Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

belovedbyHim - Ha, agreed! No Sandboxx outside of bootcamp! Definitely not a secure form of communication. My brother is a career recruiter with the Marine Corps(who has been in disbelief over our experience with the Navy recruiters) and mentioned that Sandboxx is suggested during usmc bootcamp, I wondered if anyone on the Navy side had heard this or used it for communicating to their son/daughter while in BC. 

mustangmom65 - I was surprised by many things her recruiters said and did, they have shown themselves to have lied or given some pretty interesting info; so from here on out I am just trying to put anything they did say out of my mind. I agree the quarantining is not new so when she heard it would not affect her, like I mentioned, I should have pressed the issue but...whats done is done now.

I had thought about contacting recruiter for tentative info on the added 2 weeks but the track record and knowledge from them...I think I am better off not going that route lol.

Thanks for your responses ladies!

Hi Ladies

If it wasn’t for you guys I would have been a mess when she called.  My husband had been emotional since she left and even writing a letter takes him a few days because he gets emotional just writing and then has to stop.  Lol

hollie and mustang mom - my recruit is also on the “older” side, 24.  Her recruiter had warned her that would be something to be aware of because many of the recruits are younger and many are immature.  So far she has a good friend who she calls her battle buddy and they’re looking out for each other and pushing each other through.  

ging- my daughter graduates nov 24 and she’s still in the 8 week BC group.  It’s actually 9 weeks on the day of graduation because of the 5 days she had to wait to fill her division.  

Cda2022 - I use sandboxx and also send letters through regular mail.  My recruit likes sandbox because she receives the letters in two days and she needs that right now but once she gets to a school I won’t use it anymore because then communication between us will be easier.  

ging- my daughters pir is 11/24 and she’s still in the 8 week group.  Well actually it will be 9 weeks on the day of her graduation because of the 5 days she had to wait around to fill her division 

Hollie - welcome.  The Im safe/arrived call was bittersweet for us because we could talk with her but like bnukesmom said you can still say I love you and I’m proud of you.  The call was so robotic my husband asked me to play it back because he through it was a recording.  But still great to hear her voice.  

Mytidbitz, My son thought he was in the last 8 week BC group but I guess not.  It sounds like the 10 week Boot Camp is approaching, but we still don’t know exactly when.  Hope you’re doing well!

Ging, I'm curious about the sailorization timeline for my son.  He will graduate on 11/24 and that is 8 weeks and 2 days after arriving at GL (but who's counting? LOL).  We thought he would then go to A school next. I wonder if his sailorization will be in GL or at his A School???

Hi everyone. Just got the call from the son - he just arrived at BC. Can’t say that I understood everything he said, but I heard his voice. Any clarification on quarantine? I couldn’t understand the details and I was a little shaken by the whole experience of getting the call…

Andi14, I don't know much, but when my son read the scripted call, he said he would be quarantined for 14 days unless his vaccination was verified. He had taken his vaccination card, and apparently it was verified quickly, because he did not have to quarantine.  That's all I personally know.

Andi14 - The call is scripted, and it is hard to understand sometimes with the quality of the connection and if they are stressed. If they have been vaccinated they will be held until that can be verified, and possibly until they have enough to form a division. If they are not vaccinated, they will have two weeks of quarantine.

We do NOT have confirmation that they are receiving the shot upon arrival and before they begin Quarantine.  Due to HIPPA RTC will not confirm so MOMS... That is a question for you to ask your sailor and report back.  We depend on you for the most up to date scuttlebutt!  They may have 2 weeks quarantine, then the shot, then 4 weeks later the 2nd shot, followed by 24/48 hours SIQ.  We Just don't know, so please share what YOUR SR experienced, but remember it could be different for another until we see a pattern emerge.

Ging-- Yep--- I'm seeing some with 8 weeks some with 12 and some with 10.  The Sailorization just isn't clear yet since it's so new.  We had a similar situation with COVID and ROM and quarantine and the fact that it was changing on a near daily (or so it seemed) basis.

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. We are glad that you are here. For our families that just joined please come and introduce yourself and let us know where you are in this journey. We love to celebrate, laugh and cry with you!!

Andi14- Good Morning and welcome, let me post some information for you.

***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.

 This is a great app and you can see what mail you have coming every day!!

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. 

Since they are starting something new with this Sailoration as you ladies find out we will to unless we hear from RTC first. This is how it was during COVID before they started allowing guests back in to watch PIR.

Be flexible and patience as much as you can. Keeping busy is key and start writing now so when you do get the form letter you can mail those letters off right away.

The other moms gave you great advice.  ;)

Let us know if you have any other questions, we are all here for each other!!

Cda2022, MomofJoseph, Ging and mustangmom thanks for sharing and posting for each other!! That was awesome!!

