curious, what's a twidget? Again, couldn't find it anywhere!

Yes Anti M, ET.  He is ciurrently finishing up SATCOM, COMSEC and ISM. It has been hinted at with him that there may be more coming (if there is such a thing as a hint)

JJ4Navy, A Twidget is a sailor that works in the electronics field.

Good morning,

My sailor is starting A school Monday, does any have a sailor going to A school for OS @ GL??

@Noelle Blues Mom - YES!  My son is in Great Lakes A School also waiting for his OS classes to get started

ellen, your ET is working on communications, same thing as I did, but with much newer equipment and systems.  There's some good shore duty with that after he does his sea tour.  And yes, ETs can get a lot of C schools thrown at them.  

My old system was called AUTOSEVOCOM.   Like a secure landline telephone as compared to the wireless/satellite comm stuff your ET is learning.

Our son left for BC June 6th,2013. By what I have read on other forums, his PIR will be (maybe) August 2,2013. His A school will be in GL as he is going for Gas Turbine Techncian. I believe that is a 10 week school. His only sister is getting married Sept. 28th, 2013 in Nashville. She keeps asking me if he will be there, but I think I have her answer: no. (Anyone who knows for sure can second that conclusion). However, when we drive up to GL for his PIR can we bring his acoustic guitar and xbox system along with his laptop and cell phone? Also, what kind of clothing can we bring him? Anyone have a hotel that they recommend to stay in while there during his PIR? I am new to all this, any advice is greatly appreciated.