USS Bataan LHD-5

Group for family members of Sailors who
are on the USS Bataan (LHD-5)
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  • Sailor's Mom

    I don't know if we are supposed to ask this, but does any one possibly what time zone there are in approximately? Just a vague idea of hour many hours later than they are CST? Thank you!

  • JillG

    Does anyone know if posting what time zone they are in is against OPSEC?
  • JillG

    I tried that, but our emails were sooo delayed there for a while i was getting emails that he sent at 6:00 at 10:30. I do know that 2 days ago my sailor told me they were one hour different than they were in VA. Hope thats not too much info.
  • JillG

    How horrible! Saying extra prayers for him!

  • JillG

    Ohhhh my sailor DREADED going to indoc! So glad thats over for him! Hope your son likes it better!

  • JillG

    I actually have no idea because the only thing my sailor would tell me was that it is so so boring! but being bored is better than being overworked and sleepy. so i think he would rather be in indoc right now!
  • npsailormom92(Ship03Div025)

    Does anyone have a sailor that is a ABHAR? My son still has not contacted me. I am really having a hard time. This is his 1st deployment. He has only been in since October. Really missing him. He is the 1st to leave the nest. I did send an email to the address for the ship. Is anyone else being contacted? I am sending his first box off today. Maybe he will contact me when he gets it. Have a great day everyone.
  • JillG

    JCK- i would copy and paste it from the email to make sure everything is the same, but make sure that there isnt like a trailing space or anything. That was my problem at first
  • JillG

    if they signe it ABS at the end, i believe that is the Public Affairs Officer.
  • JillG

    woops--**signed
  • JillG

    i think on the Bataan. im not 100% sure. I would imagine the PAO would be the only on on board with access to Facebook, but again im not sure.
  • JillG

    good afternoon ladies! hope everyone is having a good day. I decided to start a Photobook for my sailor. He keeps sending me pictures (same ones on the family site) that he wants me to keep, so i decided that i could make the a book on SnapFish.com and surprise him when he gets home.
  • siscarrie

    Hi ladies, I'm back. I'm glad to be home, it took me a while to catch up on all the previous post since i've been gone. Hope everyone is doing good.

    My son e-mailed me also and said he was doing indoc, and he called me on monday but we didn't talk about 5 minutes and the phone went dead, he e-mailed me later that day and said he didn't know what happened? He had got a package from me,he said what is the stuffed rabit for, i told him it was from his little brother for easter, i guess he was embarressed by it, i don't know.But he sounded good.

  • JillG

    ugh! that would make me so mad! someone stole my sailors alarm clock 2 days before deployment and he was mad about that. Lord help the fool who steals something important to him! I hope they read it too!  But at least it gives you something else to send in a care package!
  • Miranda Nicole

    My husbands blue shirts and socks are getting stolen. I mean really? I'm upset because the closest base to my parents ( I'm visiting) is like 30 mins away and it's a AF base. The selection sucks and it's a drive. Just to buy him new shirts and socks. Wish people would keep their sticky fingers to themselves.
  • Kathy Dee

    I got one call from my girl but missed it because we were at a wedding. So...I still do not have her department or division. Should I just send the box anyway and hope she gets it?? Any suggestions on how to find out this information. The ombudsman said only my sailor could give this to me. So bummed since she will absolutely not get her Easter gifts until I can send off this box. Any suggestions??

     

    Kath Dee

  • Miranda Nicole

    Kathy. You might just give it a few days and see if she calls or emails again. I talked to hubby and he hasn't got the boxes I sent. He also said they probably wouldn't be getting more mail until they got across the pond and closer to land. I'm sure she will be happy for the box no matter when she gets it but I think I personally would want to make sure it was properly addressed to reach her.
  • JillG

    my sailors received 1 card i sent him. thats it. i have sent 2 boxes and like 8 letters and lots of cards. my moms kindergarten class has sent him pictures and letters too and he hasnt  received any. :( hopefully he gets them before he leaves the ship.
  • JillG

    i agree! its going so slow!
  • siscarrie

    I know! Time is going by way to slowly.
  • ckmom

    Kellie  I wish there was a beach close to me.  But your right summer would be better than winter but I think we are going to hit both of them.   Maybe not if we get lucky!!
  • chandlersmom

    My Son wrote in his email that he can't call unless they r in port but it seems some r calling?
  • Miranda Nicole

    Hubby just called yesterday. They have satellite phones on the ship. Is his cell international? If so that may be what he was talking about as cell phones can't be used while underway.
  • siscarrie

    My son wants me to check his credit score. He said there were sites the Navy recommended but he couldn't remember. Do you gals know? He said he wanted it checked yearly and its been a year since he checked it.

  • siscarrie

    Good morning ladies, hope everyone has a great Easter weekend!! Stay busy and take plenty of pictures to send to those sailors.

    I know the holidays are always the worst for me, i looked back at my Easter pics from last years, and my eyes were all puffy from crying.

     

  • ckmom

    siscarrie,  Thats ok your not alone!!  My son is missing everyone here and wish the ship time could be a little faster.  He's bored when not working. Not much to do on down time.

    I feel so bad for him! 

  • dms

    clarkhoward.com has the best info on everything to do with credit and money
  • JillG

    my sailor hasnt told me he was bored, but he made the comment that someone told him if he lost any more weight then he will blow away. That tells me he is bored. he works out when he has nothing to do. At least he is keeping busy. He said they had bingo a couple nights ago, but he doesn't participate. he sleeps. I wish he would be a little more social. Oh well as long as he is happy.

