Moms of Daughters 2

Thanks JayDee!! She has been working a long time for this. She still has to wait until next March when her current rotation ends but she will then transfer to the Medical Service Corps.

Oleander,

I will be traveling to Pensacola to visit her soon and will gladly share that hugh high-5 with her.  Most likely will follow it with several hugs!!!!!!

I hope all is well with you and your family. Everyone staying healthy????

Anna. I see you are going to Pensacola.  I just made plane reservations to Pensacola To see my daughter Memorial Day weekend.   Do you know anything about the town such as where to stay    This is my first post since my daughter graduated BC in March   Hope to connect with you     

Navyat34 welcome! Pensacola is a great town. Very touristy so there's no shortage of hotels but they can be pricey. There is a Navy Lodge there so I'd try that first. Perdido Key is close to there and while it's a tourist location, it's more laid back.

Enjoy your time with your girl! 

Navyat34,

I am so sorry I missed your post.  I did not get a notification that anyone had posted a comment.  JayDee gave you spot on information though. Thank you JayDee - coming through once again!!!! Unfortunately Navyat34 I wouldn't have any information about places to stay there!!  I have been there more than a dozen times but I've always stayed in RV parks, or our daughter's apartment/home!!!!  I'm spoiled!!  She lives really close to the West Gate now.  I hope you had a good time visiting.  How long will your daughter be staying there???

Hi everyone, I don't think I ever introduced myself. I had three kids join this summer, my two oldest sons and my oldest daughter. Son #1 is now at A school, Son #2 and my daughter are at BC. PIR for Son #2 is 9/17. We have not received the form letter from our daughter yet.

She was really concerned before she left because people kept telling her stories about the drama in the female divisions. My daughter-in-law came back from a visit to see Son #1 in FL and was really encouraged by the women she met. She sat down and wrote a letter to my daughter telling her how amazing the female sailors are there (that will be where my daughter goes for A school as well). I hope we can get that letter to her soon.

JayDee,

So true!!!  Hugs from them are more powerful than all our kisses of boo=boos!!!!  

Oleander,

You are right, it has been awhile since we all chatted on here!!! How is your girl doing??

Mustangmom65,

I think no matter where you go there will always be cases of drama when a bunch of women are all together in one place!! But the good news is, most times things do work out and once out of bootcamp your daughter probably won't remember any of it!!!!  Once out in the fleet there are so many women and men in different levels of experience and they're not all in the same situation as bootcamp presents.  

My daughter is in Pensacola also. She went there for training back in 2012 and is there now as an instructor in the Aviation Safety School.  Next March she will move over to the Navy Medical Corps and train as an Aviation Psychologist.  She is working on her Doctorate.  She will remain in Pensacola for another 3 years at least in this new assignment!!

The division that my girl is in now at Boot Camp is a little tough. There are girls there that don't want to listen and it has been tough, but she has stayed positive through it.  

I guess it's typical when you get 80 girls in captivity.  I am assuming that things aren't as petty on a ship in the real world. 

Thank you Anna for the warm Welcome. Yes daughter's expected PIR is Oct 15. We just got our first set of "personal" letters.  Exciting stuff

We received some letters yesterday. Still no form letter, but at least we have an address now! She told us that somehow she ended up in a 900 division. She is having some struggles, but I think she will be okay. She told us that she made one friend while in holding, and that they ended up as bunkmates. Her PIR is Oct 15

Make sure you've joined the October PIR group - here's the link:

OCTOBER 2021 PIR

mustangmom65  Funny our PIR is Oct 15 too

Dear Navy Moms:  I have a question.  We just received a unexpected call from our recruit.  We got a whole hour to talk to her.  EXCITING. We found out that we sent a package that was supposed to be delivered last Saturday which included letters, our response to the Oct 15th PIR Ceremony, original Vaccination Card (because our recruit was told to send the original not the copy), and a book.  We learned she did not get it and we advised her to immediately to talk to her Petty Officer.  Reason we are panicking is because our RSVP form to the PIR had a timeline on it, and we are worried.  Any tip or thoughts on what we should do? Thank you in Advance.

Roenick9 - Glad you had a phone call, that is great!! 

I posted a reply to your question on the BC Mom group. 

Hi everyone, sounds like all our girls are doing well!

Welcome Roenick9! I'm sorry that I don't have any good answers for you. Hopefully the boot camp moms can help.

I'm in Norfolk now helping my daughter move to her next duty station. She took us on a tour of her ship a few days ago. This is my 2nd time on it. she's learned a lot more about it, so there were new places to explore. I honestly think she will miss her peeps on board but she is looking forward to instructing at her new command. She recently advanced to First Class Petty Officer, so proud! Her husband has finished his hitch and has processed out.

Oleander it's nice that all your children are close together. So much easier when you have family nearby!

