NUKE moms

B’sNukeMom - oh yes, there will definitely be visits! I actually get to make the road trip up there with him. I’m super excited. I haven’t had him trapped in the car, all to myself, since he was a sophomore in high school 😁

MomofJoseph - thank you and you’re welcome!

Chipmunk - YES, absolutely this is it exactly. They are capable but it’s nice to help where we can to make sure they are good. 

Appreciate everyone’s support and feedback!!

Welcome to our newest members ~ Janet Tazer Face and Gwen!

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 (21) 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.

Good morning, Gwen!  Your son and my son could be twins!  :-)  My son went to BC Sept 2021, and went to Nuke school in Nov 2021.  He is smart, loves math, and did not want to go to college.  I don't have great advice about getting him back on track, but for my son, we told him we didn't care what he did, but he had to do SOMETHING after graduation:  College, community college, workforce, Navy - we didn't care, but he was not going to live in our basement and play video games.  For him, the Navy was the best of his options.

He has loved most of his experience.  He loved Nuke school.  It was challenging, but he loved the freedom of school M-F and having weekends off.  He loved that he was paid to go to school while his friends were PAYING for their school.  And now he loves how many options he has for when he separates from the Navy. (Also, the signing bonus and the reenlistment bonus have been a blessing to him.)

I hope some of this triggers some ideas for motivating your son. 

Gwen, I am glad that MomofJoseph replied before I did, as my son's situation was a little different. However, he was still just out of HS and headed to BC in late June of that year and to Nuke school the end of Aug. He never wanted to do more than 6 years and as an ETN he was often pushed to reenlist. He is also short and was queried many times why he did not want to go subs. Nuke school is hard, the schedule for duty watch can be difficult, depending on where your sailor is at. But as MomofJoseph said, they also can earn more and save their money which is what my son did. All in all, the decision has to be his because when it gets tough, he has to decide if it was worth it or not. My son chose not to do the Star reenlistment, but he is now in the reserves and for his situation, that has worked out fairly well. 

Janet Tazer Face and Gwen! - Welcome Aboard!! Please feel free to post your questions here. We may not be able to answer immediately, but we will and if we miss something don't hesitate to ask again. 

My son helped me write this discussion when he was in A school in 2017 - a lot has happened since then but you may still share this with your loved ones to give them and yourself an idea of what A school looks like. - 

Nuke A school daily schedule - sailor's perspective - Navy For Moms

Gwen - ditto MomofJoseph and Chipmunk. My son was a combo of theirs it sounds like except he hated Math lol but he is crazy smart and loves a challenge and loves getting paid for both of those things. he had his first swearing in May 31 of 23, did the DEP and graduated high school at the end of May 24. He made a list of everything he wanted to do that last year and we were not allowed to talk about his decision except when it was time for that monthly meeting because he was definitely having reservations but knew it was the thing he needed to do. Like MomofJoseph, we didn’t care what he did but living in our basement playing video games was not an option. He was the most scared we have ever seen him boarding that plane for BC but he did it. We told him that was hardest thing he ever did and everything else would be up from there. His “why” was not wanting to let us down and in that moment, I’m glad it was us that kept him committed even though we didn’t tell him he owed us anything. We did tell him to think of his future self and would his future self have regrets if he decided not to go. A year out from then now and having just passed PS, he says his future self is so glad he stuck with it. No regrets and I’m happy for him that he doesn’t. I think it helped that there wasn’t more than 10 days between graduating high school and leaving for Boot Camp because I think having that summer may have changed everything. As Chipmunk said, the why has to be his because that’s what will keep him going even when he doesn’t think he can or doesn’t feel like it. Hope this helps!!!

Gwen, encourage him to focus on physical training now; being in the best shape he can will make boot camp easier.

Also, get a driver's license now! And starting thinking about access to a car which is a necessity for Prototype, when they have to live off base and commute at all hours of the day & night. Ditto for life in the fleet...boats/ships spend almost as much time in home port as they do at sea.

Boot camp is scary but it is only 2 months...easy for us to say, but it will soon be in the rear view mirror as they move on to bigger and better things with new friends.

Click on the picture to make it bigger and easier to read.

CanukaVet - Good reminders!! Thanks!

Congratulations to all of our upcoming Nuke Pipeline graduates!!

My Sailor is graduating from the Nuke Pipeline in a couple of weeks. What a journey this has been!! Can anyone tell me what the dress code is on the USS Yorktown, and any other words of advice for graduation. Is it outside? Is it a large group similar to Powerschool? Thank you!

G'sNavyMom - Congratulations to your Sailor AND to you and your family for your support!  There's no specific dress code for the USS Yorktown, but it is a long walk from the gate to the ship, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes.

Graduation size is smaller than Power School, but larger than A School.  I'm guessing about 100 Sailors graduated with my son.  They divide the graduates into groups (For our son's graduation, there were 3 groups.  One around 8:00, one around 9:30 and one around 11:00.)

After graduation, there is a merch table and they only take cash.  There is an ATM but it is back up at the gate.  If you think you might want merch, bring cash.

During the ceremony, they invite families to come to the front to get pictures, so feel free to get up from your seat to get a good shot of your Sailor walking across the stage.

G'sNavyMom - I think my son's graduation was the 11 AM one. - There is no food on the USS Yorktown itself and since we were able to tour it, and did not want to walk off the ship back up to the snack shop & merch store, we all got very hungry. So, I suggest taking some snack bars, beef jerky or something that may be snacked on, if you wish. I think my son got a parking pass for us (just a paper that went in the window), but I don't think we actually needed it, they did not charge us for parking or for admission, but our sailor did come meet us there. My son's graduation was in April, it was a very windy, cloudy day, I was so afraid his cover was going to blow off as we walked down the long gang plank ramp to the USS Yorktown. 

And Ditto on what MomofJoseph shared. 

Thank you very much for this information! Greatly appreciate it. This is very helpful!! 

G'sNavyMom - BZ to your son on completing the pipeline!  I have nothing to add for the graduation since B graduated in Ballston Spa....but it looks like you got some helpful info!  Enjoy your time in Goose Creek!

B'sNukeMoM - thank you! Seems like yesterday we were talking about him going to SC. Yes, the information received was helpful! 

The kids got a new pup!  Welcome to the family Duke!  He's a Bernese Mountain Dog....

B'sNukeMom - Duke is beautiful, so precious!  How exciting for the little one and family!

Thanks Seahawks12 - they say he's just the sweetest pup and is so good with Oliver!

I've got my RED on!

Best buds!

Happy RED Friday!! Is the graduation on the USS Yorktown outdoors? Thank you!

G'sNavyMom - I believe it is actually onboard the USS Yorktown.  Hopefully someone will chime in to confirm!