Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Navy Lodge Norfolk - 1.5 miles from Gate Five on the same street (Hampton Blvd).  http://navyformoms.com/group/norfolksailorsfamilyfriends/forum/topi...

Got to talk to Steve for an hour last night.  Till his ship took a sharp right turn and lost the signal. he told me that sometimes the sea and the sky are the same color and there is no horizon... he said it is almost disorientating. I would think that would be hard to fly in that.  

Lily, try asking this this group - http://navyformoms.com/group/pcsingmoving - and also check the Discussions there for info about your move.  

Willoughby would be a fun area, I've been to the beach there :)  Ae you talking about this military housing or something else?

Good luck with your move and have a good time with your husband - these are great memories!

Does any one know if there are programs to adopt single sailors for Thanksgiving?

amandamomof4

There is a couple named Yvonne and John.  He is a retired Navy chaplain.  They take in sailors on Saturday nights for game night and Sunday dinner and will pick them up at their ships if they don't have a ride.  Good people.  My son is beats John at chess.  Ask them if they are doing anything on Thanksgiving.  If not there is another mom that from one of these sites (this or Christian Chat) taking in strays. 

Find them under Members and see what they are doing and check recent archives for the mom.  Someone will probably be able to direct you to the mom.

Gotta find out what my boy is doing on Thanksgiving, too.  Maybe they could go someplace together!?!  He has no car.

my son does have his car there :)  he and my husband drove cross country so he could have it there. He got there 11/1.  I think his roommates are out to sea but one of his friends from boot camp is there as well as a guy that was at BESS-A school. He hasn't gotten there yet but he is assigned to the USS Albany

how long has your son been there?  

amandamomof4

since mid-August

Just found out my son is headed to Norfolk - to report by Dec 9th. He will be on the Truman. Anyone with a loved one who was PIR 7-12 in Norfolk?

My son left to VA this past Sunday his ship is the Eisenhower but since its in the shipyard he's living at the barge anybody here has a son there? And do they like it?

I am going to be flying down to be with my son on Thanksgiving!  I am so excited!! He has not been with a family member for any holiday in 5 years! Now does anyone know of any place we can go for a Thanksgiving dinner? Or someplace that we can pick up a dinner and heat it up at the hotel?

I could hear colors when we went to PIR in GL and I loved that. Will be there in January hope to hear it then but I don't imaging I will want the windows open?

@Cindy D - Harris Teeter is a great upscale grocery with multiple locations in the area and they offer complete prepared holiday dinners - http://www.harristeeter.com/meal_planning/holiday_dinners.aspx.  There is a Store Locator tab at the top.  The nearest to the base and Navy Lodge Norfolk is the one on Colonial Avenue in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, about five miles away.   

The Norfolk restaurant Freemason Abbey is doing Thanksgiving dinner and is well-known, but you'd need to get your reservations in soon - http://www.freemasonabbey.com

Navy Lodge Norfolk has three options - single queen bed with mini fridge and microwave; double queen beds with dinette table, full-size fridge and cooktop but no oven; and a two-room family suite with full kitchen:  fridge, microwave, and range/oven.

Co-TwinsMom, you'll be too far from base to hear Colors from your room, even it you wanted to freeze!  When you're on base though, you can hear it and watch the sailors raise and lower the flags on the ships at the piers at morning and dusk, very special  :)

is there a facebook page for Norfolk  sailors -family and friends my daughter will be  in Norfolk. thanks

Well there you go :)  I've stayed there half a dozen times, guess I wasn't focused on hearing it - or more likely was out and about lol  

Just got back from Norfolk and stayed at the Navy Lodge near base.  Never heard colors and I'm a light sleeper.  It's the second time to stay there and we love the place.  I even had the priviledge of doing my son's laundry while he had duty....lol

I just found this site.  I am so excited.  My sailor has been at Norfolk for about 3+ months.  He had a deployment for about a month of that time and can't wait to go again.  We are currently waiting to hear about the E4 advancements.  Looking forward to being a part of this group and feeling like I know more about where he is stationed.

Welcome tatmom4rc!  It's a great site and this is a good group, very active.  You can also find group for your hometown or state, for ships, ratings, you name it :)  

If you like sending care packages, these are fun - http://navyformoms.com/group/carepackageideas, and http://navyformoms.com/group/mollysadoptasailorproject.

tatmom4rc(Ship12, Div. 204)

I think our sailors graduated the same time!  Welcome to our group.  You will learn a lot and we find solace in leaning on our sisters in times of stress.  Stay active!

do you remember what ship/division you sailor was in?  It is weird how they all got split up to go to A school and then when they get assigned a ship they run into friends from BC.

CO - twin sailors mom (ship 3 Div 233) does the CO stand for Colorado?  We live in Littleton Co..

just sitting here making my shopping list thinking how last thanksgiving we were passing my touchpad around the table like it was mashed potatoes while we Skype with our son, so in a way he was there. This year will probably be the same. I encourage him to try to get out but he's shy and would rather stay in his room there in dam neck. :-(

Question on the Norfolk weather in the winter.  What is the average temp and is it mostly cloudly, rainy, windy or any snow at all?

