Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

NOV 2020 PIR Group 

AmaMarina- Whoo hoo WE HAVE ANOTHER SAILOR IN THE HOUSE!!! 

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH AND MAY SHE ENJOY THE PIZZA PARTY AND MAY YOU SEE HER ON THE VIDEO!!!

AmaMarina - Bravo Zulu to your sailor as well!

Have  a Great Evening folks, until tomorrow!

Sweet Dreams!

Hi, all!  I haven't posted anything for a while.  I've been sitting in a hospital all week.  I'll explain at the end.  But I have been reading everything and wanting to post.  It just wasn't easy there.  Sorry!  I may miss some people.

anti M--So sorry for the loss of your kitty!  I now have a puppy and understand how hard the loss of a furry friend can be.  

Shanny:  It sounds like you may be on the mend?  So exciting that your sailor re-connected with his friend.  And how proud of him you must be for getting added responsibilities!

LBF:  Your birthday party story was hilarious.  We might have to do something for our SR's (who will then be a sailor) birthday.  It's soon after Christmas. And your little mishap!  That sounds like something I would do.  Oh!  And I just read it!  You have another Sailor!  Woohoo!

AmaMarina:  Congratulations!  You also have a Sailor!

Now to update you on my SR:  We got more letters this week.  He sounded so good!  He said he got Expert in live fire.  He said two others in his Division did, as well.  They were told that they usually see only 3 or 4 Experts in a month.  So to see 3 in one division was exceptional.  Our SR is so pumped!  He also has continued to get 5.0s on all his inspections. 

And today would have marked one week until his PIR!  But . . . we got the dreaded call tonight.  It's so hard to hear one of your children crying on the phone!  One week to go and he got caught in the ring of fire.  But we were as encouraging to him as we could be.  Told him how proud of him we were, that he would make it through this and come out stronger, etc.  Of course, I thought of better and more encouraging things to say after I hung up!  Where is texting when you want it?  It's just so hard when you think these SRs have worked for 7 weeks with one division that seems to be coming together and possibly be one of the higher divisions.  Then he gets pulled and will be with another division that he hasn't worked with for his final week.  

My question is how do you address the envelopes for ROM.  I believe it was something like "In ROM.  Please forward."  Is that correct?  And where do you put it on the envelope?  In the bottom left corner?  And then with just one week, how do we find out what division he will be put with?  I know they don't call when they come out of ROM.  And we can't send letters then anyway because it will be his final week.  But I still need to know to know who to watch for in graduation and other things.  And now I don't know what to put on his anchor.  He put 7 weeks in with the first division but will PIR with the new division.  I haven't even looked to see what date his new PIR will be.  

And then to explain my hospital sitting:  My 92-year-old mother was sent to ER Monday afternoon because of low blood pressure.  She also is on the backside of moderate Alzheimer's headed for end-stage Alzheimer's.  In running all the labs, they discovered high white blood counts and lactate levels indicating an infection.  After more tests, today they determined that they believe it is colon cancer.  They can't be 100 percent sure, though, without doing a scope.  And I decided I'm not putting Mom through that.  Nor am I putting her through surgery.  So tomorrow she will be discharged and go back to assisted living with Hospice.  I never thought I'd have to make the decisions I have this week.  I'm an only child, so all the decision-making fell to me.  But I know what she would want, and I know she is a Believer!  So we will see one another again.  In the meantime, I will enjoy as much time as I can with her around the Covid restrictions.  I'm hoping that we can visit her since she has Hospice now. 

I will probably be posting more again because I won't be sitting in a hospital after tomorrow morning.  And I know our SR and us, his family, will make it through the second ROM.  So many of you have already gone through this.  And he is strong.  I believe he will bounce back even though he is devastated right now.  He's in God's hands!   

jacksmom17: No, you are not the only one having trouble sleeping... I had to stop drinking mate (an Argentinean kind of tea) at a certain time because I could not fall asleep at times thinking about my (then) SR.

