Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

I am a little, well maybe more than just a little, heck I am a whole lot upset. I mailed my son's Christmas and Birthday present off 12 days ago and he still hasn't gotten them. Today the ombudsman told me the mail room will be shut down tomorrow until after the holidays for stand down. Now my boy will not have any presents for either day. At least I have someone delivering Christmas cookies and a lemon meringue pie for him. I looked up my tracking number and they can't find the package anywhere. I did have it insured but that is far beyond the point. I wish something could start going right this year!

No joke....  the Navy did not show up at all to bring food to any of the guys in ROM with my son again. It’s a good thing he has friends on base who are watching out for him. But they have to work so they come once...  

Shoosh, what a wonderful surprise!  

Active duty members are all on Tricare, they cannot be covered by a secondary insurance.  Yes, a lot of families keep on their own insurance until they make it through boot camp, but they need to come off it immediately after. Technically, they're supposed to be on Tricare only the day they take their final oath. Just takes you a few weeks to get around to taking them off, right?  Like about how long boot camp is, yes? Winkety wink.

Says right on the Tricare site, "Tricare is the only health benefit you can use".

https://www.tricare.mil/Plans/New/NewADSM

BelovedbyHim:he has been there 4 days and only received 1 meal and he only got that because he showed them his orders. He would be so mad if he knew I was complaining about it

There should be a PO between them and the chief, but yes, they should talk to their COC.  The Command Masterchief is the step after that.

Shoosh:  oh!  What a wonderful surprise for you!  Your story made me cry!  I don't even know your daughter, but I'm so proud of her!  

Shanny: I wondered when you said you drove 2 hours if you drove up here, or to Chicago.  Yes, that is in my neck of the woods and such a better airport than Chicago to take off from.  We are only about 40 minutes from that airport.

Another update since this morning!  Our son called us about an hour ago, and he is on the manifest to fly out tomorrow!!!!!  WOOHOO!  He said he missed the deadline, though, to request leave.  He said it was either yesterday or today.  I didn't realize I was still hanging on to a little hope that he'd be home for a few days.  But at least he made it out of Great Lakes before Christmas and his birthday!  I told him to tell me as soon as he has an address where he can get packages.  I have things ready to mail.  But now after seeing Beloved's post, I'm worried I still won't be able to mail him things for Christmas and his birthday!    I guess I just wait snd see!  But this news has almost made me giddy!  I told him I've been doing a happy dance all day!  

C’sMom: it was so easy to get in and out of that airport!  I was nervous doing it alone thinking it would be like Detroit or the airport I flew into in DC or Seattle. But it was so simple and not congested.  There was only 1 other car at the drop off!  
I am so glad your sailor is finally getting out of GL!  I am sorry he missed the cut off for leave...  I am sure he is just happy to be moving either way

Shanny:  about 4 years ago, our daughter left from Chicago to fly to Brazil.  We had no experience with airports.  It was so overwhelming!   A couple years later our son left for Italy from the airport here in GR.  It was so quiet.  The difference was like night and day!  You were so close.  I could have been there for you for moral support!  

Good Evening everyone!! I have been answering other questions behind the scenes and I am just now reading through the recent posts. 

Shanny - I will be sending you another PM shortly. 

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

Welcome Melody and Dean Perretti we are glad that you are here. You have come to the right place. Please come and introduce yourself and let us know where you are at in this journey.

No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you!!!

Informed Delivery®

This is a link that you can sign up to see what mail is being delivered to you every day. Start writing now and number your letters so your SR knows what order they came in. When you receive your form letter you can mail them off right away!!!

Shanny-Good Morning, I hope your Sailor and others are able to get the food situation straight. Prayers for all of them as this is something that does happen often and it is not right.

VIntageGal- Yes it has been very nice having him home. I work 12 hour days so I haven't really seen him much!!!  :) So our night time talks before I go to bed I always cherish.

Phoenixmom- Good Morning, Hope your evening was good.

Yesterday was an exhausting but busy day!! I got everything done and enjoyed being with the kids. This is the first day of my winter break. Now to get everything done that I haven't done during the week. Lol

Anti M, BBH, LBF, Chipmunk Good Morning.

