Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Birdie's mom - Welcome!! We are glad you have joined us. You are in what we call "The great silence" and the entire time of BC is generally referred to as an emotional roller coaster. So we suggest you come here as often as you need to, to share, vent, laugh, cry or just connect with others who know what you are going through. 

I did not know anything about this group when my son was at BC, so I pretty much just went by what the recruiter had told me and followed the information on the RTC website - Recruit Training Command Home Page (navy.mil) - I recommend that you read through that as well as the information pages above. There are also some videos above that tell a little about what their first few days / hours are like. 

I stayed busy helping a 2nd daughter prepare for her wedding, we already had daughter #1 get married. And then I was dealing with some other family things as well as having multiple children. We recommend you start a hobby, choose someplace to volunteer your time at, make a blue candle, check out Mom2blondies discussion above. Some ladies make decorations for PIR. We do not recommend hanging them on the outside of motel doors unless you are staying at the Navy Lodge but you can decorate the inside of the motel room, when you go to PIR. 

Write letters even now. Keep them up beat, provide encouraging words, send a questionnaire, have all of these ready, dated and numbered so that you may mail them when you receive her address. 

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

Join the Moms of Daughters 2 group if you haven't already. 

Welcome, new moms!

My son reported 10/5 and this group has been wonderful in getting me through ups and downs of BC.

The "Great Silence" is definitely helped by frequent letter writing. (Number your letters so they know what order to read them or if any get separated.) My son said the "big stack" arrived just when he needed it.

Sometimes, it's hard to stay upbeat in the letters. My son loves football, so I have been following his favorite team and including details in the letters. I also throw in commentary about books I spot in the library that he would enjoy. Little things like that are letting him know I'm thinking of him and has helped his morale.

Krystal--my son said in his call on Sunday that Thanksgiving was going to be a normal weekend day off busyness for him (studying, practicing, cleaning).  For your son coming out of quarantine (ROM), the 4 day weekend will be P-Hold days.  The son in ROM, it will be like any other of his 14  days, I expect.

Any of our January PIR moms, who might get first phone calls this weekend (ours came 3 Sundays after the form letter was postmarked)...

Besides finding out how long they have to talk, find out the date the division is scheduled for Battlestations, and find out what letter that got last and when. (They receive mail M-F).

This way if you don't get another phone call, you know when to mail your biggest "rah-rah", "I'm proud of you" letter.

Mine needs to be mailed November 29.

Good Morning Ladies and welcome to our group.

Krystal and Birdie's Mom- Welcome. Yes the great silence can be hard. I always suggest staying busy is key and write every day. They are missing you as much as you are missing them.

We are so glad that you are here. I cried when I needed to and just told myself that yes I miss my son and that is was ok if I wanted to cry about it!!   :)

Come here as often as you would like to cry, vent. laugh we are here for you.

ALso, keep your phone on you at all times and that ringer on loud you just never know when a call will come thru and you don't want to miss any. 

Welcome again.

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Stay safe and enjoy your weekend!

Good morning ladies!!!!  Just when I thought I would crawl out of my skin I checked in formed delivery and I’m getting my SR’s form letter today!!!  I just used that address and put 11 cards/letters in the mail to him!  I also wrote him via Sandboxx in hopes he gets something in the first mail call.  I am so relieved to hear ANYTHING, holy moly.  Yesterday was bittersweet without him on Thanksgiving.  I was pulling out my table runner and found this (see pic) which was absolutely perfect but of course made me a wreck.  Holy boot camp Batman!  This experience just may kill me.  I have been quiet on this site just trying to get my thoughts together.  A week after my son left for BC, a very good friend of his took his own life.  We are devastated to say the least.  He was in his 2nd year at Montana State and working on a ranch.  I just saw him about a month ago and he was so happy and telling me all about how much he loved it.  My SR agreed he did not want any news during BC unless it was immediate family.  At the time we discussed it because we have some ailing grandparents.  Never ever thought something like this would come about.  So now when we go to graduation in January I will have to break the news to him overshadowing the day.   He will get his phone back the next day so I definitely don’t want him to hear it on social media.  My heart breaks for my son and for Jayson’s family.  He had 2 younger brothers. This will be hard for him to deal with alone and facing A school.  Extra prayers for all please ladies!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Jrdsmama: So sorry to hear about your son's friend. If he is not staying in Great Lakes for "A" School, he is not going to have access to his cell phone until he departs RTC. Just wanted to be sure you knew this in case he doesn't depart until a different day.

