Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

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PIR MAY 2024

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Yesterday was National Sons Day.  B is the one in the sunglasses.  N is the one getting married in a couple of weeks.  B was in town for the bachelor party.  ;-D

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PIR MAY 2024

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My pic is of a can of Navy Beans...get it?  lol i'll see my way out

AxolotlMom - How funny!

Clever AxolotlMom!

AxolotlMom -- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

B'sNukeMoM --  Awesome looking 'Kids'!!!

Thanks belovedbyHim - I think so too ;-D And hard to believe my "kids" are going to be 35 and 30 this year!

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PIR MAY 2024

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Remember NO PIR tomorrow.  Next PIR is 3/14/2024.

And Happy Belated Birthday to the Seabees!

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Happy PIR day

belovedbyHim - No PIR today......

So how long before i should expect a letter from my kiddo?  I mean, she probably won't write anyhow, BUT if she did, when do they generally get a chance to? 

I think I remember about 3 weeks or so.. a little before or after and yep.. depends on when they get to write, which tends to be on Sunday..

AxolotlMom - The first letter I received was about 3.5 weeks after arrival. It was a packet full of VERY short letters written over that time. I think generally they can write on Sundays and mail them on Mondays. I usually got letters on Thursdays. Have you signed up for Informed Delivery through USPS?

Diahn..(i don't know how to respond to the comment itself and make your name bold) yeah i have Informed Delivery, have had it for several years...super handy. She's been at RTC since Feb. 20th so it hasn't been THAT long. Idk if she will write or not, but I was just wondering. I did see she signed up for NFCU (got a couple of deals in the mail) even though already has a bank account with USAA. Maybe they have better rates, idk. 

there are perks for active duty NFCU, they get paid a day early into their accounts and probably other stuff as well..

AxolotlMom - I just use the text editor to bold the name - makes it easier to see who the response is for ;) My son arrived on Feb. 14 (last year) and my first letter was postmarked March 6, so I'd say at least another week before you see anything. I believe they're all encouraged to sign up for NFCU - my son did as well and he already had an account here.

Moms whose sons have an S.O. Contract headed to BUD/S there is a group for you.

It is called, BUD/S and SQT (Stages of a S.E.A.L.)

Interested:

Send a friend request to NavyMom(J) for more information.

(Click on the highlighted links.)

AxolotlMom - Int the comment box here, where you type replies (at least on the computer) you can highlight with the mouse your text and then tell it to Bold, Italicize, strike through or underline. 

As for NFCU - They also offer an Easy Start or some sort of CD for NFCU members, who have a direct deposit from DOD. (Dept of Defense). When my son had it, it was maxed out at $3,000 but it had the highest % yield of anything which he could get at the time. So, that is another perk, and it is just easier for them to deal with money worldwide with NFCU from what we were told. They will also "lockdown" an account if they think there is suspicious activity, so I always recommend keeping a back up bank account. - At least from things my son shared with me based on his experience or other sailor friends. 

Snailmail was about 3 weeks from beginning of BC as I recall before my son's first letter arrived. He said he was only allowed to write on Sunday and put his letters in the mail on Monday and I received them on Thursday. 

AxolotlMom -  On the computer or on a Phone if you put this page in desktop mode you will have editing options.  You can make your text big or small bold, italics, strike through or underline. 
You can also add bullet points if you want and adjust your alignment.

As for letters from Bootcamp, it usually takes at least 3 weeks before the first letter arrives. 4 weeks is not a reason to panic either.  The first phone call home is usually around week 4-5 as well but since calls can come at any time always answer all calls!! You can hang up on scammers (or vent your frustrations on them....)

NFCU (Navy Federal Credit Union) is AWESOME!!! Not only will they get paid early, NFCU has historically helped cover their missing pay when the government has shut down, so they still get their regular pay. They have service centers at nearly every Navy base world wide.  They have very favorable rates and both Checking and Savings accounts earn interest.  They only loan to members so the rates are favorable and typically less than almost anywhere else.  USAA is great as an insurance company and for SOME banking (Loans mostly) but for day to day service for our Navy members you are hard pressed to beat NFCU.  I have been a member since 1988 for full disclosure.....

belovedbyHim thank you for your tips :)  I set up a checking and savings account thru NFCU yesterday and will eventually transfer stuff to them. I'll keep USAA for insurance. I appreciate your comments :)  I'm not super worried about her writing, heck i am not even sure she WILL write. I know she's doing what she needs to do to get where she wants to be. And I'll see her in May. I just keep writing her and that in itself makes me feel better. Kinda like when i'd text her and she'd leave me on read when she was in college because she was busy. She'd always text me back when she had time. Writing is a bit more effort though LOL  This group is wonderful. I'm glad i stumbled upon it!!!

