Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Hi!  I'm new here and so happy I found you.  My daughter arrived at bootcamp last Wednesday and when I received the arrival call I thought she said she would quarantine only if she tested positive but I'm hearing and reading so many comments about recruits being automatically quarantined for two weeks upon arrival.  Is that the case now in Septmber? Or only for those that test positive?  I can't wait to receive our first letter and I'm just worried if she's being quarantined that letter will be delayed an extra two weeks.  Thanks for any help you can offer.

They were quarantining those who were unvaccinated. Some recruits like my son were held a few days though while enough peeps came in to make up a division.

HI Welcome mytidbitz. My daughter was vaccinated when she left but she also had to wait for her division to fill up like Trey mentioned so it was week 4 before I got her first letter and then the form letter later that week. The moms call this time The Great Silence and it is the hardest part. Remember no news is good news. If there were any issues you would receive a call.

The first suggestion I was given was to go ahead and write as many letters as I wanted to and then send them off once you have your address. It really helped me. 

mytidbitz Hi and welcome to our group. We are so glad that you are here!!

The newer members have given you some great advice and yes the first few weeks of no silence is hard. I always suggest to our new moms staying busy is key. Start writing your letters now so when you do get the form letter you can mail those letters off right away!!

We have all been where you are now so we get it!!! No question/s are ever dumb so please ask away and someone will answer you!!!

Here are some links for you:

HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF BOOT CAMP IN TIMES OF COVID

(as put together by belovedbyHim)

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)

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!!

Once you know your recruit's PIR date, be sure to join the group for that date. PIR groups are posted on the Comment Wall below once they are created.

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.

This is a great app. You sign up and you can see what mail you have coming every day!! I love it!!!

Jrdsmama -- Praying your whiplash heals!! Wow!! Less than a week out and he was still able to stay?
If it didn't feel right it may be for the best that he's delayed.
OH MY!!!! NO Boot Camp IS NOT like sending a Kid to college!! Good job keeping your mouth shut! I didn't! What college trains kids for the possibility of war? No University president can order college students to put themselves in harms way to defend the US!! No IT IS NOT in the least like sending a Kid to college!! 
I don't mean to scare you or anyone else but that is the reality of Military life.  We have had many years of Peace and no draft since Korea so most of our peers do not even think about the possibility of your child being in a hostile situation but they need to stop and think before they speak!
I Took my oldest to college, I got to help her get settled in her dorm room. I called her the next day, just to check in.  I spoke with her several times over the first week.  I went to visit after  2 weeks.  My Niece is currently in college and she comes home every weekend.  My Sailor.... He was last home a year ago and while he's in a place where I could go visit, I can't because he doesn't have regular liberty. 

Thank you everyone.  Today is a hard day for me so finding this group has been helpful.  I'm happy to hear that those that are vaccinated don't have the two week quarantine period because 8 weeks is hard but 10 would be really hard.  I have to stop letting my mom mind get the best of me and just trust my daughter is strong enough to get through this.

Good Evening Everyone!! 

Ging - I hope your week is going well. 

mytidbitz - Welcome!! We are glad you have joined us and jumped right in to ask questions!

How are our other new members doing? Have you started writing letters as well like Belly's mom 25 mentioned?  Have you started a project to keep you busy during this BC time? 

Now that I have hopefully played catch up - for all our recent and new members - be sure to check your profile pages for comments. Also check for friend requests. If you want to know how to send a PM (private message), which requires having someone as a friend I have a discussion posted above but here it is as well. 

How to send PMs (Private Messages) to friends on N4M & some OPS... 

We are glad you have joined us! No question is dumb and even if it has been asked before, if you don't have an answer please don't hesitate to ask again. 

There is a lot of information on this page and in the links to the 25 pages in the upper right. Be sure to click view all and take a few at a time to digest. If you want to know what BC might look like for your SR (Seaman Recruit) be sure to check out the videos on the upper left. 

Semper Gumby - Always Flexible

Semper Fortis –  Always Courageous 

{BNMHs} - Big Navy Mom Hugs!

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here.

