Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

I received information today from Sandbox with my SR recruits address.  How do I know if she was put in FIT?  Her recruiter said that was a probability.

thanks!

Happynurse, I don't know how to tell if your SR is in FIT, I am sorry. 

I saw on one of the facebook pages that your SR will call you if there is a change, not sure if that is true 

Hi Happynurse - I asked my sailor who graduated in May whether or not you could tell if she was in FIT. He indicated that SRs who fail the OPFA are the ones who go to FIT. The OPFA happens in week 8 or 9, I think and they get pulled from their division and placed in FIT until they can pass. SRs do go through an initial fitness assessment, but I think that's just a baseline, not a determination on whether they get pulled for FIT divisions.

He also said to take what recruiters say with a grain of salt. :)

Happynurse -- Breathe!!! She's in a Div and for the time being, No News is Good News!!! IF she cannot pass the baseline PFA then she will call you otherwise assume everything is progressing normally. As mentioned by Diahn, Most of the time if they get moved it's because they can't pass the final PFA.  If she's close on the first one, they may give her "Extra Attention" to help her get where she needs to be. 
Her recruited is being a PITA and needs to have their attitude adjusted.  They may have just been saying that to try and motivate her to exceed standards but that is not always a good way to go about it.  I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry until you have a reason to!

That's correct. My son had stress fractures in both legs 2 times. FIT is a gym class for improving the results of the OPFA.

Happy Thursday

I just met with my son and his recruiter...super nice "kid" but he gave me completely contradicting information from what I received from MEPS about the day he leaves for BC and the swearing in at MEPS...now I am crying at my work desk because I don't know who is right...I will try and work it all out next week, today I need a break....this is going to be a LLOONNGG month for me and I appreciate this group and apologize for my pouting rant.

Danielle - hang in there - you'll get it figured out. Back in 2012 when B left (out of San Diego) his recruiter took him the night before to the hotel.  We went down, stayed the night in the same hotel, took him to dinner (he had a curfew) and then they took him to MEPS in the morning.  We were able to meet up at MEPS the next day and after they did some things we were able to come in, watch them all be sworn in, listen to instructions, watch them load onto the bus and then we were able to follow the bus to the airport.  We chose not to go in to the airport - we said our goodbyes outside the terminal.  B (he was a bit older than most of the recruits) was put in charge of keeping them all together throughout the travel time.  He did text us on a layover and then called later that evening from the phone banks at boot camp - I remember it was about 8pm our time.  It was literally about a 20 second "scripted" phone call and then that was it!

Dinner the night before. The restaurant comped his dinner since he was heading to the Navy!

Swearing in.

Diahn - I had to chuckle!! Your SR is correct, take the words of the recruiter with a grain of salt!!

B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN Thanks.

Eds Mom Danielle  -- I'm sorry they are giving you conflicting info.  What is each party saying.  Keep in mind the Recruiter's job is to do whatever it takes to get the kids to sign on the dotted line.  MEPS job is to qualify them for the chosen job and RTC's job is to train them to be Basically Trained Sailors. (Or as my sailor calls them BS sailors (Basic Sailors but also the other meaning... )They know all the rules but not how it really works yet.)  Often one hand doesn't know what the other is doing or saying.  We hear all the voices and combine that with experiences from those who have gone through it to find something resembling the actual truth of it all.  Of course we don't have a Crystal ball or magic wand to say a thing is 100%b going to be the way we say but more often than not we are right. 

Also this is THE best place to come and rant and pout... We get it and we don't judge!!

Chipmunk -- A grain of salt?? More like an OCEAN of salt!!!  (I wonder if they are Salty they forgot the true meaning of NAVY??
(Never Again Volunteer Yourself)

Happy Friday! I have been using the Sandboxx app to send letters, but i also wanted to send my son small legal size lined paper with self addressed/stamped envelopes. Can this be sent in a manila envelope? I wasn't sure because it's oversized. Or, is there a better way? I'm not sure what's acceptable.  Thank you

To add to my comment below, I understand about nothing musical or glitter, colorful, etc. I just want to get plain paper and self addressed/stamped envelopes to him, 

G'sNavyMom - first of all, I would not go overboard at all, and sending a large envelope will likely draw attention to your SR. 