AmaMarina: *CONGRATULATIONS* It is so good to have a “I am a Sailor” call!!!!!!!!

LadyBluefire: USS Iowa… Wow!! CONGRATULATIONS on your SAILOR!!

AntiM: I am so sorry for losing Harry… I have 3 dogs and three "grandcats." We love them to pieces!!

Hugabugs: I’m SO HAPPY for you!!!!!

Dsmom2020: (Selfie) AWESOME! Somehow, I was able to read both of your posts! The more, the merrier! Remember to post once you receive your photos...

C’sMom: Congratulations on your SR getting the Expert in live fire and 5.0 inspections!! I am so, very sorry for the dreaded call… I remember the constant knot in my stomach and having to remind myself to breathe… I literally waited until I got the “I am a sailor” call to put his anchor together. And your mom… well it seems that when it rains, it certainly pours!! Not having her go through such an ordeal was a very loving decision. I will pray that you will be flooded with peace. Hugging you tightly in spirit!! 

Shanny: Do you have a sailor too?

MaterNauta:  technically yes but he has been a sailor since 9/25 (PIR was 9/24) but they didn't complete BS until after PIR. And come to think of it...  I'm still waiting for my I'm a Sailor call lol his division never made them

My son is actually at A School waiting for a class to open up. He has been there since 9/28

Good Evening everyone!! Well I was able to move some more boxes over to my daughter's apartment. We had nice weather and that may not be the case for the weekend, so I suggested to my husband that if he helped me, we could go out for dinner tonight! It has been a long busy day again. Even though most of my kids are out of the house, there is always something and I interacted with most of them today in some form or fashion including my sailor!  I will read and hopefully catch up.

Have a restful evening. Jacksmom17 - I am glad that you posted.

Completely unrelated to our SRs and Sailors but....

Anyone watching Big Brother with me?!?!

Hi Shanny - No Big Brother for me, sorry.

C'sMom - I just read your post!!  Prayers!!

N4M comments

LBF and AmaMariba - Congratulations on your new Sailors!!!!

CsMom - I am very sorry to hear your heart is hurting for your SR and for your mom.  And, congratulations on your SR doing so well.

JacksMom- I had a lot of trouble falling asleep  and staying asleep for about 3-4 weeks and then it improved. Hard to sleep when we are sad or concerned... when you wake a little, instead of falling right back to sleep, your minds starts going. I hope you sleep better soon.

Good Night All

This is my son’s first division photo. He’s now part of 417, but this is my boy!

AntiM-I’m sorry you lost your kitty. Mine is a royal pain but I would miss her terribly. I hope you have lots of photos and memories. 

C’sMom-Congratulations on the expert marksmanship achievement. I’m so sorry about your son getting so close and then getting sent to ROM. My son was sent back for failing the run and his intended graduation day was a hard day. But he didn’t seem as bothered about it as I was after we got to talk last night. He felt welcomed into his new division, so I think that helps. The RDCs are doing their best to make it as painless as possible by fostering goodwill in the divisions for the newcomers. I asked if he felt closer to his old division or new. He said he wanted both photos. 

AntiM - I my heart breaks at the loss of your precious furbaby.  I know all to well that pain but, they are so wonderful to share our lives with.  I am a BIG animal lover & hence, why even here in So. CA we have a large menagerie of furbabies plus a few feathered ones too. My kids inherited that gene from me...hubby was overridden on the NO animals policy long ago.

C'sMom - so sorry about the "ring of fire call".  I am new to the group with a SR just getting to BC after their ROM so still learning the terms & that one I know & dread hearing until BC ends.  Prayers for your SR, you & family with your Momma in hospice too.

