Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

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.  

anyone got a good mechanic to recommend?

Hi All..are there any places that sailors can go to to celebrate Christmas if they are not going home?Thanks Librarygram

Dad of Sailor,

My husband has one of the AT&T ship to shore cards. There is a 1-800 number located on the back of the card that I call and refill it. All they need is the card number to refill it. Ask your son if there is a 1800 number listed on the back and have him give you that and the card number and you should be able to refill it, or he can as well. Hopefully I am some help! :)

Hello all! So just got word that my son will be going on his first deployment right after Christmas and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on gifts that sailors may like or need for ship life?

Hi CO-Twin...He says there is nothing listed on the card.

Jmae12 - Yeah, I thought it was that easy but he says there are no numbers on the card at all. I'm wondering if the ones they buy on the ship are actually AT&T ship to shore cards or if they are something else.

Good morning!

My husband and I will be moving to Norfolk in January. I was hoping someone could help me out. This is our first move so im a little lost. Any advice would be so helpful. Also, does anyone live on base? I've printed the forms to apply but I was wondering how the houses were and if they were nice and such.

Jmae, I thought of that but last I checked they only sold them in lots of 25 not the singles like they sold before.

Regardless, he was confused...there was a sticker (with the pin) over the writing on the back of the card that he had to remove to see the number. I guess he's got it figured out now. Thanks everyone for the information.

Oh my gosh! GREAT ideas! Thank you ladies so much! :)

Jmae12, I love the idea of the mattress pad! I hadn't even thought of that. Can we get them the ones with the memory foam to add a little extra padding to the mattress? My son has one on his bed here at home and he loves it.

Navy Motion Picture Service is hosting a sneak preview of "Lone Survivor" this  Dec. 7 at Little Creek, 7 p.m.

For more details on this sneak preview, contact the base theater. For more information on the Navy Motion Picture Service, visit http://navymwr.org/movies.

Liy ter'swife,

Thanks for your advice.  I will let her know about the vinegar wipe!  Oh should she wipe both sides or just the outside of the windows?

How about gift suggestions for our Sailors that have shore duty here?  Something my daughter may not have thought of?  She hasn't asked for anything.  Does a dashsaver for her car make sense?  She just bought her car in August here and it will be her first winter in Norfolk~~  Thanks in advance, friends~

So sad but happy. My sailor will be all alone for Chritmas Eve and Christmas but will be with us a few days after. Doesn't want to be with other people either. I was wondering if any of you have bought blue candles-electric or otherwise, and could make a suggestion to me on where to buy one. I was thinking just an electric candleabra that I could put my own blue bulb in.

What a deal!  

What a deal!  "Operation J.I.N.G.L.E. - Are you living on the ship, barracks, or a single Sailor PPV?  Is your family thinking about visiting Hampton Roads during the Christmas holiday?  Hotel rooms are available in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Dec 23 - 26, 3 nights, for $10 a night.  The entire reservation fee will be donated to the Navy-Marine Relief Society from the Hotel/Motel Associations and Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.  Contact Loretta Russell, Norfolk Navy Marine Relief Society, 757-322-1175 or email at loretta.russell@nmcrs.org."

I believe I posted a while back that an organization "A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center in NW Washington DC" would love to get holiday cards for the injured service members.  I thought that I was thorough and looked up the info - but recently when I was digging a bit further I found out that it is a complete hoax.  All of these letters are directly thrown out.  They want to ensure the safety of all our heroes and since there isn't a name on the envelope as to who they are to go to they are not delivered.  I am glad I found this out before I sent my cards.  However, I did provide about 100 cards to Until Every Troop Comes Home Inc. (cards had to be there by Dec 10th) these cards had to be sent unsealed so that each one could be check to ensure the safety of the overseas recipient and to look for hate mail.  They then closed them and forwarded them onto whatever military branch I had selected (or multiple branches)  I apologize for the misleading info that I passed along and I am sorry if anyone submitted a card only  to have your nice efforts thrown away.

@BTsmom-I sent you a friend invite and a message!

Hi everyone, I am new here. My daughter just arrived in Norfolk. She's an AE for Squadron HM14. Right away she wants to buy a car. I thought I read somewhere that there is a workshop available about what to look for when you buy a car…does anyone have advice on that?

They definitely hve a seminar/workshop.  My daughter attended it while they were at sea.  It sounds like it was very informative and she got a lot of good information.  Tell her to check with her shipmates.  Navy Federal CU is also a good resource.