»» Welcome to the MEPS and DEP group ««

Squat-does sound like your son has a great recruiter. Here they have PT once a mth but nothing else that we know of. He knows that we have been dealing with him and the time he has on his hands but has not offered anything to help. He did say he knew of a couple of people that my be able to give him a job but nothing has come of it, unless B just did not F/U on it. IDK. He went to PT with my nephue yesterday in FL, and I think he is going to a meeting with him in the morning. Maybe we will go talk to the recruiter when he comes home to see what they have anything for him to do. He does not have anything to drive so I have to taxi him around.....but at least I know where he is...have a great weekend!

Brandonsmom - I'm sure you have probably checked, but what about something through your church, local hospital, nursing home or humane society. Our kids have found it very rewarding to volunteer. Cars can be a hassle, my taxi days have recently ended so I can really sympathize for you. I am having back surgery next week & will be laid up for some time. I will have plenty of time on my hands and will keep thinking of ways to help. Have a great weekend.

Hay,
thank you for the advice. i do work out about 6 days a week. but i sleep the other part of the day that im not workin out.. which is not good.. and a bad habbit.. workin on that ;)

im not sure if this will pertain to anyones kid, but do not let them get over there max weight.. the recruiters dont stress you know 5 er so pounds over.. but my max weight is 170. when i came and started meeting with recruiters i was at 198, and now im at 175.. almost there.. but for a while,, in the middle, i wasnt stressing it, and remained at 185ish.. and got a call from my recruiter outa now where sayin if i didnt lose 7 pounds in a week (178, my meps weight) i was gonna be dropped.. which means lost my job.. and position and would have to start all over again from scratch.. i busted my but that week, and barely ate. an lost the weight.. but they dropped 5 other girls that week for their weight.. i just wanna make sure no one else has to go through that stress like i did :)

thank you for the support,, and let me know what your daughter thought of basic please.. it would be really helpful.

Ashleigh

We have nine days left before sending Diego off to boot camp. I know that it will go by much too fast. We are having a party for him tomorrow, family and some friends. It should be nicer weather here in MI. Hoping so anyway.

NavyGirl - You have got one of the best dates to ship. You should be in a push division and graduate Dec 17. Because of this, you should be able to go home for 2 weeks prior to going to your "A" school. This only happens during the holiday "stand-down". My son was in a Christmas push division in 2007, we left Great Lakes right after graduation and went home to Colorado.

Since you're a female depper, here is a link that may help you. It was written by a female sailor who answered other females question about bootcamp.
http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=401

Your rating of HM is awesome. Female HM are a rare breed. Those billets (positions) don't come up too often. Congrats to you, and thank you for enlisting in the world's greatest Navy!!

Craig,
Wow, well thank you so much for that information, about graduation, thats wonderful, i hope that it hasnt changed and that i will be able to have two weeks at christmas :) and thank you for the link, it was also very helpful.

and yes, i love the job i got, i went in to meps with the mentality that i was getting that job, thats my first and only choice. haha. and i was polite and well mannered. and i guess it paid off, my recruiter told me that meps loved me and said i was the most well mannered person theyve ever had. so hopefuly i have that much favor at bootcamp.. haha.

if you come across any more information or links let me know. i feel like ive searched the enternet dry of useful information. but anything is good :) thank you

Do keep in mind though, that by taking Christmas leave at the end of boot camp, you probably will not have any leave between A-school and your first duty station. Unless you are going to a very long school (8 months or so) you will will have little or no leave time built-up. So it's a choice, Christmas OR just before you report to the fleet.

Eight to 10 weeks of separation for boot camp seems so long when it's happening, but that's nothing compared to being apart for A-school plus possibly a year or more if you are stationed overseas. Getting Christmas right after you joined just doesn't mean as much later when you haven't seen your family for 18 months since then.

