Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

aslrebecca - Hopefully B'sNukeMom or BelovedbyHim will also chime in. But here are my thoughts from things I believe have been shared in the past. 

1st - I believe mail has to be addressed to a specific SR, or in this case RDC. Mail that is addressed randomly will not be delivered and may be returned to the sender. That is why if you want to send a letter to a SR that may not be receiving mail, you have to put that letter in an envelope with your SR's name, or you have to get their name from your SR. - So, just based on this information alone, I do not think it would be prudent to send something to the RDCs. 

Also, if you send something to your SR for them to "give" to their RDC that could cause a lot of "hazing", embarrassment and possibly IT (intense training, i.e. physical exercise). 

All in all, I don't think it would be in your SRs best interest to send a care package to the RDCs, especially when you are not allowed to send one to your SR. I have heard of schoolteachers who have a SR at RTC send cards that were made by their students to all of the SRs in a division as a thank you, and I suppose you could include one for the RDCs. I believe there are also at least two other senior leaders for each division as well. They would just be cards of appreciation and that might work. Generally, the cards are all sent in a large manila envelope to the SR and then it will most likely be opened in front of the RDC. I would also let your SR know in advance and wait for their reply as to whether or not they wanted you to do this. They may not want the attention drawn to them by this mailing. Most of them want to stay under the radar. 

I realize this seems uncaring, and thoughtless, but one thing the military is big on is protocol. And I am not sure this fits with protocol. In certain places of employment, gifts are not allowed to be given or received. It is a nice thought and gesture but that may be as far as it goes. 

aslrebecca - You can take your SR a gift for after PIR - just remember they won't be able to take it back with them if it's something big. They have very limited space and then they will be moving and they have to carry everything they have!

We got our son a black "G-shock" inexpensive watch from Kohls that was his PIR gift.

And I agree with Chipmunk - although the thought is nice, nothing sent to the RDC.....

aslrebecca - B'sNukeMom was replying to both of your questions at once, I believe. You may bring gifts with you for your new sailor when you travel to GL, but I am pretty sure are not to be gift bags, or bouquets or any such paraphernalia brought into the Great Hall for the actual Pass in Review. You may give your sailor his gifts in the hotel room or when you are out for dinner, if you would like. 

And I concur, they do not have a lot of room for carrying extra stuff, especially if they are flying out to their A school. So, keep small gifts in mind. 

aslrebecca -- It looks like your comment is gone but I'd still like to address this.  While yes in a sense the RDC's are like a Teacher, They don't see it that way.  They see your "child" as an Adult and Future Co-worker.  They are the Boss.  Just like it's not appropriate to send a "care package" to your boss, it's not necessary or appropriate to send one to the RDC's.  If you want to bring them a Thank You Card (not a gift card), You could give that to them after PIR but PLEASE let your Sailor know you are planning it first!

On a slightly separate note for all our new moms -- Unless we message you, please don't remove your comments. Also if you decide to leave N4M please don't delete your account.  If you do so an important bit of information leaves with it.  In this case it was a Very good question about Thanking the RDC's for their care during Boot Camp, by removing the question other moms who have the same wonder will have a harder time finding the answer.

I received a call from my son earlier today, perhaps about 5:30!! It was so wonderful to hear his voice, just so reassuring to hear his thoughts on how he felt it was going. Hoping you received a call too, Babyshark mom!! I believe tomorrow is week 2 day 3 —but I could be off, and I was so excited to talk to him and it went so fast that I completely forgot to ask him! 

Lara -- YEA!!!! I'm so happy for you getting a Phone Call!!!! That call is soooo Amazing!! When you come back to earth you may remember about a million things you wish you had said.  We recommend keeping a note pad handy to write down whatever you want to ask or say. Hopefully that will help when your next call comes in!! (They can earn additional calls so there is always hope for more!!)

aslrebecca - I am sorry to see you delete your messages and even possibly leave the group. 

Lara - Yippee for a phone call!!

Good Morning everyone! Well, I am back, sort of. I finally have a brand new computer that is actually working properly. The first one I bought was not. Now to see if we can get my old computer fixed so that I can still use it as well. 

I will be off and on still as I am involved in a lot of things here on the home front with my sailor family and also trying to make plans for visiting them. It has been over a year since I have seen them. 

For those with loved ones getting ready to leave for BC. Cherish the moments that you have with them now. I know you want to plan and have an idea of what future holidays, and such are going to look like, but those things will just have to be dealt with as you get closer to that time and actual up-to-date information. 