Shoosh- Good Morning, You made me cry. That is an awesome surprise!! God is so great and I am so glad she did not have to wait months before coming home!!! Enjoy and tell her I am pulling for her as well!!! Big Hugs!!!!

C'sMom- I am so glad he is on the move!!! Whoo Hoo

Remember to wear your RED today as we wear RED to remember everyone deployed!!!!!

Melody and Dean Perretti:

Here is another link:

First Things First-- The Quarantine Edition

Melody and Dean Perretti:

Here is another link:

Boot Camp First Weeks Timeline

Goodness gracious! I was up at 4:30 this morning and bought this off of eBay ;) lol 

Good morning everyone!  I am waiting to hear from my Sailor. He has had his second physical and received orders.  Thought his phone would be turned back on by now, but I just keep going back to "hurry up and wait" in my head.  I am currently fighting my work to take my son off of my insurance. They said it had to be within 30 days of when coverage started and they need proof of coverage...<insert eyeroll>. I am continuing to go back and forth with them.  Do I need to call the Insurance company as well?

Chipmunk - Good morning! ok thank you (regarding the missed meals)

Northwoodsmom - I saw about the mail room shut down. I'm so sorry.  That really sucks. Shipping troubles are the worst.  I ordered some gifts for my nieces and nephews and had them shipped directly to them, but Target shipping messed up and routed them here and after Christmas. 

Shoosh - I'm so glad your daughter is home safe! Enjoy the holidays with her!

C'smom - Hallelujah he's on the move! :). Is he a nuke?  I apologize, I cannot remember.

Vintagegal - what an awesome ebay find!

Partyofseven - Enjoy the time! So happy for you!

Shortcake - I apologize - I didn't get a chance to do my PM to you after others and a Private chat last night, then my computer was acting up this morning and I have to go get my son's cupcakes baked. I will do my best to get some info to you soon.

Everyone have a wonderful day - and remember your RED!

Chipmunk - No problem! Whenever you have time!  I haven't heard from my son since the "I'm a Sailor" call, so he is probably still waiting to be moved to THU.

Oh and by the way, in true "this is my kid" fashion (lol), when he called to tell me he was a Sailor, he didn't even say "I'm a Sailor". I answered the phone and he said "Hi Mom"....then nothing lol.  Finally I said, "Are you a Sailor?!" and his response was "Duh mom, why do you think I'm calling". Lol, that turkey took away my "I'm a Sailor" moment.  He was so tired though and he doesn't really show outward excitement, so I should have expected that.  We did have a great conversation and I am so grateful for that.

VintageGal -  Exactly. That is our time and you are right. It is something that we can enjoy and cherish.

That is beautiful!! I love it!! 

I of course have last minute shopping to do. This happens every year no matter what. Lol

Shortcake- Good Morning and thank you. It has been a long time in coming for him to be at home. 

What does yours do? I'm sorry I couldn't remember.

Yay for phone calls and great conversations.  :)

I would call the insurance company. They can be pains at times and I never understood why it is so hard to take someone off your insurance. Ugh!! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

As for the food sometimes it does happen so like BBH and Anti M if your Sailor has to advocate for his food then I would suggest he do that. No one should not be feed whether they are in ROM or not!!

Northwoodsmom- I am so sorry about the shut down. Prayers for you and I'm sending you a hug!!

Maybe you could write down what you bought and get a little cake and take pictures of it on his birthday so he knows that he has something coming. Just a thought. Hugs!!!

Vintagegal - He is a Nuke.  Thank you, I will call the insurance as well. Hopefully he will get his cell back soon.

VintageGal, that is a wonderful pin!  I have one somewhere which says Sweetheart and the Navy goat is on the other end.  Yours has a chief's anchor.  Quite nice.

Shortcake -  Yes, they don't know to tell us they are calling with the "I'm a Sailor" call. Mine was similar but he said, "Have you left yet?" - I was so afraid he was trying to tell me that if we had left, we needed to turn around and go back home because he had failed!! (Yes, I tend to think negatively when it comes to my kids calling me about something.)

Shortcake, I apologize again, I was glancing through messages and saw my name and only read that, missing your question. It was not an intentional ignore on my part but accidental.  

