Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

mytidbitz - My daughter is in a 900 div, PIR is 10/15. She won't tell us what her job is, just that it is "visible". She told her little brother, and he just grins at us! My husband and I were traveling when she tried calling on Sunday, so she called our house and had a nice long call with her brother. I think it was good for both of them.

@partyofseven   Hi!  I wish I would have heard from my daughter, but not yet.  The address was provided by her recruiter so I sent a "Test" letter today to her since I know from everything I've read here that I should wait to hear from her since she can be moved within the first two weeks.  So I sent a test letter to let her know it was a test and that her real letters are ready to mail when I'm sure that's her address.

I'm also confused because her recruiter said her division is 916 but she's not on ship 2 and I thought all 900's were on ship 2.  Sorry I'm rambling.  This great silence is just dragging on and my questions are multiplying. 

Oh and her job is Corps Medic.

Thanks for "listening"

mytidbitz - Not sure which divisions are on which ship but this shows which divisions have which PIR dates so you may go ahead and join that PIR group if you would like. - Recruit Training Command - Training Group Graduation Dates (navy.mil)

Also Partyofseven can probably give you more info on her rate if she hasn't already. 

The test letter sounds like a good option while you wait for the form letter to arrive. The other reason though that we recommend waiting for the form letter is because they have to train a mail room petty officer from each division and so if no one is there to deal with the incoming mail those letters are set aside and may not be dealt with until later. So, it is a slim margin that she might receive the test letter, but no guarantee. 

Chipmunk  Thanks, I figure it's a slim chance, but I'm still hoping.

I checked the link you gave me and her division is on the same grad date her recruiter gave me.  Can't wait!

Mytidbiz:: The ships are no longer divided by regular, 900s or 800s (there are no more 800 divisions). All divisions in the same Training Group (those with the same graduation date) are all housed in the same ship together.

@SuzyChicago  so is the 900 division still one where you’re chosen to be in it ? 

SuzyChicago - Thanks for the update!!

mytidbitz - Yes, I believe SRs are still selected to be in the 900 divisions. 

Good Morning everyone or if you are on the east coast Good Afternoon.

We are glad that you are here and for the ones at GL. I hope your time with your loved ones has been awesome!!

SuzyChicago- Hey and thanks for the update. We appreciate it.

mytidbitz- Good Morning and I'm sorry I wasn't able to post yesterday. I worked early and then had a funeral to go to so irt was a busy and happy and sad day.

Ah you will love Texas. The base out there is really nice and you if you can go will be able to go to her graduation from A school. It's not like PIR but it's a small personal cerermony for all of the families. 

I hope that they will still be able to do this. It really is a good experience. But if not and if you can please try to go out there for a visit. After they earn liberty and are able to be off base I went out there for a long weekend and visited with my son. It was great.

You are very welcome and no worries about the rambling.  :) Go ahead and start writing your questions now so when you do start to hear from her you have them ready and won't forget to ask.   :)

Another little tidbit I learned when mine was there. Lol

That was a good idea about the test letter. 

Have a wonderful day!!

mytidbitz -- The test letter was a great idea. She may get it and know you are thinking of her but if it gets lost it’s ok too. You didn’t indicate if you asked for the address or not but for other new moms, We advise against asking for the address. It can change, the recruiters really are not supposed to provide that information (PERSEC) and at BC they still have to train a Mail Petty Officer (RMPO) and they are counting on the 2-3 week mail lag to make that happen.
The Ship question is NOT uncommon since COVID. They have spread them out over all the open space so they have had to use Every ship and not just what was the historical space. Please keep in mind that as you are reading through the files, while MOST of that information is still current and correct, there will be changes to some information. Please feel free to ask if you are not sure but also don’t panic or worry if you are getting information that is slightly different. Your Sailor is ALWAYS the best source of Final information!
Some of you may hear about Sandboxx... If you decide to pay for “Quicker” letters remember that it is still at the mercy of a RMPO to process those letters and if they need to change ships, there is no promise that those letters will be forwarded. Also your letter is NOT Private, so treat it as a Postcard... ANYONE at SB can read what you wrote! Finally NEVER, NEVER EVER, For the Love of all Sailors NEVER use it after BC for ANY Reason!! It is a HUGE OPSEC and PERSEC Violation in the fleet! (it’s not great in BC either.)

