Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

I think that we will reconsider the car. Can he drive the car to base right away or shuld we plan on getting it to him at a later date? I spoke with Mike today and he said that he does have a sponser already. He is still in Great Lakes waiting to get his wisdom teeth pulled then he will be home for two weeks before he goes to Norfolk. I know he will get alot of these questions answered but can he bring his cell phone or lap top on the ship?

Thank you everyone for you advice

Sue, good luck to you. My son will be leaving to go to Norfolk the beginning of April. I wish I could help you. I pray that something will pan out for you.

Sue, I sent you a friend request as my page is private. Accept and I'll send you a message - maybe have some ideas??

Sue. you might want to join the group on here called "Sailor Rescue List". There might be someone on there that can help you. I wish I could be more help. If it was just a week later, we would be moving my daughter-in-law down there to move into a house with my son. I know they would be glad to let you stay, but they won't be moving in until April 2nd. I found a room at the Days Inn on North Shore drive for $40 per night. That's the cheapest I found for us to stay when we go down the weekend of April 2nd. Hope that helps. God Bless you and I will say a prayer for you and your husband.

It's official. I am a Grandmother. Our granddaughter was born this morning at 6:39AM. 6 lbs 6ozs, 19 3/4 inches. Looks like we'll be heading to Norfolk Easter weekend. I am so excited.

Congrats!

congrats to jJune being a grandma is the best. I have 2 and they are so wonderful brings smiles to your face all the time they are perfect. we are headed to Norfolk on friday for a week with our daughter in law we are so excited too

There's a car buying class offered on base. Beware of local dealerships preying on young/naive sailors! USAA offers great insurance rates for active military (https://www.usaa.com) Class: https://www.cnic.navy.mil/NorfolkSTA/FleetFamilyReadiness/SupportSe...

Hello everybody if you guys can please guide me. I know it’s kind of early to ask this but time has been flying by fast and I don't want to be rushing last minute and not know what I'm doing. I live in NM and this year is going to be the first time I go VA for my BF Homecoming he is on The USS EISENHOWER. I know that there is not a homecoming date yet. But when there is how will i know? I don't know anybody there. So I want to prepare before hand on what to do or what expect. How many days in advance should I fly in before the ship pulls in?

What a great Easter weekend in Norfolk! Beautiful weather. Blessings to our sailors!

We have been in Norfolk this past weekend visiting with our son and helping to move his wife into their new house. We went to Virginia beach yesterday and had a great time. Lots to do there and the beach is very nice. Our son is on the Wasp and will be going out to sea this week. At least his wife will have plenty of boxes to unpack while he's out to sea this week.

I haven't been on here in quite some time, so I just want to make a short comment here by way of introduction. I'm a retired Navy chaplain. Yvonne and I have a "home away from home" for servicemen and women in our home on weekends. On Saturdays we get together for food fun and games. On Sundays we have a big home cooked meal after church and then we relax, watch Christian videos, have Bible studies where the guys and girls can ask questions and hopefully get some answers.

If your sons or daughters get orders to the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area and you think they might be interested in getting away from the base for a few hours, into a "real" home, with a real family, let them know about us. We'd love to invite them over. Send us a private message on here and we'll give you our contact information. We've had several Navyformoms' sailors to the house. Some Navyformoms have even visited!

Hi, my daughter will be at Norfolk soon. She graduates in May and will also be commissioned then. She will be on the Ross.

Hi all;
Just joined this group, my son will be traveling to Norfolk tomorrow. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.
Gen

My son leaves tomorrow to head to Norfolk. It sounds like there are alot of guys headed there right now.

Hi al-
Thanks for the welcome, my son will be ship based. He should be leaving for Norfolk in a couple of hours. He sounded kinda nervous and stressed(???) when I spoke to him last night.
Gen

Polli K;
Thanks so much,
Gen

Bianca, this is a pretty interesting series of articles - http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/navy/a/diarysailor.htm
He says "Should you need to do so, travel as lightly as you can. One seabag (everything you were issued in Boot Camp – and maybe a couple extra pair of coveralls), one garment bag, and a carry-on (the carry-on is for your records and orders – you do not want them following you on a later flight if baggage is delayed). Ship ahead, or store, those items that you won’t need immediately or that it won’t matter if they are delayed a bit."

I want to Thank everybody that helped me feel more at ease about my first homecoming and for the information on how to be on the IKE ombudsman mailing list/ group.

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Dear Lee4kis,
We just finished moving my daughter-in-law to Castle Acres this past weekend. I will request you as a friend so we can send personal messages to talk more about Castle Acres.

our kids got married between a school and norfolk too but went right out and although it was a hectic 3 weeks they stayed at the hotel by base and then worked and worked to get all the paperwork done before he deployed he left 3 weeks later and she is in their new apt. and they did this over christmas. not perfect but each week is better.

My son's 21 and has a great insurance rate for his car through USAA; definitely check them out! https://www.usaa.com

Let me add my voice to the others in welcoming you to the group. These groups can get addictive! :) blessings, John (notamamma)

Hi everyone,
Well it's been awhile and I'm thinking about coming to Norfolk to see my son. I looking for a good place to stay.

mel,

In your post about moving to Norfolk there is one really big thing to learn. There is a tunnel going under the bay here between Hampton and Norfolk. It acts like a huge wall between the penninsula and the south side. The traffic is often gridlocked at that tunnel. So plan carefully when you pick a place to live. The commute isn't too bad between Hampton and Norfolk but the tunnel makes it horrible.

