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 - Congratulations and not to worry. I was in a similar position almost a year ago. My son boarded about a week after has class was scheduled to finish (no ceremony). He had been ROM'd for Covid then it went through the staff so it was difficult to get the final check-offs and orals.
Leave time varies by sailor and command...all based on the needs of the Navy. After a week of paperwork, my son got 6 weeks between his "detach" from GC and "report by" date for his new command. I don't know how much was transition vs. from his leave bank. He hadn't been able to use any leave for over a year. His new ship was preparing for deployment so he wisely used all the time...first on a long, leisurely cross-country drive then just chilling when he got here (his home town is the home port city).
He looked into shipping his stuff but ended up donating the big items (mattress, chair, etc.); the rest (mostly a big computer tower and two monitors) came in the car with him.
Congratulations and good luck to your sailor, you and all the graduates. On to the Fleet!
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.
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!!
Agreed!! I enjoy watching the snow falling and blowing but am happy to stay inside! We do not have the accumulation like your kids have. And then I talked to my DIL, their winter weather is done (VA), it was 70' she said!
Here in NE we received no snow. It missed us. However, the frigid weather is nuts. I woke up to 7* today. BRRRRR I'd rather have a little warmer weather with snow. I'm OK with snow. My son in TX was complaining about the cold weather they had. It was in the 60's. Good grief.
Nancy Jo - That is funny!! 60' cold!! - We are not as cold as you are, but we do have the snow, although the sun is shining today, so I need to get busy on my daylight projects. My computer says it is 19' so still very cold, despite the sun.
Well that's just too cold for me lol! We're at 53* and it feels like 49* because we still have wind. But, the sun is shining! And we are warming up to the mid to upper 70's by next week and as of right now Friday is showing 82*
I’m chuckling to myself regarding the comments on cold temperatures. Current temp in northern Wisconsin is 3*. We had -15 on Thursday when I got up for the day. Thankful for the sunny days. It helps me block out what the temperature is outdoors. Even though I take my outdoor walks each day, I never get use to it. My neighbors think I’m crazy, but I can’t stay indoors all day. I need the fresh air.
Mass here and we have over 1.5" of slush/ice coming out of the sky. Its warm now but the temp is going down. Lots of freezing going on from this morning. This afternoon is going to be crazy - sliding we go!!!
Memphis had a heavy coating of ice on trees and lots of power outages. We were out about 35 hrs and I know some who are still out well over 48 hrs. Temps got down to teens at night, melting today and worried about refreezing roads tonight. We lost some very large limbs but saw huge trees completely uprooted. Prayers for all dealing with cold and winter weather and those working to restore power and clear roads.
When my son was stationed in Pearl, one of his shipmates went home to northern Minnesota on Christmas leave. The temperature difference was right around 100 degrees.
Just booked my flight/hotel for my sons A school graduation!! I am very excited to have a good thing happen. I will miss his birthday because it's right after - but I will make the most of seeing him. He wants to be a tourist.
Woohoo Pizanche! You'll definitely enjoy Charleston, I know we had a great time when we visited. Be sure to look at the "Sightseeing in Charleston" discussion up above for some fun things to see and do.
Pizanche while we were there we went to see the Angel Tree, then because the Deep Water Winery was so close we went there and then visit the only tea plantation in the U.S. I enjoy both wine and tea so it was very interesting. My son couldn't be off those days but he enjoyed the Ghost tours and Patriots Point and the Aquarium. Have a blast, I went my daughter and had so much fun. While we were that close we went to Savannah and did some sightseeing there too!
Tulip - I hope things are warming up for you all, most of the snow is melted on our roads which is nice.
WearsLargeHats - Wow! That is a huge temperature difference. We have had large swings just in one day in our state but not that large!
Pizanche - Have a wonderful time!! We also went to the Tea Plantation, the beach, Angel Tree, visited some of the Plantations, ate in downtown Charleston. I am sure your sailor is going to have a lot of fun being your guide.
Thanks, Chipmunk! It is warming up, getting down to mid 20s at night/early morning, and warming to upper 40s by late afternoon. Tomorrow thru Friday it is supposed to get up to low 60s. Ice is all gone so I hope all trees and debris are finished falling too. Heard some co-workers were still without power yesterday. Grateful we got ours back so relatively quickly. Pray this was the last blast of terrible winter weather across the country for this season.
Tulip, I am glad! It took our area a long time to just recover from the cleanup. Listening to the trees breaking last year, was just heart breaking for me. They still show their damage all around.
B’sNukeMom and Chipmunk - thanks for checking in. Yes I’m completely fine. That store is just far enough away that it is not where I routinely shop although I do go there now and then - thankfully did not go there Monday. It wasn’t a good feeling though when I was running an errand Monday in my car and had the radio on and when the the top of the hour National news came on and the very first story was about a shooting in a store 10 minutes away.