    Hope ya'll have a happy Easter. dont eat too much candy!! :)

  • ckmom

    JillG,  Maybe my son knows your sailor, because that is what Curtis does.  Loves sports also.   He really enjoyed playing basketball on the ship. He said a little getting used to with a rocking ship. lol   Have a great easter also.
  • Sailor's Mom

    FYI :

    Our Sailor bought himself a "Kindle", it is an electronic book. They are not cheap, but if any of your Sailors are really, really bored and you know what they like to read it may be a good gift. He bought his at Best Buy and then bought the cover that makes the Kindle indestructible & Amazon guarantees against breakage.  You have to upload books before sending them, but books from the library are free and the Kindle hold hundreds of books. Where ever you buy one, they will instruct you "how to" do all of it... I think if we can work on our computers, one can up load books. He ordered a book from Barnes & Noble that isn't even in print yet, but he has the app. to do up load it when it is published & when he gets to any port with internet service.  They would have to be locked away for sure.

    Also, they can lock up what they call their "coffins"what a horrible name ! They are a big metal, molded hinged suitcase like box, that their mattress lay on they have a place for a lock and I think they have locks on the ships. I saw a tour online of a ship, some where on here and they showed one.  May be that would help with the theft problems.... Un-less they catch the person red- handed, I would not want to be around to witness that altercation.

    I'm not a good letter or package mailer, so do not know about any mail deliveries.  

    God Speed to all of our Sailors!!  You all take care and stay safe.

  • siscarrie

    Happy Easter Ladies!!

    Sandra i live in southeast texas and we need rain so bad, i'm glad you guys got some, maybe we will be next.

  • Sailor's Mom

    Happy Easter to all!!  We had a phone call last night also... Really 3  because we  kept getting disconnected... Do any of you have a problem with your calls, ours cuts out and there is a delay between each of our sentences, like on TV when the news people talk back and forth. I never have gotten an okay from signing up on the Bataan web communications site, it has been over 2 weeks... Did it take any of you that long?  Maybe our Sailor has to approve and he won't, or what he does won't approve me, I don't l know? You all have such wonderful photos of your Sailors that you have posted on here... Again, Happy Hippity Hop Day.... Stay safe!!

  • dms

    we had 3 calls from our sailor   it is so noisy and the calls will have a delay. we finally told our sailor not to call because we can't understand anything     they have to wait in line a long time (hrs) and only allowed 20 min   we found e-mail to be the best  our sailor can also text  from e mail to cell   our sailor suspended the cell service  it is very expensive to call the states and the cell would be trying to find a signal and use up the battery
  • dms

    we write almost daily    i think some sailors do not have access to the computers very often
  • Sailor's Mom

    Sandra AM Mom, thank you for the time zone map... It really helps!
  • JillG

    Talked to my sailor. He actually got one of my packages! YAY!! He did tell me not to expect many emails for the next week or so. He told me that he took a picture of a "big rock." and its about 7 there right now. He sounded like he was in good spirits! Thank goodness!

     

    Sandra- I hope your son gets some mail soon. and that everything works out with his girlfriend.

     

    Hope yall had a happy easter!

  • Miranda Nicole

    Glad to hear that people are at least hearing from their sailors. I haven't heard from hubby in 2 days and was getting nervous but hearing that others have got mail makes me feel better. I haven't had this problem before ut being pregnant seems to make every bad or worrisome thing 10x worse. Huh.. Darn hormones.

    Sandra - As a wife I feel my kids have it the worst. Me and my MIL were both in the Navy and know how it goes. Our 2 yr old is doing okay but literally had a meltdown over the fact that he couldn't show daddy his new bike the "Easter Bunny" had brought him yesterday. He finally comprimised and said we could send daddy pictures. Our son is a daddy's boy and too smart for me.

    But on a happier note only a week until Baby Aiden gets here and I can go back to feeling like a semi normal human being. Yay!
  • JillG

    Congrats Donna! As sad as it is that he wont be there for the birth, think about what a great homecoming that will be!! Hopefully having a new baby at home will make time go by faster for your daughter in law!.
  • siscarrie

    Congradulations to you,son and daughter in law,Donna.

     

     

  • Kathy Dee

    Got 3 emails from my sailor girl yesterday and today. Now that I have the absolute correct address - packages and mail we were holding can be sent. Guess they are in different time zones based on what I can tell. She said they are working them hard...but like my Mom always told me, hard work never hurt anyone. I am sure my girl will come back a better person.

    Kathy Dee

  • chandlersmom

    Have not heard from my Son in over a week.  He was emailing almost daily prior to that. I guess I won't worry I am sure they are busy busy!!  He is on the Deck Crew anyone else have a Son/Daughter/Husband or Wife on the Deck Crew? 
  • siscarrie

    Chandlersmom, My son is on the deck department

     

  • chandlersmom

    My son loves it
  • Miranda Nicole

    Hubby is in deck dept. too. 1st Div.
  • ckmom

    I got an Email today from my son, finally received a box. Thank me so much for the food and asked for more breakfast bars.lol  Easter was awesome got to see some beautiful

    scenery from the ship.  Just wish he had a camera that is in a different box for him.

    He said things are going pretty good and hope that home was going good also. 

    Boy I miss him a bunch!!  :-(

     

  • siscarrie

    My son also Miranda
  • Miranda Nicole

    Love those guys. I was always feeding them on hubbys duty days. You know if you bring food for one you have to feed them all. Lol.
  • JillG

    did his friends card work for other numbers, just not the number your son wants to call??

    Tell him to give you the 1800 number and the account number on the back and i would call at&t and ask what is going on.

  • JillG

    Sandra- Sounds like there AT&T doesn't like your phone number. That is the weirdest thing! I hope they figure it out!
  • JillG

    Oh- Sandra there isnt anything set up on your phone that blocks unavailable calls is there? because all my calls from my sailor since they got a little further out have said Unavailable on my caller id. (i have no idea if there is even a way to block them, but just in case)