DJ's Mom, looks like you might need a boat to get to graduation. Hope the rain lets up so they can get the ceremony in. What building would it be in if they can not do it outside?
Graduation was fantastic! The sun was out and stayed out thru out the ceremony. He is still in FL. School starts sometime next week so he will be making his way there soon. He is excited for that. My daughter is all moved in. Now if I could just get my house back to in order I would be doing good. We are in the middle of a bathroom remodel. And it is the ONLY bathroom. Lol Thankfully my husband is doing the work.
So many groups on N4M, I was hoping there was an EOD group; and here you are. Just drove the trailer down to Panama City for the 8 week Dive program. I don't think it hit until I was on that long 10 hour drive home, without the trailer and my son. This was his second week.
I have made my peace with his choice to give up a Pilot slot, for EOD. It is JUST who he is; even as a young child. Perhaps it's my fault for making him wear Safety goggles for every 4th of July firework he sent flying!
I left him with 2 requests.
1. That he always be honest, and not sugar coat what he is allowed to share.
2. That regardless of his faith, that if he ever found himself in a situation beyond what he could handle, that he would say "God Help". He looked at me with complete confidence and said that he'd call me before God. I was not really sure how to take that, but I told him to file my 2nd request in the "drawer" and just know it was there.
There 14 from his group that went down from Annapolis. Perhaps there are others here from that group? I'm grateful that the EOD group is here
To DJmom, so glad the sun was out for graduation. I think that the rain knew to stay away for a ceremony that has so much meaning for the sailors and their families. Even though it's been 2 years for us, I still get teary eyed when I think about it. We are thinking of redoing our bathroom also but I have an extra one in the basement. We redid our kitchen and that was FUN. Ben is out and about for the next few weeks, then back to base only to be out and about for a few weeks in sept. He has done a lot of off base training this year.
Hope the bathroom remodel goes well.
Jump school is fun but was scary for me. Take care.
Barbara, EOD school is a time of ups and downs but so worth it for your sailor. Before you know it he will be graduating and off and running. How long has your son been in? Will keep your son in my prayers as he begins his journey.
Hey ladies, my husband just finished EOD school at Eglin. I've live with him here in Florida through everything since getting to NAVSCOLEOD so if you have any questions about it I can try to answer them, if nobody else has.
I do have a question of my own: Does anybody have a sailor who is already at their first duty station? I know they go through an initial period of more training and assessment with their unit but I was wondering if anybody knew about how long it might be between arriving to the duty station and his first deployment, on AVERAGE, I know this varies a lot, especially with changing current events and I know they can volunteer to deploy early. Basically, anybody who can say, "this is what happened with my child/spouse" would be helpful.
Amanda, my son graduated 2 years ago March. He had his orders in Jan or Feb. He did not go until he finished the rest of the training which was in June and had to report middle of July but went over early. Not sure if the sequester is playing a role in how fast they move on to jump school etc. and then on to their duty station .Congrads to both of you. It is one tough school. Where did your husband put in for duty station?
Amanda, my son is in Rota. He has not had any deployments but a lot of training. He was at Rota for about 2 months and they formed up teams, they then came back to the states for 6 months of training in VA. He has been to Africa twice and to some of what we used to call the eastern block countries. These usually last 3-4 weeks. He is scheduled to go to Iceland within 2 months,again most of this is training or joint training with various Navies.
DJsmom, please tell me about graduation. Do they do anything special or is just the ceremony on Monday? Like, did you all go out to eat or something? How many days did you stay? I am full of questions? our ceremony is Sept. 30th
Hi DJsmom, Its been a while. From what I see, your son moved on,past Quinn. But its ok, its all meant to be for each one. He does graduate 9-30. Hes in the final phase. Im glad to hear graduation was great. Now my family will head south soon. We are coming in from all over the country,,, can you help on any details where to stay, where did you fly into?? It would be great to get a big enough place to sleep 6-7 of us. I imagine that he has his orders already. Quinn is staying stateside so Im happy and so is he.
Hope all is well for the EOD moms, wives etc.. and hang in there new moms.
Good Morning! I'm sorry to bother all of you with questions that have already been asked but I can't find answers for some of them. My son graduates from EOD at Eglin next month.(October) Can anyone tell me:
What time the graduation begins.
About how long it lasts.
Is there a reception/meal afterward or can we leave and go out to eat on our own?
