NUKE moms

Great article - GIRL POWER!

US Naval Academy's First Black Woman Brigade Commander

I've been fortunate to have met a number of you in person but I also appreciate those of you who are my "online" friends.  It's nice to have others who understand the journey!

Ditto to that sentiment BsNukeMom

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Good Morning Everyone - As Winnie-the-Pooh would say, "it is a blustery day!!" The wind is blowing off the plains here!! It whirls around in the fireplace and other vents! But it is moderate but cloudy.

MyEverything #13 - I love your picture! Thank you for sharing that!

Mary - Welcome to the group. I know you have some weeks with BC before your sailor makes it to GC, but we are here for you as well. 

DsMom2020 - How are things going? I know you have some things with your family friend you are dealing with. There are days that I still find myself working on a project that I started a few years ago but because of interruptions I had to put that aside and take care of the immediate. Now those set aside projects are becoming  my immediate and so I haven't been on here as much. 

I'm happy to report that my kiddo surprised us again and showed up yesterday on his drive across country! He came to my work to say hi, which was fun. His date to report was moved back so he plans on being in the area for about 5 weeks, hopefully reconnecting with some old friends and doing some sight seeing. I'm also very glad he'll be here for his 23rd birthday so I can do something special.

helena - your post makes me so happy!  Love the surprise and wow - 5 weeks!  ENJOY!  This will definitely be a special #23 for him (and you!). 

Love the picture MyEverything#13!

Mary - welcome to our Nuke Moms group. 

Helena - that is so very awesome. I hope you enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

Chipmunk - thank you for asking! It has been an especially busy time. Her kids (who can’t travel to help clean out the house) don’t want anything other than photos, family recipes and sentimental jewelry. As we sorted and discarded, we also put aside birth certificates, diplomas, etc. Filled a dumpster (the huge 40 yard one) and hired someone to do an estate sale which starts tomorrow. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Now need to go through everything we saved to sort then mail to her kids. This task has taken awhile since I can only do it on the weekends but I had some helpers. I just found out our tax accountant appointment is the 17th. Yikes I had hoped for a late Feb or early March appointment but that didn’t happen. Because we have a partnership, those tax returns are due by March 15th. With a retail business, my own consulting business, job and rental properties it will take me ALL weekend to prepare. I’ve been bad about keeping up with the filing...  I’m paying the piper now! I’m determined to get it all prepared THIS weekend as I am still hoping my sons chit will be approved and I can see him next weekend (presidents weekend) and then the tax appointment is the day after I fly home. 

Son is 3 months into A school and mentioned it is getting much tougher. The other day he said that by 1:30-2pm he feels like he can’t absorb. But thankfully, yesterday he said the concepts suddenly made sense. Prior to this point, he was working hard but it wasn’t hard for him. I just hope he keeps a good attitude and good effort as it gets harder. (I have good reason to be concerned). He was a bit down as he also thinks he has shin splits. He had been doing extra fitness and overdid it. I’m not overly worried but..... this week has not been his best week. 

Ladies - please send positive thoughts for the Presidents weekend chit. His chief told him there is a small chance of it being approved (yay) but to keep our hopes in check. Recommended we switch our Airbnb to two separate hotel rooms with no common areas (done). I told my son to also write down I’ve had one vaccine, and will covid test before and everyday during the trip and wear full PPE to travel. Fingers crossed. 

Helena2000 - Awesome!! Sailor visits!!

DsMom2020 - adding your chit approval to my prayer list. As for the estate sale, I pray things go well with that. It is better to have someone else do it but that wasn't what ended up working out for us. I know it has been tough, but to some extent, you don't have the sentimentality attached. As for the kids - I have a couple of my own that are in that frame of mind and I am learning to respect their wishes and not plan to "dump" my stuff on them. I just wish I had been able to inherit some of my family things a lot sooner, so I could have incorporated them into my home and utilized them when I wanted them, but alas they were still in service at my loved ones. 

School continues to get tougher and then all of a sudden there is a subject that makes more sense to them than someone else and they can be helping another along. My son stood at the back of the classroom as I recall to help him stay awake and focused. 

