Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

CBMom - I am getting teary eyed just reading your post!  What amazing memories to cherish!  Congratulations again!

Roseanne - a 50 minute call is awesome!  Still waiting for my first letter and my first phone call - I'll be so glad to hear his voice!

JNMNavyMomOH - Hang in there - praying that 10/14 will be the day!

LMNCinTN - did that letter do the trick for your insurance company? I'm now running into trouble and they are pushing on this whole thing of "you have to notify us within 30 days of the new coverage taking effect" or you have to wait till the next open enrollment to drop him (which isn't until January 1st). Waiting to hear back from my son to get the letter -but I think they are going to be sticklers about this. So annoying. It doesn't change the premiums AT ALL so I don't get why they care that I want to drop him. I even told them he will get in BIG TROUBLE if he uses my insurance. After working with our HR rep, my next step is to make sure it's at least secondary insurance. Ugh. 

JNMNavyMom-  Glad it was just a week he got pushed back. Prayers he gains the speed on his run that he needs. Big hugs to you on this emotional rollercoaster of the great unknown! 

CBMom - Wow - sounds like an incredible time! So glad you enjoyed that hug! I remember sitting there right around 10 thinking... enough already - let me get to my sailor! LOL! Welcome to the other side of bootcamp! It is pretty wonderful. My son also is really taking charge of himself and his own needs. It blows my mind time and time again. And he ordered all his photos and paid for them. I saw the receipt. I can't believe how much money he spent! Crazy - but so thoughtful because he knew how much I would want pics and to be able to share with others.  Hope you get that phone back soon!

Roseanne - what a lovely call! Congrats to your SR! 

My son's GF also had her PIR this weekend - though the whole thing had a ton of challenges - including zero sleep between Friday and getting to Aschool Saturday. And now that she's there - she said she might not actually start classes until January!! Poor thing. Wish they could've at least allowed her more time for the weekend with her family and my son before she had to ship off to just now wait around for school to start (of course she'll have work/duties till then but.... I really wish they would give all the new sailors at least all of Saturday with family befor sending off to A school. Welcome to military life!)

CBMom - sounds like an amazing time!  

Rosanne - a 50 minute phone call - wow!  That does the heart good <3

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

 PIR DECEMBER 2022

PIR NOVEMBER 2022

PIR OCTOBER 2022

JNMNavymomOH - prayers & fingers crossed that's the final date for PIR for your son and he makes his run!!

Tootie - My daughter left 9/12 - it took almost 3 weeks to get our first letter.  Hope you get one soon!  

And thanks everyone.  My heart is so happy right now. 

tammybikerunfaithlove - the letter that my son got from the TriCare website worked perfectly to remove him from our family insurance. When we submitted it, we said that the letter was dated retroactive to the first of the month of the month he left for bootcamp, but that we could not request him to be removed from insurance until such time that he PASSED all of his tests and assessments and finished bootcamp (end of August). This seemed to satisfy them, and they went ahead and removed him effective 10/1 and sent us a confirmation letter today. FINALLY. WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Best of luck on your end. I hope it goes somewhat smoothly, or as best as we can hope. 

tammybikerunfaithlove -- It's a bit of a catch 22 for GL.  They only have so much room and they expect that X number of SR's will leave each week and X number more will arrive each week. They do not have tons of extra space! (~1000 leave and arrive each and every week!). The A schools have fewer Sailors arriving and so they are better able to house them longer. (Think 100ish or less each week) The Good news is that she'll have some time to recover from BC and adjust to this new phase.  The waiting is a bit boring but it's not the end of the world and she should get to go home for Christmas!! In the Fleet it's Iffy but in A school it's 99% for sure!

