Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

For those of you that will be going to PIR here is the link to the tickets and guest policy for PIR (8/13/21 and beyond). 

GRADUATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND GUEST POLICY

Once you click on it either scroll down to the bottom or see the heading  "Graduation Ceremony Tickets and Guest Policy" on the right hand side.

The brochure that is included with The Form Letter from MWRGL about hotels and other things is at RTC Friends and Family Brochure July 2017 rev.pdf. It should have some suggestions with contact information. 

The Page, Saving Money PIR Weekend, has information on hotels, transportation to GL, and more. 

The Navy Gateway Inns & Suites is located on the main base, about 1.5 miles from RTC. Only those with military IDs can access the base to stay there.  http://dodlodging.net or 1-877-NavyBed (1-877-628-9233). 

The Navy Lodge is located 1.9 miles off base from RTC and guests of graduation are allowed to stay there.  https://reservations.staydod.com/hotelSearch.do?action=View&pro... or 847-689-1485. 

There are also hotels in Vernon Hills, Gurnee, and Waukegan.  the Hotel Indigo-Vernon Hills .  Here are other places that people have mentioned (listed in the order I found them and I added the links for your convenience; I do not recommend or endorse any particular one): Ramada Inn Waukegan (some like the place and others do NOT), Hampton Inn in Libertyville, Residence Inn Waukegan, Red Carpet Inn in North Chicago, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham at Wadsworth Waukegan,  La Quinta Inn & Suites in Gurnee... That should give you some places to try. 

The discussion, Recommended Places to Stay, within PIR Reference Information may give you some ideas. Check http://www.tripadvisor.com/ to see what others have said about any hotel you are considering.  

When you call ask about Shuttles many of the hotels back in the day had shuttles it was fast and easy bypassed all the Cars in line waiting to get in. You may have to walk but not very far from the gate to the Hall. it was 3 bucks a person and many Hotels had live streaming for those that couldnt go as you are limited on tickets. that would be another question to ask.

As of right Now Sarge will not be having meet and Greets, I spoke with him last week and he has not heard any of the new details. he will reach out to one of our Admins when things change and or will come on and let know what changes are being made. Thank you,

At the PIR's there were vendors inside not sure if that will be the case again, but just make sure you have Money on hand as they will sell shirts back packs and so on......Also you may want to take a cushion to sit on. you will be sitting for a long period and the bleachers get hard and uncomfortable. I Bought one from the Wal mart there. which was down the street from Residence INN where we stayed. very convenient.

Pizanche - Unfortunately with the PIR shut down last year, many of our current active members on this group were not able to stay in any of the hotels near GL. My suggestion would be to just go to the hotel website or something like Trip Advisor and see what the reviews say and also to call the motel directly. I will say that my husband preferred to stay in most Hamptons, when he traveled.

Just FYI - be sure to find out about their amenities, such as breakfast, because a lot of hotels changed how they were doing their breakfasts this past year. Also, find out if they have a shuttle and if it is a first come / first serve or do you sign up for it. 

We had to sign up for our shuttle from our motel but the next morning - our name was not on the list. They had a later slot but I wanted to be there early, so we ended up driving over and thankfully I had the information printed that I needed for that. (I was pre-tickets for PIR). 

Pizanche - click on this link and then on the right side you'll see this:

GRADUATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND GUEST POLICY

This will tell you what you need to know about picking up tickets - and yes, Thursday is highly recommended.  It also has the info about driving on base.

For anyone driving to PIR (8/13 and after) and not using a shuttle service here is the short cut info from Sarge.  It should still be good info as he verified this for me this morning.  

