NUKE moms

JNMnavymomOH and joe-mom - We did Power School graduation in March and we did not get an invitation.  My son knew early on what his graduation date was (but didn't bother to tell me until I specifically asked.)  Since power school graduations are every 6 weeks (I think), it's reasonable to assume your Sailors will graduate on the same day!  Woo hoo!

In our experience, their finals were 4 days before graduation so they didn't know if they would actually get to walk across the stage until then.

We are now almost halfway through Prototype and my son also calls on the ride home.  (NNPS puts roommates on the same schedule so they can ride together, but my son has had his schedule varied so he can't ride with his roommates.)   The daytime calls are wonderful, but I'm getting a little too old for the calls after midnight!  LOL.

MomofJoseph - Just wait til you get a call in the middle of the night from the other sid elf the world. You won’t mind a bit. :)

*side of the world 

Momof Joseeph - enjoy all those calls.

I got word that my sailors 1st deployment will be this summer. I'm nervous and excited for him. He's so far away already so I dont see him but i do get calls at odd hours. Have a nice day

Pizanche - {{{BNMHs}}}

Pizanche,  you are in my thoughts, my son has been in since early 2020. His first deployment will be sometime next year. I was going to retire but it is probably a good thing I am not this next school year. The kiddos will help keep my mind busy and the new puppy is keeping me more active but even with that I can't even imagine not hearing from them for so many months. Hugs!

North woods mom.. thank you. You are on my mind often when I read the stories.  I am glad you have something (puppy) to occupy your mind. 
Chipmunk.. thank you

3B'smom - Yes, calls from the other side of the world will be great WHENEVER they come!  :-)

Pizanche - That IS scary and exciting at the same time.  I know our Sailors are excited about their adventures, but it's tough on us moms.  Big hugs!

Pizanche - Thinking about you! 

Welcome to our newest member ~ Tennekke!

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.

Hi, Tennekke!  Welcome!  And when you get a chance, please let us know where your Sailor is in this journey.  My son is halfway through Prototype and should be joining the fleet soon.

Good Morning Everyone!!

Oh, I missed the post the other day about Prototype graduation. Congratulations to any and all sailors who have made it through the pipeline!!!

My DIL has been enjoying sending me pictures of my son who is now able to be out in the sunshine more often. She said he no longer has a pasty face!! And he is enjoying growing his beard and his hair, which he had mostly buzz cut short, way back in his swim team days!   

He has enjoyed trading his Navy cap for his currently stay-at-home husband role, budding chef and housekeeper. LOL though, my DIL still does the deep clean on the kitchen even though my son has enjoyed cooking. FYI - some of these meal plan options that you can order online have significant military discounts. They are using one of the cheaper brands and when she told me the cost, I thought it actually was reasonable for them, especially when she was working nights and my son was cooking for them.

Happy 26th birthday to my son etn2 Austin J currently at sea on uss Tennessee

Amelia - Happy Birthday to your son!

NPTU Spouses, check out this spouse event! The next date is this Thursday, July 27th. This is a great opportunity to connect with other spouses at NPTU, learn something new and have fun! There will be light food and beverages available and children are also welcome.

AmeliaJW3665 - Welcome to the Nuke Mom group. We are glad to have you here.

If anyone has a sailor in King's Bay, please check out her discussion above. Thanks!

Welcome to the group AmeliaJW3665!

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.

Hello - We just got back from visiting 9 states in 10 days.  We put 3300 miles on our rental car (so sorry, Alamo!) :-)  and visited several national parks:  Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone, Glacier, and a few others.  I missed a lot of posts, but wanted to check-in.

Thank you for posting the Prototype Graduation information.  My son is in the next graduating class, and it was so great to see the schedule so I have an idea of what to expect.

He got his soft orders while we were on vacation, so for the moms who are in A school or Power school, he received his soft orders about 8 weeks before graduation.  Everyone told him that he should get his first choice because he chose a location not many people choose.  But he is going to a place not even on his top 5 list.  (But he is actually excited about it, and we are happy that he is happy.)

Hi all! Just checking in. My sailor is still on the Jimmy Carter and was just extended for six months. He is kind of bummed out because he was really looking forward to shore duty. He’s been promoted to E6 and has his girlfriend living with him now. He’s hoping to head back to SC for shore duty… but this Momma wouldn’t mind if he stayed put. Washington state is absolutely beautiful! Hope everyone is doing well!!! Here’s a picture my kid took while paddle boarding.

The Hammer - I am sorry that your son's time has been extended for sea duty. Since my son did not reenlist, he never had the option for shore duty. But I will say that WA is a wonderful place to be. 

MomofJoseph - We took a similar trip years ago with our children but put all the mileage on our big van. Lately, I keep suggesting to my husband that we should rent a car for our long-distance trips to our children, so the mileage goes on the rental and not on our personal vehicles anymore!

