Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Trey and others - Your sailors will be able to use their GI bill once they are out of the Navy. And while in there are other options for tuition assistance as well. Sometimes our guys need time to just figure out life and what it is they really want to do. It may also mean they will do another 180 on you, but in the end our hope is that they will be happy, productive adults. 

Diahn - Be sure to keep us posted and updated!!

Oh Yes!!! And keep those phones close by and ringers on loud!! I never turned my phone off, I answered calls in church, even the doctor's office. If it is spam, just hang up! But as I recall my first call from my SR on his calling card showed up as not from one of the IL area codes but overseas, so just answer the phone.

And if you think you really might miss a call or not be able to take it, some people change their voice mail message to let their SR know they are thinking about them and maybe hint to call another loved one. 

Well - that’s the first time I have uploaded a photo on here…Sorry it’s sideways! Ha!

Diahn - That is good to hear!!! And a visit to A school - how great!! Thanks for sharing your tidbits. 

As for the photo, there is a way to click on the picture and edit it before you actually post it, but it might be harder to do if you are posting from a phone vs on the computer. Yours is not the first sideways picture we have seen. 

FYI - "IT" is Intense Training, which just means getting extra exercises, like push-ups or such. You might also hear your SR say something about "getting hits".  As I recall, this means they have gotten marks against them for something like how their made their bed or their uniforms not being just so. It has nothing to do with physical hitting or abuse. In other words, hits are like a demerit or mark against you. 

Chipmunk -Thanks! I’ll figure it out eventually. ;)

His A school is about an 8 hour drive for us, and near a nice beach, so it’s not a bad trip!

Also - the recruits may call IT getting beat. Same thing - no physical contact…they just feel beaten afterwards. My son said his division chose to be a strong division over a smart one…meaning they got a lot of beatings. :D

Diahn -- HAHAHA!!!! They CHOSE to be strong rather than smart.... HAHAHA!!! (we all know there was minimal choosing happening there but yes... They could have been smarter. ) My Sailor was part of the "Air Chair Circus".  According to his RDC they were all a bunch of clowns and his favorite "Consequence" was air chairs. (sit without a chair or wall! It's hard to do!! Sailor estimates that he could do it for 30min before he'd fall on his backside.  His thighs were ripped though.)

@Patti, thanks I am hoping for the same outcome. I have so many questions. Do they get to take their own running shoes, will it be possible to send him with a calling card if needed. Will he need to sign up for sandbox and anyone who would like to wright him, sorry so many questions. 

Thanks

Sandra, they go to BC with only the clothes on their backs. When they need new shoes, you can send it to them-black ones. You and he could sign up for Sandboxx, but it costs a few $ to send. My family and friends just sent snail mail.

I believe he can purchase a calling card at the NEX.

Sandra, I just have a second - but if you wish to buy a calling card beforehand so he can activate it, then you may do so. Look at a CVS or Walgreens and ask for Payphone calling cards. Otherwise as Patti said, they can buy them at the NEX and they give them an allowance there to purchase such things. 

I am glad Patti mentioned black as all accessories, including wallet and watches need to be all black, I think Navy blue was okay for a wallet. If he wants to wear his running shoes, even if he can't use them at BC, then he will have them in his "box" to be able to take with him straightway to A school. 

Several sources said you can take your own running shoes to Boot Camp. They will either use them or they won't, I figure. My son's running shoes are grey (just what he happened to have) and are size 13 Wide, with inserts for his high arches. I was told they give you a choice if you want the issued shoes or not. It's good either way, he had them and needed to wear something on the plane, anyway.

Any grand ideas on a graduation gift? I feel this will be a bigger deal than high school graduation for us but he doesn't need a watch nor a knife, and he's not a collector, really. I don't know what's really practical, seeing that he'll be leaving for A school right away, either.

Happy Monday!

Diahn - I fixed your picture for you ;-D

I am on vacation countdown to see my new grandson.... Saturday can't get here soon enough!

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

Hi all, 

  New Mom hanging in there! Thanks for all the support I have received from this group.

   I heard a rumor from a former Navy spouse, that the basic recruits have to do pushups for every letter received. Any truth in that statement?

TravelinMom - Even if your son is not a big collector, if you are able to go to PIR, you can always purchase some of the challenge coins that are only available there. They are small and you can later make a shadow box or get a small keepsake box for him. They will be small but something for him to share with his family later on. 

