This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.

FIRST TIME HERE?

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:

Choose your Username.  For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either).  Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username.  While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!

Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!

Join groups!  Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself!  Start making friends that can last a lifetime.

Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak

All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018. 

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.

OPSEC - Navy Operations Security

Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind.  In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships."  OPSEC is everyone's responsibility. 

DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.  

DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."

Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021

Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.

Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.

Format Downloads:

Navy Speak

Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms!  (Hint:  When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)

N4M Merchandise


Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.

Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.

Navy.com Para Familias

Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com

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Great Lakes A School Q&A

Information

Great Lakes A School Q&A

The purpose of this group is to allow family of new sailors assigned to school at Training Support Center Great Lakes a chance to voice questions to a Student Division Commander

Location: Great Lakes, IL
Members: 2330
Latest Activity: Oct 28

Discussion Forum

What happens after ASchool?

Started by SailorMom18. Last reply by Phoenixmom Feb 13, 2019. 1 Reply

BECC Info?

Started by adubz33. Last reply by SuBHuni34 Nov 29, 2018. 9 Replies

Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of Great Lakes A School Q&A to add comments!

Comment by legoNavymom03 on March 12, 2024 at 9:45am

If anyone's sailor is getting close to finishing A School, they should be able to access their orders online. My son finishes at the end of the month, and hie has orders to report in May (!!!) to his assignment in San Diego! I called it; we lived in OR until July and he has his dad's brother and his wife, and my BF has two brothers in San Diego. We're excited now to be able to visit maybe for Christmas and see him, if he's still in port.

Comment by legoNavymom03 on January 30, 2024 at 10:57am

My son went to his first class yesterday and met his roommate...as he was leaving. His roommate graduated, so he's a singleton for at least a week, possibly two, until the new SR's graduate and he gets a new one! I told him to keep his dorm shipshape, because he will be the only one in there, and they WILL be inspecting it more thoroughly. We'll see how much he's learned about keeping things tidy....

Comment by B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet) on January 26, 2024 at 5:20pm

Rigger - good advice!  Thanks for responding ;-D

Comment by Rigger on January 26, 2024 at 12:38pm

@calinavymom is your son in holding on the bootcamp side, or the training side? If he is on the training side, he is just waiting for the next class to start. My daughter has on hold for a about a month when she graduated earlier last year. She was an OS. They put into the barracks and she went through indoc. She already had full liberty on weekends before she even started her classes, and met friends and everything. I went to visit her a few times while she was there, and met some of her friends. I learned that a lot of students in A School in Great Lakes are there for at least a month or two before they start their classes. She stood watch in her barracks, had cleaning duty, etc. It was boring for sure. But I told her to look at it like she is receiving a paycheck, and she could focus on getting adjusted to Navy life. Tell him to hang in there. Do not get frustrated with the timing, it will all work out.

Comment by legoNavymom03 on January 26, 2024 at 6:39am
Cali Navy Mom: oh, no! What's his rate? Maybe they are waiting for enough new sailors to start a class for training? My son is a machinists mate, and he starts Monday. Fingers crossed it's a short hold!
Comment by Anti M on September 5, 2023 at 10:10am

Each school has a separate mailing address, and there are several at Great Lakes. Try looking it up by his rating/job.

Comment by Navydaughternavymom on September 5, 2023 at 7:37am

Any insight into finding the mailing address?  Long story short, our sailor started A school today but we need to mail him something and he doesn’t have a mailing address to give us yet. Should we just wait until he gets one from someone or is there a way for me to find one?

we’re mailing him something very important, time is of the essence.  Thank you!

Comment by B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet) on September 2, 2022 at 11:09am

Here is a link from Great Lakes regarding their Updated Liberty Rules during PIR weekend, effective August, 2022. (Thank you Amy for sharing this with me.)  I'll post it in a few different places.

Updated Liberty Rules for GL - August 2022

Comment by TXnavymom on July 23, 2022 at 8:42pm

Phoenixmom, to clarify, you said he would make his arrangements…will he. Make those with somebody?  Does the navy set up a flight for him and then he pays for it?  Or does he have to make his own flight arrangements on his own?  He’ll be graduating in 4 days and they said he’ll leave in 5 but he doesn’t know when he’ll get his plane ticket or if he needs to go ahead and do that?  Thank you for your help!

Comment by TXnavymom on July 14, 2022 at 12:10am

Thank you Phoenixmom!  This is going not be challenging for my son but I know very good for him.  

 

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