NUKE moms

I just wanted to add my 2 cents on the topic of exploring Charleston. There is a great Visitors' Center in downtown Charleston on Meeting Street. They have tons of pamphlets of things to do in Charleston and you can even book tours there--bus tours, historic building tours, etc.

We booked a bus tour that was a good start to give an overview of the city and then you can decide what to explore in greater depth. The tour guide gave a lot of history. He seemed to know his stuff.

Also, there are free shuttle buses  that travel to different points of interest. It's called DASH--Downtown Area SHuttle. There are 3 lines, Orange, Green, and Purple. All 3 of these lines stop at the Visitors' Center. I don't know if I can post links here, but here goes: https://www.ridecarta.com/services/dash/

If you have time stop by and see the Angel Oak Tree:

Angel Oak Tree

Cheers to our sweet daughter in love as she celebrates another trip around the sun!  Happy Birthday C!

Wish her Happy Birthday from us!!

Hi Know Weigh - Thanks for sharing about the shuttle services and such!!

I also second the Angel Tree! 

Thinking about all of our east coast sailors who received the snowfall!!

Good Morning Everyone!  I was so focused the other day on the weather that my sailor was having in his area that I forgot to check and see if GC had any snow?

Another reason we always say stay flexible, is the weather. When my sailor was at NNPTC, after Christmas standdown for his A school, they had an unprecedented snowfall. I believe they shut down for almost a week, thus they delayed their graduation by a week. And then his class did not have the same extended leave opportunity that some of the other classes around him had. 

My son also evacuated NNPTC twice while there due to hurricanes. That also caused delays with PS graduation. That one was to my benefit, as I was dealing with a lot of family issues at the time, but it still meant being in limbo until the last minute with travel plans. 

That was me this morning!! Trying to wake up!

Happy Friday!  I've got my RED on ;-D

Happy Friday All! 

I'm going to Prototype Graduation 2/11 - the final one!!!  and I'm excited and proud. However, my sailor has orders for Hawaii; do you know how long he'll be in Charleston after graduation before he leaves for Hawaii??

BZ to you and your sailor Nautical Mom! Will he be shipping a vehicle?    My sailor's travel orders were changed several times before they were finalized because he was arriving during stand down and he needed to work out from where he would leave his vehicle for shipment. I believe my sailor also requested and took some leave during this time so he could come home and pack what he wanted to take with him to Hawaii.  Once he gets his airline assignment he can check on the luggage dimensions.  We ended up purchasing plastic trunks on wheels instead of suitcases which made transport on either end a bit easier. You can purchase most of what you need in Hawaii, but he was glad he packed things like his baseball glove and favorite fry pan.

Nautical Mom - That is great!! Congratulations to your sailor! 

Nautical Mom - BZ to your sailor on completing the nuc pipeline! Usually they get 30 days leave before reporting to their next duty station, but nothing is set in stone.  It should say in his hard orders.....hopefully he has them already?

Congratulations Nautical Mom, I know how very hard they work to get there!

Thank you Northwoodsmom !!! : )

Hi CSW - yes, he is planning to take his vehicle and take leave, but I thought and was told that the Navy would pack him and take care of all of his shipping?? I am so confused and in Mom mode with my truck to go pack him in Charleston --- at least now I know what questions to ask him when I am there...AND I WILL BRING PLASTIC BUCKETS with Me...thank you so much !!

Welcome to our newest member ~ JNMnavymomOH!

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.

Thank you Chipmunk :)

 B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN

30 days' leave would be amazing!!! more questions to ask him, you have been a godsend for me on this site since boot camp and GC; thank you EVER SO MUCH for all of your guidance efforts, and time.  God bless you !!! I appreciate everything you do...

JNMnavymomOH!

Welcome aboard! 

Nautical Mom - thank you!  And I will keep my fingers crossed he does get the full 30 days!

Thank you!  We are just starting our journey and am trying to learn lots and prepare him (and myself) well.  

Somar - I'm only 4 hours from Charleston in Georgia so I could make that work, but good to know!

Thank you B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN  :) my heart is so full right now !

 JNMnavymomOH

You are in the right place for support! and congrats to your and your sailor!

Nautical Mom we will be at prototype graduation on 2/11 as well! My son will be heading to Norfolk so not quite so far although Hawaii is a much nicer place to visit. Congratulations to your son!

Congratulations- Nautical Mom and 4kidsforfun 

Welcome to our group - JNMNavymomOH

Hello Julie JW! 