Navy Taxi - short cut to PIR

Pizanche-- Pre-Tickets means just that.  There was a time when you didn't have tickets (8 years ago for me,  No Tickets) We had an access list and a base pass we had to show when we came on base. We drove on and it was quick and easy but it meant we had to be there early and was a longer time sitting on those hard, cold bleachers.
Because it's been a year and a half since the last In person PIR and the world has drastically changed some of the information may be out dated.  We do not have a crystal ball to know just what things may be like.  We can advise but we make no promises.  Please keep in mind that YOU are the trailblazers now! You are the ones who will have the best information for other new moms!! I'm so happy that you will get to go and see your Sailor at PIR!! I'm sure we all are!

Just an FYI - the GRADUATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND GUEST POLICY link I posted below is actually up to date info from RTC.  But yes, I'm sure there will be some kinks that need to be worked out so patience will be key!

Just starting to plan a trip for SR graduation 8/20. Lots of great info here. Just wondering if using Sarge/UBER/train will be sufficient for the 3 days we are there. I have a lot of anxiety about driving in a strange place. Also, I know I saw it somewhere but I can't find it now...how do I get in touch with Sarge to schedule pick-up from O'Hare and all that? Thanks so much y'all, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. 

Jules - I sent you a PM with Sarge's contact info.

Pizanche - Sorry for the delayed reply - I am hit and miss on here right now. My son's PIR was just before they changed things over to picking up tickets to attend PIR. Personally, for me, I am glad it was the way it was, because we drove and barely got into GL in time for Sarge's Meet and Greet that was on Thursday night. I think BBH explained the gate pass a little, that is what we had printed to show that we were to be on the list that we were verified against once we were inside and waiting in line. We did not have an issue with parking in the parking garage and in the long run for us, it worked out much better that we had driven to RTC due to our son's situation after PIR. {That is a story for another day :-) }

Jules - I see B'sNukeMom sent you a PM with Sarge's contact information while I was typing and doing a Google search. I am posting it for others - I have not verified that it is up to date but it appeared to be so. 

Great lakes taxi, Navy boot camp taxi, airport taxi service, Great ...

Links to July, August, September PIR groups:

 PIR JULY 2021

PIR AUGUST 2021

PIR SEPTEMBER 2021

chipmunk Sarges number is correct up above and he is still doing taxi service I spoke with him last week.

 Pizanche sorry about that but most of the hotels I listed you should be able to click and they will pop up. mostly all of these hotels are near the so no worries.

to http://www.mynavytaxi.com/events.html to RSVP). Sarge has a taxi service and he is a wealth of information. His cell number is 847-212-0246. His Meet and Greet and services have been getting great reviews. Find Sarge on N4M as OldSarge.

If they are giving tickets out then you will need to pick tickets up before you head to PIR so the Day before is good. I Know they were open from a certain time not sure where to find that info since its been so long.

GRADUATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND GUEST POLICY

This will tell you what you need to know about picking up tickets - and yes, Thursday is highly recommended.  Times are listed within the link.

It also has the info about driving on base.

Once you open the link click on the tab on the right hand side with the same name.

Jules - when we did PIR (back in 2012) we were there for 4 days.  We did not rent a car - we used Sarge for everything local and we caught the train into downtown Chicago and spent a day sightseeing there.  We did a lot of walking (in December!) but we didn't have any issues.

Thanks Much B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN! You are Awesome Sauce!

Awesome Sauce! I haven't heard that phrase in a long time, one of my boys (over) used it when they were young. Made my day, thank you.

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to all of our new members,

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday and a great start to their day today.

It is so exciting to hear your plans for PIR. What a year it has been. It truly is an awesome moment.

Jules- We rented a car from the airport and we stayed at the Navy Lodge and used their shuttle from the hotel. It was great. You do have to walk a little bit to get into the great hall but it is ok.

Pizanche- Good Morning and no worries. We have quite a few planners on here and it will work out. 

We got to Chicago Thursday afternoon and picked up our tickets before we went to the hotel. It was pretty easy and quick. Just make sure you have your ID.   :) We used the shuttle thru the hotel and it was great. We went over really early and then they'll come back for you what time you want. 