WearsLargeHats - you mentioned Minnesota so I just have to chime in and confirm that it can indeed get very very cold there. I grew up in northern Minnesota and can remember many a time that the coldest spot in the nation was about 2 hours from where I grew up. Also I remember -80 windchills. So I definitely feel for any of you that have been having the nasty winter weather this last week.
ProudofK - glad to hear you are alright....scary when it's so close to home.
We've got a heatwave here in SoCal - supposed to be 85 today. The Super Bowl is about an hour away from me - they say it's going to be the warmest Super Bowl on record lol.
Last minute question for prototyoe graduation. My son says he has a pass for usbor we can ride with him sonwe assume that os for parking. Does anyone know if we need to get tickets to actually get on the Yorktown? He has the third ceremony today so bonus not getting up at the crack of dawn but may be crowded. Thanks for any help!
4kidsforfun - Sorry, I wasn't on earlier! No, you should be able to go up at the window and tell them, or your sailor should be with you. They took photos before going on the ship.
Thanks Chipmunk and B'sNukeMoM - we got onto the Yorktown just fine. There was a guy that let us go around the regular path (which had us skip the souvenir photo but since our son wasn't with us at that point that was ok!)
The graduation was great and it was fun to be on the carrier for it. The sailors were all smiles and we got to meet another "navyformoms" family, Maggie. Her son was roommates with mine and they are headed to the same ship which I love.
Now enjoying having him home for a bit before they head to Virginia. I'm trying not to get too used to having him here!
Now that he is all the way through Nuke school I can say it without jinxing him - he somehow managed to go to bootcamp during covid and made it all the way through with no quarantines! His entire bootcamp class was gone (mostly quarantine set backs) by the time he got to power school.
4kidsforfun - so glad you had a nice time and yes, enjoy his time at home! That is amazing that he never got caught in the ring of fire and had any covid setbacks.....
Checking in...
Just survived our first deployment; less than a year after finishing prototype.
So excited to have boots in the house again.
This was the first time I have ever watched a Navy ship return, even though I have lived here most of my life. It is super special when your precious child is on board.
The Blue Angels did a fly-over, their winter training base is in the desert about 100 miles from here.
My best Valentines Day gift!
Canuka - How awesome!! Are you able to get on base when your sailor is coming home, or do you have to watch from elsewhere? Just curious, as deployment comes closer and closer for my son.
Chipmunk -- there is no standard answer to your questions. Homecoming varies by ship, base, geography, etc.
For today, the base command dictated the pierside Homecoming structure...due to covid it was "drive-thru" with sailors going directly to their families waiting, in vehicles, in a designated parking area (what did we do before cell phones). There was minimal ceremony -- just the CO addressing the media & a few special people on the pier (parents of babies born during deployment and first hug/first kiss winners).
Yes, we did get base access, just for today...our sailor provided our names to the ship command who gave it to the base command for the gates
We chose not to watch the arrival from the pier...it is not the best place to see around the bay. Also, our son didn't disembark for many hours after the ship docked (he had watch and he wasn't in a hurry anyway) so there was no point to sitting in the car on base.
Thanks to personal connections, I was able to see it all from the bridge of the USS Midway Museum which sits up high and faces directly down the ship channel. Ask around for the best viewing locations.
On issue I am aware of is families relying on Uber which could only get them to the gate but not onto the base. The general advise was to rent a car.
Lastly, my boy arranged for his best friend, who works on base, to bring him home. That was more convenient for us but I used my Momma prerogative and opted to go back to pick him up ourselves.
The bottom line is Semper Gumby, each situation is somewhat different. Good luck.
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Jan 31, 2022
Nautical Mom
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!
Jan 31, 2022
Chipmunk
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.
Jan 31, 2022
CanukaVet
Leave time varies by sailor and command...all based on the needs of the Navy. After a week of paperwork, my son got 6 weeks between his "detach" from GC and "report by" date for his new command. I don't know how much was transition vs. from his leave bank. He hadn't been able to use any leave for over a year. His new ship was preparing for deployment so he wisely used all the time...first on a long, leisurely cross-country drive then just chilling when he got here (his home town is the home port city).
He looked into shipping his stuff but ended up donating the big items (mattress, chair, etc.); the rest (mostly a big computer tower and two monitors) came in the car with him.
Congratulations and good luck to your sailor, you and all the graduates. On to the Fleet!
Feb 1, 2022
Chipmunk
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.
Feb 1, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 1, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 2, 2022
Nautical Mom
Canuka / Chipmunk / B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN
Thank you all and Happy Hump Day! I will remain positive and put that good energy into the universe.
