For families and friends of Sailors who are stationed at Norfolk; for either Sea Duty or Shore Duty Sailors. Just make sure to keep OPSEC issues in mind and not disclose ship movements in advance.
Perhaps it's because he doesn't know us. However, we have sailors over every weekend and maybe he would come then. Most of the sailors who come over went home for Christmas and will be back some time this coming week.
We live in Virginia Beach about 15 minutes from Norfolk Base.
Merry Christmas! our son is on shore duty. he has been in 5 years . we are very proud of him and his service to our country. I read a little about you and John. God bless you for reaching out to the sailors. I will keep encouraging him . we hope to come visit him soon for a long weekend. Have a blessed Christmas. ~Allie
Thanks and when you come you would be welcome to come join us for our board game night and dinner. I'm thinking that would be an better time to come because we have lots of fun!
John and Yvonne, How do I get my son your information? Would love it if he connected with you. He is coming home soon and then off on the seas, so not much time. Thank you for your loving kindness to the Sailors!
My son is stationed in Norfolk and has an apartment in Virgina Beach. Is anyone aware of a workworking or metal working shop in the area where you can rent time in the shop for some small projects. It doesn't appear that the base as a "hobby" shop other than for working on cars. Any suggestions you may have would be appreciated.
If your Sailor has a wife or GF living in the Norfolk/Portsmouth/Hampton Roads area, please let them know there is a group for them here on N4M - Navy Wives of Norfolk/Portsmouth VA. A new member there just arrived at JFSC, has two little ones and is looking for mommies to connect with for playdates etc :) Thanks!
CL, I am aware that they closed the shop on Little Creek, but wasn't sure about Norfolk Base. I can ask some of the sailors who come over on the weekends if they know anyplace on base or off.
Warn your Sailors about this latest scam (and beware yourselves!). Several people in the Virginia Beach area have been hit by it. "Can you hear me?" scam
Looking for any advice or recommendations. Please desperate Mom. I visited my son in 5/16 he had arrived there in 2/16 from Groton. I helped him purchase a new car. The day we drove it off the lot he got a speeding ticket very close to base. No problem he paid the ticket. We recently got a notification of non-renewal of our car insurance. I was having a terrible time finding any one to insure our family. Finally one of the insurance agents said your son has 2 tickets. I said no its one. He then looked and yep only one but listed twice on the National Data Base which then reports to Florida .They can see its the same ticket number same speed same payment.Also it is listed a 4 point ticket which is reckless driving. He was under the that and should have been reported as 1 three point ticket. Not 2 four point tickets. Florida DMV says it has to be removed by Virginia. I tried calling no help even though I offered to fax my power of attorney. My son went to DMV in Virginia. They sent him to the court house and it was closed. He has very limited time as he is on a sub. Does anyone have any recommendation . Please I am just need to get this fixed. Insurance is charging us almost 6500.00. HELP. Please, Linda
Oceanslayer, have him contact JAG, if they can't intervene, they should at least be able to provide him with good advice. My son hasn't used them in Norfolk, but has found them to be very helpful at other commands where he has consulted with them.
They are very tough here in Virginia Beach/Norfolk about speeding. How fast was he going? However, I hope you can get the repetition of the same ticket resolved! JAG sounds like a reasonable avenue to pursue.
By the way, if he is stationed here I wanted to let you know that my husband and I have a home away from home in our home for the sailors to come to on the weekends. On Saturday evenings at 5 we get together, eat dinner and play board games. Weather permitting we try and do outdoor activities. Sunday at 1 we get together and have a sitdown dinner with home made bread and dessert and get to know each other, watch movies, etc. It gives the sailors a place to hang out with other sailors. :) If you think your son would be interested let me know. I can pm you our cell number.
Yvonne and John
P.S. Check out our page on this site to find out more about us.
Our sailor''s ship will deploy and I am wondering what we can expect in terms of a ceremony, etc. How many days in advance should we be in Norfolk, etc.
I was able to see USS Iwo Jima leave on a deployment and thought it was fascinating. There aren't many there to watch vs. the crowds at homecoming. A great Navy wife told me how I could see the ship as they headed out, so I hustled from the pier at the base to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and got out to the fishing pier just before they passed by. It's a great photo opportunity, and rather emotional to watch them disappear out to sea! There is a restaurant at the fishing pier too. Take binoculars, and $13 for the toll.