Sarge's shortcut was perfect. Be prepared for a lot of traffic around there. 

You ladies will be our first to go and you can share with us and the other new moms how it was and how everything went. 

Prayers for letters and calls to come today. 

If you are just joining please come and introduce yourselves and let us know where you are in this journey.

God Bless and have a great day today.

   Welcome TNNavyMom, We are glad that you are here. I left you a welcome message on your profile page along with some links of great information for you to read over.

This is a great group to be a part of and the support on here is awesome!! Come post when you are ready and we will help you as you go thru this journey.

Boot camp is for us as much as it's for our loved ones while they are getting stronger so are we. 

Welcome again.

B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN  & Chipmunk  & Phoenixmom  & partyofseven Thank you so much for the information. It is VERY helpful. Gonna try to use Sarge and the train to get around. Thanks again ladies! 

 Jules Have  WONDERFUL TIME! it is an Amazing Time. We went into Chicago thursday just us adults and had an amazing time. My Son at the time in BC didnt want to go into town because of the traffic and they get talked about it also. they cannot go with 50 miles from base. so he was a bit nervous.

Pizanche-- You are fine.  We all deal with things differently and having your child at boot camp is one of the hardest things most of us will have experienced to this point!  We do not take things personally because we all remember being there ourselves.  We have Those who plan and those who are more laid back but this is a whole new world for all of them.  Ask your questions.  You can look for the answers (They are likely here somewhere) but when you are already on overwhelm that task can be just too much to deal with at that moment!  We haven't lost a Mom to BC, we won't start with you!

Links to July, August, September PIR groups:

 PIR JULY 2021

PIR AUGUST 2021

PIR SEPTEMBER 2021

Good Evening everyone!! I am seeing a lot of new posts all over this site and in the chat area. It is hard at times to navigate and direct the new members to our chat area here where more of us spot things - 

As far as travel to the A schools after PIR, most of us that experienced that with our sailors (mine was 4 years ago) don't know if the information we have is still relevant or how it may have changed so we hesitate to share what we use to post and those of you on the front lines - first up and running with the PIRs are going to have to stay Semper Gumby but also please come back and share your experiences with us. 

I will say this much - if they ship the sailors out via commercial airlines to their A school, in the past they were taken to the airports very early in the dead of morning time. The parents meet the sailors at the airports and we received gate passes to be able to go in with our sailors to stay with them until they flew out. - So even if you are not flying to see your sailor, you need to make sure you have the proper ID, Real ID's etc, to be able to receive an airline gate pass. There is no guarantee that this will be issued by the airline but you can prepare and plan for the possibility. My son's flight left out at 6:30 AM from GL and he was waiting with the others in his group for a transport from his airport of destination to his A school before my husband, youngest son and I even had gotten our breakfast!! 

Due to some things with my son getting his orders processed we did not even have but about 2 hours with him on Friday after PIR before we had to get him returned to RTC and they will know when they need to be back and they don't want to be late. 

That is what PIR weekend looked like for us, we actually checked out of our hotel room very early on Saturday morning to drive to the airport and then began our drive home. It was one of the longest most tiring weekends of travel that I have ever done but I would not have missed it for anything. And we spent more time with her sailor in the wee hours of the morning at the airport waiting for his flight than we got to spend with him after PIR and Friday liberty. 

Pizanche - I did not see you post anything that was unfriendly. I use to be A type personality, planner to the hilt. That is how I found this site. I had good information from the recruiter and the RTC website all through BC but needed more information on what to expect for PIR - There was information posted and it is still on here, I think, but my experience at PIR was so totally different that when I came back from PIR, I wrote an entire discussion of what PIR might look like for those with sailors flying out to A school. We would kick it back into the discussion queue every so often or Phoenixmom would post the link. Since March of 2020 though - all of that has been out the door and even how they have been transporting the sailors to their A schools changed. We are back in uncharted waters, and that is mostly what I was trying to say. BBH explained the gate pass that we had to do prior to the tickets for PIR. After my son's PIR and the total lack of control that I had over any of the weekend and how things happened, I did a 180 on my planning and preparation when it comes to my sailor. I still don't always bend as well as I should but I am more flexible and that is one of the reasons that we say BC is for us moms and loved ones as much as it is for our sailors. 