mytidbitz - my daughter was "voluntold" ;- ). We are a Navy family, so she was very familiar with Never Again Volunteer Yourself, and kept her mouth shut when they came around looking for recruits with a certain ASVAB score. They came back a few minutes later, pointed at her, and said "You, come with us".  She was upset at first, and it took a while before we were able to figure out why. My husband went to BC in San Diego. There was no BS-21 at that time. When his div passed the reviewing stand and heard "Eyes Right!" that was the moment he went from recruit to sailor. She was upset that she wouldn't have that moment.

Both of my boys told me that the capping ceremony after BS-21 was far more emotional and important to them. That was their moment. PIR was just more marching :-)

I received a letter from my daughter today, and she told me of a fellow recruit who has had all of her letters returned, and her parents aren't answering her calls. It breaks my heart. She asked me to write to her. For our new moms, consider asking your SR to tell you if there is someone who needs a letter. This poor girl feels like no one cares about her.

mustangmom65 -- OH MY That just Breaks my Heart!!! What would prompt a parent to return their childs letters or refuse their phone call! even if your kid went against your wishes and enlisted it's not like they aren't adults and can make their own choices!! They also have chosen an honorable course! They aren't doing drugs or stealing or selling them selves or destroying others.... or ..... Fill in the blanks with what you think is life destroying.... Poor child!  I don't know how much longer you have (just a couple of weeks... right?) but if you want to send me her address I'd be happy to send her a letter expressing my support.... (For what it matters....)

mustangmom65-  I feel the same as belovdbyHim, my heart is breaking hearing this.  My daughter and I have had our moments and I wasn’t on board when she first told me about joining the army or the navy, glad it was the latter, but no matter what, she will always have my support. 

In one of my letters that I haven’t mailed yet I included a generic encouraging letter and asked her to give it to a recruit who may not be getting mail and to let me know if I should continue to send them.  If you can share this recruits address I would love to write to her.   Besides my crochet, I’ve actually found letter writing to be therapeutic for me.  Haven’t done it in so long now that we all text and email each other.   

Also just a few questions: Can we attend the capping ceremony and  what is BS-21 and why don’t the 900’s have that moment?  Is being the 900’s an honor?  I mean I believe all divisions are honorable and I’m proud of all of them but I think knowing she’s in the 900’s for some reason makes me believes she’s doing well if they thought enough of her to choose her or volunteer her.  Especially since I haven’t heard from her.  

And lastly one thing I want to share.  My younger daughter told me she was praying that she could send her sister a message that she could receive and that night she dreamt that she opened a card and on one side it said don’t ask any questions and the other side it said I’m ok. Her older sister is always telling her you ask too many questions. Lol

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

No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you. keep those phones on you at all times and that ringer on loud. As you just never know when a call will come thru.

mytidbitz-  Good Morning, I know it breaks my heart to and I did the same when mine was in. I just couldn't see not answering your child or writting them back. Even when I'm not happy with mine I don't stop being their mom. Ugh!!

Let me see if I can find you some answers.   :)

My boys tell me the same thing. Lol

Have a wonderful Sonday everyone!!

mytidbitz-

here it is:

900s Division

Read thru this and it explains everything about the 900 divisions. Pretty interesting to know what they do.   :)

No mam the capping ceremony is when they finish BS-21 and they go from a Seaman Recurit to a Sailor.  :)

Battle Stations-21 (BST) 

If you right click on this link and click on open link in a new window it will come up.

This also has some good information in it about what happens during BS-21.

There is also videos you can watch on you tube about it.

Let me know if that link doesn't work.   :)

mustangmom65 - That breaks my heart. I know people whose children have made questionable life choices, but as hard as it is they still stand behind their child. I can't even imagine what it would take to not let you child know they have your support. To go as far as to return letters is so hard to grasp.  If you think it is appropriate and would be welcomed I'd be happy to send a letter as well. Just message her address. 

