Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Can someone let me know if a sailor has to ask permission to get married.

A sailor doesn't need permission, but there are procedures to follow.  The number for the legal assistance office on base is 757-341-4489 and they can answer any questions.  

(by procedures, I mean for the spouse to receive benefits etc)

Good morning everyone! Merry Christmas! I just need a minute to vent and wanted to do it where everyone would understand.

I spoke to my son yesterday and he told me that he wouldn't be getting his Christmas boxes until next week. They were delivered to base last Friday. His command apparently let so many people take leave that there isn't anyone to go to the post office and pick up the mail. Also, their supply people are so busy they don't have time to check out a duty car to the admin people to go get the mail. They are busy. They have a bunch of deployments coming up in the new year but I don't understand not making getting the mail a priority this time of year. It's just really upsetting to me and I don't understand. 

Thank you for letting me vent!

Our son will be leaving tomorrow to head back from his Christmas time off.  We sure feel like this leave has flown by and hate to see him leave already.  He is driving his fathers truck back to keep for the next year.  We have been really worried about him driving over 14 hours by himself.  So his father is going to ride with him and my daughter and I will follow them.  We have decided to drive half way with him so that he will have a shorter drive by himself.  We can stop and get a room in West Virginia and then he can drive the rest Monday morning.  I truly wish there would have been someone to ride back with him. 

Now when he gets back he has to start commuting back and forth to Newport News until February.  Since he is not sure where he is going, he wants to get back in plenty of time on Monday to find out.  We will feel better once he gets back to the base. I hope everyone who had a son or daughter home for Christmas had a wonderful time or is still having a wonderful time.  Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year Huffymom!  Sounds like good plans all around.  He'll be fine with part two of the trip I'm sure, and it's so smart to allow time to get settled and familiar with the commute, rather than arriving last-minute.  Yes the time flies, doesn't it??  Let us know how your travels go!

My son will be getting married and moving off the ship in May. Is there somewhere he can check on base for apartments that will be coming available? He's never looked for an apt before, so I want to make sure they don't get a bad deal.

I would go to navy housing, I have a wife friend who got a really nice house that she loves.

They plan to do that, but usually there is quite a waiting list, so they were going to get an apartment in the meantime. Is the list not that long in Norfolk?

How long will it take to get her dependent processing done so they can apply for housing? We were going to move them out right after the wedding, but if they can possibly get into housing right away, maybe they can find something temporary. I sure don't want them to have to put first and last down on an apartment if they don't need to, then have to find away to move into housing right away. What temporary options are there? Even somewhere like Navy lodge will get expensive after very long.

The links and contact information here may help too - CNIC Norfolk Housing Services

rysmom - yes, this group covers the entire area in and around Norfolk including Newport News and the bases in Virginia Beach (Little Creek, Dam Neck, and Oceana).

Forever proud - my son has been in Norfolk for almost a year now.  We ended up driving to Hurricane, WV Sunday and stayed alnight.  Then we all got up Monday morning and went our separate ways.  Our drive was longer so he got home about 2 hours before us.  

  He got back in time to get a haircut, a few groceries and directions on where he was suppose to go for work on Tuesday.  He said it took him 4 trips to get his truck unloaded.  My mother fixed him up a care basket.  She made him a fleece blanket and pillow to keep in his truck.  She also packed all kinds of goodies.  I had 2 brothers that were in the Navy when I was growing up, so she knows all about those care packages.  She has really missed my son and hated to see him leave. 

How long has your son been in Norfolk?

Happy New Year to everyone! 

Oh my Forever proud I totally could see my Nuke twin doing that. Totally funny.

LMAO!!!  Guess they had to learn the hard way!

Forever proud - funny story about your son even though he probably didn't think so. ha  My son had a situation many months after he got his base room too.  Not as funny though. 

He got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and always tried to prop his bedroom door open so it wouldn't lock.  That night he had his window open and the breeze pulled his door closed while he was in the bathroom.  His room key, cell phone and everything was in his room.  He said he banged on his roomies door for a long time before he even heard him.  He called someone to come open it for him.  It took the person a few hours before he showed up so my son slept in a chair in his roommates room.  Once they got him into his room he had hardly had any sleep.  I think he had about an hour and then had to get up for work. I am sure he was grumpy that day. ha

casb8, according to my son, they have a movie theatre, bowling, something thats called a Q80.  I think the Q80 has games, pool tables, etc.. a place to hang out. My son has been there since Oct and hasn't left base because there is so much to do.  He spent the first few weeks just walking around. A little harder to do now in the winter i guess.