Ballpark, hopefully DJ's Mom will answer because it's been 2 plus years for me, but I think it starts at 9-9:30, last maybe 45 mins. Depends on how many are graduating. You can leave afterwards. My son had to take the test to move up in rank right after graduation so we got to hang with him for about 1/2 hour and then he went to take his test which lasted about 2 hrs. He called when he was done. Congratulations to your son and to you also. It's a great family to belong to. Karenlee
Hello all ... Sorry I have been MIA just very busy and crazy too.
Now lets see if I can get some questions answered.
Graduation was Tuesday 20 Aug 2013. We flew into VPS which is Northwest Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach. Small but gets you right there. Barracks
are only about 10 mins or so away. I rented a car right there at airport. I booked my trip on expedia. I was going to be a vacation for my daughter and myself. She was moving into college the 22nd. We left Fri 16 Aug and scheduled to come back the 21st. We stayed at the Ramada Beach Plaza Hotel on the beach in Ft Walton because we wanted a "beach" vacation but actually poured Fri, Sat, Sun was sunny on Mon and Tues. Our hotel was about 20 min from the airport. Give or take a few. His class proctor hosted a picnic for the families that were already there on Sun. It was held on base at the EOD underwater site at a picnic area. he had graduation practice Monday. Graduation was at 8am beautiful and sunny day. Held at the EOD Memorial. beautiful ceremony. I was tearing up such a PROUD moment when he was being pinned. Lasted about 45 min to an hour. 18 Graduating Also they had already taken the test to rank up so at that time they got their certificates. Then they took class photo and families could take pictures. Then we could go into the school and look around a bit but couldn't go past a certain area ... classified. My son tells me the classmates rented the basement of the Boathouse and all the families and the graduates were invited to go there for an early lunch. All individual families paid for themselves.
My ex husband flew into Pensacola airport, maybe saved a few $$ but putting gas in the car to get there he could have just flown into VPS. Pensacola is about 1 hour 15 min drive from VPS.
Ok ... I think that's it. Hopefully this has helped and if I can answer anymore questions just let me know.
Thank you to all in the Navy and EOD. Not just as a parent but as a US citizen.
Hello Everyone This is all new to me would love to here comments and what they do ...My son graduated BM in great lakes sept 6 he surpised us and showed up Friday night at home so happy.his job is EOD mobile unit 1 he will be spending a month in Mississippi and the out to san diego for more schooling and will be station there what exactly do they do
Hi, my son is with MU8. After he was done with school and the rest of his training he went to his command. Since then he has done more training- jumping, shooting,diving. He has also done some joint training in Africa. Basically they just keep training. They can sign up for free fall school which my son said was way cool. Right now he is on a team that does underwater ops.
Hi Cheryl, my son has been EOD for 2 1/2 years. He is currently with MU8. They basically just keep training but the stress is not there. They usually form them up in teams and they get to do all the cool stuff they learned- diving, jumping,shooting. My son is enjoying it all also. He has put in for a change of station and we will know next month if he is coming back. Just an FYI, there are only 3 places they station them in the states- San Diego, VA or maybe FL. My son was stationed in San Diego before he went EOD. He really liked living there. Congrats to your son on a job well done. Welcome to EOD. Karenlee
Cheryl, yes the EOD community is like having a second family. My husband and I are not from a military background so we has a learning curve too. Still learning stuff. Our son is in Spain but has put in for a change do duty station. They have requested VA. Hope they get it. He has been there 2 1/2 years and our daughter in law has been there since May. Oversea assignments are 2 yrs unaccompanied and 3 yrs accompanied. Ben started out unaccompanied but we welcomed a new dil in December. Ben has been a lot of places, Africa twice, Romania, Lithuania and Iceland. Not sure how much traveling they do when stateside. Most of this is joint training with other countries.
Cheryl, congratulations on your son's engagement. It is always fun to welcome a new member into your family. I wish them many years of happiness. Hope they stay stateside also. I know too that God has plan for them and will be with them every step in their journey. As mom's I don't think we ever stop worrying. Have a good week.
Todays a big day, graduation at Eglin, finally. This is such a long part of the program and the toughest. Its even better when his grand parents and his sister and her husband can all be here as wel.l. Im sure another mom from here is here as well, son congrats to your son as well.
Hey everybody, Just got back from Eglin and EOD graduation. How exciting and fun. It was nice meeting everyone and I know I have forgotten a lot of names. Brandonsmom did I meet you and your son. Did Tyler call him by his last name? I put up a few pictures on my fb page so if anyone is interested let me know. My email is audiedale@aol.com. Again, had a blast, loved The Boat House party.
Congratulations to everyone that graduated. What a wonderful experience that is. Ours was 2 1/2 years ago but still remember it well.
