Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Welcome to our group - IT-Mom2Laz  we are glad to have you aboard! This is the place to come and say hello!

Morning!  Sitting here waiting for my first 'real' letter to get here.  I hope it's good and doesn't make me worry more (as if that is even possible)

Here's a poem about becoming a sailor.NavyPoem.docx

Sunflower- I love that! Made me tear up again. Hard to believe my baby, the youngest of 4 kids, won’t be my “baby” when I see him next month. 

Welcome IT-Mom2Laz, NavyMomOmaha & Danamom!!

Sunflower - wow - I love that! Going to print it off and include it one of my mailings to my son as soon as I get his address! 

Amy- hope your letter comes soon. My son has only been there for 4 days but it feels like a lifetime - and I just can't wait till I get his address. I totally get the whole worry thing - trying not to but same days it's hard! BNMHs to you! 

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

PIR SEPTEMBER 2022

PIR AUGUST 2022

PIR JULY 2022

Finally got my first real letter, she's seems to be doing OK.  I have been reading so much about boot camp that I am starting to forget where I saw what.  Hoping maybe a seasoned Mom can assist - 900 divisions practice on Saturdays, what times?

Amy - you might also like to join the 900s Division group.  It's not real active but we have some helpful info posted there.  My son was also in a 900s Division (back in 2012).   I don't remember what days they practiced on though.  And they do perform at the the 2 PIR's before theirs so be sure to watch online and you may catch a glimpse of your SR!

Here's the link:

900s Division

Thank you so much!  I am so glad I found this site, I have already learned so much and I know there is so much more.  I only had to google one thing she mentioned. For the record, it was peanut butter shot, LOL.

Oh the peanut butter shot. My son thanked me for his penicillin allergy lol he didn’t have to take it

You might also like to join the Moms of Daughters 2 group.  Here's the link (click on it to go to the page):

Moms of Daughters 2

That is a beautiful poem.  I printed it out and will keep a copy for me and send a copy to my son (if that is ok)  I have sent off 2 middle size envelopes with a couple letters inside each, so hopefully his RDC won't give them a hard time about it.  I had to look up the Peanut Butter shot.  We are officially 2 weeks in.  I'm going to research the pet friendly hotels and make reservations. 

I tend to stay at the sonesta suites on white oak and it is pet friendly and fairly close to base. 

Sunflower - Thank you for sharing the poem!

Trey - Thanks for sharing the hotel. We stayed at one of the really cheap motels with just a continental (pastry/coffee) breakfast, but it was the closest and had a shuttle. It was not what most people would prefer but considering that we ended up checking out of the motel at 1 AM in the morning on Saturday, just so we could meet our son at the airport and spend more time with him there (he had the earliest flight out) than we got to on Friday after PIR, I was glad I had not paid for an expensive hotel with a fancy breakfast. (Pre-Covid).

Do be sure to double check with your motels, call and talk to them directly. There are still a lot of places that are not 100% up to what their websites indicate, as we learned recently on our vacation. 

So, "Peanut Butter" shot - Military.com with that said, have any of your SRs mentioned getting their wisdom teeth pulled? That is another common occurrence during the early days at BC. They get SIQ (Sick in Quarters), unless they are like my son who did not need to have his wisdom teeth pulled so instead was put on watch standings with the few other sailors available. As I recall, he said the worse one was sometime in the middle of the night. The few available had to rotate their shifts quite a bit. 

tgcunny - You are half way there!!!

My son’s a sailor!! Received the call today! Thank you God. 

tammybikerunfaithlove, Amy -- It's totally normal to be wondering and worrying.  You literally went from being a mom who had some semblance of control to knowing nothing and controlling nothing all in one day!!

Amy -- Saturday practices are all day on Saturday.

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!!! ATTENTION ON DECK!!! WE HAVE A SAILOR!!! Congratulations to Lisa and her Sailor!!

Good Morning Everyone!!

Congratulations to our newest sailor!! - Lisa's son

Lisa - I invite you to come join us in the Beyond BC group. This group is for anyone one with an enlisted sailor after they have completed PIR. It is mostly a community to support each other throughout your Navy life after BC, we ask questions, share answers, but also continue to share our ups and downs of daily life. A place to stay connected with fellow Navy family members no matter where your sailor is stationed or what their job is. 

Lisa, congratulations , I am sure you are anxious to throw your arms around him for that first amazing Sailor hug. It is a big deal and I pray you can go and enjoy celebrating with him!

so happy for you lisa... it's an amazing feeling, almost as good as that first hug.. congrats.. you made it... 

CONGRATS LISA!! That's fantastic news! So happy for you and your son. You must be so proud!! 

