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!

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.

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Navy Speak

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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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Hi Everyone. My son left on Dec 9th for Great Lakes. I am a total wreck and no one knows it. He has never been without me, mind you he is not a mamas boy never has been but I am a boys mamma. I miss him terribly and it is just the beginning. I get alone and I get this lump in my throat to where I can hardly breathe. All I want is to hear him say ma I’m fine. Is that to much to ask. They should allow him to call and say at least that. I got some recording that told me his flight landed and that was it....

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((((Hugs))) I think boot camp is as much to get families used to military life as it is for the recruits.

It is hard but it'll get easier once he's done with boot camp. Write him letters - you can mail them one you get his address. Don't focus on missing him, tell him how proud you are of him.

At this point? No news is good news So not hearing from him means "Ma I';m fine"

But once he's in the Navy, Navy comes first and family is a distant second. Mine has been in just over 5 years now - he's been home ONCE for Easter (2016), ONCE for Christmas (2019) and home on leave one additional time (summer 2019). We didn't see him at all between April 2016 and June 2019 because he was overseas. He won't be home this Christmas either.  But he's doing great, loves what he's doing and we're super proud of him. But yeah, the military isn't like sending them to college or out in the work force, it's a whole different experience.

Tadpole - Welcome to the Navy4Mom site. I haven't had a chance to see if you have joined the BC Mom group yet. Generally, you should have received a "scripted" call from your son once he was at GL (or now as they transition them to Ft. McCoy) that we refer to as the "I'm Here" call. Those calls were made from their cell phones and if by chance his battery went dead you may not have received a call.

We live by the saying, "No News is Good News."  As hard as it is to let our kids go, into the military they have gone and we no longer are the ones calling the shots. We don't plan their schedules, we don't drive them to their activities, we don't tell them when to go to bed, when to get up in the morning, how long they can play on the computer or watch TV. We don't even get to tell them to eat their vegetables. The Navy gets to tell them what to do. This is the Great silence that you are in. Unfortunately for those with kids in currently and the added 2 weeks of ROM (restriction of movement) / quarantine it will be close to 4 - 5 weeks before you receive the Form Letter - nothing personal, just a typed letter from RTC that your SR (seaman recruit) will fill in his name, address and division #. 

If for some reason, you receive a call from your SR before you have the form letter. Ask him if he knows his Ship # (not the name - we might be able to figure it out but the address uses a #) and his Div#. With those two pieces of information we can give you the proper format for addressing mail to him. 

There is a lot more information that I can share but I at least wanted to say hi and hopefully someone else will reply as well. My son has been in for 3+ years and there members on the BC Mom group who span an entire spectrum of years, including others like you whose child has just left for BC. 

Welcome aboard to the emotional roller coaster. BNMH (Big Navy Mom Hugs!)

Thanks so much. My husband said that very same thing No news is good news. I just can’t seem to get out of mama mode. I guess it will come with time. I’m really glad I found you all. By the way I asked him for an address for letters while he was on his flight and he sent
Not sure if he sent the correct info.

RTC Great Lakes
Att: student control department
2605 Kansas street bldg 1405
Great Lakes Il 60088

Tadpole - Honestly, this is a new one as far as address. Generally, you will not receive a mailing address for your SR until they have gone through all of their processing days and that is going to be after their new 2 week quarantine / ROM (restriction of movement). So, the form letter with the address which is the only thing your SR will handwrite in that letter has been arriving 4 - 5 weeks after he left for MEPS. Each Division has to train a Recruit Mail Petty Officer to deal with the mail before they will start receiving letters - so mailing to any address earlier, is likely to just get set aside. 

This is the page from RTC website that gives the address for the ships. If you have his specific Ship # and Division # then you can write to him. 

RTC - Contacting Recruits

Hi Tadpole - these ladies have left you some good advice here.....and be sure to join the boot camp group.  I left the link in the welcome message on your page.  Hang in there!

Thanks so very much.

Tadpole - I posted this on your My Page / profile page but here it is again.

BC Moms group

Be sure to come join us.

Will do definitely. Thanks again.

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