Re: recruiters and rates. Our son had some potential rates picked out before the ASVAB, but of course got the full-court press to go nuke. He really wanted subs, and we were lucky to know a former sub commander who met with him several times and actually went with him to the recruiter. After that, the recruiters handled our son with kid gloves. I think all his research helped him make the decision, and he went in fairly aware of the pros and cons, which really helped him to adapt. At boot camp he put MM first (he really wanted ELT), EM second, ET last. Knowing his ASVAB scores, I was pretty sure they wouldn't give him MM because his individual mechanic score was by far the lowest on the whole test; electronics was the highest. He got EM, so that led me to believe that someone was looking at his paperwork and it wasn't just random. No doubt that needs of the navy played a role as well. In retrospect, he really likes his rate, but says it's the worst of all of them in the fleet. Not sure why - he's still in prototype.
Yeah, I imagine that like any big organization, there's an attempt to find a fit between what they need and what the recruit can/wants to do. Let's hope for synergy there. WearsLargeHats, love the Sorting Hat analogy! Hope there's still some magic...
Rose, it sounds like your sailor did his homework which I'm sure was to his benefit. My son did too. He talked to all different recruiters, almost went Nat'l Guard, then decided Navy. And Tom explained this real well one time, but the nukes aren't the most popular guys in the fleet. The other sailors tend to resent them. But on the other hand, they are a real tight-knit bunch. They make life-long friends.
BTW the unpopularity extends to wives. My son's wife loved Ballston Spa but once they got to San Diego, she got more than 1 cold shoulder once they learned she was married to a nuke. I never imagined that would happen. She's so mild mannered I can't imagine that her personality did that. Oh well, it is what it is.
Mom of a future Nuke here. My son is currently in boot camp with an expected PIR date of 21 July (one month from today!). This may be a silly question, but why are Nukes resented and unpopular within the fleet?
Tom explained it so well and I know I won't do as well. It has something to do with the fact that nukes get to the ship as E5 without doing the time in the fleet. Other sailors start out at a lower rate and so they resent what they see as special treatment. When Admiral Rickover created the nuclear navy he wanted nukes to come out of training as officers and couldn't get that agreed to, so they come out as petty officers. I think after those 2 years of grueling training they have earned it but others apparently don't think that way. I don't think it's terrible out there. I'm just saying some non-nukes don't like it.
PacNWmom - that definitely falls in line with what Tom was saying - yours is an ET and studying Electrical Engineering and mine was an MM now studying Mechanical Engineering!
jberg12 - don't worry too much about it ~ the nukes all tend to stick together and they will make some amazing friendships. My son has a lot of nuke friends and he also has other navy non-nuke buddies that are just as good of friends, but most of them do tend to be fellow nukes. They tend to gravitate towards each other since they spend so much time together and can relate to one another :)
Be sure to read the pages on the right (10) under the member profiles and feel free to ask any questions you may have! "Your Sailor's Schedule Upon Arrival to GC" will give you a time line of the program.
Yes, I don't want to scare anybody off. Nukes build great friendships with each other. My SIL has been out of the navy for more than 10 yrs and still counts his navy buddies as his best friends and they are scattered across the country. And my DIL has made great friends. My son has reenlisted twice so if it was that bad I don't think he would have done that.
Thanks for the info! Right now, I'm mostly just worried about him getting through boot camp. I am trying to save the rest of the worry for later!! I am a worrier by nature, and his decision to enter the Navy feels like the ultimate test to my sanity, ha! Don't get me wrong, I am super proud of him and I know he made a well thought out, informed decision. So glad his recruiter recommended this site!
jberg - he'll be fine and you'll be fine too! Try to let the worry go (I know, easier said than done) and focus on positive thoughts. You'll both get through this ~ just remember we are here for you :)
I met a substitute teacher at my school, who served 4 years in a sub. I told him my son was in training to be a Nuke, and he looked at me like I had a disease. He said, "Nukes over-think things." WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? They over-think things to SAVE YOUR LIFE if anything should go wrong with the reactor! Thankfully, it was my first and only negative reaction to my son being a Nuke.
Hmmm is it possible to be a navy mom and not worry? The best we can do, I suppose, it put it on a back burner and try to ignore it while it simmers. The only sure thing is that the worry doesn't do a darn bit of good.