Would it make sense at all for my Sailor daughter to get and use a car cover for her car?  I am thinking it is more trouble than its worth and she will have to tinker with getting it on and off after she parks and before she leaves for work~~

CatMom - my sailor has a cover which he uses whenever he deploys.  He says it is a bit inconvenient to put on and off - but will use it depending on how many days he has between his duty days.  Hope that helps.

Thank you mariab and tatmom4rc~~

Good things to consider.  Will check with my Sailor daughter again.  Will only get it if she wants it!!!  :D

CatMom, if I remember correctly your daughter is on shore duty? A car cover is for when a car is going to sit for an extended period of time, it's not really for putting on and removing daily. I can't imagine she would want to deal with that hassle every day. It would be good for those that are deploying but for a Sailor on shore duty that uses their car everyday it would be a pain in the butt.

I agree with Dad of Sailor...it's cold there. won't want to mess with a cover with the snow and ice..it was sleeting there the other day....I had a "bra" on the front end cover on my car once, it ruin the paint job under it from the salt on the roads for de-icing....maybe she'll give you another gift idea...:))

Hello everyone! I am new to this group - just found out my son is headed to Norfolk and the Truman. He is home on leave and RAP duty right now and will be heading out soon. I was just in Williamsburg last weekend for a conference and it is a beautiful area! Questions regarding travel: 1) Are military families able to go to the gate with the guys or are we stopped at the security check? 2) I am assuming they have to check their sea bags right?  3) How do they get from the Norfolk airport to the base?

Thanks so much!

DARmom,

Sure, your Sailor can take you on base. There is no checking of the seabag when they enter the base (though you're always at risk of being searched on a military base). Once he is on the Truman they will schedule a seabag inspection to make sure he has everything he's supposed to have. Normally seabag inspections are only conducted on very junior Sailors.

DARmom..you are talking about at the airport right?? The last time my sailor flew, couple of months ago, I went to the gate iwth him, the gave me a security pass to go to the gate with my sailor. Said his Dad was Airforce and Moms get to go to the gate...made my son laugh...really you can ask most airports let you go thru with ID and a gate pass you get at check in..also .when he shows his military ID he'll get his luggage check in free....some airlines also give meals free and preboarding...just depends on the airline.

DARmom, were you talking about seabag getting checked at the airport? It's like anything else, it will be screened by TSA but not all bags are actually gone into.

As far as getting from the airport to the ship...if he has a sponsor they may pick him up at the airport, otherwise he will have to take a cab from the airport to the ship. He should ask his sponsor about this before he leaves home headed to Norfolk.

Does anyone know if you have to have your sailor with you to get a pass for your car to get on base?  He is going to be working and we are flying in and renting a car to watch the ship leave for deployment.  We will be able to spend a day with him before he leaves! Yeah!!  But I think watching the ship leave is going to be hard.  I better hydrate myself before hand! lol

Regarding car covers:  My son didn't give me a price but says they are fairly expensive.  He suggested that you get the car cover from the manufacture of they type of vehicle your sailor drives that way it is guaranteed to fit the car correctly.  He likes the fact that when he is at sea it is getting some protection from the elements.

I would also like to know if I can drive my Sailor onto the Base.,or does anyone know if they have a shuttle that can take them from the gate to the pier?

I do know that my sailor got a pass to drive on base for us as he will not be with us, he will be on a ship coming in from deployment, whenever that may be.See not saying like a good girl.

Contact the pass and ID office on the base to find out their policy. I know when we lived on Norfolk Naval Station, my husband arranged passes for my mother to drive onto the base, but rules change! Your son may be able to get a pss that is good for a few days, so he can set it up before the day of departure. Their number is: 757-322-2978 or 2974. 

My husband and I decided early on that I would not watch the ship leave; he is an engineer and he was too busy to spend any time with us, so that decision was easy. My girls and I made a ritual out of going to McDonald's for breakfast after we dropped him off at the ship. Even when they got older and I suggested someplace nicer, they insisted it had to be Micky D's! I did drive out to the rest area on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel one year to watch him sail by. It was pretty impressive to see the ship pass by.

Instead of counting the time that has lapsed since your sailor left, I recommend counting down the days until you can see him again. We have done all sorts of things, including making a paper chain with a link for each day we would be apart. The girls and I would tear off a link each day and watch it grow shorter as homecoming approached. We had giant calendars where we marked off the days, a world map we used to track his locations, you name it, we tried it over the years!

Enjoy your time in Norfolk. Safe travels to you all!

Thank you dad of sailor, beachbunny, Reilywife, and Co-twinsalorsmom for your responses. Yes, I was talking about if he had to check his sea bag as luggage at the airport. Thanks for all your valuable insight!

Sending prayers and well wishes your way today and forever! We have something in common and a bond that is unique! I'm counting my many Blessings today! Happy Thanksgiving! 

Someone said the ship to shore cards are rechargeable, however, my son is at sea and he says I don't know what I'm talking about. He has a card he purchased on the ship and he says there are no numbers to recharge the thing. Can anyone tell me how you recharge those cards? He's been buying new ones when one runs out (hard to get new ones because the ship runs out) so I told him to recharge it and he is asking how.

Any help is appreciated. 

Careful about spending money for the car cover.  They might have to have the permit showing.