NUKE moms

My favorite of my son's ribbons is the Navy Expeditionary Medal. I think KayCee's son has one on the 2nd row left. Submariners get those for going somewhere and doing a thing. Don't ask where or what.

Aw KayCee - that picture just makes me so happy!

Happy Birthday to you!

Kay Cee - photo warms my heart! 

KayCee - Happy Birthday!! So happy for you and your son!  

I have been trying to delete emails as my account is getting to full. I don't always do a good job of deleting my email feeds from the various groups and I am paying for it now. 

Caunka!! WooHoo!!  I know you will get lots of hugs!!

Happy Sunday everyone.  

You go on a road trip for a few days and this group gets busy with exciting news and new members!

KayCee- what a great pic and happy birthday!

My sailors dog has been given little time and my sailor got permission for me to bring his dog to see him and spend the night- he is in Prototype so in an apt.  We could see each other outside for the hand off but not much else.   I have lots of unused vacation thanks to C and will loose most of it in June so that plus being crazy the pup and I spent most of 3 days in the car.

It is a 13 to 14 hr trip each way by mapping systems.  21 hrs down and 18 hours back.  Interestingly back seemed much longer.  I did 9 hrs drive, 5 hrs sleep, 7 hrs drive the way down.  On the way back I only took cat naps cause we had to get back in time to pick up meds at the vets before they closed.    We had a good trip and some new adventures (now you know how I picked my name )  Saw new things from the road like a Carvana building.   Went down memory lane for some of it for me.  I have not seen South of the Boarder since I was a teen.  Always wanted to stop and still did not this time.   Camped in the suv.  Watched people at all the grassy rest stops we made.  Picniced in the car in the rain and in the grass in the sun.  Had hush puppies!!!! But no grits or she crab soup, next trip.  And got to visit and old friend.

My friend is a concierge at one of the historic inns and loves the area.  He lives in North Charleston and took me around the old Navy base and an area where the buildings are being reused and some refurbished.   We saw the building where the Hunley is being stabilized and researched.  It is only open on Saturdays so did not get to go in.  Some of the officer housing from the old base is being sold by the city and rehabbed.  others sit next door waiting to be bought.  An interesting view.  I wish I took pics but did not.  Ae saw where a hill was and was removed by the railroad as part of the commercial port and transportation expansion.  That area was a Fredrick B Olmstead deigned park before being Navy base and now city and rail owned land.  The hill was part of the parks design.  Such a shame.

Apparently the show Army Wives was filmed there and so some of the buildings and the tennis courts were redone for that and then let to go to rot again.  There is an old Marine building with an impressive facade as well that is being stabilized.  So now I am going to try to find the show in streaming and try to watch.

Put the seats down and turned the back of the SUV into a dog bed/camper.  In line at McDs for french frys.   I think his fav stop was just south of Charlotte at a Sonny's.  Loaded tater tots with pulled pork, tots, bbq sauce, queso, and onion strings.  I ate the onion.  I had gotten it for me.  I had yams, ground beef, yogurt, carrots, cucumber, and crackers for him but he turned his nose up and eat most of my food.

i forgot.   I had the J&J in early March so even fully vax I could not spend time with him.  Came home to hubby  felling ill after the second Pfizer.   We have had everything from just a little extra tired- my mom- to 104 temp ++++, my niece, as reactions.   My sailor got his first dose this week so they are getting them at school now.

New Adventures, that is so awesome of you to do. My son's dog is very old and we also took her down to visit him last September. It also was a 54 hour trip round trip for us but well worth it. Did your son get any leave time between Power School and Prototype? She is still holding on but I was hoping he might get one more chance to be with her.

Northwoodsmom- PM'ed you

New Adventures - I'm sorry to hear about your pup but that's so sweet that you were able to take him on a road trip to see your sailor.  Sounds like quite the adventure! And I'm sure that was good for your sailor too! Love the picture ;-D

My hubby and I got to take a nice drive down to Oceanside on Saturday.  Had another Navy mom that needed a package delivered to a Navy girl and her Marine boyfriend so we did that.  Beautiful day for a drive and had a nice visit with them, just good to get out of the house lol.