J's/S's, youar boot camp thing made me chuckle. My nuke SIL and army vet nephew-in-law, my son's 2 mentors, both had conniptions hearing about my son's boot camp experience. They called it the kinder, gentler navy while my son thought it was anything but. It was still rough but compared to what they experienced it was Club Med. I preferred to think of it as Club Nerd. LOL
Pooh's mom: consider the source… The guy is a substitute teacher, after all that experience? He might be a rather embittered soul. We know what our kids are doing, and that's really something to be proud of.
Jberg I'm a worrier too but boot camp, according to my daughter was no big deal.
Right now my girl is on a plane, flying to someplace that she can't tell me then from there to someplace else where someone will meet her to take her to another location where she'll fly out and land on a carrier that's, you guessed it, someplace that I'm not supposed to know. Geeze! She said she could tell me but then she'd have to kill me. Bond, Jane Bond...
JayDee - Fair winds and following seas to her! It will be exciting for her to land on the ship - B got to do it when the Truman was deployed. Good thing is this deployment is almost over....just enough to get her a feel for it! Hopefully she got her ship email so you can contact her....
B'sNukeMom thank you. No email yet but I'm presuming we'll get it after she gets on board. She is stoked about flying out to the carrier. I'm just doing that mom thing!
J's/S's mom thanks, I hope I get a call too but my daughter wasn't sure how and if that was communicated. No news is good news, right? Right! Her husband has been told to call me and vice versa if either of us hears any word. We're both emergency contacts and on the FRG list. It's all so new but this too will pass and seem like nothing. I'm jealous of where I think she's going. Hopefully she'll remember to take pictures.
WearsLargeHats - That's a very funny definition! My nuke is actually really good at explaining things (like nuke stuff) in such a way that even I can understand it. Though I admit sometimes I just smile and nod.
Tom - I meant to thank you when I got on here last night. I think the description you posted of the different nuke jobs is by far the best I've ever seen. I actually understand it a little more now. Appreciate all the info and tips that you veterans have to offer.
I've also been appreciating all the post from all the newbies on this site. It's been keeping it very active and bringing out lots of information. I love this group.
B'sNuke - My husband's Aunt lives in Perris, and her daughter lives in Hemet. We have been to visit a couple times. If we ever do again, I'll let you know. :)
WearsLargeHats - About 8 years ago, my BIL retired from the Navy after 30 years. When he first learned my son was going Nuke, he described the word Nuke as a verb in exactly the same way you did!
After 5 days I am still in shock about the Fitzgerald. Praying for those families affected, and in awe of the heroism and the servant hearts of the sailors. My Navy vet co-worker says these are common characteristicsof a true sailor. Words cannot describe my gratitude for all of those serving our country.
Our prototype sailor has passed his oral boards, so proud of him and all the nukes now moving on to the fleet. JayDee and KAMmom, you must be so proud of your sailors.
At home, Mr. Buzzbeck and I are busy trying to convert one of the pastures to a park like setting for DaughterBuzzbeck's wedding this summer, a huge task.
Greetings to all new N4Ms!
JayDee, what did I tell you? It's like crossing a river by jumping on rocks before they reach the ship. LOL So glad she is on her way. I hope you hear from her soon. I bet you will.
Buzzbeck, how exciting to have a wedding coming up! I don't envy the work you describe but I bet it will be beautiful. Good luck with that. Also, congrats on passing orals! That is huge. Bravo zulu!
Homecoming is so exciting. My DIL had lined up someone to take photos last time. She said she got there early but my sailor didn't leave the boat until about 2:30. She had been wrestling 2 cranky kids so she missed him leaving the ship and ended up hooking up at McDonalds. Kind of messed up the whole photographer thing but just having him home made that all kind of unimportant.
NancyJo, she called us this morning to say she'd arrived at stop #2 of 3. At stop #2 they barely made their plane and their luggage did not. She said when they checked in for their next flight they were told their luggage had been check through to their final destination. Oh the joys.
JayDee - glad you heard from her. Yes, quite an adventure!
