Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Here's the link to watch today's PIR - happening live now:

LIVE PIR JAN 13, 2023

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

Congratulations to all of our new sailors!!! If you are at PIR - Have a wonderful time!

Navy Mom 101 - Things to do before BC - 

As Northwoodsmom stated: 

- Get Passport

- Get POA

another get a NFCU - Navy Fed Credit Union account if able and wish. Also, have yourself put on as a joint owner with you sailor, or find out what they need for a POA (they will need to verify any outside POAs @ NFCU) if you choose not to be on an account with your sailor. 

Also - Get their Driver's License!!  This is especially important if your sailor is going to be a Nuke. They will live off Base for their Prototype training and need to have a personal vehicle for transportation as well as a Driver's License. - Our recruiters expected my son to have a Driver's License and so when we were still slower doing that with him, they were insistent, he still had it before leaving for BC, but he did not have a lot of driving experience. Thankfully, he was able to ride his bike a lot at his A school and learned to use his phone's GPS during that time. It is still not the same as driving a car. Some of the bases like Norfolk, VA do not have a good bus system and are very large, they may have a lot of driving when stationed there, as well as being in a "high risk" area. 

Discuss Budgeting!! - This is another issue that I hear many parents comment about. Especially during COVID there were many situations with our sailors having to pay for lodging while they were on ROM - restriction of movement, after they left A school, but before they were allowed to board the ship, etc. They had to pay out of pocket and then wait for reimbursements. Or if they have to lodge in an apartment or such at some point, they need money in savings to cover unexpected expenses. Not just splurge and spend their money on expensive gaming equipment, TVs or such they may have to give away later, or expensive cars. 

Tip on getting a passport - Look online for the passport offices (Google it - sorry I can't at the moment). Find the stand-alone offices versus the ones at USPS. - If you go to a Post Office, you may wait a long time because of the priorities given to postal workers. (One of my children had a personal experience with that!) When I was trying to get my son's passport over a Christmas leave, we found a passport office at a local university that was still open but the school was closed for the holidays. I was able to park right outside, versus paying for parking, and we got right in and out. I think they even took his photo there as well. And since he already had his military ID, I had the impression that his passport was expedited, because they had been talking about delays, but I had his passport received in the mail within about 3 weeks or so, maybe two. I kept with us until I went to see him. I think it had to be mailed to his home of record address which was our house. 

If you do not have a passport before they leave for BC that is okay, at least if they are going to have a long school period. And even if not, they can also apply for one with help from the Navy, but it is strongly recommended, as you never know when their ship will be headed to an oversees port. 

I will say, if possible, wait until your child is at least 18 before getting their passport, that way it will be good for 10 years. I think if they are under 18 it is only good for 5 years. At least that was the case with my girls years ago. 

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

REMINDER - NO Meet N Greet this week (1/19).  Sarge has previous appointments scheduled.  They will resume next week.

Good Morning Everyone!!

Please join me in welcoming TexasGir! to our group! We are glad to have you. This is the best place to ask questions as more members will see the notifications and be able to reply. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We got to see our grandbabies and we are making plans for when our sailor can come see his nephew, who is growing bigger every day!

Hi TexasGirl, from another Texas girl...

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

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,).

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).

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®

Here is my discussion on the Sandboxx App - click on the link:

Sandboxx app while in BC

**Only to be used while in boot camp.

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

Happy Wednesday!

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

Good Afternoon!! 

How are we doing over here? It has been a little quiet. I wanted to bring your attention to one of our discussions above                 Blue Candle 

 We have several moms in our Beyond BC group talking about turning on their Blue Lights for their sailors who are out to sea and it reminded me to share the above with you all, since most of these ladies had made their Blue Candles while they had SRs at BC, some of them during Covid restrictions when several were set back for more quarantining.  

We got the call from my son last night saying he arrived and we'll  be receiving a letter in 2-3 weeks. Bittersweet that call was. Am so proud of him but also sad and praying he does well and we see him at his PIR in 10 weeks.

Proudmomof2 - BNMHs (Big Navy Mom Hugs) We all understand what you are feeling and those roller coaster emotions!! Do not hesitate to share your daily ups and downs if you need to. We are here to support you.

Proudmomof2 - hang in there!  That call though...whew!  If you son signs up for Sandboxx, you'll likely get a text from them in a few days with his address, DIV and ship #.  Once you have that, you can go on the RTC website and figure out his PIR date.  The time will go by faster than you think.  Best of luck to him!