As a HM her "A" school is 14 weeks (so about 4 month with holding company), then she would probably get a "C" school. So based just on bootcamp and "A" school she will have 7 months in. 7 * 2.5 = 16.5 days on the books.
Since she still will be in the positive side for leave when she transfers, they should allow her to take 30 days vacation prior to being PCS'd. Plus, she will still have her travel time and proceed time reporting.
This same thing happen to my son, when he reported to Hawaii he was in the hole, but what is good is being stationed in Hawaii he didn't ever need to take leave again since everyone wanted to visit him. Heck, it's Hawaii, who wouldn't want to visit.

haha yeah. im not to worried about take leave during A school, where people can come see me on the weekends. or meet on the weekends. im also hoping to get stationed i charelston or lejune or somewhere near there. :) but only time will tell.

Brandonsmom - notice you had the count down clock on your page. Have tried numerous times to put it on mine but havent been able too. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?

I had a female depper write step by step what happens each day.
This is just a normal routine day at bootcamp......

----------------
Night Before: Get sleep at least 1 night or more before ship date. It is essential! This is important!!
--------------------
Ship Date:
P-1 Day
- MEPS processing, as usual, hurry up and wait. Urinalysis, instructions on where/when flying to Great Lakes, IL. Around noon you might be lucky to be leaving for the airport after taking 2nd oath (if active duty only). Family is allowed at MEPS and Airport (if they ask for the military pass.
- You get to O'hare Airport, get luggage, eat and you have until 22:30 to go to the luggage area or Terminal 2 where the yelling begins.
- Petty Officers get you in formation, listen, follow directions. They go through items you brought and if they don't like it they throw it away right then and there, or donate ithe closed stuff.
- You get on the RTC bus which is your last time to talk and ask questions to the Sailor that's accompanying you.
- You walk inside, get in a line one on each side of the bulkheads (walls). If you have a cellphone, they let you use it, so take it. It's alot faster, heck you can text, if you like. That way if your family or friend don't pick up, you can still say something.
- Your "Ditty Bag" issued, you change into your Smurf's (New clothing). You will donate clothes, send them home or throw them away. Remember, you pay for how heavy "The Box" is. Send to home address preferibly.
- Stay awake, it time to walk in circles, and drink from the skuttlebutt (water fountains) for another urinalysis, listen to the Chief's and Petty Officer's (Know the difference between them).
- Walk in a military manner, do not talk. They take height and weight and ask for 800-900 Division here.
- They take your picture for your I.D. card, try to not look like a zombie, you keep this for 4 years!!!
- Grab ditty bag, go to temporarily ship (building where you sleep), notebook in hand. Division is randomly done. Go to you compartment (large area in building where you sleep). Choose your rack and 1st bunkmate. Hang ditty bag on rack.

The 2010 Holiday Standdown is official as of this week. NO RECRUITS WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM DEC 17 - JAN 3. If your recruit is scheduled to arrive on those dates, he or she will be contacted with a new date to report for duty.

This date will most likely be between Dec 12 - 15 (as per my son's experience last year).

See the discussion above for more information.

arwen, so if we graduate the 17th of december. then we will have 2 week leave correct?

That depends on your school. Not all sailors are granted leave. It's reasonable to hope for it, but not to plan for it.

Also remember that if you have a 14-week school, you may not have any leave remaining to take time at home between your A-school and your first duty station.

ok thank youu

Arwen - I'm so confused (not hard to do LOL)! My daughter leaves for BC on 10/6, I'm anticipating that her PIR date will be 12/3 or 12/10. She goes to A-school in GL. What's the process for holiday when they are already in A-school? (We live in PA) Should we expect to not see her at all? Will A-school "close down" so to speak that she might be able to get leave for like a 4-day weekend to come home at Christmas? Any experience or information you can share would be helpfull!!

A school does close down during the holiday breaks, she will have to apply for leave when she arrives at A-school. They may or may not grant her leave, and will instruct her on the process. The barracks are open and basic services are available for those who remain at GL. Those who remain behind stand watch and relax for two weeks.

Party is over, we are on our 1 week countdown. Getting things packed up and his blessing is on Sunday. Been down this road once already. Hang tough Moms and Dad's, it's a rough ride but it gets easier.