Buzzbeck - BZ to your sailor! and yes, the wedding sounds exciting. Hopefully you'll be able to share some pictures when the time comes.
submomIII - the company I work for just moved to Perris in March but we were in Riverside before so it wasn't a very far move (we live in Riverside). We aren't far from March Air Reserve so we get to hear the jets flying quite often. I love it! Definitely let me know if you make it out this way and we can meet up ~ I love getting together with Navy mom's!
Patti - are you completely recovered now? and enjoying your summer?
I forgot to wish everyone a happy 1st day of summer yesterday!
J's/S's, so glad your sailor is home!! Be sure and give him extra N4Ms hugs for all of us.
Your wonderful story about your Marine and the cake makes me wonder if it is possible to contribute to the USO like you would to any other charity. I don't believe I've ever heard.
Patti - I'm so glad you are feeling better ~ especially with your vacation coming up! We visited Arizona & Utah a few years ago on a road trip - had lots of fun. Be prepared for the heat! I just booked our tickets to VA in August so it's official now. Trying to figure out what else we can do over the summer.....
J's/S'smom - woohoo - enjoy your sailor's visit! We take what we can get, right?! (And besides, sleep is soooo over rated lol!)
I also put the links for the USO and the Red Cross up above in the Fitzgerald discussion along with the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society.
Man, I really need to comment more often so my catch-ups don't become such novels!! Also, suuuper grateful that this box has some sort of saving properties. I clicked on a link without thinking, after I was almost done and quickly clicked 'back', holding my breath. It was all still here. PHEW!!
I told my son that we are bragging about our kid's ASVAB scores (and we should!!) and sharing the story of how they became nukes. I asked him what his score was because I know it was super high. Of course, he can't just answer my question. LOL He informed me that I should really be bragging about the nuke score portion. Apparently, he auto-qualified by 6 points.
He was living with his dad for his senior year, so I had nothing to do with any decisions he made and I'm sure he hasn't told me all the details that I would really want to know...another less than stellar communicator, this one. But his story is that he went to the recruiter to sign up with the Coast Guard. When he took the ASVAB, the Navy jumped on him and begged him to go nuke. They lured him in with the money, the education, the intelligence of who he'd be schooling and working with (your nukes are like gold to him...he's pretty much in heaven being surrounded by brilliance) and future possibilities.
His first choice was ET and second was going to be EM but at when he went to write it in, he said his gut said to put MM as second choice and he's glad he did. He said if he had put EM as second, he would have gotten ET but because he put MM as second, he got MM and he's really happy about that. I hope that happiness lasts. I'm sure it will because if he can't change something, he just decides to be happy with what he gets and that's that. I wish he'd been more like that growing up, but it is nice to see that what I tried to teach him finally sunk in. Yesterday was his first day of class!
I was surprised and thrilled when he said he has Snapchat and that he'd actually use it. I don't care what kind of communication I get from him, as long as I get something. I totally feel the same as a few of you who worried when you didn't hear from them for a while, if they still loved you. So even a quick silly snap just makes me happy!
I love seeing everyone's pics of their sailors. I asked my son for a picture of him so I could put it on my phone's wallpaper. He said "that's not weird", in a slightly sarcastic voice. LOL! I laughed and said, "NO, IT'S NOT! I'm your mom!" I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one that has their absent kid's pictures on their phone to see their wonderful face all day. So he posted this on FB. Mommy happy!
Dittersmom - I pray that things are improving with the estate situation and that Ditter is doing well.
NonnaB and KAMMom - You're both still in my thoughts and prayers...and your kids, too. Especially as they grow and do new things in your new reality.
Tom - I love reading your nuke experiences and thoughts!
Thanks everyone for the info on visiting and graduations!
I have been mourning the loss of the 8 sailors this month. I was so glad that the second "overboard" sailor turned out to be just hiding. I'm certain things will not be easy for him from now on, but as a mom, just glad he's alive, no matter what. Has any info come to light on why the merchant ship did that U-turn?
Pooh'sMom - thank you for that picture. I had no idea merchant ships had that jutting out under the waterline!!
Happy Birthday to all of you and your family's June birthdays! My sailor's was on the 2nd, so I agree, it's a great month!
I don't know if anybody here is interested but my son's ship is coming in this morning to San Diego. Everybody knows, no OPSEC violation. If you go to Facebook and search sundiegolive (not sAndiego, sUndiego) you will get a live feed. No ship in sight yet and probably not for an hour or so, but pretty cool when it happens. Happily I have 3 computers at work so one of them is dedicated to the webcam this morning. Woot! Woot!
