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 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed.  Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.

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

**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:

In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).  

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED.  Vaccinations still required.

**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.

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:

Latest Activity

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

Badge

Loading…
Hi, my son left today for boot camp. Waiting for the call that he got there. So proud but nervous this is all new

Views: 180

Replies to This Discussion

Hi Missey, Welcome to the BC Moms group! The "I'm Here" call is a scripted call. I thought I was just hearing a recording. I finally just started saying, "I love you, so many times that I didn't actually hear what my son told me about calling home other than something about 3 weeks.  So, just be prepared for that, and it will come from their cell phone if they took it otherwise, it may come from a number you don't know so answer anyway. They won't be allowed time to talk, so just tell them you love them anyway. If you know your son's schedule and when his plane was landing, you might still have an opportunity to call him before he boards the bus to RTC. Also, the call can come fairly late in the night, I was about ready to head to bed when our call finally came.

Hi Missey! Congratulations to your son, and you've come to the right place! This is a wonderful network of moms who have all been in the exact place you're in now. I can't believe I'm coming to the end of my BC journey! My daughter graduates (PIR) this Friday!! The time will pass quickly, unless you're waiting for letters and calls. :) Ask all your questions and read up about what to expect, and Welcome!

Missey, congrats to your son.  My son was in boot camp in Oct, PIR was 12/14/18.  It seems so long ago now.  Boot camp is a rough time for parents; just know that no news is good news.  I suggest writing via Sandboxx.  Many letters we wrote our son he never got; still a pet peeve of mine.  I think the mailroom there is overwhelmed.  Good luck to you and your son.

TammyGirl, I agree with you! I had my daughter here this weekend because my mother passed away and I was showing her all the pics I sent her in letters and through Sandboxx and she'd never gotten them. Both are annoying. 

Molly's Proud Mom —- so sorry to hear about your mom’s passing.  Our son got all letters from Sandboxx, but others he didn’t.   In hindsight I wish I would have copied all letters. 

Ladies, may I offer a suggestion, although it may be late for some of you. But I wrote emails to my son while he was in BC. It was how I dealt with those first weeks before I had a form letter. I didn't know anything about this site and email writing is just easy for me, plus when I wrote to my son, his picture icon would come up and seeing his smiling face kept encouraging me as well. Once I had his address I printed all of my emails and mailed the letters. I continued to write him that way, just because I figured then he could read them later in an email. I never really considered the fact that he might not receive my letters. 

I also gave my son's address out to many of our close friends, primarily from church who wanted to be able to write and share with him their well wishes. He received most of those letters as far as I know. It does seem like I have heard more and more about the letters not arriving, so I offer my suggestion as another alternative, either write them in an email first, or write them in a word document that you can save, or just copy them, before mailing to GL. Later you can bundle them together and share after PIR for them to have at A school as well.

Just keep your phone near you at all times--even in the bathroom!  I bought one of those strap things to wear around the neck so I can have it with me when I'm wearing clothes without pockets.  Boot Camp was the hardest for us because the separation was completely unfamiliar--we had no military background except my long-deceased father and uncle (WW2).  BUT now that our daughter is finished with training and with her ship, we see how much she's grown and learned.  Remember that sometimes when you do get to talk to your son he  might not be able to tell you what you're asking because of protocol, not because he wants to hold back.  There are a lot of support systems in place in the Navy and our kids learn where to find them--it just takes some time.

My Son just went on 5/30 and I got the scripted call but nothing else. About when does one usually receive The Letter?

mommymichele411 - Welcome aboard!! - you should receive "the kid in the box" - your son's belongings in the mail in about 1 - 1.5 weeks, maybe sooner. I think they are generally mailed using FedEx and have to be signed for, so keep that in mind. Then the Form letter arrives about 2 - 2.5 weeks after they have left for BC. My son's BC was before they changed the fitness rules, so now, they have to pass the initial fitness test before they assign them to a division and that is when the will send out their form letter.

Be sure to read all of the posts and information on the main BC Mom page and join in on the main comments. 

RSS

© 2024   Created by Navy for Moms Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service