Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

ChosenBlessings -- Depending on when he is leaving for Pensacola you may not have time to go to Chicago. Traffic is the biggest issue. They CANNOT be late and 1/2 a day is Not enough time. You may want to let him know that while you are willing his schedule may not allow for that trip. Oreo’s however he can have all he can eat and once he gets to A school and has an address you can set him up with Auto ship and he can have all the Oreo’s he wants! (Or your budget allows)
Chipmunk-- Just to Clarify, they can ONLY be out of uniform in a private space (Hotel room) Not anywhere where the public can see them (Pools, restaurants, hotel lobby or hall way!) They can Stay in uniform all the time if they choose.

mustangmom65 -- I am so sorry for your loss.

Trey -- If he’s A school in GL yes, if he’s flying out for A school, NO!! Since you cannot meet them at the airport they are not allowed to bring anything back!! PLEASE DO NOT send anything back with them if they are on the BC side waiting to ship out! It’s considered contraband and they can get in trouble!! They should know this so listen to them.

JenningsMom -- Congratulations!!! Those letters are Awesome aren’t they!!  BZ to him for doing so well!

mamabearto3 -- WHOOP!! WHOOP!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! BZ to you and your sailor!! Enjoy that BIG Sailor Hug on Friday!!! (don’t forget to give him one from each one of us!!! We are up to 13054)

Virginia -- Welcome!! Your feelings are completely normal!!! You likely will not see this in time to do many of these things but you can have your SR call and leave you a voice mail to save till you JUST can’t stand it any more and you can give him a note to take with him while he’s waiting for mail.

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 (8 if they arrive fully vaccinated) 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) Some Divisions are taking longer to fill and some Vaccine verification's are taking longer than expected so just remember, No News is GOOD News!!!

Good Morning Everyone!! Well my internet is working better and I was going to play catch up. However, rains also brought cooler weather our way and my daughter is waiting to go out for a walk and I have work to do outside. So short but sweet. 

I have to say BRAVO ZULU as well to Mamabearto3!!! Congratulations! I saw your post. Here is hoping for many hugs soon. And looking forward to continuing your Navy journey with you. 

Welcome to all of our new members!!  This is the place to hang out and chat with us. 

Hugs to the rest of you - staying busy, listening to uplifting music, words of encouragement, scriptures, just learning to be still and rest in peace and joy all help our mama hearts and prepares us for those days and months of silence that some of us go through when our loved ones are out in the fleet or working really hard at their schools. 

Congrats Mamabearto3!!! I’m sure that was an amazing moment for you. Enjoy that hug and that time!!

MustangMom65 - Have been thinking of you. You sure have a lot. I am sorry for your loss, I'm sure your mom really appreciates you being there for her. 

Trey - we didn't have the option of attending PIR so wasn't able to take stuff to our son. We mailed things, like underwear, to his A school. The post office has priority flat rate boxes that get just about anywhere in a couple of days, (according to our post master). Something that might work for you. That way your sailor won't have to worry about something being contraband or the issue of his having room to transport.

belovedbyHim- Wow, good to know about the traffic. We're originally from a small town in Oregon so the idea of eight hours not being enough to go into the city is mind-boggling to me. We will absolutely get him back on time. I'm bringing his Oreos and some comfy clothes in case he just wants to sit around relaxing in the room. He thinks there might be a chance his A school is backed up and he'll stay in the THU, so we'll see. Semper gumby, right? Thanks again!

I am full of anxiety. Still no call from my SR and I fly out in the morning. I havent seen anyone from his division that has gotten the call. UGH! 

Good Morning All, and CONGRATULATIONS to all the new Sailors! Your Hard work has paid off and Now to the next Journey and journey after that. The Places you will see and go will be Amazing! I Know I received a lot of pictures from my Son to places I Know I will never get to see. his Favorite was Dubai and Singapore, Beautiful over there. I would say the least favorite but I will pass, to each its own.

Have a Great day folks!