No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you!! The first few weeks of silence are hard so keeping busy is key. Start writing those letters now so when you get that form letter you can mail those letters off right away!!

 Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recruit.

These are fun to send to your loved ones when you start writing back and forth. It is neat to see their answers and you can see what boot camp is like for them.   :)

mytidbitz- Good Morning and you are very welcome. You can post on here anytime and let us know how you are doing. 

My son shipped off for bootcamp 9/9. He called my husband yesterday. He’s been pulled out because he started throwing up after PT. He was sent to medical and they discovered he has asthma and anxiety disorder. He said that he’s being separated for medical reasons and he’ll be home in 3-5 weeks. My heart is broken for him. He’s wanted this since he was a child. 

I want to support him and encourage him through all of this. Will my letters reach him if I send them to his ship and division? And does anyone know where he is being stationed and what he is doing while he sits there and waits to be processed out?

Good morning rrrxxvx - Welcome aboard!! We are glad you have come to chat and learn and grow as a new Navy Mom!! - It is quite possible that your daughter was the tail end of a female division that was being formed and so she processed through a lot faster and that is why her form letter arrived so quickly!! Be sure to return the security form to her at the address that she sent you!

SavedByGrace - I am sooo sorry to hear this news. I don't know much about the separation situations from BC. I think it is Ship 5 and I don't know if there is anything specific that you needed for your son other than the address to mail a letter to him. 

Ship 5 information - (I copied so hopefully the links work)

Some who are sent to the RCU may end up being separated for various reasons once they are stabilized. Some of those who are placed in FIT are unable to pass the PFA and end up being separated. See Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) and Fitness Improvement Training .... If your recruit is sent to SEPS, then join Ship 5 Moms(Formerly Ship 17) and see FAQ about SEPS and http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/faq.html#separations for more information on SEPS.

rrrxxvx & SavedbyGrace - I left you messages on your profile page.  

Good Morning.  Thank you all for your comments.  They have been helpful.  My son went in on Sept. 8th so today marks 3 weeks with no form letter or anything.  It is good to hear I am not alone in this. 

Good Morning Moms.  

To SavedByGrace, I'm sorry to hear about your son.  As a mom that's my worry that my daughter will need me and I can't be there for her, but even though your son was separated, I would praise him for trying, that alone takes bravery to join the navy and take on bootcamp.  

To rrrxxvx, I'm so happy for you.  My daughter arrived 9/22, a week ago today and so I'm expecting I won't get a letter for at least another 3 weeks.  Did she say if she's doing well?  I'm hoping the first letter we get is a happy one.

Again I have to say how grateful I am for this group.  I thought I would be the mess during all this, but turns out my husband is so emotional I have to hold it together for the two of us, and corresponding with you moms is really helping.  I met another mom through the rtcgreatlakes instagram page and I told her about this group.  She's going through a rough time because it's just and her son, and his first letter was tough for her because he was having a tough time.

Here are the links to the October and November PIR groups.  Be sure to join your group:  

 PIR NOVEMBER 2021

 PIR OCTOBER 2021

We shouldn't join the PIR groups until we know our recruits graduation date correct?

mytidbitz - you are welcome to join the group based on what you think the PIR date will be.  You can always change to a different group if you find out the date/month is different.

@B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN  Thank you!

You are welcome - and I approved you for the November group.

Late Good evening to everyone!! I had a date night with my husband! And it was a busy day today prior to that. 

Devonson - I am glad that you have found our comment wall and are posting. Even before COVID, I am thinking it was almost 3 weeks before we had a form letter. Some are receiving them sooner than others but your delay is not unusual. If you happen to hear from your SR via phone before a letter be sure to ask him what his Ship # & Div # are and then we can help you with the address. 

Have a great day everyone!! Be sure to post your questions or just share! We will reply when or as we are able. Those traveling to GL, safe travels!!

Good Morning Everyone.  Yesterday was one week since my daughter arrived at Bootcamp.  It was a very long week for me.  

Question about PIR, I know only 2 tickets are being issued for in person attendance, which means her sister won't get a ticket.  Is it possible she can see her after the ceremony?  Meaning she would travel with us, and stay at the hotel until after the ceremony and see her then?

