Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

I'm in Texas, been under excessive heat .. bah summer sucks

Trey - my godson lives in League City, TX.  Husband told me yesterday the temp was 114!  That's crazy - I hope you are able to stay cool....be safe!

• Rebecca, no worries, my son struggled with meeting his pushup requirements and they assigned someone to work with him. Just tweaking a few little things here and there did the trick and he finished doing more than he needed. Remember their commanders do not want them to fail and will do everything possible to help them succeed. Attitude is everything, if they are willing to put everything they got into it the Navy will stick with them. I've met Mom's whose sons and daughters were in Boot camp for over 6 months because of their character and sheer will to succeed. Prayers for your son's success.

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

The August 25th TG group is listed.  Please note that due to the size of the group only 3 guests allowed.

Here's the link for the security access form for 3 guests:

SECURITY ACCESS FORM - 3 guests

Good Afternoon everyone!! We have a couple new members that I haven't had a chance to welcome individually yet. Please be sure to come to this Comment Wall area and say hello. Also, this is the best place to post your questions or share your ups / downs, more of our members will see your comments here than above in the Discussion area. 

Trey -- Stay cool!!
Our first day of summer ended with a Boom!! Massive Thunderstorms with Twin tornadoes, Injuring hail storm at Red Rocks (About 15 minutes away from me) and a sky that was more strobe than anything and was a constant low growl from the thunder that was rumbling for over 5 hours last night!! it was wild!!

Rebecca -- I know you have heard from so many of our wonderful moms but I wanted to add one more voice of reassurance.  As long as your SR doesn't give up then the RDC's won't give up!  Your SR will be fine!  It mostly a head game.  We will be here to cheer for him and to encourage you!

Good Morning!! I had a new member ask me some questions about communicating with their SR (seaman recruit) , so I am going to share what information we have here. Several things have changed since my son left for BC six years ago, and the main one with communication is the Sandboxx App and notifications of SR mailing addresses. 

The form letter used to take about 2 weeks or more to arrive as I recall which had our SRs addresses in it. With Sandboxx App for BC - my understanding is that if your SR signs up for you to be notified via Sanboxx of their mailing address then you will not receive a paper copy of the form letter. I assume they still send that information out with the mailing address via Sandboxx. - B'sNukeMom posted the link for the Security Access form below. You may print that out and have ready to mail to your SR when you get their address. 

Also, read this information - Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire - You may start writing letters now to your SRs, and then when you have their address you may mail them. If you choose to pay for the Sandboxx App, keep in mind that what you write is going to be read by several people, as it is being transferred to your SR. DO NOT use Sandboxx after BC!! It is my understanding that regardless of whether you use postal mail or Sandboxx to send letters, it still takes time for them to train a recruit petty officer mailroom person for each division and so especially initial mail will take the same amount of time to be delivered to your SR. 

Be sure to read the information in the above hyperlinks that I shared as well. Also, read FAQ from BC - U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command > FAQ - be sure to scroll down, open each tab and then scroll through that information - I missed some one day because I did not see the slide bar on the side!

Anyone with thoughts to share on your recent experiences with BC & Sandboxx App, Form letter, or the security form is appreciated. 

The great silence used to be even longer, before the changes with the mailing address notifications. Our mantra around here is "No News is Good News!" and "Semper Gumby" - Always Flexible.  

As loved ones of SRs, we are all in training as well, Navy life is not easy, both for our sailors and for us. Even with new technology that allows faster communication from the ships and port visits, this is still the "silent" service. This is where we learn to grow stronger, find encouragement and understanding from among our fellow Navy Loved Ones. 

I wrote emails to my SR every night from the time he left. Once I had his mailing address then I printed those out and mailed them to him. It helped me to see his smiling face on his little avatar as I emailed him, and I mostly shared things we had done as a family. Be sure to keep your writing positive. If you are having major difficulties with your SR being gone, please don't hesitate to share. You are not the first person to be a "hot mess", and we have our own stories to share as well. 

