Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Athenasbow - My son's PIR was prior to the "ticket" requirement, but we wanted to attend Sarge's Meet n Greet on Thursday evening, so arrived late Thursday afternoon. We drove to GL, so we had a little more flexibility and I wanted to get to PIR early for a good seat. We had planned to take a shuttle from our motel, but somehow our name got bumped later from what I had asked for, so we ended up driving over to PIR as well in the morning. 

I agree with Trey, if you are flying in, check into Sarge's Taxi service.  

Athenasbow - if there's any way you can make it to Sarge's Meet N Greet on Thursday I would try for that.  We went back in 2012 and had a great time - got to meet lots of moms and even a few from on here. We also used Sarge's Taxi service for our whole time there - Wed PM through Sunday PM and he was very helpful.  We also took the train into Chicago and then got a day bus pass on Saturday.  Did a lot of walking around - and this was in December! 

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

Have your RSVP'd for tomorrow's Meet N Greet?  Here's the link:

Sarge's Meet N Greet

Thank you! This is very helpful info. I'm planning to rent a car at the airport. I'll try to arrange my flight to allow me to make it to Sarge's Meet n Greet. :)

Athenasbow - You are welcome.

Welcome to all of our new members! We are glad you have joined us, please come introduce yourself to all the other members in the group, it is the best way for us to get to know you. 

Northwoodsmom-- WOW!!! Look at you!! I remember your first days and now you are a fully fledged PROUD NAVY MOM!!! Kudos to you!!!

belovedbyHim, I had great teachers and owe you all so much. Can't believe my growth, talking here to you moms is one thing but face to face with a stranger is beyond normal for me. 

I hope our New Navy Moms can learn to embrace this new journey and grow into Amazing seasoned Moms filled with compassion and knowledge. There is nothing like it!

Athenasbow -- It is BEST to arrive on Wednesday if you can afford it!!  With Airlines canceling flights and possible weather issues you CANNOT Fly in on Friday morning, Get to GL and Get your tickets in time to make it to PIR that same morning.  IF you cannot afford to get in earlier then Fly in on Thursday but be aware that you may get very little sleep the entire weekend just because of long travel days and very early mornings with the Navy. (Or very late nights if there are any delays).

If you are driving you will want to be well rested, so plan to check into your hotel on Thursday. You can pick up your tickets Friday morning but you will want to be there before they open so you have time to get them, drive over to base and then find a good spot to sit!  Late is to LATE!!! They will NOT admit you once they close the doors for guests for any reason!  If you can get your ticket on Thursday then all you have to do on Friday is go to the Base and Find your seat.  Much less stress!!

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

No question is ever dumb and someone will answer you. 

Keep your phone on you at all times and answer every call you just never know when a call will come thru. Keep your ringer on high as well.

Athenasbow- welcome and if you can I would fly in on Wednesday to. It gives you an extra day to find everything and get settled in with out having to rush around.   :)

Northwoodsmom-You are awesome and a great person.  :)

Have a great day ladies.  

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

Here's a new video posted online (6/13/22) that shows the 10 weeks of boot camp:

What US Navy Recruits Go Through

8/26/22 PIR group added - TG 37. 

Due to size only 3 guests allowed.

Good Evening!!

Welcome to our newest members on this group. Be sure to stop by here and say hello, so we can get to know you and where you are at in your Navy journey. 

My son left for BC almost 5 years ago this month, made it through all of his training and has been out in the fleet on sea duty for almost 3 years now. We all have different stories to tell, different emotions, but one thing we all have in common is sending a loved one off to BC and learning to navigate Navy Life. 

Come here as often as you need for encouragement and support. 

Here's the live feed for today's PIR:

PIR 6/17/22

Congratulations to anyone that might have a sailor graduating today!!

Once you have an official sailor be sure to come join us in the Beyond BC group. We would love to have you join us there as well. 

Proudly wearing my RED socks today with my sundress! The RED T-shirt is just too hot, I do not like a lot of A/C, so I tend to dress to stay cool whether inside or out. 

PHONE CALLS -  I had someone ask about phone calls. 

