Corpsman Moms

1064 members

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Lots of Corpsman moms around!  Share your experiences here, your wisdom and your support of one another!  All are welcome!  HM 'A' School moms/dads/loved ones, please also join us at

 http://www.navyformoms.com/group/hmhospitalcorpsmanaschoolinsanantonio

Current admins Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom and TexasDocMom

Please, if you no longer want to be a part of N4M's consider NOT deleting your profile as everything you have ever posted will disappear when you delete it .  You can leave a group but don't permanently delete your profile!

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  • corpsmanwifeschu

    Navywife, when my hubby first picked his orders it was for SD. After he got his hard orders, he found out he has to spend three months at Camp Pendleton first, then do FMTB. We don't be on his orders to move until after he is done and then we'll only be in SD for two years. Learning a little more as we go along. Not looking forward to another five months without him. At this rate, our daughter will be able to graduate with her class...

    Sep 29, 2011

  • stevensmom

    Made it to Encinitas. Had dinner with Steven last night, It was so wonderful to see him and give him a big hug. We went sightseeing today. The Birch Aquarium, It was really a neat place. Then to Mission beach..and all the surrounding areas..some shopping too. Tomorrow the Big Day.F.M.T.B...Graduation. Then going to San Diego Zoo. I am So proud to be the Mom of a U.S. Naval. Corpsman...God Bless all the Moms and our Sailors!

    Sep 29, 2011

  • flbradybunch (Corpsman Mom)

    Congrats stevensmom!  Enjoy your time with your Corpsman :-)

    Sep 29, 2011

  • karenmjm

    @stevensmom, congrats to you and your sailor.  There are no words to describe these proud momma moments!  Enjoy your time with your sailor!

    Oct 3, 2011

  • CorpsmanWife

    My husband graduates FMTB in 2 weeks!!! Then we are all off to Parris Island, SC. I am SO proud of him!

    Oct 5, 2011

  • safiyahabdulnur/shp10.div265

    Hi guys, My name is Safiyah and I have a son that PIR on 9/19... His graduation is suppose to be around 11/22 for FMTB... Question is will he be able to go home for extended visit or just holiday leave? Does anyone have the answer??? Please help!!!

     

    Oct 5, 2011

  • safiyahabdulnur/shp10.div265

    And how do you know where his next duty station will be??? Does he get to choose or no choice if you are not in the top ten highest grade levels?

    Oct 5, 2011

  • elizabeth

    Devil Doc Mom, I am so happy for you that your son will be home shortly.  If you come to the Valley give us a call, I would love to meet you and your son.  My son will be home a good portion of November before reporting to SD.

    Oct 5, 2011

  • stevensmom

    Devil doc mom...so happy for you! Thank God he got through it. Enjoy all the time you have with him.God Bless you both!

    Oct 6, 2011

  • stevensmom

    Thank you to all the Moms..with all your kind words and support..God Bless you and our Sailors..

    Oct 6, 2011

  • Jules ( Ship 3/Div. 277)

    Hello everyone!!...My daughter enlisted yesterday as an HM...Doesn't go to boot camp til July 10 next year...She's 27 ( so a bit older)...And I've never been more surprised by anything than this...Still in shock, but am supportive...We're not a military family, so hardly anything I'm reading makes any sense at all right now...LOL   Guess I'll hang-on and figure it out. :)

     

    Oct 6, 2011

  • Jules ( Ship 3/Div. 277)

    Thanks Docs Mom!!...I intend to "hang-around"...And appreciated hearing your son's experience as a more "mature" corpsman too. :)

    Oct 6, 2011

  • Navy Mom

    Welcome Jules!  My son joined at 24 yrs of age; he was the oldest when he was in BC.  He complained about some of the younger ones, especially the 17 and 18 yr olds, would always come to him with questions but deep down I think he really enjoyed it.  He finished corpsman school in July and is now in NC at Camp Lejeune waiting to start FMTB and loving every minute of it.  Good luck to you and your sailor.  Remember to join your PIR (graduation from boot camp)group as they will get you through those rough eight weeks, believe me!

    Oct 6, 2011

  • Jules ( Ship 3/Div. 277)

    I suppose you don't really know what your PIR date is until they go do you??...( And I "think" she's going to offer to go early if something if the same rate opens up earlier)...But will do when I know for sure when she's leaving...But if you know the day they go to BC, is there a way to figure out their PIR??...You can see I really don't know anything...LOL

    Oct 6, 2011

  • flbradybunch (Corpsman Mom)

    Jules - no way to know PIR until after they arrive at bootcamp (and even then it takes a week or more).  You might want to join bootcamp moms now to get an idea of what is on the horizon..... it's a great group of folks!  I think there is a DEP group too - in case you don't know it, DEP is "delayed entry program" - that is what your daughter is in now.

    Oct 6, 2011

  • zStratMom

    Hey, Jules - welcome. FYI, My son completed BC at age 31. He'd prepared for the physical requirements in advance and beat out several of the younger folks. There's also a significant element of advantage from maturity and life experience Son #2 is heading for BC at 25 in December.

