Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Congrats Phoenixmom.. Very happy for you news. Is your Sailor due to graduate this week?

Typically how long will the SR be if they only need to go back to their barracks to get their graduation pictures after PIR? 

sambam32 - if your sailor is flying out and they have their orders and immediate liberty - it may take them about 20 min to walk to their ship and 20 min back again. You can go to the Photo NEX to see if there is anything else you would like to purchase, or you can go to the regular NEX. If you want to purchase something let your sailor do it, as they will get it tax free.

Once they graduate they are a sailor with a new title, such as SN - Seaman or FN - Fireman, they will no longer be SR - senior recruit. Just a fun thing to think about actually calling them a sailor then instead of just SR.

Re: passports - I found out our nearby state university actually has a manned passport office, even during the Christmas holidays. They took the photos there, and we did not have to stand in line or pay for parking. (The PO here have to take postal customers prior to anyone waiting to do a passport - sometimes you stand in line for a long time!)

I don't know if it was because my son had his military ID and so processed it quickly, or because we did it the week between Christmas and New Year's but his passport was sent to us in less than two weeks!!

We did not pay for the card because his Military ID works in the states, but he needed the book for oversees, if he would need to fly home.

Anti M - thanks for recommending that as a family member who might need to travel to our sailor, we should have a passport as well. My daughter traveled oversees this last year and she did get the card to have for extra ID here as well as abroad. I also make copies of my children's passports, so that I have a record of them if they should need it.

Will my son flying out to Norfolk will he have liberty or will he go straight to airport???

Linda - if your sailor is flying to A school, they are usually given liberty after PIR ends, until early evening. Ours wanted to be back by 7:30 pm. They do not go to the airport until very early in the morning on Saturday, some of them leave on Sunday. If there are other issues then they are held in THU (temporary holding unit) and you will be able to see them on the weekend as if they were staying in GL.

I wasn't sure how if there will be lines for them or how long it will take to get back and forth. My lovely son was "supposed" to mail the pictures home lol

ahhh... yes! I forgot they changed titles! Thank you for the reminder! 

NewNavyHusband - welcome and glad you are joining in the conversations.

Linda - I just noticed that you had received the "I'm a sailor" call. If your PIR is this week there is a possibility that your son might be THU if the government shut down isn't resolved. Paul can probably update on that. They are holding all of the sailors until there is money to pay for their airline tickets to A school. My best advice is stay flexible, your sailor will be the only one to tell you what his actual orders are.

sambam32 - sorry - I didn't see your second question.

My son already had picked up his pictures. They were able to do that a day or so before, and he went back to his ship to at least give those to me. Some have to stand in line and pick up some don't. When you get the "I'm a sailor" call, that is something to ask about.

No worries, it sounds like he has them already in his compartment (am I saying that right?) He said he just needs to go back to the ship to get them, but I wasn't sure if there were any lines or anything to get back into the ship...I know, I have no visual concept of what it looks like! haha

Paul - Thanks - I have been gone most of the day to check on the news. Glad to hear.

Sambam32 - other than the crowds of people leaving from the Great Hall and heading toward the Chapel or the NEX, there won't be any lines for your sailor to get to his ship - but according to what I remember my son telling me, it takes about 20 min for them to walk back to their ship and they are not allowed to run/ jog when in dress uniform.

When we were there waiting for our son, the Navy Fed Credit Union on RTC opened up their doors and restrooms and had cookies and punch.

For those who need to wait for their sailor, there is the Great Lakes Museum near the drill hall, open from 11 to 5 on Fridays.

http://www.greatlakesnavalmuseum.org/

My son  said a fellow man went overboard and it crazy 

Good Morning Ladies and Gents I hope you all had a nice evening, I see that some received there I' a Sailor Call.

CONGRATULATIONS to you and your New Sailor! what an exciting time for you folks and family,

NavyMom2 my Son has already Graduated and is doing his last week of A school in Great Lakes, he just received his orders and if I am not mistaken he leaves Feb. 7th. So I am off to another Journey with him. Right now trying to get him to get his POA's done and I believe they will be getting his passport for him, but I am in the works of getting Mine and His Fathers. I tell you everyday I learn something New from this Group, which is awesome. And I hope it goes the same for all of you.