I am not on here much with work, animals (several older dogs that need medical specialized care), my horse (no young thing either) plus hubby, middle child working from home, and trying to cook & get everything done each evening. My days start at 4am so I can get ready for work, do all the feeding & medical care of animals before leaving house by 6am.  Usually fall in bed about 10:30-11pm And Pray that I am not constantly up every hour with my oldest pup due to her medical issues... so am up & down Every night...so I am sure I have missed a lot on here. 

Congrats for all the SR 's that have become Sailors. 

I was stoked we received the form letter on Tuesday when I got home from work...And today his Dad received a "real handwritten letter" from our boy!!!  Of course Momma opened & read it Before walking in the house...daughter read it to Dad since his eyes aren't good & he refuses to get eyes checked ...oh the joys of Old men hubby!  And he is not thrilled that I scheduled him his 1st eye appt. in December when I go in for mine.

Blessings to All of you.  Time to hit the shower for this old momma & bed animals down.

Y'all are a great group I am lucky to be included in & it helps to know I am not alone in this new life trajectory as a Mom.

Hi Hugabugs and NewMilmom2020 - Thanks for sharing!! 

BNMHs = Big Navy Mom Hugs!

Northwoodsmom -- I am so sorry your dad is having to deal with his grief all over again. Is there a family member who can go to him to help him process and clean to maybe reduce the constant reminders? Not that you want to rid her completely but if he is overwhelmed having someone to lean on can help him through this time.
I LOVE the idea of spikes to rupture wrong way drivers but they would not be practical. Since they cannot be left in place 24/7 they would need a way to move them down and that requires power and money. (It’s rare but here in CO they just closed 2 highways and made all lanes one way lanes to evacuate Estes Park/ Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Lake/ Granby. We likely will lose many homes and businesses this weekend before the snow moves in on Sunday. ) Maybe a sensor that would drop a gate or multiple signs. However those things just will not make a difference if the driver is drunk or sleepy. I do think it takes special tallent to get on the highway the wrong way. Aren’t almost all on ramps designed the same way? If not that may be one issue to consider. 

LadyBluefire-- CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You have successfully seen 4 kids through Boot Camp (and sadly did not get to attend a single PIR in person! :’( Sorry for that!) On the Bright side they will all be where you can communicate with them on a more regular basis and they are doing what they dream of! 

AmaMarina-- Congratulations!!!! Your NEW Sailor will be moving to her A school over the next few days to weeks, Depending on where she is going. Once she is in transit she should get her box of belongings back. If her Cell phone is there and has a charge she will be able to call you sooner than later, so if you want to send her a Text telling her how proud you are of her and anything else you thing is important you can. Again Congratulations!! 

C'sMom-- You’ve been through the ringer!!! I’m so sorry your SR got caught in the Ring of Fire. Praying that he remains well and upbeat as he can. They have been letting some SR’s call to give you the new address once they are out of ROM as well as the new PIR Date. (that is a change in training! So they should!) Yes anywhere on the front of the envelope will be sufficient. You just want to try and save some hassle to get the letters to him. One of our other moms will suggest using Sandboxx JUST if they get ROM’ed since they will get the letters sooner and you can get encouragement to them quicker. You need to decide if the cost is worth it to you. Just remember BOOTCAMP ONLY!! (Thanks I know I get on a bit of a soapbox over this but I don’t want to see anyone else go through what we did!)
I’m also sorry you are facing such a lonely time with your mom. It is so hard seeing our parents age! When they have such limited time you want to be able to spend every moment you can but this darned COVID is making that so difficult for so many!! I hope you are able to have a chance to say what you need to and have peace about the outcome. 

NewMilmom2020 -- Congratulations on the real letter as well as the form letter!! It’s Awesome to finally be able to communicate and to hear from them that they are doing well!

Congrats to all the new sailors! What an exciting day for your family's knowing you now have Navy Sailors!!

We did get a letter yesterday and it was very positive. He mostly talked about the mock PT that would have now been a week ago. He has improved on everything and is shooting to max out on the planks and completing the run in under 11 minutes so we will be excited to hear how he ended up doing. He also said that it looked like his division would be headed to BST-21 early next week.

