NUKE moms

cleochase97 - Welcome to the Nuke Moms group!! We are glad you have joined us. Please come introduce yourself. 

My sailor has been in for 4 years now and he is currently out in the fleet. 

Hi all  - Happy Monday!

Good Morning Everyone!! I hope you are having a great day!! I got some baby hugs this weekend from my granddaughter!! 

Awe Chipmunk - the baby hugs sound wonderful!

B'sNukeMom - Yes, baby hugs are wonderful, although, I have to sort of scoop her up from behind and get in a hug and raspberries. She is 1 1/2 yrs old now but with all of the ROM she is still very shy. None of mine were like that, even her mother, so it is hard to have to spend a day or two just letting her warm back up to us again. But it is so much fun to watch her and play with her, I don't get to see her enough!

My sailor surprised me! He got leave and is coming home tonight!  Pick him up at the airport tomorrow! Whoo Hoo!

CSW, so very happy for you, give him a big ole hug from all of us too. Enjoy your BLESSING!

Ladies, you can rest assured he will go back laden with hugs from all of you!  THE LORD IS GOOD!

CSW - awe that's wonderful news!  Enjoy your visit and yes, get lots of hugs!

Sitting here at work and the jets must be practicing at March Air Base - they have been screaming over my office for about the last 15 minutes.  Pretty cool!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Good Evening Everyone!! -

CSW - So happy for you!!! 

thesuperm72, congratulations, I am so excited for you. First time becoming a grandma must be the ultimate Blessing.  Happy you got the opportunity to see your Sailor Daughter and she is so excited about her future. First time Auntie must have her head in the clouds too.  Let us know what the little bundle will be. Congratulations again!

thesuperm72 - That is awesome!! And congratulations on the grandbaby!! 

Wow thesuperm72 - so much to be excited about. Congratulations on everything!!

My son told me on Monday or Tuesday that they all had to mask up again. He wasn’t happy. Then he had a COVID scare this week on Friday! His roommate (who is in another class) got sick and has a cough. Pulled my son out of class and issued a 2 week quarantine order to them both. Can’t say much for the vaccine that doesn’t seem to be working! He was the only one pulled from his class. Seeing that he is MA in his class and he and four classmates have plans to be roommates during prototype, he had a lot to be disappointed for since he thought all that was lost…. He was doing his best to see some sort of silver lining, but boy - was he thankful when 5 hours later they found out his roommate was negative and sent him back to his class. I was sooo happy to get that text!!

I personally know several vaccinated people that got COVID recently. One is very sick in ICU (friend of my coworker). Read on Friday in an email from the AMA (American Medical Association) that the viral load is high in sick vaccinated people too (not just the unvaccinated people with Covid)…

Also read that moderna was a stronger vaccination than the Pfizer. Will be interesting to hear the statistics as far as which vaccinations have more “break through” cases.  

So bummed for our sailors to have to worry about Covid set backs again. Wonder if they will close down graduation and sailor travel again… make the most of any opportunity to see your sailors!!

DsMom, that is such good news. My son tested negative but he had to quarantine the full 10 days and then had to wait for the next power school to start. He won't get through now until December. 

You hear how very stressful this class is on them, well I can honestly say I have aged 10 times faster this last year than any other time in my life. He shut off his phone and I hadn't heard from him since I left him the 5th of July. Can't tell you how many times I cried myself to sleep. Today was extremely hard and I was at the end of my rope and my phone rang and it was him.  He said he needs to really stay focused and doesn't want any distractions. I guess I am a distraction!

I am doing everything possible to stay busy so I don't dwell on him but I don't think I will ever get stronger. My faith is growing so that is good.

Here is a wedding cake I did with 350 cupcakes. See I am staying busy.

Oh - Northwoodsmom - I am so sorry to hear those words!! Nuke school is tough and I wish I could say that he will call you more but each of our kids handles their schedule differently. Your cake is beautiful and yes, you are staying busy. 

So, I have a little funny, at least I thought so - my sailor is in the middle of a busy schedule but I guess he is watching YouTube videos on Physics to pass his time (amongst other things) - how do I know, because he sent the link to his family for our viewing pleasure!! Geek Nerd for sure! 

DsMom - Glad your sailor is doing well!

NWM - I’m sorry your son needs to cut you off to focus. That has got to be very tough, but it’s good he is doing what it takes to pass the classes. Staying busy does help me when I’m hurting or anxious. My son volunteered for sub duty so I Sam not looking forward to long silences either. 