Happy Friday!  I've got my RED on.

D'sMom - I'm exhausted just reading your post lol!  What a wonderful friend you are to help.  Fingers crossed the chit is approved too!  That reminds me I need to get our tax appointment scheduled ASAP.

Good Morning Everyone!! I hope your weekend was good. Our team did not win the Super Bowl this year, but as I have told others, I know of one person that is happy and hopefully shared his jubilation with those under his command. 

We started to watch the Smithsonian Documentaries that Northwoodsmom had shared in one of the other groups on Carriers at War. We found it on CBS All Access but it is elsewhere also. Someone mentioned PLEX.  I highly encourage you to watch things like this or check out this link - U.S. Navy | Facebook  it has recently posted photos of one of our carriers and what they are doing.

In all likelihood, you will never see a picture of your Nuke posted anywhere. My son even missed the private picture that was taken for some of us moms!! - Sleep or another task was more important!! - I get it, but I was really looking forward to seeing his face. Our kids work long hard hours, especially if they are out to sea. They don't see daylight, currently with COVID concerns, they may even be restricted more to their area of the ship / sub to limit exposure to others. For some of them, there are only a few that are available to man all of the shifts. If one of them is sick or in ROM, they all have to compensate. 

When we talk about the various rotations of T-Track, Prototype, etc - it is all preparation for this sea life. They may go from working one shift for several days and think that is what it is going to be for a period of time, only to get swapped over and completely around to another shift. 

I know it is hard when we don't hear from our sailors, and we do have concerns - but these are some of the things to be offering your encouragement and prayers for. My son many times throughout the Pipeline started calling and talking to myself or one of his sisters and shared what his schedule was like and just processing his decision to plan on star-reenlisting or not. Not everyone's sailor will do that but it gave me a picture of what school and life aboard an active vessel was like. 

Watching documentaries and various things, can give you a sense of what is going on aboard a ship that your sailor most likely will never see himself. Sometimes there are perks, like jumping off the ship into the ocean, seeing sea life, sometimes they do see the sun, but their job is in the hole and someone has to do it - to keep the ships/ boats running. 

It has been awhile since I posted this that my son shared with me early on in the Nuke Pipeline - 

TISSUE ALERT - Snipes Lament, Nuclear Snipes Lament 

The closest we will come to any pictures -  Snipe's Lament - video  and not necessarily our Nukes. 

I just wanted to share because sometimes our sailors do get overwhelmed with the magnitude of what they are studying for and doing. When my son shared this with me, it helped me understand a lot more the pressures that he was under, the perfection that was expected of him, both at school and in the fleet. 

Thank you Chipmunk. Great info. A bit scary too. Looking forward to watching links! Do our sailors realize what there day to day life will be like before they star reenlist?

DsMom - I am not sure. My son had a pretty good idea with Prototype what a schedule might look like. My son also went this route for reasons other than serving in the military. He primarily wanted the experience and education. He knew he would not necessarily fit the mold of military life, from some other experiences he was able to be a part of during his youth. But there are a lot of perks and temptations for star-reenlisting. And if their chiefs see a lot of potential, they will push and encourage them to star-reenlist. It seems to me it is also more beneficial as far as how the contract is rewritten, if they decide to star-reenlist earlier in their current contract than later on. My son wanted to be able to experience a deployment before he decided whether or not he was going to star-reenlist. As it turns out, he most likely will never see a deployment - but he has been out to sea  lot on shorter term missions called Underways. I don't recall the exact numbers, but last year my son's ship was out to sea about 2/3 of the year. They would go out and then come back into port for short intervals. Other ships and subs can be out for a lot longer time, some are in dock or in the shipyards and schedules can vary. 

Flexibility and being able to handle the shift changes is a big part of a Nukes job, especially with the current health situations. The fewer number of trained sailors for a job, the more they have to juggle and balance is my understanding. For my son, he specifically asked his recruiter what a typical working day would look like on a ship and their down time. - I will just say, it was nothing compared to what he has experienced the majority of his time both in school and in the fleet. For some, this is an issue, for others it is not - it really depends on your sailor. But the more we are aware as parents / Moms of what they are faced with and what their struggles might be, the more we can offer the encouragement or advice they might need when they are asking for our wisdom as they continue to navigate forward. 