More practically, if he does not need a watch, help with a laptop, or gift cards for food places, or gasoline cards, if he is in a place where he is driving. Honestly, my son was not big on needing anything and our trip to PIR was our gift to him, as well as every trip we made to his subsequent graduations (he had 3 for his schooling). 

Shebamom - I would not be concerned if your SR got IT (intensive training / pushups, etc.) because he got a big stack of letters from you!! The pushups will do them good and so will the letters. That said, I did not go wild with letters to my son. I wrote him emails every day until I had his form letter (back then about 3 weeks), and then I copied them to a Word Doc, printed, sent a handwritten note at the bottom and mailed them. I continued to do the same throughout BC. I also shared his address with friends from church, and instructions on no glitter, no newsprint, etc. They do not have a lot of room to store their letters or cards, so news and love from home is good, but try to keep it not bulky.

Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

B'sNukeMom - I am right there with you. I am on a countdown for my grandbabies to come see me. Although, it really is easier for me to go visit them (less for me to clean and straighten up) but we are hoping to see some extended family that has not seen my newest one yet. Safe travels!!

B'sNukeMom - thank you for fixing the photo! 

Shebamom - I wrote my son a letter almost every day and he didn't mention that they got IT for any of them - I imagine it depends on their RDCs. They got "beat" plenty and when I saw him last weekend, he and his buddy were laughing about how many pushups they had to do - and were both totally grateful for all the letters they received from family.

TravelinMom - we struggled with that as well and in the end didn't get him anything. We did have a flag flown over the US Capitol building on the day of his PIR (You can order it through your senator's official web page) and in fact, he got us Challenge coins and photos. He was just so happy we came to see him and spend the day with him, I don't think it ever occurred to him there should be an additional gift. :)

Thanks for all the thoughts on this. We're definitely going to graduation, likely all of them. We were planning on the challenge coin as well. Hubs has some, himself. Thanks again!

our visit and later A school visits were the main gift.. we would take him out to buy clothes or anything else he needed and paid for dinners.. 

Sandra -- Do they get to take their own running shoes? Yes.  They are NOW allowing them to keep their own running shoes.  They should be in Good shape, Newish and already broken in.  Ideally they will be black, grey or white.  
Will it be possible to send him with a calling card if needed? If you can find one locally Otherwise DO NOT stress yourselves over it in his limited time home!! They can buy them there with the money they are allotted for personal purchases.

Will he need to sign up for sandbox? That is up to you and your SR.  On the plus side you will get the address with the Div number (And thus the PIR date) via text message quicker and there is no cost to your SR to sign up. The letter gets there a tad quicker and they get a SASE and paper with every letter sent to them.  On the Minus side... It is expensive if you want to reply or send letters via sandboxx.  

Anyone who would like to write him?  You can share the address with anyone who would like to write him.  Be sure they know the "rules".  NO GLITTER, NO NEWSPRINT, NO MUSICAL CARDS, NO MONEY.  You do not want to do anything to draw attention to your SR.  Also no care packages.  Just first class regular mail in simple envelopes.

patti  -- Their PT shoes can be other colors but it's best if they are plain.  Black, white, grey, blue all are acceptable. Even neon would be ok but it's best to not draw attention. They can buy new ones there but it's better if they bring their own that they KNOW fit their feet!

TravelinMom -- They don't need much and don't have room for much. Honestly it's not needed... This is just like completing training at any job.  If you feel you must do something and can afford it, Plane tickets so they can come home on leave, money for an attraction near their A school, a subscription to books or music......

B'sNukeMoM -- Enjoy your Grandbaby!!! Get in tons of snuggles and all the love you can!!

Shebamom  -- no.  They do not get "Beat" for getting letters from home.  If they are needing extra IT then the RDC's may use any excuse but not for simply getting letters.  When my SR was in we heard that someone got a musical card.  They had been a bit of a troublemaker so the Div had to do IT while the guy who got the card opened and closed it till the battery died.... They are trained to work as a team and what happens to one happens to them all.  You are good to send your letters and love!

Hello, everyone!  I'm sorry but I can't remember which Moms here have kids who have not left for BC yet.  But for those moms I just remembered something to do prior to BC. 

Get their wisdom teeth removed!!!

My son needed his removed, but he said, "I'll wait till boot camp; the Navy will do it for me for free!"  But thankfully, his started bothering him before he left, so we had them removed.  Many of his fellow recruits had to have theirs taken out at BC.

My son had to have his removed at BC. He had to stay in bed for a day or two and then rest for another couple of days.