    Oct 6, 2011

  • Jules ( Ship 3/Div. 277)

    She's been a distance runner since grade school and is in good physical shape...Excellent actually...And I'm hoping her maturity will work to her advantage, as many of you have described...I appreciate all of your comments!! :)

    Oct 7, 2011

  • Rachel's Mom (Ship 02 Div 929)

    My daughter just left for Naples, Italy on Monday.  She is all check and is having the time of her life. She gets a 4 day weekend to see the sites with her sponsor. Does anyone else out there with a loved one in Naples?  She graduated "A" school on Sept 13th.

    Oct 7, 2011

  • MomByHeart

    My corpsman is in Sicily, not Naples, but he loves Italy.  He graduated from fmtb in March and has been in Italy since the beginning of April.  The nine hour time difference works for us because I am usually home at mid-day and he can call around noon west coast time and it's only 9 p.m. for him.  He also has a Magic Jack that works on base and he can call us for free. 

    Oct 7, 2011

  • karenmjm

    Jules. . .just an fyi. . BC can be anywhere from 7 weeks to 10 weeks.  My sailor entered BC over the holidays and got to spend the full 10 weeks in BC.  They can also be moved back to a different PIR group due to injury or illness during BC.  You are going to feel like you are holding your breath for the entire time.

    Oct 7, 2011

  • Cubmom (Ship 07 Division 009)

    Question--My son has a PIR date of 12/2/11.  He then, will be going to SA for Corpsman school.  I noticed some stay in GL..How do they choose where he will be going--at first he was to stay in GL then we were told he was going to SA.

    Oct 15, 2011

  • TexasDocMom

    Corpsman school is in San Antonio. Up above the discussion section on this page are a list of links, if you look at the one for METC, it should answer all your questions, I hope! there is also a link to the A School Corpsman Group here on NavyforMoms, they will be able to answer all your questions about the school. For many of us, it's been some time since our sailors were in A School. My son went to Corpsman school in GL. about 6 years ago.

    Welcome!

    Oct 15, 2011

  • mammalori

    Hi...I am new here and trying to figure out how this site works.  My son is leaving for boot camp june 5, 2012 and has the HM rating.  He is so so excited.  We have 2 questions so far.

    1.  His friend also signed up and has a different date and rating, any chance that his friend will be able to change those things...and get HM and the same boot camp date as my son?? 

    2.  When they get to "A" school, where do they live?  Are there dorms?

    Oct 15, 2011

  • zStratMom

    From what I understand, the GL A School closed and moved to SA. My son was in the last or 2nd to last of those who attended in GL. The reason for the change was to merge programs across branches of service and save the cost of standing up separate programs. One of the challenges was to integrate different levels of requirements and expectations, for example across Army & Navy medical personnel.

    Oct 16, 2011

  • Renee

    @mammalori - be sure to visit the link above for METC - there is a ton of information and videos about the changes/additions to the campus, including the fitness facilities.  Before my son left for BC in August, he had thoroughly investigated this site and was really excited to know he would be attending A school there!  I hope this helps you both!  There are also several groups for those in the DEP program and bootcamp that contain a wealth of information.

    Oct 16, 2011

  • UFQ202- Ship 12, Div 231

    mammalori- have your son and his friend go and talk to the recruiter about getting the same rating and ship out date. Depending on the ASVAB scores they may not qualify for the same ratings but hopefully would be able to go to bootcamp together. Good luck.

    Oct 16, 2011

  • ntz4laa (HM Mom)

    Yes, GL A-School closed in July.  My daughter was in the last graduating class and participated in the decommissioning ceremony.  Her class photo is pretty cool since it has a photo of her class and a photo of the very first class in 1918.  And yes, they will live in BEQ barracks with a roommate in SA.

    Oct 16, 2011

  • UFQ202- Ship 12, Div 231

    I graduated from Great Lakes, Corps School in 1979. I went back in July when my Sailor graduated from boot camp. Lots and lots of wonderful memories. We had 3 people in a room and a community bathroom for the floor. Some changes can be good.

    Oct 16, 2011

  • toni zacks mom

    MissingSailorD

    Did you ever get anywhere on the navy repayment program? My son is having problems, no one seems to know much about this program to help.

     

    Oct 17, 2011

  • flbradybunch (Corpsman Mom)

    mammalori - your son and his girlfriend may want to reconsider trying to get into BC at the same time.  I understand the "no fraternization" policy is pretty strict - it might be harder to know they are both there and not be able to speak to each other or give each other the comforting hug they would want.  I may be way off - but I tried to think about how I would feel to see my honey's face and want nothing more than him to give me a hug and tell me everything is going to be ok.... and not be able to have that.  It would be harder than just not even seeing him at all.  Just a thought....  BC is a pretty intense and demanding experience all on its' own (my son is there now) - they don't need any additional stressors!

    Oct 17, 2011

  • ntz4laa (HM Mom)

    flbradybunch, I don't think mammalori was referring to a girlfriend, just a friend.  But, I will agree that the fraternization policy is pretty strict.  When my daughter was in BC, her bunkmate and a boy got in trouble because he told her Happy Valentine's Day!