Just FYI - Militaryonesource provides free tax filing software. All active duty, reserve, and retired service members, and their spouses and dependents, are eligible for free tax filing services at www.militaryonesource.mil.
Singingbird, I couldn't see your post about deployment when writing mine - yours was so similar to my experience! Nothing like manning the rails - it's like a Pavlovian response, I get choked up every time.....
I need some help or advice. My dad passed away last night. I called Red Cross for them to let my son know I still have not heard from my son. I can not sleep until I hear from him and have been up for 24 hours now. Red Cross told me this morning when I called them back that the message was sent to his ship last night. Is there an easier way to do this or what should I do. I need my son to come home.
Also - they may not allow your son to come home so be prepared for that. They only have to grant leave for the death of an immediate family member - grandparents are not considered immediate family, unless they helped to raise your son.
It took about 24 hours before my son heard via red Cross. I was fortunate that he was state side at the time and I was able to keep him informed about his grandfather.
He was able to get leave to come only only because my dad help raise him from 2nd grade on. Had to provide proof that we had lived with my dad during that time.
My sailor's grandfather died 4 weeks ago. We contacted red cross and the ship's ombudsman, and our sailor contacted us about 24 hours later. He was unable to come home but we did get to talk to him and keep him updated.
(A note to the wise - community volunteering is great to add to brag sheets for evals, so the MWR monthly opportunity is a good way to get that service in...)
The MWR does a great job of providing activities for the sailors. Lots of options!
My husband and I also provide a place for the sailors...our home. we invite them to come over on the weekends-Saturday evenings for dinner and board games, mini-golf, etc., and Sunday afternoons for a home cooked meal with homemade bread and desserts. Other activities include Civil War Re-enactments, trip to the Outer Banks. If your sailor is at all interested in having a place to go like home let them know about us. Check out our page on this site to know more bout us.
It's been awhile since I've posted in this group. Since my son is deployed again right now on the Bush, I tend to watch that group more. I printed RED Friday shirts for our family and friends to wear during deployment, and had great interest in them from a lot of people. I ended up printing several for friends and family of other sailors aboard that ship as well. They have a design on the back that is specific to the ship, and I had a lot of military families tell me that they would have ordered them if they weren't ship specific, so I've decided to take orders again, leaving the back design off. If anyone is interested, please email me at ignitespiritbows@yahoo.com. The cost is $15 and that covers shipping and taxes. They are a basic 50/50 t-shirt in unisex sizes. I do not profit from these, this is just my cost. I will post a picture of the design. I will only be taking orders through this week, as to get them done and shipped out as quickly as possible.
Hi My family and I are looking to rent a house for a week when my son returns from a deployment. Anyone in the area have any suggestions, it would be for like 10 people, and would like to be in a good area, say VB Boardwalk area?
Pro tip to share with your deployed Sailor! "Use the following, which will allow you to text from your ship's email. It'll save a lot of time when communicating back home if you'd like semi-instantaneous communication."
I found 2 places on Google you can look up for houses. 1) 10 best Virginia Beach Rentals and 2) Top Virginia Beach Vacation Rentals (VRBO) I hope they help!
I would say your granddaughter went from one extreme to another! We were stationed in Hawaii for 2 tours of 3 years each and now we've been in Virginia Beach for the last 17 years. My husband is a retired Navy Chaplain and for the last 17 years we have been inviting sailors over to our home on the weekends to give them a place to hang out. We feed them and play board games with them, go mini golfing, go to re-enactments, etc. If your granddaughter would be interested we would love to invite her over. If she is we can pm you our cell number so she can get in touch with us.
If any of you are visiting in Norfolk and have time you need to try & get to the Mermaid Factory. I went there a few weeks ago when visiting our son - did a girls trip and it was a blast! You paint your own mermaid - they have all kinds of things you can put on them.
Here's the 3 we did - mine is the red, white & blue one (of course!). I also have lots of glitter on mine! If you click on the picture you can enlarge it so you can see it better.
They also package them up real nice in a sturdy box that you can carry on the plane to get them home (they tell you to carry it like a "pizza"). We spent almost 3 hours there and had a blast.
Hi All, My son just received orders to Norfolk. He is looking for a rental home for him and his bride. We could sure use Help!! He will be on the Bush..