Mytid where will she be attending A school? That will predict how much time she has post ceremony. You’ve got this. 

@lmftnavymom21  She will be attending A school in Texas, but I'm embarrased to say I don't remember where in Texas.

My hope is that even if she can't leave the base after the ceremony, she'll be allowed to spend time with additional family members who couldn't attend the ceremony.

I keep telling myself I got this, but sometimes it gets very difficult.  I wish we received weekly progress reports like when they were in kindergarten, :)

I think anyone attending PIR will be fine, Sometimes we tend to think to much overthink the unthinkable. If anyone will know there schedule it will be your Loved one and they are the best person to ask.

By the way Good Morning all, hope this Thursday finds all well. have a great day!

Just to clarify Phoenixmom's comment - "Anyone attending PIR will be fine" - ONLY 2 VISITORS are allowed to actually attend the Pass in Review/ Graduation ceremony. That said, you may take any family members with you to GL to stay in the hotel with you. No restrictions have been given out about that as of yet. 

If your sailor is flying out to their A school then read my discussion above - although YOU WILL NOT be able to meet them at the airport. They are still not traveling by commercial flight as of the last update that I had.  You will likely only have PIR liberty time with them and then they go back to RTC. If for some reason they are being held in THU (temporary holding unit) at GL on the other side of RTC, then you might have more time with them for the weekend. However, most likely you will not even know this information until at the earliest when they call home after BS-21. So be sure to ask during the call after battle stations if they know what their weekend looks like. That call though may not come until 1-2 days before their PIR and you need to have travel plans arranged. So we suggest if you can to still stay through the weekend, just in case. 

If your sailor is staying in GL then they can get liberty weekend and some of the moms who were there recently have shared their comments, scroll back through to see their replies. 

mytidbitz - No this is not like kindergarten anymore - the great silence is training for us as much as for them. Be sure to watch the videos that are posted in the upper left. My husband found a timeline doing a Google search for me, but it was not accurate. However, that didn't matter, it still gave me something to focus on what my son might be doing while he was gone. 

mytid- She may have some time, it just depends on when she ships out to Texas- some of these moms know that better since my son will be staying in GL.

Thank you to everyone for all the info.  I will be sure to ask my daughter when I get a call about her schedule for the PIR weekend.

We have our first PIR for December:

December 3, 2021 TG-01 (001,002,003,004,005,006,007,008,009,901)

Hello Everyone! It has been two weeks since I posted last. I apologize ahead of time, this in going to be a long post.

Son #2 had PIR on September 17th. After that I traveled on business with my husband, and just had my phone with me, so posting had to wait until I got home.

PIR was fantastic! I think my experience was different than most will have, though. My husband went in uniform, and all morning it was "Good Morning, Chief!" "Hello, Chief". We walked into the hall and this woman came over and asked him if he was interested in VIP seating. We ended up sitting on the dais. The seats were really comfy, but it also meant were were on camera. I'm so glad I dressed up! The cool thing was that my husband was able to return the salute from the division. My son was so happy when he learned that!

We were able to spend the weekend with him, since he is staying at GL. We also adopted one of his buddies Saturday afternoon. His mom had an early flight, and he didn't fly out until Sunday, so he would have had to sit in the compartment with no phone and nothing to do. He was okay with that, but my son wasn't, so we took him with us to Chicago. Visited the Science and Industry Museum and had a Chicago dog. That evening we took our son out to dinner at one of those Brazilian steakhouse places. I don't think I've ever seen someone enjoy a meal so much! :-) He called Son #1, and they spent 4 hours on the phone swapping BC stories. It was awesome!

We then flew to the East Coast, toured a submarine under construction and a completed sub. So cool! Then we went to Mobile for a conference (historic ships), and were able to spend the weekend with Son #1. He is so happy. He genuinely loves being a sailor. I have never seen him so relaxed and settled. At the dinner for the conference, the assoc. president asked him to stand, and spoke to him about service and sacrifice, and how honored and proud she was to have him there in uniform (she is a retired Major General). He got a standing ovation.