Lisa - Go Lisa, go Lisa! Got a Sailor! Got a Sailor! You're walking on sunshine, wellll! You're walking on sunshine, yeah, and don't it feel good?!! Bravo to your Sailor!

Got my first call from my SR today, so glad I didn't miss it.  It was hard though, she was crying which made me cry too.  

Amy --- Those first phone calls can be such a mixed bag!! On the one hand you are so Thrilled to finally hear from them but on the other they are Emotionally loaded!!! Tears are quite Common!! I'm so happy you got to talk to her and get updated on how she's doing!! The more regular your communications the fewer tears there will be (Until PIR when the PRIDE just overwhelms you so much it has to leak out your eyes!!)

I’m glad that so many people enjoyed the poem. I guess that I should have given a tissue warning. I put the poem on a scrapbook page along with the Navy picture of him in his dress uniform.

Hi all! I am needing some help/advice for my SR, if anyone is able? Every letter he sends to any of us, he talks about how scared he is about the 1.5 mi run and not passing it. He did fine on the initial run when he got there (arrived 6/16), and he’s telling us there are really only 2 more ‘assessments’ on the run- one in about a week and then the ‘official’ PFA before graduation (or before Battle Station). He’s 18, so he needs to complete this in just over 12 min. He isn’t worried about anything else BUT this. He keeps saying he has to get ‘a lap a min’ on his 15 min runs so that he can get the 1.5mi done in 12 laps.

Here’s my ask- he is asking for any running tips at all from anyone to help him do this? I’m not a runner at all, so I don’t have too much advice to give here. I’ve told him to focus on his breathing and trying to pace himself so he doesn’t tire early, but I honestly have no idea how these SRs do this….please help if you know anything. His biggest fear is getting set back and feeling like a failure because he can’t do this one thing. 
thanks in advance—

LMCinTN - I did not see your post until later and my kids are busy, but I have reached out to them and am awaiting a reply to share with you. The 18-year-old males do have the toughest PFA as far as requirements. 

LMCinTN -- The RDC's do make it sound like they are always failing, especially in the beginning!!  If he made his initial run and he was running his time before he left he should be ok.  You are telling him right, to focus on his breathing and pace and as long as he's paying attention to that he should be fine.  I'm not a runner at all (In fact I joke that if you see me running, call 911 because there's either an axe murderer after me or a wild animal and I will trip you to slow them down!!)  but this is what my sailor told me he did.  They WILL Let them know if at anytime they are at risk of not passing.  It won't be just a worry but something they are being actively pushed about!! The RDC's Do NOT want them to fail either so they will get extra work if they are falling behind!

LMCinTN - First things first...Tell him not to stress it before he gets to it. Most things physical are 80% mental (my stats). You gave GOOD advice; focus on breathing and pace himself.  He might want to try focusing on a particular marker along the track, say, a doorway or a flag, and set his goal on getting to that marker. Or he could  set his goal on passing a SR up ahead of him by just upping his pace just a bit. Either way, if it turns out he doesn't pass, IT IS NOT OVER. No need for depression or feelings of failure. The Navy really DOES WANT TO HELP HIM TO PASS! My Sailor failed a few times, then worked with her coacht/trainer, took her advice, then finally  passed. Send up your best prayers. I'll send some, too. 

LCCinTN, like many have said the Navy does not want them to fail. My son struggled with push-ups, they assigned him a coach that worked with him and he worked up his numbers and passed. My son did alright with his running but I remember him telling me that they had pace setters working with the ones struggling. I hope this helps relieve some of your anxiety, they will do everything possible to help them make it. They are not only in the tearing down but in the rebuilding process. Prayers for your worried mind and your son's strength and perseverance!

Thank you all so much for the advice on the running. I’m firing off a letter tonight with all your encouragement- I know this will be a tremendous help to him (and me!). Grateful for this site and all of you. 

LMCinTN - I am glad that some of the other mommas were able to chime in. Here is what my sailor DIL shared - I did not hear from my son but he worked on his running a lot before leaving for BC, so I don't think he had much issue with it. 

"Hey Mama,

Q'sMomma:  my son did not have his removed. He did have a cracked tooth that they fixed though. His dentist and orthodontist have always said his wisdom teeth wouldn't be a problem as they never fully formed. And my son said the dentist at BC said he didn't need it done. 

I believe recovery time is built into the schedule and shouldn't effect your SRs schedule. My son had to stay with the recruits that had their wisdom teeth removed because he had the cracked tooth taken care of. And it didn't change anything with his schedule. I hope all goes well with your SR and he avoids the dentist chair!  I heard those that don't have it end up doing extra watch shifts. 