Your family sounds grounded and amazing, a lot to deal and cope with in short span of time. I have enjoyed reading your posts.

mytidbitz-  Can we attend the capping ceremony  - No 
What is BS-21  - It's the final training event for the recruits.  There are links to several cool videos that go into more Depth. Just do a google search on Battle Stations 21.
Reminder-- We DO NOT post the dates for BS21 on here!! You CAN share that in your Smaller PIR group or in a pm to another member, just not on this page!
Why don’t the 900’s have that moment?  I Believe she was referring to the OLD Tradition of "Eyes Right" at PIR.  That was the Symbolic moment they became a Sailor.  NOW That symbolic moment is when they trade their "Recruit" ball cap for Their new "Sailor" Ball cap at the successful completion of BS21 so yes the 900's DO get that moment.
Is being the 900’s an honor? I mean I believe all divisions are honorable and I’m proud of all of them but I think knowing she’s in the 900’s for some reason makes me believes she’s doing well if they thought enough of her to choose her or volunteer her. Especially since I haven’t heard from her.  I Guess it depends on how you look at it. It's not because they necessarily saw something outstanding about her. They have extra responsibilities as it relates to PIR.  They spend all their Free time training for whatever job they have been assigned.  SO for singers they are rehearsing and memorizing the music, for band members- same thing. For the Flags (Sticks) they are practicing Marching and holding their flags the right way.  They have to master all this for the 2 PIR's before theirs! Some see it as a special honor but others see it as extra work.

Party gave you some excellent links too.  I hope you have your answers.  You haven't heard because they are not only doing all the stuff that regular recruits do PLUS all the training for their PIR job, whatever that may be.

BelovedbyHim - Thanks for all the info.  I checked out the link partyofseven gave me and I understand the BS-21 now.  I also read the 900s link, and have a better understanding of that now too.  It's funny when I think about my job and how overworked I am because of all the extra projects I'm assigned each day and I definitely do not see that as an honor, Lol.  

I was hoping to get a call today but she's only been there 12 days today so it's also probably too soon.

mytidbitz - Even before Covid - we did not receive a possible first call (other than the scripted I'm Here) until around week 3, so yes, 12 days is a little early, The first thing to be watching for is the Form letter. 

And yes, being chosen for a special position is extra work for the SRs. My son was a "stick" for his division and later he told me how just doing that added extra responsibilities and requirements of time. 

Thank you Agnes M, mytidbitz, and belovedbyHim - I will send friend requests so that I can give you the address in a private message.

mytidbitz - sorry if I was confusing. Sometimes I forget to translate from Navy to English ;-)

Loretta-- If you are not vaccinated you cannot attend PIR.  Someone in your party would need to be vaccinated to go on base to greet him and bring him back to where you are. 
Once he's off base then yes you can see him but keep in mind they will have the best information and instructions.  If he tells you that you both must remain masked and 6ft apart don't force him to ignore that order.  He will know the rules, I am just using the last suggestions that we had.

Loretta - Good to see you posting. I hope that BelovedbyHim answered your question. 

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here. Remember to keep those phones on you at all times and that ringer on loud as you don't want to miss any calls that may come thru.

Another day closer to PIR for some. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. No question is ever dumb.

Loretta- Hey and it's good to see you post on here. 

BBH- Thanks and I saw Loretta's comment but I was half asleep lol and I was hoping you would post.  :) Hope you are doing well and have a great day!!

For our members that are waiting to hear from their loved ones how are you doing? 

Partyofseven - Good Morning !  I hope everyone is doing well today.

It's been 12 days since I last spoke to my daughter, I'm holding up ok, trying not to let my mind wander to worrying and just trying to focus on my letter writing, my crochet, and waiting for that first letter and first phone call.