JackFlash-welcome to EOD. This journey will have ups and downs. This is a hard course but in the end so worth it for your sailor. Being part do Special Ops is exciting. Will keep you and your sailor in prayer as you begin this special journey.
What a great song. If you google Navy EOD there should be a link on the different classes they will be taking and how long each section runs. I don't remember the order but I know the middle courses are the harder ones.
JackFlash, the best piece of advice I can give is to understand that no matter how tough he says it is and no matter how many set backs he has, being that mom that wants to make it all better you just can't. You have to let that go and just be as supportive as you can to anything he needs. Our group had it rough because they closed the galley and the guys had to pretty much fend for themselves for food. They had a small frig and micro in their rooms, but it got old quick and eating out ($$$$) was the only choice. Send him care packages, anything to let him take a break mentally from the grind.
Hello Marsha, Im glad you found us finally!!! its a great group. Addy62, I did not meet you but obviously ours sons know each other. I do recognize your picture and I loved the shot. Someone calls him giblet because his name is hard to pronounce. Id love to see the pics you have from graduation. I cant post anything, Q has asked me not to.
Cheryl, I couldn't have said it better. My son just graduated from EOD and I needed a Xanax to get me through the graduation. That was before I found out about NAVYFORMOMS. Now I feel like I have people "out there" who know what I'm going through.
Carolina Mom, we seem to have the same background!
Thank you Cheryl and Brandon's mom. I am actually feeling a little better now after your posts. His recruiter keeps saying that the Navy EOD group is the best trained in the world. I do believe that, but I always respond "But it is BOMBS"!! He really wanted to be a SEAL. This horrified me, of course, because I know that those are the guys who go in for the REALLY dangerous missions. But now I am wishing he was doing that...although I would assume that they come in contact with an awful lot of bombs too. I have been praying about it. I have always been a worrier. Really, it is almost funny that he is doing this because I am the LAST mom on earth who needs a son in the military! I didn't let him get his license until he was almost eighteen!! I was thinking that he was in college and in three more years I could stop worrying so much and then BAM- "I am sick of college and I want to join the Navy and be a SEAL"!! Say what??? His eyesight was not good enough for SEAL. Then a few weeks ago I had a "DUH" moment and called to ask the eye docs if they ever make an exception to the 21 year old rule for Lasik...yes they do. Called his recruiter and he told me that he had to have any surgery SIX MONTHS before Boot Camp. If I had thought of asking a while back we could have done that and he could have gotten a SEAL contract.This is a silly rule since now the Navy will have to pay to have his eyes fixed eventually...when we were willing to do it now. They said that the first time he has six months between deployments that he can have it done. I have a feeling that the poor kid will be wearing glasses a LONG time! I am really not sure why that SEALS more safe to me- I know that it most likely is not. Then there is the whole "He will never live in our town again" thing...and "He will probably miss his sister's graduation and other important events.He will one day get married and I will have grandchildren who may live halfway across the world! It is all just a lot to process. Now the good things...He is very excited about joining the Navy. He is doing so well on his PST's..His recruiter calls him a "Star Recruit"...that they are so excited to have him. That he is going to be great...that kind of thing. Mostly, I think he is loving doing something that we didn't want him to do! Haha! He has always loved history and is very politically aware and civic minded. If you could take out the danger it would be perfect! Haha.He NEVER, EVER said a word about joining the Military! Anyway, there is not a thing I can do about it at this point. I act like I think ti is all cool! I am his biggest cheerleader..have a chart in the kitchen of his PST scores and I make a big deal about them every time. He brought home an EOD poster and I had it framed for his apartment (He lives about ten minutes away). I have been buying silver charms to make a Navy charm bracelet...Have bought him some cool old Navy photos on Ebay that I will frame when he is settled in his first place- which I guess will be YEARS from now. He told me that his friend joined the Air force and I said "Air force???What?? The Navy is the place to be"...Basically I am just trying to play along and sound cool! Haha! So, thanks again for your posts! They helped!!