Feb 2, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 3, 2022
Chipmunk
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!!
Feb 3, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
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!
Feb 3, 2022
Chipmunk
Agreed!! I enjoy watching the snow falling and blowing but am happy to stay inside! We do not have the accumulation like your kids have. And then I talked to my DIL, their winter weather is done (VA), it was 70' she said!
Feb 3, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 4, 2022
NancyJo (NNPTC)
Here in NE we received no snow. It missed us. However, the frigid weather is nuts. I woke up to 7* today. BRRRRR I'd rather have a little warmer weather with snow. I'm OK with snow. My son in TX was complaining about the cold weather they had. It was in the 60's. Good grief.
Feb 4, 2022
Chipmunk
Nancy Jo - That is funny!! 60' cold!! - We are not as cold as you are, but we do have the snow, although the sun is shining today, so I need to get busy on my daylight projects. My computer says it is 19' so still very cold, despite the sun.
Feb 4, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Well that's just too cold for me lol! We're at 53* and it feels like 49* because we still have wind. But, the sun is shining! And we are warming up to the mid to upper 70's by next week and as of right now Friday is showing 82*
Gotta love SoCal!
Feb 4, 2022
momc
I’m chuckling to myself regarding the comments on cold temperatures. Current temp in northern Wisconsin is 3*. We had -15 on Thursday when I got up for the day. Thankful for the sunny days. It helps me block out what the temperature is outdoors. Even though I take my outdoor walks each day, I never get use to it. My neighbors think I’m crazy, but I can’t stay indoors all day. I need the fresh air.
Have a great weekend everyone
Feb 4, 2022
Pizanche
Mass here and we have over 1.5" of slush/ice coming out of the sky. Its warm now but the temp is going down. Lots of freezing going on from this morning. This afternoon is going to be crazy - sliding we go!!!
Feb 4, 2022
Chipmunk
momc - I hope you are enjoying your daily walks!! I won't join you, but I really should. I just don't do well in the cold.
Pizanche - The cold & weather headed from our direction up north. I hope things don't get too bad for you all and it warm up again soon.
Feb 5, 2022
Tulip
Feb 5, 2022
Chipmunk
Tulip - Wow!! Sounds like you all had an ice storm like we experienced last year.
Feb 5, 2022
WearsLargeHats
When my son was stationed in Pearl, one of his shipmates went home to northern Minnesota on Christmas leave. The temperature difference was right around 100 degrees.
Feb 7, 2022
Pizanche
Just booked my flight/hotel for my sons A school graduation!! I am very excited to have a good thing happen. I will miss his birthday because it's right after - but I will make the most of seeing him. He wants to be a tourist.
Feb 7, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 7, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Woohoo Pizanche! You'll definitely enjoy Charleston, I know we had a great time when we visited. Be sure to look at the "Sightseeing in Charleston" discussion up above for some fun things to see and do.
Feb 7, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Tulip - wow! That's crazy - I sure hope power has been restored. I can't even imagine it being that cold and no power.
Feb 7, 2022
Pizanche
Thank you! I will do that.
Feb 7, 2022
Northwoodsmom
Pizanche while we were there we went to see the Angel Tree, then because the Deep Water Winery was so close we went there and then visit the only tea plantation in the U.S. I enjoy both wine and tea so it was very interesting. My son couldn't be off those days but he enjoyed the Ghost tours and Patriots Point and the Aquarium. Have a blast, I went my daughter and had so much fun. While we were that close we went to Savannah and did some sightseeing there too!
Feb 7, 2022
Chipmunk
Tulip - I hope things are warming up for you all, most of the snow is melted on our roads which is nice.
WearsLargeHats - Wow! That is a huge temperature difference. We have had large swings just in one day in our state but not that large!
Pizanche - Have a wonderful time!! We also went to the Tea Plantation, the beach, Angel Tree, visited some of the Plantations, ate in downtown Charleston. I am sure your sailor is going to have a lot of fun being your guide.
Feb 7, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
ProudofK - everything good your way? Saw your town on the news tonight about a shooting in a grocery store..sending prayers your way.
Feb 7, 2022
Chipmunk
ProudofK - Also, thinking about you! I shopped at that store many, many times. Thinking about my friends that still live there as well.
Feb 7, 2022
Tulip
Feb 8, 2022
Chipmunk
Tulip, I am glad! It took our area a long time to just recover from the cleanup. Listening to the trees breaking last year, was just heart breaking for me. They still show their damage all around.
