Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

"the package store" too funny. Is that because of the tendency to drink out of a bag? I hope not!! 

You might want to think about talking to your Nuke about putting together a “sickness” box—OR y’all could put together one for them as a care package...you could include a good book for them to read, comics, whatever they might be interested in. We all know, as mothers, how quickly a stomach bug/cold/flu can be spread. By having this box in with their “stuff”, maybe they would have a little something to help them feel better.  I’m thinking:

 

A couple of bottles of Gatorade (they come in “large” bottles or 6-packs of smaller ones

A box of saltines (for when they can’t hold down much)

A couple of containers of microwave chicken soup (Campbell’s has some—they’re quite good)

Pepto Bismol

Alka Seltzer Cold Plus (or whatever they might use for a cold)

Tylenol Flu

Tylenol

Tissues

Hand Sanitizer

 

I just thought that perhaps this could at least give them a headstart on getting

Copied this off another site.  Thought it was great!!

better. AND if they have something like this, it might make our worrying a little less.....?  PLUS, and it always seems to work this way, if you have it you don’t need it.  Know what I mean?  I put one together for my son and he's never had to use it, but he thought it was so cool that I did that! 
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A reminder that most of that over the counter Medicine can be obtained by your Sailor with a quick trip to sick-call for a prescription from the doctor and then filled at the pharmacy at no cost to them.

Sailors can't just take a "sick day" and have to go to the doctor anyway if they are too sick to go to work or class so they might as well go anyway and get the stuff they need for free. Also, it helps to have medications documented in their medical records for other reasons (drug tests, so they don't prescribe conflicting items, etc.).

If they have to go to work or class sick they might appreciate not having to go to the NEX when they feel crappy. I did not think of the drug stuff, does cold medication like NiQuil test positive?  The klenex, chicken soup, crackers, gaterade etc. should be fine. 

HI My son is on the USS Gravely. Anyone have a sailor on the ship?

CO-Twin,

No, it isn't supposed to test positive but there are many people out there that claim they came up "positive" and had not used illegal drugs. Who's right and who's wrong I don't know but in my 26 years I thought about EVERY non-food item I put into my mouth and didn't like to take chances when I didn't have to.

I always felt better when I was taking medications that were in my medical record. Maybe I was over cautious but I always worried about the drug tests and I've never done an illegal drug in my life.

Welcome ChambosMom,  I also have a son on the Bataan, my son went in the same time that SandraAM son did.  They pretty much just got there and had to leave for deployment for 10 1/2 months.

You will have some Over the counter Meds that will show up in a drug test.

I have to do random test for my job and i have had some come back positive And i have never used drugs.  So for my work I have to list all meds even the over the counter so if any thing comes back i'm covered  because it is hard to explain why you have a positive test. And i wouldn't want any of our sailors to get in trouble when they can get what they need on the ship plus there is a record of what they are or have been taking  

Sending all except the over the counter meds would be still good.

Chicken soup, Kleenex, hand sanatizer, gatorade or 7 up.

would these be OK, Vitamins C,D and Zinc, Zicam, airborne,  Vicks vapor rub.?

The Navy also makes Sailors list all the meds the are taking when they take the drug test. The problem with the Navy test though is it is zero tolerance and as soon as it comes back positive you're guilty until proven innocent and it is hard for you to use over the counter medications that you're taking for a non doctor diagnosed illness as justification for a positive drug test as they tell you that you can't come up positive from over the counter medications.

I always worried about drug tests during my career because once you get a positive you're looked at as a drug abuser and you are out of the Navy. There is no room for error in the system so I didn't like to take any chances.

CO-Twin,

It's probably all OK as the Navy says they won't cause a positive. I always took vitamins and never thought twice about those.

My son does the same thing, he buys that stuff at the NEX and I tell him to go down to the ships medical and get it for free. He ignores me and does it his way. Just wanted to give you all some options if you were unaware they could get that kind of stuff at medical.

Can they get vitamins at medical? wow. 

The point in send ing then a box is that they don't have to go somewhere to get it when they don't feel well. They would not pay if I send it either.  and it would be on hand when needed.  Not the meds just the other stuff, no chicken soup at medical LOL

CO-Twin,

No, they can't get vitamins at medical unless there is a medical need (pre natal, vitamin deficiency, etc.). I was talking about the OTC medications like Tylenol, Motrin, cold medicines, allergy medications, etc.

Dad of Sailor,

Thanks for the new map.  Gonna need a magnifying glass--yikes!!

Yea, thanks Denise (Dee)!!

Any moms from the (DDG95) James E. Williams mom's out here?  My son just reported this morning.

Hi Everyone!

I don't post much but I do follow what is going on.  Thanks to all who have the navy knowledge and is sharing so much.  It great information and I appreciate it all.

At one point some sailors were looking for a place to stay.  I have information of a room that will be available soon. It's 5 minutes away from base.  If you would like more information about this please private message me.  