Julie JW  Congrats on your son graduating from USMMA.  Is he going to Nuke school in Charleston next or sub school (SOBC)in Groton?  If he is going to SOBC he will likely have my son as an instructor. If you have questions please reach to me and I will see if I have the answer. Officers at nuke school will start with power school and then prototype. If they go subs they will either before nuke school or after nuke school go to SOBC. ( sub officer basic course)

4kidsforfun Congratulations! let's hope the weather cooperates.

Good Evening Everyone!! I did not get a chance to post yesterday and say hi.

Nautical Mom & 4kidsforfun - Congratulations!! Wow, it is hard to believe that they are finishing Prototype. I lose track of where everyone is at in the pipeline. Yes, hopefully the weather cooperates. My son's was a windy, rainy day!  We had quite the pictures! I was forever telling my son to hold on to his cover, I could just see it blowing off into the water. 

Julie JW - Welcome we are glad you are here. I don't know how many loved ones of Nuke officers that we have here, but I am always interested in hearing about the experiences of all of our Nukes. I would definitely reach out to topdog1p and glean any information that you can. 

JNMnavymomOH - Welcome Aboard! We are glad you have joined us. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions that you might have about the Nuke pipeline. 

Julie JW - My son is an officer, but hasn't gone through the officer side of the nuke pipeline yet. He went through the enlisted side, then was accepted into the STA-21 program. Right now he's deployed, and will probably be back in Charleston around the end of this year. I'll be eager to hear your  Nuke's experience!

Chipmunk

Thank you for your kind words; my sailor just notified me that he must take oral exams but that won't be until after graduation and he'll still be allowed to walk; this is all so confusing and my anxiety is through the roof!

Good Evening Nautical Mom - sorry, it has been a busy day for me. So my understanding is that it is rare for most of the Prototype graduates to actually finish up oral exams prior to graduation. In my son's case, they actually did (and so some of the instructors were able to attend graduation, which they said was unusual, because they are usually still doing oral boards.) 

I am going to make an assumption, that they have changed the protocol a little and so even if someone has not had a chance to go before their oral board, they will let them walk through graduation, similar in colleges where someone might have 1 class left to complete or so, but will still have to stand before their board and may not have their orders ready, or they will have less time between leaving GC and going to their duty station. 

Typically, our sailors have a 30-day leave option after Prototype before reporting to their duty station. Only some of that time is actually considered travel time and so does not count against their leave time. I remember my son fussing about having to use his leave for those most of those 30 days, but now, with the travel restrictions, he has more leave built up than he has been allowed to take from his ship. I think he sort of looked at it like his sister's summer or few weeks off after graduating college and just sort of thought he deserved it! LOL!

I would be nervous as well, if I knew that my sailor had not actually completed his oral boards. Just stay positive and enjoy your time with your son. Be sure to plan time to visit the USS Yorktown, ask your sailor to show you the engine room. I don't know if his A school class was able to take a field trip there or not. Being up on the flight deck is pretty impressive as well, just make sure you secure your hair, hat & glasses! 

There is a lot of history on that ship as well as the sub that is docked next to it, I believe. 

Nautical Mom and others - I am glad Canuka shared her sailor's experience. 30 days leave is typical, but every scenario is different. When mine graduated Prototype, there were some staying in GC working at the base, waiting for their orders to arrive before they went to their duty station. There are many factors that will affect each sailor differently. We never stop being flexible. 

Canuka  /  Chipmunk / B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN

Thank you all and Happy Hump Day! I will remain positive and put that good energy into the universe.

B'sNukeMom - I had to laugh at your Snoopy Memes! I was expecting something with snow!! Roller Skating and Hot Rod Motorcycles remind me of warm summer days though. 

How is everyone doing?  We have snow and I love to watch it but am happy to just stay inside and work on my projects. My husband spent the night closer to his work, and then they closed so everyone is teleconferencing!! LOL! 

For those of you headed to GC - Remember to always have raingear with you. And it will probably be colder as well, but be wet weather prepared for sure. We went to Prototype in April; it was Easter weekend and we had rain most of the day. I was glad I was wearing my capris and not a skirt. I might not have been as lady like, but I did not have to worry about my skirt flying above my head!!

Chipmunk - I almost posted one with snow lol but then decided everyone would be happier with a warm weather post!

I keep getting pics from B&C (in MI) and they have had a bunch of snow the past couple of days too.  They are putting their snow blower to good use!