At the NEX they have a packet of lined writing paper and envelopes that your SR may purchase. I was trying to send a folded up SASE at least to my son in the first one or two letters and he told me not to bother. My son at least really only had about 10 minutes to write, he would say, every Sunday and one week he did not write at all because he had gone to medical for a cough. 

If you want to send something, I would maybe mail him a letter in a legal sized envelope and you can stick in a SASE with one piece of lined paper inside, maybe two sheets. And ask him if he has writing paper and envelopes, or do you need to send him anything. You might stick in a few extra stamps and tell him that if he doesn't need them to share with his shipmates. But otherwise, as much as we want to "help" them out, they have ways to get letters to you. 

Another suggestion is to print off one of the questionnaires and leave it blank on the back side or print lines for him, tell him to use that side to write you a note back. 

Ok, thank you, Chipmunk 

G'sNavyMom - You are welcome! I understand. I mailed SASE to my SR and I think even a sheet of paper and he told me not to bother, because he had paper. When we attended PIR and visited the NEX, I saw the packets of writing paper and envelopes they had there for the SRs to purchase. It has a nice little letterhead on it as well. 

Here is some specific information from: Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

If others have not read it yet. -

At first recruits are only permitted to write during holiday routine on Sunday and later they may be able to write on one or two other days as well (often Tuesday and Thursday) and some Divisions may earn the privilege of writing every day if they are doing really well or if the RDC feels that providing that privilege will boost morale. Letters are put in the mail bag on Sunday and the RMPO mails them on Monday unless Monday is a federal holiday. Any letters written throughout the week won't go in the mail bag until Sunday during holiday routine. Some RDCs permit letters to be placed in the mail bag only on Sunday afternoon with mail going out Monday morning even when they can write on other days and others permit them to put letters in the mail bag on the day they are written for the RMPO to mail the next morning.  It is up to the RDC and there does not seem to be a "norm" for this.

My son is enough of a rule follower, that if he was allowed to write any other day later on, he never said he could. And his division may not have been. Also, he was a "stick" / a flag bearer and so there were other duties that he had to be at more than some of the others, plus helping his bunkmate out on Sundays with tasks, so I just cherished what little communication I received and wrote him as often as I could and shared his address with others so they could write as well. They have limited space to keep their mail, so some people do send a folded up larger envelope for them to keep their letters in and maybe give back to you after PIR before they go to A school. But I would wait to mail that until a little later into BC. A large Ziploc also works, not the kind with the slider closure as that might not go through the mail as well. 

Thank you for this information. 

G'sNavyMom - As I was skimming back through the Letter writing post, there is information in there about mailing a manila envelope for their letters. Please forgive me if I sounded discouraging. I do understand where you are coming from, I was so eager to make sure that my son could write me back. I think I even sent him a SASE with his grandmother's address, and he never wrote her. He enjoyed receiving all of the cards and letters from people, but he also felt really bad that he could not write them back. Even later in A school, I learned to tell people to just email him. 

Each of our kids are different, but I had to learn early on how to take cues from my son, as to what worked best for him. Thankfully, my son was still a communicator after BC, and I had the freedom to answer his calls whenever it was convenient for him to call. We are so eager to hear from them and make sure they are okay, but part of this silence is to train us for the days and weeks ahead when they are out on the ship or underwater and you have to live with no communication at all. 

It's ok, Chipmunk.  This is new to me and my family. We are learning as we go along. We are told one thing, then another, then another. I honestly don't expect to hear from my son much. I completely get that. I just want to do my part as a mom and supporter without being overbearing or overstepping boundaries. I appreciate the advice and direction. 

G'sNavyMom - Finding that balance is hard, but just sending letters of love and encouragement are great, and one sheet of paper in the first letter or so, maybe with a SASE envelope is not overbearing, nor overwhelming for him. Especially if you can share with him, "Hey, I heard you might have access to writing materials, but if not, I wanted to make it easy for you (especially if you do one of the questionnaires - I did not have those when I sent my son to BC) to just send me a quick reply, since I know you probably don't have a lot of time to write."

