Seeing my sailor for the holidays? What you need to know!

[Navy for Moms Admin]

If they will be in BC over the holidays. The will NOT get leave.

If they are in GL "A" school:
the dates have already been given to the students, and my understanding is the students have already filled out leave chits or will be doing that with in the next week. Students leave will be approved, unless they get into trouble. So a plane ticket can be bought. Students will NOT get their leave chit back until the day they go on leave. The staff doesn't want them to loose the paper work, that is why it is not given to to them before hand.

If the Sailor is at their permant duty station:
The ships normally have two leave times: One covers over Chirstmas and one covers over New Years. There will be a day inbetween the two leave times when everyone has to be back on the ship. NO they can not take both leave peiords.

Not enough leave days:
If a Sailor is allowed to take leave and does not have enough leave days, they will go in the hole with leave days. It will get back to the postive after a few months.

Flights:
Sailors pay for their own flight home on leave. Sailors pay for their own way to get to and from the airport to go on leave.

Not taking leave:
If a Sailors does not want to take leave they do not have to. They will be working every day, plus have duty. If they don't have duty they might have off Chirstmas and New Years day. Every command is different about how much liberty they give Sailors over the holiday stand down who did not take leave.

LEAVE IS NOT APPROVED UNTIL THEY GET THEIR LEAVE CHIT BACK (with the expection of GL "A" Schools)

***I have some updated info for Sailors who will have PIR and than comeing to GL "A" schools during Nov
and Dec time frame:

The Sailors will be allowed to take the holiday leave, they will fill out a leave chit and sign a pg13,
stating they understand that they will go in the hole with leave day's. When a Sailor goes in the hole with leave days, if something happens latter on (before they earn the leave days back) it will be hard to go on leave. Also if the Sailor does not earn the leave days back prior to transfeering to their next command they will NOT be allowed to go on leave between "A" school and their fist duty station.


** Please note this wasn't written by me- so I can't answer questions. CC

[Amy (Ezra's Mom)]

Thanks for the information. Ezra is in A school and he was really worried about buying his ticket and then not getting approved for leave. Now I can tell him that he doesnt have to worry as long as he doesnt get into trouble.

[Kristina]

My daughter is stationed on the USS George Bush. She was told that they can not come home for Christmas. I don't understand why she can not come home for Christmas when everyone else can take time off. Our entire family is going to be able to get together except her and her husband now. I have one daughter in Forida, one in Indiana and one in Virginia. We have been using this time as kind of a family reunion every year. Every year we get to see our family members once a year at Christmas time. We do this at Christmas because most people get time off around Christmas so it is easier for those of us who work to get the time off then. We also have 3 birthdays right before Christmas. We have a grandson on the 21st. A granddaughter on the 22nd and daughter on the 23rd of December. This is usually a big celebration time for our family and it has been taken away from us this year. We already purchased plane tickets, rented vehicles, etc to meet in Florida this year. We are unable to change our flights and other items that we have already paid for because most of it was non refundable when we booked it. Otherwise, we would just go to Virginia, but we can't we already have too much invested. I am so sad that she will be the only one of my children who will not be able to join the rest of the family.

[Jean]

Agree with you Hoppi 100%. When our husbands, daughters, sons join any branch of the military they do what they are told and not what families want them to do. My husband and i were married 3 years before we celebrated our anniversary together.. God Bless her daughter and all of our Military and keep them safe.Our grandson-in-law jsut returned from a 6 month deployment, missed his birthday, his sons 1st and his wifes.. We are very proud he came home safe..
Jean

[AngieFromWA:BUDS Mom/ HM alumnus]

Kristina, there are almost 9,000 members here on N4Ms. Countless many more U.S. service members and their families beyond that. Change the names in your story and it could represent many, many of them, all with special reasons why they want their loved one together with them and home for the holidays. Reading the posts here of new Navy wives with babies on the way and/or due while their husbands are in BC or deployed is heartbreaking! I hear and understand your sadness. My busy, extended family has a reunion/gathering every year, in the same state I live in, but sometimes weather, finances, lack of vacation time etc keep me from them. It's usually the only time I get to see my only brother. I won't this year. However, this Christmas, I am one of the fortunate few with my Sailor home, but I know with the path my son is choosing to follow, that this may very well be the last holiday with him for maybe a long while. I'm slowly adjusting my expectations and to the thought of perhaps not celebrating his 21st Birthday with him next spring and maybe needing to change our future traditions and plans, sometimes at the last minute, due to the "Needs of the Navy".

