Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

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

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

Good Morning Everyone!! 

Good Morning Everyone!!

PIR - It is finally here!! - For anyone attending this week, congratulations, may your time with your sailor be wonderful!!

Live streaming of our graduations begin at 9 a.m. CST every Friday. Videos will also be available for viewing afterwards as well on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/RTCPublicAffairs/community​.

For those of you with upcoming PIRs, I highly recommend either watching a live viewing or the replay to help you have an idea of what to expect. 

Remember to have extra cash for purchasing items beforehand in the Great Hall. 

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

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

Final PIR group for July was added.

Today's PIR happening live right now.  Here's the link:

PIR MAY 13 2022

How is everyone's weekend?  I hope that some of you have had phone calls or letters arriving. My letters generally came in on Thursdays. 

Always remember to keep your phone nearby you, and your ringer on loud and answer all calls as you never know when your SR or sailor will call. This time at BC is really hard but it is just a small step in training them and us for what life is like in the Navy. When we say these things and repeat these words, it is because we have experienced just that. Unexpected phone calls during times of worship, a doctor's appointment, in the shower! Calls from unknown number that happened to be my sailor able to call using another shipmate's phone who had international calling when he did not. 

Anyone started any special hobbies while their loved one has been gone? 

I just wanted to check in and say hello to everyone!  I know it has been a long time since I last check in on this board…. 

for those that don’t know me…. Hi!!!  I’m Shanny!  We are coming up on my sailor completely his 2nd year in…. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about the ship date finally coming up!  I can’t believe it has passed so quickly. So, my sailor left in July 2020 so the middle of the COVID mess and all the unknowns as things changed weekly. So glad things are changing again and you all have graduation to look forward to now! 

I was reading a post on another board and someone was asking about contacting the Red Cross while their recruit was in BC. And I wanted to reach out to all of you and encourage you to have the conversation with your SR before they leave for BC. Find out what their wishes are, would they want to be notified in the unfortunate chance that someone was seriously sick, injured or passed away.  Would they want the Red Cross to be notified so that their command could notify them?  Would they want to wait to get the news after PIR?  Would they want you to notify them in a letter or wait for a phone call?  This is a hard conversation to have, and I hope it is never a reality you need to consider. But please think about having the conversation with your recruits. 

Shanny, This is a good point!! Thanks for sharing!!

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

If you are just starting the boot camp experience with your loved one staying busy is key. Start writing now so when that form letter comes you can mail your letters off right away.

Boot camp is for us as much as it is for them while they are getting stronger so are you.

Mine has been in almost 5 years now, I stay on and help out the new families that join us.

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

Keep your phone on you at all times and that ringer on loud. You want to answer every call as you never know when your loved one will call and you don't want to miss a call from your loved ones.

Good Morning!

Wow one more PIR last week with 4 guests!! 

When you return from PIR, please be sure to come share here your experience and let us know all about it!

If you have a sailor now, please feel free to come join the Beyond BC group. 

We now have a Sailor!  Seeing father like son, our son is fourth generation and 1st grandson to serve in the Navy, many veterans in our family! how incredible proud we are. That was the longest 10-weeks we have ever had to endure. We got double whammied! First to leave the nest and then not be able to speak to him. My son has found his faith again and he has much more love towards us and his life back home. He is now at A school soaking it all in. ❤️❤️Thank you navy moms for your support!

Congrats for the new Sailors... that 10 weeks is tough, and we did the double/triple whammy.. only child/leave nest/homeschooled..  was brutal.. but ours is in A school now and love the contact..

Still hard to not see him but still blessed he will be able to call and text!!

is there a rule about posting any pics of our son in uniform fri. Graduation on Instagram? I’m private to only certain people, not public. 

osubuckeyegirl!! Congratulations!!

As for posting pictures, I would check with your sailor first and find out what his preference is. But the most important thing is to make sure you have cut and pasted out his name on his name tag. I found that if I just painted over my pictures, that when they opened up in the new window, it would still show the name and then "paint" over the name as it was loading. So, I learned how to cut out the name and then copy in black or the uniform color. 