No phone calls are guaranteed but in general we refer to at least 3 calls that we have coined, "I'm Here", "I'm Still Alive", and "I'm a Sailor" call.  Your SR (seaman recruit) will not know these calls by those names but that is how we refer to them.

The "I'm Here" call is a placed after they arrive at BC and usually from their cell phone. It is a very short scripted call. I actually thought it was an automated call, my son sounded so different. I just kept saying, "I love you" over and over again. 

You might receive another call about 3 - 4 weeks into BC. My son called on a Saturday afternoon, this one they call from the pay phones and use their calling card. If they did not take one with them to BC, they may purchase one at the Navy NEX. The length of time depends on many factors, so please do not compare your call with someone else's. It is best to just be happy with what you get - if the connection is bad, ask them to hold the cord into the receiver or see if they can try another phone, if available. 

Some sailors might also make another call around the 6 - 7 week mark. 

"I'm a Sailor" call. - In the past these are generally done following Battle Stations. I believe that is still the case, but now BST-21 is done, and then the final physical fitness test takes place afterwards and they have their two weeks or so of "Indoc" & life skills training before PIR - so, it is not quite the same ecstasy as when we would all get on and share that we had a sailor and knew for certain we were headed to PIR, but it is still an exciting call. 

I think one of the other recent moms mentioned that they do get to call again after their PRT. 

Here is more information on Phone Cards and Phone Calls from the pages in the upper right. 

Remember where you see blue letters on this site, those are hyperlinks to that information. 

Also, be sure to read my discussion above about Private Messages - Creating & Sending + OPSEC

I explain a little bit about how this site works with setting up friend requests and replying and also security issues to consider with your profile pages and posting. 

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

Today is Friday and I'm wearing RED!!! Honestly, first time I've worn RED to support  TROOPS!

Janet - We all started once with wearing RED on Fridays, most of us after we came to this site! 

Hi everyone! I am new here and trying to navigate all of this. My son arrived at BC yesterday. I am so empty and am on the roller coaster. Just a couple of general questions..

-are there threads where I can see if someone is replying directly to me?

-if my son arrived there yesterday, I won't know his PIR date until I get that form letter, right? I am absolutely guessing at the moment and trying to count ahead 10 weeks, but I won't know which PIR group to join yet, is this correct?

LMCinTN - Welcome!!! Give me a minute and I will try to answer some of your questions for you. 

LMCinTN - if you will read my discussion that appears right above this comment wall - How to send PMs (Private Messages) to friends on N4M & some OPSEC/PERSEC info, that should help you navigate. Sorry, I did not hyperlink it for you. 

When you send a friend request, that person (if they have their profile set up as such) should receive an email notification that you have sent a friend request. However, when they accept, you will not receive an email notice. You need to go to your profile page and look in the upper left under your user name for Friends. Click on that and it will take you to their picture. 

This group page is a public page, such so that more of our member can see your questions and reply but also so those new Navy loved ones can locate us easier. 

Depending on how you have your profile page set, it will also be public, or private to members only, or private to your friends only. You can also lock down other information by moderating your comments on your profile page to only show things not as personal, you can also turn off from showing your recent activity. 

I will reach out to you privately in a bit but let me post this here for others as well. 

Form Letter - I am trying to remember, I think we generally said to count forward 8 - 9 Fridays from when your SR (seaman recruit) left. (Some divisions don't form as quickly as others, so it just depends on their arrival time.) - So now, I would say 10 - 11 weeks. 

If your SR just left yesterday, you might be looking at a Sept PIR date and that group has not been created yet. The admins (B'sNukeMom has been setting them up recently) wait until the divisions are posted on the RTC website.

You may start writing letters now and save them for when you receive the form letter. Also, be sure to still keep your phone close by you and your ringer on loud. Sometimes the SRs have to call home for more information, but mostly we go by, "No News is Good News" because it means they have passed their initial physical fitness requirements and they are not set back in any way. 

For our new members - be sure to send Friend requests to those in your PIR group, or any of us on this group that you want to connect with. 

Here is the link for RTC Bootcamp website - (click on the blue letters), be sure to familiarize yourself with that site and the information available there as well!!

