Sub Moms

Talk with your son BEFORE calling any other persons to "help" him!  Your actions (though motivated by love & concern) might get him pulled from duty, if his command thinks he's emotionally unstable.

Our single sons call US in order to vent and be upset - so, frequently we're seeing the "worst" of what he's experiencing.

Ask him if he feels he needs to talk with someone, then suggest HEseek out a chaplain for other resources.  He may tell you he's OK, just wishing you were around to hug him and "make it better." :-)  k.

Kaye S - wonderful words of advice....nice job!

Very sorry to hear about that tragic loss. Praying for your sons grieving and the Sailors Family. Grieving is a step by step process, so just being able to listen & guide your sons through, is a "huge" first step for them. Kaye's advice is always excellent.

I just talked to my son and he seems to be coping well.. I really have to push him to get him to talk to me. It never used to be like that- I am bothered by a comment that was made to him from a LPO- My son and his friends were going to NEX and the LPO said to my son, "Make sure you don't kill anybody this time." That makes me sad that someone would say this to him.....

Yes... they were swimming.

Well Bonnie, knowing those details that your son was with him, I can see where you are very concerned about your sons mental well being. I definitely can not give advice on this situation, but I can see that you have a valid point to make sure on your end he should be seeking some help on his end with this.

Bonnie B - My son went through a similar situation a couple of years ago.  A member of his crew drowned while moving his sailboat from one marina to another in bad seas.
His command was very good about the situation.  There was a memorial service that all were able to attend.

I don't think it would hurt to talk to a chaplain about this since your son was at the accident. My son was lucky to have a great chief who he could talk to about it.  That is a very hard thing to have to go through, seeing someone die.  I will pray for him and his crew to get through this sad time.

bonnieb - it's good to hear that he is bouncing back.  From what I've read on Guam news sites, it's a gut-wrenching situation for all, and the LPO's comment is way out of line.  Hopefully that was a one-time thing by young sailor with some very poor personal skills, who now knows better.  If not, the chaplain is a great place to go, and would be a good avenue to request discreetly, a meeting with the skipper on the boat (it's called a "request mast").  Really, if the skipper is doing his job, he should be meeting with the sailors involved in a non-threatening way, anyway - I would think, I'm no expert though. 

Happy New Year!!

Good luck to your son Mary!  I had heard that each sub has 3 ELT per crew.  Does anyone know anything about that or if it varies by sub?  I'm also curious about what one crew does while the other crew is out on the sub? I'm refering to boomers with a blue and gold crew.  I haven't found anything in the various discussion forums so I apologize if I missed it.

NavyMomLG - all subs have the same personnel needs as far as ELTs go.  Three plus a lead ELT would be bare bones manning for a sea-going boat. On my boat in the 80s, we usually had five or six (which includes the LELT).  I could see where a total of four on a new construction boat could be plenty though.  On boomers and SSGNs, they keep them pretty busy with training and schools when the other crew has the boat - offcrew is generally the only time they can take leave, also.

Thanks Mark!

Bonnieb75-Its been awhile since I had a chance to pop on N4M. I caught up on the reading past posts. I'm so sorry for your son's loss and for the family of the Salior that passed. I'm glad that your son seems to be coping well. With time I hope things will be easier for him. Time does help to heal the wound of losing somone. In responce to your last post,  I think the LPO was trying to be funny or make light of the situation. Anyway you put it, it was a horrible thing to say! I guess some people cope differantly? (I'm trying to give the LPO the benefit of the doubt).* I do hope you son did not take the LPO's comment to heart. I think knowing that your son can lean on you for support at this time is doing him a world of good. Hopefully, he was/is able to find support with his friends and shipmates....and if possible a Chaplain.  My thoughts and prayers are with your son, you and the family of the fallen Sailor.

Sailor's MIL- I'm sorry for your loss as well.  My prayers will be with you and your family too.

BigBufordsMom, It's kind of the opposite of what you would think, but click on "Stop Following" and it will stop. If "Follow" is there then you won't get messages.

my  son is on the uss alexandria

You can also click "Settings" (on your upper right), then "Email" - a page will pop up for you to choose your default email notification setting. You can even select "Turn Off All Emails" when you go on vacation. Be sure to click "Save" when done. And be sure to reset your email notifications when you come back from vacation.

my son  called from greece ,(crete,souta bay )

Margaret hall, did you say your son is on the USS Alexandria, and that you got a call from him in Greece?!  I apologize, but I'm a little confused at the moment. My son is on the Alexandria also. I'm just wondering what's going on. Because I  didn't receive an e-mail notice from Ombudsman of when (approximately)they would hit port, nor did I get a call from my son. So, I'm a little bewildered. I just want to make sure I read your posts correctly;both of the posts are dated yesterday(Jan. 3rd).  Please respond to this post as soon as you can. I would greatly appreciate it. -thank you =)

Haven't been on in a while, but talked to my sailor today.  He is on deployment and told me that his division received the Red and Green Navigation N for excellence in his squadron!!!  He said this is the 3rd time in a row.  First I have heard of it though!  He is senior in his division at this time, so we are very proud of him and his crew.