Carolina Mom, we tried to keep our son out of the police force because we thought THAT was too dangerous! What were we thinking!!! He fooled us and chose BOMBS instead! Honestly, your post could have been me a while ago. Time goes quickly. Marsha
Dear Carolina Mom, I am going to give you a run down of how EOD works for my son. He has been in the navy for just over 7 years. After bc he trained to be an AT- avionics tech. He was in the fleet, stationed in San Diego and attached to the Ronald Reagan. He was deployed twice. He had to apply for EOD which he did during a deployment. He worked with the EOD guys that were on his ship. He passed the pt test was given orders to report to GL for dive prep which is the 1st step. If I remember right that lasted one month. There is high fall out rate at this time. He reported there in Dec of 2009. He then went to Panama City FL for dive school. Then it's on to Eglin AFB for the rest of the courses they take. If you google Navy EOD you will find a list of the courses and the different subjects that they cover. It takes about 52 weeks to complete unless they fail a course and are sent back to retake it. My son was sent back twice during the nuclear phase and the second time he had to go in front of the board and they decided if he was worthy of staying in the program. They deemed he was which was great news for him and us. This journey has a lot of ups and downs. They finish up with 6 weeks of diving and then they are done. The navy fixed our sons eyes and I was concerned but they had told him not to have it done before he went in. As far as deployments with EOD go my son has yet to be on one. He is with MU8 which is based out of Spain. He has been to a lot of countries for joint training with other countries. He loves what he does. Just so you know they do not wear "the bomb suit" very often. They have 2 robots that they get trained on and they use them as much as possible. They really don't want to put them in the suit. He will have to wear it during school and if I remember correctly they have to stay in for almost an hour. In FL in the summer that can be one hard task. The suit is cooled somehow but when you are in it sweating things tend to fog up! One good thing about EOD if they are stationed in the states there is only 2 places they will be California or Virginia. My son has been in Spain almost 3 years but should be coming back sometime next year. If they are stationed overseas it is for 2 years unaccompanied and 3 years accompanied. Since your son is going in with an EOD contract I don't know if things are different at bc like maybe extra pt. I would tell him now to swim,swim swim. He will doing a lot of that at dive prep and dive school. In FL they do a lot of bay swims which are timed. You just need to give him encouragement. This will be a journey that will be rewarding for all of you. Your son is gaining a family unlike any other. We are proud to be a part of this community as you will be. It sometimes seems like a long road but when graduation rolls around it is just awesome. The pride you feel at bc graduation you can double or triple that for EOD graduation. Please keep us informed as to how he is doing. If you have any questions please ask. Will keep you and your sailor in prayer as you begin this adventure . Karenlee
Hi Carolina Mom, glad your son is doing a lot of swimming and he is right he needs to far exceed the pst requirements. I don't post pictures but I think they can not show name or any ranking do not really know for sure. My son surfed when he was in Cali but not much in Rota. Not enough time- they stay pretty busy. The ceremony in Panama City is short and sweet and then they head to Eglin. We did not go but as far as Eglin- yes,yes,yes. We went about 4 days before graduation and stayed a few days after. The following Monday he left for Ft Benning for jump school. My son is on the underwater demo team now and they just got a new underwater robot that they got to use in Iceland a few weeks back. He said it was Way Cool! Just a little FYI they graduate as a basic tech. In 2-3 years they test to become a senior tech which Ben did in July. His rank is now EOD2(EWS) explosive warfare specialist. The Navy has their own rating in EOD. The next step is a master tech but not sure when that happens. Just when I thought I didn't have any more test to fret over I did again in July.
Keep in touch and hope you have a good weekend also. Karenlee
Hi Moms, thank you so much for posting information in here! My boyfriend is going to be starting EOD A School very soon. We are thinking of getting married sometime during this. I know everyone says he must get permission and it shouldn't be rushed... But does anyone have insight as to when we could get married or live together? Would all of that come after he graduates the final phase of training? I've had a tricky time getting confirmation on whether or not sailors can live with their spouse during a portion of the A School... Any information is appreciated!
Flowers, My sons EOD class from boot camp had 3 guys get married as soon as they graduated. The next day. Their instructors told them not to but I dont think there is anyone that can stop you. You will not be able to live with your sailor at all until he graduates and is at his station. Please keep in mind that even if he is stationed and an EOD, he will be deployed many times and you need to be prepared to live alone for months at a time. I know 4 girls that had very committed relationships when the guys started boot camp. 2 got married and are still together, but both of them were dropped from the program in dive prep so they went to corpsman and were able to move in only after they finished their training and got stationed. THey can also get stationed anywhere in the world and you will be able to move, but you will have to have off base housing and may not be able to work, depending on the situation. the other 2 soon separated from their BF once in dive school. I cant tell you not to get married, but please think of this decision very hard and very carefully before you make that commitment. The EOD program is very long a difficult. My son started BC January 2012 and just graduated a few weeks ago, after being rolled several times and down time between classing up. Please truly educate yourselves of all the possibilities. It can make a very being difference on how you are able to live your lives together. I wish you guys the best of luck. :)
Flowers, my boyfriend is an EOD tech, graduated last August, I've been with him through all of his time in the Navy and it's not always easy but we've managed to make it work. I can give you more info from a girlfriend's perspective if you'd like :)
Carolina Mom, An additional piece of advice I can give you about dive prep, is to have you son master clearing his mask. Being a strong swimmer is not enough. My sons class had 50% of the class dropped because they couldnt clear every drop of water from their mask. It was no joke and they gave no room for error. My son is a certified scuba diver and he said that dive prep was pretty easy for him, while another recruit who was also a certified scuba diver and was dropped because he had a few drops of water in his mask after several trys they gave him.
