MAIL & PHONE CALLS

[AAAMOM]

Mail:

Recruits will mail home a letter with their address during their first two weeks training. Unfortunately, neither RTC nor your local recruiter can give you their address any sooner because of the Privacy Act; only your recruit can give you their address.

Once a recruit arrives onboard their ship (barracks), they will begin receiving their mail, usually around week 2-3. Please don‟t be alarmed if your recruit writes home asking why they haven‟t received any mail when you‟ve been mailing them consistently since you received their address. Because the recruits move around in their first couple of weeks at boot camp, it may take a couple of weeks for the mail to catch up to them. Don‟t be alarmed; they will get their mail!

While you can write to your recruit every day, they can only write to you a few evenings each week and while they are on "holiday routine," meaning Sundays and holidays. We know it‟s hard, but please don‟t sit near your mailbox waiting for the mail each day. Just keep writing to your recruit, and they will write back when they are able.

And now that you have their address, why not include family photos; a funny snapshot of their pet; or newspaper clippings of their favorite sports team or comics? Recruits can receive anything that can fit into a standard-sized envelope, and pictures and news from home might help ease some of their homesickness as well.

 Resist the urge to send a care package or write on the outside of the envelope.

Also, remember that the envelope will be seen by their RDC, so putting stickers or writing all over their envelopes might make them uncomfortable.

We know you want to send your recruit their favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies, but recruits cannot receive these (they‟ll be thrown away).

 

The most important piece of advice here is to make sure that your recruit has a phone card!

Many cell phone companies no longer allow collect calls, so if you want to hear from your recruit, make sure they have one with sufficient credit.

 

Recruits are given the opportunity for a very short phone call (approximately 15-30 seconds) when they arrive to let you know they‟re safe. This will help alleviate some of the anxiety as you‟ll hear from them immediately and know they are safe and sound.

Recruits are given phone calls from time to time throughout training as a reward for outstanding performance. There is no set schedule and no way to know when or if these calls will come. The best thing to do is go about your normal daily routine and keep writing to your recruit.

Recruits are also given a phone call when they fail a training requirement, or become injured or ill, which could delay their graduation. Unless you receive this phone call (not in a letter, but in a phone call), you can assume that everything is fine and going as planned.

 

Sometimes, there are emergency situations when you need to contact your recruit. If an immediate family emergency should arise, you will need to call the American Red Cross at 877-272-7337. They will be able to assist you in getting an official message to your recruit.

 

The final call you‟ll receive from your recruit is the call letting you know they are no longer a recruit, but a Sailor in the world‟s finest navy! This call comes their final week of training the morning after they pass Battle Stations-21. This is an emotional call for the Sailors and their families. If you‟d like a heads-up on when the call may come (so you can make sure not to miss the moment), please ask your recruit when they will run Battle Stations-21. Unfortunately, again, neither RTC nor your local recruiter will be able to give you this information, only your recruit may do so.

  

[louisejo]

This is totally helpful.  I thank you very much for putting together this relevent information.   I have yet to hear from my recruit, and now I have a better idea of what to expect.

[AAAMOM]

You will hear from your recruit soon. Be patient. Glad it helped. Start writing your letters now, that way you can dump them in the mail as soon as you get the address. Good luck. MY SR only has 9days to PIR. I can't wait to see her.

[Jajajo]

Do I send her with a phone card when she leaves for BC or at a later date?

[Jajajo]

My head is reeling with all that has to be done before she leaves.  Thanks for your help. 

[Jajajo]

Thanks for all the great information. Do I send a phone card with my daughter the day she leaves for bootcamp or when she gets to bootcamp? Can I give her stationery to write letters? 

[William in Nashua]

If you send your daughter with large stationary like a 8½x11 inch paper expect it will be taken away and shipped home in the box.   Smaller sized stationary or notebook is ok.  I sent my son off to boot camp with a pad of 5x7" lined paper in a slim binder and it did not come back to us.   The What Not To Bring list on the Navy site lists  Large bulky stationery

 

 Also, have her bring some  self addressed stamped envelopes.  Then be prepared to wait.  

[mickey64]

I sent a few letters out his brothers sent out letters to around the same time I did and they both got a letter but I didnt receive anything yet. I was very sad...Im hoping he received mine a few were in 5x7 envelopes.. Is that ok???