I would also encourage you to have your loved one sort through items in their rooms and maybe pack some things up and get rid of other things. You do not have to change their room if you don't want to, but 4 - 6 years is a long time, and lots can happen. Some of us have had our sailors return home, some have reenlisted, and some like mine ended up marrying another sailor. Even with my kids who went to college, I would think, "Oh, they will be back home and able to go through their stuff!" - NOPE!! - By my son's time to leave, you would have thought I had learned my lesson, but no - and now I have no idea when he will even be able to come home and sort through things. - I fully expected my son to return home and be back living with me now. As happy as I am for him, unfortunately no. May you glean some wisdom from my misjudgment. 

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

It looks like aslrebecca has left Navy for Moms completely.  Sorry to see her go. (And by doing so, all her comments are gone too.)

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and is ready for a new week! 

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

PIR NOVEMBER 2023

PIR OCTOBER 2023

PIR SEPTEMBER 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.

I wanted to let y'all know I'm still around, my son is still at BC. Some of you may recall he was originally scheduled to graduate early August but received a pretty bad stress fracture to his tibia and it extended his BC by a couple of months. Sooo... he's nearly done with his Physical Therapy (I don't want to say PT because that means something else there!) and then he can join up with a new Div and finish out his BC training. So good to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! So I've been reading comments but have been super busy doing some trainings etc due to empty nesting and finding my own direction (we were a homeschool family but I'm officially done after 20 years of it!) I appreciate you all! I can't wait for PIR! (sometime in Nov but that's not official yet. So happy for the Thursday graduations now though - we all are!)

Hey TravelinMom.. glad to hear from you.. such good news that is almost done with therapy..  good to stay busy.. I'm still having 'moments' relating to empty nesting myself and also former homeschooler..  

Travelinmom—my goodness, I have thought of you and your son often since I first read of him having such injuries and then if I recall correctly he had even decided to stay there while recovering. It must be such a relief and I am so glad for you and him to be finally close to the end of physical therapy. He has had to show such resilience and patience to hang in there! Recovery from a broken bone is so stressful and has such discouraging moments at times; to balance this in the middle of this entirely new setting and for so long is just amazing. I will keep you both in my thoughts! 

Travelinmom, my son had stress fracture on both legs - 2x! He started BC in October, and FINALLY graduated this July! Hang in there! THere is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Patti! Your circumstances are who I was thinking of, actually. I apologize as all of your amazing stories and experiences blend together beautifully in my mind as a collective force of strength for me! Just unbelievable for you and your son and for Travelinmom and her son and everyone that encounters injury at BC and in the fleet. Such challenging circumstances to endure. Sending thoughts of resilience and recovery to all! 

Travelinmom - Happy for you and your son. PIR can't come soon enough!

Good morning everyone 💙⚓️We received an unexpected call from our SR last night. He, along with the 2 SR's I've taken under my wing have passed their OPFA! I'm so proud of them! Since my son has been at BC , we've received 5 calls!  Getting ready for PIR! It was so good to hear from my son,  he sounded so happy, confident and proud. It made my heart smile. I've missed him so much! Can't wait to see him/them at PIR💙

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!

Yay for phone calls!

TravelinMom - thank you for the update.  So exciting that the end of boot camp is in sight!  What a journey for your SR and you!

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

PIR NOVEMBER 2023

PIR OCTOBER 2023

PIR SEPTEMBER 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.

Travelinmom- so happy to hear boot camp is coming to an end for your SR. Thinking of your SR and your family and wishing him well⚓️

Thank you so much, Lara! He has grown into a fine young man! In fact, he will be attending his sister's wedding (he's in the wedding party)

So Proud & Happy for your SR & the 2 under your wing! Congratulations on passing the OPA

Does anyone know about how much pictures cost? There is a charge on my sons account and I believe it is for the pictures.

I think it's in the neighborhood of 300-400 depending.. so many pictures.. still have most of them, plus the shadowbox one..

Sandra - Depending on which package they order, the photos can be very expensive. My son ordered the top package and spent around $300, I think. They get excited about what's offered and think they need it all. Now it's all sitting at our house, where it will stay until he establishes some kind of permanent residency. Ah, lessons!

Thanks, this is more... the charge is 541 at the Navy Exchange. With a charge being that much that was all I can imagine it would be. 