If you do it on Facebook, the webcam operator will follow the ship through the different cameras and change the view for us. Last time I just had to whip around camera to camera. Also, it takes a while so it's not something you can do in 5 minutes. Just FYI.
WELCOME HOME VINSON!! NancyJo I've been seeing some of it on FB this morning.....bunch of excited families that's for sure :) I'm going to log on to Sundiegolive - looking forward to seeing the ship pull in!
You bet! Every Friday the red is on and that will continue even with my sailor home. I think often of J's/S's with 3 sons in the military. How do you do it, my friend?
WonderGeekWoman - glad to see your son is settling in. And you tell him it's not weird at all that you have his picture as your wallpaper - of course you want to see his smiling face each and every day!
soccermom19
HI PacNWmom
Yes, that does help. Thanks so much!!!
Jun 20, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
I went ahead and made a discussion "USS Fitzgerald - Links for Donations". This way the information doesn't get lost in the comments.
Jun 20, 2017
Rose
Re: recruiters and rates. Our son had some potential rates picked out before the ASVAB, but of course got the full-court press to go nuke. He really wanted subs, and we were lucky to know a former sub commander who met with him several times and actually went with him to the recruiter. After that, the recruiters handled our son with kid gloves. I think all his research helped him make the decision, and he went in fairly aware of the pros and cons, which really helped him to adapt. At boot camp he put MM first (he really wanted ELT), EM second, ET last. Knowing his ASVAB scores, I was pretty sure they wouldn't give him MM because his individual mechanic score was by far the lowest on the whole test; electronics was the highest. He got EM, so that led me to believe that someone was looking at his paperwork and it wasn't just random. No doubt that needs of the navy played a role as well. In retrospect, he really likes his rate, but says it's the worst of all of them in the fleet. Not sure why - he's still in prototype.
Jun 20, 2017
SailorsLIMom
Yeah, I imagine that like any big organization, there's an attempt to find a fit between what they need and what the recruit can/wants to do. Let's hope for synergy there. WearsLargeHats, love the Sorting Hat analogy! Hope there's still some magic...
Jun 20, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Rose, it sounds like your sailor did his homework which I'm sure was to his benefit. My son did too. He talked to all different recruiters, almost went Nat'l Guard, then decided Navy. And Tom explained this real well one time, but the nukes aren't the most popular guys in the fleet. The other sailors tend to resent them. But on the other hand, they are a real tight-knit bunch. They make life-long friends.
BTW the unpopularity extends to wives. My son's wife loved Ballston Spa but once they got to San Diego, she got more than 1 cold shoulder once they learned she was married to a nuke. I never imagined that would happen. She's so mild mannered I can't imagine that her personality did that. Oh well, it is what it is.
Jun 20, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Going to be another hot one here in sunny SoCal. Supposed to be 107 in Perris where I work.
PacNWmom - what is your son majoring in?
Kind of sad NancyJo that other Navy wives acted like that towards your DIL :( Hopefully she's found some other good friends in the meantime.
Jun 21, 2017
jberg12
Mom of a future Nuke here. My son is currently in boot camp with an expected PIR date of 21 July (one month from today!). This may be a silly question, but why are Nukes resented and unpopular within the fleet?
Jun 21, 2017
PacNWmom
B'sNuke - He is majoring in Electrical Engineering.
Jun 21, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Tom explained it so well and I know I won't do as well. It has something to do with the fact that nukes get to the ship as E5 without doing the time in the fleet. Other sailors start out at a lower rate and so they resent what they see as special treatment. When Admiral Rickover created the nuclear navy he wanted nukes to come out of training as officers and couldn't get that agreed to, so they come out as petty officers. I think after those 2 years of grueling training they have earned it but others apparently don't think that way. I don't think it's terrible out there. I'm just saying some non-nukes don't like it.
Jun 21, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
PacNWmom - that definitely falls in line with what Tom was saying - yours is an ET and studying Electrical Engineering and mine was an MM now studying Mechanical Engineering!