Morning Prayer:

Thank You, Father, for giving me the Light of life in Jesus. I pray that I may so concentrate my gaze upon Him day by day, that I may live and move and walk and pray in a manner that is well-pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN

Jules, I Have heard of families getting the call as they are flying out or when they arrive, just leave a message on you phones that you are on your way...So That way he knows you will be there and let him know how proud you are and that you Love him all on your message. It's not unusual for this to happen. Keep your head up! all will be fine!

Here are the links to the  August and September PIR groups:

PIR AUGUST 2021

PIR SEPTEMBER 2021

Be sure to join your group.

We still only have 3 October PIR dates:

October 1, 2021 TG-45 

(429,430,431,432,433,434,435,436,437,439,440,908)

October 8, 2021 TG-46 

(441,442,443,444,445,446,447,448,449,450,451,909)

October 15, 2021 TG-47 

(453,454,455,456,457,458,459,460,461,462,463,464,910)

Once we have the remaining dates we'll get the group posted.

Jules- Good Morning, please try not to stress out. I wrote you a post on my post last night. It's probably two pages back now.  :) 

I did not get my call until Thursday night and I was already in GL at my hotel room. My friend kept saying to me are you sure you should go and I was like yes I am. You have to remember No news is good news.

So please go and hang in there. We are here for you!!!

Big hugs!!!

Phoenixmom- Good Morning and thanks for posting the prayers for me. :)

I have started at school and it's been really busy the first couple of days.

Hope you and your family are doing well.

To answer one question, yes my son will be going to A school at GL so he will be getting some home clothes. We will wait until he gives us the all clear and what else he wants us to send him.

I have had more trouble with the no news is good news notion than most anything else lol. So counter intuitive to having been in contact almost constantly his whole life.

Big hugs to all.

Good Morning Party, YW and we are all doing great Thanks for asking, hope you and your Family are well.

In A school they have Phases, He will have to be in a Certain Phase to be able to get Civilian clothing so I wouldnt send clothes right now, they have limited space. They will let you know when they can begin getting Civilian clothing and then you will be able to ship.

Liberty Policies in Class A Schools

A key component of the liberty policy must be an understanding of the equilibrium required between personal and professional life, and that liberty is dependent on all military and technical training requirements and work being completed. The objective of this policy is to provide students a phased and sequential transition from the highly restrictive recruit training environment to one more like that which is experienced by Sailors in the Fleet. Training commands, which are located in the same regional area, will coordinate with one another to ensure a uniform policy for all students in their area.

The following Phase Ladder of Privileges Liberty Policy is applicable to those students who are reporting to Navy schools directly from Recruit Training Command.

Phase I—The first three weeks after recruit training:

• Wearing of civilian clothing is not authorized.
• On-base liberty is only during the training week.
• Consumption of alcoholic beverages is not authorized.
• All liberty will expire at 2200.
• All must complete command indoctrination prior to off-base liberty.

Phase II—Personnel may be advanced to Phase II upon meeting the following conditions:

• Three weeks onboard under Phase I
• Completion of NMT core curriculum
• Within Navy physical fitness standards
• Satisfactory uniform appearance
• Satisfactory academic standing
• Satisfactory military performance
• At the discretion of the Commanding Officer, liberty during school nights will expire at a time to ensure six hours of continuous sleep in 24 hours.

Phase III—Personnel may be advanced to Phase III upon meeting the following conditions:

• Four weeks in Phase II
• Within Navy physical fitness standards
• Satisfactory uniform appearance
• Satisfactory academic standing
• Satisfactory military performance
• Will allow Sailors under NMT to experience liberty equivalent to that of staff

The chain of command or a nonacademic review board may recommend Sailors be set back to a previous liberty phase for military infractions or unsatisfactory performance.

Those will be the Phases for A school and all A schools have different following Conditions. 

Can You Take Leave During A School?

A School is a continuation of a sailor's training beyond boot camp, and although sailors will have a lot more freedoms than they did during boot camp, they will have limited privileges. Sailors will not be allowed to take leave during A School, but they will be granted liberty.

Leave vs. Liberty

Oftentimes, leave and liberty are regarded as the same thing, though they both have slight variations.