TravelinMom - for graduation gifts, I didn't know they would sell Challenge coins at PIR, so we ordered some online and he loved those.  We also gave him a fleece US Navy blanket, which he keeps on his bed even now.

The other gift we gave is a little unusual, but he loved it.  He graduated the day before Thanksgiving, and we knew that he would not ship out until at least Friday, so we knew going in that we would get most of Wednesday with him, and all of Thursday (well 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.).  He is a very social kid, so we activated an old pre-paid cell phone and gave the phone number to his friends and asked them to text him.  When he was at the hotel with us, he was able to get in touch with many of his friends.  (He ended up not shipping out for 6 days, and they don't get their phones back until just before they head to the airport so it worked out well.  But some Sailors ship out the next day, so it's probably a waste of money in that case.)  But he was really grateful to be able to use the phone when he was away from base.

My son did not have to have his wisdom teeth removed - I think he is missing one or two like his father. But that meant he had to stand extra watches and get less sleep because anyone SIQ (sick in quarters) from wisdom teeth did not have to stand watch. It was hard, especially at the beginning of BC doing the middle of the night watch. 

Fair points made here. I'm super grateful my boy had his widsom teeth removed at home less than a year ago. (Well, not "at home" but with a local dental surgeon!) 

Turns out he had 5 wisdom teeth, most were impacted, that had to come out and I'm not sure how that would have gone for him. But the point about standing watches when new at BC - that gives me something else to ask him. He's not much of a writer, but I really like using the questionnaire format so I can get answers for stuff. I just sent him one yesterday.

Good point about the fleece Navy blanket. I forgot he already has a Naval Academy one he'd probably like to have when he goes to A school. It was from a Boy Scouts camping trip when we lived in that area, and it's always nice to have useful, familiar stuff from home!

Lots of good ideas here, everyone, thanks!

Hello, on the day my son leaves for BC will he have to get another physical at MEPS? His date is July 12th, will we need to drop him off at the hotel on the 11th?

Thanks to everyone for all the help

Sandra

no more physicals at meps anyway lol.. nope, drop him off at hotel (and man that was the worst for us and then got worse). he may get a pee test before getting on the bus to the airport. 

it got better.. for us we took him to the hotel the day before and he checked in. then we all went to eat and hang. they have a curfew to be in the hotel. 

Thanks Trey, we know its going to be hard. I have been struggling so much, I know he is making a good choice but it is still hard. We are beyond proud of him, we know he will be fine and that we will adjust to him being gone. I am not looking forward to that fast approaching day. I have told him not to worry about me, I may be sad to see him go but I am proud of him.

Sandra

Is there a color that running shoes must be.  My daughter just bought some that are navy blue by Brooks

Supposedly navy blue and black and grey are OK. Hopefully, because the shoes we had sent our boy with were grey just because that's what he had. It may be good to note, I've heard on here that the wallet they take with them with their ID and such should be black or Navy. I didn't know that before so I assume he had to pack away his wallet! His Dad gave him a nylon tie dye one just because it's one of our minimalist scuba wallets - so that actually cracks me up! I could have given him a different wallet if I knew!

The things they don't tell you in the START manual... hehe

Sandra - we feel your pain here (because we've been there, done that!)  For me this group was a lifesaver!  I had a complete MELTDOWN on Day 9 because I heard something about sending a phone card and I felt like a terrible mother and I was afraid he would never call home because I was such a failure.  But I got lots of encouragement from this group and it turned out fine.  He bought one at the NEX and it was all good!

One of the things that helped me was a mom telling me that when they are in BC, the Navy is also putting us moms in "Navy Mom Boot Camp".  We are being trained for the silence for when they are on missions and we are learning to be strong and to remember that "no news is good news."  You can do it!  (And know that we are here if you feel like you can't do it.) BNMH!

MomofJoseph -- Getting their Wisdom teeth out is a catch 22.... They may not need them out... My sailor didn't have his out until well after Bootcamp (6 years in fact) but he had to stand all the extra watches to cover for those who did. They got to sleep (SIQ) for 4 days where as my sailor did not.  If they do need them out they get 2 days SIQ and the weekend to sleep/rest/recover and they are closely monitored by the RDC's, their Shipmates and Medical for any adverse reactions/ Complications.  Since the Dentists do this every week they are experts in removal and are likely better than many non-Navy Dentists.

Sandra -- Not a complete physical, They just go over the paperwork to make sure nothing has changed.