Some places will also specify that you should not post the picture from identifying locations as well, so a plain background is better. 

osubuckeyegirl, congratulations, so happy for you. My son called alot during the first month or so but the more intense the training got the less communication we got., Just wanted you aware of this Incase you didn't hear from him for awhile so you don't get upset and worried.  Congrats again!

OSU buckeyegirl:  CONGRATULATIONS to you and your sailor!  

the return of communication is awesome!  My son is in the fleet now and when they are in port o hear from him just about every day. Granted it’s usually random snapchats but hey it’s something!  

as for posting pictures, I try to cover the name on the uniform if there is one. But other than that you can post what you feel comfortable posting. I try to keep mine to my private pages and not post on public pages. Also keep in mind what your sailor’s job may be. If it’s a spec ops job make sure you ask him what his preference is. They tend to want nothing posted online

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

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

Hello!

My son is about to graduate June 3rd.  He will remain in the Great Lakes for A School.  He hasn't been able to get answers there at RTC, and I've not been able to either, so I'm hoping someone here with sailors in A School can maybe help me out.  I need to know what items to bring for him when I fly up to his graduation.  Obviously some civ clothes.  But are they allowed to have other items?

Laptop?  Books?  Electronic devices besides their phones?

Anything strictly a "no no?"  I'm so paranoid from boot camp restrictions that I don't trust bringing anything.  

MiamiRae - am sure there are moms on here that know more than I do, but my son was able to have his lap top and civilian clothes at A school. He in particular wanted his regular underwear, socks and running shoes. Just keep in mind that when they travel from A school to next place they won't have the ability to haul a lot with them so I got the impression "less is more". We were in the covid - no PIR - group so shipped stuff to him. Sent study snacks in with his clothes. Shipped the laptop with UPS and it got there OK. 

MiamiRae - I agree with what AgnesB says. The is a group for GL on here and also you may join the BeyondBC group as well. I will do my best to post more for you tomorrow. I have heard that in GL, I believe they are allowing them to wear civilian clothes when out and about versus their dress uniforms while at A school, but I would still not send an entire wardrobe! Also, they may either gain or loose weight in BC and so some of them don't fit into their clothes anymore. Mine at least wanted a couple of pairs of shorts and t-shirts for sleeping in. Extra white t-shirts and underwear for wearing under his white dress uniform. His running shoes for PT, and since ours was flying out, and back when they sent their box home, we brought his cell phone & charger, his Kindle, and he bought his laptop once he got to A school, since he only had a desktop at home to work on.  

Keep in mind that all accessories must be black, so an umbrella, watch, even I think an extra duffle bag should be black. I recommend bringing a collapsible duffle bag with clothes versus a suitcase. They will not have a lot of storage at A school and may not be able to carry a lot when traveling to their duty station - it depends on how they transport. 

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

MiamiRae- Good Morning and welcome we are glad that you are here.

Mine had his PIR way before COVID. We also flew up to GL as well. I bought him a bag that had a few things that he had wanted and I put some things in there that I thought he would want.  :) He went thru the bag and took what he wanted and I took the rest home.

Once he gets to A school and gets settled you can send him a package with more of the things he wants if you want. That's what I did. 

I took him his laptop, other moms have mailed it to them and it worked out fine, I also sent him books, charger, I even sent him his switch at one point. They all have a way of making everything fit and what they don't need they will either send back home or give it to their friends while they are there.

Yes and that's still true about the watches must be black, my son's bags were ok because he just used the regular Navy issued ones. 

If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask. And you are almost there. Whoo Hoo!!!

Have a great day everyone!!!

Here are links to some other groups - 

I request that you not join Beyond BC until after your PIR or at least have received the "I'm a sailor" call. 

If anyone has a sailor that ends up in THU (Temporary Holding Unit) before moving to their A school - you might find this group / information helpful. Hurry up and Wait - THU group

Great Lakes A School Q & A - for those with sailors staying in GL for A school. 