Jrdsmama, I am so happy for you!!!  I remember that day so well of getting the form letter and putting his letters in the mail! And I did the same with Sandboxx so that his first chance of getting mail, he would have something there.  

Im so happy that you now have a PIR date too.  I know a lot of moms counted Fridays, but for me , it is a LONG time from one Friday to the next.  (Plus, his PIR was on a Wednesday.) I made a spreadsheet of days at BC and days until PIR.  Every letter started with "This is Day 24 of BC; 34 days until PIR". It just helped me to countdown each day.

Im so sorry about his friend.  That is really heart-breaking! I will be praying for his family and y'all as you have to break the news to your son.  

Congratulations again! So happy that you heard from your boy! 

After 31 days of silence, finally letters….. well notes…instructions….lol 
too many letters at once, not so many questions, why are there they same question in different letters, paper size could be smaller, total of stamps left reminder, total blank pages left in his notebook. 
At least he is CLEARLY comfortable in this environment… and he knows how to manage mom already….. 
Was nice to hear from him and comforting to know that he is in a good mindset!

Jrdsmama - I think you are right in that your son wouldn't want to hear about his friend on social media. That will definitely be a tough conversation to have when emotions are running high. I believe the Navy has resources to help with these things. Encourage your Sailor to reach out. Hard when he is so new to things, but I would think the Chaplain will be able to point him in the right direction, direct him what's available wherever A school is located. You don't want him going off to A school feeling like he has to cope alone.

Jrdsmama--- First off YEAH!!!! LETTERS!!!! Finally you have communication even if it is a bit one-sided atm.  Just KNOWING the address, Ship, DIV and PIR Dates helps so Much!! 
You don't indicate his A school and that may impact when you tell your son about his friend.  I'd wait as long as you can reasonably while still allowing him time to grieve with you (Don't tell him first thing... Maybe enjoy a pleasant Celebratory lunch first then go to your hotel so he can grieve in private.)  If you will also share his A school location we can try and get you information for the Chaplin there so you can provide that to him as well.  That way he can have support ready and waiting should he need it. 

JCNavyMom -- YEA!!!! Communications!! At long last you get confirmation that he's doing well!!

Yay for all the letters!

Jrdsmama--praying for wisdom and guidance as you deal with this sad knowledge.

What an exciting few days! First on Friday I got the first real letter and today I got a phone call!!! Was awesome to hear his voice!!!!!! 32 days gone - 41 days until PIR …. 

I love reading about everyone getting their letters! I'm still waiting to hear from my daughter through letters or call. I thank you guys for letting be apart of this journey in life. It's nice to know there are families out there going through the same emotions as me.

Hi Moms!

I'm back from my Sailor's PIR this past Wednesday.  

first I want to say to Jrdsmama, we had something similar happen, my sailor's friend was on a boat that capsized off the waters between the Delaware River and NJ about two weeks ago and he's still missing.  Her Bf called to tell me and ask for my advice as to whether she should tell her and I said no.  My sailor was about 2 weeks away from PIR and on her last call which was the day before this happened she was telling me how she had been feeling depressed and just tired, so that with the fact that battle stations were coming up and she was so close to the end, I decided I didn't want anyone to tell her, and her best friend agreed.  Then we decided we wouldn't say anything the day of graduation because even if she had access to social media using my phone, her best friend was going to make sure nothing was on her own page and their other friends page that she could see.  It was a risk, but we took it because we wanted that day to be happy for her.  She wound up finding out the next day. But we were there to comfort her and she was ok, cried a bit, but knows we are there for her.