Hi Jen. My son is also in Norfolk and recently got married in July right before he left for Norfolk. He applied for housing and just got his house this week. It is base housing so not far from his ship. Tell him to apply for housing especially being new there that way they have resources closer we to them and gives them time to get used to the area.
Welcome to the group Thirdday! Hope your son enjoys his time on the A. Lincoln.
I want to let you know that my husband and I invite sailors over to our home on the weekends. On Saturday evening we eat and play board games, or go mini golfing, attend civil war re-enactments, etc,. On Sunday we get together and sit down to a homemade dinner with homemade bread and dessert. Sometimes we watch movies or sports, or just get to know each other. If you think he would be interested , let us know.
Our son just arrived at the base tonight. He’s assigned to the Eisenhower. He is an avid 18th century re-enacter and spent a summer in Williamsburg recreating a replica of Washington’s campaign tent all by hand. I think he’s glad to be back in that area.
So my daughter flies into Norfolk soon. I know the base is not far from the airport but do they have a shuttle or will she take a taxi to the base from the airport does anyone know?
Paigec - your daughter should have a sponsor from her command who has been in touch with her already. They should arrange transportation for her so let her know to ask them what the arrangements are. Sometimes the sponsor will pick him/her up at the airport or sometimes the duty van will.
So, my daughter found her instructions to email the USS Bataan to request a sponsor. We attempted to do this but the email is undeliverable for a variety of reasons. Anyone have any suggestions or experience in this area?
John and Yvonne
allie1928,
Perhaps it's because he doesn't know us. However, we have sailors over every weekend and maybe he would come then. Most of the sailors who come over went home for Christmas and will be back some time this coming week.
We live in Virginia Beach about 15 minutes from Norfolk Base.
Is he on a ship or shore duty?
Here's hoping he does come sometime. :)
Yvonne
Dec 24, 2016
allie1928
Merry Christmas! our son is on shore duty. he has been in 5 years . we are very proud of him and his service to our country. I read a little about you and John. God bless you for reaching out to the sailors. I will keep encouraging him . we hope to come visit him soon for a long weekend. Have a blessed Christmas. ~Allie
Dec 25, 2016
John and Yvonne
Allie,
Thanks and when you come you would be welcome to come join us for our board game night and dinner. I'm thinking that would be an better time to come because we have lots of fun!
Yvonne
Dec 26, 2016
momof boys
John and Yvonne, How do I get my son your information? Would love it if he connected with you. He is coming home soon and then off on the seas, so not much time. Thank you for your loving kindness to the Sailors!
Dec 26, 2016
John and Yvonne
momof boys,
I will pm you our cell number.
Yvonne and John
Dec 26, 2016
CindyN
My son is stationed in Norfolk and has an apartment in Virgina Beach. Is anyone aware of a workworking or metal working shop in the area where you can rent time in the shop for some small projects. It doesn't appear that the base as a "hobby" shop other than for working on cars. Any suggestions you may have would be appreciated.
Dec 27, 2016
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
If your Sailor has a wife or GF living in the Norfolk/Portsmouth/Hampton Roads area, please let them know there is a group for them here on N4M - Navy Wives of Norfolk/Portsmouth VA. A new member there just arrived at JFSC, has two little ones and is looking for mommies to connect with for playdates etc :) Thanks!
Jan 5, 2017
Erika Janae
Jan 5, 2017
John and Yvonne
CL, I am aware that they closed the shop on Little Creek, but wasn't sure about Norfolk Base. I can ask some of the sailors who come over on the weekends if they know anyplace on base or off.
\Yvonne and John
Jan 6, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Warn your Sailors about this latest scam (and beware yourselves!). Several people in the Virginia Beach area have been hit by it. "Can you hear me?" scam
Jan 27, 2017
Oceanslayer
Looking for any advice or recommendations. Please desperate Mom. I visited my son in 5/16 he had arrived there in 2/16 from Groton. I helped him purchase a new car. The day we drove it off the lot he got a speeding ticket very close to base. No problem he paid the ticket. We recently got a notification of non-renewal of our car insurance. I was having a terrible time finding any one to insure our family. Finally one of the insurance agents said your son has 2 tickets. I said no its one. He then looked and yep only one but listed twice on the National Data Base which then reports to Florida .They can see its the same ticket number same speed same payment.Also it is listed a 4 point ticket which is reckless driving. He was under the that and should have been reported as 1 three point ticket. Not 2 four point tickets. Florida DMV says it has to be removed by Virginia. I tried calling no help even though I offered to fax my power of attorney. My son went to DMV in Virginia. They sent him to the court house and it was closed. He has very limited time as he is on a sub. Does anyone have any recommendation . Please I am just need to get this fixed. Insurance is charging us almost 6500.00. HELP. Please, Linda
Feb 5, 2017
SoCal_Sailor_Dad
Oceanslayer, have him contact JAG, if they can't intervene, they should at least be able to provide him with good advice. My son hasn't used them in Norfolk, but has found them to be very helpful at other commands where he has consulted with them.