Tootie - Thanks for sharing!! I hope things are working out smoothly for your SR. 

Proudmomof2 - they will give him the opportunity to opt in to Sandboxx at BC - he would just have to know your cell phone number (I made a card for my son with important phone numbers on it to keep in his wallet - he didn't know anybody's phone numbers by heart b/c they were all just programmed in his cell phone lol!) My son didn't know about Sandboxx until he got to BC and he signed up - so maybe yours will too!

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

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

LIVE PIR JAN 20, 2023

Hey y’all! Thanks for the warm welcome! I finally have time after a busy week of work to catch up here. My SR son graduates in 2 weeks. Got a letter yesterday telling us that he was awarded with a Sharpshooter ribbon during their firearms qualifications. He was proud of that. Me too! Now we just wait for the I’m a Sailor call which now seems to be in week 9. Maybe just a temporary change. Who knows.

TexasGir! - congratulations to your SR!! Things can change quickly at RTC with their schedules so the best information comes from your SR, if they know. And if you find out something new in the timeline, be sure to share with us as that is what helps BelovedbyHim keep her timeline updated. 

All the best as you prepare to travel. 

Proudmomof2 - I am going to answer your question here instead of in the discussion above. You asked if you could send birthday cards to BC. Yes, you may but no glitter, no music cards, nothing to draw extra attention. And something I did not know, no stickers on the envelopes. Here is a link to one of our pages on the upper right side of this group page. 

Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

Proudmomof2 - I feel for you regarding that "I made it" phone call.  My son went to BC in Sept 2021.  I told him when he called that I wasn't going to even listen to what he said, I would just say, "I love you" over and over.  But the script was different that what I expected (things like a mandatory two-week quarantine - which was different from what the recruiter had said) and I was so baffled that I forgot to say, "I love you."  I cried for two days thinking he didn't know I loved him.  :-(  Turns out - he did!  :-)  But those emotions are so BIG!

Please come and let us know how you are doing!  (Also, make sure to sign up for Informed Delivery with the USPS.)  Big hugs!

Good Morning Everyone!! 

Please join me in welcoming Dani_NukeMom to our group. I believe her loved one is still deciding on joining the Navy, so she might have questions about preparing for a loved one to leave for BC.

Remember to check out the discussions above, you can also View All or do a search in the discussions. As well as read the pages in the upper right and comments on the left of this page. I use my computer for this site, and it is easy to navigate for me but if you are on a mobile device, you might need to put it into desktop mode. 

Thank you for the welcome! I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and learning as much I can. 

Dani-NukeMom - be sure to ask any questions that you have. The more you post here, the more others will reply. Has your loved one actually joined and is the DEP program, or just thinking about it still? And just a reminder, this group page is publicly visible, so remember OPSEC/ PERSEC, but you may also reach out privately. 

Thank you so much, I will definitely have many questions! The decision has already been made and my son will be joining very soon. When he gets back from MEPS, I will hopefully have more information about BC and the Nuke program. I’m so emotional about it all at the moment! 

Dani_NukeMom - here is some more helpful information for you - Sandboxx App for BC - we have a little bit of an update as to how the form letter is being sent out there as well. 

I don't see the other post we have about discussion with your SR what sort of emergency information they want to be notified about when in BC, but if you can have that discussion with your SR, do so before he leaves. 

When they arrive at RTC it may be awhile before they are able to call you. My call came in around 11 pm at night, it is later for others. They will be reading off of a script, thus we refer to it as the "scripted" call. You can say I love you, but they won't be abel to reply to you, but also try to pay attention to what they tell you about when they should be calling you next. 

If you did not get a calling card beforehand, the SRs are able to purchase them from the NEX with the allowance the Navy provides for them there. 

Dani_NukeMom - Welcome!  I'm so happy you found this site before your son left for BC!  I found it after my son left for BC but before I got his first letter.  This group of ladies helped me so much!!!

Now my son is in Nuke School in GC and is set to graduate from Power School soon.  Please reach out on this page or the Nuke Mom page if you have any questions.  

Good Morning Everyone!!

Looking at our little weather forecast chart above, GL seems to be getting snow today!! Your SRs should all be bundled up with their weather gear. 

Remember to check out these two sites as well for pictures and information.  (1) U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command | Facebook

 RTC Bootcamp website

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

PIR MARCH 2023

PIR FEBRUARY 2023

PIR JANUARY 2023

Per Sarge - NO Meet N Greet on 2/2/23.

There is a Meet N Greet tomorrow, 1/26 and then the next one is 2/9/23.