Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Happy Friday!

     "The Lord shall preserve your going out

       and your coming in from this time forth,

       and even forevermore."

                                               Psalm 121:8

It's a good practice to keep your cell phone with you always and to have it charged up too (people have lost calls or have it go straight to voicemail when a battery is too low) when you have a loved one in Boot Camp!!  Calls have come in pretty early for those on the West Coast or Hawaii.  I keep my cell phone on my nightstand and the volume is always on High when I go to bed.

Upstairs, downstairs, out in the backyard, out to get the mail, in the bathroom, in your pocket on vibrate while vacuuming or out at a movie or somewhere else that's loud. etc...etc..

Calls usually come in from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Central Time (Great Lakes), so be aware what the time frames could be for your time zone~~

LuvMyBoyz<3, your form letter will be coming soon. Wait on the form letter before mailing any more letters. You may be related to the recruiter, but that doesn't mean that the RTC hasn't decided to move your recruit or the division since that info was entered. The address is probably correct, but things happen sometimes and the RTC asks that you wait.

mygemforever, the fB page for the PIR date is not where you will see pics of your recruit. If the PAO posts any those will be on https://www.facebook.com/NavyRecruitTrainingCommand.

Pics on fB are random and there is no guarantee that your recruit will be pictured, but it is fun to check.

Does anyone know if our SRs can pre-order dvd videos of PIR?  If so, how and how much are they?  I know they can order their formal pictures, but I'm wondering about the dvds of PIR.  Thanks in advance! 

@hearthhaven-on one of my FB groups someone listed the prices of the photo packages that the SRs order for their pictures. Package A, which is $140 includes the Graduation video according to the list. It was the only package that included the video.

vbmom:  Too funny....yep, definitely a "need info" supervised, they are listening right next to me kind of call!  I'm glad you put on your grown up mom pants for that one....he didn't want to get razzed for things "Mom" may say when he is being listened to!  My son did the same thing when he was there....called me for info and I said:  Here, talk to your brother....he is here right now."  He said, "Mom, I can't do that....can't talk long...."  Ooops! 

Hearthaven:  I just answered your question on the PIR group too but yes, they can order the PIR DVD when they order their piks.  No big deal if they don't....you can order after PIR in the Photo Lab.  I believe it is about $29.  It will be mailed to you about 3 weeks after PIR.

adpsmom:  Are you sure the PIR DVD was included in that pkg, and it wasn't The Keel (yearbook)?  Usually Pkg A which is the $140 pkg includes The Keel for free if your SR orders it during Bootcamp, but I had thought the PIR DVD was extra?  Could be wrong on that though. 

Here is the link for the photos.  This says the PIR DVD is not mailed for 6-8 weeks after PIR.  I didn't remember it being that long when my son graduated in early 2010, but maybe so or maybe it has changed. 

http://navyformoms.com/group/bootcampmoms/page/division-t-shirts-an...

We just received our phone call about 30 minutes ago! We were very happy to hear from him! We only got to talk for a few minutes, but he sounded good!

My daughter called me at 6:28am this morning (southern California) and I didn't hear it!!!!! She did leave a message though and said she would try to call back later. She sounded real good too!

Diannep: you are probably right. You know way more than me - haha. Reading too much information and getting it all jumbled up.

mygemfoverer,

Never stop looking for pictures of your Recruit/Sailor. Would you believe I found this fuzzy image of my daughter's capping ceremony on the RTC website about 5 YEARS after it was taken!

ps - It was also her 18th birthday.

Hi Friends!

     "You will seek Me and find Me when you

       search for Me with all your heart."

                                            Jeremiah 29:13

 I was also delighted that my son called me today, ALREADY!  He only arrived on 1/21..Was thrilled to hear his voice and to hear all about boot camp.  He sounded sooo strong and happy and excited.  Can't tell you how relieved that makes me to hear he's thriving. He said he's sleeping well and that the food is awesome! lol.  Funny how their priorities change in such a short time.  We actually got to talk for about 25 minutes!  (until the RDC started yelling...and then he had to hang up really quickly. :)  I hope you all get your phone calls soon!  It made my day and took such a weight off my shoulders. :)  Happy day!

So glad you got a great call, C'sProudMomma!

Blessed Sunday!

     "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.

      As each part does its own special work, it helps

      the other parts grow, so that the whole body is

      healthy and growing and full of love."

                                                     Ephesians 4:16

Tomorrow is the day we drop ours off at MEPS. When we told him the temps there his eyes got reeeaaalll big, lol. So excited for him as he begins his journey!

My son leaves for BC on the 10th...Does anyone know a good time to get to MEPS to see him do his final swearing in?  

No way to predict, it will depend on how many others are being sworn in and how long it takes to get their paperwork squared away. Get there early (hurry up and wait). You don't want to miss it.