Leave -- A sailor's authorized absence from a place of duty. Just as civilians earn vacation hours through work, sailors will earn time off each month, that they then can use to request time off from work.

Liberty -- A sailor's authorized absence granted for short periods to provide respite from the working environment. Liberty often is granted during the weekend and during holidays.

During the first three weeks of A School, sailors will start off with on-base liberty and a strict curfew. Toward the end of the three weeks and into the fourth week, sailors will begin to earn off-base liberty but still be given a curfew. A sailor's commanding officer will be responsible for determining liberty and can change it at any time.

What is A School in the Navy?

Accession training, commonly known as A School, is where sailors go to receive technical training in their selected military occupational specialty (MOS) field.

In 2017, the Navy restructured A School training, shortening the length of the school so that sailors can get to the fleet faster. A School will focus more on what sailors need to know to be successful during their first tour. Additional training will take place over the course of the rest of their career in the Navy.

With the changes being implemented at A School, it is expected that the time spent at A School to be cut down by 30%. A majority of the changes to the A School training structure were expected to be rolled out by 2020.

Hope some of this information will help to understand , but know there could be many changes with the information below.

partyofseven  - I found it. Thank you. Keeping my fingers crossed. I'm going to be there... just hoping things go smoothly for him. I know he was worried about the PT test. . . but he worries about everything. LOL 

 Phoenixmom Good to know. I'm just worried. Just going to  keep praying.

I'll let y'all know when I get the call! 

Jules, I Believe everything will be alright. if he didnt pass the PFA you would already have heard something. No News is good news and You will be sitting at PIR watching Your Handsome Son doing his thing!

I'm unclear about the call thing - I keep reading that people aren't getting a call. Can you explain what that is? Are we supposed to get a call form our SR letting us know that they will graduate?

I'm unclear about the call thing - I keep reading that people aren't getting a call. Can you explain what that is? Are we supposed to get a call form our SR letting us know that they will graduate?

ChosenBlessings -- I know it's wild but depending on his schedule you may or may not have time.  Look into taking the train (Fewer issues with traffic) and if you drive use something like WAZE to keep an eye on things.  GL is about an hour north of the city (Traffic depending) and if he is released and doesn't have anything else he needs to take care of you may have time.  A lot will depend on what his liberty looks like.  As I have learned, Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

Afternoon - for you getting your "calls" Congrats!!!! 

Jules-- {{{{BNMH}}}} This is the second most anxious week of BC!! You are sOooooooo Close to getting to see your sailor but there is NO communication and anxiety can run high!  Breathe~~ Let it out!  Deep Breath in~~~~ and Out.... Repeat till your BP and heart rate slow back to normal!! ;)  I Know you are excited and we are excited for you!
Look at his DIV number, That will tell you a lot about when he will likely call.  If they are in the Start of the training group they call first.  If they are near the end of the training group they will call last (Even as late as Thursday afternoon!) Knowing that can help you to know when things are normal or when you may need to worry.  There are typically 4 days of BS21 each week so take the TG and divide them into 4.   As for the PFA-- Yes by now you would have hard something.  It all down to one last test.

Trey -- If he's staying at GL then yes he can bring stuff back with him to base.  We brought some of our son's Civies for him to take to A school (We met him at the airport) but he told us when he went to put them on for the first time a bunch of stuff didn't fit any more!!! His physique had changed and he had grown in BC and he ended up buying new stuff once he could leave.  Just something to keep in mind.

GsMom21-- There are 3 expected phone calls. The "I'm here" call -- Scripted and they sound robotic. Talk over them and tell them you Love them!!  The "I'm Still Alive" call-- this is the first Earned call home.  It usually come 3-5 weeks after they have left home.  They may lose this call if their Div is not working together or if they mess up. They can also earn additional Calls in the next few weeks  90% of Recruits will get to make this scheduled call.  Finally there is the "I'm A Sailor" call.  This call is made after they complete BS21.  They do not call these phone calls by these names, we use them here to distinguish between the different types.  Most of the time Sailors will call home to let you know they will be graduating (PIR) that Friday.