Others of us are planners and learning to be flexible and bend to the Navy way - can be a challenge.  Ask questions, and share. 

PIR live streaming begins in just a few minutes!

Our graduation ceremony will be live streamed Friday at 0900 Central. Use either our Facebook or YouTube link to view.

If you have a new sailor, or you received your "I'm a sailor" call, be sure to reach out to me and ask for the Beyond BC group link. 

I forgot to mention - Informed Delivery - USPS - this is a service offered by the USPS and before they sent SR addresses out by Sandboxx App, many of our members would watch for the form letter and see the return address on Informed Delivery and be able to send out their letters. I will say, this service works more accurately in some locations than others. 

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

Good Morning Everyone!!  How are we doing? 

One more week closer to PIR!!! WooHoo!!

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

10 Years ago today I watched as my middle child took an oath to defend our country against all enemies, Foreign and Domestic.  I cannot believe how quickly time has passed nor how slow some of those days have been!! HooYah Navy!!

Wow - 10 years, that's excellent! It's always an adventure, isn't it?!

TravelinMom -- That it is!!

Ladies, This is a Regular Announcement: Please put this information in your Phones:
I have a contact labeled {sailor ICE} with this phone number and text number as the phone number under the contacts, then I have the needed contact info in the notes section. The info in Italics below. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it or have to remember where or what you need! In the event of an emergency I can just pull up the info on my phone and hand it off if I’m not able to think clearly!!

If an emergency (such as a serious illness, death or birth) of an immediate family member takes place then military families can initiate a request for Red Cross emergency assistance. The message will be verified and then delivered. If the emergency requires leave for a service member, the Red Cross will verify the emergency to the service member’s commanding officer. Eligibility for emergency leave will ultimately be determined by them. Throughout the process, the family member will be able to track the progress of the message from anywhere in the world online, by phone, through our mobile app or in person.

To best prepare for an emergency, please have this information ready when reporting an emergency message:

· The service members name, rank, social security number and unit address {SR Davy Jones, 123-45-6789, Great Lakes Naval Training Center Ship 99, Div 1904.} {In Fleet This would be their Ship Name and number}

· The name of the person with the emergency and the nature of the situation {King Neptune, Hospitalized in critical condition}

· The name and contact information for the medical authority to contact regarding the status of the emergency {Doctor Jack Sparrow, Barbados General Hospital, 555-123-4567}

To access these services through the Hero Care Network, create an account and send the message here or send through the Hero Care app by texting “GETHEROCARE” to 90999 or call a Hero Care specialist at 1-877-272-7337.

Please have this discussion before your sailor leaves or ask in an early call or letter (Reassure them that all is well at home but you have learned you should have asked sooner.) No one likes to talk about the possibility of death but it happens and it’s easier if you have a plan for how to handle these situations. When you can, ask if they want to know about anyone not parent or sibling while in boot camp (They likely will not be allowed to leave anyway), ask if they want to come home if it’s a parent or sibling (In Boot camp, It will likely be short, 2-4 days at most) This is very rare and I only know of one case where it has happened in BC but again, better to be prepared! 
The Red Cross may reach out to you while your SR is in BC. This is normal and nothing to be surprised about. They want to make sure you also have this information available and know that they are there should you need them.

BelovedbyHim - time sure does fly!

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

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 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 read belovedbyHim's blog post.  Here's the link:

Welcome to the Navy, everything will be ok!

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

Welcome Aboard to our newest members - MindinMyAshyBizness & KayTea - 

This spot here on the Comment Wall for the BC Mom and Loved Ones group is the best place to post your hellos, ask questions, share where you are at in this BC Navy journey. More of our members will see your posts and reply. 

Be sure to scroll back through a few pages of comments, check out the links to post that B'sNukeMom just shared. Also, read the information above and the pages (click view all) on the right side of this screen. I am going to bump up some former discussions back into the queue above. 