As for star-reenlist, there are other moms whose sailors have done so can give their view point. 

Good comments, Chipmunk. Some recruiters are better than others but many will tell the recruits anything they need to to get that signature on the bottom line. Recruiters earn more for high level jobs like nuke. That's partly why sites like this are so important; we share real-world experience.

As for underways, my son-in-law was serving out of San Diego, I want to say on the Stennis which isn't based there any more, and was on a 2 wk underway when 9/11 happened. That ship make a hard curve and headed for the Persian Gulf and was gone for far longer than 2 wks. Now, they warn the sailors that when you go on an underway they should treat it like a deployment and make sure things at home are ready for a long trip, like rent, a car, etc. My SIL said many sailors didn't do that so were in a bit of a pickle. My son was lucky to have a wife at home so never worried about that kind of thing. However, he was on deployment when the Carl Vinson was sent unexpectedly to the China Sea. They were supposed to visit Australia on their way home and that didn't happen. When things cooled down they just came straight home. Semper gumby!

NancyJo - Every time my son's ship goes out to sea, I stay braced for the unexpected. Especially if the world news does not always seem that great. I know most of what is going on in general with regards to my son's ship as far as its progress, but I never underestimate that it could go into "action" if need be. And I remind my sailor as well. 

Good afternoon Ladies, sorry I didn't get back here but did want to highly suggest the documentry called Carriers of War. I must I had no idea what happens on these massive ships but now I have somewhat of a idea. I only got to see 3 of them, U.S. Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Harry Truman and the newest U.S. Gerald Ford. I don't know how many of your Sailors are going on Carriers and my son actually asked for subs but I found this to be quite informative and I enjoyed them immensely. I hope you all get a chance to watch.

Thank you all for your prayers, my son has a tutor and he is managing( probably because of your prayers) to hang in there. They have moved to a different subject now that he is excelling in. We all are gifted in something. He is still upbeat about everything, at least that is how it portrays things to us. I hadn't heard from him for sometime and was really upset but he said he is really busy, studying all of the time. That never use to be high on his priorities but the Navy has changed him. 

Gigi your son should be starting Power School soon.

Velvetor, haven't heard from you for a while, hope your son is moving through nicely . Stay warm the cold front is miserable.

DsMom,

My son chose to star re-enlist before his current enlistment was completed.  He did it before his first deployment, so it was from early on in the fleet.  He had discussed the option with other sailors as to why they went that route.  Of course the Monet is an insensitive, but he had goals of becoming a Chief Petty Officer and that mostly guided his decision.   He also wanted to experience “land duty”, and this was the only way he would be able to experience something other than being assigned to a sub.  His original enlistment ends in July of this year.  As far as I know his land duty will include being an instructor in the pipeline.  He is excited for his next duty station and the new experience.   Everything he has accomplished in the Navy will also be helpful when he moves into civilian life 
On a side note, he is currently at PO1, and currently he is not sure if he will continue on the path of becoming a Chief.  It would require more time.  I hope this is helpful and best wishes to your sailor

DsMom - Nukes that star re-enlist also get their advancement so that they can have BHA for housing off base or ship faster. However, because so there are many Nukes that star-reenlist, it then limits the number of slots available to those that don't and promotions can be harder. At least that is my take on what my son is dealing with since he did not star reenlist. 

Ladies - thank you for the info on daily schedules and star reenlistment. I will save the info so I can help my son should he ask my advice. I know he is already contemplating it but I dont think he will take the decision lightly.

NWM - I am happy to hear your son is doing excelling now!! My son is not enjoying his current class content. Likes his instructor but not his lecture style and homework quantity. Thankfully he still doing well on the tests. He also feels like one of his suite mates does not like him as much (runs hot and cold). I know that really bothers him as he was feeling really close to both suite mates. I hope that blows over. And he has shin splints.  He did sound a bit more upbeat when I spoke to him this evening but I really hope his chit is approved so I can spend this weekend with him! 