Anna, how did your girl survive Ida? I hear there is another one brewing in the gulf. If you make ut down our way we have a lovely guest room that overlooks our pool and has your name on it! 

That offer goes for you too Oleander and B'sNukeMom! 

Hello Ladies!!! I see we have some good things going on with our sailor daughters!!

Roenick9,

So glad you got to hear from your daughter.  I hope her package shows up soon!!! 

Mustangmom65,

Glad you are now getting letters from your girl.  Hope that form letter shows up soon with all your PIR information. So glad she has a friend as a bunk mate!! That always make life a little easier to have someone you can talk to!!!!

Heidi,

You got that right about all the women being in close quarters together!!!  Just continue to encourage your daughter to stay strong and get through bootcamp!!  Once she's out in the fleet all those trials will be forgotten!!!

Oleander,

Glad to hear Q is finding ways to adjust to recruiting during Covid when so many schools are closed to in person learning!! I wish her much success, I hear recruiting is stressful.  And the bonus of getting to see your kids together in one visit!!! I don't think my 4 will ever be close enough.  Momma Navy always has other plans where 2 of them will live, and the other 2 are pretty secure where they are - opposite sides of the country!!!!! We are leaving tomorrow to go to Pensacola to visit Jenn for a couple weeks!!!

JayDee,

Congrats to your girl's promotion!!! Ida skirted away from Pensacola thankfully so they just got lots of rain and some wind.  Our family kept joking about Ida cause that's my Mom's name!!  Sadly she passed away several years ago but we talked to her and asked her to leave Pensacola alone!!  My sister in Ohio said that Mom was really angry cause the east coast ran out of her favorite beer and that's why she caused so much destruction!!!!   I am really looking forward to being able to do some more traveling!!  This nonsense of being in one place for over a year now is starting to get on my nerves!!!!!! I will let you know for sure when we can get down your way!!! I look forward to seeing "my room"!!!!!

Hello B'sNukeMom!!! Hope all is going well for you and yours!!!

Anyone else have a daughter in Div. 910 (USS Arliegh Burke)?  Just heard from my daughter (9/4) for the first time since leaving on Aug. 3rd.  It was brutal, but sooooo great to get her letter.  AND THEN...we got a phone call the following day!!!  She said the 2 weeks in ROM gave her the chance to meet friends and study!  She seemed happy, said she's only cried a couple of times.  Her voice was a little shaky when saying hi and bye, but other than that, she seemed great!!!! She also had to have 3 wisdom teeth removed. :(  Anyway, I am one very happy mom!!!  Can't wait for graduation!!!  I miss her so much!!!!

Hi Wendy, my daughter is in 910 too! We had a good laugh when she called, because she has been dreaming for a while now of serving on an Arleigh Burke class. My daughter said she almost wished she had quarantined, because it would have given her time to study and make friends. She was in holding for 5 days, and was surprised to end up in a 900 div. They pulled all 4 of her teeth, and she was out for 2 days, light duty for 1 day, so she was stressed about being so far behind.

Her first few letters broke my heart, but she sounded so much better when she called. I think she's turned a corner, and is finding her footing. When I answered I could her saying "I'm not going to cry. I told myself I wasn't going to cry..." We both managed to hold it together and had a good call.

Thank you @Oleander!!!

@mustanmom65 does that mean our daughters are together?!  If so, I will ask Raegan if she knows her!  And my daughter was saying something about being surprised about the 900 div.  Is there something I should know about it?!  Is it special in some way?  She said she would be performing at graduation but she is only a body snatcher!  LOL!!!  Helping people who pass out.  Which I am afraid she herself will do!  

900s are the Performance Divisions. She was surprised because she didn't have any band or choir experience, but from what I've been told there are a lot of other things that they do, including Body Snatchers. She said she wanted to keep her job a secret for now, in case she didn't get to keep it, but she seemed really excited about it. My oldest son is in A school right now, and he's totally jealous that she gets to be in a 900.

WOW!  I've just been reading about the division.  That is super cool!  Makes me even prouder!!!  If that's at all possible!  What is your daughters name, no hurt in asking if my daughter knows her, right?!  :) Wouldn't that be funny!? 

Wendy - be sure to join the October PIR group - here's the link:

OCTOBER 2021 PIR

Wendy - I tried to send you a message, but it didn't work for some reason. My daughter's name is Rebecca, and based on her letters she definitely needs a friend. I worry about her because she had a couple of close friendships go sour, and so she tends to put up walls, which comes across as closed off or even rude sometimes. I think she's pretty amazing, but I'm a bit biased.

All of the letters I've received so far have been dated prior to the phone call, and they are not exactly full of sunshine and rainbows. She seemed okay on the call, so I'm hoping maybe things will improve for her.

Mustangmom65 - Since you are friends with Wendy, try clicking on her Avatar (picture) below. It will take you to her profile page. Below her picture it should say, Send Message. If you click on that it should allow you to create a private message to send to her. 