Chipmunk thank you for your Knowledge and answers.

In Fact I would like to thank you All, you have been Amazing in sharing and posting, You all make this site what it is, and I consider it to be a Blessing! Amen!

Good Morning New Comers Glad to have you along, please join in on sharing with any Questions/Concerns you may have.  Even if you are feeling a little down/Anxiety/ overwhelmed, Believe me you will not be the only one. and we have Lots of folks that can give you ideas.

Linda you will be able to spend some time with your Son, he will let you know the arrangements so you can spend time with him at airport. Best Wishes to him and his New Journey!

My son rite after battleship he was exhausted and tired and forgot to salute officer he so tired and he got beat for it after he made sailor

Thank You Paul and Missomd, When My Son entered BC I knew nothing and was Lost, And Like Paul I just found everything I could to read and what to expect so it made it a little easier as the days went on. When I would write a letter to my son I would let him know what to expect and of course like Paul I would tell him you got this and finish strong. I stayed around to help, so I was asked if I would like to help out and I said yes it was a Privilege.  And I have to say, I have a really enjoyed helping out on this site and being able to speak to you all over the computer. My Son tells me good Job MOM you are that person. LOL! And yes Sir Paul I do have a life! Me and My husband just previously adopted our Grandson whom is 3yrs old, So I must say at 52 yrs. he keeps me on my toes, But it's fun. He adores my Son whom is his God Father (Baptized him) and wants to go on big ships. So I hope I can do just as good raising him as I did my Son. So Thank You all for letting me Help out.

Phoenixmom, if the Navy gets your son a no-fee passport, it cannot be used for leisure travel.  He will need to apply for a blue book tourist passport on his own.  This is important in case of emergencies, and for MWR tour opportunities in foreign ports.  There's more than one kind!

https://www.army.mil/article/38435/valid_passport_the_key_to_summer...

I will let it be known to him Anti M thank You for clarifying that, I think his head is spinning with all the info I have been laying on him, not sure why this didn't get done before, I'm sure it was never brought up to him, but now that I know I will make sure it gets Done. Thank You,

Honestly, the Navy doesn't get passports for their sailors in most circumstances.  Only the ones they need to fly out to meet their vessels, or the ones being stationed in certain countries.  If he had orders to Japan, he wouldn't get one.  

Right now is a great time to apply.  When we renewed, I thought it would be six weeks, but we had them back in about three weeks.  Early in the year is always better than later.

Paul - great idea!  I’m going to mention it to our recruiters office (about doing just that).  May not be a required talk but maybe if the recruiters know that information is overlookd, they might start.   Worth a try.

Phoenixmom and AntiM (and all the rest of you wise ones) - thanks for all your help and sticking around for all the moms and dads going through the Navy process.  You are all truly a blessing from above! 

Paul - I agree, especially for the kids that are in DEP for over a year. We dealt with my son's bank accounts by me being joint owner, and getting his passport when we did was speedy on the time, but it was mailed to my address and I still have to get it to him. He won't need it for awhile, but glad we have it. 

You mentioned that if they are going into combat they have to have a will and a POA, I think this is partially why they don't mention it in DEP much. The recruiters spent more time trying to assure me (not that I thought much about it) that the Navy wasn't combat, like the Army, Air Force, or Marines, they were sailors!!

Anti M - thanks for the clarification on the passport. I am glad we went ahead and got his taken care of while home at Christmas.

Phoenixmom - You do a great job sharing information here with everyone.  With your son graduating A school, you will have even more to share. He will be off and in the fleet while mine is still studying away.

I am so Glad that you brought that up Paul, I was thinking the same thing. I believe also that DEP should if had all this taken care of beforehand, but from my understanding their is quite a bit of nothing they are doing. although my Son's recruiter was awesome I think it could of been somewhat better. Thank you Paul for bringing that up.

Thank You so much for sharing your experience Munchkin's Gma this is good information for others attending the PIR this Friday.

Kimberly put some info on your my page.