I don't know why anyone would tell your son that he would get his 1st choice. It is rare. My son did - but I think it is just a luck of the draw and what they need where at the time as far as the Nuke rate.  

MomofJoseph - Sounds like a wonderful trip! We did Badlands, Custer and Mt. Rushmore a few years ago. South Dakota is lovely. Congrats to your son on going someplace he's excited about! Thanks for the Prototype info.

Chipmunk - Love your rental car idea!

The Hammer - Sorry about the extension. I'm sure he and his GF were looking forward to spending some time together on shore. My son would love to be on the Jimmy Carter after Prototype - we'll see. Great pic from your son!

Just checking in!!  My son is doing well in Power School.  He has a classmate that is teaching him and several other students how to drive, which makes me happy.  I know he mentioned that he didn't know if he should ask for the new carrier that is going to Japan or the one that is currently there and will be coming back stateside (I believe that is what he said).  I know his choice is Japan, no matter what.  

The Hammer - We drove through the East side of Washington state and we were amazed at the landscape - not at all what I pictured Washington would look like.  Hopefully, we'll get to explore more at another time.

Chipmunk - this is our third long trip and the first one was in my van and we put almost 3000 miles on it.  But the second and third ones, we flew to a central location and then put the miles on the rental car.  (Plus our van is old and my husband worries that it will break down on the side of the road!) 

joe-mom - Yes, South Dakota is lovely.  This was my first time in those 9 states (now all 50 are checked off), but I had no idea how beautiful the Dakotas are.  We loved the scenery in all of those states.  Such a great trip!

SuzAtlantaMom - I am going to hang on to your last sentence:  "God and the Navy apparently have their own plans."  That is so true!  We prayed and prayed for our son to be put in the place that would be best for him, but we didn't get what we expected.  But I'm hopeful that it will be perfect for him!  Is your son still in Ballston Spa?

JNMnavymomOH - How do you feel about your sailor being in Japan?  Are you hopeful that he will get to go there?

Thanks all! I was just laughing with my husband thinking about how my son wanted to be on a carrier… and then on a whim, applied for the Carter. His orders were late - didn‘t receive until after Prototype graduation. We were in the car when the phone rang (his handler) and he received soft orders. He hung up, looked at me and told me… and we both just sat there… stunned. Expect the unexpected… and go with the big blue flow I guess! It’s been heck of a ride so far!

MomofJoseph 3 - I have known for several years that he wanted to go to Japan.  I want him to travel the world and see/experience different cultures and countries.  The service was going to be the best way for him to do that.  I am becoming adjusted to the idea of him going and while I don't want him to be so far away, I will (hopefully) get to visit him there. This mama needs a vacation!!

Hi All - It is good to hear from you!!

From what I have gleaned over the years here, I would say that going out on a deployment, or an opportunity to see someplace else, is far preferable to having your ship stuck in dry dock or doing short stents out on multiple underways. The days and hours can be long, no matter what. The Nukes watch bill is usually busier than most other rates, but feeling like you are actually doing something with your watch time and not just lots of routine maintenance, would have been preferred by my sailor. Also, I think he said that you can generally qualify faster when you are out to sea, because there is actually stuff to do rather than being in the shipyards. 

Great to see all the chatter today.  SuzAtlantamom, my son is also stationed at Ballston Spa. He completed Prototype several years ago and really loved the area.  It was his second choice for land duty, Washington being his first, but understood that it would be a difficult placement to get.  He’s been doing great with his position at Ballston Spa, which is more admin than being active with the reactors. Needless to say, he has been enjoying having a daily schedule that doesn’t change. He was also able to work on an online degree which he will complete in December. Hoping to make the trek out to see him soon

JNMnavymomOH my son is heading to Japan some time in the next year. Maybe they'll be working together. He's been in Norfolk for about a year and a half now and his ship has finally gone out for a couple short sea trials. Beginning to get real!

4kidsforfun - My prayer is that he meets some great people and creates bonds and friendships that will see him through life.  My son will graduate power school in Oct, so I would assume that he would enter the fleet around April/May.  I would love him to get some leave and come home before he moves across the globe.

I was amused by MomOfJoseph's comment about not getting what they expected. Our Evening Prayer service ends (optionally) with the 5th century Prayer of St. Chrysostom, the last line of which is "Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting." Every time we say that one, I think about how it is a bit of a Dangerous Prayer. What may be "best for us" might not be what we have in mind.
Our son wanted to stay on the East coast, and we would have liked that too, but he has orders back out to Washington. Oh well.

Assignments are definitely based on the needs of the Navy.

My son did not get his first choice (Japan) but he did get his second choice. I think that I was more disappointed than he was because I was already looking forward to visiting him there. As I recall, he could only select a homeport, not a specific ship. He was assigned to a ship that deployed just a couple of months after he reported.

As for seeing the world, I hope it is better now. That deployment was still under covid so their only stops were in Japan (couldn't leave the Naval Base) and Guam twice. 

He is now fully qualifed but he has decided not to re-enlist.