Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Stephanie, You might try switching the view on your phone to desktop view. It will appear like the website does on your computer.

To navigate to desktop view on your phone, click on the three lines on the upper right side of your screen, then click on "desktop view."

Happy May 4th!

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

Good Morning Everyone!! 

Congratulations to all of our new Sailors!! And lots of love to all of our families!! For those at PIR, may you have a wonderful time, get lots of hugs and have safe travels.

Now that you have a sailor - please come join us in the Beyond BC group. We are here to walk alongside you in the next part of your Navy journey. 

Congratulations to the 463 new Sailors graduating today.  Watch the PIR live right now:

LIVE PIR MAY 5, 2023

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

Diahn --- No need to reply but I wanted to post... Congratulations!! I hope your Sailor hug was everything you hoped for and more!

Everyone join me in welcoming Lusailorrmom to our group!

Lusailorrmom - be sure to come and ask questions, read the information in the pages to the upper right. This is our chatting area. 

For those with loved ones waiting to head to BC - Are they working on their run? Do they know the requirement for passing the Physical Fitness test? Are they going to their DEP meetings?  

***TMI ALERT-- MAYBE****If we have any DEP Moms with daughters... read this (Moms of boys... you can just skip this post/email)

OK... Hopefully this is well nested .......


 Please teach them about hygiene options before they leave.  This topic was brought up on another group I am a part of when the OP asked a group of RDC's what was "one thing they wished SR's knew before arriving at BC?" and they learned that the RDC's have had to have some "Uncomfortable" conversations around this topic.  I'm sorry if this is TMI but please don't put these folks in this position!

Welcome Lousailormom!

Good morning all and welcome to Lousailormom! I just wanted to say thank you for the encouragement and kind wishes - we had a wonderful trip to PIR and even though we only had the day with my sailor before he headed off to A School, it was a fantastic day. He looked so handsome in his dress whites and the honor guard did a fantastic job - I was proud!

That first hug was amazing as well, my husband and younger son and I all wrapped him up as soon as we saw him. He talked non-stop for about 8 hours - ha - and he’s not my talkative child. He just had 12 weeks of pent up words, I guess!

Welcome Lusaiilormom!

Diahn - Glad you had a wonderful PIR day with your sailor. Yes, they do have a lot to say!

I am sooooo looking forward! Our SR will be graduating in either June or July!! 

Best wishes to all of our new USN Sailors! Keep up the fantastic work! We are ALL so proud of you!

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

Diahn, I am sooo happy for you!! I am glad that you got to spend some time with your sailor!!! WooHoo!!

Patti - We are cheering your SR on. I know this has been a long wait for you. 

Chipmunkmom, at this point, it has been 7 months! What are 1-2 more, right?  ;)

patti - we are going to need to figure out a badge to give you!!

welcome Lousailormom.. feel free to ask just about anything..

Dang patti.. we need to make you a challenge coin. we are still cheering him on..

Ha! Ha! :)

I thank everyone for the continued support.

My dad was just put in Hospice Care because of his care needs are so intense. The wedding plans are coming along, but quickly. School will be ending next month and all the summer plans.....

I really appreciate everone's support! ;)

Patti

patti - You have a lot going on that is for sure. Sometimes it seems like life intersects where we really would rather it not. It is not always an easy thing to go through so just take things moment by moment if you have to. 

Diahn -- Welcome back and YEAH!!! I'm so glad you had a wonderful time even if it was only for the day.  5000 words a day x 7 days x 10 weeks... He had about 350,000 words saved up!! 

Patti -- You have a lot on your plate!  Praying for a sooner PIR and his ability to be able to come home for the wedding/ granddad issues. I agree you have EARNED your Challenge Coin!!! (I think the NEX has a Navy Mom one....)

Welcome Lousailormom -- Please introduce yourself and share where you are in this journey.

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

Good Morning Everyone - How are we doing? 

Stephanie & Rebecca, and others - sorry, I don't keep a running list, so the more you post the better I recall who has lloved ones in DEP and who has loved ones at BC -  How are you?

