Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Hi Krystal!  My SR is in ship 12, division 060.  I think he really likes his group. 

Krystal- isn’t that so good to hear!?!?  What more can we ask for that they’re enjoying the journey!  Makes my heart smile.

Just a reminder to practice OPSEC and PERSEC on this page.  The BC page is visible to anyone and I know at one point in time RDC's at GL were stalking this page.  Please remember to share Identifying details either in PM's or in your PIR Group pages.
No one is in trouble, this is a place to learn, so this is just a reminder of OPSEC/PERSEC

Good Morning Everyone!

I am so glad to hear that you all are receiving letters and phone calls - That is wonderful!!

Welcome to our new members - We are glad you have joined us here. Just to share some info about this site, be sure to scroll above and read my discussion about how to send PMs, and it also explains some information on OPSEC/PERSEC as it pertains to how to set your profile and the way the groups are set up. 

There are various ways to navigate this site and to reach out to others if you have questions or want to send a comment without a PM as well. I find it a lot easier to navigate this site on my computer. 

Remember to practice your own safety security on this site as well. If someone reaches out to you and asks for you to send your personal email or phone number to them and especially if you have not had any contact with them on this site, then it may be a spammer. Do not delete the information but please send a note to Admin (scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Report an Issue). They don't have any way of tracking the "person" unless you keep their note and profile icon. 

We share as much as we can on this group, but we also must be wise. 

Also be sure to join your PIR group - We have them set up by months now instead of specific dates - They can be found above under "Groups", or we post the links regularly on here. 

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

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021

We have our second PIR for February.

February 11, 2022 TG-11 (087,088,089,090,091,092,093,094,095,096,097,098,911,912)

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.

The February PIR group is posted - here's the link:

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

Hi, Moms!  I hope it's okay to post this.  I found these yellow ribbons on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J2HTYWW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_t... and I am thrilled.  These are cool because I can't make a pretty bow if my life depended on it.  There are two strings that you pull and it makes a perfect bow.  My son comes home on Friday, and I can't wait for him to see that I tied a yellow ribbon on our cherry tree.  <3

Brand new - so forgive me if I'm posting in wrong area!  I cannot seem to find concrete answer - are recruits wstill doing 2 weeks of ROM?  Do I count 9 Fridays, or 11?  Still waiting to get PIR info...but obviously I'm an excited mama!  ;)

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. 

USPS Informed Delivery - Sign up and receive an email from the US Postal Service showing what mail you will be getting each day (if available in your area).  

Informed Delivery®

Last PIR of 2021 is tomorrow.  Who do we have going?

REPOST FROM SUZYCHICAGO ON SATURDAY:

Comment by SuzyChicago on SaturdayDelete Comment

Welcome to our group, Autumn96!  The breakdown that Phoenixmom posted is a good estimate, but unfortunately, it's difficult to know exactly when to count.  Things will be off a little because of Christmas and New Year's.  Plus, there is a mandatory quarantine if your son is not vaccinated.  My son went with his vaccination card, so he only had 2 days of ROM while he waited for his vaccination to be verified.

BTW, you posted your question in the right area (good job - I did NOT do that when I first joined!)  We know how hard the Great Silence is and we hope you get your form letter SOON!  Hugs!

MomofJoseph - I love your Yellow ribbon!! Thanks for replying to Autumn96!

For our new members this is the chat area where we do most of our daily chatting and more of the members are likely to see your questions here and able to reply. If your question is not answered quickly, please check back. While many of you are missing your loved ones because they are off at BC, this is also the most likely time for Holiday Stand down for many of the others of us with active-duty sailors. So, we are busy cleaning, buying Christmas presents, planning favorite meals and just busy. But we will do our best to make sure your question is answered by someone. We have several who have recently been to PIR and others that are farther along on the BC journey here who have been doing a great job, jumping on and answering questions as well. 

Feel free to post your ups and downs though and any questions you have. 

Welcome, Autum96!  Like you, I tried counting Fridays, but federal holidays threw me off. One of the wonderful pieces of advice I got from the ladies here was to write to my recruit while waiting (and number your letters).  Obviously, you don't want to mention things that will upset them, but cheery conversations to boost morale are good for both of you, especially as you wait for the form letter. 

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

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021

Final PIR for 2021 is today.

BZ to all those graduating!

Welcome Autumn96!  My SR is in his second week of training.  He arrived on Wednesday the 10th of November and was unvaccinated so he had to quarantine.  Because his 2 week quarantine was up during Thanksgiving, they kept him in quarantine (ROM) for 16 days instead of 14.  Then there was the weekend and he started his processing days on Monday.  He sent out the form letter (which has his address and graduation date) during this week and I received it less than a week later during his first training week.  I also got my first phone call on the Saturday after his first training week.  I hear people have been receiving their first calls all week long.  So, hopefully somewhere in the 1st or 2nd training week?  Mine came from Waukegan, IL area code 847.

