Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

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!  :)

MiamiRae-my sailor PIR was in January and he stayed there for A school and we had him all weekend. We didn’t know ahead of time to plan, found out at PIR but we happened to have 2 hotel rooms and it worked out. He had to check in each morning but was able to stay with us overnight. I would pack clothes for yours and be prepared to keep him.

MiamiRae, the best information of course would be coming from your Sailor, by the way congratulations !  Cases in many locations have been on the rise so the Navy might change policies at the drop of a hat. I would plan for the weekend but with alternate plans Incase anything would change. I know it would be heartbreaking ( my son's graduation was the first to not allow guest, it was so devastating to get the news Monday of Fridays graduation cancelation, I cried for weeks) don't want to put a downer on anyone's celebration, just want you to be aware of the possibilities. Safe travels and congratulations again!

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

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

On Friday's we wear RED to remember everyone deployed!!!

Congratulations to all of our brand new sailors. May God protect them today and every day as they begin their new journey!!!

MiamiRae- Whoo Hoo Congratulations to you and your loved one!!!

As Northwoodsmom said your loved one is the best to get that kind of information. Just be ready to be flexible and enjoy all that time that you will have with each other. It does go by fast so get in all those hugs that you can!!!   :)

Mine wasn't able to spend the night with us so we took him back and then met him at the airport the next morning. But that was before COVID.  Just follow your loved ones lead on what they want to do and it will be ok. Mine just wanted to take a long shower and just chill!!  lol

Congratulations again and safe travels and have a wonderful time!!!

Congratulations to our new sailors!!

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​.

If you have an upcoming PIR, I encourage you to watch live or the replay when it is posted to get a sense of what to expect. 

Partyofseven - Good Morning!

Good Morning !!

May everyone have an enjoyable weekend. For some, the weather is doing its thing, may your family be safe!

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our group. May you be safe today and every day as we go thru this crazy weather that some states have been having.

No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you.

Keep your phone on you at all times and that ringer on loud. You just never know when a call will come thru.

We are here to support you on this roller coaster of a new journey. Let us hear from you!!!

God Bless and have a wonderful day!!

Good Morning Everyone,

Welcome to our group.

How is everyone doing today? Come and let us know how things are going. 

Have a great day!!!

Good morning partyofseven!!

Greetings everyone from me as well!!

Welcome to any new members that we have!! 

Please be sure to come here and introduce yourself! 

I know that we have been encouraging you to join your PIR groups but those of us that stick around to help out on the BC group, we don't necessarily join each of the PIR groups that are formed. 

So, if you still have a SR at BC would you please pop on and say hi here in the comment wall and at least share how far along you SR is. I forget who is where in their journey and it helps the new members as well. Thanks!

Hi everyone!  I just wanted to jump on and welcome everyone!  Feel free to ask any questions you may have. No question is a bad one and someone will answer to the best of their knowledge and if they don’t know the answer, we always look for someone that may have a better one. (We have been known to reach out to our sailors for answers if we don’t have a good one). We are here for you for the good, the bad, and even the ugly. We will celebrate with you, cry with you and support you the best we can!  

this board got me through BC with COVID craziness.  So know we are here for you

Hi Everyone, new here.  My son is right in the middle of boot camp.  He will graduate 07/08 and we couldn't be more proud. 

Hi Jill!  Welcome to the group!  Have you received your form letter with mailing address already?  Sorry I am a bit behind on the schedule of things. My son has been in since July 2020. The beginning of COVID craziness so our schedule was different. My sailor did A School in Pensacola and is stationed in Norfolk now. I hope all is going well with your SR!  

Jill - Welcome!! I am glad you stopped by and posted. We are glad you are here. From my understanding (as a lot has changed since my SR left almost 5 years ago), your SR will still likely call you after they have completed Battle Stations. We don't post dates for those on this public part of the N4M site as the Navy treats in like ship movement - all preparation for our sailors when they are out in the fleet. 

After they complete BS, then I think they still have about 2 weeks of what was often referred to as INDOC at their A school. A time of Navy Life Skill training and filling out more paperwork. Hopefully some of our recent graduate loved ones can fill us in a little. They also have to pass their final Physical Fitness Test before PIR. 

Shanny asked about the form letter, so hopefully you have his address and are able to be writing letters. Partyofseven mentioned below about keeping your phone close. 

Here is the link for the July PIR group. Groups - Navy For Moms (ning.com) feel free to join it as well, that is a closed group but like I said, most of us veteran moms don't join each of those groups so if you have general questions, feel free to post them here.  

Reminder!!

For those traveling to PIR - be sure you book refundable or changeable airline tickets and motel reservations. Also, help your sailor and any of their significant others, the flexibility never ends! It is important to always keep this in mind when planning any vacations or travels home while your sailor is in the military. 

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

Welcome Jill!!

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

PIR MAY 2022

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).