Nuke School Charleston

M/T is a combination of EMs and ETs in the same class.  The MMs are in a separate class.

My son said he was in class 1237.  What does the MT stand for?

There are so many MMs, EMs, ETs and MT to keep track of. Its crazy. My son is in class 1237MT and he is an EM electricians mate. Anyone else have a sailor with mine?

@ LA - see my post right below yours.

In the nuke program you are either a MM, EM, or ET.  MM's have a different A school schedule and are put in classes together.  EM's and ET's have a very similar A-School and are classed together in classes that denote that - hense the M (for EM)/T (for ET).  It's only toward the end of their 6 month A school that the EMs and ETs separate.  

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!   MAY EVERYONE HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!

LuvMySailor, I just made a bunch of the neck coolers you are talking about. You should buy 44-45" wide material, that is the length of the scarf, then cut a strip 3-1/2" wide. Fold lengthwise with right sides together and sew one end and the long edge, leaving one end open. It is nice if you taper the sewn end. Then you will turn it inside out and iron it flat. You will then sew a crosswise line 12-14" from the sewn end. Then you will pour 1/4 tsp. of the water storing crystals into the tube, measure 4" and sew another line. Repeat until you have 4 pockets each filled with 1/4 tsp. of the crystals (the crystals will swell a bazillion times their original size, so don't put more than 1/4 tsp. in each section). The other end should also be 12-14" to match the sewn end. Sew the end up and you are done! You can buy the water storing crystals in most gardening centers, I got mine at Walmart. Check the package to make sure it is non toxic.

Here is a picture of a neck cooler I made:

hello all!!

bb--nice to hear from you again.  congrats on your husband making it through A school!!   so your husband is in power school now.  my son will be graduating from power school this month.   good luck to you and him!!!

hello all!

well my son has graduated from power school!!  so proud of him and the other sailors!!  graduation was great!!

congrats on your son graduating.    my son will be starting power school when he gets off t track.  what is advice on helping them through this?  dont mean to put you on the spot, but  any words of wisdom or things you did that really helped your son? 

hello all!!

i just gave him encouragement and told him to do his best!  that is all anyone can ask of someone.    i also would ask him of there is anything he would like when i knew i would be sending him packages.  then i would put something (a favorite snack or a note) extra in.  i sent a package about once a month.  the thing i did the most was pray for him!!!

Ozzie's mom, the best advice I can give is to make sure he knows to put in the hours every single day.... but give himself an evening off on Friday after the end of the school day and again on either Saturday or Sunday.  As my son told me, "mom, the first week of school they told us uf we want to do well put in an additional 4-5 hours of study each day and so I did that".  My son was not only the A-school class honorman but also the highest in his class in Power School as well.  He's not a brainiac by any stretch, he just figured that this is what he signed up for, was his job and his career, why not do what they suggested.  Times aren't always easy nor fun, but send encouragement, pray regularly, and always let him know how proud you are of him.

Wow Penny.....   That is exactly how my son placed. He was A-school honorman and highest in his section in Power School.  He,  however has not had any mandatory study hours. (except once when the class was talking too much) He only put in an extra 5 hours a week. He figured he would put in extra hours if his grads started slipping. He is home on leave now and will be returning to GC on Sunday and starts college classes on Monday. More School!!!! So far, he loves what he is doing. Right up his alley.I hope he feels that way after he has experienced deployments.

TonysMom--Congrats on your son being pinned (next month) Chief! That is something my son has set his eyes on--he's an MM3 in Power School. I'm in complete awe of all of our sailors. I'm going up Labor Day weekend to spend 3 full glorious days with him. CAN'T WAIT! Then PS grad in November! It's hard--and then NOT hard--to believe it's almost a year since he left for boot! Woof! Again, many many congrats on your son's achievement!

hello all!!

tonysmom--congrats to your son!!  we are all proud of him!!    my son is on gradhold right now in goose creek.   he just got married.  i am soooo proud of him.

sue---i wish you a very enjoyable time with your sailor!!   i too am amazed by our sailors!!! 

