Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

BennyLj2023 - Welcome! 

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

Congratulations to the 443 new Sailors today.

Watch the PIR live - here's the link:

LIVE PIR MAY 19, 2023

Thank for the warm welcome. My son is leaving next week and I am grateful for the support from this group.  I am excited for my son's new journey, but like all parents, I am going to miss him.  

I do know this is an incredible opportunity for him, and a positive, fulfilling life choice. I am happy for him.

His brother was in the Army for two tours, and I remember how boot camp felt to us at home. I know my son's experience in BC in the Navy will be his own, but am glad to see more of what he will experience. 

I am so excited to have so much information to read about BC and I am glad for this group.

Thank you for all you do, I so appreciate it.

BennyLj2023 - Wishing your son a great BC experience. And thanks to both of your boys (and you) for their service!

Diane - I have to scoot for a bit but I wanted to say hello!! You have found the right place to post and ask your questions. Hopefully others will reply, otherwise, I will do my best to get back to you later today!!

Yes, you can send pictures, just not too many, they don't have room for a lot of stuff. 

Johanna -- Best guess... As long as everything goes smoothly you are looking at an Aug 4 PIR (ish) (Could be Aug 11 as well, if he's held up waiting for a Div to form.)

BennyLj2023 -- Welcome.  Thank you for raising young people who are willing to defend our country.  I left some information on your page but you may already be familiar with much of it since you have been through Army BC.  It will be interesting to see how much the Navy experience differs from the Army. Depending on when in the week your son leaves you are looking at the end of July or early Aug for PIR (Again assuming no issues)


For all of our DEP Moms... Please read the changes to Sandboxx!  You want to have your SR Opt IN to get you the address and PIR info quickly, However.... After BC Please forget that the app exists!!!

Several years back my Sailor was due to come home from deployment.  We had made arrangements to go be there when he got back.  We were a day out when we learned that he would not be coming home on time.  A girl friend of one of the sailors who was part of the advance party returning ahead of the main body sent a "Booty call" Sandboxx message including a timeline and dates.  That group of ~50 Sailors got to spend several days camped out in an airport hanger eating from vending machines till the food had run out!  The rest of the battalion came home about 2 weeks later than expected in the middle of the night with no fanfare and no notice.  Once they were back they had to call for rides to come get them in the middle of the night.
While I am sure that none of you would be sending messages of this nature, please be aware that while Sandboxx has been approved for use in BC, it is NOT OPSEC or PERSEC compliant for use in the fleet!  There are better and more secure ways to communicate. 

Diane, you will be so excited to finally hear his voice, I had my head in the clouds for days afterwards.  They use pay phones so be prepared that the connections are not always the best, try to find a quiet place so you can hear. Always have your phone with you and answer all calls. You may have to turn off your spam alerts so you get all calls. You DO NOT want to miss the call. You would end up beating yourself up if you miss the call. If it's not your recruit you can always hang up. 

Some recruits are excited and will talk endlessly about what he/she is learning and friends they are making. Others are very homesick and having trouble adjusting to BC. A lot has to do with how their division is gelling together. Be encouraging as you listen, next phone call is usually alot better as they become more like brothers/sisters. They make friends and build more confidence in themselves. You know your son better than anyone else, I was very surprised at how well mine was handling RTC but he was 26 and more mature than others.  It can be a little heartbreaking for a Mom if their recruit is struggling but it is only temporary and they just need your encouragement. I hope your son is doing great.

Diane -- Welcome.  I left a message on your page.  You are NOT alone in your feelings.  I was a HOT mess all those years ago.  I couldn't stop crying and I felt like someone had died... even though I knew they were fine!  This site was a life saver for me!  I want you to know that your feelings are valid and you are NOT going to be left to wonder and worry on your own.  We are here to help you get your sea legs and learn to navigate this new life!  We haven't lost a mom to Boot Camp yet, We won't start with you!

