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It's almost time! :(
My son swore into the Navy in February and will be leaving for boot camp on October 26th. While I am very proud of him and the decision he made, I dread it with everything in me. I know there are lots of parents that have experienced the same thing and would love to hear from you. Please help me prepare for what is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
Tys Mom, Angela
Kentucky
Views: 327
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kim on
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MY SON is going into recruiter today and was told after graduating in May he will go to boot camp in july so fast i cant believe it. i am looking up as much as i can i will follow you in your adventures. what does your son want to do in the Navy? mine is determined to become a Seal. scares me to death. what state are you in? any suggestions about meeting recruiter?
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Permalink Reply by TysMomKY on
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Hi Kim! Congratulations on your son graduating high school and choosing the military. It is an incredibly selfless and honorable thing to do! I'm amazed at the young men we have raised and am sooooooooooooo proud of them all! Tyler actually signed up and swore in February 2010, but his wait for bootcamp has been a long one. He plans to go to Nuke School after he finishes with bootcamp. His ASchool will be in South Carolina and he should be there about a year (if I understand correctly). Tyler was asked about his interest in being a Seal, and while he thinks it's an amazing offer, he stays dedicated to the Nuclear field.
Tyler simply went into our local office (we live in Kentucky) and spoke to them several times before actually making his decision. I told him when he went to not make any quick decisions and not to sign anything even if they asked him to just write his name to show them he could! LOL He would tell me the "good" stories the recruiter would tell him and I told him to tell them recruiter, 'I know this is what you get paid to do....NOW give me the REST of the story!' LOL I was terrified although I knew in my heart that was what he would do. He has spoken of it since he was 12 years old.
Congratulations again! I know your son will make the best decision for himself and as hard as it is to deal with sometimes that differs from what we, as their mommas, would choose. Be in touch! -
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Permalink Reply by Mary Jo-Mom of a Corpsman on
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I am so glad that I checked out your discussion! My sweet boy is in boot camp right now and his PIR is 11/05. I missed his first phone call three weeks and one day after I said goodbye to him at the Military Processing Center. Since then, I am crazily trying to get to my cell phone whenever it rings. I have been worried because he has not called again, and it has been over two weeks since I missed his call! After reading Maureen's message, I have calmed down. Maybe he will get another call, and maybe he won't . I thought that the lack of the second call may mean something is wrong...but I think I WOULD get a call if something was wrong....right?
And...TysMom...I always thought I would DIE if I ever had to send one of my boys off to boot camp. This boy is my oldest, and he graduated from high school in May, and swore in in June! Surprisingly, I am doing pretty good! I have only cried a handful of times since he left. I cry on Wednesdays because I miss communication with him...and on Thursdays, I always get mail from him! I cry from relief while reading his letters...and I am good again until Wednesday:) -
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Hello Reecesmom! OMG your message made me cry so you stop that right now! LOL
I'm so glad you checked out my discussion too, because it is words from momma's like you who will help me through this process and keep me sane! Where are you from? Will you be going to your son's graduation? Oh I imagine that I will be carrying my cell with me everywhere too. I'm so sorry you missed the call, but Tyler's recruiter has already told me NOT to expect much communication and that way when I do get it I will be surprised and excited! He said parent's get upset that theirs doesn't call or check in as much as they feel they should, but he reminded me that he will be hard at work not on vacation! LOL
And YES, I am sure you are right. I KNOW you would have heard something more had something been wrong! They are in good hands! It may be tough on them but they ARE in good hands!
I dread the 25th, when I leave him in Louisville to be off on his new adventure. I can't imagine how I'll be that night or for days afterward, but messages from momma's like yourself will help me through. I told Tyler that when he signed up he also signed me up for something that I would have to learn to get through too! LOL
I'm sorry if this message jumps from thought to thought. My mind races when I think of this process.
God bless you and your son! -
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YAY! I got a phone call from my boy today! It was so exciting to hear his voice. He is doing great and he is excited about graduation, seeing his family, and starting A school. I am so happy that he is achieving his goal. His enthusiasm eased my worries and sparked an excitement in me for PIR.
I am from small town Arizona. My husband, my three other sons, and I will be attending Reece's graduation, along with his grandmother and Aunt from New York, and a girlfriend. We purchased our tickets a few weeks ago and we fly in a couple of days early and leave a couple of days later.
As I know you will be, I am so proud of my son, and I thank him in letters for giving me the privilege of calling myself a Navy Mom! -
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hi ty's mom, i'm lehigh mah, stevens mom. he left for boot camp on sept 13, and we are preparing for his upcoming
grad. i have only heard from him by phone once, but mail a few times. he's 23, so its a little easy for me i guess, since he
is a little older than most at 18-21. rely on him to remember to be the kind of man you raised him to be and he'll be fine.
the past 1 1/2 yrs he has been out of work, and we spent every min together since. while i am not a 'crier' i was happy
to see him excited about this new phase of his life, and i promised i wont cry in front of him till i see him in uniform on
grad w/end. i know then i will be mush!! i know we use laughter and humor to get through everything and will again when
we see him and again must say farewell. thank your son from us, for his upcoming service, they are all in my prayers,
and God bless you mom, as you let him become a proud navy man. -
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Thank you so much for your message to me and congratulations on your son's upcoming graduation. I too, like you, am excited for the life that Tyler is about to leave, but as his momma, just concerned and worried how he will ever make it without me! (That's MY side of it which I am confident differs from his! LOL) I know I have raised a wonderful young man and he will be incredible. It's a bittersweet time for these reasons and many more.