Okay, if your SR left later in the week, I would not count this Friday as part of their week 1, start with next Friday and count forward 10 Fridays. So, if they left this week, it is possible their PIR might be August 26, 2022 - If there are any setbacks for any reason or depending on how the TG (training groups) fill up, it might be pushed to the next week (and I think the 1st Sept PIR is on a Thursday due to Labor Day weekend, but I do not know for certain.)

Feel free to join the August PIR group for now. 

Good Evening Everyone!! 

I know we have several new members on this group and I just wanted to encourage you - The nights can seem the quietest, the most lost without our loved ones in our house and sleeping in their beds. We who have always watched over our babes, or laughed with our siblings and fallen asleep together - we can feel like a part of us and our identity is gone or cut off from us. Some of us may be dealing with a wide range of emotions, proud, sad, angry, hurt, lost - it can even seem not fair. 

May I encourage you, in the midst of your own struggle to remember that your loved one is struggling as well and that is where we take on a new purpose - the support from afar - learning how to send our love, our encouragement, or good wishes via prayer, and in letter writing. For me, I write a lot of emails, so I would just email my son every night. It might not have been long but it was something and when I opened up my email to him, there was his smiling face to encourage me. Once I had his address then I printed out the emails and sent the paper copies to him while I had already sent the emails for him to read at a later time if he needed. I always added a handwritten note to my printed letters.

Years ago, my husband was in the reserves and once he was gone for two weeks (not the 10, I know) but our oldest was 18 months, I had a miscarriage a couple of months prior to his leaving in the summer and I was feeling sorry for myself. My mother, helped to give me some perspective. She reminded me that while I was feeling sorry for myself, I still had family around, I still had my toddler, I still had a job and friends I was able to work with and see every day, whereas my husband was working hard, out in the summer sun and heat. That was way before cell phones and we barely had email (but he had no access), and we still had calling cards as well for our phones. My struggles and emotions were real, but I did not have to bear what my husband was. I am forever grateful to my mother for helping me look beyond myself, to pray for my husband more and to remember that my connection with him transcended just the physical. My own mental, emotional and spiritual health was just as important to him if he was close by or far away. 

So, when you lay your head on your pillow tonight, find whatever comfort you need close by, but also know that his sleep and rest (which they get very little of, especially if they are standing extra watches) will be much better if you are at rest and peace in your own sleep, offering your own love and care through the miles to them. 

BNMHs {Big Navy Mom Hugs} and Love 

First things first.....LMCinTN... Take a Deep Breath in....... Let it out...... Take another one......... Let it out....... Repeat continuously!!! Just keep breathing and it will all be OK!! We haven’t lost a mom to Boot camp yet, we won’t start with you.

The Processing Days.
P1 begins the Day of Arrival and continues through the night and into the next day. So If your SR (Seaman Recruit) Swore in on Tuesday then Wednesday counts as P1. As you count the P-days DO NOT count Saturday or Sunday or Federal Holidays—Those will be P-Hold days. In My example it would look like this P1- Wed, P2- Thurs, P3- Fri, P-hold- Sat & Sun, P4- Mon and P5- Tue. On P5 they take the initial PFA. (It can be P-4 if they are in a Push Division) Assuming they pass the PFA They will then move into their Ship (Berthing space).  "Weeks" can "Begin on any business day so don't get stuck thinking that their week will always start on a Monday.  PIR however is Nearly Always on a Friday (Thanksgiving week is the exception)

This is Phase 1 of boot camp which begins when recruits first arrive on board RTC. The new recruits will begin filling in their paperwork; they are given further medical and psychological evaluations and receive their inoculations; and receive an initial set of PT gear; are interviewed; and will be assigned to a division. When P-Week is over, Boot Camp officially begins. Phase 1 can be as short as 4 days to as long as 2 weeks, but are seldom over 11 days. (See Arrival and What Happens at RTC and https://www.mypoints.com/emp/u/videos.vm.)