AxolotlMom My daughter left February 5th,I received my first letter from my daughter right at the beginning of week 3. I live about an hour away from Great Lakes, though, so it doesn’t seem to take long for mail to get here. She writes regularly, usually when she should be asleep. I’ve already told her to get her rest, but I guess the writing is therapeutic for her. I receive letters throughout the week, mainly just quick recaps of what she’s doing. She seems to write the longer letters on Sundays as everyone already confirmed. Received first phone call from her on Saturday! That’s when we both realized that 20 minutes really isn’t a lot of time lol. 

Happy International Women's Day!

Be sure to check this post out from our pages in the upper right of the desktop screen - Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

If you scroll down the information page, there are links at the bottom for encouragement ideas and then also questionnaire options to send to your sailor. 

ya'll!!! she called me! we got to talk for nigh on 20 minutes. she sounded so good! she is doing well. she said her division gets in trouble from time to time, but she personally hasn't. she did get caught talking during watch, but when the drill sergeant? questioned her about the order of command and she got them correct, the person in charge said she was lucky she knew them!  but yeah, she is doing good. i asked her if she had cried yet, she said no, but she felt like it a few times. all the boys look like egg heads cuz of the haircuts. and she is in a special division where she gets to hold a flag during graduation, so i was told to look for that certain flag...oh it was nice hearing from her. it really set my mind at ease. i know it's gonna get harder for her, but she can handle it. she sounded so good!!!! :)

AxolotlMom - WooHoo for phone calls!!! 

Looking at the BC website & graduation information I am not seeing a 900 division listed for every PIR date. However, there are some, so if your SR is assigned to a 900 division you might find the following page from above helpful. *Note the 800 division is now integrated into the other divisions, so scroll down for the 900 information.

800 and 900 Divisions - Navy For Moms (ning.com)

AxolotlMom - Those phone calls are the best. Very happy for you!

Hope all the BC moms out there are doing well!

Happy Monday!  Hope everyone remembered to "Spring Forward"!

Axolotmom.. wow.. so awesome.. glad she is doing well..

BNMHs

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PIR MAY 2024

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Chipmunk it looks like her division is 921 set to graduate on 2 May. I found some helpful information on that 900 navy mom page. She's short 5'2 and I didn't know they sorted by height. I also didn't know that they have to do extra duties after graduation, so they don't get liberty as quickly as the other recruits, but it's okay :)

About how many recruits are there in each division? I'm trying to guess how many people will be at the PIR. 

Hi. I am a brand new Navy mom. My son left on Tuesday.

yea, size sorted.. it just depends on how many divisions are graduating that week. I think there were about 800 hundred sailors when mine graduated in 2021.  not sure of size. that probably varies as well but it looked around 20-.30 at the end in my son's division.

AxolotlMom - I’m so glad you got a phone call! Those are the best. My son was in division 921 last year - it was the Ship Staff division then. He was in the rifles and performed in three graduations, including his own. I think maybe they’ve changed that to just 2 but I’m not sure. It was so great to see him on the livestream of the PIRs leading up to his graduation. 

Sounds like your daughter will be carrying one of the state flags? That’s so great! The main delay for liberty is just having to back and put their gear away. They move pretty fast when liberty is called - it didn’t take too long :D

As for how many recruits per division - it all depends on how many came through p-days - typical size is about 88, but that’s just an average. I think my son’s division was pretty small - maybe 55-60.

Melissa - Welcome Aboard!! You found the comment wall and the best place to post your hellos, questions, and just how you are doing through this new Navy journey. 

Everyone please join me in welcoming Melissa to our group.

AxolotlMom - I am glad the info was helpful, and I concur with the other ladies. I do see that most of the PIRs for the moment are allowing 4 guests so that means the TG (training group) is smaller. As Diahn said, you should be able to see her on the live stream for the PIR a week or maybe two ahead of hers. Which is an added bonus!