Feb 5, 2017
Oceanslayer
Thank you, I will let him know.
Feb 5, 2017
John and Yvonne
Oceanslayer,
They are very tough here in Virginia Beach/Norfolk about speeding. How fast was he going? However, I hope you can get the repetition of the same ticket resolved! JAG sounds like a reasonable avenue to pursue.
By the way, if he is stationed here I wanted to let you know that my husband and I have a home away from home in our home for the sailors to come to on the weekends. On Saturday evenings at 5 we get together, eat dinner and play board games. Weather permitting we try and do outdoor activities. Sunday at 1 we get together and have a sitdown dinner with home made bread and dessert and get to know each other, watch movies, etc. It gives the sailors a place to hang out with other sailors. :) If you think your son would be interested let me know. I can pm you our cell number.
Yvonne and John
P.S. Check out our page on this site to find out more about us.
Feb 7, 2017
Hey Lady!
Our sailor''s ship will deploy and I am wondering what we can expect in terms of a ceremony, etc. How many days in advance should we be in Norfolk, etc.
Feb 27, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
I was able to see USS Iwo Jima leave on a deployment and thought it was fascinating. There aren't many there to watch vs. the crowds at homecoming. A great Navy wife told me how I could see the ship as they headed out, so I hustled from the pier at the base to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and got out to the fishing pier just before they passed by. It's a great photo opportunity, and rather emotional to watch them disappear out to sea! There is a restaurant at the fishing pier too. Take binoculars, and $13 for the toll.
Mar 7, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Just FYI - Militaryonesource provides free tax filing software. All active duty, reserve, and retired service members, and their spouses and dependents, are eligible for free tax filing services at www.militaryonesource.mil.
Mar 7, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Singingbird, I couldn't see your post about deployment when writing mine - yours was so similar to my experience! Nothing like manning the rails - it's like a Pavlovian response, I get choked up every time.....
Mar 7, 2017
Navymom2
Thanks for sharing the tax info Marcy! You are AWESOME... :)
Mar 8, 2017
Devinsmom
Mar 15, 2017
abuon18
Mar 15, 2017
abuon18
Mar 15, 2017
MeLinda
It took about 24 hours before my son heard via red Cross. I was fortunate that he was state side at the time and I was able to keep him informed about his grandfather.
He was able to get leave to come only only because my dad help raise him from 2nd grade on. Had to provide proof that we had lived with my dad during that time.
Mar 15, 2017
carolb
Mar 15, 2017
2017Commission
Any Navy intermural teams there in Norfolk?
Mar 20, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
2017Commission - here's a current list; click on each league name for more info. Navy MWR Mid-Atlantic Region Intramural Sports
Mar 23, 2017
2017Commission
Marcy - this is awesome!!!!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mar 23, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
You're welcome! I just added a Discussion above with this and more info about MWR events and activities for Sailors :) MWR Events, Rec Center, Activities, Sports and Volunteering for Sai...
(A note to the wise - community volunteering is great to add to brag sheets for evals, so the MWR monthly opportunity is a good way to get that service in...)
Mar 23, 2017
2017Commission
You are even more awesome!! What a great source for all sorts of cool stuff. Now there is no excuse for "there is nothing to do"
Mar 23, 2017
John and Yvonne
The MWR does a great job of providing activities for the sailors. Lots of options!
My husband and I also provide a place for the sailors...our home. we invite them to come over on the weekends-Saturday evenings for dinner and board games, mini-golf, etc., and Sunday afternoons for a home cooked meal with homemade bread and desserts. Other activities include Civil War Re-enactments, trip to the Outer Banks. If your sailor is at all interested in having a place to go like home let them know about us. Check out our page on this site to know more bout us.
