Great Lakes A School Q&A

Phase 3 lasts until he leaves Great Lakes.  He can be put back to a lower phase, but only if he messes up badly.  As a training command, all student sailors are subject to stricter liberty than in the fleet.  Although every command in the Navy has some limits, such as travel distance allowed, and in some liberty ports, maybe a curfew overseas.  There are a lot of variations out there.

Here are the liberty phases for Great Lakes, he probably doesn't know them all yet!

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

You probably can check him out no problem.  Overnight ... flip a coin,  some weeks some of the schools are good about it, if anyone has screwed up lately, then no.  It really does vary that much.  Let us know how it goes!  

Usually a week or so.  It is a good idea for him to be proactive about chits, make sure they don't sit unseen on a desk.

My son has graduated from Boot Camp and is now formally a sailor.  He is attending his A school in Great Lakes and is a GSM.  He will be training as a Gas Turbine Mechanic.  Can any moms or loved ones with experience advise if this is for the Ships or Aircrafts?  Presuming Ships...  If so, what kind of ship?

Hello Fellow Navy Moms, I have a ton of food  from a packing party and I am preparing food boxes to send to our sailors, I need about 6 more sailors to send surprise boxes to.  message me or friend me and send me info.  My son leaves 4/1 so time to get rid of this food , thank you and god bless your Sailor

All the aviation schools are down in Pensacola, so yes, ships.  Pretty much every type of ship, as they work on the seawater systems too, which is vital to every ship.

 http://www.navydads.com/forum/topics/gs-gas-turbine-technician-gse

Hi, I'm going to visit my fiance April 15th and I was wondering what is the best way to get from o'hare to the naval base and back. I've seen some things on taking the train which is fairly inexpensive, but it looks extremely difficult and i've only found directions to the base and not from the base back to the airport. I arrive at 11;15am and my flight leaves monday the 18th at 9am if that helps. Thank you for the help!!!

cerena, is it still around $50 from the hotel back to ohare?

Maria, did you find out yet if your fiance's chits were approved? Mine is also a phase 2 GM and just put in the exact same chits for when I visit him. I am really anxious wondering if he will get approved or not!

I haven't been this anxious in a longgggg time!

Megs ... he has to put in a chit asking for you to be his liberty buddy.  Each thing he is requesting needs a separate chit, so don't put it on the marriage one.  Usually gets approved.

jayjay ... there is no set schedule ... but he will go to indoc, which will instruct him on his duty days and the base liberty policies.  He'll get up early every morning, muster, go to chow, then report to whatever temporary job they give him.  Could be helping in an office, but usually is cleaning, either janitor stuff or outdoors.  Mandatory PT might be in there too.  His official work day will end around 1600 if he doesn't have duty, but because he's in phase one liberty, he can't even leave the base on week days.   He'll be busy, in a hurry up and wait kind of way.  Terrible time to visit, and no, he can't take leave.

Here are the liberty phases:

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

One more question...in Lake County, we have to get the license the day before we marry...will he be allowed to leave on a Friday AND a Saturday, one for the license and one for the actual wedding?  Or would it be better to get the license on a Saturday when he can bring 2 sailors with him to leave and then wait and get married the next time he is allowed to leave (the chit being approved).  

The Lake County office is open late enough that you can get the license on Friday afternoon when liberty is called.  So even if he doesn't get all of Friday off, you have enough time to get it done.  They have special Saturday morning hours for weddings, early, like 9 in the morning.  

The marriage chit should go in about a month before, so he has time to do whatever they tell him to do (class or counseling).  The chit for liberty buddy deviation should be a week or so beforehand, time enough to get signed, but not too early.

The chits are really easy, I must have done about a million of them myself.  For time off, to change my name after I got married, to move offbase, to talk to the CO, all sorts of things.  He has to get used to doing them, it is a regular part of Navy life.

Hi y'all!  Question about meals at A school in Great Lakes.  While in A school, are meals provided for or do the sailors have to purchase their own meals? 

My son currently is in BC at GL and will stay at GL for A school.  My godfather and I were talking the other day and he made a comment that when my son goes to A school, he will have to start paying for his meals.  My godfather was in the Navy YEARS ago so his info may be outdated. 

Galley meals are free for those living on base.  Married students who live offbase pay for galley meals from their BAS.  Yes, outdated information. 

My fiance and I have decided (85% anyway) that I am going to move to Great Lakes once we are married-hopefully June 4th, as long as the Navy approves it and his chits are approved.  Does anyone have any good info to share about this?  We don't need to spend a lot of money on housing since he can't live with me.  I need advice on:

1. Inexpensive housing

2. Part-time jobs

Thank you all for your support!!  I would literally be lost without this group!

The Navy cannot disapprove a marriage chit unless it is not a legal marriage, or the sailor is underage (no longer happens, but there used to be 17 year olds in the Navy).  So that chit will be approved, just be ready for some resistance from the sailors who think marriage should wait until after deployment.  They can't say no, but they can be darn grumpy about it.

If you're a spouse, you can still invoke the military clause.

It can't hurt to have him on the lease, but you should be on it too.

Hello! I have a question about sending packages to GL A School. The USPS tracking shows that the package that I sent to my husband was "DELIVERED, TO AGENT" which was a post office in North Chicago, 60064 this morning. His zip code should be 60088. Is this seemed right? How do packages normally deliver to the base? It's my first time to send him a package. I appreciated if anyone knows the answer. Thank you very much.  

Ethna, that's awesome. Thanks a million. 

Anyone have a Sailor in Great Lakes for GSM A School? 

I think I've read the answer to my question somewhere on here, but I can't find it now. My son is in ATT school right now and will finish that in the month or so. He's an FC. He just texted me and said that he's putting a leave chit in for after ATT. Do those chit typically get approved between ATT & A school. From what I'm reading, it's quite possible that he'll go back on hold again before A school begins. He was on hold after PIR for about 4 months. Sorry for the repeat question.

Does anyone know the courses and length for a GSM at GL?

@ annrea ... in general, leave chits between the two schools are not approved, but that varies a lot with FCs because of the long holds.  He should try, at least!  Let us know how it goes.

Welcome mleelbg,

Have you joined the boot camp group?  This one of for A school afterward, so may not be of most use to you just yet.  Do you know your son's rating?  If you do, we can tell you where his A school will be.

http://navyformoms.com/group/bootcampmoms

Is there a graduation ceremony for Operational Specialists?  Do Operational Specialists attend C-School?  If so, where does C-School take place?

Thank you!

Most A school graduations are fairly small and modest.  You can go, but it is nothing as grand as PIR.  

With OS, they usually go directly to a ship, then if a C school is needed, they would be sent later.  Very few have C school directly out of A school.  San Diego and Norfolk are where those schools may be (depends on specific systems, so no hard and fast answer).

Hello,

My fiance started BECC school last Thursday.  He was told he has 113 days of school (I believe this includes BECC and the other schools that follow).  Am I correct in assuming those are 113 Monday-Friday?  I can't imaging they count Saturdays and Sundays in that 113, right?  

No, it does not include weekends and federal holidays, or hold times.  That is just seat time in class.