If you have a sailor that might be flying out of GL to their A school, be sure to read my discussion posted above - What PIR weekend may be like for those flying out of GL - Navy For ...

Welcome to our new members!! This is the best spot to post your questions, share your concerns, and we will encourage you along the way. 

Miami Rae - Yes, they are allowed to have other electronic devices, however, they need to make sure they are able to lock them up and also, they don't want a lot of large items that will have to be sold, given away or trashed if they are not able to transport them to their duty station after A school. 

Thank you to everyone for the amazing tips and information!  I keep bragging to my son in letters that this site has provided so much more vital info than anything else I've run across, or anyone I've talked to.  Leave it to the moms, right?! Hand that rocks the cradle and all.  :)

MiamiRae - We are glad to be of help!!

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

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

Be sure to RSVP for the Meet N Greet on Thursday.  Here's the link:

Sarge's Meet N Greet

REMINDER FROM THE US NAVY RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND FACEBOOK PAGE:

Everyone who is planning on attending a graduation ceremony MUST personally obtain a ticket, which will be distributed at the Recruit Family Welcome Center the week of your recruit's graduation. Tickets are free of charge, but you must have valid photo ID to obtain your ticket (driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport, or, for minors, a student ID, driver's permit, SSN card, birth certificate,) AND you MUST also have your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card.

WELCOME CENTER ADDRESS/GPS: Navy Exchange (NEX) Burkey Mall, 2650 Green Bay Road North Chicago, IL 60088 (Do NOT use generic terms such as NEX, Recruit Training Command or Naval Station Great Lakes).

It is a Must and good time at the Meet and greet, they will ask for your loved Ones Div. and you will sit with Family who have loved one's in same div. as far as the Name tag I Would put your name that you use on here and maybe your real name underneath. Take Money because there might be a vendor at Meet and Greet and you can order flags which I did I will put an example down for you, also shirts of all sizes and More. There is stenciling as well. What a fun Night and the people you will meet.....

So when I attended Meet and Greet I Had bought a flag like down below on the top it had room for My Son's name on the sides I put the date of PIR and on the Other His Div and Underneath the Ship he was on ex: The USS Constitution. it cost me 75-80 bucks but till this day it is on his wall in his room, He loved it. also at PIR they have Vendors that will sell challenge coins those are a nice gift as well

Dont forget decorations I did my door to hotel but no names and we decorated the inside with red white blue candy jars you can do about anything from wreaths to anchors Ribbons ect.

So Much you can do, It's a Celebration on a Job Well Done !

                HOOYAH!

just a few examples below.

Questions about Liberty during PIR weekend.....Can anyone elaborate on liberty policy following PIR?  I've just received the "I'm a Sailor" call, and PIR is set for June 3rd.  My sailor is remaining in the Great Lakes for A school.  Everything I've read on this site and the Navy's all state that sailors are granted liberty for the weekend, once they check in with A school. I even had someone directly at RTC tell me over the phone that once sailor checks in with A school, they will be released for liberty and not have to return until Sunday evening.  My son was very discouraged when he called today, exhausted from Battle Stations because they told him sailors remaining in Great Lakes for A school will NOT be granted overnight liberty, and will have to return to RTC every night.  Can anyone confirm one way or the other?  It seems this may be an old COVID protocol?  Or does liberty depend on whether or not the sailor is specialized?  Just trying to plan, and this affects number of hotel rooms as well.

Thanks everyone!  Sending support to all the moms and families walking this walk!

Phoenixmom - Thanks for sharing the pictures!!

MiamiRae - Hmm! They had started letting the sailors go for overnights when PIR opened back up last fall. I don't know if something has changed since then. I will see if I can ask in our Beyond BC group for any recent attendees. 

I do believe they are to put in a liberty chit (request for leave) but I am not certain when they do that. My thought is make plans to have him stay with you - My son often slept on the hotel floor if we needed a bed. 

Thank you Phoenixmom!  I really appreciate it!  Everyone here is SO helpful and amazing.  Truly grateful!  :)