187 days to go....he is about to dirve me CRAZY! I have been telling him to clean his room all week! I have to yell at him to get out of bed every day! Fuss and fuss to get him to do the dishes or anything else to help...GRRR no job, no money, no car, oh well it's all his fault. Praying this time goes by QUICKLY!

Our son left yesterday and it was harder than we thought! We all did fine ubtil it was time to get on the bus for the airport and he turned to me and was crying! Then we all lost it! His girlfriend was able to spend a little time with him at the airport as her college is not far from there. We were able to chat with him a couple of times before he got to the base. We received "the call" about 8:30 P.M. and it was about 10 seconds. The scripted call of course. It is hard, tears don't stop.....................eight weeks can't go by fast enough for us!

Brandon'sMom: Been there w/our son Matt. He contracted last Jan but will be leaving in less than 2 wks. He did hold down a part time job so he could make his car payment & have spending money, but I couldn't get him to do anything. His room & family room were always a disaster & I didn't have a clue where he was most of the time (he's 23). He decided to quit his job so he could train seriously in Sept...wonder when he's going to start...

I can't even walk into my son's room....no place to put your feet. At least he is working part time.

I just set up the PIR 11/19/10 page. If you have a Sailor that will graduate that day, please join us. My son left on Tuesday, 21 September and I am quite sure this will be graduation day.

When Chris left for boot camp he sorted his clothes: what he wanted to have shipped to him at A-school and what he wanted to keep for later (once he has semi-permanent barracks). When he came home from A-school he went through that pile of clothes again and pretty viciously put about 2/3 of it in a box to donate. He gave most of his "large" electronics to his siblings (stereo, etc). About the only thing he wants back are his yearbooks and D&D books. He didn't have anything else he thought worthy of keeping/shipping.

@MommyHunt- well he got a job yesterday, praying that he will stick to it. His Nanna is letting him use her truck to get back and fourth but not to go out and about for fun. His station office only has a meeting/PT once a mth. They do not seem to do much. IDK I have talked to them about the problems I have been haveing with Brandon but they have never offered to do anything to help. I like them they are very nice and easy to get along with but that is about it. Maybe it is Brandon that just has not gotten involved. He has taken some tests and passed them. He is great at memorizing so he has most of it already memorized. My next goal it to get him and his dad talking again. Please pray that he (Brandon) will appoligize to his dad and talk about everything and work things out!

Brandonsmom-Sounds like you and i are living parallel lives exactly---i have been thinking of talking to the recruiters but just did not know if was appropriate. let me know if you find the majic to get him going and talking (which is so important to me!!)

I talk to them alot but they don't offer alot of help. Just keep saying he is on the list to go early if something comes up......and just tell him to stay out of trouble.

Good Morning! If your son/daughter has left for boot camp this week, please join us at PIR 11/19/10. We are pretty sure this will be their PIR day. I am aware that we have not received any paperwork stating this fact, but figuring it out it seems to be right. So, if you can come and join us that would be great. We are here to support one another in this journey!

Hi Navy Moms! I'm a DEPer, shipping off to boot camp in Feb 2011. Just wanted to say this site is awesome and I'm glad my mom has a place to go to chit chat with other Navy Moms. Anyone have a son or daughter leaving in Feb? Also, if you've got a son/daughter in the GM rate, let me know!

Thanks everyone. Can't thank you Moms enough for how much you support and encourage us! <3

WooHoo!!!! Opened Diego's info letter and he will PIR on the 12th and NOT on the 19th like we thought!! One week earlier than expected, God is good!!!!

Welcome Navygal, this will be great support not only for you, but for your mom. I came here a while ago and I have learned so much. I really thought I was prepared when my son left last Tuesday, but that day proved that I wasn't. Good luck as you being your duty as a DEPper!! We are here are you and your family. Thank you for serving our great country!!

My son will leave 10/5 for BC. I have a question that I hope someone can answer so I won't have to search through 1000's of comments. My son does not want to take his BlackBerry because he plans on donating everything so won't be sending a box home. My question is, for the "I'm here safe" call will he have to use his calling card? I'm sending a couple with him so he will have them. Also, we do not have a land line anymore so Nate cannot call collect. I read somewhere that the Navy provides phone for this, but I don't actually know what that means or if it was outdated. Thanks in advance.