Also let him know that no matter how hard he trains before boot camp he will loose about 70% by the time he finishes BC. They just dont give them the time to keep up their workouts, very little sleep and other things that take up their time. THey do have more PT and more workouts in the EOD division of BC, but they will loose it and more than likely he will get sick, as does everyone. I truly dont mean to scare or deter him, but I just want to be honest on what he should expect. I wish I would have known all this before my son went in. Good Luck to him.
QMGsMom- thank you for the information! It is scary and a little overwhelming to think about how our lifestyle will be if we stay together, but I appreciate the insight you've provided. Also, thanks for the tip to Carolina Mom about the clearing of the mask! I'll be sure to pass along that information in my next letter.
ColleenJ- I would love any information you can provide me. Getting a girlfriend's perspective from someone who has just been through what I'm about to go through is EXACTLY what I've been searching for!! I'm going to send you a friend request, so we can hopefully communicate more personally. Thanks in advance :)
Thank you so much for that information. I have relayed it to my son and he said thank you and that he would start practicing to make sure he has it down. We both also appreciate the heads up concerning physical fitness and knowing that most get sick. What a shame that is the case- but I guess with that many people in such close quarters it is bound to happen. Did you have your son get all of the shots that he would need before he went? I have heard that sometimes they can take their records but that they will give them the shots anyway!
I am glad that his date was moved back (once he got the EOD contract) because it is going to be great to have him here for the Holidays. If it had not then he would have been leaving next week! He is ready to go but I think he is also enjoying having some time to have some fun before the "Real work" begins.It also gives me more time to get used to all of this!
If anyone else out there has more advice PLEASE share it!
DJsmom
Aug 17, 2013
Karenlee
Aug 18, 2013
DJsmom
Aug 18, 2013
Karenlee
Aug 23, 2013
DJsmom
Aug 24, 2013
B mom of S
So many groups on N4M, I was hoping there was an EOD group; and here you are. Just drove the trailer down to Panama City for the 8 week Dive program. I don't think it hit until I was on that long 10 hour drive home, without the trailer and my son. This was his second week.
I have made my peace with his choice to give up a Pilot slot, for EOD. It is JUST who he is; even as a young child. Perhaps it's my fault for making him wear Safety goggles for every 4th of July firework he sent flying!
I left him with 2 requests.
1. That he always be honest, and not sugar coat what he is allowed to share.
2. That regardless of his faith, that if he ever found himself in a situation beyond what he could handle, that he would say "God Help". He looked at me with complete confidence and said that he'd call me before God. I was not really sure how to take that, but I told him to file my 2nd request in the "drawer" and just know it was there.
There 14 from his group that went down from Annapolis. Perhaps there are others here from that group? I'm grateful that the EOD group is here
Aug 24, 2013
Karenlee
Hope the bathroom remodel goes well.
Jump school is fun but was scary for me. Take care.
Aug 25, 2013
Karenlee
Aug 25, 2013
amandachristine
Hey ladies, my husband just finished EOD school at Eglin. I've live with him here in Florida through everything since getting to NAVSCOLEOD so if you have any questions about it I can try to answer them, if nobody else has.
I do have a question of my own: Does anybody have a sailor who is already at their first duty station? I know they go through an initial period of more training and assessment with their unit but I was wondering if anybody knew about how long it might be between arriving to the duty station and his first deployment, on AVERAGE, I know this varies a lot, especially with changing current events and I know they can volunteer to deploy early. Basically, anybody who can say, "this is what happened with my child/spouse" would be helpful.
Aug 30, 2013
Karenlee
Amanda, my son graduated 2 years ago March. He had his orders in Jan or Feb. He did not go until he finished the rest of the training which was in June and had to report middle of July but went over early. Not sure if the sequester is playing a role in how fast they move on to jump school etc. and then on to their duty station .Congrads to both of you. It is one tough school. Where did your husband put in for duty station?
Aug 30, 2013
amandachristine
Karen, he is currently at Ft. Benning. We report to Little Creek at the end of December.
Aug 30, 2013
Karenlee
Aug 30, 2013
DJsmom
Amanda, I met you at graduation. I will send you an email.