Good morning everyone, and congratulations KayCee! What a journey we all are on together...So glad too, to read of the relative "success" everyone is having with their vaccines. Tomorrow I will be considered "fully vaccinated" following my two Pfizer shots. I too had no reaction other than mild soreness in the arm. I do recommend being and staying fully hydrated before and following vaccines--a good rule of thumb for everyday as well!

My stomach was literally in knots all day last Thursday, but deep into the day I received a call from my son. I could hear the pride and happiness (and relief!) in his voice all these miles away as he told me he had passed his standing board--finally fully qualified and ready to take on the next step of earning his dolphins once he gets to his next command. Yes, I cried. Where did the time go? 

So, I was making plans (ha ha) for his return home during his transition leave before he reports to Pearl Harbor, (I am SUCH a planner...)  But wait! He called again yesterday and has been picked up for welding school first, in Groton this June. Has anyone else out there had this experience? He's good with it! But online research sure didn't yield much info. He's MMN and all I could get out of any reading was that they have to have one or two welders on the subs for emergency welds--which of course are temporary until the subs return to port. 

As always, I lean on all of you for guidance. Anyway, kudos to all of us moms who just continue to ride the roller coaster. I am grateful the one I'm on seems to have more curves than ups and downs--at least for now. I wish I could stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wish his dad was here to share this achievement with him. Through it all though, I wish the very best for all of you--for all of us--each and every day!

ShipOfDoodles - Good to hear from you and the updates on your sailor!! Congratulations to him. Hopefully some of our other MMN moms will reply as I am clueless on welding school, although I have heard of it. Hugs!! It is hard to have excitement and progress to share with our loved ones and then not be able to. Not quite the same, but I remember the empty void I felt not being able to call my mom or dad and tell them when my son left for BC or have them there to share in the joy of my eldest's wedding just prior. 

Happy Tuesday all!

ShipOfDoodles - I think we have had some others on here whose sailors went through welding school - hopefully someone will chime in with more info for you. 

NancyJo - N's girlfriend is visiting him there in NE and she sent a picture yesterday of snow!  Not a lot but I see you did get some.  That's crazy - we almost hit 90* yesterday, but we are cooling back down this week. 

ShipofDoodles

My son went to welding school in Hawaii.  His sun needed another person to have the certification, so he volunteered.  He is of the mindset that you should be available to get as much training as possible and has not regretted that decision.  I’m not sure if he ever had to utilize that particular skill, and not sure he will have the opportunity in the future.  His boat has been in dry dock since last fall and he will be done with his sea duty in July. My son will move onto land duty in Ballston Spa .

I am sure your son will enjoy the experience.  The Navy must think very highly of him if they asked him to get the training.  Best to him and his future Navy Adventures 

momc - It's interesting to see that they are still sending them to Ballston Spa for shore duty.  B did prototype there and loved the area!  We were fortunate enough to visit twice and we really enjoyed it too.

Ship of Doodles congratulations! Additional training is never a bad thing! 

Always good to be picked for more training. Welding is a really useful skill too, though I am not sure if that type of welding is applicable to civilian/DIY projects.
IMO, May and June are the best months to be in Connecticut. I have fond memories of spring up there.

All I know about MMN work is that it involves a very large wrench and valves that do something somewhere that have to be turned many, many times.

Agree that welding is a great additional skill. When those opportunities arise they need to jump on. My son got invited to do ELT training and it has served him well also. Interesting about going to Ballston Spa. I wonder what all remains there.

