EOD

Congrats to the up and coming grads! And also to those that have been in the classes of before! Ft. Walton has many places as well, and also rests alongside Eglin Base. Just get on line and put in those destinations, many should pop up. You will not believe the water, so beautiful and typically clear, the sand so white...you will love it. However, word of advice, start getting reservations because summer time it books up fast. "Everyone" wants a summer vacation out by the ocean. Good luck, God Bless, and Congratulations!

New to the group, my son is EOD and is deployed in Africa right now.

Andrew has been in Africa since early October. We talk late at night on Face Book and he calls when he can. He says living in Iraq was better than Africa. He is hoping to be home in about a month. Then his unit is moving, so he will be very busy when he gets back.

Our son was just in Bahrain for his Senior EOD test (he did great on it) and said it was a great place. He even ran into an old high school friend there.

EOD gets to work Secret Service when state side. Our son has done it several times. He has been on assignment with Dick Cheney, both President Bush's at Camp David and a month with Obama in Chicago. But, his real love is working in the field doing what he has been trained for. He loves EOD. Training was hard, but he did it without a problem. Just studied very hard every day and had no roll backs. The key is to study hard and stay focused, they can party later. With this job you are not always given a second chance.

I have a question for you lovely ladies out there.... Would i be going over board and carried away if I got SCUBA certified before I ship out? I know Navy diving is COMPLETELY different, but from talking to your kids, do you think getting myself familiar and comfortable being under water with gear and equipment might be beneficial for anyone going in?

Thanks!!

Thanks Gail for that feedback! I guess its really personal preference and your own comfort level... I LOVE the water but after seeing some of the dive videos on YouTube, it's made me feel SLIGHTLY uncomfortable, but not enough to the point I want to look into another rate bc of it haha. I think it would help build my self confidence in the water and increase my comfort level. Thanks again Gail!! =)

My son just got to BC Monday 5/3, he is EOD. How does he keep up with the extra training for his PST's during BC. And how long will he stay at RTC for the EOD Prep Course?

Are there any moms of female EOD Sailors here? I would really like insight from a female, first hand, on the process of becoming EOD... Thanks!!

OK! So, now that my heart is in my throat (and my stomach is there also) Hi everyone. And thanks for the advice and details, no matter how scary it is! I still haven't received a letter or phone call from my son. One mom who's son is in my son's Ship/DIV got her 1st letter today. And another mom got a call on Monday from her son and he said they just had their first writing time Sunday. So, fingers crossed, I should get one today or tomorrow! I just want my soon to be well! I know he didn't go into an easy job, by far! And I expect that the training will be extensive and extreme. It's just hard to hear it! I write every day, but have started to send 2 in 1 envelope every other day. Someone said that they could get teased for getting so many letters from mom and have to drop! I don't want to cause any unnecessary hardships on him. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch what his days are like. Probably better not to know details! My son's the type that'll say everything is good even if it isn't! Tim & Katie...your son's are in my prayers as are you! Thanks and TTYL!

Tim...glad you got a picture of your son and that he looks so happy! I got my 1st letter from my son today. He said BC is not what he expected. Said it's more studying than PT. Except for the PT because of stupid mistakes, etc! He said he is in charge of watch bills and the deck log. He says it's stressful but the perks are good! He won't have watch for Liberty Weekend and something about he'll be at the front of the division at graduation, so we'll be able to find him easy. I'm just worried that he's gonna lose the strength and muscle he built up training and working with his boat crew before leaving here, and when it comes time for his next PST he'll be disappointed! Any suggestions? He said he got only 1 letter so far. I sent 5 envelopes the first day I had his address and only 1 got to him! And I've been sending one every other day and he hasn't received any of those! Oh yeah, the silly picture thing, oops...already sent one hoping to make him laugh and keep his spirits up! Hopefully he won't catch too much flack from it! If it even makes it to him! Again, I'm glad your son's lovin' what he's doing! Hope mine feels the same when he gets to that point! TTYL. Take Care!

Thanks Katie and Tim. He is tall and lean, but did build a lot of muscle working out, running and swimming everyday before going to bc. He has good endurance, at least he did! I'm hoping to get a call tomorrow and plan on asking a lot of questions and giving some advice I've gotten from you guys! I did find out he is a watch section leader for his div and said that it (the div) needs to get it together cause he's having to do a lot of push ups! I'm so proud to hear he's gotten such an important position. I don't know how the RDC's decide who gets what position/job, maybe my son's 4yrs of JROTC has paid off! LOL! But, I just don't want him to struggle when EOD prep starts! He told his dad that he's glad he got his stubbornness from him, cause that's gonna keep him goin"! Well friends, TTYL! Have a great day!