Aug 30, 2013
addy62
DJsmom, please tell me about graduation. Do they do anything special or is just the ceremony on Monday? Like, did you all go out to eat or something? How many days did you stay? I am full of questions? our ceremony is Sept. 30th
audrey
Sep 3, 2013
QMGsmom
Hi DJsmom, Its been a while. From what I see, your son moved on,past Quinn. But its ok, its all meant to be for each one. He does graduate 9-30. Hes in the final phase. Im glad to hear graduation was great. Now my family will head south soon. We are coming in from all over the country,,, can you help on any details where to stay, where did you fly into?? It would be great to get a big enough place to sleep 6-7 of us. I imagine that he has his orders already. Quinn is staying stateside so Im happy and so is he.
Hope all is well for the EOD moms, wives etc.. and hang in there new moms.
Sep 3, 2013
ballp
Good Morning! I'm sorry to bother all of you with questions that have already been asked but I can't find answers for some of them. My son graduates from EOD at Eglin next month.(October) Can anyone tell me:
What time the graduation begins.
About how long it lasts.
Is there a reception/meal afterward or can we leave and go out to eat on our own?
Thanks for any info. you can give.
Sep 7, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 7, 2013
DJsmom
Hello all ... Sorry I have been MIA just very busy and crazy too.
Now lets see if I can get some questions answered.
Graduation was Tuesday 20 Aug 2013. We flew into VPS which is Northwest Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach. Small but gets you right there. Barracks
are only about 10 mins or so away. I rented a car right there at airport. I booked my trip on expedia. I was going to be a vacation for my daughter and myself. She was moving into college the 22nd. We left Fri 16 Aug and scheduled to come back the 21st. We stayed at the Ramada Beach Plaza Hotel on the beach in Ft Walton because we wanted a "beach" vacation but actually poured Fri, Sat, Sun was sunny on Mon and Tues. Our hotel was about 20 min from the airport. Give or take a few. His class proctor hosted a picnic for the families that were already there on Sun. It was held on base at the EOD underwater site at a picnic area. he had graduation practice Monday. Graduation was at 8am beautiful and sunny day. Held at the EOD Memorial. beautiful ceremony. I was tearing up such a PROUD moment when he was being pinned. Lasted about 45 min to an hour. 18 Graduating Also they had already taken the test to rank up so at that time they got their certificates. Then they took class photo and families could take pictures. Then we could go into the school and look around a bit but couldn't go past a certain area ... classified. My son tells me the classmates rented the basement of the Boathouse and all the families and the graduates were invited to go there for an early lunch. All individual families paid for themselves.
My ex husband flew into Pensacola airport, maybe saved a few $$ but putting gas in the car to get there he could have just flown into VPS. Pensacola is about 1 hour 15 min drive from VPS.
Ok ... I think that's it. Hopefully this has helped and if I can answer anymore questions just let me know.
Thank you to all in the Navy and EOD. Not just as a parent but as a US citizen.
Sep 7, 2013
mpl
Hello Everyone This is all new to me would love to here comments and what they do ...My son graduated BM in great lakes sept 6 he surpised us and showed up Friday night at home so happy.his job is EOD mobile unit 1 he will be spending a month in Mississippi and the out to san diego for more schooling and will be station there what exactly do they do
Sep 8, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 9, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 22, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 22, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 22, 2013
Karenlee
Sep 23, 2013
QMGsmom
Todays a big day, graduation at Eglin, finally. This is such a long part of the program and the toughest. Its even better when his grand parents and his sister and her husband can all be here as wel.l. Im sure another mom from here is here as well, son congrats to your son as well.
Sep 30, 2013
NJNavyMom
Hi! I'm brandonsmom. He just graduated from EOD last week. This is my first post to NAVYFORMOMS. Congrats to all the others graduating!
Hi! I'm Brandonsmom. He just graduated from EOD last week. Congrats to all the other grads! I'm new to this site. Hi all!
Oct 7, 2013
addy62
Hey everybody, Just got back from Eglin and EOD graduation. How exciting and fun. It was nice meeting everyone and I know I have forgotten a lot of names. Brandonsmom did I meet you and your son. Did Tyler call him by his last name? I put up a few pictures on my fb page so if anyone is interested let me know. My email is audiedale@aol.com. Again, had a blast, loved The Boat House party.
Oct 7, 2013
NJNavyMom
Hi!
We did meet at the Boat House! So much fun! I think they all call him Brandon. If not, it is Schwartz.
Oct 7, 2013
JackFlash
So great that you are keeping in touch. Mine is just starting this journey... any advice from those that have gone before???