Does/Has anyone sent money or phone cards to their BC Recruit? Is so how have you done it. My SR told me she is running low on the card they are given, she can use her own money but I would rather help her out. 

I sent mine with a couple versions of calling cards, couldn't ever get them to work except for the ones he bought at the NEX. Probably easier to send her/give her money after boot. sending through mail can be risky of getting lost. I think they put their wallets in the 'box' that doesn't get back to them until PIR time.

Hey Diane.  I had serious misgivings after walking out of the MEPS hotel. I mean come on Navy you expect me to just leave my best work.. lol.. I still don't like looking back at tthat time.. They don't mention that when your kid signs up that ALL of you sign up. Mine had it rough for awhile.. Was an only child/homeschooled/not very experience socially.. It hurt to hear his depression in that first phone call about 3 weeks in. and then he got washed back two weeks for a stupid/not thinking stunt. after that got a longer call, and if something does happen you will get a call. His last call after Battlestations  was so casual because he was tired/excited.. We used a recording app on our phones so we could record our calls with him and play it back however many times we needed to hear him.. 

Trey, I don't know for certain, since my son was at BC prior to them holding their belongings, but he never sent his wallet home. So, I think they are allowed to keep their wallet. 

Mom2Boss - if your daughter is able to use her bank account and access her own card, I recommend just putting money into her bank account. They should be receiving their first pay check also after about 3 weeks. And they can buy a calling card at the NEX. 

We recommend that you never send gift cards, there is still potential for the mail to be lost or for them to be stolen since many other hands handle the mail, at BC, at their schools, and even at their commands unless they have a USPS PO box. 

Mom2Boss -- As others have said.. If you can put Money in her account that is best.  Next best would be if she can provide the card number you can see if it is reloadable.  It is SOOOOOOOOOOooooo Hard to find calling cards that are not reload cards for cell phones that you may go crazy trying to hunt one down and by the time you do and she may well have graduated and have her cell phone back!!

They do get to keep their wallet as long as it is black or brown and fits in their pocket. They are discouraged from having a lot of cash or cards that can (and do) get stolen.

MomofK -- I hope he does.  It does help it go faster.  Just know that you are in a safe space here.  We are here to help you as you make this transition. 

Do the recruits get to attend "church" on Sundays and on holidays like 4th of July, do they get some type of celebration or is it all business as normal?

I do think so.. mine talked about a couple different 'varieties' like christian and Buddist. and I think holidays they do get to hang but mine wasn't there over a holiday except Labor Day.

MomofK - Keep asking questions, that is what we are here for. As you can see, not everyone answers every day or to every question, but usually you get a reply. If not, feel free to ask again. 

As far as 4th of July, I can reply to that one, since my son was a SR then. No, they do not get any special celebration and I think for him, they did not even have it count as a holiday, but I might be remembering wrong. I do know they did not get to go look at the big eclipse that happened during his summer in BC. I even sent him some of the special paper framed glasses so he could view it. (I had not found this site yet!!) Needless to say, he told me later the RDC just got a good laugh out of my sending them to him. 

4th of July, might be like a Sunday for them. They have "down time" but not really. My son was always working on something that needed to be finished, and he helped his bunk mate out, so that he could attend church services. He was allowed to write on Sunday, but generally told us that he only had about 10 minutes to do so!

I don't know what the change was after COVID but the times to attend a religious service were changed around so that there were not a lot of SRs all together in one location, but I don't recall if that has been changed again or not. 

MomofK -- Yes they are allowed time to attend religious services however, that is their "Free time" so they have to decide what they really want to do with it.  They can use it to write home, Iron Uniforms, study or attend Worship.... If they are struggling they may choose to do other things instead.  They cannot Sleep or eat or "Fraternize" but that is their time. 
On the 4th of July they have Weekend/Holiday routine.  They treat all Federal Holidays (Except Thanksgiving and Christmas) as the Weekend/Sunday routine (No worship services though)  All this means is that they do not have PT or testing happening that day. They do not get to sleep in or watch Fireworks or do anything super special except maybe get yelled at a little less.  Thanksgiving and Christmas have some special activities around them but they are usually limited to just a Special meal unless you are super close to PIR in which case they may get to leave BC to see family (Locally only) or go with service groups to have a nice Not Navy meal. 