I’m a bit frustrated today. While I prepared myself for my sons chit to be denied, I did not prepare myself to hear that his slpo did not see his chit until Monday!!  He honestly asked my son why he only just turned it in!!  He turned it in almost 3 weeks ago to the slpo that was working while the usual slpo was off. And he followed up on it 3 days later when he saw it was still in the inbox untouched.  And he had a phone conversation with someone (I get them confused) where he was told if we switched the Airbnb to two separate hotel rooms, it woukd increase his chances. So how can this happen??? So still no answer and I’m suppose to leave for the airport in 20 hours!

I'm so sorry to hear that, DsMom, it sounds so frustrating, even when he's done all he can to get it taken care of, someone else dropping the ball. Hoping it works out for you all.

DsMom - ugh......that is beyond frustrating.  Fingers crossed that somehow, maybe, with a little luck, it can still get approved.  Hang in there.

DsMom - I am soooo sorry!! I am staying hopeful for a good outcome. I know you don't need to hear this but it bears repeating to all and this is a good example --

If you book flights before you know a leave is approved, make sure you have a refundable or at least changeable ticket. 

Also, with the way things are currently - even if they have an approved leave chit, stuff, especially once they are in the fleet seem to change on a dime and so you have to stay prepared. 

HUGS and Prayers for a good outcome. I was thinking about you this morning, as we are getting hit with snow, etc, this weekend down here in our usually milder weather. 

Thank you both. I was ok with a no.  Even prepared for a last minute answer. But for someone not to have bothered to send it through the channels stinks. He works so hard and really could use some family time right now. 

I did anticipate so Everything can be cancelled or changed. Can’t get refund now that it is under 24 hours (even tho I paid for insurance). Can change the flights tho. May have to pay one day or hotel. Won’t cancel til I know for sure. Holding out hope. 

DsMom - I know, even with trying everything on your end others can mess things up. That is the story of my life, fixes the mistakes of others!!  Stay hopeful and I hope the trip still works out. Have your sailor see if he can get special permission to at least see you, even if he can't leave the base!! Something is better than nothing but still not the same. 

Some of this is a hard learning curve, check and verify and double check, then triple check. But I think the SLPOs may not be as on their "game" so to speak since they aren't doing many of these either. 

Oh Dsmom- I hope they will expedite their decision. As you are planning to fly out to Sc, me and hub are flying to SoCal tonight, my son’s chit was denied to join us. 

Dsmom - My son started complaining about study hour on the 4th month of A school Glad, he didn’t have mandatory hours otherwise he will be whining my ear off

Anyway the reason of visiting SoCal is my MIL got Covid in December (we were thankful that time as she was just in Tylenol for a day and she was fine) But on the 20th day she ended up calling 911 - rushed to ER then moved to ICU. She gets better as days passes by but might be in the long term facility, so we will be readying her new place. 

Northwoodsmom - I’m happy for your son as he excelling now!! Where can I watch the Carriers of War? And Yes my son will start PS the first week of March.

I also noticed Velvetenor’s MIA. Hope all is well for you girl.

I have not been on so much lately but definitely reading all posts, all info are a huge help. My son is also interested of star-re-enlisting. I’m just praying for a right decision and my healthy mind to absorb his decisions lol 

We’re 30 degrees but ice storming hmmm Welcome to Memphis 

Beautiful picture Gigi, almost makes me miss it.  I hear from my friends that we got hit pretty hard in Louisville last night.  

It's 80 and mostly sunny here today.  Reading a book by the pool in between work assignments.

My Nuke got her hard orders for shore duty later this year and will likely re-enlist or extend her contract at that time.   We'll be heading up to see her to watch the re-enlistment and help her and her hubby pack to move.

Gigi thank you for your comments. So it’s seems our sons gave a similar experience. No mandatory study hours and not too happy about the increased study and homework time required about month 4... I told my son to be thankful he has not had to put in that much time since the beginning!  I’m sorry your sons chit was denied and very sorry that your MIL is not recovering completely. Our dear friend (88 yo surrogate mother) passed. I hope you are able to have some good time with her as you get her settled in her new place. 

Gigi - so sorry to hear about your MIL.  I'm in SoCal (Riverside) - if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know.

