PIR DEBRIEFING

[Sassafras Proud Mom of a Sailor]

INTRODUCTION: A place for parents and others who have attended PIR and graduation weekend to share comments, suggestions and ideas that will hopefully make it easier and more enjoyable for other familes who are preparing for their own PIR events.

 

WHAT TO DO: This is an 'interactive' forum, with each person encouraged to start new topics (by posting your comments in the 'blank' at the top of each page) -and- respond to individual posts (by clicking 'reply' on that particular post).

 

ALSO: Over time, I will be organizing some of the posts herein as a sort of 'guide' which will be static -- that is, there will be no new posts to that discussion... thus it will not actually be a 'discussion' but more of a factual and flowing narrative that takes the reader, moment by moment, through happy hours of PIR, covering the basics with good recommendations about what to do, what not to do, and how to do (or avoid) doing it.

 

To get started on this process, it would be very useful to hear from you regarding which posts and/or particular information do you think should be included? Sincerely, I look forward to hearing from you and transcribing our collective wisdom for those who will attend PIR soon.

 

 

 

 

[navbarbe]

For all you moms waiting for PIR, let me tell you it is absolutely the best day of your lives and worth every anxious second you have spent worrying if your son or daughter would get to that day. It is a wonderful, moving ceremony especially when the divisions come in. And the performing units are fantastic. Just a few helpful hints for those getting ready to make plans. We stayed in Gurnee which is just two exits off 94 from the base. It has a mall, movie theatre, plenty of hotels and just about any restaurant you can imagine. We opted for Giordano's deep dish pizza on Grand Avenue. There were plenty of other navy families there to share the joy. Then it was off to a movie and back to base. They absolutely don't want to be late for their return so my son was pushing us to have him back by 7 and apparently every other recruit did the same thing. Going into Chicago will take at least an hour each way.Don't go to the NEX right after graduation, it will eat up your time. You can drop your recruit off before they have to be back to their ships and shop then. If you want a spot on the floor at PIR you have to get there at 6:30. We stopped for breakfast and arrived at 7:15 and had to sit up in the balcony area. Actually I think we saw more from there. They allow you to sit right in front of your son or daughter's division and sitting higher allows you to spot them. If your recruit is Grad N Go, get the number for the USO at Midway or OHare and call right before you arrive and have your recruit paged..they will meet you at the ticket counter and get a pass so you can wait with them until their flight leaves. They cannot bring electronics back to base so you will have to bring their cell phones, lap tops, ipods, kindles etc to them at the airport. They don't need civilian clothes because they won't wear them for at least a month while in A school. They usually take the recruits to the airport at an ungodly hour but I can tell you they appreciate the extra time with you and getting their connection back to the world. It was heartwarming to see all the Navy uniforms at Midway today and how many civilians stopped to thank them for their service.

Don't be surprised at how reserved, calm, mature, and settled your child is. We weathered the tears at PIR but really lost it when my son picked up the tab for lunch.

Because we brought the younger children, we opted for a crazy place called Key Lime Cove in Gurnee. It has an indoor water park and a full fledged spa.Expensive but worth it for fun and relaxation. Lots of restaurants inside for one stop fun in the winter months. We can also recommend the aquarium in Chicago, Sears Tower,,and any new sub moms (like me) the Science and Industry museum all on Lake Shore Drive. Couldn't have had such a great graduation weekend without all the input from this site..so I hope this advice helps.

Best of Luck to all on this journey. God bless our new sailors and safe trips to all of them today

[Julsburd]

Hi all. Thought I'd add my 2 cents on PIR. We just came back from it yesterday and it was wonderful.

Some thoughts I have:
-Try to get a hotel close to the base so you can get there by 7am in the morning. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn about 2 exits south of the base. Just fine accommodations.
-The Metra train stops right next to the drill hall so it would have been a great option if you don't want to drive in or if you plan to go downtown after the ceremony.
-Its nice to sit in front of your sailor's division but it would also be nice to sit closer to center so you can see the gun drills, band and choir performances. We had a hard time seeing them and had to watch them on the screen. Plus once your sailor marches in you really aren't looking at much because they just stand at attention the whole time. May have been better to see the other stuff. It might have been harder to find them after the ceremony but if you find them from your seats as you descend to the drill floor it shouldn't really matter.
-Since our son was Grad and go we got back to the base at 7pm Friday night and that was a really good idea. We were able to relax at the NEX restaurant area and other sailor buddies showed up so we were able to meet them as well. No stress for the return time.
-After the ceremony we went over to the NEX to order pictures while our son was reporting back to his ship for final dismissal. Even though the lines were kind of long we spent that time getting stuff ordered so when our son showed up we were ready to go. The NEX can be accessed by walking from the drill hall or in our case we drove. It was one gate back from the gate we entered for graduation. I think we could have walked there and saved the time getting out of the parking structure from PIR. Worked ok either way.
-Basically the time spent during the day allowed us to have a leisurely lunch downtown Chicago, walk around Michigan Ave., go into some of the stores and then head back up to the base. Since we have lived around Chicago we are very aware of the traffic issues especially on a Friday evening so we didn't push the time. That is why we got going earlier and spent the last hour or so at the base.