It is so good to be home. In two weeks we will be back in GL for our daughter's PIR. My husband and youngest son will attend, and my 8 year old and I will watch the live stream from the hotel. I'm hopeful that we will get a chance to see her a little bit on Friday. She has said in every letter that she really wants a hug, and I can't wait to give her one. She is going to be in A school at the same place as Son #1, and he's really excited about that.

Belly's Mom - Was your SR in 908? I saw them marching when we returned the other sailor on Saturday. They looked sharp!

Again, sorry about the long post.

mustangmom65 - Good to hear from you! Thanks for sharing, I had forgotten you were traveling and was just thinking about you this morning and wondered how you were doing. 

Good Morning everyone.  mustangmom65 Thank you for sharing with us, I found myself smiling just reading about your time with your son.

I was able to get my daughter's address from her recruiter yesterday, however, I know I'm supposed to wait for her first letter to confirm her address.  He also said she was in the 900's division. I don't want to give her exact division on this platform since I know I'm supposed to follow the OPSEC rules, but what does the 900's mean?  I saw there was a group for the 800's and 900's but the page isn't found when I click on it.  Thanks everyone for always being so helpful.

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here.

let me see if I can catch up. Lol

mytidbitz- Good Morning and it's so good to see you posting. That is awesome that you have heard from your daughter. I know you said she's going to A school in Texas what is her job? My son went to Texas for A school as well that's why I'm wondering.   :)

I posted this link for you if it doesn't work right click on it and click on the one that says open in a new window and it will open that way. I tried it and it does work. 

• 800 and 900 Divisions

You are very welcome.

mustangmom65- That is so awesome!!! Wow!!!!

what an experience you guys had. I know your momma heart is so full right now and what a treat and special honor for your hubby!!!

Thanks for sharing and it was so good to hear from you!!!!

ON FRIDAYS WE WEAR RED TO REMEMBER EVERYONE DEPLOYED!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR BRAND NEW SAILORS ON A JOB WELL DONE!!! MAY GOD PROTECT YOU TODAY AND EVERY DAY AS YOU BEGIN YOUR NEW JOURNEY!!!

mytidbitz - I see Party found the link for you, I am going to paste it this way, since I had copied it already. - 800 and 900 Divisions - Navy For Moms (ning.com)

The 900 division is basically the performance division. There are a couple of moms who have SRs currently in a 900 division so hopefully they will share with you. They are part of the color guard, band and other performers at PIR. Also, they stand watch, help with security, and assist visitors during PIR. Others will be walking between the rows of the sailors to make sure none of them faint from standing for so long. 

You should be able to see your daughter perform in the 2 PIRs prior to hers, I believe. 

mustangmom65-- First off, Never feel you have to apologize for your post length!  I am known for rambling a bit myself.
Second-- WOW!!! It sounds like you had a WONDERFUL time!! I have seen the respect they give to military in Uniform and it is Impressive!  I hope you were also near your Sailor's Div on the Dias! How cool for your sailor that his dad got to return his salute but also how funny that they now HAVE to salute their dad! (when in uniform of course) It's great that you are able to attend all of their PIR's and I know you will enjoy your daughters just as much!

mytidbitz -- It was likely a 900 Div Sailor who came and asked Mustangmom65's Husband if he would like to sit in the VIP section.  That is also a part of that Div's job, seeing to the needs of Uniformed Military personnel.

Happy Friday!

mustangmom65 - wow!  that's awesome ;-D

Here are the links to the October and November PIR groups.  Be sure to join your group:  

 PIR NOVEMBER 2021

 PIR OCTOBER 2021

mytidbitz - here's the link to the 900s Division group on here:

900s Division

B's -- You meme about Speaking to the plants reminds me of a Funny that happened when I was growing up.  One of My Uncles was visiting and someone gave my sister a plant as a gift.  My Uncle told my sister that if she would talk to the plant it would be good for it so my sister (~age 9 or 10) turned around and said, "Plant... You gonna DIE!"  Now she has had the MOST beautiful gardens as an adult but that plant... It died!! (Our bedrooms were in the basement and it just didn't ever get enough light to survive... It hung on for almost 2 years though!)