JayDee659 - I forgot about you being in FL when we were checking on others in the Beyond BC group. Glad you are able to visit your kids. Keep us posted. 

Thanks Chipmunk, the eye of Ian hit just a little south of us.  I heard that the Manatee River (which is about a mile from my house) had all the water sucked out of it by the force of the winds!

For anyone with a sailor at GC here's some information you may like to have regarding hurricanes and tropical weather.  My daughter is an instructor at prototype and was just told this morning that they follow Charleston County protocol.  If Charleston County mandates an evacuation then there will be meetings on base to discuss the plan, set up transportation, etc.  Your Nuke will know.  I know that not all Nukes do a great job communicating with us but you can follow Charleston Co. on line and be aware of the current situation.

When they evacuated for Matthew in 2016 my daughter was allowed to drive her personal car home to Indiana.  She first had to file a very detailed plan with her Chief and get permission.  So if you live close enough to SC but far enough out of the path, your child might have an opportunity to come home - NO GUARANTEES!

I'll say that right now it's windy right now but no big deal.  Your kiddos may want to make sure they have fresh batteries in their flash lights and have some canned soup and extra tp on hand.  The Walmart in Summerville is a zoo, out of soup and short on water flats, hopefully the one in GC is better stocked.

I'll update everyone if anything changes, but if any of you mid west moms are nervous, feel free to reach out to me.  Trust me, I know what it's like.  

JayDee659 - I am glad to hear that things are looking okay for your place. Wow! That is interesting about the Manatee River! I can't imagine what that would be like for all of the aquatic life as well. 

I remember both of the evacuations my son made for hurricanes. Once during A school and once during Power School. The first one he rode on a bus transport, the 2nd one he drove himself. I remember telling him to make sure he had snacks and such with him. He had charged his computer and downloaded some books to read online for the first time. 

I told him to prepare himself as best as he could to be without things, so that he was not part of the problem when other sailors needed food and water.

Welcome to our newest member ~ jomama!

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.

jomama- Welcome to the Nuke Moms group! We are glad you are here. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions that you or your son have about the Nuke program. I also posted a message on your profile page. 

Hi All - just checking in. It’s been a while since I’ve been on N4Ms. For whatever reason, my email notifications keep getting turned off. After the 2nd or 3rd time, I just left them off. Freed up some time, as I must admit, this site is addicting :) 

My sailor graduated prototype in June. He did incredibly well in the Nuke pipeline, and became a JSI (Junior Staff Instructor) at NPTU (prototype). He loves it and really enjoys helping Nuke students learn. He recently Star Re-enlisted and I got to go onto NPTU and ‘pin him’ during the ceremony. I felt so proud and happy for him. 

He made great friends while in Nuke School and we enjoyed getting to know them too when we would visit. My son had bought a house and his 4 best friends (3 guys, 1 girls) lived with him during prototype. They developed a great bond and I hope they remain friends for life. They all did very well academically and had a super friendly competition throughout the program. One has been to visit us a couple times as he is stationed in San Diego and we live in Orange County.

The Navy, and the Nuke Program has been such a positive experience for my son, and helped a floundering young man who had lost direction during college find his way. He is now contemplating applying for the STA-21 program  

N4Ms got me through it during the first few months (boot camp and A school) when I was so afraid he’d hate it or would not be able to handle the workload. I thank all you wonderful ladies, especially Chipmunk for all your encouraging and wise words when I needed them the most. 

DsMom2020 - Oh it is so good to hear from you!! I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how your sailor was doing. The last we had chatted, I don't recall if I knew for sure that he was officially a JSI. Thank you for sharing!

Be sure to keep us updated, especially if he is thinking about STA-21. 

DsMom, congratulations to your son. That's so awesome he has been chosen to be a instructor. Prayers our Lord gives to him His Wisdom to instruct those depending on him to continue on their journey. So very happy for you!

NWM - thank you for prayers. I know he takes this responsibility and honor very seriously. 

Chipmunk - I will let you know how it goes. I hope if he does apply, he gets it!

B’sNukeMoM - thank you. Very helpful. Now I just wait to see if he applies. He’s brought it up a couple times recently. I’m proud of him either way. I do worry his college grades will hurt him (started very high first year, before he lost interest… then pretty bad). But he did exceptionally well throughout the Nuke Pipeline. Will have to retake SAT/ACT since he took it so long ago. We’ll see….. I’ll let you all know how it plays out if he applies. 

