Moms of Riverines

[J from O]

For all the moms of Riverines or moms of wannabe Riverines.

[J from O]

Moms of Riverines, could you please get some advice to moms of sailors who want to be Riverines. Can you please let me know what your sailors put on their dream sheet? When did the find out they were going to be Riverines? Thank you for your help.

[Susan S~Matt's Mom]

I am also anxious to know more about Riverines. My son has expressed a big interest as well. Thanks in advance!

[Joyce Tucson Mom]

Thanks to Kim for this link to a 26:33 long video . . . very interesting:)! I tried to embed the video and couldn't get it to work . . .

http://pentagontv.feedroom.com/?fr_story=c1583f75147b312028105bc054...

[Susie-Mom of BlackGryphon]

Joyce (and Kim), thank you for that video! My son is really interested in Riverines as well.

[Kim - Josh's Mom]

Hi Joyce, Josh tells me now that he put Riverines on his dream sheet. Guess I'll find out in a month or so if he gets it.

[J from O]

I am so confused and my sailor is too. At one point he was told he would put in a dream sheet half way through now it sounds like it has been done the first day of A school. I didn't think he could actually put riverines on his dream sheet but Kim I guess he can? The questions just never stop do they. lol

[Susie-Mom of BlackGryphon]

Thanks for letting us know that Josh was able to put Riverines on his dream sheet, Kim! I wonder how they decide who is selected? Does anyone have any idea? You are so right, Joyce. As soon as one question is answered, we have three more!

[Kim in Indiana]

My son Ben didn't fill out his dream sheet at the beginning of A school. I'm not sure of the exact time he did, but it was later into the class. He did not find out that he'd gotten a slot until about 3 wks before graduation. I don't remember the exact date, just that he'd been told he'd be able to come home for Thanksgiving which was 2 wks after graduation, then at the last minute was informed he'd be going to Mississippi for training for Riverines-so, no leave home for Thanksgiving.
Here are the specifics that I know: There are 9 guys in his "class", they are all in Rivron I. There is also a Rivron II and III. Rivron I is on deployment right now. Ben feels that the only reason he got the slot had to do with timing and not much else. A new class was being formed for Rivron I, he was graduating A school at about the same time. Of the 9 guys though, only 3 were in his GM class. The others have come from the fleet.
Joyce(J from O) and I have talked about Ben's strategy of putting only small boat billets on his dreamsheet, but that doesn't seem to have any more leverage for getting on a team than any other strategy. Ben told me that there were several of his friends who requested Riverines as #1 choice and got everything from carriers, destroyers, a land billet at Roda Spain, and one went to Japan. Ben talked with his proctor at GM school a lot about his desire to be a Riverine and has always wondered if the guy put a good word in for him, but as with everything else we've experienced so far: it seems the Navy puts you where the Navy wants you, period. Ben was told that many of Riveron I were cycling out over the winter and early spring, so he felt that more positions would be opening up, but he doesn't have any ideas of how to help a guy get into one of them. Heck, at this point he's still trying to figure a lot of it out for himself! His pay has been all messed up since he got to Little Creek and he's been unable to talk to a single person about it because since he got there his team has been training at Camp Lejeune, NC from Sunday night to Friday night. The PSD office that he needs to go to is only open until 3pm Mon-Fri! Everyone he's talked to has been real sympathetic but hasn't lifted a finger to help him so far.
I would definitely have your sons put it on their dream sheets, put MSF(I think)-Maritime Security Force, and any other small boat crew they can find out about on their sheets, have them talk to their proctors about their interest in it and ask if he could put a good word in for them or direct them to someone who could. Ben's team doesn't deploy until May 2010, and he knows of several different training schools he has to go to over the course of the next year. What he's not sure of is whether they will start a whole new rotation of these training schools that would be open to your sons for Rivron I or not. And he also has no idea what the training rotation for Rivron II and III are. He says just keep putting it on their sheets and talk , talk, talk to anyone who'll listen.
Wish I had more definitive answers for ya!

[Susie-Mom of BlackGryphon]

Thank you so much, Kim! That is really helpful. I know there is no way to be sure, but at least we know someone who made it and have a bit of advice. I appreciate all the time you took to fill us in on your son's experience!

[Susie-Mom of BlackGryphon]

There is an article in Popular Mechanics about Riverines! It is mostly about the boats and how they are fitted for that type of duty.

[Kim in Indiana]

Which issue Susie? I'd love to get it. I'm collecting stuff for each of my 3 kids in military to put in a scrapbook for each one of them. That article would be cool to have in there!

[Susie-Mom of BlackGryphon]

hang on, I can look...I have it in a box almost ready to send to Gabe, but it isn't sealed up yet! It is the March 2009 issue (UFO Myths on the cover). The article, "Smoke on the Water", is on pages 78 to 83. It has pictures and a diagram of one of the boats.