Yvonne and John
Mar 24, 2017
TLC72
Mar 26, 2017
TLC72
It's been awhile since I've posted in this group. Since my son is deployed again right now on the Bush, I tend to watch that group more. I printed RED Friday shirts for our family and friends to wear during deployment, and had great interest in them from a lot of people. I ended up printing several for friends and family of other sailors aboard that ship as well. They have a design on the back that is specific to the ship, and I had a lot of military families tell me that they would have ordered them if they weren't ship specific, so I've decided to take orders again, leaving the back design off. If anyone is interested, please email me at ignitespiritbows@yahoo.com. The cost is $15 and that covers shipping and taxes. They are a basic 50/50 t-shirt in unisex sizes. I do not profit from these, this is just my cost. I will post a picture of the design. I will only be taking orders through this week, as to get them done and shipped out as quickly as possible.
Mar 26, 2017
Island Girl
May 21, 2017
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Pro tip to share with your deployed Sailor! "Use the following, which will allow you to text from your ship's email. It'll save a lot of time when communicating back home if you'd like semi-instantaneous communication."
AT&T: number@txt.att.net.
T-Mobile: number@tmomail.net
Verizon: number@vtext.com (text-only), number@vzwpix (text + photo)
Sprint: number@messaging.sprintpcs.com or number@pm.sprint.com.
Virgin Mobile: number@vmobl.com
Jun 4, 2017
Proud AG Mama
Thank you Mary~ corpsman mom. It is nice to have those all in one spot. Not everyone knows you can email to a text number. Have a great night.
Jun 4, 2017
John and Yvonne
Island Girl,
I found 2 places on Google you can look up for houses. 1) 10 best Virginia Beach Rentals and 2) Top Virginia Beach Vacation Rentals (VRBO) I hope they help!
Yvonne
Jun 22, 2017
John and Yvonne
Island girl,
Did you ever come here and find a rental?
If you did , I hope you had a great time filled with memories you can think back on and pictures to go along with those memories. :)
Yvonne
Aug 8, 2017
John and Yvonne
Emmiesgram,
I would say your granddaughter went from one extreme to another! We were stationed in Hawaii for 2 tours of 3 years each and now we've been in Virginia Beach for the last 17 years. My husband is a retired Navy Chaplain and for the last 17 years we have been inviting sailors over to our home on the weekends to give them a place to hang out. We feed them and play board games with them, go mini golfing, go to re-enactments, etc. If your granddaughter would be interested we would love to invite her over. If she is we can pm you our cell number so she can get in touch with us.
Welcome to this group!
Yvonne and John
Aug 24, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Hi all - Happy Wednesday!
If any of you are visiting in Norfolk and have time you need to try & get to the Mermaid Factory. I went there a few weeks ago when visiting our son - did a girls trip and it was a blast! You paint your own mermaid - they have all kinds of things you can put on them.
Here's the 3 we did - mine is the red, white & blue one (of course!). I also have lots of glitter on mine! If you click on the picture you can enlarge it so you can see it better.
They also package them up real nice in a sturdy box that you can carry on the plane to get them home (they tell you to carry it like a "pizza"). We spent almost 3 hours there and had a blast.
Aug 30, 2017
Jen
Hi All, My son just received orders to Norfolk. He is looking for a rental home for him and his bride. We could sure use Help!! He will be on the Bush..
Sep 1, 2017
FirsttimeNavymom
Sep 1, 2017
Thirdday
Just found this group, my son is on the Abraham Lincoln.
Sep 22, 2017
Proud AG Mama
Welcome!
Sep 22, 2017
John and Yvonne
Welcome to the group Thirdday! Hope your son enjoys his time on the A. Lincoln.
I want to let you know that my husband and I invite sailors over to our home on the weekends. On Saturday evening we eat and play board games, or go mini golfing, attend civil war re-enactments, etc,. On Sunday we get together and sit down to a homemade dinner with homemade bread and dessert. Sometimes we watch movies or sports, or just get to know each other. If you think he would be interested , let us know.
Yvonne and John
Sep 23, 2017
Sassenach
Oct 3, 2017
paigec
Oct 4, 2017
abuon18
Oct 4, 2017
paigec
Oct 4, 2017
abuon18
Oct 4, 2017
paigec
So, my daughter found her instructions to email the USS Bataan to request a sponsor. We attempted to do this but the email is undeliverable for a variety of reasons. Anyone have any suggestions or experience in this area?
Oct 4, 2017