LMCinTN --
This marks the transition to Training Days. Usually denoted as W1TD1 (Week 1 Training Day 1). This is the day that they fill out the form letter that gets mailed home. That letter is collected and mailed the next business day (Remember we do not count Sat, Sun or Holidays). Usually that letter arrives home between 14 and 21 business days since departure, HOWEVER there are reasons it may be delayed. If they didn’t pass the initial PFA, If they were on P-hold waiting for others to join to fill the Div/ TG, If they were waiting on paperwork….. If Ma Navy was just not feeling it that day…. Lots of reasons that are NOT cause to panic. It is hard but Repeat after me.... No News is Good News!! Again... No News is GOOD NEWS!!! Repeat daily, hourly, Minute by minute as necessary!! Shout it if you need to or whisper it as a prayer! Whatever gets you through!! The Form letter will give you the address and PIR date!! Time to start making plans!! I know how hard the waiting can be but calling the recruiters is not advised. They may have the wrong address and letters sent early may not arrive in a timely fashion since the Mail Petty Officer has to be trained and until that happens mail is set aside to be sorted later and sometimes that later is MUCH later!! This is honestly the hardest part of Boot camp! Your emotions are still raw from letting go of your Child and knowing that for better or worse they will be changed by this experience (even those who don’t complete it are changed!) and add to that the Communications Blackout that is imposed and it can be quite overwhelming but trust us that they know you love them, they feel your prayers and you will get a chance to send letters!

LMCinTN --

Around week 3 you will get the first call home. They may be homesick and there may be tears so be prepared and be strong. (You can come here and cry later, to quote my favorite wizard…”I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.” It’s ok to cry about missing your baby, even if they are mostly full grown!! (We are over 9 years in and I still cry on occasion—Navy Mom Allergies!!!) It does not mean you are weak or not proud!!). The call can come on ANY day of the Week at any time from 9am-9pm Central time. Keep Phones charged and ringers on LOUD at all times while they are in BC!! Answer all Calls!! Yes telemarketers may call but you can hang up on them!! You don't want to risk missing a call from your Recruit! Keep a notepad handy of all the questions you want to ask so you don't forget!

In the meantime while you are waiting through the “Great Silence”, write letters!!! Write all the Letters you can! Take all the raw emotional letters and save them for a BC burning/shredding party at the end of BC and get ready to send positive and encouraging letters. There is a whole file here on letter writing. Read all you can and watch the videos “The Making of a Sailor” videos to get an idea of what your SR’s are going through.

This whole experience is a huge roller coaster of emotions. We have been where you are now and we know what you are feeling. Just remember you are stronger than you feel… You raised a young Man or Woman who was willing to put duty to country over self. They are strong enough to take on this challenge because they were shown strength from home! You have raised the 1%!! Be proud of that and welcome to the Family!

LMCinTN-- you are looking at a Labor day PIR. (That's the same weekend My Sailor did) UNLESS they were put in a PUSH DIV.  You will not know until you get the form letter but I think you can join the Aug PIR group and if you find out later it's Sept, then switch.  Or you can ask your questions here and more folks can see and answer them.

belovedbyHim & Chipmunk - DANG LADIES, that was some GOOD advice! Brought back memories of when my girl was in BC. Thanks for being there for the new Navy Moms.

Ummi - You are welcome!! And I am so glad that you are here to encourage our new moms and loved ones as well. You have a lot to share also with all that your daughter went through and persevered. 

Ummi -- Thank you.  It's all part of a joint effort!  If by writing this blog (Which I posted in parts here but once I get timeline confirmation I'll start posting the blog link) I can make it a little easier for others I'm happy to do so.  I still remember that night 9+ years ago when I was feeling so lost and my DH found this group for me!  I stayed up for hours reading everything I could find.  The Mods here at that time were encouraging, helpful and supportive! (They even told me How I could go to MEPS to see my Sailor Swear in and how to go wait with him at the airport!)  After his PIR I decided that if I could ever help anyone else I would.  My blog is one way I can ease the fear and the worry of the unknown!

Good Morning Everyone!!

I had a busy weekend and another busy day before me. I hope our fathers had a good day yesterday and for those who have SRs in BC, remember that while they may show their emotions differently than us ladies do, they miss their kids as well. They are also welcome to join us here or on Navy Dads - Navy Dads is not as active as we are, but they have good information and approach things from a Dad's perspective. 