My son has already decided not to take his cell phone to BC with him but will get a cheap "go" phone just for the trip...doesn't want anything to happen to his iphone that he saved for in the shipping home. That way he can still have contact on the trip but no worries.

My daughter went to MEPS last month and has an August ship date. She has now been put on the list to go in when there is an earlier opening. Her specialty is Logistics. Does anybody have any experience with this? Her recruiter said she would probably move up faster because she is a girl. Anybody have any idea about what kind of wait time we might be looking at?

mommyhunt- I am not sure how many deppers there are. The office is not in Ashebboro and it is a small town. Not sure what size the area that they are to cover. He does have to call in every monday.

My bf leaves for bootcamp in december and will then be going to nuke school. I have no clue what to expect. nervous, scared, excited and proud at the same time.

@Britt, you need to hook up with my son's girlfriend. He just left last Tuesday and she is going crazy. They have never been apart and not to be able to chat and text all the time is taking its toll on her. She and I text all day, she is away at college. She is on my page, "Kyle's Girl" It is exciting and scary all at the same time, Welcome!

Just stopped by to say goodbye and good luck to the families waiting for their Depper to ship out. Our son swore in at MEPS this morning and will ship out tomorrow. Now the waiting begins and we will look forward to his PIR.

JM(Aub'smom) good luck to your son & you during BC.

My son got through MEP's and was told he would be assigned a job that same day however they ran out of jobs. He has been told to report to MEP's again 3 separate times to get his assignment but each time it is pushed out another week. Is this normal or is this just because it is the end of the fiscal year for the military?

Glassdog - There are lots of recruits available right now because of the economy. I understand preference is given to those who score higher on their ASVAB, females, and some others. So, a female with the same ASVAB score as a white male with the exact same ASVAB score would be given preference if there was only one job opening. Not exactly fair, but that's how I'm told it works.

Thanks for the info. I was just curious. He did score above average apparently so hope something comes through for him soon.

I just keep telling him that he will get the job he is supposed to. Learn patience. Which is hard because his mom isn't! lol

He is open for most things. The exceptions being nuclear, the one thing he didn't qualify for, and submarines. I think if most anything else was offered he would probably be interested. He has gotten different info from people he knows who are or have been in the Navy. He is very open.

I hope so. He is so excited about going into the Navy. He wants this for a career and will try for OCS at the right time. He has a BA in Industrial Design. So hopefully something will. Thank you for the information, and for listening to me. I am just so happy at his choice of joining the Navy, I needed to get info on this.

glassdog the same thing happened to my son, scored well on ASVAB but went to MEPS 4 times before the jobs opened he signed the first week of June but does not leave until March, 2011 so don't be surprised if he also has a long wait. The good side is my son did get a rate he was interested in it was on his list.-OS. Tell your son to do as much research as he can about the differnt rates(jobs) so he will be informed when they offer him something. Good Luck

Thanks for all the info. I didn't know if this was the exception or the rule. I will tell him to really check out the rates so he is well informed and not surprised by any job. As I told him before he needs to learn patience. We both do according to our bowling coach. I had hoped that since he had a college degree it might go faster but oh well things will happen as they must.
PollyAnna sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. I can be very difficult I know.

PollyAnna meant to say It can be very difficult not I can. Although my husband would probably say I wrote the sentence correctly! lol

Glassdog - Is he up for the SEAL program? Seems like when it comes to males there are a lot of NUKES and SEALS being accepted at the moment. Patience is key - hurry up and wait LOL! It will be easier for him to stay motivated and patient if you can abide by the same philosophy, but as a mom I know that's easier said than done sometimes because we want the best our children can possibly have. Stay in touch with N4M - the site is a wealth of motivation, support, and information. Even encourage your son to join N4M - he'll find other recruits on here as well! Good luck to you both!

you are right it isn't easy! My nephue leves this weekend, my son does not leave untill March 29. Then my mom will have three grandsons in the Navy...I think that is sooooo Awsome!