I think if you can convey to him that you understand his time is limited, but you still want to hear from him. Make sure that he understands he is the only one, now and throughout his Navy career that can relay information to you, especially with regards to his whereabouts or going ons. Sometimes I think if we share too much with our SRs about what we know they are doing at BC, they get an idea that we always know what they are up to and that is not the case. I hear over and over that after BC and in A school, moms don't hear back from their sailors hardly at all. It can be hard to find the balance with communication, so if you can share your expectations, it can relieve them of feeling like they have to give you a long discourse. There were many nights when I would hear nothing from my son during his Nuke schooling, and then occasionally, I would get a "Goodnight" text on my phone. It was enough, to know that all was hopefully okay. 

G'sNavyMom - Thank you!! 

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

PIR OCTOBER 23

PIR SEPTEMBER 2023

 PIR AUGUST 2023

**REMINDER** BEGINNING OCTOBER 5, 2023, RECRUIT GRADUATIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED EVERY THURSDAY (NO LONGER ON FRIDAY), EXCEPT FOR THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING, WHEN GRADUATION IS ON WEDNESDAY.

Today's PIR happening live now:

LIVE PIR JULY 28, 2023

BZ to 452 of the newest and sharpest Sailors in the U.S. Navy!

Just a reminder if you're looking for something to get involved with you can join your local Blue Star Mothers group.

Here's the link - you can look for a group in your area.

https://www.bluestarmothers.org/

Here's the Wikipedia link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Star_Mothers_of_America

And here's the link to the Blue Star Mother's group on here:

Blue Star Mothers

G'sNavyMom-- Late to the party but If you send any letters through Sandboxx they INCLUDE a return stamped envelope with your address.  I don't know if they include paper but your SR has access to paper as well.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Be sure to keep your phones close by and your ringers on loud! 

Good morning everyone, we got our first phone call Sunday from our son. He is doing great, he didn't complain about one thing. I am beyond happy and proud of him. We received a letter from him on Thursday saying at times he did feel like he made a mistake but he was hanging in there. I asked him about that and he said it was just the initial shock of how long he was going to be there, first time being away from home that long. But he sounded great, he even said the food was good. We only has 20 minutes with him, can't wait for the next one. He said send more letters!

Sandra

That's great news, Sandra! First phone call is amazing. Happy to hear he's doing well. Celebrating right along with you!

That's wonderful, Sandra! I think they all go through a bit of the "what on earth have I done" phase at the start. It's such a shock to their systems! Every phone call I had with my sailor while he was in boot camp was better than the one before as far as feeling like he was doing what he was meant to do and feeling like he was going to succeed. (although mine never liked the food much...ha)

awesome news Sandra.. most times you can definitely follow them and their growth through the chain of letters and phone calls. my sailor hated the food.. their galley was ranked the worst and more than one session of food poisoning occurred.. I believe letting contractors inside the military for things like cooking/housing was a major mistake..

Sandra - I'm happy to hear your phone call went well!

I also received my first 20-minute phone call. It was good to hear his voice, but it didn't sound like he was doing great. He asked if I received his letter (which is actually being delivered today) so he didn't have to explain how things. He's on track but until I read his letter I cannot really comment on the stuff he did tell me. So hopefully it's just him in shock and missing home.

Logan's Run- I know it's hard for you and your son, we just have to stay strong for them. My biggest problem is always being there to fix things for him, this is totally out of our hands. His letter on Thursday was written on 7/20, was not as confident as the one dated 2 days later that my husband got. They will have good days and bad I'm sure. Keep the letters coming, I sent another one today and included some news articles I thought he might like to read, nothing negative. I also sent him some funny meme's, just to keep his mind occupied. 

Sandra

Sandra - Thanks for the support. I really needed to hear what you said. It is true about wanting to fix things, and now I have to accept that he has to do this himself. He will come out on the other side feeling accomplished and stronger. I'm in the support role now. I'm super proud of him!  I know the next call will be better; I'm looking forward to it. I have sent him 6 letters with funny pictures and memes as well. I told him that Aliens are Real. LOL. That's probably the only news I shared. Trying to keep it light, funny, and supportive. His friend is getting shipped off soon and will be on the same ship because of their MOS. Not that they'll get to talk, but it's nice to know your "bro" is close by. 