Good Morning Everyone!! Welcome to all of our new members! Be sure to come and say hello here so we can get to know you. 

mytidbitz - You are doing great!! It gets a little easier each day and that is good that you are writing letters. You might ask your daughter if her division is creating their own flag design. I don't recall if the 900 divisions did or not. I found out that they were still putting the design on the back of T-shirts and selling them so you can ask her about that as well in one of your letters. 

What are you crocheting? Any project in particular? 

partyofseven -- Good morning.  Thank you, I am doing better. Still dealing with some health issues and some work (or lack there of) issues but every day I wake up is a great day!!

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

 PIR NOVEMBER 2021

 PIR OCTOBER 2021

Good Morning Everyone,

And welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here. If you have just recently joined please come and introduce yourself and let us know where you are in your journey.

Staying busy is key during those first weeks of silence and start writing now so when you get that form letter you can send those letters off right away.

Keep your phone on you at all times and those ringers on loud. You just never know when a call with come thru.

I'm sitting here with my coffee and listening to it rain and thunder this morning!! Oh how I love this weather!!

Good Morning Everyone!  

PartyofSeven - I also love rain and thunder, if I'm home, Lol.

Chipmunk - Thank you for the advice on asking about the flags.  I keep writing every day and not being able to mail them I think is depressing me. The letter writing is therapeutic, but then not being able to mail them yet is not.  I love to crochet, but the project I'm working on now is frustrating me.  It's a panda curtain tie back and amigurumi is not my favorite kind of project.  A friend who is due this month asked me to make it and I found a pattern, but I'm very close to telling her it's not working out.  It's the eyes, they are just not coming out right, :)

mytidbitz - if the letter writing is not working for you then keep it short or take a break for a day or so. I actually just sent emails every night to my SR. Then when I received his address I copied all of those into a word document and printed it out and sent it. That way it was sort of a day to day happening of what had been going on since he left but also made me feel like I was staying connected. 

I am sorry that your crochet project is not going as you would like. I tend to be very perfectionistic with my craft projects so I understand that when things don't come out like you want them to how frustrating that can be. 

Partyofseven - Enjoy your rain!!

How is everyone doing today?

Good Morning,

My son enlisted last week to everyone’s surprise.  We don’t know anything about the Navy so I’ve really appreciated all your information about PIR, BST, boot camp, etc…

My son wants to go into the rescue swimmer program and I think his plan b was aircrewman helicopter, but while enlisting he got signed up for the aviation/airman professional apprenticeship tract.  He’s still training for rescue swimmer, though.  I don’t know if it’s typical for them to get into the careers they select or do they get assigned somewhere different?  Perhaps I’m way ahead of myself.

He’s scheduled to head to boot camp at the beginning of December, but he mentioned quarantining first.  It’s surreal knowing we have only a few weeks left before he’s gone for so long and facing such a momentous life change.  His mind is already focused in on what comes next so just trying to enjoy our time with him in between his workouts.

Hi, Xav’sMom’sCatchingOn!  I'm relatively new (as my son just left for boot camp last week) but I know that he wanted the rescue swimmer program, but after he took the practice asvab, the recruiter encouraged him to go a different path.  At MEPS, my son got a contract for the alternate path.  (Sorry, but I'm still not sure what I should and should not be sharing in terms of specifics.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your remaining time with your son.  Our son was supposed to go to BC Aug 3, but it got pushed back to Sep 20, and then again to Sep 27.  We were so grateful to have extra time with him!

Good morning everyone! I wanted to check in and tell you about our PIR weekend this past weekend. It was an amazing exhausting experience. We arrived into town on Thursday and had no issues picking up our tickets. We had to show ID and vaccination cards. The next morning (we drove ourselves) we left our hotel at 6am and traffic was already backed up along the road but once the gates opened it moved fairly quickly. The graduation was an amazing experience and of course seeing our kiddo was the best part.

 Instead of being transferred directly to A school she was transferred to holding as they did not have her orders ready. Since she was in holding we did not get to keep her overnight. We did have liberty with her until 9pm each day but we got her back about 8 each night to give her time to walk back to her holding ship. When returning her they did let us drive as far as the chapel area so long as we had id’s and graduation tickets. When picking up they had us wait across the street at the bank and your sailor can walk over.