It sounds like some more changes are coming with this Sailorazation we will all learn together!!   :)

Momofjoseph I’m still learning but like belovedbyhim and partyofseven said sailorization is new and the timeline is unclear right now.  But since your SR has an 8 week BC I imagine they will have sailorization in A School.  

Are there any mom’s out there that attended the most recent PIR that can report back on their experience?  Our PIR is fast approaching.....about a week and a half away.

Andi14 - Welcome!  Now that your recruit has arrived, the wait begins for his first letter or call.  This group was super helpful during the "great silence"  They continue to be a great support system for me through these past weeks of bootcamp.

Elina - The day we received our form letter we ran to the post office and mailed all the letters we had been writing while we waited and my recruit said she received 14 letters in one day.  LOL, But 9 or 14, it's never too much!  Keep at it!

Andi14 - Welcome!  Now that your recruit has arrived, the wait begins for his first letter or call.  This group was super helpful during the "great silence"  They continue to be a great support system for me through these past weeks of bootcamp.

Elina - The day we received our form letter we ran to the post office and mailed all the letters we had been writing while we waited and my recruit said she received 14 letters in one day.  LOL, But 9 or 14, it's never too much!  Keep at it!

My PIR was the end of September. My Sailor stayed at GL for A school, which he still hasn't classed up for yet so be patient. We got to check him out all weekend, returned Sunday evening. They get a card/chit and a number to call to check in the morning. Mine was vaccinated but still had to wait a few days to get enough for a division. He got what I guess you are calling sailorization (things like budgeting) in BC, but it may have been because he got washed back two weeks. I think things are up in the air because it's new. Some of his barracks mates were having to do those classes and were a bit jealous he had already done it.  The silence is horrible the whole time. I never got use to it. Got 3 calls and couple of letters. It's a learning curve for them and us and can really suck lol.  

Good Morning Everyone!! 

Lots of great chatter!! Welcome to all of our new members!! I have been "away" for a week or so since I went to see my granddaughter who lives a distance from me. 

I am one of the Nuke Moms that sticks around BC Mom to answer questions and help out as I am able. I also started a new group - Beyond BC - Navy For Moms (ning.com) - which any of you may join after you receive the "I'm a Sailor" call - which FYI they likely won't call it that but we do around here. I also took over moderating the ✟CHRISTIAN NAVY MOMS - Navy For Moms (ning.com) group, so we could keep it going. As well as I am a part of my son's ship group, the Nuke Moms group and a few others. 

I knew nothing about N4M until a week before PIR when I was looking for more information. Until that point the RTC boot camp website - Recruit Training Command Home Page (navy.mil) was my go to resource. I highly recommend that you bookmark that site as well. It is our go to source also, so if you want updated information on PIR that is "for certain" that is where you will find it. 

FLEXIBILTY - that is the name of the game around here. Talk of BC being extended is not new, but never any definite. Only recently did we get wind of the pilot program for some of the divisions to do their INDOC or "sailorization" at BC. Do know this, your SRs PIR date will be what is written in the Form Letter. Any changes to that date your SR will notify you. Not everyone has received their form letter, so if you start getting mail from your SR, then print out the RTC - Guest Security Form (3) - You may only put 2 names on the form, this is still old on the site. Mail it back to your SR and ask them what their PIR date is. 

Start training your SR / Sailor that from here on out, they are your only source of specific information about them, their orders, dates, times and places. Even in the fleet, due to OPSEC (or how strict their command is), they are the only ones that can give this information to you. Our PIR day DID NOT look anything like what I had read here on the site, because my son still did not have his orders finalized and my Semper Gumby muscles grew by leaps and bounds that day!

Trey - Thanks!! BC is definitely a learning curve, but it does start preparing us for when they are out in the fleet. My son had INDOC for almost a month while waiting to class up. It was during that time when he did all of his "sailorization" classes as well as getting to listen to stories from those who had been out in the fleet. He gleaned a lot from their experiences and I think was better off for it than some of those who did not have as much of that time before classing up. 

What does classing up mean?  

My sailor tosses acronyms like confetti.. means getting put into his class. so he is still waiting..

So you have to wait at A School too?  Her wait at BC was the worst part of BC according to her.  Hopefully if she has to wait at A school it won't be as bad.

Thanks so much for the clarification on quarantine, or at least as much as you can provide given the newness of everything. You all are an amazing source of support. I felt incredible guilty for not being able to understand and remember everything my son said. The yelling in background didn’t help, but that’s all part of the journey. Now the wait for the first call or letter, right? I will be reading your posts daily. 

Andi14 - our call came sooner than we thought.  She thought they called late at night and expecting that I jumped in the shower and of course she called then.  LOL.  But since she left that morning I had my phone with me everywhere and was able to answer.  I didn't understand much of what she said either and we could have sworn at the end of the call she said something like you will here from here either in 3 weeks or you may not here from here until graduation!  Glad that wasn't the case.  