There are also calls home for more information -- Business calls so they cannot Chat but you can ask yes or no type questions while getting the information they are asking for (Div and Ship number as well as general well being are Good ones to ask!! Don't forget to get in a few "I love you's" too!!)
Then there are the calls you DO NOT want.  Those are the ones letting you know there is a Problem.  The range from Set backs for performance, illness, or behavior to Being sent home.  Those calls are the ones we pray none of you ever get but if it happens we are still here to hep you find answers and support as your child moves in a different direction.

I hope this answers your confusion about he calls.

Here are a few sites that can  help as well. one for phone calls and one for letters.

• Phone Cards and Phone Calls
• Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recruit

GsmMom21 - the "call" that jules is waiting on is the "I'm a Sailor" call that comes after battle stations.  Her SR is scheduled for PIR this Friday and she's getting ready to fly out tomorrow.

Jules and other Navy Moms in waiting, please believe me that things are alright. Depending on how many divisions and the size of them they might not get through Battlestations until later on. I think we had a few moms that never got the call. As long as you haven't heard anything bad go ahead and assume everything is okay. This is the reason they have "body snatchers "at the ceremony on Friday.  Alot of the Sailor's just finished up with Battle Stations and are exhausted, a few may pass out during the ceremony and they have Sailors there whose job is to catch them before they hit the ground.  Prayers that all of you get the call before you have to leave for the airport but if you don't , do not change your plans. Most likely he or she were just one of the last divisions. 

Just received some info from the USO about what is going on in Afghanistan. thought you may like to know.

 I just stepped out of a meeting and wanted to share a quick update on the developing situation in Afghanistan and how the USO is mobilizing to help:

• Thousands of troops are in Afghanistan working to help evacuate American civilians and our allies.
• The USO has set up tents at deployment locations to provide food, water, hygiene kits and entertainment items to service members.
• The USO will continue to support our service members every step of the way, providing critical supplies our troops need as they are deployed without notice.

We’re counting on dedicated military supporters like you to help us send essential resources to our service members.* Here’s the best link for your emergency donation: uso.org/rapid-response.

I’ll keep you posted as I learn more. In the meantime, thank you for supporting our troops.

Kristen Baxter, USO
VP, Operations and Programs

P.S. The USO recognizes that this situation may bring back difficult memories for our veterans and their families. This community is here for you, and we will always support you

I keep in contact with them and them with me.

If I am not allowed to post this about the USO please let me Know and I will remove. Thank you,

Thank You NorthWoodsMom, I thought I Mentioned to all it depends on the circumstances and depending on A schools. but thanks for posting your info. glad someone is looking out for me.

Based on Belovedby him formula, I won’t hear from my son until we are in Great Lakes. Jules , I feel your pain. Hugs to you!!!

Northwoodsmom Thank you!

Pizanche Keeping my fingers crossed!

Jules and Pizanche- Hey, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you ladies and you guys are in my prayers.

Big Hugs ladies!!!

Thanks to all you ladies!! I am so happy that PIR is this Friday! My Husband and will be leaving at 6am tomorrow morning. It is going to be an EARLY morning for us. I hope all you ladies have a wonderful end of your week, and everyone is safe and doing well!  

Hi y'all! For those that are attending PIR & using uber or lyft can you please let us know how if there seems to be shortages or extended wait times? I have a few more weeks before I go and This is the only thing I'm uneasy about. 

K⚓️  You might think of using a different form of transportation. You may find renting a car or using Sarge's taxi service to be a better option, and less expensive.

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here. When you can come and post and let us know where you are in this journey. 

We love to celebrate with you.

Trey- Good Morning and yes the No news is good news does take a bit to get used to. How are you doing?

mamabearto3- You are very welcome. Prayers for safe travels as you head out this morning. Have a wonderful time and thank your loved one for their service and give a big hug from us. You guys stay safe as well while you are traveling and have a wonderful time!!!

ellen0502- Good Morning and how are you? It's good to see you on here. Hope you are doing well and staying safe and healthy.

Prayers for all who are traveling today. Be safe and God Bless and have a great day!!!