If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask we will answer as best as we can, and hopefully you will be able to share with us what the new normal may start looking like for PIR weekend with sailors who are flying out. 

Hello everyone. My son went to boot camp July 23rd and had to do his two week quarantine. I am waiting to find out his ship number that way I can find him on sandboxx. I believe that’s how it works:-). 

VA1983, welcome to the group, so glad to have you join us here. You probably won't get a address for 2-4 weeks after they finish their quarantine. You can write them and number them until you get the address and then once you get the address you can mail them out. 

Thank you Northwoodsmom

VA 1983 - Here is information on the Sandboxx App for BC  in case you haven't read it already. We also have the information for helping you with a mailing address if you by chance hear from them and get a ship # and Division #. It is late for me and I won't be able to post much tomorrow but some of the other ladies will. 

Thank you chipmunk. Yes I downloaded the app but I’m waiting on his ship number in order to look him up. Thanks again fir the help.

VA1983 --

Welcome!! Please read my blog to give you an idea of what the first few weeks may look like.. First Things First-- The Quarantine Edition Up and to the Left is a link to all the Navy Lingo! It is titled Navy Speak and you can find it here. We are here to get you through the “Great Silence” of the next 4 weeks (ish) and the 10 weeks of BC (ish). You will come to learn that No News Is GOOD News and everything is Needs of the Navy. You life will be Hurry Up and Wait and it’s ok to make plans but they are subject to change until after they have happened so it’s best to embrace the Motto: Semper Gumby!! (Always Flexible!!)

The Expected timeline will look like this
Day 0 -- Travel, Arrival and "I'm Here" scripted phone call

Week 1&2
Day 1-14 -- ROM (Restriction of Movement/ Quarantine-- Lots of studying and waiting) Unless they are Fully Vaccinated (2 weeks after final shot) in which case they skip straight to Week 3.

Week 3
Day 15-21 Arrive Onboard RTC and begin P-days (P-days- Initial Processing Days) including 2 days of P-hold (Weekend)
Day 21-- Complete P days. (Initial PFT & Run)

Week 4- First week of training 
Day 22-- Begin training and mail form letter out. Look for it to arrive around 1-2 weeks later

Week 5 -- First inspections and tests (Dental May be this week or next... Not Confirmed)(Form letter/ Personal letters usually arrive this week)

Week 6 -8 -- More training, Drilling (Flags and Marching), Fire Fighting training, Marlinspike (Line handling- How to tie up a Ship to the Pier) and weapons lessons, Confidence chamber( May or may not be happening yet, we don’t know for sure).. Warrior training in here somewhere.

Week 9 & 10 -- Stressful!! They have all their final inspections, PFA, Drills, BS21 and Tests. This is the lead up to the end!!

All of this is assuming no exposure to COVID with additional ROM
Training typically occurs Monday - Friday but we have heard rumors that Saturday’s are now training days as well.
Normal PIR will be 10 Fridays after departure from Home but it can be less by 1 but it can be extended by ???? (lots!!) It just depends on how many times they get caught in the “Ring of Fire” but do not get COVID. IF they get COVID, Once they are recovered they will not be removed from training again even if they are in the “Ring of Fire”. (so there is that small silver lining if kids get sick)

VA1983-- I also just wanted to let you know that you do not have to use Sandboxx. That is a Paid application but you can send mail through the USPS.  If you do use Sandboxx, For the Love of all Sailors do not EVER, Ever, ever use it after Bootcamp for ANY reason!
I posted the typical timeline of when many things will be happening for you so hopefully that will help.  Please keep in mind we can only go on what current and recent moms have shared.