Yes, we have cold weather and snow. Omaha didn't see as much as Lincoln did. We have another freeze warning for tonight so people who have already put in a garden are making growling sounds. But, as is typical midwestern weather, we will have 80* in a few days. N's girlfriend should have waited a week. ;D

Thank you everyone for your input and your well-wishes! I did find a rather amusing post on a welding forum written by a former Nuke, who said he would absolutely do it all again (Nuke School/MMN/welding), but his description of three days in a 110 degree engine room dealing with exactly what WearsLargeHats mentioned below, set me to laughing. That he said it was fun (?!!), while all the while it had him missing that burger joint job, was just too funny. What a great attitude. Anyway, thank you, all of you, for your wonderful input! More adventures await. 

Chipmunk, thank you for sharing. I think missing our loved ones, regardless of how we came to know them, is grief we all share equally. You are so spot on about wanting to pick up the phone. Yet...we can't.  Hoping comfort finds us all during those moments and with all the milestones. 

B’sNukesMom

i know he will be taking a class of some sort while he is there and then he will be an instructor.  I believe there are some changes on the horizon, but I don’t want to put the cart before the horse.  As we know, the Navy has a plan and they will share when they are ready.  My nuke also did prototype there.  He liked the area, especially the change in seasons.  Being from Wisconsin, this was a plus for him

Velvetenor, I was just thinking about your son, I am pretty sure he was doing his comps yesterday and wanted you to know I was praying for him. Hoping he did well. We miss hearing from you.

Happy Wednesday!

Rakenator - good luck to your son - he's got this!

Rakenator, prayers on the way for your son. May our Lord open his mind and everything he has learnt these past two years flow from him during his boards. Please bring peace to his mama as well, thank You Lord Jesus.

Good morning everyone - so much is happening with all of you and your sailors! Prayers for those taking comps and traveling to new duty stations, etc. Our sailor reported to his first boat (SSN 787 USS Washington) late last year and got to pick up some extra training - he was sent to CT to be certified for some specialized systems (he couldn't give many specifics) and also spent a few weeks being SRF-B certified. We're preparing ourselves for his first deployment. The Ombudsman and the rest of the Blackfish family have been AMAZING and it's awesome to see (and have) the love and support for each other and our sailors. The care and love is genuine! Hope you're all doing well - take care! 

Rakenator - Thoughts and prayers for your son!! It is an exciting but also a pins and needles sort of time as well!

Navymom18 - Sounds like your sailor has had some great opportunity for training as well. We have a great Ombudsman on our ship as well. 

Prayers for safe travels also for those of you able to see your sailors, or sailors coming home. 

Life remains busy here on the home front and I am not posting much but trying to keep up with everyone.

Rakenator and others nearing the end of a nuke-school "phase" -- Congratulations to you sailors and to you for your awesome support. I will be thinking and praying for these final two steps. My son compared comps to a final, just a test. He was much more worried about boards (not being so comfortable with oral activities) but he said it went better than he expected, even after two last minute postponements when staff support  wasn't available.

I can't believe that the next group of "proto-types" is almost done!  They are churning out nukes quickly. Due to ROM & delays, my son finished prototype just after his class would have normally graduated, so he wasn't subject to grad-hold. Paper work took about a week before he was detached and started west with six weeks of transfer leave. I don't know if this is normal or because he wasn't allowed much leave time while in GC (only one holiday stand-down toward the end of A-school). In the end it is the "needs of the Navy". 

Rakenator - have a safe trip home with your sailor. Mine wanted to do the drive by himself...he took a meandering course, visiting some friends and exploring on his own. It is wonderful to have him home now, things are almost like they were before he left except that he has a career plan. Since his ship is home-ported in his home town, he doesn't have anymore driving to do, just relax for these last weeks. I am surprised at the amount of stuff he acquired while he was away, mostly bedding, some housewares, canned food, etc. that we are temporarily storing for him.

One thing I am really looking forward to is baking for him, at least while the ship is in port....being able to deliver fresh goodies instead of the week-old stuff he got via the mail.