Jun 21, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
jberg12 - don't worry too much about it ~ the nukes all tend to stick together and they will make some amazing friendships. My son has a lot of nuke friends and he also has other navy non-nuke buddies that are just as good of friends, but most of them do tend to be fellow nukes. They tend to gravitate towards each other since they spend so much time together and can relate to one another :)
Jun 21, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Welcome to our newest member ~ 3B'smom!
Be sure to read the pages on the right (10) under the member profiles and feel free to ask any questions you may have! "Your Sailor's Schedule Upon Arrival to GC" will give you a time line of the program.
Jun 21, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Yes, I don't want to scare anybody off. Nukes build great friendships with each other. My SIL has been out of the navy for more than 10 yrs and still counts his navy buddies as his best friends and they are scattered across the country. And my DIL has made great friends. My son has reenlisted twice so if it was that bad I don't think he would have done that.
Jun 21, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
ps I knew Tom would explain it better. And J's/S's is a seasoned pro. Thanks for the help!
Jun 21, 2017
jberg12
Thanks for the info! Right now, I'm mostly just worried about him getting through boot camp. I am trying to save the rest of the worry for later!! I am a worrier by nature, and his decision to enter the Navy feels like the ultimate test to my sanity, ha! Don't get me wrong, I am super proud of him and I know he made a well thought out, informed decision. So glad his recruiter recommended this site!
Jun 21, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
jberg - he'll be fine and you'll be fine too! Try to let the worry go (I know, easier said than done) and focus on positive thoughts. You'll both get through this ~ just remember we are here for you :)
Jun 21, 2017
Pooh'sMom
I met a substitute teacher at my school, who served 4 years in a sub. I told him my son was in training to be a Nuke, and he looked at me like I had a disease. He said, "Nukes over-think things." WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? They over-think things to SAVE YOUR LIFE if anything should go wrong with the reactor!
Thankfully, it was my first and only negative reaction to my son being a Nuke.
Jun 21, 2017
WearsLargeHats
I learned the verb usage from my son:
nuke v. - to approach a problem in an excessively complicated manner, or overlook simple explanations in favor of more elaborate possibilities.
It can be a problem if they think too much. Responses to particular events may have to be very fast, almost instinctive.
Jun 21, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Hmmm is it possible to be a navy mom and not worry? The best we can do, I suppose, it put it on a back burner and try to ignore it while it simmers. The only sure thing is that the worry doesn't do a darn bit of good.
J's/S's, youar boot camp thing made me chuckle. My nuke SIL and army vet nephew-in-law, my son's 2 mentors, both had conniptions hearing about my son's boot camp experience. They called it the kinder, gentler navy while my son thought it was anything but. It was still rough but compared to what they experienced it was Club Med. I preferred to think of it as Club Nerd. LOL
Jun 21, 2017
SailorsLIMom
Jun 21, 2017
Pooh'sMom
SailorsLIMom - That made me LOL!
Jun 21, 2017
JayDee659
Right now my girl is on a plane, flying to someplace that she can't tell me then from there to someplace else where someone will meet her to take her to another location where she'll fly out and land on a carrier that's, you guessed it, someplace that I'm not supposed to know. Geeze! She said she could tell me but then she'd have to kill me. Bond, Jane Bond...
Jun 21, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
JayDee - Fair winds and following seas to her! It will be exciting for her to land on the ship - B got to do it when the Truman was deployed. Good thing is this deployment is almost over....just enough to get her a feel for it! Hopefully she got her ship email so you can contact her....
Jun 21, 2017
JayDee659
Jun 21, 2017
JayDee659
Jun 21, 2017
PacNWmom
WearsLargeHats - That's a very funny definition! My nuke is actually really good at explaining things (like nuke stuff) in such a way that even I can understand it. Though I admit sometimes I just smile and nod.
Jun 21, 2017
ProudOfK
Tom - I meant to thank you when I got on here last night. I think the description you posted of the different nuke jobs is by far the best I've ever seen. I actually understand it a little more now. Appreciate all the info and tips that you veterans have to offer.
I've also been appreciating all the post from all the newbies on this site. It's been keeping it very active and bringing out lots of information. I love this group.
