Graduation

[Krystal]

Hey Ya'll,
I have a question. My recruit is scheduled to graduate this Friday 3/18 however, I received a call from her last night stating she was 25sec off on the running assessment. She will try again on Wednesday. She said if she doesn't pass, it'll be reviewed by the board and from there, they'll determine if she gets setback two more weeks or is discharged. She was setback in January for not passing but was almost 5 min off the target goal. We've bought flight tickets, made hotel accommodations and arrangements for our pets. We won't know until Wednesday if she passes. How can this be? We waited until last week to make plans, but were we supposed to wait until the day before she graduated? I'm so confused, frustrated and anxious about this. Any warm comforting words of encouragement are appreciated.

[Chipmunk]

Krystal, first of all, I am sorry to hear that you had this news. Most people do not notice the general discussions pop up and that is why we encourage you to post in the BC Mom group page, where more people will see or reply. 

I am not as familiar with the issues involved with setbacks from the PFAs and how that affects the SRs. There may be some information in the pages on the right side of the Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones) - Navy For Moms (ning.com) - BC Mom group page. Sorry, I have a very busy and hectic day and everyone volunteers on this site, so I don't have time to hunt for information.

All I can say, is in the form letter (at least when my son was in BC they recommended) and on here when we have people asking, we always recommend that you get refundable or changeable tickets and motel reservations. It isn't so much a matter of waiting till the last minute to purchase them as it is being able to change them at the last minute. 

I would go to the comment wall (scroll all the way down the group page) and ask there if anyone has had experience with this. I would definitely call the motel and find out their cancellation policy and your airlines as well. 

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

Krystal - SuzyChicago just posted this info on the boot camp page.  

Comment by SuzyChicago 2 minutes agoDelete Comment

I can chime regarding both Battle Stations and PFA.

BST-21 is still being done around the end of the 7th week/early 8th week. The recruits can call home and scream "I'm a Sailor!!" all they want, but they still need to pass the final official PFA in order to graduate and that is now done in their 9th week. This is to allow them extra time to be able to pass it.

However, if they fail, they are given a second opportunity, depending on by how much they have failed. If they failed by a lot, then there's very little chance they'd be able to make up that time a few days later when they retest. They most likely will be set back in training to a division that has already completed their BST-21 as well.

Those given a second chance right away will retest within a few more days. If they fail, they'll go before a board to determine they should also be set back.

Unfortunately, because this final PFA is taken in the 9th week, yes, it's cutting it close. However, by this point recruits should be able to pass on the first attempt as they were assessed by their RDCs midway through training to see if they needed to be set back at that point for being unable to pass it.

The divisions typically do their final PFA in the order of their divisions within their training group. Those in the last divisions will be the ones doing their final PFA the week of graduation and those who fail will be down to the wire trying to pass the retest. 

This is all due to the new 10-week training where their final two weeks are comprises of life skills classes and of course, the final PFA. 

Bottom line: Yes, it sucks for those who fail their final PFA at the last hour. And yes, there could be a variety of reasons including previous injuries or illness setbacks. So, when you get that call saying they're a Sailor, that doesn't mean they're home free and will be graduating. Everyone still has to hold their breath and pray they pass their PFA.

Hope this helps understand the new process a little better.