Anyway, good luck and BZ to all moms out there. 

Canuka - That is wonderful that your sailor will be nearby and you will be able to bake for him. I will say though, my sailor seems to have put on a few pounds with his gf's baking. I remind him that he is not actively doing as much PT as he was during his time at NNPTC, so to remember he has to watch it!! :-) That is great your son was able to take some extra time and do some sightseeing and visiting. I think in general they were given 30 days to transition after Prototype. My son also said, they still had to use their leave for some of that time, which bothered him but currently, he hasn't even been able to take leave except a week at the holiday, so I am hoping he doesn't start loosing leave time. 

And Happy Earth Day!

Hi All

Haven’t had time to comment but have greatly enjoyed reading all of your posts. Celebrating your sailors accomplishments with you. Praying where necessary. 

My son doing well. Off of his PT break. X-rays showed no stress fractures.  Whew. No one gave info on shin splint prevention. Was hoping they’d give advice. He’s not one for researching or reading what I have forwarded. I gave him verbal stretching advice I read online or got through moms on this site. He stretched quite a bit and ran a 5k without leg pain. Thank goodness. The  He continues to do well academically. Set to graduate A school in a few weeks. Putting in a chit  - hope we get to attend!! Has anyone else gotten to attend a graduation? 

DsMom, it was closed to the public because of Covid in September but we still got to go and visit with him because his chit got approved. It wasn't more than a couple days but just to be able to lay eyes on him was wee worth it. He was in the Power School class that graduated today but got held back because of being put into ROM. I still watched, so proud of these young men and women and their accomplishments. Pray you get to go down and see him!

DsMom2020, I was able to attend A school graduation in 2015. At that time it was small and very intimate and it was held indoors.  Not sure how they handle it now and if it will be open to family.  I do remember my son had to provide my name and other info, I believe driver’s license #.  Also, then received an invitation. Had to check in at gate and then head to parking lot.  I am sure your nuke will give you all the specifics if family can come to ceremony.  If that is not the case, as Northwoods mom mentioned, you may be able to spend time with your sailor.  I hope that is the case.  A school was the only graduation I was able to attend.  Had plans to do Power School graduation, but Hurricane Matthew had other plans.  My son did prototype in Ballston Spa, and they did not have a graduation ceremony.  
I hope all works in your favor and you are able to attend.  It is quite the accomplishment for our sailors

DsMom2020 - That is good news to hear that your son seems to be doing better with his PT and his legs. These last few weeks of A school will be very busy and very hectic for him. 

Good Sonday morning: Just got a chance to talk with my son. He has been in Power Prep and did his final test and did well in it. He will be starting his new Power School I think he said next week. He has been in a room with no roommate for almost 8 weeks but is moving and will now again have a roommate. He seems so much more confident, God is so Good, He knew that my son needed this. I was a little weepy watching his former class graduating this past week thinking I could of been down there for him. It really is a BLESSING to know His FATHER has him in His care. Thank you all for your prayers.

Northwoodsmom - I always does a mother's heart good to have a nice conversation with her sailor and to hear that things are going well for them.  I am glad that he did well on his tests and feels more confident!! Just an FYI - When they go on to Power School they study 3 subjects at a time, so even more crunching!! And more Momma prayers! :-)

Prayers requested for my sailor. He’s going thru a very rough time personally now and is getting ready to rejoin his boat after leave, as they prepare for a long deployment. This momma’s heart is aching... just want to hug him but he is half a continent away.

Hi Tulip - First of all - it is good to hear from you!! BNMHs for you!! It is hard on our momma hearts when we want to comfort our children and we can not. I will be praying for your son. These deployments and especially some of the other things with COVID not to mention our Nuke's jobs - it is hard. My son has not been on a deployment but they have been on continuous underways, in and out of port.  

Tulip, I am praying for your son. Being newer I can't imagine what you moms are going through so I am also holding you up in Prayers. Praying he gets around some amazing Sailors to also help him through this.