Jun 21, 2017
submomIII
B'sNuke - My husband's Aunt lives in Perris, and her daughter lives in Hemet. We have been to visit a couple times. If we ever do again, I'll let you know. :)
WearsLargeHats - About 8 years ago, my BIL retired from the Navy after 30 years. When he first learned my son was going Nuke, he described the word Nuke as a verb in exactly the same way you did!
Jun 21, 2017
Buzzbeck
Our prototype sailor has passed his oral boards, so proud of him and all the nukes now moving on to the fleet. JayDee and KAMmom, you must be so proud of your sailors.
At home, Mr. Buzzbeck and I are busy trying to convert one of the pastures to a park like setting for DaughterBuzzbeck's wedding this summer, a huge task.
Greetings to all new N4Ms!
Jun 22, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
JayDee, what did I tell you? It's like crossing a river by jumping on rocks before they reach the ship. LOL So glad she is on her way. I hope you hear from her soon. I bet you will.
Buzzbeck, how exciting to have a wedding coming up! I don't envy the work you describe but I bet it will be beautiful. Good luck with that. Also, congrats on passing orals! That is huge. Bravo zulu!
Homecoming is so exciting. My DIL had lined up someone to take photos last time. She said she got there early but my sailor didn't leave the boat until about 2:30. She had been wrestling 2 cranky kids so she missed him leaving the ship and ended up hooking up at McDonalds. Kind of messed up the whole photographer thing but just having him home made that all kind of unimportant.
Jun 22, 2017
JayDee659
NancyJo, she called us this morning to say she'd arrived at stop #2 of 3. At stop #2 they barely made their plane and their luggage did not. She said when they checked in for their next flight they were told their luggage had been check through to their final destination. Oh the joys.
Jun 22, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Yea! It's quite the ordeal, isn't it? Well, we said it would be an adventure.
Jun 22, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
JayDee - glad you heard from her. Yes, quite an adventure!
Buzzbeck - BZ to your sailor! and yes, the wedding sounds exciting. Hopefully you'll be able to share some pictures when the time comes.
submomIII - the company I work for just moved to Perris in March but we were in Riverside before so it wasn't a very far move (we live in Riverside). We aren't far from March Air Reserve so we get to hear the jets flying quite often. I love it! Definitely let me know if you make it out this way and we can meet up ~ I love getting together with Navy mom's!
Patti - are you completely recovered now? and enjoying your summer?
I forgot to wish everyone a happy 1st day of summer yesterday!
Jun 22, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
J's/S's, so glad your sailor is home!! Be sure and give him extra N4Ms hugs for all of us.
Your wonderful story about your Marine and the cake makes me wonder if it is possible to contribute to the USO like you would to any other charity. I don't believe I've ever heard.
Jun 22, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Oh, I found out about the USO.j Easy Google search. You can contribute monetarily as well as volunteer. Here's the link:
https://www.uso.org/
Jun 22, 2017
JayDee659
J's/S's hooray for sailors being home! Enjoy your time and get lots of hugs, sleep can be gotten later!
Jun 22, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Patti - I'm so glad you are feeling better ~ especially with your vacation coming up! We visited Arizona & Utah a few years ago on a road trip - had lots of fun. Be prepared for the heat! I just booked our tickets to VA in August so it's official now. Trying to figure out what else we can do over the summer.....
J's/S'smom - woohoo - enjoy your sailor's visit! We take what we can get, right?! (And besides, sleep is soooo over rated lol!)
I also put the links for the USO and the Red Cross up above in the Fitzgerald discussion along with the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society.
Jun 22, 2017
WonderGeekWoman
Man, I really need to comment more often so my catch-ups don't become such novels!! Also, suuuper grateful that this box has some sort of saving properties. I clicked on a link without thinking, after I was almost done and quickly clicked 'back', holding my breath. It was all still here. PHEW!!
I told my son that we are bragging about our kid's ASVAB scores (and we should!!) and sharing the story of how they became nukes. I asked him what his score was because I know it was super high. Of course, he can't just answer my question. LOL He informed me that I should really be bragging about the nuke score portion. Apparently, he auto-qualified by 6 points.