JayDee - look at you - loving life lol!

JayDee love your picture, as if we live in the opposite side of the planet 

BsNukeMom- thank you, aww you’re so close my sister lives  in Menifee (where we land tonight til Monday) then off to Carson where MIL is (also where we all grew up including my Nuke). I wish I have more time we can set a quick meet up. I’ve heard restaurants are not open yet

DsMom - thank you. Tell your son just hang in there! 

BTW - my son told me, they shorten the PS to just 5 months! Shortening the already Concise program I think that would be really hard for them 

How do you all deal with them "suddenly disappearing" on a deployment and not know when it will be or how long?  This is our first time.  Son arrived in Groton, did his ROM and is doing all of the required things asked of him.  His boat, the USS North Dakota had a 30 day "rest" (can't remember what they call it) and they are up and moving again.  He said it's been very busy that last 2 days.

D'sMom, praying things workout for you and your son gets to spend as much time as possible with you. I know all the planning and cost that happens with traveling.

Gigi, I am so sorry about your MIL, prayers she keeps improving and that you will be able to visit her. I know it was really hard on us not being to be with my mom when she needed us so badly. Safe travels.

I can't believe they would shorten PS. They are already doing 3 months of college material into 1 month. Even extremely smart kids need time for the brain to process this material and they don't need any more stress on them than they are already facing.

JayDee that looks so wonderful. Oh I miss the green grass and barefeet. It was -37 this morning and I am hugging the woodstove. Send some heat up please!

Great news - his chief came into his classroom today. Approved with minor modification. Had to write down he won’t drive with us or go into our hotel room. Only commander is left to approve.  Fly out in morning and hope to land to good news! Thank you all for your good wishes. Positive vibes helped! 

Gigi - hard to believe they would shorten it. I wonder why... do they really need to get nukes into the fleet faster or something. Beautiful photo btw. 

mamaq- I haven’t had to deal with that yet, but I think just knowing what to expect helps me deal with things. That is why this group has been so helpful to me. I am not looking forward to not hearing from from someone for 3 months or more. The hardest part will be the end, where to hope to hear everyday. I hear that the ombudsman can help. I’m sure I’ll be reaching out when the time comes. 

DSmom great news! Enjoy your trip. 

Northwoodsmom, all my patrol friends are sending me snow pics. I do miss the snow but I am content where I am. Bloom where you are planted. 

JayDee, I am trying, the only blooming going on here is in a nice warm house. It was 20 degrees warmer today, only -2, yeah a heat wave.

Northwoodsmom, I'm a Michigan girl who's been slowly moving south over the last 40 years. Never in my life did I think we'd leave Louisville until we'd retired. But here we are. Honestly, I was planning on retiring in Tennessee but I don't see myself going back north. 

DsMom - that is wonderful news!  Enjoy your visit.

mamaquilt - I don't think you ever get used to a deployment and the silence - you just have to take it one day at a time.  And come on here for support!

Northwoodsmom - I know I couldn't handle the cold - born and raised in SoCal so if it's below 70* that's cold for me lol! I don't know how my kids are surviving in NE and MI. Must be because they are young lol! 

I've got my RED on today!

DsMom- So glad you will get to see him! 

B'sNukeMoM- Thanks for your comment.  I guess I will just take it one day at a time.  He's been great to call during all of the school portions, so this is just another adjustment we have to make! :)

Good morning! Just wanted to share some happy Momma news... I had the best hug from my sailor, first one since last summer!! I got some great pics and video but wanted to share this one here with you, since we now have permission to do so. Of course, I waited almost 5 hours after the boat was moored to see my sailor. He had to do shutdown. Also, homecoming is so different with all the Covid restrictions. 

We will celebrate Christmas with him this weekend and then I can take down all the Christmas decor.  Our neighbors think we are crazy... (actually they know the reason because we shared so they wouldn't really think we were crazy, LOL)

KayCee - well Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Valentine's Day to you and your Sailor!  It's the trifecta lol! Enjoy your time ;-D

Kaycee - merry Christmas to you and your sailor!!!  Enjoy your time together! Nothing better than that first hug.