I guess since my son has no illness at all, he got sent back to class. Since my sons roommate was actually sick, even tho not with Covid, he has to stay quarantined like your son did. Perhaps that was same rationale they used in deciding to quarantine your son. 

My sons PS grad is also in December. I bet they are in same graduating class. My son is a EM. What about your son? I wonder if they know each other…

Your cake IS beautiful. 

DsMom2020 my son is ET and is in class 2105. He is about 6 months behind schedule. He only had about 6 weeks left when he got sick but I think going through it again is helping him.

NWM - Mine is 2105 too! Maybe we can meet at graduation, Covid permitting! I can’t imagine your sons disappointment but if I recall correctly, you mentioned he was struggling. Maybe one of those blessings in disguise… My son took physics and several calculus classes in high school and then college. He was premed before he decided it was not for him. It was painful for me to watch him “throw it away”. Our blessing in disguise, as he loves nuke school and his classes prepped him for this. I had many sleepless nights and anxiety ridden days as he figured out his path in life. 

My son had a instructor who was COVID positive and his entire group got ROM for 14 days this winter ( Feb I think ).  My son never had any illness and his roommates did not have to ROM.  The philosophy seems to evolve.

My son was in prototype and luckily was a little ahead when he got ROM so finished on time which was blessing for him.  His advice to others in prototype is to try to get ahead a little just in case with COVID still around.

New Adventure - Your son's advice for Prototype is spot on, get ahead as best as they are able!!

Just FYI - Prototype works differently than A school or Power School. Typing on the fly here, but they have to do what are called qualifications. As I recall they basically work on a series of studies that are sort of on their own to go study and then they have to connect with one of the instructors to be tested on / qualified on that subject matter. This is why they can "get ahead" versus the more traditional classroom lecture / testing that was the case for A school and Power School. They are also on rotations and different watch schedules. Bottom line, I saw it all as a progression from classroom studies to training to be out in the fleet and working on their senior qualifications then in the fleet. 

Chipmunk, you are correct. Something you all might want to pass on to your sailors, in prototype don't let politeness get the best of you and let others push in front on you to get signatures on quals. You have a certain amount of time to get your quals done so they need to make sure they are diligent about it. If prototype ends and they don't have all their signatures it is not good. Just a head's up. There's plenty of time to do it, just make sure it gets done.

Maybe it's changed since my sailor was in Prototype, but some finished a bit before deadline and then used the time making sure they had all their physicals/dentals complete because you can't go to the fleet without those being current. They were in BS so they didn't have a base really to support that. My sailor also said if you find a good group to get quals together it's a better experience.  

CSW, that is correct. My sailor said the same. Buddies are very helpful in prototype.

Happy Tuesday!

Hi everyone and happy Friday - it's been a long time since I've posted. After a brief 23 months in NH, we are now in SC (3 hours from Goose Creek instead of 17-18!). We were there long enough for our son to join the Navy and for us to spend quarantine. Not what we had imagined but you go where the jobs are. In any case, I've been reading most of your posts that come through as emails and it seems as if everyone has been busy! 

Besides checking in I wanted to check to see if any of you have a sailor in the current power school class that will be graduating on 8/13. So far they are still saying we will be able to attend but I am expecting the worst so as not to be disappointed and hoping that at least our kids will be able to take their 10 days off. We plan  to go and celebrate with him regardless if we can attend the ceremony like we did for his A school graduation. Hard not to be excited though since there has been nothing in person so far for him. He was even in those few months when their boot camp pictures were taken in their camos so looking forward to seeing him in his dress uniform.

If anyone else will be there let me know!

4kidsforfun - Congratulations in advance, happy for your family. What’s your Nuke rate? If he’s an ET then he’s probably a classmate of my son, originally my son’s PS graduation but got ROM’d bec of his allergy. This Aug 13th is my 50th birthday, I was hoping to celebrate it with him in GC but … 

I hope you enjoyed NH, I remember snow and snow and more snow when we went in February 2010. Have a great weekend to y’all 

4kidsforfun - Congratulations!!!  Wishing all the best for your sailor!! And hopeful for you to be able to go to graduation!!

Hi Gigi - Happy almost birthday!!

Happy Saturday!! I stayed up late for my time to watch our men's basketball team play in the gold match game in the Olympics. Wow! I was going to head to bed but we had been out and came back home to see the game playing and I had to watch our former local player, it was quite the game. 

Hi NancyJo - I didn't get a chance to say hi the other day but thanks for your post about Prototype. 

