Things to bring our Sailors when attending PIR

[WesleysMom]

Does anyone have advice on things we can bring in to PIR?  Ex. signs for our Sailor, flowers etc?

[Leigh Ann]

My son called today while the whole family was together at my grandmothers.  He sounded okay.  He was excited that he scored real high in the firearms/weapons test and got a promotion.  About the civilian clothes I havent heard anything.  He did pack a few things for me to bring with his laptop and cell phone.  If he cant have them, then I will just pack them back up and bring them home.  It's less than 3 weeks before head to GL's.  Im so proud of him!  Just praying the weather will not be bad. 

[Arwen]

Do NOT bring civilian clothes, except maybe some comfortable clothes to wear in the hotel room. New sailors will not be allowed to wear them in public (ie outside the hotel room) for at least six weeks after PIR (or two weeks if your recruit is going to Corry Station, Pensacola).Different schools have different rules, but none of them allow civilian clothes in the first few weeks.

 

Also, unless your recruit/sailor is grad and go, s/he will not be allowed to bring anything back to barracks with them, not even a cell phone or iPod. You can mail them their stuff later.

 

If they are grad and go, you can give them their stuff after they move to NTC (across the street), or give them their stuff at the airport, before they get on the plane. You can get a pass to get through the gates to visit with a Grad and Go sailor until their flight is called.

[barb(♥MYAO)]

Great information here. How do we know if they are Grad and Go?

[Arwen]

They should know a few weeks before PIR. Quite often the first 2-3 divisions are ALL grad and go, but not always. Sometimes they don't know until a day or two before PIR, so it's not a bad thing to be prepared for all possibilities.

[motherof5 ship 07 division 49]

Your SR will let you know as soon as they find out, a Grad and Go is only the ones who will be going to A school in Great Lakes. The other SR can be Saturday departures and some might only have a few hours before there flight leaves , my son will only have 9 hours. He has less than 4 weeks until graduation and I just received his letter telling me this.

[motherof5 ship 07 division 49]

I'm taking a box of Kleenex and some q-tips since they haven't been able to clean there ears this entire time....HaHa...I Can't wait

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

Leigh Ann    look in the discussion forum of your group for info about photos, keel and DVD

[mom 56]

hi  the pictures start about 150 dollars so they are not cheap .as far as the clothes they dont have much room some schools let them have them out of bootcamp and some schools make them wait a few weeks . my son took three pairs jeans three shirts one pair shoes socks etc the book takes about six to eight weeks

[Emptynestnow SHIP 03 DIV 82]

I came across info on coins once; is this a tradition?  Anyone else ever here of them?

[Emptynestnow SHIP 03 DIV 82]

Thank you!

[Arwen]

The coins are a new thing for the Navy, based on an Army tradition that goes back to WWII.

 

According to "legend" (unconfirmed), unit coins began among few special units during WWII. There isn't much known about unit coins and how they got started, but there are a number of urban legends about them.

 

The coins caught on among special ops during the Vietnam War, where the coins were distributed among elite units such as Airborne and Green Berets, soldiers received their coins from their unit leaders when they completed training or some other designated achievement, such as completing their first patrol.They had to be earned and given, they could not be purchased.

 

During the 1980s they became more common in regular Army units, and they simply became "collectibles." In the late 90s the Navy adopted the coins, and now they are everywhere. Anyone can buy them, online or in gift shops.

 

There are some coins that are special, coins custom minted for special people or positions, and more in line with the origin of the coin tradition. If a sailor receives a coin from a flag officer, the MCPON or others in positions of high respect (getting a coin from any Medal of Honor recipient is huge), that coin is a real treasure. These are not coins you can buy, they are coins given as a mark of respect from very special people.

[Emptynestnow SHIP 03 DIV 82]

Thanks!  I heard also, that they are passed to the sailor by hand.  I am thinking that it may be a small way to acknowledge our pride in what he has accomplished.  Something easy enough to keep around, but will speak to him when he encounters it.