C'sMom - I replied to you on October PIR group. You are in our prayers!!

Thanks everyone for the prayers and encouraging words.  Yes, I thought I sent my last Sandboxx letter the beginning of this week.  But I'm definitely going to send a few this week and next. 

I'm a bit of a mess this morning.  About to head up to the hospital soon.  I didn't realize that this week, my SR was my bright spot to think about.  He was doing so well (and I know he will continue to do well), and I felt like our "I'm a sailor" call was just around the corner.  I would get up at night and see his open bedroom door, and say a quick prayer for him, knowing he was enjoying boot camp and his experiences.  Then to get his call on my way home from the hospital last night, and he is crying, just tore me apart.  But I'm done feeling sorry for myself.  I'm trying not to wonder how he is doing.  I'm hoping he is quickly bouncing back to a better frame of mind, like he usually does when disappointing things happen.  Can he send mail in the second ROM?  I'm hoping to get an upbeat letter from him soon.  Praying that he quickly sees the good and positive things with this second ROM.  

It has helped to remember posts from some of you who have gone through this.  It's definitely not the end of the world!  

Good Morning y'all (lol) and thanks so much for all the congratulations. I would not have survived these 8.5 months without this group!

Katharine - lol - I can be type A if noone noticed and I have tried to calm down. I can’t believe your issues, I don’t know if I could be calm - no wonder your hubby is starting to worry!

Vintage - you had me singing Reunited mixed with the Mission Impossible theme!  My foot is on the mend. Hubby is tending to me, lol - putting lavender on the cut and such. The bruise went to the bone so it will be tender for a while. I am going to get to your PM after I catch up here. Hubby took the day off so….


Velvet - I accepted your FR - I do know N4M doesn’t always notify..

Shanny - glad to hear you are on the upswing!

Hugabgugs - my Sailor #1 would say the Arizona is the best ship at RTC, lol. All mine loved live fire - the guy was “chill”. Prayers for his run time!! And he has one of the same RDCs as my daughter! At least in the div photo you shared! Which makes sense -  Arizona! My daughter said he was awesome!

BBH - the eternal struggle for women - balancing cute shoes and comfort. One day we may succeed!

NWM - ugh, I understand they need to punish people, but sometimes prison is too harsh. Especially if it was an accident born out of confusion! I am sure she is punishing herself enough! Prayers for your dad. 

AnnaMarina - congrats on your sailor!!!

Csmom! 1st - kudos to your SR getting expert - that is amazing! (and rare for that many in a div!)
2nd - sorry he got caught in the ring of fire. I hate that when you hang up you think of all these things you could have said/asked. From what I understand more people get calls when their SR returns from ROM than don’t. Ask him after it is all done what ship he felt most connected to. My son started on the Kearsarge and was on 4-5 ships and the Constitution is what he considers his ship. Sandbox him a letter - minding PERSEC and ask him to please write you with his new address - my son called Sun and I got his last letter yesterday. So even with a week left he can get you a letter in time so you can see where he is. And I am seeing  a lot getting held back 3 weeks due to ROM. 

3rd - and in no way 3rd in importance - I am sorry to hear about your mom. You are making the right decision. There is no sense putting your mom through all of that and reducing her quality of life.

NewMilMom - just jump in when you can, we are here for you when you need us! Yay for personal letters!!!!

6kidsncrzy - how are things with you?

I think I got everything. I won't be able to focus  - anxious about the PIR! Hubby took off as he needed to burn vacation days. So that changes they daily rhythm too :) 
Have a great day ladies!

Good Morning Ladies and welcome to all of our new moms,

Keep those phones on you at all times and those ringers on loud as you just never know when the calls will come thru.

We had a few I'm a Sailor calls come thru last night!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR BRAND NEW SAILORS. MAY GOD PROTECT AND GUIDE THEM AS THEY GO ON THEIR NEW JOURNEY!!!!