Maybe my son has too much time on his hands now, he went on a shopping spree

Sandra - your last comment made me laugh 😅 

When do they have their pictures taken and are we able to view them and purchase them or does our SR only have access to them?

G'sNavyMom- I am not sure what week they took pictures, I was not able to see before he ordered. I will not see them until Friday, so excited. It is totally up to your SR to order them, I made sure that my son understood that I wanted them. I read  a post from a mother who was very upset because her son didn't like the way they came out and didn't order. She was able to order after graduation.

Sandra - oh wow, ok, thank you for this information. I will make sure my son knows to order them. How exciting for you...a few more days 💙Wishing you a wonderful time with your son. Congratulations to him and your family. Safe travels!

TravelinMom -- Glad to know you are still hanging around.  It gets tough to keep everyone straight.  I believe you were the second mom to have a SR with stress fractures who stayed on at BC to heal and hopefully not have to start over!!   I hope you get good news soon and a PIR Date that works for your family to go be with him!

patti -- You and TravelinMom will be a HUGE source of information and encouragement for future moms who may experience similar setbacks.  I hope you will both be able to stick around for years to come to help in areas where most of us have No first hand experience.

Lara -- I think it's a bit easier in the fleet since they can call you anytime and you can go to them.  BC-- Not so much!! You KNOW your child is hurt but there is NOTHING you can do and NO ONE you can call to ask!!  If I had to choose, I'd choose Fleet!

G'sNavyMom -- This week or next?  Are you going?  YEAH!!! That final Phone call is such a relief!! You KNOW they are going to make it and you can actually breathe again!!  Now on to the NEXT adventure!!! 
Photos are usually taken around week 4 (Or at least they were Pre-C.) They ordered them later that week or the next and they had the option to have them shipped home or pick up at the NEX after PIR (Have them shipped home!) There is No where for us to view them. There are sooooooo many options.  Unless you have a BIG family who all want to display large format photos, have them get a smaller set! They don't have a place on the ship to display them and really, how many can you display at home? IF they don't order any you can go to the NEX after PIR and order what you want then but it takes way longer and you will be wasting a ton of precious post- PIR time in lines.

Sandra -- The photos cost an obscene amount of money but They are still Amazing to have.  It sounds like he got one of Everything and then some!! I hope you have lots of family who want pictures!

joe-mom-- or they are at your house 10 years on and your sailor looks NOTHING like those BC photos anymore and they are career so they are not setting up a home anywhere yet!

belovedbyHim - PIR for us is next week!! It cannot come fast enough, lol!! Yes, there's 10 of us flying out!! Obviously only 3 can attend PIR, but, we'll value the hours we get to spend with our sailor!

Thank you for the info about the pictures! My son hasn't said anything,  and honestly I didn't think to ask him! I'll write him and ask where we stand with them!

Trey - hey! Another empty nester and past homeschooler! Major life changes for us for sure. Weird selling off all the supplies.

Lara - He stayed in BC (the RCU they call it Recruit Convalescent  Unit) because to go home for recovery is to Separate from the Navy. If you sep, it's like 2 years of getting waivers and more before you can rejoin. He said to me he's either coming home a Sailor or on a stretcher so I guess he's pretty determined!

Patti - I know your story and think of it often - I'm grateful for your contributions here! There is NOTHING to do in RCU and I'm glad they eventually gave him a couple of jobs to do for his 3 month stint, and he's doing modified PT (using 60% pressure on his leg a week ago). I also hope he isn't re-injured. We've only had 2 alls in 2 months and that was hard on him and us - one call was only 6 minutes and they wanted more info before his A school and the other call was a week ago - 35 whole minutes - the longest yet.

Joe-mom - we definitely look forward to PIR and wouldn't miss it!

G's Navy Mom - Congrats to them all: no easy feat!! And thank you for the well wishes.

B'sNukeMom - thank you!

BelovedbyHim - Thank you and yes he did hang around. He said it was hard to make RCU friends as 2/3 choose to Sep and the rest end up leaving to rejoin a Div. He had 3 months of scheduled so was an RCU long timer. We will go to PIR no matter what and I don't consider myself a cryer but will definitely cry at PIR!

Does anyone know, do recruits keep their wallets with them or are they stored in the box until the end of BC? I was just curious given the reference about purchasing pictures. Do recruits have the purchase fees taken from their paycheck? 