I will certainly give my son your thanks and appreciate all the prayers, as you and your son are in my prayers as well!
"TysMom" Angela -
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Permalink Reply by pebbles0613 on
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Ty's Mom,
I am a Navy Mom of a daughter, which I am very close to. The hardest thing I ever did was watch her leave on August 25, 2010. Her PIR is 10/29/10 which I am anxiously awaiting. I have been fortunate enough to have received 3 phone calls from her. 2 of them where rewards where only a few got them. You will get through these 8 weeks, in the begining you don't think you can but you will. After a couple of weeks you will start to get focused on PIR and making travel plans. N4M will become your lifeline. I found for me learning as much as I could about what she was going through. Knowing what day they were on and what they were doing so I could write and encourage better. Make sure you send a phone card with your SR as they will need this to call home. Also send stamps, I think my daughter has tried to write to everyone and has went through 4 books of stamps. The Navy will give them 1 book when they arrive at boot camp, but I found that as long as I kept her with stamps I kept getting letters. They can only send out mail on Sundays, so check your mail on Wednesdays (that is usually when I would get mine). They can receive mail anyday during the week, so send letters and cards often. Don't send musical cards or decorate your envelopes. They will get in trouble for musical cards and really get teased about decorated envelopes. My daughter said that as long as you kept your mouth shut and did as you were told you would be just fine. Try to prepare yourself for "The Box". That was really hard for me. It is like they send your child back to you in a box minus your child. When your son leaves for boot camp he doesn't need to take anything with him. It will just get sent back to you in the box. I have really seen my daughter mature and grow into a young woman. She has always been mature for her age, but this is different. My daughter is one of the younger ones there, she is just 18, but I am so proud of her. She will be a hospital corpsman and is super excited about the decision she has made, as well as am I. Make sure you always tell your SR how proud you are of them. My daughter told me on our last phone call that she never thought that joining the Navy would make me proud of her and it was so encouraging to her to know that I was proud of the decision she had made. Try to prepare yourself to hear things like that....the maturity they will have is amazing. Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers as the day approaches for you to watch your baby leave the nest and become a US Navy Sailor. -
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Greetings pebbles0613! Thank you so much for your message of support and tips! I have been trying to think of everything I need for him on my end i.e. stamps and addresses but hadn't even thought of the phone card. I'm so worried that Tyler won't stay in touch with me. We're close but he is very quiet in terms of communication. He's just his own person and tries to handle things on his own so my worry is that he won't be in touch with me as I hope he will when he can. But by that same token, I realize that he can and will handle things the way he wants and needs to. Thanks for the tips about the musical cards and envelopes. I started buying cards for him already so I can drop them in the box daily for him. I was looking at the front of some of them and thinking that exact thing....will he be embarrassed if he gets that from me? LOL I am very proud of my young man and very proud of your daughter and all the Navy recruits and now soldiers throughout the military! It is a selfless and honorable thing to do and they will surely and truly be blessed for their committment!
Congratulations to you and your soldier! I'll start counting down the weeks until I see mine graduate the second he leaves my sight!
God bless! -
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Hello TysMom: My son graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in May. He graduated as an officer and picked an assignment in San Diego, Ca. It was the hardest thing I ever did the day I said good bye as he drove across the entire country alone to start his new life. I have never been more proud of him though and I know that he is living his dream. California is literally the farthest state away and I miss him terribly but you will get through this and he'll love you even more.
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Thank you, Anchormom! Congratulations to you and your son on his amazing journey! It's such a bittersweet thing to see them leave and begin their own lives. My heart swells with pride but it also breaks knowing that I can't be close to him and probably never will again. It's just unbelievable that we have to let go like we do. I guess the fact that I come from a family that remains very close in proximity to one another makes it even more difficult! I believe in him wholeheartedly and know he will do fine! Thanks for the message! Stay in touch and let me know how things are going!
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Thank you, TysMom! I too know that he will never come back to Maine to live and that he will always be a plane trip away but it gives me a chance, as will you, to see the world! I made my first trip to San Diego to see his apartment and to decorate it for him. I was told not to "girl it up" but made it what he called metro chic. It was cute and homey when I left and I know he liked it. He's headed to Hawaii in a few months and then will deploy in the summer for a nine month tour. It will be a long nine months as he has said there will be little phone contact during that deployment. We raise them to be the men that make our countries proud. Kudos to you as it seems that your son is going to be one of those me to be respected and revered. Stay strong....
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