Well, this Friday marks my son's first anniversary of his navy career - he was off to boot camp, now is set to graduate from Power School Sept. 14.  Looking forward to graduation and he will be home for 10 days.  How does PS graduation compare with boot camp graduation?

power school graduation is nice.  it is outside if it doesnt rain.  where something light because it will probably be hot.   we had a slight breeze blowing when i was there.  you can talk to your sailor before the ceremony and take pictures all during it.  you are also allowed to walk up to the stage to take pictures while your sailors section id getting their certificates.   we got there about 8:30 am.  you drive up to a gate and they will ask for ID.  we had ID for everyone in the car.  it didnt take long to get through.  we really enjoyed it!!     i am sure you will too! 

Power school graduation is awesome! It's really nice. My husband just graduated last month on the 20th. It's a lot shorter than boot camp graduation I can guarantee that. They give the family's plenty of space and opportunity to take pictures. My husband didn't wanna stop to take a picture so a chief yelled at him to make him to stop and take a picture. lol. The parking was terrible though. Make sure you get there early to get a good spot! Hope you guys enjoy it! I know I did!

illusha---my son graduated last month on the 20th also!!

good morning all!!

teri--your sailor should be told the date of graduation  soon of he has started his classes.  i am pretty sure my son was told.  good luck to your sailor!!

teri-  is your sailor on t track waiting to begin power school 

My son has comps for A school coming up next week, Monday I believe. What happens if they don't pass comps.

My son's 1 yr annv in the navy was Aug 1st.  He graduates Power School 9/14 (1203-11) as MM.  From what I understand about power school grad  - all the sailors will have that Mon off after graduation too.  Anyone else heard that?  Also, anybody have any insight, as to when the power school grads find out if they get to stay in Goose Creek for prototype or go to New York?

hello all!

dana---im not sure about them getting the monday off after graduation,  alot of them ask for leave time so they can go home for visits.  i dont know about the ones that stay there.  my son graduated on july 20th and he is on gradhold now . hes still in goose creek, but then he is married.  doesnt know for sure yet if that is where he will stay.     my son's first year anniversary was july19th.

After A school they are on what is called T-track.  it's a hold and can last for 2-8 weeks, but could be longer.  Usually they get to take 10 days of leave, but the amount of time can vary.  after leave, or if they didn't take leave, they do a rotation of cleaning, watch, day off until they start power school.  After power school they are on another hold called grad. hold.  this hold can last from 2 weeks to 6 months, or longer. Usually MM's have the longest grad hold.  during this time they are given specific jobs to do.  some work off base for places like Habitat for Humanity, some get sent to King's Bay, GA to work at the Navy base there for several months, some get sent to Norfolk to do watch on base there, and some even get sent early to New York to do their grad. hold there.

Yes, a 6 month hold is possible, but that is usually for the MM's as they have the longest grad hold usually.  And they are usually the only one's who get sent to King's Bay and maybe Norfolk during that time. Never count on anything though, what happened once may not be the same the next time.

educator - I believe if they don't pass comp. they go before a review board to determine if they will be allowed to recomp the next week.  If they recomp and pass, then they go on.  If they recomp and fail, they could be rerated.  If they don't recomp at all they could be rerated or discharged. I have known of several that didn't make it past A school and were rerated.  Several who went on to power school and didn't make it after the first several weeks so were rerated, several who recomped for both A school and power school and were rerated, several who were discharged, and I know of at least one who did not pass at the end of prototype and was rerated (and is very happy in his new job).

I think my son is on hold at boot camp then on to Charleston.. I'm trying to calculate time frame. How often does nuke school start?  MM he will be.

New A school classes can start every week, BUT they may not start every rate every week.  Sometimes they have to wait for enough of a particular rate to fill a class, so it could be two or three weeks.  Just depends.

My son just started A school on Tue.  My question is.... Do they have off the day after Thanksgiving?  Just wondering if he will get to come home over Thanksgiving or if I should plan a trip to see him...

hello all!!

melette----i am thinking they didnt have the day off, but got out early.   we went down to visit last year and are planning to go down this year.    i may be wrong so hopefully someone else will be able to say for sure.