Stephanie -- Navy Blue should be fine.  We have not seen where RTC has posted any specific color.

TravelinMom  -- There are SOOOOOOOOOOOO many things they don't tell you.

Most information about what to take to BC was given to my son by his recruiter. I usually drove my son, so as time grew closer, I talked with him as well and found out about the phone card, they told my son black or Navy blue for his wallet and so we found a slim nylon wallet at Wal-Mart. 

As far as accessories, I learned from my son when he needed an umbrella for the pop-up showers in SC that his umbrella and any accessories they wore, watches, backpacks, etc. all had to be black. 

The night before MEPS, I was told to bring my son to the recruiting office, and they transported him to the motel. We could have gone and meet him at the hotel for dinner but were told he had to be back early for a meeting that they would have with all of the recruits. Since it was a church night for us, I just said my goodbyes at the recruiting office. We were able to go the next morning, which was my husband's birthday and wait with him there, and then watch his swearing in. At that time, he did have another physical as I recall at MEPS, so they may have changed things since then. 

If you do go to MEPS, be prepared to go through security, just like at the airport. At least we had to. No pocketknives or anything. 

Also, if your son was given a Navy t-shirt, I think they like them to wear those to the airport, but my son had left his at home and no one told him. 

I get you Sandra.. such a mix of sad and proud.. I still get tears at  times and been almost 2 years..

Has anyone heard that BC has changed to 8 weeks? My son just came from a DEP meeting, This is the first I have heard this. 

Sandra

Sandra -- That is how long it used to be before they added 2 weeks of "Warrior Training"  and then BC became 10 weeks.  If it's going back to 8 this is the first we are hearing of it.  You, and other New moms will be our best source of information since you can tell us how long from when they leave to their PIR date it is.  (We can figure it out based on the Div # if that info isn't included in the Sandboxx text)

belovedbyHim - what portion is considered "Warrior Training"?

Hi all, 

   I am so thankful for all these incredible Navy Moms. I did receive a couple of form letters in an envelope addressed by my son. I was excited I had a real letter, not just yet! I was concerned about the wisdom teeth removal. I had a really bad mom moment. 

   I sent a few letters and pic with the Sandbox app and I am sending some snail mail. Did your sailors have any feedback about mail preference?

Yes, I told my son if its 8 weeks great. We will just wait and see, he said one of the officers at his meeting today said they just made the change. I will definitely keep all of you posted. 

I asked hubs and he said it was the expanded Marlinspike and Fire training etc. According to my son, all that is the part he looks forward to :-)

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

Shebamom -- Sandboxx wasn't an option when my Sailor was in but I had a very negative experience with it in the fleet.  A girlfriend sent a Booty call letter including dates and times.  This caused part of the battalion to be held in an airport hanger eating out of vending machines for several days and others to be held at their deployment location for a little over a week longer.  They came home in the middle of the night with NO notice given to family at home.  We had made plans to be there for home coming but when they were delayed (No idea at the time for how long) we were unable to change plans to accommodate that.  If you bought Sandboxx, Try and use it all up while they are in BC and then forget it even exists after!!

TravelinMom -- Our understanding is that it includes much of the stuff that was "Sailorization" and "Indoc" that used to happen at A school.  Finances, Sex Ed (Harassment, safe, etc...) Mental health (Mental toughness, reporting, Support services available...).  I'm sure there is more and hopefully some of our newer moms can come share what their Sailors learned.  We first heard of the change to 10 weeks in 2021 as a test group went through.  Then in 2022 they took it to the whole RTC for all Div's.  I'd be surprised if they are abandoning it so soon but maybe they need to move SR's on to A school so they are sending that training back to the A schools....?  There is nothing on the RTC site but I'll keep and eye out.  If anyone here sees that their PIR is only 8 weeks out, Please let us know so we can make note of that change.

my sailor was in BC summer 2021 and he bumped into the 'testing' of 10 weeks. he was official 8 but got washed back two weeks and I remember him mentioning that kind of information because he got to skip it while waiting for A school.. it may be that the hold times for many A schools are long enough they could move it back over there.. just have to wait and see lol.. Navy..

MomofK - I am so sorry to hear this. Be sure to tell your son we appreciate his willingness to serve and if he decides to try again in 6 months we are here rooting for him. If he decides to pursue other things that is okay as well. 

We have a couple of other members whose sons are back home and waiting to head back to BC before long. Please do not delete your profile page and feel free to stick around. The recent information you do have is still valuable to other new members coming on.