There seem to be a lot of Sailors recruited into the Nuke and other Advanced Technical fields who were poor or indifferent students. Many seem to thrive on the more structured learning approach of the Navy. The trend in colleges has long been to a less structured do-your-own-thing choose-your-path approach that appeals to some students but may be a hindrance to others. I suspect, though, that Sailors going back to school on something like STA-21 will have gained a lot of focus and maturity and will certainly be accustomed to hard work.

As you may know, my son has gone through the STA-21 program and is now an ensign. As a matter of fact, he is back at NNPTC going through the nuke pipeline on the officer side. He is exactly the sailor WearsLargeHats describes. He barely graduated from high school for lack of trying and focus. The Navy changed all that. He did well in the structure of the nuke pipeline when he was enlisted, thrived in college, and is happy with his first test scores in officer power school. STA-21 has worked out well for him, and I'm grateful to the Navy for bringing out his potential.

PacNWmom - Thanks for the update! I was wondering how your son was doing and hoped that you saw DsMom2020 - to share with her. He has gone full circle and now back again. I am looking forward to hearing how things go for him. 

I love reading these updates about your sailors.  I could say "Ditto" about the underachieving son.  We fully expected our son to not make it through A school because he hated high school and wasn't a great student.  But he did well in A school and is loving Power School so far.  He also mentioned the Seaman to Admiral program, but I didn't know it was called STA-21.  Thanks for that info!

It is so encouraging to have these connection with all of you!!!

Another underachieving kid here too! He is waiting to start ETN A school. He keeps saying he heard it is easy. I keep reminding him of his grades in Trigonometry. He texted me happy he got WiFi today because he has a lot of free time waiting for class to start. 

Lancertrackmom - He may realize it is not easy once he gets into it, and especially towards the end of A school. If you haven't read through my discussion above about A school, I suggest you do. My son is an ETN2. 

He would encourage your son to get his UIs (Under Instructions) "watch training" done as much as possible now, so that he is not scrambling to get it finished before he completes A school. They have to be fully qualified to stand watches during T-Track.  My son would also encourage him to make sure he is keeping up with his physical fitness daily, as well as volunteering for an assigned duty while in INDOC, verses being "voluntold". Mine was INDOC for a month, which included a hurricane evacuation. 

Thank you for sharing, he will enjoy that free time now and be wishing he had it later on. 

MomofJoseph & Q's Momma - Hi!! It is good to hear from you. 

Hi All - it IS always helpful to hear how common it is for Nukes to struggle before starting the Nuke program and then to hear how they just blossom in this environment. I remember being soooo worried he would not be able to successfully complete the pipeline. It was such a relief to hear from other moms and even better when I saw my sailor was stepping up.

I would love to hear from more moms who’s sailors were accepted to the STA-21 program. Anyone else have a sailor that bombed in college too?

I had heard that previous grades counted on the for STA-21…. I read all the links B’s Nuke Mom sent (Thanks again) and read that only about 25% of those that apply are accepted (I’d heard it was low) and that many Nukes apply several times before getting in (glad to hear that they can keep trying)…

Good Morning Everyone - 

I just realized that my discussion was no longer visible above, so I bumped it back into the queue. Here it is as well. Nuke A school daily schedule

BTW, my comment on underachievers in the Nuke program is based on almost 9 years of reading comments on this group. Lord, has it been that long?
There is also a surprisingly weak correlation between the academic part of the NNPTC program and actual on-the-job performance. Some breeze through A-school and Power School, but not Prototype, while others struggle through A-school and Power School and shine in Prototype.
The attrition rate is pretty high. Making it through, or not, doesn't mean better or worse. Being a Navy Nuke just isn't for everyone. IMO, the best advice for your Sailors is to take care of themselves, give it their best effort, maintain a good military bearing, and don't give up until the Command tells them to.
My son washed out late in Prototype about 7 years ago. He on shore rotation in a really cool job that he clearly enjoys. (Even though public articles confirmed what I thought he does, I still don't feel comfortable talking about it on a public forum.)