For those of you who have attended PIR, or have received the "i'm a sailor" call - please feel free to come join the Beyond BC - Navy For Moms (ning.com) The Beyond BC group is a place to receive answers to questions or to just stay connected with the Navy Mom community. 

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

Hey! I was wondering what the estimated time was that I could visit my bf once he gets to A School. He'll be in Pensacola. Am I not allowed to visit until Phase II? What is the estimated time of getting to Phase II? I know a lot of places are different, but just trying to get estimate, so I can plan accordingly.

belovedbyHim - thanks for updating the timeline and putting together the Blog.  I posted your timeline up above and I "featured" your blog post so it shows up on the main page! Very helpful info ;-D

B'sNukeMoM️MMN -- Thanks.  I was holding off posting the link till I knew if it was "reasonably" correct.  If I learn that there are Major changes I'll edit it and be sure to let you know as well.

I know that when my son left 9 years ago (FB just reminded me that 10 years today he went to MEPS for the first time and signed up and was in DEP for a little over a year!)  That the NOT KNOWING was just eating me up!  I was a hot mess!! At some point someone posted a link to a page that described in decent detail what they were doing and when.  It was pointed out that with all the men and Women that had to go through this process it would be very regimented!  Each Training week would include the EXACT same thing on the EXACT same Training day for every Division and so it was possible to know what was going to happen and when.  I have tried to keep my blog a little bit vague for OPSEC and PERSEC reasons but just knowing what to expect helped me to release some of the worry and anxiety. It also helped me to know better when to expect letters and to plan for possible phone calls or when I KNEW there would likely NOT be a phone call. 
The patience and information and kindness I got here was literally the light that guided me out of that dark and lonely place!  I am happy to shine a light to those following along now so that they can chart a safe path in these turbulent days ahead.

Broadwaydancer5 - I realize this might not be the answer you were hoping for and not much different than what you have received elsewhere on this site, but we are glad you are here and asking questions. Even with my sailor who is out in the fleet, trying to plan things is very often last minute because of ship schedules, or other schedules. 

Generally, we drive, even halfway across the country because it is cheaper to take several of us for that time at a cheaper rate, but also because we can wait almost until the last minute to plan specifics. - And I was a huge planner before the Navy!! - If you fly, be sure to buy changeable or refundable tickets or look at insurance, all of which can be more expensive. When booking hotels, always look at the cancellation policies!!

This goes for those of you planning to attend PIR as well! Which we also drove to. Of about 5 ? 6 trips out to the east coast to see my sailor, we have only flown twice, and both times we had to buy tickets with less than a week before traveling probably, but it was because we could not make the plans any earlier for various reasons, we needed to be able to travel in less time, and we still took 4 of us. 

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

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

PIR JUNE 2022

    Reminder - Mask Mandate is still in effect for PIR

**NOTICE FROM RTC 6/1/2022*** - MASKS ARE REQUIRED AGAIN

Lake County, Illinois, has moved to Community Transmission level HIGH.

Effective immediately, everyone must wear masks indoors at Naval Station Great Lakes, which means all guests attending the graduation ceremony are required to wear a mask while indoors for ticket pickup at the Welcome Center and while indoors at Recruit Training Command. The number of guests allowed has increased to four. If you have already submitted your guest security access form listing two individuals, please have additional guest information ready to provide to your recruit when they call. All guests must have a ticket including active duty personnel and veterans. (Children 2 & under do not count toward the guest limit.) COVID-19 immunizations are still required for guest attendance. Guests 12 or older need to provide proof of immunization (14 days post final dose,) in the form of a COVID-19 vaccination record card, to attend. If you are unable to provide proof of vaccination, you will not be issued tickets and will not be able to attend graduation. REMINDER: Policies regarding the graduation ceremony can change at any time due to changes in our health protection status and policy. Please continue to follow RTC social media accounts for updates and check www.bootcamp.navy.mil for the most up-to-date information. For specific questions and inquiries, contact the RTC Public Affairs Office.