My son leave on the 26th of this month and I miss him already. How do I get he's information so I can write to him?

[Missingyou]

My son leave on the 26th of this month and I miss him already. How do I get he's information so I can write to him?

[lisa116]

My son left September 12th.  I called his recruiter two days after he shipped out and the recruiter gave me my son's address.  I was able to start writing him within two days of him leaving.  I am still waiting to get a letter back from him telling me if he did get all my letters!  It is so hard not knowing how he is doing and how everything is going for him!

[LisaPS123]

I am not sure how the recruiter would know the specific address for the recruits since they are assigned to a ship and division after they arrive and I believe that information is necessary for the mail to reach them.  It was 10 days after my son left when we got the letter with his address and the graduation information. I already had written a couple of letters before I got the address and then I mailed one each day once I knew where to send them.

[lemonelephant]

The address is entered into the system soon after the recruit arrives at the RTC, so yes, the recruiter is often able to access that info, but the recruit may move to a different division during P-days or the entire division will be moved to a different ship for some reason. Sometimes the address is a generic address (often the one for Ship 7, which isn't even used any more) for the RTC even if the ship and division info is correct. It is best to wait on The Form Letter before sending letters. (See Letter Writing & Fun Stuff/Questionnaires to send to your Recruit.)

Reasons to wait on The Form Letter before sending letters:

1. The PAO at the RTC asks that loved ones wait on the form letter before mailing letters. See http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/fam_guide.html.

2. The recruiter does not always give the right address and letters that do not have the correct address may be returned or may be delayed several weeks in getting to your recruit since it will not be a high priority for those in the mail room to look up the correct information.

3. Even if you do have the correct information, your recruit will not receive letters that are mailed before receiving the form letter much quicker, if at all, than letters mailed after receiving the form letter because recruits do not receive mail until they are in their permanent ship and a Recruit Mail Petty Officer is trained. The first Mail Call is on day 1-3 or 1-4 DOT.

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Note: If it has been at least 2 calendar weeks since your recruit arrived at the RTC and you do not have a form letter, then you can call the recruiter and get the address and mail letters to your recruit, but be sure to double-check the address against those at http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/faq.html#contacting_recruits or Ship/Division--How it Works.

[ellen0502]

Writing to your recruit before receiving the form letter will not get your mail to the any faster, it most likely will delay it. Recruits cannot receive mail until they have moved over to their training ship and a recruit in that division has been trained to handle the mail.

the process of moving to their training ship and getting a RMPO trained to distribute mail can take a couple of weeks. All mail received before there is a recruit trained is bagged and set aside. When the RMPO is trained the first mail to get sorted is the current days mail, if there is time after the mail that has been set aside is sorted.

Recruiters don't always have the correct info on your recruit either. Your best bet is to wait for the form letter.