Have a wonderful Thursday! 

I haven't been on here for a while, so I thought I'd check in today and see how all you moms are doing. :)  Some of you may know that my husband and I open our home to the sailors on the weekends and feed them and play board games and just hang out together. My husband spent 20 years in the Navy: 10 enlisted and 10 as a Navy chaplain.  So you can see we have a heart for our military men and women who serve our country.  We like to give them a place they can go away from the ship and be in a home atmosphere.  I noticed your comment, kim SHIP 03/DIV 233 that your son just arrived this morning and wanted to let you know that we would be happy to have him join us--we even give rides to those who don't have transportation. :)  And if there any other moms out there who have sons or daughters stationed here, please let them know about us. They can get in touch with us or we them-whichever you or they prefer.  So, if you are interested, please let us know.  Yvonne and John Wagner

John and Yvonne Wagner

I sent you a friend message!

To Josh'smom,

As you probably have just read, my husband and I have been opening our home to the sailors and other military men and women for the last 13 years and we would like to invite your son to join us on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons if he would like to when he gets here. I can give you our information so he can call us...and if he needs transportation we would be happy to give him a ride here and back to the base. Let me know what you and he thinks.

Sincerely,

Yvonne Wagner

John and Yvonne Wagner,  What a blessing you are.  Thank you and your husband for opening your home.  Thank your husband for his service and may God bless your family!

As has been said, his ship should be sending a duty driver or his sponsor should be picking him up at the airport. If he has to take a cab he will need to tell the cab driver what ship (and possibly pier) to take him to. His sponsor should be helping him with all this and if he's getting emails from someone that is more than likely his sponsor. The cab driver isn't going to know where to take him unless he tells the cab driver where to take him.

Safe travels for your Sailor.

Debbie,

Make sure he has this information...

If our ship is NOT in port, check in with the USO/Military Liaison Counter at the Norfolk International Airport and they can provide you with transportation information to Transient Personnel Unit (TPU). TPU is located at 1683 Gilbert Street, Bldg J-50 (Nimitz Hall), Naval Station Norfolk. TPU's telephone numbers are -445-9201 or 757-444-9290.

Oh, that makes me feel good that my daughter's sponsor will be making sure that she has transportation from the airport to the base.  She will also need help with picking up her stuff from the baggage claim.  When we picked her up, we divided up her stuff among me and my 2 other daughters.

Will her sponsor also help her with telling her what to put on her travel claim?  Is there a link where I can look this up  My daughter is low on funds as the change ticket to home took a big chunk in her account.  What exactly will be paid back to her after her travel claim is approved?  Travel from home to Norfolk?  Shpping of items from Pensacola to home?  I told her to contact the personal property office in Pensacola to have stuff shipped directly to Norfolk, but don't think she sent anything there.

CatMom,

The Navy should have purchased her ticket from Pensacola to Norfolk which she changed to go home then to Norfolk. All she should have had to pay is the difference to add a stop at home for leave, she should not have to buy another ticket to get to Norfolk now. She won't be paid back anything further for her actual transportation because the Navy already paid for the ticket.

She'll get partial BAH (housing allowance) and BAS for the time period she's on leave. She needs to claim any other travel expenses like cabs and things like that. In total my son got around $500 if I remember correctly once he filed his travel claim.

It's concerning that you're asking about paying to get from home to Norfolk as she should have her original ticket from Pensacola to Norfolk and she should have paid to change it  to a ticket from Pensacola to Home to Norfolk. I hope that is what she has? My son had to pay around $50 to change his to Pensacola to Phoenix to Norfolk and that money comes out of their pocket and they won't get it back because it is for leave.

Let me know if any of that isn't clear.

CatMom,

Forgot to address you shipping question.

If she shipped anything herself (UPS, FedEx, USPS) she won't get reimbursed for any of that. She should have went to personal property before she left and had them ship anything she needed shipped. They would have paid for that but they are not going to pay for her to ship stuff herself through the mail or UPS.

Since she is going to shore duty and not a ship she should have shipped everything to Norfolk and hand carried anything she was going to need in her luggage. She should not have had to ship anything home. The people that have to ship stuff home are the ones going to the ship who are not going to have room for all the stuff they had in their barracks which isn't the case for those on shore duty because they will have another barracks room.

Dad of Sailor, I thought it was that when going from A school to the first duty station, the sailor is responsible for getting their stuff there, whether carrying it all in seabags, or shipping what doesn't fit?  

Marcy,

No, not at all...they are authorized a personal property shipment anytime they PCS. My son went to personal property after A School in Pensacola and shipped stuff home (he had orders to a ship) and stuff to Norfolk. The Navy paid for all that.

They don't do that from HM 'A' school, perhaps because it's just 14 weeks? 

If that's changed, good to know!  BTW are you a member of the Arizona group here?