    Oct 17, 2011

  • flbradybunch (Corpsman Mom)

    you are correct ntz4laa -somehow I read "girlfriend" where "friend " was typed i guess?!?!?!  LOL  Sorry!

    Oct 18, 2011

  • mammalori

    Hi Again...Thanks so much for the replies...my son and I did check out that METC website and he is so excited!  Yes, I was just referring to a friend of his...his girlfriend will be here waiting with us, and hopes to go along to the PIR.  We have heard about the fraternization...so hopefully he will avoid that!!  He will be in BC for the 4th of July and sort of wonders what that will be like...if there will be fireworks or anything...anyone know??

    Oct 20, 2011

  • UFQ202- Ship 12, Div 231

    My son was there over the 4th this year. They could hear them but did not get to see them. They did not earn the privilage.

    Oct 21, 2011

  • vettespace

    Hi Chief88, here you go:





    • HR: Hospitalman Recruit (E-1)
    • HA: Hospitalman Apprentice (E-2)
    • HN: Hospitalman (E-3) (See USN Apprenticeships)
    • HM3: Hospital Corpsman Third Class (E-4)
    • HM2: Hospital Corpsman Second Class (E-5)
    • HM1: Hospital Corpsman First Class (E-6)
    • HMC: Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-7)
    • HMCS: Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-8)
    • HMCM: Master Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-9)

    Oct 21, 2011

  • TexasDocMom

    http://www.militaryfactory.com/ranks/navy_ranks.asp

     

    http://bluejacket.com/usn_ratings.html

     

    I hope this helps, if anyone finds good links to explain this simply, please share and I'll put them in the links section.

    Oct 21, 2011

  • karenmjm

    And they are very proud of their rank, and rightful so.  My son's voice mail on his phone is, "You have reach the phone of HN ________, please leave a message."  The problem is, he is saying it so fast, unless you know what he is saying, you would have no ideal what it means.  We'll find out next month if he made rank, got my finger, toes and everything crossed and hoping the best for him.

    Oct 21, 2011

  • HM__Mom Ruth

    My daughter finishes A school in 3 weeks and will be going to Rhode Island in December.  Does anyone have a corpsman stationed in Rhode Island?  I have lots of questions.

    Oct 23, 2011

  • TexasDocMom

    Ruth, I'd go to the N4M groups area and run a search for Rhode Island moms, see what pops up!

    Oct 23, 2011

  • vettespace

    Hi Mom Ruth,

    Contact this mom via pm.  She should be able to help answer some of your questions:

    http://www.navyformoms.com/profile/Maureen62

     

    Oct 23, 2011

  • HM__Mom Ruth

    Thanks, vettespace & TexasDocMom.

    Oct 23, 2011

  • Britt<3Corpsman Wife

    Hi Ladies! My husband has signed his contract and leaves for bootcamp in May 2012. He signed as an HM and would like to speak with someone who has a lot of experience in this job. Does anyone have a loved one who would be willing to either chat on the phone of email back and forth? He has some questions about the advantages/disadvantages of going blue side or green side. Thanks!

    Oct 23, 2011

  • mamawalrus

    GO Green,, my son is on the green side as they say and loves it!

     

    Oct 25, 2011

  • navygirl

    Hey Ladies, I am looking for some advice. My Sailor is picking orders tomorrow and is getting really nervous. He is gunning for a C school, but I was wondering if when they get orders for C school if they also get to know their orders for after completing the C school (like what base he will be sent to after school). Also, does anyone know the benefits/drawbacks of going quad zero (general corpsman) vs. attending C school? I really want him to be based in the Northeast, and so does he, but we don't know how to get him up here. Is it better to go ahead and go quad zero if he can be based up here, or go to a C school and leave it unknown? We are SO CONFUSED!! HELP!

    Oct 27, 2011

  • navygirl

    Also, if he wants a C school over FMTB, but the only C schools available are only so-so in his opinion, should he go FMTB? I know its hard to answer, but any advice/previous experience would be great!!

    Oct 27, 2011

  • karenmjm

    C school works similar to A school.  You will pick your billet based on class rank, and won't know until the later part of C school where your next duty station will be.  My sailor's C school had to different parts, classroom study and clinical application.  They had to pick orders for the clinical application part of C school, so he had a chance of being station somewhere else to do the clinical portion of his C school.  It's best for your sailor to get as much education as possible, I would strongly encourage him to attend a C school, regardless of location.

    Oct 28, 2011

  • TexasDocMom

    FMTB may or may not be a choice...it's up to the needs of the Navy. It's ALWAYS up to the needs of the Navy....Ma Navy runs the show!

    Oct 28, 2011

  • KIM756

    Dumb question, but what is blue and green? Sorry I'm new to all this.

    Oct 28, 2011

  • elizabeth

    Blue is Navy, Green is Marines.

    Oct 28, 2011

  • flbradybunch (Corpsman Mom)

    I may be wrong, and I am sure the veteran moms will correct me..... but my understanding is that green side goes out into the field with the Marines, whereas blue side is on ships or bases. 

    Oct 28, 2011