My PIR experience

[bonniern PIR 10/1 nukesMM 1102a]

Trainging Group 46  PIR 10/01/10  Div 323,324,325,326,327,328,329,330, 821 and 946

 

this is a site for sharing with everyone.  I hope this helps future families.

[Jane, MM Mom]

we had a great PIR experience!! when they tell you to go early, listen to them!! It makes a huge difference. The bleachers are nice, easy to climb & not steep at all. we got there by 7, no problem parking, hadn't left the hotel til 6:30 & not too much of a line, no checking that we saw. we climbed right to the top of the bleachers so we could have a back to lean on for grandma. this also allowed me to stand up & video tape the entire ceremony for the 2 grandpas that weren't able to be there. Even though we had to wait 2 hours, there was plenty of stuff to look at & the time went quickly. the ceremony itself was wonderful- very emotional and running right on time. It was so amazing. He was able to see us easily- since I was standing up the whole time! He came right to us when it was done. Then we waited while he went to get his photos, had a short visit and then we left him so that he could check in at A School. about 4 o'clock he called & he had liberty for the entire weekend!! We didn't have to return him til Sun evening.
We stayed at Comfort Inn, very nice place, nothing fancy but clean & adequate. Everyone was nice & helpful for finding places to eat. They had a nice breakfast room where our big group could gather and even a micro that we used to heat up the pea soup grandma brought!! we have internet in the room, and we're happy campers.
We also flew into Milwaukee- another bit of good advice. Nice airport, no problems at all with traffic. we came in at 3:30 and got right to the hotel without problems. Chicago traffic at that time would have been terrible. Would suggest tht for sure again.
So far no problems anywhere, lots of good reception to our sailor and we love the fall weather. Coming from 107 in Phoenix, it's nice to have a few days of cold. This is January weather for us!

[2sonmom]

We stayed at the Navy Lodge and arrived around 10:30 p.m. Thursday night. Navy Lodge has a very friendly helpful staff. It's very close and there was no road construction to navigate to the base from the Lodge.

Arrived in the bldg. the ceremony was held at 7:30 a.m. and the bottom area of bleachers was full. There was plenty of room upstairs in the 330 section. The time passed quickly and it was an emotional ceremony. They all looked wonderful. The precision of the movements the divisions made in marching, turning, etc. was so great! I can't wait to see the DVD.

Our son will not be moving "across the street" to A school until Wed. So after he picked up his pictures we headed to the hotel to visit a bit. Then we headed into Chicago and he picked a restaurant for a late lunch. He had to be back for duty so we dropped him off at 5:00 p.m., I think. Next morning we picked him up shortly after 7:30 a.m. He wanted to go to the top of the Willis Tower, visit the Field Museum of Natural History, and drive along Lake Shore Drive. We accomplished it all. It was a wonderful day. He didn't have to be back until later that day. Sunday morning we met him at the Chapel for 7:30 a.m. Mass. Then we headed to a larger NEX a couple blocks away to look around. We had brunch close by and then said goodbye. It was a wonderful weekend.

[emmaship]

We had a great experience. Our son was in the 900 division and told us that we didn't need to be there so early and that the best seats were in the balcony. We took the 7:30 shuttle from Residence Inn. That was great however, there were no lines with cars at that time. We got right in, there was maybe a 5 minute wait. It was a very short walk from where the shuttle dropped us off. Right before we went in, the Honor Guard was coming out into the entry to wait under the stairs. We came face to face with our son at that time. That was exciting. We went to the balcony and sat towards the center and we could see everything. If you can't see something, it's on the jumbotron. It's not a great place to take pictures from. That's the only drawback that I can think of. It was nice to go a little later and get right in. It was hassle free. I think you can see more from the upper bleachers, we had a bird's eye view of all the divisions. Since my son had been in the previous 2 PIRs, he told us exactly where to meet up with him. We found him right away.
One word of advice for Saturday liberty, you can't get on the base until 7:15am. You get sent away if you are early.
Also, make sure that everyone in the car has ID. I saw passengers getting left at the gate because they didn't have ID.
It was a special weekend. I never cried at the ceremony. I cried at dinner. We went to Ben Chin's Seafood in Wheeling, IL. It was expensive but good!! After our meal, we were preparing to leave when the waitress comes out with an assortment of yummy desserts. She said it was on the house. The manager wanted to congratulate our sailor. Then the manager comes to the table and shakes my sons hand and thanks him for serving . He then gives him a big box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. That was so great. I cried tears of joy, I was so proud of my sailor.