Oct 7, 2013
Karenlee
JackFlash-welcome to EOD. This journey will have ups and downs. This is a hard course but in the end so worth it for your sailor. Being part do Special Ops is exciting. Will keep you and your sailor in prayer as you begin this special journey.
Oct 7, 2013
JackFlash
Thanks Karenlee.... That is much appreciated.
It's a long road...
Oct 7, 2013
Karenlee
Oct 7, 2013
QMGsmom
JackFlash, the best piece of advice I can give is to understand that no matter how tough he says it is and no matter how many set backs he has, being that mom that wants to make it all better you just can't. You have to let that go and just be as supportive as you can to anything he needs. Our group had it rough because they closed the galley and the guys had to pretty much fend for themselves for food. They had a small frig and micro in their rooms, but it got old quick and eating out ($$$$) was the only choice. Send him care packages, anything to let him take a break mentally from the grind.
Good Luck to your son!!!
Oct 7, 2013
QMGsmom
Hello Marsha, Im glad you found us finally!!! its a great group. Addy62, I did not meet you but obviously ours sons know each other. I do recognize your picture and I loved the shot. Someone calls him giblet because his name is hard to pronounce. Id love to see the pics you have from graduation. I cant post anything, Q has asked me not to.
Oct 7, 2013
NJNavyMom
Hi Q's mom! Sorry, I don't remember your name. I'm so happy you told me about this site! Thanks!!!
Oct 8, 2013
NJNavyMom
Just watched It's A Long Road! Great song and video!
Oct 8, 2013
NJNavyMom
Cheryl, I couldn't have said it better. My son just graduated from EOD and I needed a Xanax to get me through the graduation. That was before I found out about NAVYFORMOMS. Now I feel like I have people "out there" who know what I'm going through.
Carolina Mom, we seem to have the same background!
Marsha
Oct 10, 2013
Liberty
Thank you Cheryl and Brandon's mom. I am actually feeling a little better now after your posts. His recruiter keeps saying that the Navy EOD group is the best trained in the world. I do believe that, but I always respond "But it is BOMBS"!! He really wanted to be a SEAL. This horrified me, of course, because I know that those are the guys who go in for the REALLY dangerous missions. But now I am wishing he was doing that...although I would assume that they come in contact with an awful lot of bombs too. I have been praying about it. I have always been a worrier. Really, it is almost funny that he is doing this because I am the LAST mom on earth who needs a son in the military! I didn't let him get his license until he was almost eighteen!! I was thinking that he was in college and in three more years I could stop worrying so much and then BAM- "I am sick of college and I want to join the Navy and be a SEAL"!! Say what??? His eyesight was not good enough for SEAL. Then a few weeks ago I had a "DUH" moment and called to ask the eye docs if they ever make an exception to the 21 year old rule for Lasik...yes they do. Called his recruiter and he told me that he had to have any surgery SIX MONTHS before Boot Camp. If I had thought of asking a while back we could have done that and he could have gotten a SEAL contract.This is a silly rule since now the Navy will have to pay to have his eyes fixed eventually...when we were willing to do it now. They said that the first time he has six months between deployments that he can have it done. I have a feeling that the poor kid will be wearing glasses a LONG time! I am really not sure why that SEALS more safe to me- I know that it most likely is not. Then there is the whole "He will never live in our town again" thing...and "He will probably miss his sister's graduation and other important events.He will one day get married and I will have grandchildren who may live halfway across the world! It is all just a lot to process. Now the good things...He is very excited about joining the Navy. He is doing so well on his PST's..His recruiter calls him a "Star Recruit"...that they are so excited to have him. That he is going to be great...that kind of thing. Mostly, I think he is loving doing something that we didn't want him to do! Haha! He has always loved history and is very politically aware and civic minded. If you could take out the danger it would be perfect! Haha.He NEVER, EVER said a word about joining the Military! Anyway, there is not a thing I can do about it at this point. I act like I think ti is all cool! I am his biggest cheerleader..have a chart in the kitchen of his PST scores and I make a big deal about them every time. He brought home an EOD poster and I had it framed for his apartment (He lives about ten minutes away). I have been buying silver charms to make a Navy charm bracelet...Have bought him some cool old Navy photos on Ebay that I will frame when he is settled in his first place- which I guess will be YEARS from now. He told me that his friend joined the Air force and I said "Air force???What?? The Navy is the place to be"...Basically I am just trying to play along and sound cool! Haha! So, thanks again for your posts! They helped!!