I would like to extend a Great Big Thank You to Paul for sharing his Knowledge and experience with us, this is a great help to get things done to be on the safe side for our Loved Ones.

Thank you Phoenixmom!  I'm no expert.  I'm just old with a lot of experience.  I am not an attorney but I did sleep on a Sleep Number bed last night.  I am willing to answer any question based upon my own experience. So if needed, ask away!

Mamabear best wishes to your Daughter and yes please do drop by it would be nice to hear how things are going with your Daughter in her New Journey.

here is the info for March 16th Graduation, I do not believe it is up and running, but once it is you may join.

this website has many links at the top of page and questions with answers as well please take a look a good keepsake to look back it may have answers to your questions such as Holding, RCU, THU.

http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/graduation.html

This site that I am posting is to RSVP to Sarge's Meet and Greet But if you continue reading it will give you a family survival guide that can be printed, he will give instructions and shortcuts to PIR, also gives instruction to those Flying out to A school, so many do's and Dont's.

 http://www.mynavytaxi.com/events.html to RSVP)

here is a site for those who would like to see more info on what your Son/daughter rating (Job) will be and it has a link as to where the A schools are located. always something to learn more of.

N4M GROUPS: Listed By Navy Job (Ratings)

Graduation Streaming Live

Watch our recruits graduate live Friday at 0845 Central Standard Time.
Follow the link and join our chat: http://navylive.dodlive.mil/  ( The video will display under Live Events during broadcast.

for those who may need to stay at hotel and watch from there.

Also ask the Hotel if they will be broadcasting the graduation, some hotels will have a buffet in there conference room as you watch the Graduation.

here is a post that Mrs. FTLW posted a few days ago seems like important information for those attending this PIR.

***  ATTENTION FEBRUARY 9TH GRADUATION ATTENDEES  ***

Friends and family of Recruit Training Command, please be advised the graduation ceremony on February 9th will be a THREE guest event due to the size of the graduating divisions. Also, for this graduation only, we will be adjusting our Recruit Family Welcome Center hours of operation to include Wednesday [1:00 PM to 6:00 PM]. Our hours will remain the same for Thursday [10:00 AM to 7:30 PM] and Friday [5:30 AM to 8:30 AM]. Please make note. Thank you

For those Families attending PIR this Friday, you may be on your way or there already enjoying some sight seeing, please be safe in your travels.

Enjoy your time at PIR it is as amazing as they say it is, you will never forget it. take lots of photos, and give big (((HUGS))) to your Son/Daughter for me and let them know how proud I am of them. It was a struggle to get here but they did it! May they enjoy every step of their Journey. May the Lord Bless them in Strength, Hope, Happiness, Determination and may all good come their way!

And when PIR is done please share your experience for others to know when it is their turn. Also on any Good restaurants that you may have gone to, that is always a plus!

Well Ladies and Gents it was a pleasure speaking with you all today, It is my time to go, I hope you all have a Great Evening. If there is anything I can do for you tomorrow please let me know. And the Pleasure is all mine. You all have been so Great at sharing and posting information for all. Until tomorrow Folks.

Good Morning Ladies and Gents, it is Thursday and all is well, PIR tomorrow! Excited for all the Families attending.

CONGRATS to all the New Sailors! HOOYAH!

Welcome to the New Comers that I see that have Joined, It is nice to have you along. Please post if you are needing info or just to speak on how you are feeling. This site is so awesome for that and you will find that others may be feeling the same or needing answers to questions just the same.

Any More "I'm a Sailor" Calls please share we would like to Congratulate you and be excited also.

Have a Great Day Folks!

I would like to re-post this, Mrs. LemonElephant had posted this a few days ago, and I think it is some good info for either those that just joined or those whose Loved ones are considering to join. Just information to read on. Thank You.

have added new terms to What does ??? mean? (A Guide to Navy Abbreviations and Terminology) and have revised Battle Stations-21 (BST). I have added two new Pages, Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) and Fitness Improvement Training ... and Recruit Convalescent Unit (RCU). You may want to check out these Pages along with the other Pages. Pages are located to the right under the pictures of the Members and you will need to click "View All" to see all of the Pages.