For those of you on the countdown to MEPS, just enjoy this time as much as possible. I know your kids might be hanging around their friends more, especially if they are finishing HS and not as much time as with family, - but stop and think back to your HS years.  We all knew that everyone was going their different directions, but Mom and Dad, well at least 40 years ago, I did not figure my parents would move. And they didn't, just their mailbox address changed. 

Our kids are similar, family is sticking around, but they don't know where their friends will be or if they will ever see them again. My son left 6 years ago and we fully expected him to return home, life has taken a different path and so I am glad that he was able to participate in some of those post-HS activities that he did. 

If need be, sit down with your loved one and share any special days or moments / time that you would like to spend with them, so they know your expectations and be sure to ask them what their expectations are. 

For those at BC - Watch your mailbox!! My letters came in on Thursday afternoon! I know Sandboxx might be changing some of this, so let us know if you are receiving replies from your SR through Sandboxx, or are they just receiving your letters?

Chipmunk: My younger daughter received a letter from her sister at BC through Sandbox yesterday. I Believe the letter was written on 5/08.

Stephanie - Welcome! I left the link to the nuke moms group on your page.  Be sure to join us over there - lots of good info.

Mom2Boss - That is wonderful!! Thank you for sharing the information about the Sandboxx App letters. 

Stephanie - I am glad that you are making lots of memories. 

Mom2Boss-- When is your PIR?  I'm trying to keep a rough calendar so we can know how to support you at the various stages.

Stephanie -- Did you see my post the other day from the RDC's?

Please join me in welcoming norcalmaven to our group. 

norcalmaven - We are glad you have joined us. Be sure to come and say hello, 

Getting back in the loop!  I received a call on Tuesday afternoon, after 3 long weekends without a call, that BATTLESTATION was complete and "passed" and Navy cap received!  I have had my plane/vehicle/hotel arrangements complete for awhile, but also need to make sure I am in the loop for Meet up with Sarge -- I think I have an email from them.  I also confirmed with son that my name was spelled correctly (haha, long story) and the address for his sister (who just moved) is same as her i.d.  Looking forward to hearing that he passed the last physical assessment and then off to Great Lakes on the 25/26th  

monwojo that is fantastic news, so happy for you. I lived for those phone calls and walked around with my head in the clouds for days. Who knew those two words " hi mom "would bring so much utopia to our world. Congratulations!

Welcome norcalmaven, happy you joined. This group was a lifeline for me going through this incredible journey. They validated my emotions I couldn't even understand myself. Your in a great place.

monwojo - Congratulations!!!  I am just copying and pasting the Meet n Greet information from the information section above.  

SARGE'S MEET & GREET  - BACK AS OF 3/18/2022

Plan to arrive the day before PIR so you won't risk missing PIR and go to Sarge's Meet and Greet from 4pm to 8pm the evening before PIR at the Lakehurst Event Center (go to http://www.mynavytaxi.com/events.html to RSVP). Sarge has a taxi service and he is a wealth of information. His cell number is 847-212-0246. His Meet and Greet and services have been getting great reviews. Find Sarge on N4M as OldSarge.

I think if you click on the Sarge's Meet and Greet hyperlink that takes you to the page to RSVP. You will want to check in with that sooner rather than later, to make sure you reserve a spot. You can always attend, even if you don't reserve a spot, but the reservations help him to better plan on how much food they need to order from the caterer as well as help cover the food costs. 

Well - I think this may be the correct link for the RSVP. 

Navy Family Social The only Meet and Greet for Navy Boot Camp gradu...

Be sure to check out the other links though in the comment below as there is more information there as well. 

Someone asked the other day, maybe in one of the DEP groups, about the difference between Navy Fed Credit Union and USAA as far as banking. I am not a member of the DEP groups, so I could not reply. But I wanted to post the question here, in case anyone could offer some assistance. 

My son has USAA for his insurance, car & renters. But he has a NFCU account as well as he still has an account with our bank, which he has had since a small child. NFCU does offer a start up Smart Savings account or CD, I don't recall which that you can only put a minumum of $3,000 in I think, but at the time my son did his, it offered the highest interest rate. We have a local NFCU branch near us, so it was easy to go in and talk to them and also to get me added to his account. 