Yep hurry up and wait. but with base liberty phases and their cell phones, it isn't as bad. IF you can get yours to call or text, mine is terrible at it. He has gone into Chicago and other places, the movies, bowling, etc.. just has to stand watches and stuff but not all the time.

Mytidbitz - Yes, some of the A school class also have to wait for enough sailors to fill a class, so there is a waiting period as well. They will keep the sailors busy during that time with odd jobs though, it depends on their command, I am sure, so what it might look like at Nuke school is different than in Pensacola, or GL, or various other places. 

Does anyone have experience with the Navy Lodge during Covid?  I think there was a post on here, but I can't find it. Would you please PM me, if you are willing to answer some questions?  I have emailed the lodge, and another GL place, and I'm not getting any responses. :-(

Trey - "tosses acronyms like confetti" is probably the most accurate description of Navy speak I've ever seen!

Regarding vaccinations at BC, only one of my three went in unvaccinated. He said he got the vaccine when he got all the other shots, and it was the single dose.

The wait to class up varies. My son at GL classed up within a week or two. My oldest son and my daughter are both in Pensacola. He had to wait a month to class up. She doesn't expect to class up until January, so she will be doing a lot of cleaning and standing watch.

My daughter also mentioned that at her base there is a USO lounge with snacks, internet, Netflix, and a nice old lady. She said everybody goes to MWR, but the USO is free and empty, so she's been hanging out there when she needs some time to herself.

Good Morning all and Happy Tuesday!

Regarding Sandboxx use - here's the link to some info posted.  It can be used BUT ONLY IN BOOT CAMP!

Sandboxx app while in BC

Be sure to join your PIR group. Here are the links:

PIR DECEMBER 2021

PIR NOVEMBER 2021

PIR OCTOBER 2021

Hey Elina,

I hear that. Lol My family did the same thing to me.  :) They said your writing to much. No I'm not!!  Lol

That is excellent. Once I got my form letter it helped me to and I felt better knowing when he was going to be done. 

Those videos are pretty awesome!!  :)

Good Morning Everyone and welcome,

Another day closer to PIR for some of our families. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Trey- It was good to hear from you and I'm glad your loved one is doing well.

mytidbitz- Hey and yes sometimes they have to wait at A school until their class is full. Like they do at boot camp.

Mine had to wait to, so he did odd jobs around base, volunteered and did watch. He probably had to wait two weeks and that was it. He went to A school in Texas.

Andi14-Hi and welcome to our group. Yes, that first call can be a little hard and it is hard to hear sometimes with all that yelling going on. 

Yes, now you will wait for the form letter to come and your first call from your loved one.

That first call and letter can be hard as they are missing you as much as you are missing them. Just listen and keep the conversation light hearted at first. You don't want your loved one to hear you cry because you are so happy to hear from them.  :) Keep encouraging them and as they go thru boot camp, they get stronger and stronger as you do as well and your next calls and letters are better after that.   :)

Staying busy is key and start writing now so when you do get your form letter you can mail those letters off right away. 

Big Navy Hugs to you!!

partyofseven - Good Morning to you too!

I laugh when I hear she may have to do some odd jobs at A school while she waits because she was happy that since she's in a 900 division she wasn't assigned jobs at BC.   I said that figures since chores around the house took her forever to complete.  She rather work 12 hours days at her job than her home chores.  LOL

Hi all - Happy Wednesday!  Halloween is near!

First January 2022 PIR is listed:

December 24, 2021 – No Graduation

December 31, 2021 – No Graduation

January 7, 2022 TG-06   (023,024,025,026,027,028,029,030,031,032,033,034,905, 906)

Be sure to join your PIR group. Here are the links:

PIR DECEMBER 2021

PIR NOVEMBER 2021

PIR OCTOBER 2021

My SR will be going to A school in Pensacola.  We are hoping that his schooling will be done around Christmas.  What happens if he doesn't "class up" and is still in A school?  Will they have time off for Christmas?

Devonson- I have two sailors in Pensacola. It took about a month for my son to class up. My daughter arrived on the 16th, and doesn't expect to class up until January. They are both hopeful about getting some time off, but nothing is guaranteed, of course.

B's--- HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Devonson -- My Sailor Graduated BC Labor Day weekend (8 years ago) then sat at his A school location for over 2 months before classing up.  He was not scheduled to Graduate until January.  His A school, like most all A schools, closed for Christmas.  They were able to put in for Extra time but it meant that they would go "In the Hole" so he was not able to also take time before leaving for his first duty station.  We got him for just over 2 weeks!  Some A Schools split it and they get one week or the other.  Many Commands also do the same.  My Sailor usually comes home for Thanksgiving when possible so that sailors with Families (Young Kids) can have that time off!It's the Navy however so Semper Gumby and Hope for the best, Expect change and Nothing is a done deal till after it has happened.