After some uncertainty if we would continue on the navy path after my son being medically disqualified (mild color defect we never knew he had) from the nuclear program after having gone through the whole process of meeting with the nuke scouts, passing the extra exam, and being told he was pretty much in then being told that he was color blind even though an eye doctor said it was so mild it doesn't affect him from seeing colors, he has decided he still wants to go and has signed the contract for cryptologic technician. He ships out a week from tomorrow.  We are doing the last of his "must do/eat before I leave" things this week.  He was also stoked to find out a friend he went to school with but moved away will be going to BC a week after him and will be at the same A school, but he will be a different discipline in crypto tech.  He is nervous about boot camp (he was an academic student not an athlete) but excited about A school (which is in our home state, even if it is a 6.5 - 7 hour drive away!)  I'm still a bit in shock he chose this over college as he had asked to apply to MIT (making sure I would cover it if he got in) before making this decision.   I know he missed application deadlines (by a lot) by the time we found out about the color defect, but he could've gone to a state school to knock out some general ed until next fall and then could have transferred to his dream school if he got in.  Fingers crossed this is a good fit for him!  I'm excited he is ready to hit the next stage of his life and with a good plan.

TravelAddictedNavyMom - Our SR is in Bootcamp right now with the rate of CTR!  I have joined the CTR group but it does not appear to be very active.  While I agree this may not have been the path we saw our children on, I have come to the conclusion if they are happy and love what they are doing, they win!   We try not to say too terribly much because we are still ignorant to a degree about OPSEC/PERSEC and do not in anyway want to jeopardize our SR.
Hope everyone in the group is doing well!  This is a fantastic support group!

Lara- My Sailor has his. I don't know if the fee for pictures is taken out of his check. But there was a big charge on his account so I figure that is what is was for. I won't know until I see him on Friday.

My son has been using his debit card at NEX , so I assume he has access to his wallet. I see various charges taken from his checking account,  His Navy pay goes to the credit union. I was confused of this set up. 

TravelAddictedNavyMom - my son is currently in A School for CTR. He also had a color vision deficiency, but his is pretty extreme. He told me that on the first day of class, their instructor asked for a show of hands for CVD - almost everyone in the class raised their hand. haha

They do get to keep their wallet in BC. I'm not sure how the photos get paid for (debit or deduction) but it was a hefty amount. We have a small family, so I don't know what we'll do with all those wallet-sized ones...

Lara -- Yes they can keep their wallets, as long as they are black or dark Navy.

TravelAddictedNavyMom -- Just remind him that's as much a mental game as it is a Physical one.  Keep his head down and his mouth shut and do his best and he'll be fine.  Also NONE of the yelling is personal so don't take it that way. Correct the deficit and move on.  He's got this!!!

@belovedbyHim, he's been told the same thing from one of my best friends who was Navy - she loved her time in the Navy and she gave that EXACT ADVICE!  Unfortunately my dad passed before seeing this.  My dad was Navy and would be so proud of his eldest grandson!

@Diahn - it's what stopped him from Nuke even though he can identify every color, those plates got him...he could see something was there and could give partial answers of what he saw, but he struggled and that was enough, they even had us see a private eye doc to make sure.  I'm kind of relieved, I have read what nukes say about their hours, etc.  I think he'll be much happier in the CT arena.  It's more fluid, engaging work (from what I gather from the job desc) than routine, day in and day out of what the nukes say they do.  

Sending prayers, Travelinmom!

Good Morning Everyone - 

Here is the link to the information page regarding photographs, etc. - Division T-shirts & Photos - 

One of the other things that your SRs may be purchasing is their division t-shirts. My son bought some for all of us as his Christmas presents. 

Here is information on When Will Recruits Be Paid - This one is helpful for both mom and spouses. If your SR sets up their pay to go into Navy Federal Credit Union, there are benefits to them, such as the Early Start CD they can take out, also their pay will show up a day earlier. And several other benefits. 

I do encourage you to keep a local checking account open for your loved one where you can deposit money to if you aren't on their NFCU account. Even if it is just a savings account. They can link their accounts. Because, as great as NFCU is - they are also one of the strictest about freezing a bank account if there is a concern. My son had a couple of friends in A school, who went through this. They had no other bank account and were struggling to pay bills. Having a backup bank account may be useful. - Just a thought. 

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

PIR NOVEMBER 2023

PIR OCTOBER 2023

PIR SEPTEMBER 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.

Final training groups are listed in the November PIR group.  Remember, 11/22/2023 PIR is WEDNESDAY, due to Thanksgiving.  Also, 11/16 & 11/22 PIR's are open to 4 guests.