Someone else might have mentioned it, but I would contact the insurance company directly. Usually they want to know coordination of benefits anyway, so I would call to let them know you now have a son fully enlisted in the US Navy and he is on Tricare and you are trying to get him dropped from your family plan but your HR department is making you jump through their red tape. Ask them what information they need to make sure that your son is removed from your family plan. For us, the insurance company just said, if they have Tricare, then we don't pay - but it may not be that simple. 

Okay back to cupcakes and family stuff!!

SO I was reading back to yesterday and saw some of you talking about getting wisdom teeth out.  Does anyone know when they do that?  I was thinking maybe that was why he may have missed his PFA and gotten pushed back.  If he is anything like me he may have had some issues when they came out which could cause a longer recovery.

Not enough money in the world to pay me to take a vaccine that did not go through the 10 years of trials AND they do not know how it will affect us years down the road...Altzheimers/cancer anyone? They do not know if it will affect fertility - and I want grandbabies! Never before have they used mRNA vaccines. I hope me having an autoimmune disorder makes me able to say no...

Wisdom teeth - Sailor #4 needs them out and I think they said maybe at school, but did not get them taken out at RTC. I had my #3 taken out a month before ship out and I had no clue that could have messed up his contract….


MyKidsMom - your son has a great birthday - same as me, lol

Shortcake - glad you did not hurt yourself! Be careful lady! Yes, I had a lovely birthday.  My husband spoils me daily so hard to top it on birthdays. I heard all 4 of my sailors’ voices! The one I thought would forget was the first to call! Goodness it should not be that hard to cancel insurance off a person! You'd think the ins co would be glad to be rid of the liability!

Proud - after listing my to do list I got too tired to do it all. So, I put off a few things and hubby and I did the rest together. :)

Party - Dave Ramsey is great. Our only debt is our home. That was supposed to be paid off this year but things came up - the worst being needing a new well and then hubby bought a new car. His 20 year old one just gave up.

NWM - I teared up over the form letter - it was like getting an autograph from my favorite famous person… ugh sorry your son won’t get his presents...with him being in school still that makes  absolutely no sense to me!

Shoosh - what an awesome surprise! Good to hear she is gung ho about trying again - what a great strength she has!

Vintage - I am goal oriented so I get so focused I forget the tunes…love the pin! 430 am/ What’s that? I don’t know time before 830. am lol

Shanny - I take it your son is in barracks for ROM? My son is still waiting to get paid back the over $1,000 that the Navy Suites cost during ROM...The receipt keeps getting “lost”..

BBH - part of the reason my 4 joined the Navy was to have a nest egg after 4-5 years. Sadly 1 has decided he will have no money once he gets out..if he has a debit card he has money..he might stay in for 20 though now..

Csmom - crossing fingers for a PAC fleet fly out!

Happy Belated Birthday to your son Chipmunk!

From my list I just  need to get my car oil changed, grocery shop and wipe down porch furniture - but instead of just the front bistro set I also want to wipe down the 8 chair set on the back - which being uncovered is way nastier - mildew and other green stuff...yay wetlands!

I hope you all have a great day!!!

Happy Friday Warrior Moms! 

Whew, miss 24 hours and there's so much to catch up on!  Welcome to all the new moms, you've landed in the right place for Navy mom support! 

On insurance, I had to pester our insurance company a couple of time when our younger son joined 4 yrs ago in the middle of the year.  They finally did it.  This time we just let the clock run out on this month and didn't sign our oldest up for next year.  If things change we'll figure it out! I'm going with he's going to be fine and we'll get the "I'm a Sailor" call!

Shortcake: So funny about your call, rolling the eyes! LOL! The food business, all I can say is GRRR! Get you act together people!

VintageGal: Love the pin!  I found some silk pillow covers with mom poems on them I think from the 40's or 50's...I'm still debating I just love their kitschy, sweet sentiment.  

Northwoodsmom: Really sorry about the mail room shut down.  That can be one of the toughest part of being in a military family...missed holidays, birthdays and family events.  He knows how much you love him, you did everything you could to get it there and the Navy said...not today.  He must feel so loved by you! :)  Our family celebrates them all when they are in person (plus mail things too).  My younger son just surprised us for Thanksgiving and it had been 3 years...I did all the holidays, birthdays and made all his favorite foods, 5 days of heaven! BIG HUGS!!

