ALUMNI OF PIR 01/30/2015 TG 12 - 12 Divisions (075-084, 805 and 912)

Here is a great PAGE about letter writing and what you may send and not send your Recruit:

Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recruit

It is very thorough :-)

Also flying out of NYC on Jan. 29th. See you all at Sarge's Meet & Greet!

We will be at Sarge's meet and greet as well.

coachjb:  Ooops!  Totally missed what you were asking!  Sorry about that.

I agree with FTLW that it is best to scan photos on the backs of letters or a separate sheet of paper, collage style.  That way, he has lots of piks in limited space!

Good Morning All !

Just looking around on Facebook and see that some people decorate the doors of their rooms in honor of their sailors.  Looks interesting, just not sure about doing it myself.  Has anyone done this and what did your sailor think about it?

Hello Friends!

     "The Lord Almighty has sworn,

       'Surely as I have planned, so it will be,

        and as I have purposed, so it will stand.' "

                                               Isaiah 14:24

Vickie,

If you would like to work on a Basket Project for this PIR group, which is a voluntary activity for any who would like to donate a basket of state goodies or any other goodies to be auctioned off at Sarge's Meet & Greet, I could put you in contact with someone who could help you out??

Renee:  Many decorate the doors of their hotel rooms in honor of their new sailors, but it really depends on if your sailor likes that kind of stuff!  I knew mine would not like that (more private with accomplishments like that) so didn't do it, but many do! All should remember that you are not allowed to have banners/posters in PIR Hall.  Some have snuck them in, but sadly, when they jump up to hold it up to their sailor as he/she marches in, they usually block the view of the people around them....one lady posted that in a previous PIR group and said it caused her to miss her sailor's entrance into the hall.  So please reserve these for your hotel rooms!

Dianep, that happened at my son's high school graduation, only it was balloons. Very aggravating! Hope we don't have that problem with my daughter's graduation this year or at PIR.

Q'smomKim, I like that idea. I don't have a lot of time for that sort of thing anymore so having something made would be nice.  I did think it might be something my daughter would like to do for her bigbrother as she is a pretty darn good artist. Decisions, decisions.

Vickie: Correct.....the baskets for Sarge's are purely voluntary.  The meal is free to all.  He and his wife pay for the food each week themselves, so some of the ladies in past groups wanted to auction off baskets they put together (state theme or whatever you like) to help with his expenses.  Like I said, voluntary.  Everyone is welcome at the MeetandGreet for a delicious free meal!  Some may donate money when they get there if they would like to, but again, not necessary.

Good Morning!

Greetings!

     "I in them and You in Me.  May they be

      brought to complete unity to let the world

      know that You sent Me and have loved

      them even as You have loved Me."

                                                    John 17:23

Happy New Year!

Q'smomKim, I joined and it took a couple of days to be accepted. I'm really not sure what "your other page" would be though.

Q's Mom Kim - I remember reading about someone saying to check your "other" folder..... I'lll see if I can find it...

Happy New 2015!!

     "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

      my Savior, and my God."

                                                     Psalm 42:5b-6a

Q'smomKim - go to Facebook and look on the left side of the screen.  Click on "Messages."  Then click on "other."

My son had another phone call today, I this makes call #3.. Im getting more than I think I should? Should I be concerned?  He didn't call me this last time, he called my parents.

Angie - my son also has been allowed to make three phone calls so far. However, he has broken up his time allowance so he can call different people. I wouldn't be worried about there being something wrong - your SR would have let you know if he hadn't passed a PFA or an inspection or something. He probably just wanted to let his grandparents know how he was doing ;). 

Thanks LisaB- He did call fast before time ran out.

I'm so glad :)

Happy New Year!

What time do we get our SR from PIR?  I am trying to make lunch plans.

With my son we got roughly 6 hours.  Plenty of time for lunch out in GL.  My daughter wants Bubba Gumps, but I think that would take to much time.

PIR ends promptly at 10:30 AM.

You will have about ten -15 minutes in the PIR hall to find your Sailor and congratulate them. They start shutting off the lights and clearing it out.

IF your Sailor is attaching to TSC GL for A school they may (or may not and have to leave you immediately) have a short time to visit with you onboard RTC but then will have to leave you to gather their things and board busses to go up the street to check in. INDOC can take anywhere from 3-5 hours. Please make sure that they have a working phone card so they can contact you to come get them. They have a Naval Museum over there and a Visitors Center. Here is a link to that :

GRADUATION SCHEDULE/ Great Lakes Naval Museum

The above also shows the Schedule for PIR and has some other good info.

IF your Sailor is flying out for A school you usually have them right after PIR like the above. Occasionally, we have seen delays as they may have to return to their barracks for some reason OR some have even had to have watch (I know bummer). Watch could happen immediately or within Liberty time. If they are going to be delayed for a time I believe you may wait in the NEX or your car. Unfortunately, you will not find out until PIR day. It does not happen often...but it does happen.

Please also read the Family Guide (link) for valuable information.

Happy New Years! I wonder if we will get a phone call today!

Got a call from my SR around 3:45pm. It was the scheduled half way mark call. He's div 81.  I tried to post that they were calling right after hanging up with him, but was getting an error message. Hope many of you got to talk to hour hero's today too.

* your, not hour

Father, in the coming days, I will need You, but my recruit will need You more!
Let him perform his tasks with a sense of duty, not of anger or vengeance. Let his reflexes be quick and his hands steady. Let his head be clear and his eyes sharp. Let his mind and body be strong and his spirit stronger.

God, please stand by my recruit and watch his back when he cannot!
Father, I love this recruit of mine! Take from me what he needs and give me what he does not.

I will pace the nights, if it means he gets some sleep.
I will deal with fatigue, if it means he will have energy.
I will carry his fear, if it means it gives him courage.
I will take his pain, if it means he is healthy and whole.
I will take his anger, if it means he is at peace.
Take my love and pride and let him feel it!
Let him know that I am with him every step of the way!
Please, take from me what You can; I give it willingly and with love.
It is all I have besides my prayers.
Above all, please help my recruit to achieve his goal of becoming...
A United States Navy Sailor!

This I ask on bended knee, that which I cannot do without YOU!  Amen

There is no set number of calls allowed....different RDCs allow different numbers of calls.  Just be ready at all time, phone glued to you!

*ready at all times....

Good Morning!

Yayyy! Got 4 letters today! 27 days!!!

Good evening all. Will our sailors find out what time on Saturday 1/31 they fly to A School - if that's what they're doing? I want to book our return flight, but want to make sure we spend every second possible with him at the airport before he goes.

Hello All!

     "How sweet Your words taste to me

      they are sweeter than honey to my mouth."

                                             Psalm 119:103

Missy,

Yep, your SR will know what time they fly to A school after they have completed Battlestations.  You should plan on flying back home on Saturday evening January 31st or if you can afford an extra night of hotel as a "just in case" his group flies out on Sunday, stay until Sunday evening.  Sometimes a group will fly out the next day because the flights are full, but there is no way to know for sure...

Anyone with sons with initials KAM or another with initials PT in Div 078?

Missy:  Since the sailors find out their flights too late to help you with your flight booking (some don't know until right before PIR), please take CatMom's advice below so you won't miss any time with your new sailor!~

Good Morning!

A reminder to check out Southwest Airlines into either Milwaukee (45 min drive to GL, no traffic, cheaper car rental) or Chicago Midway (hour+ drive to GL, traffic, but one of the airports the sailors will fly out from).....they charge no change fee and 2 bags check for free.  In the past, they have also offered a discount coupon (Enterprise) for car rental if you book with them.