Katie, I'm glad you got your call and that Z is doing well! He sounds like a strong young man and he's going to do great!
Katie and Tim... I also finally got my first call from TJ yesterday around 6pm, we got 30 minutes of talk time! At first I thought it was my daughter calling cause I had changed her ring tone, here I somehow changed the all calls ring tone to the same as hers. So, I answered expecting her...well he said "hi momma" and my heart about jumped outta my chest! I got so excited I started getting all choked up, but calmed my voice so he wouldn't get to feeling blue. He said they had their first inspection, he passed and that he was doing good. He said the division as a whole almost didn't pass! They got their first flag!? He said the other divisions are calling theirs the Bad News Bears, I guess cause there are a lot of guys there that just aren't trying and don't want to be there and it's making the division look like they are still in their P-days. But, he said the past couple days were starting to get better!
He is the Starboard Watch Section Leader and is in charge of 30 guys. He said when one of them messes up, if he doesn't catch it right away, he does push-ups. I guess he and the Port Watch Section Leader are keeping score to sese who does the most in a day, right now my son is in the lead...lol! He said he's averaging about 250 a day! So I guess he's getting a bit more PT than the rest...lol! He said it's all good, it's making him stronger and he doesn't mind the exercise! But, he said that things are starting to come together. I asked him so many questions, he probably thought I was crazy! I had made a list yesterday morning of what I wanted to know, I'm glad I did! He said the food is amazing (hmm...what's that saying about my cooking, lol). It's ok, he didn't grow to be 6'1", 180# on bad cooking...lol! I was expecting him to call today, now I don't have anything to look forward to...lol!
Well, guess I'll do laundry today, it's a rainy, dark and gloomy!
Take care! Talk to you again soon!

Carol

Jackie and Lorraine, My son also heads out on Monday the 7th. I will post as soon as I hear from him. I hope you two will also, since my son probably wont jump on the chance to write a letter.

Tim, your son will be back up there in no time! It sounds like you had a really nice visit with him and his friends. I'll bet that IHOP bill was a doozie! LOL! My son is still complaining about not getting enough exercise. His group is doing well, so he is no longer the most IT'd recruit. He was saying he had to fire 2 guys and he hated having to do it. He did say something about big mistakes and an inspector coming in and catching them, he said it was "not good". He is also being told to challenge the RCPO for his position, I don't know the details about that though. He said he was still undecided on that. I'm hoping for a phone call this weekend and maybe I'll find out more, cause this letter was written last weekend! He did say someone jacked-up his rack so he had to go fix it, so he couldn't write long! Payback? Anyway, he's only got 19 days & a wake-up til PIR!
Take care friend, be talking to you!
Carol

Getting ready to head to Great Lakes for TJ's PIR on the 25th!! His DIV won the Captain's Cup, BS is this Wednesday! Then EOD prep will start on JUL 11th. Not sure why they're on such a long hold! I just can't wait to see my son the "Sailor" on Friday!! Guess I'll be leaving my BC group and be here for the next 14 months, or 6 years...LOL!!

Hi Everyone! I just joined N4M and I am a proud wife! My hubby is Scott, his rate is EOD! I'm not sure if he has been given a nickname yet or not but he has gone by the name "Gundy" here at home so that just might be his nickname there... who knows. I havent received a phone call besides a "business call" about some security clearance stuff and that was a 5 minute phone call... not much was said but it sure was nice to hear his voice!! I hope to get a personal phone call soon!!! I did get some letters last week and he told me how tired he was and how busy they are and of course how much he missed me and our 2 kids. He says he's doing fine and is eating very healthy and is in even better shape then he was when he left for BC. He was in excellent shape before so I can't even imagine him being any stronger! :)

Are there any Navy Wives or Girlfriends in here who's Man is in Ship 4 Div 817? I would love to be able to connect with you! I'm on Facebook and would love to become friends on there. please add me if you have a facebook! http://www.facebook.com/jgundlach
My awesome father and mother in law have booked our rooms at the Ramada for the graduation. we wont be making it to the mixer in time.. but we just might make the tail end of it so I hope to meet alot of you in person! :)
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying lots of prayers that i get a phone call soon! ♥

Kathy #1 Fan...thanks for the info. It's so nice to talk to someone who's Sailor is ahead of mine in their training, then I know what to expect. I'm talking to him right now on FB, he said they might be classing up sooner. He's been exercising and getting into shape again before he starts the next phase there! He said he was so outta shape compared to when he went into BC! He looked good to me :)