The USPS informed delivery is free and easy to sign up for.  I wish I’d done it sooner.  I took the advice from the ladies here and wrote him notes, letters… a lot of it looks like journal entries… lol… I tried to write a little something every day and I’m grateful for the advice because when his form letter came I had a couple letters ready to go out first thing.  I still haven’t gotten a letter from him, though he was hopeful they might be able to start sending some out this week.  He told me his mind is completely focused on what he needs to be doing over there and he barely has time to think about anything else, let alone write much in letters, though he has written a couple short ones so far.  He says he was only given a few minutes of free time for writing, but he’s keeping a journal so he won’t forget and can share his experience in more detail with me later.  So I’m not expecting too much in the way of letters or phone calls.  

Anyway, hope that helps some!  We’re glad you’re here.  This site and the other ladies in the group have helped me tremendously with feeling like I have some idea of what’s going on.

one of the things I did when I wrote my sailor in boot was to find odd news/weird stuff and send that to him for something different to read/think about. I came across some crazy stuff lol.

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

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021

USPS Informed Delivery - Sign up and receive an email from the US Postal Service showing what mail you will be getting each day (if available in your area).  Here's the link:

Informed Delivery®

Remember Everyone Deployed - RED Fridays!!

On Fridays we wear red to Remember all those deployed!! It is also a great way to check off another week of your loved one being gone to BC!

When my son was at BC, he was only allowed to write letters on Sundays. Most letters he started with "I only have 10 minutes to write!" They stay busy and while they can't communicate a lot with us - they so appreciate us writing to them. Just remember that they do not have a lot of space to store letters. It is best to type or write double sided. Some print pictures on their letters. Do NOT send glitter, newsprint that will smear, or noise maker cards! Also, putting stickers on the back of envelopes draws attention as well, but I did not know that, so all of my letters had smiley face stickers on the back of them!! - LOL!

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

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

PIR JANUARY 2022

PIR DECEMBER 2021

Unfortunate news from RTC - 2021 Adopt a Sailor Program has been cancelled:

That is sad, but best to be safe.  Hugs for all.

Ladies, just received call #2 from my SR! Oh man is my heart full! He sounded amazing. His division earned all of their flags and his toe surgery went well. He begged the RDC to sign off so he could go back to his division so he wouldn’t get behind. They slapped a band aid on it and he went off to march for 6 hours. Man I love that kid! 1/14 graduation can’t get here soon enough. He also told me we get the weekend with him even though he is not going to A school in GL. I told him he better be sure and not tease me with that. I’m afraid to even get excited about it for fear of it being revoked. Keep your fingers and toes crossed!

B'sNukeMom made a great suggestionto use the USPS Informed Delivery. It's great! I signed up (for free) and now when they have mail for me, I get an email with a pic of what's coming. An actual pic of the letter or package! Plus, it tells me what's coming for that day and what's to come soon. Because I live in the boonies and my mailbox is a mile down the road from my house, I don't have to make that trip if I know mail isn't coming. Or I will excitedly make that trip when I see my SR sent me a letter! Try it!

Jrdsmama...SOOO HAPPY FOR YOU!!

Jrdsmama - WooHoo!! a phone call!! Keeping those fingers and toes crossed with you, but keep flexing those Semper Gumby muscles as well. 

Hi Ummi - Good advice on the Informed Delivery!

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

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

PIR JANUARY 2022

We got an image from the USPS Informed Delivery for the form letter. Yay! I'm curious though, the return address my SR wrote says Div 083. That doesn't seem to be listed on the PIR Feb 2022 group for either Feb 4 or Feb 11? 

Never mind, I went to the RTC webpage and his division is listed there :-)

SusanPhoenix - I changed the divisions in the February group.  RTC must have changed it after I had posted the group.  Thanks for catching this!

REMINDER.....

2021 ADOPT-A-SAILOR PROGRAM CANCELLED

Good Morning and welcome to all  of our new members. We are so glad that you are here.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you.

Staying busy is key and remember they are missing you as much as you are missing them. I wrote mine twice a day and it helped me as well. Remember to keep your ringer on loud and your phone on you at all times you don't want to miss any calls that may come thru.

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

PIR FEBRUARY 2022

PIR JANUARY 2022

REMINDER.....

2021 ADOPT-A-SAILOR PROGRAM CANCELLED