Great Lakes A School Q&A

Thank you for the info everyone.  This is all new to me.  I am used to boot camp now A school is an entirely new animal!  Um, actually, the Navy is a brand new experience and nothing like anything I have experienced before.  I appreciate your information!

Lisa4495 - My daughter mentioned something about checking with her cell phone provider and mobile wiifi.  She said several had mobile wiifi in her A school.  She also is paying $20/mo for her wiifi and it is really slow.  We can Skype but it lags behind and hangs up a lot.

I think it depends on the ship and the length of time they will be at GL. My sailor and his room mates were allowed to get internet installed in their room however they will be there quite a while. Longer than the 6 months most providers around here require a contract for.

I'm wondering if anyone here can tell me the very BEST way to ship a box to my sailor in A School?

Hi MomOf4.  I've sent my boxes through USPS, priority flat rate shipping box.  They have four sizes, and the boxes are free.  The largest is about $15 to ship up to 70 lbs.  I've sent packages from CA and it gets there in 2-3 days.

A word on shipping via UPS or FEDEX ...the package goes to the same mailroom as USPS ones, and your sailor has to go get it. This varies ba bit, but they don't deliver directly to the rooms.  If it is big, there may be lugging in winter involved, lol.

Thanks everyone for the shipping information.  This is all so new to me and the military really does not work like the civilian world! So, I would need to let her know that I am sending something and when so that she will be expecting it? I assume they don't notify her that she has a package.

Another question, I sent her a small pkg with her hair straightner, make up etc. for PIR and she has never received it.  Should she look at the post office on the A school side now in case it was sent over there after she graduated?

Let her know when a package is coming, but they do give them a notice.  As for the PIR package...she should ask her mail PO at A school if he can see if it was forwarded, but don't hold your breath.  It may be in limbo.  Possibly forever.  

Wonderful.  If they are going to let the females have a small pkg sent to them while in bootcamp for PIR why don't they take better care to make sure they get them?  OMG, it makes me so mad that I spent all that money and now its just floating around somewhere in limbo. Ugh!

I am very leary of sending anything to her now, even if she is on the other side of the street.

Momof4 - we mailed early Jan. my bro (PIR was 8/30/13) something (a congratulations card actually) and it took 3 weeks to get to him.  So know stuff gets there for A school but takes a while.

I guess it would not be a good idea to send her favorite cookies she has requested, they will be hockey pucks before she gets them!  I guess there is a 3 month hold on mail just like her classes. Can you tell I'm frustrated? lol

Momof4, yeah, you just have to keep breathing.  There's lots of ways to keep cookies fresh, the bread trick, or freeze them and pack them tight into a container. Honestly, the sailors love them even if they are hockeypucks.  This is practice for deployment, when a package can take 8 weeks to arrive when another mom got one there in a week.  So much fun.  And then there's the times the mail falls in the sea when the bags are being transferred.  Whoops.  Look on the bright side, Great Lakes doesn't require a customs form!

If you don't laugh, you will cry.  

Thank you all so much for the info. Not feeling so frustrated anymore!

I sure hope I get better at this Navy Mom thing!

Momof4, you're doing great.  You're here, you're learning, you care about your sailor.  There are many who can't or won't.  Before you know it, you'll be providing answers to the next set of new moms.  

Thank you Anti M.  Some days I do fine, other days I want to crawl up in a ball and pretend this isn't happening!

I am so proud of my daughter but at the same time I find myself wishing she wasn't such a strong woman! Huh, strong willed little girl turned into a strong woman, wonder why I'm surprised by that? lol

Do things get easier? My youngest son graduated on 01/10/14 I was able to attend and spend the whole weekend with him. I am so very proud of him but I can't seem to let go. Does anyone have any suggestions?

They have to have permission to have the desktop out, some of the barracks might not allow it.  Your sailor needs to ask the SDC directly what the policy is for their particular ship.  

Personally, I would not have a desktop at Great Lakes for three reasons: they change rooms/barracks at times.  New ship might not allow it, and if she has to carry everything she owns in one shot, she'd better hope she has friends who aren't busy.  The rooms are small, and there's theft, locking up a desktop each day would be a real hassle.  Portability again, you can't carry a desktop to the Loft for free wifi if the connection in your room sucks or is non-existent.   

They don't NEED a computer in their rooms at all, and many opt for a tablet instead. I just didn't want you thinking you HAD to go buy one if he didn't already have one :)

My daughter has her laptop with her but we bought her a Kindle for Christmas so that she can take it on the ship when she gets deployed.  She really likes the convenience of her Kindle because its small, compact and can do just about everything a computer can do.

Hi.  My SR will be transferring over to GL A school for Dive Prep.  He has asked me to bring his clothes.  Does anyone have any idea how much I should bring?  Are they allowed to wear anything they want?  I only got to speak to him once during his 10 weeks at BC and it was a short call.  I didn't get to ask him all these questions.  Are they allowed to go off base?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My son just transferred over to GL for school also.  I think they have to phase up before they can were civilian clothes.  I think each command is different though.  They have to be able to put all non navy items in there closet while not in the room so less is better at first.  They mostly stay in their uniforms at first.  They are allowed off base when on liberty as long as they are with other Sailors.  Or their parents.  I think though it depends on each command. Hope this helps some.

TJsMom - Hi - Our SR will also be transferring to A School for Diver Prep. 

He asked me to bring his running shorts and shoes.  I'm bringing him a few pr underwear, a shirt and pr of jeans, and 1 warm pj bottom and shirt.  May also bring a sweatshirt but don't know if it will fit in my already too packed suitcases. Also bringing laptop, iPod, and cell phone of course. 

Wondering about where the SRs get their taxes done for 2013?  I'm bringing him a copy of his tax return from last year and W2s, just in case he needs it when he gets his taxes done.  Wondering if NEX has someone providing tax prep svcs for sailors. Going to check the local area to see if there's an AARP tax service, which is free, and not just for seniors. 

Not many Divers in this group.  Hope they all become good friends.  They may have a wait to class-up. 

Here is the liberty policy for Great Lakes, which explains when they can wear civilian clothes, and their offbase liberty privileges:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/training-support-center-tsc-great-la...

As new sailors, they must earn the privilege to dress as they please (even then, there;s a dress code), and to go offbase and have later curfews.  

There is free tax preparation help on every Navy base.  Important to use the military version, because the preparers are familiar with military exemptions and allowances, which states don't tax military pay, extended deadlines for the military, and so on.

my son is EOD so he will stay there to, for dive prep...so we can bring them clothes?

Base housing in the US is privatized, so it is off base.  There may be exceptions I don't know about, but as far as I've seen over the last few decades, none of it is actually on base.  Overseas, it is.

Live Ashores at Great Lakes have been required to have a car in previous years.  Probably still the policy, so he needs to check on that as soon as he can.  

Hi Beth - my son just went over to GL on Jan 10th.  He seems to like it alot and has gotten to go with shipmates to Chicago and receive some fun personal items (like a TV and Playstaytion) to keep them entertained while they wait to class up.  Are you attending PIR?

Hi Madeline, your husband is both right and wrong.  While in uniform, sailors have to curb their public affection, but it doesn't apply to hugs at PIR.  As a matter of fact, it's a total hug and tear fest! Those first hugs after PIR are the best ever!  Make sure someone has a camera to capture the moment, as pictures at PIR are only allowed in the drill hall, not outside on the base.  It's a Kodak moment that is about as wonderful as those first baby photos. Congratulations to you and your new sailor!