Feb 8, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 8, 2022
ProudOfK
B’sNukeMom and Chipmunk - thanks for checking in. Yes I’m completely fine. That store is just far enough away that it is not where I routinely shop although I do go there now and then - thankfully did not go there Monday. It wasn’t a good feeling though when I was running an errand Monday in my car and had the radio on and when the the top of the hour National news came on and the very first story was about a shooting in a store 10 minutes away.
WearsLargeHats - you mentioned Minnesota so I just have to chime in and confirm that it can indeed get very very cold there. I grew up in northern Minnesota and can remember many a time that the coldest spot in the nation was about 2 hours from where I grew up. Also I remember -80 windchills. So I definitely feel for any of you that have been having the nasty winter weather this last week.
Feb 9, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 9, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
ProudofK - glad to hear you are alright....scary when it's so close to home.
We've got a heatwave here in SoCal - supposed to be 85 today. The Super Bowl is about an hour away from me - they say it's going to be the warmest Super Bowl on record lol.
Feb 9, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 10, 2022
Chipmunk
Good Morning Everyone!!
B'sNukeMom - I like our Snoopy post today, I am going to share it with others.
For those of you headed to graduations - May you have safe travels, may you get lots of pictures, and lots of hugs!!
TAX INFO - My son shared with me that his Master Chief told him to check out Military One source. This is what I found online! MilTax Tax Services & Benefits • Military OneSource
Feb 10, 2022
4kidsforfun
Last minute question for prototyoe graduation. My son says he has a pass for usbor we can ride with him sonwe assume that os for parking. Does anyone know if we need to get tickets to actually get on the Yorktown? He has the third ceremony today so bonus not getting up at the crack of dawn but may be crowded. Thanks for any help!
Feb 11, 2022
4kidsforfun
Nevermind - nothing needed!
Feb 11, 2022
Chipmunk
4kidsforfun - Sorry, I wasn't on earlier! No, you should be able to go up at the window and tell them, or your sailor should be with you. They took photos before going on the ship.
Enjoy your time!!
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
4kidsforfun - hopefully you are at your graduation now. And yes, be sure to get your picture when you first walk up! BZ to your son!
Feb 11, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
Feb 14, 2022
4kidsforfun
Thanks Chipmunk and B'sNukeMoM - we got onto the Yorktown just fine. There was a guy that let us go around the regular path (which had us skip the souvenir photo but since our son wasn't with us at that point that was ok!)
The graduation was great and it was fun to be on the carrier for it. The sailors were all smiles and we got to meet another "navyformoms" family, Maggie. Her son was roommates with mine and they are headed to the same ship which I love.
Now enjoying having him home for a bit before they head to Virginia. I'm trying not to get too used to having him here!
Now that he is all the way through Nuke school I can say it without jinxing him - he somehow managed to go to bootcamp during covid and made it all the way through with no quarantines! His entire bootcamp class was gone (mostly quarantine set backs) by the time he got to power school.
Feb 14, 2022
B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)
4kidsforfun - so glad you had a nice time and yes, enjoy his time at home! That is amazing that he never got caught in the ring of fire and had any covid setbacks.....
Feb 14, 2022
CanukaVet
Just survived our first deployment; less than a year after finishing prototype.
So excited to have boots in the house again.
This was the first time I have ever watched a Navy ship return, even though I have lived here most of my life. It is super special when your precious child is on board.
The Blue Angels did a fly-over, their winter training base is in the desert about 100 miles from here.
My best Valentines Day gift!
Feb 14, 2022
Chipmunk
Canuka - How awesome!! Are you able to get on base when your sailor is coming home, or do you have to watch from elsewhere? Just curious, as deployment comes closer and closer for my son.
Feb 15, 2022
CanukaVet
For today, the base command dictated the pierside Homecoming structure...due to covid it was "drive-thru" with sailors going directly to their families waiting, in vehicles, in a designated parking area (what did we do before cell phones). There was minimal ceremony -- just the CO addressing the media & a few special people on the pier (parents of babies born during deployment and first hug/first kiss winners).
Yes, we did get base access, just for today...our sailor provided our names to the ship command who gave it to the base command for the gates
We chose not to watch the arrival from the pier...it is not the best place to see around the bay. Also, our son didn't disembark for many hours after the ship docked (he had watch and he wasn't in a hurry anyway) so there was no point to sitting in the car on base.
Thanks to personal connections, I was able to see it all from the bridge of the USS Midway Museum which sits up high and faces directly down the ship channel. Ask around for the best viewing locations.
On issue I am aware of is families relying on Uber which could only get them to the gate but not onto the base. The general advise was to rent a car.
Lastly, my boy arranged for his best friend, who works on base, to bring him home. That was more convenient for us but I used my Momma prerogative and opted to go back to pick him up ourselves.
The bottom line is Semper Gumby, each situation is somewhat different. Good luck.
Feb 15, 2022