[t. :) SHIP 6 DIV 946]

PIR was good. Time with our new Sailor was GREAT! We drove in Thursday morning from VA the ride was soooooo long and we were surprised at all the tolls. We easily spent at least $100 on tolls. We stayed at Springhill Suites. The room was very nice! Everything was very clean and like new. We arrived on base Friday morning at 7 AM. Glad we got there early so we could sit where we wanted. The bleachers filled up quickly. Wish we had brought seat cushions though, the bleachers were murder on our backs and bums. My favorite part of the ceremony was the band and when the graduates first marched in. Our son was in Division 946 and they did not march in but were introduced with the jobs they had in the ceremony. ( my son was a side boy) Once they called liberty it was total chaos! I couldn't find my son in the sea of sailors :) He found us, gave us a big hug, and dragged us out of there. He said he was told to be out of the hall 5 min. after graduation. We walked w/ him as far as we could then waited while he went back to his room to get the pictures and some t-shirts he bought for us. ( they were division t-shirts and were really cool) We grabbed some fast food and took it back to the room so he could chilax. He took a long shower, answered a lot of our Qs, talked to and texted his friends back home. Then he was on a mission to get a laptop, we ended up at the mall. We bought him chocolates, from a candy shop and he was VERY careful not to get anything on that uniform. He found a nice laptop at Best Buy then we hung out for a while longer before it was time to head back. Dropped him at base at 6:30. He was flying out the next morning so we met him at the airport at 4AM. We were able to give him his phone, ipod, and laptop, then hang out 'till his plane left at 9:30. It was great to meet some of the friends he made at bootcamp. It was also great to see him get along so well with his sister, she said the separation did them good. So even though the ride was soooooo long , it was worth it, and meant a lot to all of us. : )

[LTLY]

PIR Pics...Very Proud!!

[txsailorsam-Donna]

My son was in division 946. He was a body snatcher during the ceremony. We arrived in Chicago at 3:00 pm. Our flight from Houston had been delayed 2 hrs. Didn't they know I was in a hurry to get to where my son was? JK. It took us a while to get to the rental cars and then through the Chicago traffic. We got to the hotel around 5:45 after getting turned around on the 294 heading in the wrong direction. We went to the meet and greet. Met and talked to some families from the 946 and others. Nice folds so proud of their sailors just like Ernie and me. I wanted to to go to Flannigans but my hubby was exhausted and I, too, was pretty tired. So we went back to our hotel and turned in early. I think that decision is one of the only ones I will regret. I didn't get to meet several of the ladies that I wanted to meet.

We were at the Quality Inn. Not the best but the pple at the desk were nice and helpful.. I asked before making the reservation what was in the room... I was told a king-sized bed an extra chair and a desk and chair. Sounded ok for what we wanted. Got there and found a king-sized headboard with a double bed and 2 bed sized tables up against the head board. Ernie is not a small man. He and I did not do well in a double... too small. We also asked for a wake up call at 4:00 but did not get one. The radio alarm also didn't work and I could not get my new phone alarm to word... tech challenged. So I guess the double bed came in handy, little sleep so I was awake at 3:30 went ahead and got going for the day,

We left the hotel at 6:00, got some coffee and got to the hall at 6:30.Sat in a car line for a while but it moved fairly rapidly.
We sat in front of the 946 sign with A.A.'s family. Nice pple. I enjoyed talking to them. Got to meet Liz and ltly and the babies. It is amazing to me how good the babies were and their siblings during the ceremony. Liz... cute girls and Parker was precious. I got to see my sailor when they came out for a photo op just for the families. He spotted us and teared up.He is not one to give way to tears easily but was so happy to see us. It makes me cry just thinking about it. We didn't get to see him for the remainder of the ceremony because he was "snatching" for the 821 division. He said no one fainted there. IF ANYONE in the 821 has pics where you can see the body snatchers please post on PIR 10/1. THANKS!.
Our sailor told me ahead of time where to meet him when it was over so he found us very quickly... a sight for sore eyes. He had lost 15 pounds so looked quite a bit thinner in the cheeks.

We then went to pick up his pics at the Nex. Smooth sailing, no probs. We then went to the Nex. Too many pple with the same idea. We left and took him to the Lone Star steak house to eat. It choked me up the way pple would come up to SF and thank him for his service or to congratulate him. We had a good meal while he told us funny stories about bc and the RDC's. My favorites were the ones about how exhausted they were that some would shout cadences in their sleep or other bc related things.

We only had him for a short time Friday: he was grad n go. We asked him if he wanted to go to the hotel and take a nap or shower. He said no that that would take from the time he could spend with us. He also didn't want to shower because his boils still hurt too much when he changed clothing. So we ent to the hotel to show him his new computer and other goodies we had for him as well as the cards the family had sent along to congratulate him on a job well done.