As for PIR, getting the tickets was easy. For PIR everyone tells you to get there early, gates open at 6:30AM.  I had been nervous I wouldn't find the base the day of PIR, but at ticket pickup they told me oh you'll see a line of cars in the morning right outside this place and just line up behind them.  Well, we woke up early and drove towards the ticket pickup but there was no line! So we followed the map towards the base and still no line!  It was 6:37, and we drove right up to the gate, showed our tickets, ID and vaccine card and went straight in.  No line at the door, or to get your bag checked.  My sailor was in a 900 division so she was already in the drill hall but had told me to ask for two of her friends who would be greeters at the entrance of the drill hall and they would tell me where to sit so we can best spot her.  

The lady who was sitting behind me got there at 6 am and she said there was a line for everything.  So right after the gates opened seemed to be the ideal time for us.  However, I should say there were only 8 divisions graduating that day, but the PIR before that had 11, so I guess that also helped.

Return time is 9pm but we dropped her off at 8pm every night with her friends so they had time to get back because we all know on time is late.

If anyone has any questions, please ask and I'll answer if I can.

hello, thanks for all of the encouragement. Does anyone know what time in the morning is the earliest sailors can be picked up over the weekend after PIR Thanks

imalia, I don't know if this is the case for everyone but for my Sailor, we were told 8:00.  One morning he was there at 8, the next 8:20, and the next he could have been there at 7:40 because they let them out early. (But he had no way to contact us, so he hung out in the NEX since it was cold) and came out at 8

Birdie’s mom, I love that you are celebrating with the other moms while you wait for your letter.  I hope you'll get a letter very soon.

mytidbitz -- Welcome back!! Hopefully you can get caught up on your rest to recover.  It sounds like you had a wonderful time!!

JCNavyMom --- YEA!!! Letters!!! AND A PHONE CALL!!!! Wow!! That's Awesome!

imalia-- Usually 7:30-9am but that will be something that only your sailor can tell you.  They will have a briefing that will go over Liberty hours and rules they are to follow.  Listen to them and follow their orders!

Birdie's mom--- Your turn is coming!!

Mytidbitz--thanks for the 900  division advice, we will definitely try to take advantage of it. I'm getting so anxious for the calendar page to flip, so we will be in my PIR month.

Imalia--keep in mind that these lucky moms had extra time with their sailors because the PIR was on a Wednesday. Our family is a normal Friday PIR and we only expect to have the day off graduation with him.

Birdie's mom--hugs. It's a roller coaster of emotions.

Good morning 

yes I should also add the liberty time will depend on your sailors orders.  My daughters orders were to fly out Friday at 3 am but other sailors are there until Sunday and yet others until Tuesday.  From what my daughters fellow sailors told me, if your family can’t stay longer (as long as they have liberty for ) the sailors have to find something to do / somewhere to go since they’re not being supervised by their rdc’s anymore but it’s ok because they form a group among themselves and spend the day out together.   

Ladies, This is a Regular Announcement: Please put this information in your Phones:
I have a contact labeled {SailorName ICE} with this phone number and text number as the phone number under the contacts, then I have the needed contact info in the notes section. The info in Italics below. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it or have to remember where or what you need! In the event of an emergency I can just pull up the info on my phone and hand it off if I’m not able to think clearly!!

If an emergency (such as a serious illness, death or birth) of an immediate family member takes place then military families can initiate a request for Red Cross emergency assistance. The message will be verified and then delivered. If the emergency requires leave for a service member, the Red Cross will verify the emergency to the service member’s commanding officer. Eligibility for emergency leave will ultimately be determined by them. Throughout the process, the family member will be able to track the progress of the message from anywhere in the world online, by phone, through our mobile app or in person.

To best prepare for an emergency, please have this information ready when reporting an emergency message:

· The service members name, rank, social security number and unit address {SR Davy Jones, 123-45-6789, Great Lakes Naval Training Center Ship 99, Div 1904.} {In Fleet This would be their Ship Name and number}

· The name of the person with the emergency and the nature of the situation {King Neptune, Hospitalized in critical condition}

· The name and contact information for the medical authority to contact regarding the status of the emergency {Doctor Jack Sparrow, Barbados General Hospital, 555-123-4567}

To access these services through the Hero Care Network, create an account and send the message here or send through the Hero Care app by texting “GETHEROCARE” to 90999 or call a Hero Care specialist at 1-877-272-7337.

