Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Lara, thanks for the tip. We never thought about Milwaukee. We will check that out as well. Chicago is not fun to drive through! It would be great to be able to meet some of the other families at Grad. I am so proud of all of our kids for standing up and doing something that so few are willing to commit to. 

BelovedbyHim, thanks so much for the tips. That helps a ton since we are trying to figure out our return time.

Our daughter is going to San Antonio for A school (corpsman). She is in Boot Camp right now and her grad (PIR I guess I should say). is Nov 7. We can't wait to check out Sarge's Meet and Greet. The letter writing barrage starts today LOL, she will be rolling her eyes I am sure. 

Hi Squirrel Run, it took 2 weeks for the post card to arrive here so you should be getting yours soon also. Such a good feeling. It is always the small things, isn't it? 

We are also in NY, upstate in the base of the Adirondacks. We drove to SD, through Chicago during the horrid blizzards in January - I DON'T recommend. It is about 12 1/2 hours drive from our place with tons of speed traps on the way.  We drove it back from SD in June and had monsoons in Chicago so definitely still a little traumatized from that part of the drive.

We are debating whether to fly or drive. Right now, flying is winning. Lara had a great tip about flying to Milwaukee instead so might want to look at that also. I commend you on the 22 hour FL drive. That is a haul!

Glad to know we are not alone in all this and we are rooting for your sailors also. 

Have a great day all! 

Thanks again all for the responses and info. Apologies if I post in the wrong areas. I am a work in progress with this stuff. So glad we have the PIR date now but curious does anyone know when they leave from Boot Camp to San Antonio A school typically. We are figuring to fly or drive back that Sunday but I will stay as long as she might be there with leave. 

Thanks again for all the links and suggestions. I even started a dreaded FB account LOL. 

Have a great day!

bhmom - she'll appreciate the letters, but the eye rolls will happen. My sailor said they would often share the letters and the ones from his grandma with tales of her war against the deer in her garden were especially popular. To be fair, she does approach it a bit like a commando so can imagine they did look forward to the next chapter in the saga. :)

bhmom - our son flew to San Antonio next day or 1 day after. It was during covid, so we weren't there, and he flew military transport, not commercial, so that is probably not all that helpful for you making plans, but there you go. 

bhmom-  the short answer is we don't know.  The longer answer is anytime after the Friday following PIR.  It could be Saturday or Sunday or they could be held in GL for a but.  There are a bunch of moving parts that have to align.  Plan on Saturday, be happy if it's Sunday. Fly home late Sunday or Monday just in case.

bhmom - Our Sailor graduated on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and we were told that we would definitely have Thanksgiving Day with him, but he would probably leave on Friday.  We made reservations at the Navy Lodge from Tuesday to Sunday.  It turned out that he didn't leave for A school until that following Tuesday.  He was given Liberty Thurs through Sunday (had to be back in barracks by 8:00 pm each day).  But on Monday, he had a regular work schedule. 

We stayed in town until Sunday.

Wow, thanks for the responses. I think we will just figure on leaving Sunday and enjoy the surrounding areas if she is not able to stay that long. Appreciate the info, especially knowing she will likely need to back to the barracks so early each night is helpful. 

Agnes B - love the comments on the shared letter and commando grandma with the deer in the garden. I have a similar war going with the rodents that decided to eat most of my tomatoes this year so I can sympathize. 

Happy Thursday and Happy PIR Day!

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LIVE PIR 9.12.24

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Hey all.. just wondering about how long it takes to get an address so we can send letters? We received a postcard card but it was brief and I don't believe he'd been assigned a division yet since it was postmarked the 6th and he had just arrived on the 3rd late in the evening. 

Hi Penelope.. shouldn't be long  I would think.. especially if he signed up for Sandboxx, they seem to be faster than regular mail for the div/etc.. once you get a division, you can find the address.. Been 3 years for me about this and I'm sure some of the newer moms have a better idea

Penelope, I have to be honest, I am not sure what the new standard is. Hopefully one of our more recent moms can chime in. Before Sandboxx was sending postcards or emails with the address and form letter, it was almost three weeks as I recall before I had an address to mail a letter to my son. That letter included the Form Letter with information about BC and PIR. It also included a brochure with information about motels. I believe that is all found on the RTC - Bootcamp website

If you receive something from Sandboxx that includes a Ship and Division # then you may start writing letters. They may still have to wait until a SR Mail Petty Officer is trained for his division before they start distributing the mail.

In the meantime, you may start writing letters. I actually emailed my son every night. No, he could not read them, but they were there for him to have in the future and if one of his letters was lost, I had a record of what I wrote. Once I had his mailing address, I copied and printed my emails into a single Word document so that I could print it out. I then always added a personalized note or let one of the other family members write a note as well. They don't have much room to store their letters. 

This information may be of interest to you - 

Letter writing and fun stuff/questionnaire

My son just graduated bootcamp in July but afraid I won't be much help here.  We never did receive the postcard and got his first letter the day before his first phone call.  That is when he provided his div and then his dad signed up for Sandboxx. I will say he enjoyed receiving letters via Sandboxx as they arrived quicker and provided him with a stamped addressed envelope so he could just pop the letter in and seal.

Hi Penelope! My kiddo left 8/15/24 and we got the first postcard 8/26/24. He listed his ship and division, but I'm not sure when the first week he sent it. (It was postmarked 8/22/24).

We got our first phone call 8/31/24 and he told us he had written two more letters. We received both the following week and now seem to be caught up to real time. 

Our son didn't give us the info for Sandboxx until his phone call. We opted not to use it since we had already been writing letters by that point. 