If you are viewing this site on a mobile device, we recommend that you put it into desktop mode to more easily navigate the site. Do not hesitate to reach out and ask questions!! 

I bumped four discussions back into the queue above. Be sure to check them out and read through them. Especially the one on How to send private messages. It is sort of a tutorial for navigating around this site. 

Also, the Blue Candles are examples of ideas people have shared and if you scroll down, I think Shanny posted the poem as well. 

September PIR group is posted.  Here's the link:

PIR SEPTEMBER 2023

B'sNukeMoM -- Faster and faster every year!!!

belovedbyHim - 20 will be here in no time ;-D

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

PIR SEPTEMBER 2023

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

Good Morning Everyone!!

I have a very busy day but I wanted to pop on and welcome our newest member - April

April - Welcome to our group. This comment wall is the best place to post questions, say hello, and just chat. More of our members see it and will reply. We are glad to have you. Be sure to scroll down and see and read the links and post that B'sNukeMom shared and all of the information in the pages above. 

DoctorH - How are you doing? 

Has anyone received their first letter from their SR, or their form letter, either by mail or Sandboxx App? 

Welcome MindinMyAshyBiznes, KayTea and April. Hope you get a chance to comment and tell us a little about yourselves and where your recruit is on their BC journey. Things have changed since my son had been during Covid but I am certain if we were able to pull through the emotional affects of this journey you will do great. Our kids are alot stronger than we know and they are going to do amazing things!

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

PIR SEPTEMBER 2023

 PIR AUGUST 2023

 PIR JULY 2023

 PIR JUNE 2023

Today's PIR happening now:

LIVE PIR 6.30.2023

Hi all, 

  I need some Mom's advice about providing proof of my son joining the Navy to remove him from my medical insurance. I have tried calling the recruiter's office but no response. Since he is in basic now, will I have to wait till he is out?

Shebamom...when my son went to BC I forgot to remove him from my auto insurance before he left.  I contacted his recruiter and he provided me a copy of his contract that showed his departure date for BC.  That was enough for the auto insurance to remove him.  It might work for the health insurance as well.  My son had given me the email address for his recruiter so I contacted him directly to request the copy of the contract.

Shebamom - Personally, I generally recommend you don't try to remove your SR from your insurance until they have completed bootcamp and they are a US Navy Sailor. That way if something does happen during his bootcamp time and he has to return home, he still has your insurance coverage. Once he has completed PIR, he will be fully vetted and insured on Tricare. You should be able to contact your HR department at work and if that doesn't work, call your insurance company directly and let the know that your son is now a US Navy Sailor and covered under Tricare and because of a "life change" he needs to be removed from your insurance. 

From your comment it sounds like he is still at bootcamp? The recruiter's job is NOT to help us moms so that is likely why you have had no reply.  If your son is still at BC, hold tight for a little bit. After that, if you have issues, keep asking. Maybe some others here will have suggestions. My husband just had our son removed at the next enrollment date, but we still had children who were part of our family policy, so it did not affect our premium amount and I had contacted our insurance company (who are pretty sticky about other coverage) and they knew that our son was under Tricare. We did not have any issues, but I know that some have. I don't recall at the moment what others had to do to get their child dropped. 

we just removed our sailor at the next renewal/job about medical. I kept him on our driver's insurance until just recently. I wasn't sure about him moving about at A school and C school.  I went to remove him as primary driver of his truck and the person said since he didn't live with us/no financial support/and not one of our vehicles with him we couldn't have him on our insurance.. this is auto.. and with USAA.  keep him on until after boot for sure.. then it seems much easier to deal with insurance companies..

Thanks all, the new insurance requirements include showing proof of the change of life event until the adult child is 26 years old. 

   I will hold off till he finishes BC, he is almost halfway there. 

Ladies!! 

I just got off the phone with my SR....he completed Battlestations this AM and had his capping ceremony!! We have a Sailor!! 

After 9 months ( stress fractures on both legs, 2 times), his perseverance has paid off!! I believe in 2 weeks we will see him!