Michelle,

I can pm you our cell number, or you can give his to us(if he's ok with that) and we can contact him. We're getting together tonight at 5 and he's welcome to come over

Yvonne

B'sNukeMom - good to see you in this group and Emptynesters!  If you remember, my son has been stationed in Norfolk since last March.  He is on the Theodore Roosevelt.  He has really liked Norfolk.  He had good friends from Boot Camp and A school stationed there so has that support.  In the summer he spent a lot of time at the beach and this fall has toured many of the historical places/battlefields in the area.  He has lived on the ship this entire year so that I am sure is difficult but he never complains.  He bought a truck so has transportation to go see his friends and spends a lot of time off base at their places.  He is deploying soon and will then be stationed in San Diego with the ship when it returns - I bet you would love to see your son in CA?!  How does he feel about his station?  I am excited for my son to literally see the world when he deploys although I am not looking forward to little communication.

Hi mariecb and Forever proud!  Yep, I'll be joining you here in the Norfolk group!  And I know Mommamac too - our sons are roommates in NY and now they will be roommates in VA.  Different ships but they are happy to at least be in Norfolk together ;-)

We would have liked him to be stationed closer to home, but I guess it's not about us - the Navy has other ideas LOL.  He is taking his car.  He will fly home to CA for his 30 day leave and then he'll fly back to NY and drive to VA. 

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions for you all - please be patient with me!

LoriLAB, this group on Facebook is a great place to ask questions about areas and specific locations.  You have to ask to join. Link:  Navy Home Search on Facebook

Welcome Yasmine5!  Sorry to hear about the train :(  Hopefully your son has connected with his sponsor by now. His sponsor will take him to his housing, show him around and get him checked into his command.  It's a large base so there's a lot to see  :)

Hi Yasmine5, If you have access to facebook there's a group called Navy Families of Norfolk. It's a pretty active group.

You could also try his ship for a FB page. My son's shop has a marvelous FB page. there are two actually. one is families one is the official ship one and the Captain posts pictures when they are deployed or get promoted. It is wonderful.

Yasminie5, this is a pretty active group, plus there is a lot of information permanently stored in the Discussions.  

Often, questions you'll have won't be ship-specific; rather they will be about things like owning a car, activities for sailors, where to stay for visits to Norfolk, things like that, so yes, I think this is the best group overall.  Know that ship groups on NavyforMoms tend to go rather quiet when the ship isn't deployed.  And I personally prefer NavyforMoms to Facebook because the focus is on sharing information here and the drama is kept to a minimum LOL

Be sure to get on the official lists for the ship's Ombudsman Team, and the Family Readiness Group.  The Ombudsman is a volunteer with a spouse on the ship, and acts as the official liaison between the command and its families.  The FRG is headed by elected volunteers with relatives assigned to the ship, and organizes events around and during deployment.  Your sailor should put you on the lists.  You can also contact the Bataan ombudsman yourself by going to this link and scrolling down to the ship name - https://www.ombudsmanregistry.org/?m=contactombudsman

Here is a great three-minute, time-lapse video of a day in the life onboard USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), which is one of the eight total Wasp-class amphibious assault ships that are virtually identical to USS Bataan (LHD-5).  It's called "Reveille to Taps."  Fun to watch!  

B'sNukeMom, I just messaged the admin of the Navy Familiies FB page and told her who you are.  I actually had a son in Nuke school Jan-June of last year, so I'm already familiar with you, even though I mostly just kept quiet and read everything I could from the Nuke Moms group.

Could anyone tell me if this sounds normal for Norfolk area?  My son got an oil change yesterday but we didn't get the name of where he went.  He is driving a 2002 Dodge Ram truck.  My husband told him it would probably be best to take it to the Dodge dealership for his oil changes.  But he pulled in to some oil change place he found instead.  With giving him a $15.00 (military) discount, his bill was like $86.00.  Now we think this seems really high.  My husband only paid $5.00 for his oil change back here when he had it.  But that was a deal he got along time ago.  Around here, they do not charge that much.  Any opinions on if he got suckered?