My son's PIR is 9/21 and will be headed off to A school.  I believe he will be going as an MM.  My question is what is the holiday schedule for Christmas?  Will he be able to fly home to California?

hello all!

sandra--my son was able to come home for ten days for christmas when he was in A school.  he had to get a chit for a ten day liberty  your son will get info on that when he gets to goose creek.  they are briefed when they get there.

Hello.  My son is in boot camp and will graduate on 10/12.  He will then be going to A school is Charleston.  Nice to see there is a group for this group.

Hello, my son just PIR'd Aug 17th and is now in Goose Creek. Plans on being an ET. Thats what he is rated for so far. Would anyone tell me how this schooling program works? What kind of timeline for each? Any pointers on how he stays on track? I hear alot of them don't make it through entire program and are discharged or rerated. I would like to more about all this. Thanks.... Lost Mom, missing my only Son.

Hi Aaron's mom. My son PIR'd in 2011, right around Aug 17th. He is also an ET. He started A School in Charleston in September (seems like it was around the 10th). He had leave for Thanksgiving (Weds 3pm through Sunday) but only within a 350 mile radius. He also had leave for Christmas and was home for about a week. He graduated from A School in March and started Power School the first week of June. He will graduate from Power School 11/9. We don't know how long of a hold he will be on before Prototype or whether he will be in Charleston or New York for Prototype. My understanding is that Protoype is also about 6 months. As for pointers, I think all the moms can do is be supportive. I write a lot and send care packages. I get an occasional call that he is certain he's going to fail a test, but he never has. If their test scores are low they are assigned mandatory study hours, so really everything other than family support is handled pretty well by the Navy! Welcome to the group!

hello all!!

welcome aarons mom!!    once he starts classes, he will be kept busy.  he will have classes and study hours.   the weekends are a good time to relax and go to the movies or just hang out.  it helps to unwind from the week of school.   my son did.  it helped him to deal with school.   i also encouraged him and told him to try to keep a positive attitude.   some treats from home is a good idea.  gives them something to look forward to. 

Ladies - hi- i have a question...my son is graduating from bc this friday 9/14 and will be flown to GL on Sat....my question is a housekeeping question...will he be put in a room right away, or will they be in barricks for processing a few days...i ask because i am wondering about towels and sheets for the first couple of days...will he have time and access to shopping for this things or do i need to send some...and when will i get an address????thanks kimbo

hello all!!

kimbo----he will be given a room.  i believe they already have sheets and blankets, but if they do need anything they can call a taxi (which is what my son did along with some friends) and go to walmart to pick stuff up.  i dont think they are allowed of base right away though. 

What is CHIT

I don't know what it stand for, but it's kind of an approval form for the particular circumstance. My son had to get a CHIT when we went to Mexico for vacation before he left for BC.  It was a new rule that came out 2 weeks before we were due to leave.  The CHIT form was signed off by a Chief to say it was OK for him to leave.

just sent you a message Blythe.  A chit is basically paperwork that they turn in to request leave or liberty, or special requests like Sandra's son had to do.

Hi fellow moms (and wives, and sisters, and everyone)!

My son just got to Charleston this weekend (after his PIR). I'm already planning a trip to see him this spring. Any suggestions?

hello all!!

fresno---you can try to get a foster creek villa to stay while there.  they are really close to base.  your son will have to do the reserving.  they are not expensive.  they have one, two, or three bedrooms.   we have stayed there.  they are nice.     

My son will be headed off to Charleston this saturday after PIR.  He will be starting A school 10/10.  He will be an MM.

Fresnonavymom - when does he start?

My son just got to school. On hold till Oct 1. Is it possible for him to come home for couple days. We haven't seen him since he left home. Much cheaper if he could fly home.

hello all!!

blythe--if he just got to goose creek, then i dont think he can come home till christmas break.  my son got to come home for ten days for christmas while he was in A school.  he will get info during his briefings.

I'm sorry in advance for a dumb question, but we are trying to plan a family trip. My son is in BC and is in the Nuke program. From BC, is there only one A school? Will he automatically go to SC? He was pretty sure he was going to SC when he graduates, but he was not 100% sure. Are there other A schools for Nukes? Thanks