We understandably tend to be centered on our little world; our families, our plans, but while we enjoy the freedom to do so, many in our world are striving to take that freedom away. We must remember that terrorists don't take Christmas off, wars don't take Christmas off, the US and our military forces have to stay sharp, trained and at the ready. Your daughter knew that serving required sacrifice, be proud of her for that. Don't view it as being taken away, she chose to give it as a gift to her country. Take what you can have of her when you can have it, don't get too caught up in the specific dates on the calendar. No need to feel far or become distant from her either. Be sure to leave a couple of empty chairs, pray for them, pass a card around for every one to sign, take pictures (especially of those sweet grandkids) when everyone is gathered and send them to her. Some families set up webcams and chat live. Find ways to support, encourage and stay close. Maybe instead of a gift exchange or wild elephant, the whole family can bring items to put into a care package for your daughter and her husband? I find our contentment and happiness changes with the circumstances of our lives, but true joy, Christmas joy, always abides and can be shared all year long! God Bless, have a great time in Florida. Heard they sometimes go to the beach on Xmas day, I'm so jealous! :-) Hoppi, Thank you for the sacrifices you and your husband (and your kids!) have made, I'm sure it hasn't been easy. Happy Holidays everyone! God Bless the USA.

[Bonita-Mom of Alex]

I have a question. I believe my son will stay in Great Lakes for a month or so after PIR (12/5/08) because he will be waiting to go A school in Pensacola. If he is being held awaiting A school does that mean he will not be able to come home on leave for the Christmas holiday? I think I feel my heart breaking already.

[Bonita-Mom of Alex]

From what I understand he will be held in Great Lakes until there is availability for him at his Aviation A school that is in Pensacola, Does that mean that I may have a thin ray of hope that he may be able to come home for Christmas?

[Anti M]

Possibly maybe!

[Tracy]

Hi there, my son had PIR last Friday & he said he will be checking into A school accross the street. (Hospitalcorpman) So I just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly. When he gets there he will do a chit sheet request time off at X-mas. Now the part I am a little confused about; He can then buy a ticket but he wont be told it is approved til the day he leaves? Also, he said he has around 5 days built up that he can take off but what I am hearing is that he can request the remainder of the 2 weeks off also & go in the hole for 9 days? Is my line of thinking correct?

[div051girlfriend]

Before me boyfriend left his recruiter told him that he will only have to do 6 weeks instead of 8, he said that they send a lot of recruits home because of the holidays.I know that recruiters tend to sell them a bill of goods but i have seen a lot of moms on this website say the same thing. he went in nov 5 and pir is on the jan 2. Do you think that he will pir early and come home for the holidays?

[Anti M]

Not likely, I've not heard this before. A schools go to stand down, but so far, never boot camp. If it happens though, be sure to share.

[Kathy J's Mom]

My son left for BC on 11/18/08. When we met with his recruiter, I made the comment that he would be in BC for Christmas. His recruiter told us that they would probably be given liberty for the day. Does that mean that the recruiter was incorrect? We live 60 minutes N of GL and were hoping to go get him for the day and take him back that night. Oh well, I guess it's Christmas in January.

[Kathy J's Mom]

Coming from a military family, I challenged the recruiter when he told my son that he would be abe to come home. He was pretty adimate that he would be able to come home for the day. Oh well, this is the life of being a Navy mom. I will just leave the tree up until January. I know my mom had to do that a few times.
Thanks for your response. I was pretty sure that was going to be the answer but, I didn't want to give up hope.