Hi everyone!  Well I finally got a letter and a phone call...AND a second letter today.  I just found out (haven't received a form letter yet) when graduation is.  I called the Lodge and they are already booked.  Any recommendations on where to stay?  I want to be as close as possible, but I want it to be a decent place too.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wendy

Hi Wendy - Hooray for letters!

Here's the link to the most recent travel brochure put out by RTC:

RTC Brochure

Also, be sure to ask your question over in the boot camp group as this is discussed there too!

Hi Wendy! It's been 6 years since my daughters PIR. We stayed about 1/2 hour away at a Comfort Inn. We drove and had our own transportation. Whether or not you have your own transportation may affect where you want to stay. You might want to look on a travel website and pick a name brand hotel that you are comfortable using.

Hi Wendy - If you have not received your form letter yet, you might want to go ahead and print out the security form - only 2 visitors are currently allowed, they must be 2 weeks I believe past their 2nd Covid shot and you must bring your Vax card as well as ID with you to pick up tickets prior to PIR. Masks are mandated the entire time on RTC. 

As B'sNukeMom said there has been some discussion on hotels recently. I agree with JayDee659 that it might make a difference if you have your own transportation or not. We stayed at the cheapest, closest hotel but I don't know that others would be comfortable with it and that was 4 years ago, so I hunt for hotels on Google Maps or even AAA triptik online. I don't think you have to have a membership to look for hotels nearby your route and many of them will have prices listed. 

I would also stay with a motel that you are comfortable with, and you may always call the motels that are on the brochure and speak to someone at the front desk. I find that when I travel, if I get ahold of someone and talk to them, it can give me a first impression of their hotel. I don't recommend calling around check in or check out time as those are usually busy times and phone calls are not always answered. 

Keep in mind that we have had almost 1 1/2 years with no PIR so there is very little being discussed other than from just our last few families who have been to GL recently and I don't know how some of the hotels have faired through the shut down. 

Wendy - be sure to check out K 's post on the BC Mom group as to where she stayed. She just posted it this morning. 

Wendy,

You got some good advice on places to research for hotels.  It's been many years since my daughter's PIR and then after that I lived in the Waukegan area. But with all that's gone on in our country in the past year and 1/2 I wonder how many places have changed from what they were.  We stayed in a nice Sleep Inn close to the base.  Do keep in mind that traffic in and around that area on the day of PIR can be insane.  Not only do you have all the extra visitors trying to get to base that morning but you also have several large businesses in that area and the traffic can really back up quickly.  Always build in a little extra time for that.  Also, back when I lived there the cars would be lined up to get on base before the gate even opened and you do have to go through security, so that creates a time delay also!!! Even if you take a taxi or a shuttle you will still all be in the same traffic!!!  Just info to help you be prepared!!!!   After you've gone through PIR feel free to give an updated perspective on how things went!!!!

Anna, good thought about covid changing things. Ugh, when will it end?  I'm glad that PIR is back!

Something that I was told was that if you take a shuttle or bus to PIR it might delay your getting out of there as you have to wait to be picked up. I guess there are pluses and minuses each way. 

Oleander, that door!  It gets me every time.  I feel a little teary just thinking about it. 

Wendy, Phoenixmom posted the map and I think some information on the shortcut from Sarge who has a taxi service in the GL area. It may have been a couple of days back in the BC Mom group. I was out yesterday at our state fair with my kids so couldn't reply. Sorry. 

Also, there may be some other posts yesterday on BC Mom about motels, just checking in there, so be sure to keep on eye out. 

Hi Ummi - if your daughter is at boot camp then the only thing you can send her is cards and letters.  Anything else they might need they can buy at the NEX.  If you send a card be sure it doesn't have any glitter on it!  That will cause trouble lol.  Be sure to come over to the boot camp group and post there.  There's lots of others going through boot camp at the same time and you'll get a quicker response.  Also, be sure to join your PIR group.  I have the links to the current groups posted over there too.

And I left you the link to the boot camp group in the welcome message on your page.  Look for the blue hyper link - click on it and it will take you directly to the group!

Ummi - I see that B'sNukeMom got a chance to reply before I did. I will say that you may send a few extra stamps to your daughter. Otherwise, I echo what B'sNukeMom said. 

Be sure to read this information - Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recru..., which is on BC Mom group page. 

Hi Ummi, welcome!  Sorry that I missed your comment yesterday.  BsNukeMom is right on, BC page will have the most up to date info!

Has anyone ever used the Sandboxx app. To send letters to your SR?

Birdie - I have information posted regarding use of the Sandboxx app - here's the link (click on it):

Sandboxx app

You can use it, but in boot camp ONLY.  

God'sPlan - I am glad to see you joined this group as well. Be sure to ask any questions that you have about your daughter being in the Navy. The Moms here will answer to the best of their ability.