LMNCinTN-- awesome info to know!!  We should make a Sticky with that info and your wording is PERFECT to use with these insurance bureaucrats!!  "The letter was dated retroactive to the first of the month of the month he left for bootcamp, but that we could not request him to be removed from insurance until such time that he PASSED all of his tests and assessments and finished bootcamp."

belovedbyHim - i think i misspoke... my son is at GL - and we are excited that he'll be home for Christmas. His GF is in Pensacola. Neither has a start date for school - but Pensacola is potentially not till January. She's a CTT. On an unrelated note - she just sent me a full picture of herself - she lost 20 lbs! I could see it in her face from some of the graduation pics - but holy smokes! She looks so fit and so strong. So proud of her.  And I think she gave that weight to my son - he's tall and thin but now he's tall and pretty buff! LOL 

LMNCinTN - thanks for the info. Hopefully this all works! 

Good Morning Everyone!!!

CBMom - Thank you for sharing your PIR experience! 

New Discussion above - PIR Weekend Experiences - Post Covid CBMom - PLEASE CONTRIBUTE!

I have been intending to put together a discussion for recent PIR information post Covid, and so after our recent comments from several of you about your experiences, I am asking if you would copy and paste those into the discussion above. I also am asking for other information to be shared there as well, such as motels, places you visited, shopped, including eating out. Whether you used a shuttle, taxi service, went to Meet n Greet. 

I love to read the posts here, in the comment wall area and more of the members see it, but in a week's time, it will be harder to locate. So, if you post here, then just copy and paste in the discussion above and add more details. 

The way the discussions work, as a new one is posted the older ones are bumped out of the queue, but when someone replies to an archived discussion it comes back into view. Once we have several comments posted on the discussion above, I will see about getting it linked to in our PIR weekend page that stays posted on the right side. 

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

 PIR DECEMBER 2022

PIR NOVEMBER 2022

PIR OCTOBER 2022

Final PIR group for December was added - 12/14/2022 - WEDNESDAY PIR.

No PIR 12/23 or 12/30/2022.

Chipmunk - Great idea. I added to your discussion. 

B'sNukeMom  - curiosity question.... just noticing no PIR for 12/23 and 12/30 .... so do they have a couple weeks (10ish weeks prior to those dates) that they stop taking recruits at RTC?  If someone gets ASMO'd then they get pushed out to January?  Never really thought about the impact of holidays and bootcamp I guess. Interesting.  :)     BTW... I just LOVE Dory!  

Hi there!  I also noticed about the No PIR dates in December.  That's when my son's grad would typically be, so I'm VERY curious about any released info on this as soon as it comes down the line!  With it being the holidays until Jan 2 and standby, it sounds like he may get leave at the end of week 10, but with No PIRs scheduled, I'm just left wondering how in the world it will all work!  Any ideas? 

tammybikerunfaithlove -- No I understood. GL- RTC (Bootcamp Side) is the one that has the space issues.  GL A school side has a bit more space but they also take the THU Sailors so that fills them up.  That's why GL -RTC (Boot camp) wants to move the Sailors on to their A school location as quickly as they can.  The A school can take their time and house and feed the Sailors and that frees up more space at GL-RTC (Boot camp) for the next incoming batch of New SR's.  I am aware that your Sailor is in A school at GL and that his GF is in A school Elsewhere (I now know P-cola).  I was responding to your lament about why they could not just give all the new sailors the whole weekend.  I too wished we'd had more time.
Glad they are both looking fit and good and I hope they can make this work for them.

AIRCMom#1 & tammy -- yes those SR's who have Recently arrived will be there LONGER than the 10 weeks if they get ASMO'd or are there during the holiday Stand Down Period.  They DO NOT get to come home during that period and SR's who arrive at A school right before the Holiday Stand Down May not get to come home either.    AIRCMom#1 -- If you message me I can help you figure out when your SR may have PIR (Unless he has signed up for Sandboxx, in which case you may already know.)  They do reduce the SR's shipping to GL and No New SR's will arrive for those windows (I believe.)

I have looked and searched but cannot find the answer to this question. I just want to confirm that "Fully vaccinated" for purposes of PIR is at least 2 weeks past the the original dosing (ie. Pfizer is a 2-shot series, so after the 2nd shot) and not all the boosters, right? I'm afraid we'll get there and be told, "Nope, shoulda had the boosters, too!" Thanks so much for all the info! This has been so, so helpful!

