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

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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!

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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.

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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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Hello - I am brand new here and looking for any info/advice!  My son is leaving for MEPS on Monday for his final swear-in on Tuesday.  He will leave for Bootcamp then.  I will be on a work trip so will say goodbye to him Sunday.  I don't know how to find out his division or PIR date, I don't know what to expect, and would love whatever advice and info you all can offer.  I am still learning to navigate this site so I am not sure where all the best information is!

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Replies to This Discussion

amanda720, you are in good hands here!  The Navy moms who act as our site admins will regularly post links to the new PIR groups as soon as they are set.  So keep watching.  You won't know his division or PIR date right away.  But from what I understand, you will receive a form letter (within a couple weeks?) with that information in it.  My son does not ship until 7/9, so I'm just sitting in here soaking up all of the information I can in the meantime.  The other moms are amazing.  This site is quickly becoming a life line for me.  Welcome!

Thanks so much!  I appreciate the info.  

Amanda720—Welcome! WaterLily has some good advice. I know it’s hard waiting for that form letter, but from what I’ve read on here, it’s best to wait to send letters until the form comes with your son’s address. My daughter left on 6/11. We still haven’t received her form letter, but it should come any day now.  Follow the advice of others and write anyway. Date and/or number your letters so that when he gets them all, he will know what order to read them in. Not only will your SR enjoy reading the letters, but I’ve also found that it helps me not miss my daughter quite so much.  Good luck with everything, and enjoy the last few days you have with your son before he leaves.

I bet it seems like a long 10 days so far!  Hoping it goes fast!

Yes! Our mail gets delivered around 3 pm, so I keep calling home around that time to see if the form letter came yet. :-)   Speaking of which . . . I’m going to call now! Lol

Have you signed up for Informed Delivery or checked to see if it's available in your area?  That would tell you all the mail that is being delivered that day and save you the daily call home. https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

I just signed up, but my cell phone is a VOIP phone, so they couldn’t verify my identity online. So now I’ll call home to see if the verification code has come in the mail AND to see if my daughter’s form letter has come. LOL. I don’t mind calling home though. :-)

Hi Amanda!  You'll get a 30 second "I'm here" call when your SR (seaman recruit) arrives at boot camp.  It could be late at night so keep your phone handy and the ringer up loud!  You won't get the official form letter until after he's been there anywhere from 9-14 days.  That letter will have PIR information, division#, mailing address.  In the meantime you can start writing letters - #them in the corner so he knows what order to open them in - and then you can mail them all out when you get the address.  Keep the letters positive and upbeat.

Before he leaves you should discuss with him if he wants you to let him know if there is any bad news that might happen at home.  Many SR's choose not to know until PIR so as not to disrupt their training, but it is a personal preference and something you should discuss.  

There's lots of links on the main page of the boot camp group that will answer many of your questions.  

Oh and count Fridays rather than individual days - it makes the time go by faster.  (To guestimate when his PIR might be count 9 Fridays.  You might be looking at an 8/23/19 PIR BUT it could change a week either way (which is why you wait for the letter before booking flights,etc).

Hang in there!

That at least gives me a good idea of timeline!  Thanks so much!

Amanda720 I agree that you are in good hands on this site- lots of good info and spot on to my experience. I am almost done with RTC. 9 Fridays is a good PIR estimate; the form letter should come in 9-14 business days (not counting weekends & holidays). Mine came on the 12th day, I was freaking out because another family in the same TG got it a week earlier-just Navy timing and USPS. My calls were in the 3rd & 5th weeks-of different lengths depending on phone bank availability and the RDC who can reduce time as punishment.
I didn't use Sandboxx but I highly recommend signing up for USPS Informed Delivery, its free. We were out-of-town but we knew when a special letters waswere coming so a friend picked it up and texted us photos of the contents.
When you know the PIR date, watch for a group just for that day. Then all you can do is wait. No news is good news, it means things are on track. Good luck!

I can imagine the adjustment from knowing where they are 24/7 and being able to reach them at all times (thank you cell phones) to "no news is good news" is a tough adjustment.  I assume since so many mothers have survived this...i will as well ;)

Amanda720-- But you do know where they are 24/7!! During BC anyway!!! It's once they reach the fleet that you need to really be concerned!   The no communication is tough but we haven't lost a mom to Boot camp yet, we won't start with you!!   Watch the videos to have an idea of what the first few weeks will look like (At least through #4)
B'sNukeMoM gave you a good run down of the first few things.  The "Scripted Phone call", Then you'll get the KIB (Kid In a Box-- anything your recruit took with him) about a week- 2 weeks later, around week 3 you will get the first call home.  Since he's still home have him leave you a voice mail message so when you just can't stand it you can hear his message (Over and Over and Over), Sneak a note of encouragement in his wallet and ask him to leave you a note in his pocket so when you get his KIB you can find it there. Also have him call as soon as he lands in Chicago. It will be your last "Visit" until the call home around week 3.  Keep a notepad handy of all the questions you want to ask so you don't forget! (and you will forget!!) Read everything on here, on the main BC pages and in the files.  If you can't find it ask.  Yes we may have heard it a 1000 times but this is all new to YOU.  If we didn't care we'd leave so no question is a silly question.

WaterLily-- Welcome and BZ for knowing the right answer!! You'll do great!!
Lisa UT/MT Mom-- BZ to you too!! See how much stronger you are already!!

(BZ= Bravo Zulu or Navy Speak for Good Job/ Well Done)

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