Sending prayers Tulip.

Chipmunk, actually this is his second round of Power School. He got ROM and held back after finishing about 4 months. He struggled in one aspect which had a dominos affect but after getting tutoring and extra help he feels more prepared. The Navy is not giving up on him , God hasn't and neither am I. It is important that all the new moms understand that the Navy will help them even if they struggle, they see their potential. It's real hard standing on the sidelines, knowing the rough time they are having and feeling so helpless. It is reassuring to know they won't just be kicked to the curb as long as they are putting in the effort.

Northwoodsmom - My apologies, I had forgotten that your son was already in Power School when he had to ROM. And yes, if they are putting in the effort and showing potential, and their attitude is favorable, the instructors will work with them. I am glad that your sailor is doing well and eager to keep moving forward.

There are also situations where things have not worked out as well as someone would like and sailors have been rerated or even separated. We may not know the why, but it does happen. My sailor shared with me once though that he saw attitude as being the most important thing when it came to the sailors doing well in their classes. I think the instructors also see the effort and intentional desire to learn and understand a concept. I forgot what it was called, I think I mention it in one of my discussions but there was a specific study option where the sailors could go to get some more one on one time with the instructors and my sailor highly recommended that as well.

The most important thing as parents is for us to be supportive of our children and encourage them. Being on the sidelines is very hard, letting our children struggle, and have to work for what they need is also hard at times. We want them to have everything, but some things we just can't give them. Your support  and prayers means a lot to your son!! Even if he doesn't say so. 

Just a reminder to everyone - Be sure to check your profile / My pages if you don't receive notices that you have a new comment to read. Sometimes we post messages there if we aren't friends to be able to post a Private Message. 

Welcome to our newest member ~ Big Tuna!  

Her son is already in the fleet and currently deployed.

Please be sure to read the ***NEW MEMBERS*** info at the top of the page.  Lots of good info there.  Also take a look at the Pages (20) to the right under the member profiles - be sure to hit "view all".  And the discussion forum above has some good info too - be sure to read Chipmunks "Nuke A School Daily Schedule".  And of course, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Thanks all for the prayers! We are trying to decide if / how to intervene for support for him while deployed if needed. This will be his fourth deployment since going to his duty station after Prototype. Does anyone know if the base Chaplain would be a viable option and is that confidential or could it somehow create unintended consequences for him? Thanks.

Tulip - My apologies for not replying last night. By the time I saw your message it was late even for me. I know you don't want to be specific, especially on this group page as it is public, so I don't know if you are asking about your son seeing the chaplain or about you or you trying to contact the chaplain. It is my understanding that a military chaplain is a safe place, but I am not 100% certain and if they even have things they have to report. I just know one mom had told me when my son first got in, if there was ever anything that my son needed help with to go to the chaplain first. 

Hopefully, someone else with some more knowledge will reply. Hugs and prayers. 

I know my son has mentioned a few times that he has talked to a chaplain for advice or just to have someone to talk to that seemed safe, but I don't know the technicalities of it.

Welcome to all of our new members - I am sure B'sNukeMom will welcome you to the group here soon but I just wanted to say hi since I have missed some of my hellos lately.!! 

Please don't hesitate to ask questions and be sure to share with us where you are at in the Nuke Pipeline or in the fleet. Mine has been in since 2017 and is currently out in the fleet on a carrier (ship) and at this point is still not planning on doing Star-Reenlistment. 

Welcome to our newest members ~ Ty'sNukeMomCA and Jana!  

Jana's daughter is already in the fleet and is on a sub.

Please be sure to read the ***NEW MEMBERS*** info at the top of the page.  Lots of good info there.  Also take a look at the Pages (20) to the right under the member profiles - be sure to hit "view all".  And the discussion forum above has some good info too - be sure to read Chipmunks "Nuke A School Daily Schedule".  And of course, feel free to ask any questions you may have.