That is also very true between Portsmouth and Norfolk! There's a drawbridge, too, to consider.
I nearly missed a flight recently b/c of an accident at the tunnel entrance.

From the Navy Times: "The Navy plans to send seven ships to New York’s annual Fleet Week next month, it announced Tuesday: a big-deck gator, a cruiser, a destroyer and four smaller patrol coastal ships.
From Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the Navy will dispatch the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, destroyer James E. Williams and PCs Tempest, Hurricane, Monsoon and Squall." http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/04/navy_fleetweek_042010w/

Does anyone here have a sailor on the Iwo Jima?

I have a Grand-daughter that is on the James E Williams Fighter Ship. I soon will also have a Grand-son that has already received his orders to Norfolk and assigned to the same ship... Wow, does this happen very often... Two of my grandchildren on one ship...

MA - Master at Arms; law enforcement and security, basically.

Hi, Ladies. I am new to this group. My son will be leaving A School base this week, home for leave, and then reporting to Norfolk assigned to the USS TR, which I know is in dry dock there. Is anyone on here connected to the USS TR? Not much activity on their ship site. Just curious to know what he will be doing, where he will be living, etc. Will he live in Newport News while the ship is in dry dock? What is the Norfolk base like? Just looking for any info. He is a YN. Thanks for any help!

Thanks, Marci. How long has he been a YN?

Edna, wasn't he assigned a sponsor before he got there? I would think that is the person who could help him. My son is going up there in a couple of weeks and I know he was assigned a sponsor.

One of my grandsons will be graduating from A School in San Diego on June 25th, and will come home for 2 weeks and then head to Norfolk, VA. assigned to the James E Williams Fighter ship. Can you believe this is the same ship my grand-daughter is on. We are so thankful that he was able to choose his next assignment and was able to be on this same ship. They may not see each other on the ship much, but they will have some time together when they are on the seas.

Wow, arlene....that is WONDERFUL. What a blessing!

Thanks for those of you putting up the apt. info. My son is also on deployment and wants to move off ship on his return. Will make a note of your recommendations!

Hi everyone! I am new to the group but have been in Norfolk for close to 2 years now and myhusband is on the USS Harry S. Truman. I will try to be of any assistance to anyone with questions and an ear for anyone that needs to talk!

sunshinechick. Hi! I am new on here too. My son will be reporting to the USS TR on Mary 14th. His first duty station. I know it is dry docked for a couple of years. Anything you can tell me about what he can expect up there would be appreciated. ..just wondering about it. He is a YN. What does your hubby do?

Diannep,
If he is going to be dry docked then I believe he will be in the Newport News shipyard. Its about 10-15 minutes from Norfolk. Is he going to be living on the ship or in an apartment somewhere? If he is going to live in an apartment we were told by several other people not love anywhere within 10 miles of the shipyard...bad areas. Norfolk itself isn't a bad place. If you come from a small town like I do then it takes awhile to get used to. Traffic can be very hectic a lot of the times on the interstates around here and even on the secondary roads. Also, to get from Norfolk to Newport News you can take one of two tunnels, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel or the Monitor-Merrimac Tunnel. Be warned though, these tunnels tend to get backed up alot and for hours at a time sometimes. The Norfolk Naval Base is HUGE but very beautiful! The Roosevelt is a HUGE ship too and it may take your son awhile to get used to but tell him to not get discouraged though. My husband is a LS on his ship. Hope this info helps and if you have any more questions just ask!

sunshinechick: Thanks so much for all of the info! No, he will live on the ship (berthing barges), I'm sure. He has no car right now...sold his before bc. I have read on the posts that VA Beach seems a nice place to live if they go off base. Maybe down the road if he gets tired of living there. Too bad he couldn't live on the Norfolk base...sounds wonderful! But I guess he will be "visiting" alot on the weekends! Thanks again, and if you think of anything else, just let me know.

Thanks, Always Ready! How long has your sailor been deployed?

They haven't deployed yet but will be soon. My husband is on the same ship as AlwaysReady's loved one.

Question: My son is home on leave. Reports to the USS TRoosevelt in a couple of weeks. He hasn't been contacted by a sponsor yet so questions not answered. He was wondering about space for civilian clothes? I'm assuming he will be living on the berthing barge until the ship is done. Is there much space for civies? Does anyone know? Or should he just take a few, and I can ship the rest if needed? Any info is appreciated!

Thanks so much, Jenny. Good idea to have him take just a few of his clothes. His sponsor just called an hour ago, but he didn't ask him many quesitons yet. Thanks again!

Thanks so much, Julie and KYMom. I am on the TR group but there is little activity on there right now. But I'll check out the TR family readiness group! Thanks! I've heard that the sponsors sometimes are hit and miss, so I'm so happy that our sailors seem to have good ones!

Cecilia: Thanks so much! That helps alot.

KY Mom: I will check out the pictures. Thanks!

Hello all :) I am new to the navy life, my husband is graduating BC in 3 days! We will be stationed in Norfolk, hoping to meet new people :)

Congratulations navywife10! I'm so excited for you both!

Thanks :) My husband is assigned to the USS Enterprise. I am excited to move since I've never lived outside pa but so nervous about metting new people. I've had the same friends basically my whole life but my aunt which is a military wife 20 yrs now said that I would find the best of friends within the military family. I'll have to check out Castle Acres, I have checked several place out but haven't decided yet...its becoming a very stressful decision lol

I agree with AlwaysReady. That is what I also heard from my son.