We mainly just wandered around Waukegan, sat in parking lots and talked the afternoon away. We had to have him back at 6:30. :( .
We met him at the Airport at 5:45 the next morning and spent the next 6 hours with him until it was time for our flight which left 1 hr. before his, giving him time to get a bite to eat. Whe did meet some of the other 946 guys while at the airport...his friend Gr... from Waukegan and Ru.... also going to A school in San Diego. He said another guy and a girl also went to San Diego to A school.

We got home at 3pm and Sf called us at 4:30 he was in San Diego. He called several times Saturday and I've been blessed to hear from him each day since. Let's hear it for cell phones.

I still cry too much to suit me. He's so far away. But he is getting on with the business at hand.. I wish him well! He seems motivated to give the Navy the best he's got. Go SF.

[txsailorsam-Donna]

[Jimmy's Mom Ship 06 Div 946]

We left from Va on Wednesday afternoon and finally arrived at the Springhill Suites on Thursday afternoon. We ordered a "Chicago" pizza and chilled for the evening. I wish we had gone to the meet and greet but we were too exhausted. We got to the gate by 6 a.m. Friday morning. there was already a line. I think we were 8 cars back. Our son was in the 946 division and he was the Boatswains Mate. It was so exciting to hear him call out orders and then sound the bosun whistle. We only got to see him for five minutes during the ceremony but it was worth it. He said "Mom, I told you I wasn't going to be out there for very long". It didn't matter, seeing him graduate ranks up there with giving birth to him:-) Our son was a GnG so we only got to be with him for a few hours. It was sad to leave him but we were comforted by the fact that he will be stationed here in VA for a little while. Thank you all for your support and love that you extended to me. Being part of NavyforMoms has been a blessing.

[txsailorsam-Donna]

Jimmy's mom... great pics.

[Liz71184]

PIR was fantastic! We left home around 12:45 and arrived in Great Lakes around 4:00-4:30. I was very happy with my children on the way there. They were ALL so well behaved! We stayed that the Navy Lodge and as soon as I walked in I met few of you ladies. After getting settled in we met my mother-in-law and went out to dinner at Flannigans. I woke up Friday morning at 4:30 to make sure I could get myself and all the children ready (I didnt remember how long it takes to get an infant ready...bathe, change diaper, feed, clothe, change diaper). We were in line for PIR by 6am. The line wasnt very long at all. I expected to walk for about 20 minutes before we reached the entrance but to my surprise the walk even wasnt that long. We sat in the bleachers for about 2 hours before graduation actually started. Once again I was VERY happy with my childrens behavior. My in-laws werent very impressed but for them being so young and having to sit for so long they were very good. I was one of the few that didnt have a ribbon on (which I regret not getting) but many of you ladies knew who I was...and it really made me feel good! We got to see my husband before the ceremony since we got there so early. He was up in the bleachers for some reason. He said he spotted us before we spotted him but obviously couldnt yell out to us. But he did say when he saw us he instantly got goosebumps and was shaking because he was so excited. After PIR we met him under the American flag where we had planned on meeting. My children were attached to his hip and SO excited to see him! When i handed him our son he started crying. It was an absolute amazing experience! Since he was a grad-n-go we only had a few hours with him until he had to be back. We had lunch then spent the rest of the time with him at our hotel room. It was wierd hearing him say "yes maam' or yes sir'" But I liked it! The first thing he wanted to do was take a shower that was longer than 5 minutes. Other than that he held the baby and played with the other kids (of course with the baby in his arms, he didnt put him down). When it was time to take him back the tears started flowing. This good-bye was so much harder than the first. I gave him a letter to read on his way to a-school in the morning. But I think he cheated and read it on his walk back to his barracks. I wish I would have went to spend more time with him at the airport but I didnt think I could handle it with all the kids. He is now in Pensacola, FL and I am hearing he will be home in 6 weeks. I miss him so much but I know I am strong and can handle this.

[Elaine-PIR 10/1/10]

Liz, for having been in a car for a few hours your girls were very well-behaved in the Lobby at the Navy Lodge. I don't think I could have done what you did after just having a baby. Kudos to you for making the trip. You take care of that little family and the six weeks will pass quickly. All of us have come so far since we sent them to BC and I believe we can now handle anything the Navy sends our way. Bravo Zulu to you.

[txsailorsam-Donna]

Liz... your children were absolutely well behaved. As a retired school teacher... I'd take any of them in a classroom any day.I was one row behind you and a little to the left. They didn't even make a peep. Good job kiddos!! :) .