Well, those are my suggestions. This website really helped me plan the logistics of the trip and I am hoping to provide these additional observations to all of you waiting for that big day. Oh yea, one other thing, even though we didn't fly in, we met some parents who did and they really liked flying into Milwaukee's airport. It is north of the base so you avoid the temperamental Chicago traffic, the airport is smaller, and you are about 50 miles from the base.

[SO PROUD]

Can anyone tell me when after graduation can we head back home? It is at 2 pm, 8 pm or should we plan to stay overnight and leave the next day. I need to book my tkts for my sons 12/22 PIR and I dont seem to see this info anywhere

Thanks so much

la

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

SO PROUD first of all join your PIR group http://www.navyformoms.com/group/pir12222010

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

Is he Grad and Go? Has he said anything about that yet?

You want to plan on staying there all weekend...UNLESS he is grad and go to an A school other than Great Lakes

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

Graduation is over with about 10:30 am or so. It starts at 9am BUT you want to be there early...as early as 7-7:30

[Julsburd]

I don't know if you can change this thread since it is already "going" but I find it very confusing as to the posting dates. I noticed that the Nuke moms thread does not have the option "reply to this" after each individual post. If this could be changed then we can read the postings chronologically otherwise I would highly recommend that posts be made in the central box at the top of the page. I have almost given up reading this thread because I have to read through so many posts that I have already seen.

[Sassafras Proud Mom of a Sailor]

Good observation, Julsburd. I will poke around a bit and see what, if any, other options there are for organizing what is already here to make it easier to find current postings, etc. Thanks!!!

[BunkerQB]

By Nuke moms thread, I assume you mean Nuke Moms group. The comment box is like this comment box above - everything in chronological order. Same is true with blogs. With discussions (under FORUM), presumably there is a give and take, back and forth, this vs that format so a "reply" to another comment is allowed. In theory the indentation should make it easier to follow the thread (something thread within a thread). But I know what you mean when people go on a tangent (like now).
Sassafras can cut and paste and put all the comments pertaining to tangent threads in a separate comment at the end, so the PIR Debriefing Tips can all be in sequential order. I have done this in order to limit the number of discussions within a group site (I am admin of a few, so I can do this). In the New Moms Stop Here, I am in the process of putting some topics in a MS WORD file and posting all the files in one discussion.

[Julsburd]

Yes I did mean the Nuke Mom's group. But I still think that replying to a comment makes for an unorganized flow of ideas. Just my opinion. I am pretty much out of this PIR group anyway since my son has gone on to GC. I did post my observations about PIR for anyone to refer to in this group. Thanks for all your help along the way in Boot Camp. That was a real black hole of communication. If I didn't have all you moms, wives, and girlfriends I would not have had nearly the great time during our PIR.

[Andie3]

My son's PIR was this past weekend.  We stayed in Gurnee at the Country Inn and Suites with an indoor swimming pool.  The base is just about 15 minutes away.  The mall was close and Giordanos is the place to eat! YUMMY!  

We had a much different experience with phones and electronics.  We brought his phone with assuming we would be sending it out two days later, but he was able to take it.  He told his Chief that he had it and she told him not to be freely using it.  He also took a DS for his flight to A School.  

[PattiM-proud mom of sailor Alex]

Hampton Inn in Libertyville is very nice and includes morning breakfast, pool and hot tub.  We had 2 Queen size beds and a pull out couch, refridge and microwave .  We did not know in advance that we would have our son with us for the entire weekend, so our extra space worked great for sleeping and conversation.  Libertyville has some good restaurants too and is 15-20 minutes from the base.  Took the train into Chicago for sightseeing $7.00 per person for unlimited trips on the weekend( free for those in military uniform-the water taxi in Chicago took us to the Navy Pier -also free for those in uniform).  We actually drove into Chicago on Sunday  and parking was $14.00 for the day and traffic was no problem.