 We had a great weekend. We hit two malls (Gurnee Mills and Hawthorne)  had lots of great family meals, walked the pathway at the beach and even saw a movie.

 We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Libertyville and had a good experience there. It is about 10 min straight shot drive to the base. They do offer a shuttle and steaming in the meeting room for those that can’t attend. There is a Wendy’s and Shell gas station right next to it but you did have to drive to eat anything else.

 Saying goodbye was really tough for us again and I was glad I took Monday off to decompress a little. It does help that she has her phone now. Service is a bit spotty but we have received a few texts since we have been home which is so nice after such a long period of silence.

Now we just wait for her to transfer to A school.

 Thank you to everyone for all your help and support over the last 10 weeks.

Welcome to all the New comers, so glad that you have made it hear and this far even though it is a beginning stages.

Belly'sMon so glad you had a Great time at PIR, and thank you for all the Information. Best wishes to your Daughter!

MomofJoseph you are fine with this info if you need to read up on his rate just google it and I can also help with other sited you can join on here. Congratulations on your SR. (Seaman Recruit)

 Xav’sMom’sCatchingOn welcome as well. There is so much to learn that is for sure!

Xav’sMom’sCatchingOn - my husband started his Navy career as an engineman on a battleship. While he was there, he learned how to drive small boats. When he left the ship, he got orders to a special boat unit. He spent a few months as an engineman, then they found out he could drive. In his 21 years he only spent 3 actually working in his rating.

Son #2 wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. My husband advised him to complete his A school first, then go for the other path. That way, if it doesn't work out, he has his rating to fall back on.

I had three kids go in this summer. My oldest had to quarantine for 9 days because of when he had his second dose. My middle son was not vaccinated, so he had two full weeks of quarantine. He made the most of it, learned everything he could get the RDC to teach him so he could be ready when "real BC" started. My daughter was vaccinated, but she ended up in holding for 5 days while her division formed.

mytidbitz - My mom crochets. I tried to get her to knit, but she says she can only handle one needle at a time, so I finally learned to knit a few years ago. I'm working on a shawl right now that I really love, when I'm not ripping it out! I am one stitch off, and I had to set it aside and take a break from it. I found a meme yesterday that said "Don't rip it out. Nobody has time for that. Make the same mistake in the next row and call it a pattern!"

Mytidbitz,MomofJoseph, Xav'sMom'sCatchingOn and All new Mom's. If your trying to keep busy and keep your minds busy you might want to put together a Blue Candle. When we miss our recruits/Sailors or if they had a big event like Battle Stations or a rest we would light them. Here is one of mine but there are alot of different ideas. I don't know how to pull them up ( computer illiterate ) besides I do my texting over the phone. I am sure one of our savvy ladies can help with that.

We have a Sailor in the house!! I'm so proud and excited! I can't wait to see him on Friday.. he's still figuring out his leave, but hopefully we get the weekend!

Congratulations dr 2873, Bravo Zulu to your Sailor. So excited for you. It's going to feel like a really long week. Safe travels and give that Sailor a hug from all of us!

examples of blue candles

drc2873 CONGRATULATIONS we Have a SAILOR In the HOUSE!!!!! Whooooop whooooop!!!!!HOOYAH!

Thank you Savvy Phoenixmom, I knew I could count on one of you, your so awesome!

Phoenixmom - That is such a sweet idea!  Thank you for posting examples!

Mustangmom65 - Thank you for sharing.  The journey each sailor takes is really quite interesting!

partyofseven -- Oh I Love listening to the rain and Thunder ( Just not the Cold!)!! Sadly my sweet pup is terrified of it so when it happens I have to keep the house closed up and turn up the tv/radio to reduce the sound for her.

You are welcome Ladies, there is so much to do with the candles, also dont forget when attending PIR there is so much you can do to decorate as well!

Phoenixmom, would you mind to explain what you mean by decorating for PIR?