Oct 10, 2013
NJNavyMom
Carolina Mom, we tried to keep our son out of the police force because we thought THAT was too dangerous! What were we thinking!!! He fooled us and chose BOMBS instead! Honestly, your post could have been me a while ago. Time goes quickly. Marsha
Oct 10, 2013
Karenlee
Oct 10, 2013
Karenlee
Keep in touch and hope you have a good weekend also. Karenlee
Oct 11, 2013
mpl
Hello Everybody, My son left Mississippi tonight and is on his way to san diego he is the mobile unit 1 will be working with eod
Oct 12, 2013
flowers
Hi Moms, thank you so much for posting information in here! My boyfriend is going to be starting EOD A School very soon. We are thinking of getting married sometime during this. I know everyone says he must get permission and it shouldn't be rushed... But does anyone have insight as to when we could get married or live together? Would all of that come after he graduates the final phase of training? I've had a tricky time getting confirmation on whether or not sailors can live with their spouse during a portion of the A School... Any information is appreciated!
Oct 12, 2013
QMGsmom
Flowers, My sons EOD class from boot camp had 3 guys get married as soon as they graduated. The next day. Their instructors told them not to but I dont think there is anyone that can stop you. You will not be able to live with your sailor at all until he graduates and is at his station. Please keep in mind that even if he is stationed and an EOD, he will be deployed many times and you need to be prepared to live alone for months at a time. I know 4 girls that had very committed relationships when the guys started boot camp. 2 got married and are still together, but both of them were dropped from the program in dive prep so they went to corpsman and were able to move in only after they finished their training and got stationed. THey can also get stationed anywhere in the world and you will be able to move, but you will have to have off base housing and may not be able to work, depending on the situation. the other 2 soon separated from their BF once in dive school. I cant tell you not to get married, but please think of this decision very hard and very carefully before you make that commitment. The EOD program is very long a difficult. My son started BC January 2012 and just graduated a few weeks ago, after being rolled several times and down time between classing up. Please truly educate yourselves of all the possibilities. It can make a very being difference on how you are able to live your lives together. I wish you guys the best of luck. :)
Oct 12, 2013
ColleenJ
Oct 12, 2013
QMGsmom
Carolina Mom, An additional piece of advice I can give you about dive prep, is to have you son master clearing his mask. Being a strong swimmer is not enough. My sons class had 50% of the class dropped because they couldnt clear every drop of water from their mask. It was no joke and they gave no room for error. My son is a certified scuba diver and he said that dive prep was pretty easy for him, while another recruit who was also a certified scuba diver and was dropped because he had a few drops of water in his mask after several trys they gave him.
Also let him know that no matter how hard he trains before boot camp he will loose about 70% by the time he finishes BC. They just dont give them the time to keep up their workouts, very little sleep and other things that take up their time. THey do have more PT and more workouts in the EOD division of BC, but they will loose it and more than likely he will get sick, as does everyone. I truly dont mean to scare or deter him, but I just want to be honest on what he should expect. I wish I would have known all this before my son went in. Good Luck to him.
Oct 12, 2013
flowers
QMGsMom- thank you for the information! It is scary and a little overwhelming to think about how our lifestyle will be if we stay together, but I appreciate the insight you've provided. Also, thanks for the tip to Carolina Mom about the clearing of the mask! I'll be sure to pass along that information in my next letter.
ColleenJ- I would love any information you can provide me. Getting a girlfriend's perspective from someone who has just been through what I'm about to go through is EXACTLY what I've been searching for!! I'm going to send you a friend request, so we can hopefully communicate more personally. Thanks in advance :)
Oct 14, 2013
mpl
Hello Ladies my son is now in san diego he is attached to eod he is mobile unit 1 can some one please tell me about his job not to sure where they go
Oct 15, 2013
Liberty
QMG'smom-
Thank you so much for that information. I have relayed it to my son and he said thank you and that he would start practicing to make sure he has it down. We both also appreciate the heads up concerning physical fitness and knowing that most get sick. What a shame that is the case- but I guess with that many people in such close quarters it is bound to happen. Did you have your son get all of the shots that he would need before he went? I have heard that sometimes they can take their records but that they will give them the shots anyway!
I am glad that his date was moved back (once he got the EOD contract) because it is going to be great to have him here for the Holidays. If it had not then he would have been leaving next week! He is ready to go but I think he is also enjoying having some time to have some fun before the "Real work" begins.It also gives me more time to get used to all of this!
If anyone else out there has more advice PLEASE share it!
Thanks so much!
Oct 21, 2013
phxsusan
Carolina Mom - my son just graduated from boot camp on 10/11 with EOD contract. If you have questions I can help with let me know.
Oct 21, 2013