Shoosh! What an awesome daughter you have!  Happy, Happy Holidays!

PartyofSeven: Thank you for blessing us all with your prayers.

DoriBry: End of week 4 in GL...tick, tick! I need a form letter or something!  AHHHHHH!

Back later!  I'm determined to get my swallow wreath done! Have a blessed day!

Chipmunk - I'm so sorry, I never felt like you intentionally ignored me.  I hope I did not make you feel that way! What kind of cupcakes are you making? I will call the insurance to see what they can do on their end.  

Good afternoon Ladies, well our cases keep piling up and our very population is getting smaller by the week. Today they closed our Walmart because of so many employees either sick or quarantined. Don't know where it is coming from of course they are blaming it on families getting together for Thanksgiving. Seeing our only store is Wally world doesn't look like I will be shopping until after Christmas. I pray things are looking better for the rest of you.

Northwoodsmom:  That is terrible! I'm really over this year! We are hanging in there and trying to keep things stocked up.  Praying for you and those in your area.  HUGS!

LadyBluefire:  he is actually at the hotel on base. They told him he wasn’t Eligible for TPU in the barracks because his ship was in. But his chief filled out a form he had to give to the hotel with the promise to pay from the Navy. Not sure how that works. But they aren’t being fed so he is pretty much blowing his pay on take out. 

I will catch up when I get home...  just wasted 35 minutes in line at the pharmacy because their registers went down. 

Chipmunk, Shanny and Phoenixmom:  Thank you for being the greatest support, you humor and kindness shine through!  

Great minds VintageGal!  HA!

Shortcake, he is MA.

VintageGal!  I love the pin!  What a find!  I think I know why you were up early!  :D  

Shortcake: It's hard, but be patient.  When my sailor passed BS he did it the night before PIR and the last four divisions never got to make the "I'm a sailor" call.  The only way we could confirm he made it was the fact we didnt get a call to the contrary, and we found him in the PIR video and pictures.  I then saw on Facebook that those divisions were starting to get calls, but they had to stand in line for hours for one phone and only had 15 minutes or less to talk.  My sailor was in his ship prior to THU for a few days, but he didn't stand in line because he thought he'd get his phone soon and would be able to talk for as long as he wanted.  Made sense to me.  Your sailor will eventually get his phone and you will enjoy a nice, long conversation!  :D  but It's so hard waiting! I know!  

I'm not sure if I said this already or not, but our Sailor facetimed us last night as he was repacking his seabag.  He told us his name was on the manifest to leave today!  He is currently at the airport waiting for the military plan to arrive to take them down there.  We won't see him for Christmas, but I'm so thankful he is leaving before Christmas and his birthday!  I'm getting a package ready to mail to him with some small gifts and goodies!  

Shanny - my son was in the hotel and was told he had to get his own food, keep receipts, and be reimbursed...I think they paid him back for the food really fast but they still owe him for the hotel. So find out how they are doing that for your son....

There was no food delivery for him from the Navy because he was assigned to a ship and the deliveries from the Navy were for those who would be in barracks and therefore assigned the base galley. The ship galley was "too far" for them to deliver from.

They like to keep their galleys separate I suppose.

I am with C’sMom!  I didn’t get the sailor call...  I found him in the PIR video and he was in a great picture from PIR that RTC posted. I didn’t even know he had graduated for sure until a friend of his from the division was leaving for school texted me from his phone to tell me he was ok just waiting to leave. 

Chipmunk- that was me. That was telling Shortcake. No worries thou.

Shortcake- That was me that asked about your Sailor's rate. Lol No worries.  That's a good field to go into. Mine is a Hospital Corpsman. 

LBF- You have a great day to. 

C'sMom- I am so glad he will be moving before the holidays. That is a blessing. 

C’sMom:  I am so happy for him that he is heading out!! He will now have freedoms...  be able to go to the store when he wants, get out and walk around. This is exciting!!!  I am sorry he won’t be home for Christmas....  I was hoping he would get out early enough to request it