Congratulations Rhonda and to your son!... Last but not least your son's squadron too!

My son starts weld school tomorrow in Groton. Question: is this considered a school as in tech school type training? Reason I'm asking is, I have  a lot of US Savings Bonds held in his name under his SS number that can only be used for educational expenses (or else there's a big tax penalty)..He enlisted in the Navy and just finished nuke training (instead of going to college) and will be in the welding course thru March before joining the Missouri. He would like to cash in a few bonds and buy a Mac laptop ($1600) .. .does this sound like a legitimate expense for education? (Any tax preparers/accountants out there?)

Connie since he is not paying for nuclear welding school, not only is the school free but he is being paid to attend it. The Navy does not require him to have a Mac so your son really has no educational expenses I think. The bonds can be used for tuition or lab fees but cannot be used to pay for room & board, or books. You can use the bonds to pay tuition at a vocational school, but Navy school does not charge tuition. But I am not an accountant so you may want to double check if there is some other loophole.

Rats. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Thanks, William.

Thanks Wazzy. I'd heard something on NPR a while ago about penalties for not using savings bonds that are no longer collecting interest. Doesn't sound right to me... the official website is not entirely clear on this matter.

I used to work in a stock brokers office and if they are Series E bonds they do not have a penalty for not using them after they stop collecting interest, which they do for 30 years.  Unless they have made some new kind of ruling.

Thanks Nana D .... it's bugging my son to have $$ he can't invest "his" way (also has an ESA with same restrictions for use only for education)..but Wazzy is right .. down the road he may go for a degree... I do not entirely believe the GI bill will be totally grandfathered for current sailors so any personal investments may come in handy someday. 

Haven't posted in a long time my Sailor is on his first deployment. It's hard not hearing from him but he is doing what he signed up for. I am so proud of him.

Got my first "heart in the throat" feeling, when I saw a news article on Yahoo about a nuclear sub hitting a fishing vessel in the gulf.  Minor damage and sub based out of Los Angles.  My son is in Groton.  Of course the first question, was it my son's sub?  I can't imagine some of the other military families out there with news whether small or headline, the emotional roller coaster ride this has been and is for so many others.

just found it wow some of the peoples comments on there are super ridiculous. I'm just super happy there was no one hurt on the sub!!! 

To nadekg - my son was on the Montpelier when it crashed - so I know the feeling. The name of the sub was reported on the news not long after the collision so I spent some anxious hours waiting to hear if he was okay; it was such a relief to get his call!  I also just learned that the commander of the Montpelier was relieved of his duties last Friday, after the results of the investigation came in.

I'm glad just glad no one was injured in any of the collisions mentioned.

My LO is not yet on a sub but I'd like to be a part of this group to get an idea of what to expect.  

:-) Go Navy!

Welcome, OkSuzy.

My sailor graduated from sub school yesterday 1/11/13 it was great to see the 83 men that worked so hard to get to this point and the atmosphere of the room was so relaxing and joking around was great so different from BC lol.

Did any other families go?

Welcome OkSuzy!  You will learn a lot from this group.   

Pacific Fleet Announces 2012 Battle Efficiency Award Winners

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Announces 2012 Battle Efficiency Award Winners
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Story Number: NNS130102-17Release Date: 1/2/2013 10:58:00 PM
A A A From Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) announced the recipients of the 2012 Battle Efficiency (Battle "E") award in an official message to the submarine force, Jan. 1.

The Battle "E" is an award of merit presented to the most proficient submarine crew in each squadron and recognizes sustained superior technical performance and continual combat readiness throughout the year. The awards are presented by the commodore of each squadron to the submarine under their command which has demonstrated the highest level of battle readiness during the evaluation year.

"The competition for Battle Efficiency awards was extremely tough. These awards recognize commands which were evaluated during the past year to have attained the highest overall or departmental readiness to carry out their wartime tasks," said Rear Adm. Frank Caldwell, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in the message to the force. "Each crew member of an award winner can be justifiably proud of their contribution to improve Pacific Submarine Force readiness. I am extremely proud of your outstanding performance."

I tend to think all of them are my subs now. ...

In the car on our way to Groton, CT for my son's graduation from sub school.  Afterwards, we get to bring him home for a couple of weeks until he has to leave for Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, HI where he'll be stationed for the next 4 years.  VERY excited!  Can't wait to see him and get my arms around him in a few hours!!!

Thank you Ray ray.  Can't wait!  There are only 6 graduating.  My son will be an ET Nav.