C'sMom-Sorry to hear about your mom's health. Prayers for you and her and your SR as you go thru these days!!! He can do this and prayers for him to finish strong!!! Big Navy Hugs to you!!!!

Shoosh and coley423- Prayers for your SR's as they continue to move thru the program. 

Newmilmom2020-Thanks for sharing and yay for getting the form letter. God bless you for all the help you are providing to your animals. Be safe out there and take care of your self to. Big Navy Hugs!!!!

REMEMBER TO WEAR RED TODAY!!!!

I made it thru my first week of hybrid. Our numbers on our dashboard thru the health dept came back yellow so we are good for one more week. I am not sure how long it will last as our numbers are creeping up. I thank God every day for the chance to see our students.

Please be safe and healthy out there ladies as the mid west states seem to be surging quickly with their new cases.

belovedbyHim- Be safe out there with the fires again.

Anti M- Be safe and healthy out there as well. 

Mask up, stay safe, stay healthy!!!! God Bless and Happy Friday!!!

Kim- Good Morning,

And yay for a letter!!! That is awesome!!! Glad to hear that he is doing so well!! That's great numbers on his run!!!

hugabugs- Good Morning,

Thanks for sharing. Love the picture. Glad to hear that he is sounding good and that his new division is welcoming him to the fold so to speak.  :)

LOL hugabugs - just noticed the RDC my daughter had is on the Kearsarge!! So my daughters RDC and my son's first ship!

Shanny - my daughter LOVES seeing the Blue Angels flying by!! How cool for them all!!

Shanny: (Belated) CONGRATULATIONS on your SAILOR!!!!!

Voting Update: My sailor missed the absentee voting deadline. Rushing to Fedex him his ballot! Well... when the store opens..

Gotta run, will read everything later!

~MaterNauta

OMG I am in tears 0 I see my baby - I fianlly see one

Oh LadyBluefire!!  I am sooooo HAPPY for you!!

LadyBluefire:  That’s awesome!!!!  BNMHs!!!

Shanny - My son voted from purgatory (still betwee boot camp and A-school but not in THU .... they took over one of the big halls because there are so many .... as of yesterday it seems that there are 300 there still). He got his ballot by email and he filled it out online. However, there are no printers in purgatory, so he just emailed it to me. His LCPO said I could sign it because I have PofA.

However, our ballots explicitly say that a PofA is not sufficient for signing. So I called our local elections office to ask what the options were. The gal on the phone said ..."Do you have anything lying around with his signature .... you see where I am going?". !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I of course am not that talented, so his twin sister did it for me. My other son said I should have recorded that call. Hindsight is 20/20.

My sailor said it was all fine by him, since he can do my sig, and now our daughter can do everyone's .... just in case (she mastered mine and her Dad's in middle school). 

Anyone still have faith in mail-in voting?

LBG: I have tears right along with you!  So glad you can lay eyes on him!  I can only omsginevwhat you are feeling!  

VintageGal:  thanks for all the insight.  I had already sent him some soduko and logic problems.  But he doesnt have a pencil.  Do you know if we are allowed to slip a mechanical pencil in an envelope?  

Good Morning and Happy RED shirt Friday!

I'm working on getting the "x" back so you can delete comments.  I did hear back from the marketing company that handles the N4M website and they told me that support is telling them that the "x" is still there - it's just invisible!  They are working with the developer to see if they can change the website design to get it back.....so please be patient.  It is being worked on!

Congrats on all the sailor calls. I hope none of yours end up in purgatory. Last week's group will had about 250 there, and there are 50 still from the week before. 

C's mom ... so sorry to hear about your SR. I think the ROM thing has been seriously done poorly. They are learning, but I think the way they are doing it is a big mistake. Hopefully they will change as they go forward. These kids do not get seriously sick and they are not going home to infect grandma or anyone else. I am glad my sailor is out of boot camp (even though he is in purgatory). I hear some of the groups are starting to conspire to  NOT tell anyone if they are feeling poorly and to NOT record temperatures above 99, no matter what. Maybe the system will change from within.