He was living with his dad for his senior year, so I had nothing to do with any decisions he made and I'm sure he hasn't told me all the details that I would really want to know...another less than stellar communicator, this one. But his story is that he went to the recruiter to sign up with the Coast Guard. When he took the ASVAB, the Navy jumped on him and begged him to go nuke. They lured him in with the money, the education, the intelligence of who he'd be schooling and working with (your nukes are like gold to him...he's pretty much in heaven being surrounded by brilliance) and future possibilities.
His first choice was ET and second was going to be EM but at when he went to write it in, he said his gut said to put MM as second choice and he's glad he did. He said if he had put EM as second, he would have gotten ET but because he put MM as second, he got MM and he's really happy about that. I hope that happiness lasts. I'm sure it will because if he can't change something, he just decides to be happy with what he gets and that's that. I wish he'd been more like that growing up, but it is nice to see that what I tried to teach him finally sunk in. Yesterday was his first day of class!
I was surprised and thrilled when he said he has Snapchat and that he'd actually use it. I don't care what kind of communication I get from him, as long as I get something. I totally feel the same as a few of you who worried when you didn't hear from them for a while, if they still loved you. So even a quick silly snap just makes me happy!
I love seeing everyone's pics of their sailors. I asked my son for a picture of him so I could put it on my phone's wallpaper. He said "that's not weird", in a slightly sarcastic voice. LOL! I laughed and said, "NO, IT'S NOT! I'm your mom!" I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one that has their absent kid's pictures on their phone to see their wonderful face all day. So he posted this on FB. Mommy happy!
Dittersmom - I pray that things are improving with the estate situation and that Ditter is doing well.
NonnaB and KAMMom - You're both still in my thoughts and prayers...and your kids, too. Especially as they grow and do new things in your new reality.
Tom - I love reading your nuke experiences and thoughts!
Thanks everyone for the info on visiting and graduations!
I have been mourning the loss of the 8 sailors this month. I was so glad that the second "overboard" sailor turned out to be just hiding. I'm certain things will not be easy for him from now on, but as a mom, just glad he's alive, no matter what. Has any info come to light on why the merchant ship did that U-turn?
Pooh'sMom - thank you for that picture. I had no idea merchant ships had that jutting out under the waterline!!
Happy Birthday to all of you and your family's June birthdays! My sailor's was on the 2nd, so I agree, it's a great month!
Jun 22, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
I don't know if anybody here is interested but my son's ship is coming in this morning to San Diego. Everybody knows, no OPSEC violation. If you go to Facebook and search sundiegolive (not sAndiego, sUndiego) you will get a live feed. No ship in sight yet and probably not for an hour or so, but pretty cool when it happens. Happily I have 3 computers at work so one of them is dedicated to the webcam this morning. Woot! Woot!
If you do it on Facebook, the webcam operator will follow the ship through the different cameras and change the view for us. Last time I just had to whip around camera to camera. Also, it takes a while so it's not something you can do in 5 minutes. Just FYI.
This mama is happy!
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
WELCOME HOME VINSON!! NancyJo I've been seeing some of it on FB this morning.....bunch of excited families that's for sure :) I'm going to log on to Sundiegolive - looking forward to seeing the ship pull in!
I've got my red on ~ do you?
Jun 23, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
You bet! Every Friday the red is on and that will continue even with my sailor home. I think often of J's/S's with 3 sons in the military. How do you do it, my friend?
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
WonderGeekWoman - glad to see your son is settling in. And you tell him it's not weird at all that you have his picture as your wallpaper - of course you want to see his smiling face each and every day!
Jun 23, 2017
JayDee659
NancyJo, we're heading out to Churchill Downs for our Admin Outing, otherwise I'd be watching the Vinson. I'm so bummed that I'm missing that!
Wish me luck at the track. We're expecting 3" or more of rain today. Woohoo...
My daughter sent me a beautiful picture of where she's staying until she goes out to her ship. Lucky kid.
I've got my red on:
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
NancyJo - I see it on the livecam!!!!
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Here's the link if anyone wants to see the Vinson coming in. It's showing it right now:
http://sundiegolive.com/
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Jun 23, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Isn't she beautiful? So moving.
Jun 23, 2017
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
It was awesome when the web cam operator zoomed in on them lining up to man the rails....
Jun 23, 2017
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Thanks, B'sNuke, it was. So glad my boy is home. The rest of the strike group is still straggling in.
Jun 23, 2017
Wink5
Jun 23, 2017