Partyofseven- Thanks for the welcome! That’s great advice. I need to start writing letters and, more than anything else, I need to stay busy. The waiting and not knowing is so hard, as so many have expressed. I keep wondering and worrying, not that any of that helps. As I’ve read on this site, no news is good news. I’m holding on to that! 

Mytidbitz- I’m so glad you didn’t miss the call! I turned my ringer on and had the phone on my pillow, just in case. If I don’t hear from him until graduation and he does fine, I can live with that. As long he does okay. The great silence – what a fantastic description.

Mustangmom65 – He is vaccinated and took his card, which was recommended by the recruiter. I guess he could be waiting for a complete division…?

MomofJoseph – My son said something similar, I think. He said something about 14 days. It was so fast and confusing…

Thanks so all! This group is amazing. So thankful!

OK... That was odd.  My Computer just showed a bunch of emails from yesterday so I missed them. 

When my Sailor was in A school, he told me that classing up worked this way...They took Sailors from the Fleet first, then Reserves (To get them off the pay sooner) then they went in Alpha order based on who had been there longest. He was bumped 3 times which was why he was waiting so long.

C Schools and Combat training are dependent on what their job description is and needs of the Navy.  There are also other "Schools" and trainings they may be sent to either before they arrive at their command or after.  And of course there are some required schools that are Years long and others are only a few weeks.  Your Sailor is your best source of information.  They will have access to their phones at that point. They also get to just hang out and get to know others as well as doing odd jobs around base and other tasks as assigned.  A few will volunteer to do things, but as my Sailor says "Navy stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself!" (This from a kid who plans to go career!!)

Trey-- We have an entire page of "Navy Speak" posted on the left side of this page further up.  I encourage everyone to take the time to learn the Lingo, that way you will have all the Intel on what they are talking about.

Andi14-- Dump that guilt in the ocean!! It doesn't do you any good!! Yes you are waiting for the Form letter next.  You really don't want a phone call till after week 4.  There is NO need to panic if they call sooner, they may just need information but early calls can also be for other reasons that are not so good.

We HIGHLY Suggest that as you are writing your letters you number them and if possible keep a copy just in case something goes missing (USPS is still struggling after all!!). This also helps them know what order to read them should several (or 14) arrive at once!!  You can also include a short letter of encouragement for your SR to pass on to any others in their DIV who may not be getting letters and support from home.  Sadly even today some kids run off to join the military against their parents wishes and they cut off communications.  Others have a rough home life and don't want contact with home but support can help ease the loneliness!!

Good Morning Everyone!! 

Another day closer to PIR!! I lost track again of anyone that we have headed that way or recently had PIR. Mustangmom65  - Thanks for sharing your experiences and answering questions for others as well.

Reminders: - Be sure to update the status of your SR on your profile page to Enlisted after your "I'm a sailor" call.

 - Be sure to check your profile pages for comments from other members, check for PMs (private messages) in your inbox. You should be able to set your settings to follow those through your email feed. Make sure you have your email feed turned on for your groups as well. 

- If you have a new sailor - please come join us in the Beyond BC - Navy For Moms (ning.com) - I don't always have an opportunity to personally invite each and everyone of you, so I try to post the link regularly, but sometimes I get behind.  

If you have not joined your PIR group yet - be sure to do so. 

Be sure to join your PIR group. Here are the links:

PIR DECEMBER 2021 (https://navyformoms.ning.com/group/pir-december-2021-tg-s-tbd)

PIR NOVEMBER 2021 (https://navyformoms.ning.com/group/pirnovember2021)

PIR OCTOBER 2021 (https://navyformoms.ning.com/group/piroctober2021)

MomofJoseph - I replied to your PM yesterday - no rush, I just wanted to make sure you saw it. 

Chipmunk, thank you I did see it. Crazy busy around here. Hope to reply later today. Thank you so much!

MomofJoseph - I get Crazy Busy!! No rush!!

B'sNuke Mom - Your meme made my day!!

You can start writing letters now, even number them to keep track, later once you get an address can use Sandboxx. It's hard to support other than letters and the occasionally phone calls you get. We got a call before the form letter and could ask him his address. It went terribly slow for us. I hope it goes fast for you though. Ours was our only so we had to adapt to a new life at the same time. Patience.. love , letter writing lol

JCNavyMom - Welcome!

Be sure to read the info posted up above by BelovedByHim "HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF BOOT CAMP IN TIMES OF COVID". This will give you a basic idea of what to expect. And keep in mind in could be 8-10 or even 12 weeks now in BC.

Count Fridays, not individual days and that will help the time pass faster!

Hang in there!

And your SR might be a December PIR but it's possible it could be January.  Here's the link to the December group.  

PIR DECEMBER 2021