This is a reason to have the discussion before your sailor leaves or ask in an early call or letter (Reassure them that all is well at home but you have learned you should have asked sooner.) No one likes to talk about the possibility of death but it happens and it’s easier if you have a plan for how to handle these situations. When you can, ask if they want to know about anyone not parent or sibling while in boot camp (They likely will not be allowed to leave anyway), ask if they want to come home if it’s a parent or sibling ( It will be short 2-4 days at most then and a delay in BC training-- Fleet still short.)

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

We have had quite a few new members join recently so when you feel comfortable please come and introduce yourself and let us know where you are in your journey. We love to celebrate with you.

Remember no question is ever dumb and someone will answer you. Also, keep your phone on you at all times and that ringer on loud you just never know when you will get a call and you don't want to miss any.

Staying busy is key and start writing now so when you receive your first piece of communication you can mail your letters off right away!!

hope everyone's holiday was good and full of peace and love with your family and friends.

Jrdsmama- So sorry to hear about your son's friend. They are in my prayers.

mytidbitz- Welcome back. Whoo hoo. I'm glad you had a great time!!

Glad to hear about the letters you ladies have gotten. That is awesome!!

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

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021

One more training group for January added:

January 28, 2022 TG-09 (061,062,063,064,065,066,067,068,069,909,)

2021 CHRISTMAS ADOPT-A-SAILOR

Recruit Training Command will resume our annual Christmas Adopt-A-Sailor program.

Recruits graduating January 7, 2022, have the opportunity to spend Christmas Day in the local area with their immediate families or be adopted by local civic organizations such as VFWs, American Legions and churches.

B'sNukeMoM- Thanks for posting the info. Hope your holiday was great!!

How was everyone's day today? It's been pretty quiet on here. Just checking in to see how you ladies are doing? 

Any phone calls or letters come in? 

Finished it!!

Awesome!!!

BTW If any of our moms are looking for Blue Lights.... They have Mini lights in the Christmas section at Walmart that would work perfect!

JCNavyMom, just beautiful, I Love it. Mine hangs outside of my picture window, I found blue solar lights because I was going through batteries like crazy. It shines brightly against all the snow we got last night. Great job Navy Mom!

Good Morning Everyone,

Welcome to all of our new families we are glad that you are here. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Someone will answer you.

Another day closer to PIR for some of our families!!

JCNAvyMom- That is beautiful!! 

Northwoodsmom- Ah love the snow.

We have been having mid 80's here when we should be having 70's weather. Lol Oh well!! It's still beautiful outside!!

partyofseven-- We are having 60's and 70's when we should be having 40's and 50's and even some 20's and 30's!! No Snow in Denver and just a trace at my house!  We are going to have to turn the sprinklers back on if we don't get moisture soon and currently the forecast is not looking promising!  Every day that passes the Wildfire risk goes up!

JCNavyMom--it's beautiful!

Yesterday, I mailed the last letter my son should get before Battlestations. I'm starting to get a little anxious, but trying to stay very busy.

10  sleeps until PIR

Elina-- YEA!!!!! You can count on both hands!!! I Promise it will happen quicker than you expect!

My SR went to BC with a rate of BU. Is there a group for moms of future SeaBees?

JCNavyMom  - BelovedbyHim has a SeaBee - and there is this group - Seabee Moms - Navy For Moms (ning.com)  I would join it as well as send a friend request to BBH. 

Good Night all, sorry I haven't been on much. I have been burning the candle at both ends to meet some deadlines, along with traveling for the holidays.

JCNavyMom-- Welcome!! My Sailor is a BU.  I'm happy to answer any questions you may have and I'll offer any advice you want.

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

Come and post when you are ready and let us know how you are doing? 

Another day closer to PIR for some of our families. Don't forget to join your PIR group if you haven't done so already.

BBH- Hey and I'll be thinking of you today. Good Luck and I had seen her post as well and I thought about you.   ;) Have a great day!!

JCNavyMom-BBH is great and will have lots of info for you.  :)

ELina- Hey and oh my gosh it is almost here. I was so excited I couldn't stand it. Lol It won't be long now.

Remember everyone keep those phones on you at all times and that ringer on loud. You don't want to miss any calls that may come in!!!

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

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021