WearsLargeHats, totally agree. My son went through A School like a breeze but struggled doing the 3 different subjects in Power School. I still think being out of any kind of school for 7 years played a big part  especially in calculus and physics but he is loving his new rate and isn't stressed to the max anymore. Nothing but the greatest respect for the Nuclear Program and all the help he was given but it's not for everyone. God has different plans and sometimes they are not the ones we choose. The Nuclear Program added to my son's character but it isn't what defines him.

Northwoodsmom and WLH - I agree with your comments too.  My son did ok in A school, struggled big time in Power school - even had to re-comp, and enjoyed Prototype - he loved the "hands on" aspect of it.  Different strokes for different folks lol!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Friday!!!  I took my car to be inspected and when I was checking out, the mechanic said, "It is RED Friday!"  I had forgotten that I was wearing my RED Friday sweatshirt.  :-)

Happy Friday. Just heard from my sailor and he's back from his last underway. Now the countdown to out begins! I will continue to wear red, but celebrating the coming reunion!

CSW - congratulations!!!  I know your heart is so happy!

CSW - It is good to hear from you!! I am glad that you have heard from your sailor. I have my RED on and now that they are actually out longer than a few days to a couple of weeks, wearing my shirts means even that much more. 

MomofJoseph - That is wonderful that someone else recognized it!

CSW - woohoo - let the countdown begin!

Happy Monday!

Happy Tuesday!

Hi everyone, My son just started his A-school classes last week, had his first exam and got a 2.57, so just barely passed. He’s so stressed, and exhausted.  Has any other mom’s sailors had the experience of having a rough start then improving once they are settled into the routine? Any advice for how to best support him? He did pretty well in boot camp with no set backs. 

SDNukeMom - it can be a little stressful in the beginning (and beyond).  There's a lot thrown at them and very quickly!  The Navy will teach him a whole new way to study lol!  My son said it was lots (and lots) of memorization.  He'll get into a rhythm and it will come together.  He can always ask for help too...they want him to succeed.  Tell him to make sure he's eating right and getting as much sleep as possible (might seem like an impossibility but he needs to figure out a schedule). 

And the saying is "2.5 to stay alive" - so he's fine.  It's only one exam, there will be many more where he will be able to improve his grade.

He's got this!

SDNukeMom, the Navy is very specific they want things done and it is tough breaking old habits from their school years but he will learn it. Takes a little time but like any job you learn the way your boss or teachers want it done. Remember they are there to make your Sailor better at his job. I know that they are extremely smart but when they get lumped up with nothing but extremely smart kids it is very intimidating for them. Tell him to shake it off, there will always be someone smarter than you but your there because they believe in him. Encourage him but also keep the communications open to the fact that you are proud of the young man he is becoming and whatever he chooses you will support him.

Northwoodsmom,  Canuka , B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN-  I am in tears right now so grateful to have somewhere to come for support. Thank you, your words were exactly what I needed to hear. I know that he will settle into a routine and come out on the other side alive with at least a 2.5!  He sent a text message last night after we talked that said, "Love you, I'll make it through this."   I just wanted to hug him.

He did tell me that he has been hungry because he hasn't had time to go the grocery store, and doesn't always make breakfast in the galley, so I sent him some healthy snacks. I also sent a comfy blanket and some new socks.  Sometimes it's those little things that can make a big difference. 

Thank you all for your support.

A very important thing to note is that nuke school exams are used to track progress and identify areas requiring more study. There is no permanent record. Once the particular school is completed, nobody will care about the grades. Likewise, in prototype and fleet, while there may be a deadline for completing qualifications it doesn't matter if a qualification is passed on the 1st attempt or the 5th.

It is kind of like the old joke: "What do you call someone who graduated medical school at the bottom of the class? Doctor."

So your Sailor should try to make the best grade they can, but don't worry about it too much.

Hi, SDNukeMom!  My son is at GC now and not quite a month into Power School.  I want to add to the encouragement that the Navy will work with your son and they WANT him to do well.  My son had some friends who struggled initially in A school and the Navy worked with them.  Some of them got into a routine and brought their grades up.  A couple of them got setback into another group, and then did better. 

One of his friends was studying nonstop and still having a hard time passing the tests.  The class lead brought that up to the SLPO because he felt like the Sailor was working too hard.  ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.")  They ordered him to not study so much.  :-)  He got rolled back into another group and is doing well now.