I'm still in the giddy phase and can hardly wait when I see that I'm getting a letter from him! Our biggest shock this last letter was the change in his handwriting and letter structure:) 

If you don't have USPS Informed Delivery, it is a free service that gives you a snapshot of what is coming in the mail that day. I love when I'm at work and see I have a letter coming from him!

Thanks everyone! Another question..how do I know if he signed up for Sandboxx? Sorry I'm very new to this and trying to read all the articles and links I can.

Penelope, I think if your son signs up for Sandboxx, you will get a notification from Sandboxx. I am going to post some more links here for you of articles to read from the N4M site or from USPS.

Informed Delivery - USPS

Sandboxx App for BC

And we welcome questions, comments, sharing your ups and downs, that is what we / this group is here for. 

mego24 - I am not sure we ever get over the giddy stage of seeing a letter coming from our kids!! 

Hi Penelope!  We finally got an address to write him when we received his first real phone call 3 weeks after he arrived to boot camp.  He told us over the phone.  You should hear something very soon.  We did not use Sandbox.  My Sailor graduated boot camp August 28, 2024.  He's been in  A School in GC for almost 2 weeks now.  Hope I can help with any questions you have.

I have informed delivery and thank you all.. it's very helpful to have people that have already been through this.

Good morning everyone!!

I just saw this notice on the USPS website - Alert: Informed Delivery services may be unavailable at times on Saturday, September 14 from 3-8 PM ET for system upgrades to improve your experience.

Awesome, beautiful day. We got our first phone call last night. For once my son, husband and I were actually in the same place to get the call. You guys were right about the boot camp sick - ricky crud?? Our daughter and her whole division are all sick. That stunk listening to her hacking and her story about almost passing out at attention but she seems to be doing good. 

Hope everyone else is having a fantastic weekend!

Yeah! bhmom.. those calls are awesome.. Glad you all were able to get it.. yea.. that crud should just be listed as part of BC..

Yay! Phone call  boo Ricky Crud.   When you write remind her that if she's not better in a week (not well,but better) it's OK to report to sick call.  Don't push to the point of collapse because that's where they risk getting set back.

Hang in there Penelope. That first call is amazing. 

Thanks all for the info and recommendations. We are sending snail mail and sandboxx letters. Hopefully she gets them this week

I definitely take heart that our kids are so strong, so brave and they will make amazing Sailors.

H says she is a section leader? Not sure what that entails but sounds like she is loving it but her division has had its fair share if IT? Guessing that is the remedy for when someone messes up. 

She said her grad date is Nov 5. Anyone else in that group? So excited to book flights this week.

Have a great day all!

She probably said PT.. when someone messes up or just cause.. there are colored cards.. blue cards are sets of exercises.. tough stuff

Thanks Trey, the lingo is so new. I can only imagine how many exercises they are going through. My hat goes off to all those amazing kids!

we will never learn all the lingo/acronyms.. I swear mine brings up something new at least once a month..

It is the abbreviation for Intensive Training used for correction.  PT is physical training typically used for getting them into shape.

Trey, I am beginning to realize that

 Soooo many acronyms.

Belovedbyhim, thank you. I vote more PT, less IT!

Agreed!

As belovedbyHim said, IT stands for Intensive or Intense Traiining (as I recall my son mentioning.) IT also refers to Information Technology and is a rate in the Navy, if that helps to make things even more confusing!!

Another term that can be concerning to a new Navy mom is "Hit" or "Beat." As I recall, a Hit refers to getting marks down or demerits for something not being correct on their uniform, especially their dress uniform. A "Beat" or a "Beating" is another phrase that refers to IT - Intensive Training./ punishment exercises. I recall someone being very concerned about hearing their SR refer to "getting a beating", and thought they were being physically hit, which is incorrect. In the early parts of BC this usually happens because the recruits are talking or not paying attention. 

Also, I am not trying to be Debbie Downer here, but from this point moving forward with all things related to your SR > Sailor - Make sure all flights are at least changeable. Motels able to be cancelled or changed, and Semper Gumby - Always Flexible!!

On the IT note... My Sailor's Division was Nicknamed the "Air Chair Circus"  because Air Chairs were his RDC's FAVORITE IT consequence and he said they were all a bunch of "Clowns".  (Then they went and embraced it instead of shaping up!!).  It's also not uncommon to hear SR's say that they are worried they won't graduate because the RDC's say they are the "Worst Division they have ever seen".  Please encourage them to do their "Best" but just know in your heart that this is another "Motivation Method".  Individuals may fail but in 11 years, I've never heard of an entire Division being held back. 
And yes, ALL PLANS, read that again A.L.L. Plans are at the mercy of the Navy.  With our sailor we make plans but we know that until they actually have happened they are subject to change!!  For example, My sailor was just recently here for "Fleet Week" activities.  They were supposed to have a Dress Uniform Dinner with Local dignitaries and then at the last minute they were informed that only Select sailors were attending the dinner so, Nope, he was on his own for dinner and brought his Dress whites for no reason.  Then they were supposed to attend the Air Show as guests of Honor but the PAO failed to secure tickets for them so .... They got time off to go up Pikes Peak and come join us for dinner.

All this to say, Gumby may not even be flexible enough!!!

Thanks all for the info.  Really appreciate the heads up on the 'hits' and 'beatings' I don't believe they would ever be in harms way for the RTC but alarming terminology for sure. . It definitely is a new world and yup, most definitely getting changeable tickets. 

PS Love the "Air Chair Circus"

Sorry they missed the Air Show. My daughter was born there so we used to love the fly bys and the games. I don't miss the afternoon hail storms though.  

Happy Monday!

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S.O. Contract:

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