I am trying to glean information for some other moms - so if anyone one is able to share please post here or on my profile page - Thanks!!

1st - Do we have any information on ELT training for MMNs, what it might entail,  & what this might train or prepare them for out in the work force after the Navy? I believe a few of your sailors went that route. 

2nd - For those on subs - What does it mean to get their dolphins, especially our Nukes? Does this have something to do with their qualifications for senior rate in their job on the boat? And how can someone earn their dolphins if they are assigned to a sub that is in dry dock? Do they have to earn their dolphins by a certain time after they get to the fleet and is any grace period given if their ship is in dry dock? 

Thanks!! 

Thanks Chipmunk & Gigi! I thought our sons may be in the same class Gigi - he is an ET. Sorry yours has gotten ROM'd - that is my son's biggest fear. He had a slight cold last week and was in a panic that he might cough in class and get kicked out. Luckily it didn't last long. They got the keys to a house last night that he and four others rented so fingers are crossed they all do well this week with the comp... they do seem excited for the next phase and to be off base. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh and happy birthday Gigi!! My daughter's birthday is the same day!

Direct quote from my SIL who is an MM 2 on a sub.  BTW his sub was in drydock when he joined it. He now has a deployment and countless underway under his belt including earning his Blue Nose. :

"Dolphins are the submarine warfare device. You can get them in dry dock but sometimes people will make fun of people that don't have any sea time but that part doesn't really matter. Once you earn your dolphins, you are a true submariner and it shows that you have the trust of your fellow submariners and the ability and knowledge to save someone's life in the event of a casualty.It's one of the most important milestones in submarine culture."

JayDee - thanks for the info. Saved that email for future reference.  

Gigi & 4Kids - congrats in advance. I really hope you can go to graduation 4Kids!!

Hi Chipmunk, ELT training is 13 additional weeks after prototype. My son completed his training 9 years ago and is currently lead ELT on his boat.  ELTs are responsible for the water chemistry. When my son went to his first boat 9 years ago, they were in a collision during his first underway. So he earned his dolphins in drydock. Hope this helps.

NonnaB - Good to hear from you!! Yes, thank you for the information. Understanding they are responsible for the water chemistry is I think what I am trying to figure out. 

JayDee659 - Thank you as well, I appreciate it!! So, it sounds like earning dolphins while a boat is dry docked, is still possible even without sea time. Do you know if there is a penalty if someone can't earn their dolphins within a year of being out in the fleet, due to being in dry dock? 

Chipmunk, he says that they are more lenient when your ship is in the yard. It took him 16 months due to the fact that he was stuck in the yard. He had to work for it but it's possible. 

More details from my Nuke-in-law

Some people take longer and I haven't seen anyone get in trouble until they reach their 2 year point. But I think it's more of a case by case thing. I've seen people get them as quickly as 3 months. But it's really difficult. The last 2 months before I got mine, I basically didn't sleep

JayDee659 - Thank you!! I hope this information will help some of our Nukes who might be stationed with boats in dry dock! 

4kidsforfun - Glad to hear that your son has some roommates and they have a house lined up for renting during Prototype! Prayers for all of them to do really well on their comps!

An FYI - Not everyone who goes to Prototype and graduates will end up necessarily getting their orders and leaving out immediately to their new base or for a possible 30 day leave. This can cause problems with a roommate that has to stay behind for whatever reason and be left holding the lease and paying out of pocket when others have shared in the past. It is something that I highly recommend the guys all discuss. My son' was paying the electric for their apartment and they still had someone living in it. Others have had their own sailors be in GC for over a month after their Prototype class graduated. 

Something to bring up with your sailors, how to deal with leases, etc. 

Let me add about ELT training. It is helpful but not everybody does it. It's additional training but it does not extend your navy commitment. Now that my son is job hunting he is interviewing for jobs that included chemical testing, and are outside of the nuclear industry. His ELT is helpful in that regard but we'll see what kind of job he gets in the end.

Here is a short video done by a current sailor that might be helpful about ELT. You have to be MM and you have to be selected, although you can make it known that it's something you want. Not everybody wants it or gets it. I don't know exactly how they choose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5f6wrynF0E

Thanks Nancy Jo!  My daughter was offered ELT but passed.  She said it's a very small group and you gotta like the people because you will be working with them.  I guess the point is that you have to consider all the possibilities from the Yes or No perspective. :)

It's not for everybody. I know a mom whose son chose welding instead of ELT and is very happy with his choice.