Thank you for the insight Phoenixmom. My husband isnt able to go, so it's just going to be me and I'm nervous that everything will go smoothly. All this talk of shutting things down again is giving me anxiety. If they shut things down again my heart will break. Trying to stay positive and count my blessings. 

Boot Camp Moms, holding you all up in prayers that everything remains opened and the numbers improve so you all will be able to attend your Sailors PIR.

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to VA1983, We are glad that you are here. No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you.

I didn't use the Sanbox app but a lot of the others did. Just remember that not to use it after boot camp. Yes and once you get the form letter you may mail your letters out. 

Here is a link that talks about all of our ships and their division numbers.

Ship/Division--How it Works. 

 Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recruit.  This is one that you can send to your loved one and have them answer the questions and send them back. They are fun to do.   :)

***INFORMED DELIVERY UPDATE***

For those of you who have USPS Informed Delivery,  I received an email today that they are discontinuing the App as of 6/12/2021 and you have to download the USPS Informed Delivery Mobile App to your phone.  I just did it and the process is pretty simple.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc

 These are good links for you ladies to have as well. Welcome again VA1983.

Pizanche- Good Morning, Yay for receiving your first letter. whoo hoo and I am so glad that he is sounding well. Yes this will be a new one for us and when you find out things let us know and we will learn all together. We also left on a Sunday when mine was in. It's another roller roaster of emotions PIR but you will have more communication while he is in A school.

Happy Monday to you to.

Jules- Good Morning it's good to hear from you. I know this has been  in the back of my mind as well. Mine is a HM Corpsman so it is a little worrisome that the cases are going up. Stay focused and keep it in prayer as this is in God's hands and not ours. Keep positive and have a great day!!!

Thank you SO much belovedbyhim

great information!!!!

Thank you partyofseven

PIR AUGUST 2021

PIR SEPTEMBER 2021

GRADUATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND GUEST POLICY

This will tell you what you need to know about picking up tickets - and yes, Thursday is highly recommended.  Times are listed within the link.

It also has the info about driving on base.

Once you open the link click on the tab on the right hand side with the same name.

Post from B'sNukeMom,

to http://www.mynavytaxi.com/events.html to RSVP). Sarge has a taxi service and he is a wealth of information. His cell number is 847-212-0246. His Meet and Greet and services have been getting great reviews. Find Sarge on N4M as OldSarge.

The brochure that is included with The Form Letter from MWRGL about hotels and other things is at RTC Friends and Family Brochure July 2017 rev.pdf. It should have some suggestions with contact information. 

The Page, Saving Money PIR Weekend, has information on hotels, transportation to GL, and more. 

The Navy Gateway Inns & Suites is located on the main base, about 1.5 miles from RTC. Only those with military IDs can access the base to stay there.  http://dodlodging.net or 1-877-NavyBed (1-877-628-9233). 

The Navy Lodge is located 1.9 miles off base from RTC and guests of graduation are allowed to stay there.  https://reservations.staydod.com/hotelSearch.do?action=View&pro... or 847-689-1485. 

There are also hotels in Vernon Hills, Gurnee, and Waukegan.  the Hotel Indigo-Vernon Hills .  Here are other places that people have mentioned (listed in the order I found them and I added the links for your convenience; I do not recommend or endorse any particular one): Ramada Inn Waukegan (some like the place and others do NOT), Hampton Inn in Libertyville, Residence Inn Waukegan, Red Carpet Inn in North Chicago, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham at Wadsworth Waukegan,  La Quinta Inn & Suites in Gurnee... That should give you some places to try. 

 within PIR Reference Information may give you some ideas. Check http://www.tripadvisor.com/ to see what others have said about any hotel you are considering.  

Yay!!! Congrats K. I bet you feel like a million bucks right now. How long did it it take to get your letter? I know it can be a few weeks. My daughter has only been gone 5 days so I have to patient for awhile.