Fawnface -- Yes. 2 weeks past not including boosters.  B's Usually posts this once a week (I found this back on the 28th) and I believe it's shared in the files.
From B'sNukeMomMMN ---

*** COVID PROTOCOLS ***

Thank you, belovedbyHim 3! I saw this post several times but it never specifically clarified that the boosters are not required. I appreciate that you did. 

belovedbyHim - thanks for all that info! So nice to have this group so we all can share our experiences and support each other through the journey!

Fawnface - Be sure to share with us when you receive the "I'm a sailor" call, so that we can rejoice with you. I see BelovedbyHim replied to your question. As I recall, B'sNukeMom clarified someplace else that it was just the initial immunization, not the booster that was required. 

For those of you that may not realize here is the RTC Bootcamp website - It was my go-to when my son was in BC because I did not find this site until a week before PIR. 

AIRCMom#1 - Welcome Aboard!! I am glad that you found our site, joined this group and found your way to the comment wall to post. This is the best place location to ask your questions and share your BC emotional roller coaster ride. More of the members see the posts here than even in the discussions above. This discussion of mine, Private Messages - Creating & Sending + OPSEC , might help you navigate this site a little. Also, be sure to read the information pages on the right that Lemonelephant put together for us and watch the videos that are posted in the upper left. I view N4M on my computer it is much easier to scroll around, if on your phone be sure to put it into desktop mode. Also, Blue Candle has some good ideas. 

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

 PIR DECEMBER 2022

PIR NOVEMBER 2022

PIR OCTOBER 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).

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

What US Navy Recruits Go Through

And if you are interested in seeing what happens during the "Confidence Chamber" aka gas chamber here is a video link:

Boot Camp Gas Chamber

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®

Be sure to RSVP for Sarge's Meet N Greet.  It's held on the Thursday night before PIR.  Here's the link:  

Sarge's Meet N Greet

The Meet N Greet for October 20th is cancelled, Sarge has to have surgery.

NOVEMBER 10, 2022 PIR IS A THURSDAY

MEET AND GREET WEDNESDAY 11-9-22

NOVEMBER 23, 2022 PIR IS A WEDNESDAY

MEET AND GREET TUESDAY 11-22-22

My SR arrived at Boot Camp at GL last night.  Got the call that he was there at around 11pm.  He sounded very rushed, and out of breath.  Lots of noise and yelling in the background.  He sounded a little scared.  We've tried our very best to prepare him for what's in store, and he kept saying that he wouldn't have any issues, but could tell from his voice last night, he was a little shell shocked.  I think that boot camp will be so good for him!  I'm excited to see the changes that happen over the next ten weeks.  But now I'm on the emotional ups and downs, worry and pride roller coaster.  I recorded his call last night so I could have it to listen to until I hear his voice again.  Can't wait to start the letter writing.  He said on the phone last night we should get his address in about two weeks.  Hopefully I don't have multiple anxiety attacks before then!! Here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lapdja - Hang in there! My SR has been gone two weeks and the only communication I've had is the "I'm Here" call as well.  Good idea to record it - I didn't think of that!  Time seems to be creeping by but I'm sure it goes faster for them.  This group has been great and such a support!  Stay strong!

AIRCMom -Welcome aboard! Looking forward to getting to know you and hearing about your future sailor's journey through BC and beyond! This is a lovely group of supportive moms! 

Lapdja - BNMHs to you! The ups and downs can be hard! I'm learning it ebbs and flows through this journey. The changes will be amazing. I'm still in awe of how much my sailor has changed. That first call is a bit of a shock - I was so glad I was prepared for it.  I also recorded it !!  I think we recorded the second call too. Funny though - I never listened to either one again - but still have the recordings. I should play that "i'm here" call for my son when I see him again - could be funny now that he's on the other side of BC.  Hang in there - we will carry you through the rollercoaster ride! 