Apparently posting in Boot Camp Forum was not the same as posting in Boot Camp Moms. You'd think I'd have this figured out by now! So I'll post here, too:

"I just wanted to double check. Can you send a letter that requires more than one stamp to RTC? My kid is in RCU with an injury and will be there a couple more months. He is desperate for things to do and read. I'm happy to enclose some puzzles, questionnaires, magazine pages from his favorite mags (appropriate ones, like Scuba etc) and that sort of thing. His Dad had a couple envelopes that were just over an ounce and put a second stamp on them (in #10 envelope). Is this going to be a problem?

I really thought I saw something about this on this site before and haven't been able to find it specific to the number of stamps used. Thanks!"

Logan's Run - Sandra is right on. And the thing that kept me going was knowing that, in most cases, BC lasts only 10 weeks. Hoping that after PIR, when your son is in his A school training for what he signed up to do, he'll be much happier. It's a process...

Travelin Mom - I'm sorry to hear your son is injured. I hope he has a speedy recovery. In my opinion I would'nt think it's a problem to have extra postage because it contained MWR items. The reason is in the Sandboxx app you can send multiple pages and newsletters, plus there is a care package option in their store that you can send towards the end of their training. If he is in RCU you would think he could get more than just a single letter. I hope someone can confidently answer your question. 

Thanks, Joe's mom! I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but when you're in the thick of it, batten down the hatches because we've hit some stormy seas!!! lol. Couldn't help myself ;) Thank goodness for this forum!

Sandra-- What a WONDERFUL way to start your Sunday!!! Yep... They live for Mail call!! I mailed a letter or questionnaire almost daily!  The Letter writing article above is super helpful for when you can't think of anything new to say!  I'm so glad that his first phone call was upbeat and that he's enjoying it.  Yes, the reality hits them all differently

Logan's Run -- I'm so sorry that your phone call was less than stellar. Yes they have good day and bad ones.  (Stormy seas and calm seas) and yes sometimes you just have to batten down the hatches, Put your head down let the waves crash over you and face the Storm!  Our job back home is to be that Calm and Safe harbor that is ALWAYS there, ALWAYS Supportive, ALWAYS Loving and Always Reassuring.  We shine that light into their heart through our letters, keeping our tears at bay during phone calls and just being here!  (If you are a believer, also through our faithful and fervent prayers!)

TravelinMom -- Nope the Forum is all the moms but not everyone follows it.  This is the BEST place to ask your BC questions since more current and recent moms will see it.

The extra stamp should not be an issue.  They still can't get "Care Packages" but they can get mail.  They also don't get quite as strict scrutiny on letters, I believe.  Even in the Regular Div's they would still get the mail, they just may have to open it in front of an RDC. I'd write and ask if he can be sent magazines or if they are considered contraband.  The worst that would happen is he has to throw it out but better to ask him.  He will know what they allow or not.  I know during COVID they were bringing reading material around for the folks stuck in ROM Quarantine so they at least had something to do during the long hours but I don't know the current policy. As for including articles just make sure you don't send anything on Newsprint!! (Regular newspaper ink...) This rubs off and can get on clothing and cause a "hit" plus it's a pain to clean off their uniforms. reprint on a regular printer.

We usually say just 1 stamp because anything over has to be opened in front of the RDC's and you DO NOT want to call attention to your SR.  RCU is a bit different.  Hopefully of one of our RCU moms will pop over and answer.

Logan's Run -- They can get as many letters as arrive at any given day (1 or 100....) we just say only 1 stamp because those don't have to be opened in front of the RDC's.  2 or more or priority or anything not a regular First class letter/card are subject to that requirement. They are just checking to make sure no contraband is being mailed in.  So NO pain meds, chapstick, condoms, food items, chewing gum, large sums of cash.... (Technically bandaids and mole skin are not allowed either!) Of course if a SR gets 100 letters that is also likely to draw and RDC's attention but that does not mean they won't get to open and read all of them. (Now Storage.... That is a whole OTHER issue!!) RCU is a tad bit different but they still are SR's so they are still under all the original rules thus the reason for the question.  I believe they can ask permission for reading material to be sent from home and if granted they will not get in trouble for that.  It's just like SR's with contacts who are given permission to wear them for PIR or Girls to wear light make up at PIR.  They have to ask and once permission is given they will have to open the package in front of the RDC's but they will NOT get in trouble for it (Get Intensive Training because of it arriving.) IF you SR asks for something specific, Assume they have permission and send it BUT don't be presumptive and send items before it's asked for.