Hi JenG,
My son is EOD & just graduated BC on 25 JUN. He moved on base the 30th & is waiting to start the next phase of training. My son was Ship 4 DIV 814, so your hubby moved in as my son moved out! That's kinda cool! When is Scott's PIR? Don't worry, Scott will do fine! My son said he came outta BC in worse physical shape than when he went in, but he worked out extensively before going to BC. Now, this phase is very physical and this is where they start to weed out the ones who won't make it, before sending them to dive school. My son & a group of others are back to working out and running as much as possible to get back into the best shape before starting. I'm no expert, but I might be able to answer any questions you may have. I'll add you on my FB, my name is Carol. TTYL

Morning everyone! My son called yesterday from his own phone, it was so good to hear his ring tone go off! He said he just finished a financial class in indoc and is hoping they class up early, they're supposed to class up the 11th. I don't see them classing up tomorrow, being a Friday! I don't know how much more he has to do before classing up! He is loving being there and it makes it so much easier on me knowing that! The hardest thing for me so far wasn't when he left for bc, it was when I had to leave him after PIR/Liberty weekend. At least when he left for bc I knew I'd see him in 8wks, I have no idea when I'm gonna get the chance to see him again :( I am so excited for him! He is very aware of the demands that are ahead of him right now, but he feels he is prepared to face whatever is coming! He is determined to make it all the way, he told me he's glad he got his dad's stubborn streak cause it & his faith help him push through this! Anyway, I'm just so glad that I can communicate with him on a daily basis now. We texted for about an hour last night and it was great! He said that joining the Navy is the BEST thing he's done so far in his life! And, I can hear it in his voice and I saw it on his face at PIR!

Renee & ARod...my son will also spend his 21st birthday at Eglin! His best friend and I are planning on going down that weekend and taking him out. His bday falls on Sunday...but, at midnight we're gonna have the shots ready for him!! That's not til late OCT, so I have plenty of time to make arrangements!

Tim...haven't seen you on here lately! Hope everything is alright with you and your son! Email me if you want, instead of posting...just invite as friend and I'll accept!! LOL!

Well everyone, gonna go for now! TTYL! You & your Sailors are in my prayers! God Bless everyone & God Bless America!!!

My son is in GL for Dive Prep until the first week in August. Does anyone know if we can now send them things like cookies? I don't want to get him in trouble!!

jackie ~ My son's PIR was 6/25. He's been taking different academic classes since he moved on 6/29. They "class up" on the 15th which means they begin the physical training involved in dive prep. Right now, a typical day is getting up at 6:00 a.m., having breakfast and then beginning class at 7:00 a.m. They are usually done class by 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. They then have "free time" until they have duties (cleaning, watch, etc...). During free time they can do whatever they want. My son usually works out, watches movies and goes off base to do shopping, etc... They have to go in 3's when they leave base, so they are never alone. There is quite a bit of down time when they first move, and my son became very bored and homesick, but he's much better now that things are rolling again. Hope this helps. Good Luck to your son!!

My son just passed dive prep in GL. He's headed to Panama City for dive school. I'm very proud of him!

Kathy that sounds incredible. My son said pool week was brutal, but that he loved every minute of it. He says he has finally found what he thinks he was meant to do. I can't wait to hear about all of his experiences in dive school. Congrats and good luck to your son!

Jackie ~ It depends upon the injury and the amount of time needed to heal. My son had a cyst removed from his tailbone during BC and still managed to PIR on time. Others were so sick that they were rolled. Unless the injury is severe enough to prevent them from healing completely, they are usually rolled back and complete their training when they have healed.

My son is an EOD recruit, and just left for bootcamp on July 19. I think I understand this ... he has 8 weeks of bootcamp, then PIR, (which I have the date). After his PIR, but before A school, I believe he has an additional 3 weeks of bootcamp for EOD. If this is true, will he have another PIR at the end of those 3 weeks? I'm hoping someone can help to somewhat clarify what I should expect in the coming weeks ... before he heads off to A school.

Patty-my son is also EOD and entered boot camp July 19. What is his PIR date maybe our sons are together.
Kathy thanks for the clarification. I was wondering if my son will be G&G and will he get to spend the weekend with us? I haven't heard from him since the form letter. Hoping all is well with him!

Patty - My son graduated last week. He and about 15 other EOD guys moved across the street today. My son was given a date of early Sept. for his next movement. If you look on the Navy Diver and Slavage Website it shows the dates when each class begins and ends. To fill time, my son was told he would be taking an electronics course as well as attending the 3 week dive prep course, which is supposed ot be pretty tough. I will keep you updated on his progress so you know what to expect.