Q’s Momma- my son had heard about the wisdom teeth before he left so we scheduled a visit for a consult and ended up getting them pulled at home before BC so he could have a more comfortable recovery (meaning more ice cream). He just ended up having more watch time at BC while the other kids had dental stuff done, but…none of the recruiters ever mentioned this whole wisdom thing to us during DEP. I’m very thankful for the people who did tell my son- we would never have known either. Don’t worry- there is recovery time built into the schedule if he gets them pulled. They do this stuff all the time there! There just may not be as much ice cream as if he were at home. :)

Q's Momma - my daughter is in boot camp now and she said they had already been to dental. She did not need her wisdom teeth out but does need a couple of fillings. Our recruiter did not mention wisdom teeth either, guess it's not a good 'selling point'?

My son hates the dentist. That may be genetic because I do too!  So he would avoid them at all costs if possible!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT ♥️⚓️

Lisa - BZ to your new Sailor!

Since we have a lot new members I'm going to post the discussion on OPSEC and PERSEC as a reminder.  Please click on the link below to familiarize yourself with this and to understand the importance of it.

OPSEC and PERSEC

Lisa - You are welcome!! We are so happy for you!!

Q's Momma - I brought up the wisdom teeth a couple of days ago, when we were talking about the Peanut Butter Shot (which is not just in the Navy, my husband recalls having it in the Army 30++ years ago!). I thought I had posted a link to information about it, but I just did not find a decent posting, not full of pop-ups!!

I am glad some of the others have been able to reply. I don't check my messages except when logged into my computer and we have had a busy day. My son did not have his wisdom teeth pulled. But he stood extra watches, the worst were in the middle of the night, while those who had their wisdom teeth pulled were SIQ - Sick in Quarters - for a couple of days. They could still study for their tests but were to rest. I do believe this time is built into their division time frame at BC. 

As I recall, I have heard that the dentist at BC are fairly skilled at removing wisdom teeth, because they do so many of them. But no, not as much ice cream!!

Q's Momma -- 2 Things -- 1 can you send me a PM letting me know where in his training he is for the dentist (I want to make sure My Welcome Blog contains accurate information and you all are the BEST source for current events)
2-- My Sailor did not have his wisdom teeth taken at BC but instead had to stand watch for those who did.  He Told me he wished he had, had them taken out in BC instead he had them out just before he was supposed to deploy in 2020 and instead he was in his apartment alone with only Tylenol prescribed and feeling too much like crap to drive to get anything.  They may not get them out at BC but they may get them out eventually.  Either way they are well taken care at BC and they will be closely watched.  The only way there would be a setback is if there is a complication.  Those are exceedingly rare!  If they do get their teeth out they are 2 days SIQ (Usually the Weekend) They also DO NOT have any major PT test the week following. Your SR's will be OK!! Promise!

Good Morning Everyone!

I will probably be fairly scarce for a few days working on deadlines, but we have you covered here. Be sure to reach out with your questions, feelings for the day or week. Share any happy dances because you received a letter or phone call!!

I was starting to get a little discouraged that alot of form letters were being received. But, I viewed my informed delivery this morning, not only am I receiving my form letter, there is a second one there. Unfortunately our mailman does not come until after 5 pm......I submitted my request for the PIR group also.

Please join me in welcoming SoS_Survivor_45 to our group!! 

Cindi@FrostyAcres - One of the reasons that I am glad I did not know about this site until the week before PIR, I had no one else to compare to with regards to the timing of my Form Letter, "Kid in a Box" (as we use to refer to the box home with their cell phones and clothes), personal letters, or phone calls. 

I am so happy to hear that you are getting mail. With ID you can zoom in and look at the return address. Do they both have the same return address (it should have his Ship & Div #). Are the postmarks different? If there is a difference, in either of those, then I would wait until you can open the mail and check his status for certain. Otherwise, I would mail just a quick note to him and say, I can see an address in ID but I can't open my letters yet, so I just wanted you to know that I am getting two pieces of mail from you - and I just wanted to send you a note and let you know I love you, praying for you, - anything short and encouraging. 

Hi all! 
 My son arrived at Great Lakes on Monday July,11th. I received a phone call from him on Friday the 15th saying “I need you to remove me from the health insurance policy” He couldn’t elaborate for the obvious reasons, Im wondering if anyone else has received this call & not quite sure to make of it.

My older Son was also at Great Lakes & we never received that phone call, good thing as he suffered a seizure & concussion
,sent home to seek additional care. Just wondering if anyone has more knowledge of this before I remove him from the plan. Thanks!

BobaGoo - well that's interesting.  I know when my son went in back in 2012 we were advised to wait to remove them from our personal insurance until the completion of boot camp.

Any newer moms have updated info regarding insurance?