MomofK -- Church is a great place to get mentally recentered  and I'd encourage you to encourage your SR to attend but just know that they have so many things that need to happen and not enough time (By design btw) so if they need to focus on something else that may be what happens. 

Welcome to all of our new moms!  You have come to the right place!

MomofK - In my experience, the first call was about 30 minutes, but I think he had an hour.  He wanted to call his girlfriend, so he left time to chat with her.

As for including pictures in their letters, I had heard they didn't have much storage space so I printed a picture onto printer paper, and then wrote the letter below it.  That way he didn't have extra things to keep up with.  

Also, remember no glitter!!!  And sign up for Informed Delivery so you know when a letter is coming.  (The picture below is of me on the day that I knew his first letter was coming! LOL)

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

I got a text message from Sandboxx today, does that mean I won't get a physical note with his address, should I wait on that?

MomofK - since your recruit elected to use Sandboxx you will not receive a physical letter.  Just remember that Sandboxx is to be used only in boot camp - not after!

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 2023

they don't need much.. clothing will be given, I do think they get to wear their own running shoes now but should check.. some pictures, small address book, Mine took a change of clothes with his phone/charger/wallet.. everything was put in a box and stored there until after PIR. their study guide naturally lol. 

Johanna -- They need the clothes on their back, a good pair of running shoes (Not brand new, but newer), their cell phone and charger.  A black or brown wallet with their banking information & Card (Go to a Navy Federal Branch before they leave if you can... It's 10000000000 times easier to use than a regular bank because they are set up to work with Military more than most other places.) They can take a small amount of cash (I can't remember if it's $20 or 50) they should also have a card in their wallet or in a Bible or other religious text with phone numbers and addresses.  Most kids have that info on their Cells and they will not have access to them at BC.  You can also give them a short note of encouragement.  Tell them to save reading it till they NEED it!!! (They will KNOW when that is!).  They can take a disposable toothbrush & razor to MEPS and use the hotel shampoo/soap then throw that stuff away because they don't want to have to put much in the "Box" for storage if they can avoid it. 
Have them leave you a voicemail that you don't listen to till you NEED it!! (You'll know when that is!) It will make the first few weeks a tad more bearable!  If they want to leave a letter for you to read after they have been gone for a bit that's good too.  Everything else will either be provided or they can buy it at the NEX with the "Allowance" they are given.  This includes Phone cards.  It's so hard to find a pay phone phone card since most of them are cell phone reload minutes and not actual phone cards so don't make yourselves crazy hunting for one.  They can buy one at the NEX at BC and call from that.  If you want to look for a video that shows how to use one that's not a bad idea but don't get stressed over it! 
Most of all they should take your love and support!! 

Johanna - Trey and belovedbyHim pretty much covered it, but I will add one thing. My son's recruiter told him he could bring a watch, as long as it fit RTC guidelines. So if your son is a watch wearer, have him check with his recruiter to see what's appropriate. I remember it was pretty basic: black band and face, not digital, no shiny parts... We were able to get a pretty inexpensive one at JC Penney. Ended up being his birthday gift that year, as he turned 18 a week before leaving for BC.

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

PIR JULY 2023

PIR JUNE 2023

PIR MAY 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®

click on the link

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

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

Be sure to read belovedbyHim's blog post.  Here's the link:

Welcome to the Navy, everything will be ok!

hi johanna.. I believe it is just like a regular job, he will fill out tax stuff.. mine didn't mention it being hard or anything I know they have people there to help and answer questions.. if mine didn't bring it up with me at all so someone helped.. just more of onboarding paperwork..