My son graduated Boot Camp this past Friday (1/30). I have to say it was a wonderful experience to attend PIR!!!! This website was extremely helpful! I was well prepared because of all the information I had learned from everyone that gave so much helpful information. We attended Sarge's Meet and Greet and just as everyone had said...It was great!!! We arrived later than we expected (about 6:30) but just in time to eat. And the food was delicious! Sarge gave very useful information. LISTEN to the part about the directions to PIR. He gives good directions that will get you out of all the traffic. We did just as he said and it worked. We drove to Great Lakes so we had to meet our SR at the airport Saturday morning about 2:30 am and give him his cell phone, I-pod and a few other small items in a small backpack. We stayed with him until his flight and then drove back to our hotel. We parked in Terminal 2 at O'Hare and only paid about $4 for the 2 1/2 hours we were there. It was easy in and out of airport at that time of day- the airport was not at all busy. We had made reservations the day of PIR at the Rainforest Café in Gurnee which was only about 15 min from The Holiday Inn Express that we stayed at. The hotel was wonderful. Free breakfast and there is a Walgreens and a Starbucks right next door!! This hotel was on Buckley road and within 5 miles to the Naval Base. Another tip I have is to arrive at the PIR as soon as the gates open at 6:30. We left our hotel at 6:00 am and did the turnaround at the train station like Sarge said to do. The Drill Hall got very crowded, so if you do not get there early you may not have good seats. Also, My son is tall so we knew he would be in the  very back of his division and so we sat at the Top of the bleachers and it was good that we did. We could get much better pictures of him. Had we been at the bottom we may have gotten to him just a little quicker when they called Liberty but we would not have gotten pictures or been able to watch the ceremony as well. We also had a lot of family that stayed at the hotel and watched the ceremony via livestream on their laptop. There was a HTMI cable that you could hook up the laptop to the TV in the hotel room and my family (more than 12 of them!) piled into one room and watched it together. To stay organized before this trip I made a folder to put all my notes (hotel info, restaurants, phone numbers etc.) in along with our gate pass and important papers we needed. I had Sarge's phone number included. ALSO- we took lots of coins for the TOLLS! At least 3 tolls were $1.50 each! I think one was almost $2. There was also one toll when we went to the airport. My entire family enjoyed the trip! My sailor was thrilled to see his grandparents, Aunt & Uncle, cousins, brothers & sister! Luckily we had 4 guests for PIR. (Mom, Dad and 2 grandmas). Grandpa watched at the hotel with family. I hope any of this info helps because the information I had from others on NavyforMoms helped me to be ready and prepared for our trip. All the information can be overwhelming and I was quite nervous in the weeks leading up to PIR but it went very smoothly. One more thing- my SR did not get to make the "I'm a Sailor" call. So, that made us all very nervous but all was fine. NO news is Good news!

I am now a proud mom of a U.S. Navy Sailor!!!

We have PIR this weekend, where do we get the parking pass?

Thanks for the info!

Mommyof4: My son's PIR is 2/27/15.  His first 'real' call home was exactly like yours and it tore me apart.  But the next call was much better and we talked for quite some time and he told me all the things that they were doing.  He was much more upbeat.  Only at the very end of that call (and the next one), did I hear the pain in voice as we got ready to hang up and he was choked up and just kept saying, I love you guys and I miss you so much.  His letters are more upbeat.  I think those 'goodbyes' in the phone calls are really difficult, both for them and for us.  And that first call when they hear our voices, it just makes them really realize how much they miss us.  I just kept reassuring my son that it would be okay.  That he would be okay.  And that he was not the only one there feeling that way.  

Amber,

Thanks for your detailed information of your amazing PIR experience!!  Blessings to your new Sailor and your family!

Eve,

Congrats on your new Sailor!

Mommas,

Those first cals are exactly the way you received them.  My Sailor daughter was a sweet "Hi, Mommy!"  Then info on how it was there, then toward the end, I could her that 'crack" in her voice as we were about to hang up.... Every call gets better and you can hear the purpose in your babies' voices.  Hang in there!!

Eve:  Congrats to your sailor!  Is it possible that your sailor meant that 11 didn't pass their final PFAs and were sent to FIT to keep trying?  If so, they would have had a chance to try again today and will try again on Wed if need be....and if they pass by then, they will be at their PIR.  Hoping that the new sailors are reunited with their "asmoed" shipmates for PIR!

I received my son's box today!  I never imagined something so small would mean so much to me.

Missing him but oh so proud!

Got my son's box today too.  Looked in his backpack and he left his phone card in there.   EEEEK!  Hope he buys one soon!  

Wow you got the form letter today too? My son left 1/27 as well and my kids recruiter said his PIR was 3/27.  Guess I'd better wait for the letter before I make any plane/hotel reservations.