Tootie - I found that after the first 2 (painfully slow) weeks, time started to feel like it was moving a little faster. Hopefully your SR gets to call in another week or so. 

Hello Ladies, I know time is moving at a snail crawl for alot of you, how about a couple ideas to keep your minds and hands occupied? Let's see now there is the Blue Lantern or Candle ideas post just above the comment section.  We light/ burn them while they are going through BC, deployments or just because we miss them. I know it is a little early but you could start gathering ideas for your door anchors for PIR. Some motels don't allow them but some do. Another idea that was great is putting small flags up in your yard, you start with 10 of them and then remove one every Friday your recruit is at Boot Camp. By the time you remove number 10 you should be heading down to Great Lakes.  You could make wreaths for your front door to show your Navy pride. Read up on the donation baskets for the Sarge's Meet and Greet, that's up there somewhere to. Never too early to be looking for great ideas and buying supplies. Here is the wreath I made for my front door. The busier you stay the faster time will fly. Prayers for all your recruits and your aching hearts.

Northwoodsmom - thank you - great ideas!  And I love your wreath - so creative!

I made two wreaths already!! One for me and one for my parents! navy%20wreath%202.png

lapdja, they are beautiful. I guess you are way ahead of me. That would a great auction item at Sarge's if you were planning on going.

I got the "I'm a Sailor!" call! She sounded exhausted but is super excited and counting down the days to graduation. Can't wait to see her. She said her team did a great job and team work was awesome throughout. Yay!

Northwoodsmom & lapdja, those wreaths are super cute!

Fawnface, congratulations, so happy for your daughter and you. Prayers for a safe trip to Great Lakes. Give that Sailor a hug from all of us too.

I love those wreaths.  I wish I was creative like that.  I would love to purchase one for my house after my son graduates.  

OPFA failed, retake on Friday. My mama heart can't take this set back week by week.  

Congratulations for those that get to PIR this week!!

lapdja & northwoodsmom - Beautiful wreaths!

Fawnface - Congratulations to your sailor!! 

NJMnavymomOH - prayers for success for your son on Friday

 Fawnface  woo hoo... congrats.. BZ to your new sailor...

JNMnavymom, gosh, I can't imagine this rollercoaster you are on. Holding your son up in Prayer that Friday he will persevere and you will get a positive phone call filled with excitement. Your indeed are being structured into a very strong Navy Mom!

Fawnface - BZ (Bravo Zulu) - Congratulations!!

Yes, at the end of this I should be able to handle just about anything.  Talk about a learning curve/experience.  Thank you for your prayers and good luck wishes.

lapdja -- Welcome to the wildest ride you never knew you would be on!!  yep... Once they get there and the yelling starts, even the most prepared are a little shell shocked!  Just remind him, when you hear from him to Keep his head down, His mouth shut and to do what he's told, when he's told, the way he's told and he'll be just fine!!  Your Wreaths look awesome!!!

Tootie --- {{{{{BNMH}}}}} The great silence is so hard.  You can do this and so can your SR!!

WHOOP
WHOOP
WHOOP
ATTENTION ON DECK

We have a sailor!
Congratulations to Fawnface  and her Sailor!! BZ!!!!

JNMnavymomOH ---{{{{{BNMH}}}}} There are no other words to say!!!  You are going to be the strongest of us all no matter what may come!

lapdja - Your wreaths are lovely! 

Keep in mind that there is a lot of rushing and change going on with your SR (seaman recruit) in the first 36 hours at BC. Be sure to watch the videos posted in the upper left. Also, begin writing your letters now so that you can mail them off when you have an address. 

Be sure to look at the pages in the upper right (click view all). One of those is Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

this blog posted is linked there, but I am sharing here because there is new information with regards to Sandboxx App for BC   that was just updated in Sept 2022. It is posted there as well as check out RTC Bootcamp website

Fawnface - Congratulations!!  You have a sailor!!