There are advantages to any banks offer military services, however, I think my son told me that the biggest difference with NFCU is they will cover your pay checks when the government does their shut downs every so often. I will say though, they are very security oriented, so if you are not on your child's account, you will need to get a POA of their choosing / personally vetted by them, to have an authorized Power of Attny on file. 

Also, I would keep two bank accounts open for your sailor, so that if there is a security breech with their card or such, they can have access to other money. He told me stories in A school of couples who had compromises on their NFCU accounts and so they had their accounts frozen, and they were not able to pay bills. It is a short-term thing, I believe. Things may have changed but it is why we never closed my son's other local bank account. 

Monwojo-

Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

Welcome to the group, Norcalmaven! 

Monwojo - Fantastic! Congrats to your son!

Welcome, Norcalmaven!

belovedbyHim: My daughters PIR is 6/30/23. Can't wait to see her! Sometimes we think of going for a drive just to be 'close' to her, but we don't want to seem crazy lol! 

Mom2Boss, I would of been arrested for stalking if I lived close enough, we are near the Wisconsin Michigan border.

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

WHOOP
WHOOP
WHOOP
ATTENTION ON DECK
WE HAVE A SAILOR!!!
Congratulations to monwojo  and her Sailor on a job well done!!

Mom2Boss -- You mean like this???

Has anyone experience or has information regarding non-us citizens/residents who would like to attend graduation?

Mom2Boss - I do not think it is possible for a non-US Citizen to attend graduation. I don't recall is your loved one at BC? You should have been sent a Security Verification form or a link to download it and return it via the Sandboxx App, now, I think. 

I don't recall if you have to supply a Social Security Number on that or not, but all attendees have to be vetted and they will verify your identity. My son had BC before all of the ticket information, etc. and we had to have our ID checked against the list of names that my son gave before we could enter the Great Hall for PIR. 

Depending on the hotel you are staying at, some of them will offer live streaming of the graduation, or you may use a Wifi access and log into the live streaming in your hotel room and then meet your sailor at a designated spot for pick up. Someone with a "Ticket" access though, would have to be able to pick up the sailor at RTC inside the gates. 

This information is in the area above the discussions and weather maps. Be sure to click on the blue hyperlinks for more information. - 

Your recruit will indicate the names of up to FOUR guests who will be permitted to receive tickets and attend PIR. RTC may change that to three guests if there is a large TG. Children ages 2 and under do not need a ticket to attend PIR, but a copy of the child's birth certificate may be presented in order for the child to attend PIR. The names of the guests will be listed on the Security Access Form. Your recruit will send the Security Access Form with the form letter and it will need to be completed fully and returned to your recruit. if you do not receive the form letter, then you can download the Security Access Form and complete it and send it to your recruit, but your recruit has the final say on who will attend PIR.

ALL GUESTS 3 YEARS OLD AND OLDER MUST HAVE A TICKET TO ATTEND PIR, INCLUDING MILITARY GUESTS (ACTIVE DUTY, RESERVE, RETIRED, VET). No extra guests allowed, no exceptions.

GUESTS SECURITY ACCESS FORM: If you are going to be attending the graduation ceremony, you will need to fill out the security access form, which is included with your form letter. Return the form to your recruit according to the instructions. 

ONLY YOUR RECRUIT CAN CHANGE THE GRADUATION CEREMONY ACCESS LIST: Your recruit will be able to make changes to the access list throughout training. The last opportunity to make changes will be the week before graduation. If there is a change to be made to the access list (such as a name spelled incorrectly, name-swap, etc…) please communicate any changes to your recruit by mail. Recruit Training Command staff cannot change these names or release the names of those on the list. Please do not call for additional seats!

The form can also be downloaded by anyone from the website, but only the recruit has final say-so as to who will be invited. Those names are submitted and those names will be printed on tickets. All of those guests attending must be present with ID to pick up the ticket in person. No exceptions, no swapping of tickets, no changing of names during final week of graduation.