LadyBluefire- Good Morning,

I am so happy for you and I am crying with you. I know how I felt when I first saw mine in his division photo. Enjoy that feeling it is so wonderful!!!!

Big Navy Hugs to you!!!!

Katharine: I would be in so much trouble if I had to sign his name!!!  His writing is so horrible I would never pull it off!!  Since he is doing the scheduling for watch now, he had access to a printer and printed it and mailed the whole thing. I keep checking to see if it has been received. So far nothing. You would think they would come up with an easy way to make it happen for our military to vote!!!  I think there are states that only do mail in voting and have for years. A friend of mine said she had never voted in person.  

all of the ROM is making me sad. My son never got caught up in it but I have no idea how he managed it. I just can’t imagine the stress and upset for the SRs and the families. I know if he gets leave after A School he has to quarantine 14 days when he gets to base and he is already complaining but he will have his phone and laptop and all that. I can’t imagine having nothing

well, the Niece’s Virtual PE is done so I better go call her back in to get connected for English class

Good Morning All, Happy Friday! I see a lot of tears what is going on? It's suppose to be a Happy moment! So Lucky for those to be able to get a glimpse of your Loved One, I never did until Bud went into A school! So excited if you were to get a glimpse!

Thank You B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN  an invisible x is just that invisible LOL!

well I hope everyone has a great Day! started last night taking photos off the wall decided I am going to change my Flooring in the Kitchen and hall way as well, might as well not much more than what I'm spending still under budget so makes it worth it. My house will be brand New inside I cant wait for the finish Product!

Mrs. PartyofSeven's Scripture of the day:

Morning Prayer:

My Dearest Lord, give me strength to fight the eternal fight of the faith. Help me to be courageous in reaching others for the gospel. May I be strong against temptation. Equip me with the sword of the spirit. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

My son told me most of them had a pack not to fess up to feeling sick. He said some SRs had a “head cold” for a week. Said some splashed their faces with cold water before temp checks. 

I have faith in mail in voting, because the number of people who choose to make an end run around the rules is miniscule.  Our county is very good about screening ballots, both outgoing and incoming, and I have voted by mail for years now.  My mailbox is covered with stickers.

Sailors hiding not feeling well and not recording temperatures need to understand they are violating direct orders.  If discovered, potentially there will be personal consequences as well as harsher rules for everyone.  I'm not surprised, but I also will not be surprised if it blows up on them with new restrictions.  They're not civilians anymore.

I mailed mine in don't have time to go stand in line,

and yes hopefully they don't get caught doing this, it could mean harsher rules for everyone!

I will stand in line for this election. But we are in such a small voting precinct I have only waited in line once all these years. I shouldn’t go in person but I will and take hand sanitizer with me

I just verified and YES the X is invisible!! It worked in another group so just pay attention to where your mouse is because if you click the upper right corner,  to the side of something you just posted it will disappear!! 

Congratulations to everyone who are rejoicing and thoughts, hugs and prayers for those still waiting. I have been reading posts and answering others - I must get busy with my day but I have my RED - Remember Everyone Deployed - on today!

Congratulations to the newest and sharpest Sailors in the U.S. Navy who graduated October 9th. Divisions 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, and 414 are the graduating divisions in this training group. Well done Sailors! More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp.

Recruits will continue to graduate and participate in a smaller-scale ceremony, which will be videotaped and posted each FRIDAY on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NavyRecruitTrainingCommand/ as well as our YouTube channel for RTC Public Affairs.

C'sMom, prayers for you, your mom and to your recruit as you all are going through so much at the same time. Remember you are a strong woman and can get through all of this. Trials will make you stronger and we are right along side of you with encouragement and mostly prayers. God engulf you in His presence and be with your son as he perseveres toward the finish line.