Anyone with a daughter leaving for bootcamp on September 28 in CA? Or anywhere else?

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

Hi all, I was just wondering if there is anyone in this discussion group with a daughter leaving for BC the end of this month.

[Anna]

Lisa,

I just moved to the Chicago area myself!!!  I'm living in Waukegan - - not too far from Great Lakes.  Would love to meet up with other Navy Moms in the area.

 

[Lisa (Olivia Div 09-Ship 331)]

Hi Anna,

That would be great to meet.  Where did you move from?  Please call and we can set up a time to meet.  My cell is 612-940-1090.

Lisa

 

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

Janie.....thank you SO much for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I have this feeling that Aubrey isn't realizing just how tough this may be. She's heard many "easy" stories from a few friends who have finished boot camp. She was a wrestler in high school for 3 years..didn't win many matches but the boys she wrestled didn't get their wins very easily. She's a tough girl when she needs to be...my little tomboy who loves make-up and pretty dresses.....

 

I LOVE the idea of writing in a special journal every day. What a fabulous way to share intimately your perspectives and love for your daughter from her mother's point of view. What a gift. Now I'm excited to find the right journal. I've written in a journal since I was 9 years old. I am a photographer and an artist so an 'art journal' to her will be most theraputic for me and something for her to get to know me as well. Thank you for that idea.

 

I am taking Wednesday off - a 'sick day' so Aubrey and I can 'do the spa' in Corona - mud and mineral pools all day in the warm, fall California sun. She's been staying at my house, verses her father's, these past months. There are piles all over the house as she is sorting through memorabilia - stuff to throw out, keep, and send on once she lands someplace for a longer time - which won't be for a few years.... Every once in a while, she'll pop into wherever I am with instructions on what to do with all that. I almost hate to have her spend these last days doing this but there is only so much 'visiting' to be done now. She'll see her best friend this weekend and then one more all-family dinner. Then.......time to go. I'm taking one and a half days off of school as I get to drive her to the hotel the day before she actually ships off to the GL. Her father and brothers opted not to come down so it will be just the two of us.

 

Thanks again for all the info. I must admit, I had not heard of the not being able to sit anywhere but on the floor thing. Yikes. All this loving warmth at home with her critters and family around to abruptly stop.... I'll have to tell her that she won't be the only one missing the homey touches. They'll all be in the 'same boat' so to speak! lol

 

I'm sure I'll have lots and lots of questions as the time rolls on....

[Lisa (Olivia Div 09-Ship 331)]

Diana,  dropping off Aubrey will be difficult.  Especially alone.  I cried a lot.  The next morning I was able to watch her get sworn in.  I hope you can as well.  One last opportunity to get those mom hugs in.  I really didn't want to release my hold on the hug but had to so she could leave.  Call me if you want and need to talk once you drop her off on the 27th or make sure you have a friend you can call.  You'll feel a void and its big.  Olivia and I spent the majority of her time with me and not her father (her choice).  We have a great relationship.  I'm glad that you are taking a spa day.  That will be good for you.

Thinking of you,

Lisa

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

The big day is looming....the day after tomorrow we leave for MEPS. The recruiter said I could drive Aubrey down (it's 2 1/2 hours from our home). Her middle brother is coming with us. We're staying in the same hotel the DEP-ers/soon to be recruits are staying. I dread Wednesday...... She just popped in here to grab one of the cats (we have 3) to sleep with....already commenting how odd it will be to not have her critters around :-/  I think it's these particularly last couple of days that is the hardest....

Our spa day was fantastic. What a wonderful treat to share. We decided we'd plan another one post BC whenever she gets leave to come home.

 

2 more weeks for you and you'll get to see your Olivia and celebrate the woman she is becoming! How exciting! I look forward to hearing how all that goes for you both.

 

Diana

[Janie (Ship11~Div.59 Alumni)]

Lisa that is GREAT! 5 weeks down, not too many more to go! Although very tough to be without our daughters or sons as they go through this, it does seem to go by very quickly all things considering. I must say I do feel good when I can offer a glimpse into bc or even give some ideas/advice. I wish I would've had someone to do the same. My NAVY Sisters/Moms and myself walked through it blindly, but together we mentally helped each other. This is why I do stress to either find another mom or yourself to create a page with your PIR date, this will aid you in having other moms from the same divisions of your graduation. And as always when you get out to PIR there is always a meet and greet that someone will plan at the Ramada Inn at their meeting room. This is where ya'll will meet up.  For our PIR we also had each division family member wear different colored scarfs, each division had picked their color and that was the scarf that each mom wore. These are just little things directed towards the moms/families but its what creates a bond and if you're fortunate enough to have the bond with the other mothers that I have, you'll have friends for life that are the only ones that can truly understand you and your sailor/recruit.

 

Ok Diana as for Aubrey, it sounds like physically she will be ready. The females are only expected to do so many push ups or pull ups but if she is anything like my daughter, those numbers weren't good enough. She always pushed to exceed the expectations, which gave her more credit and respect by her fellow male recruits as well as from their petty officers and such. I take it your daughter does know how to swim, the swim test will be expected from her. I don't mean to demean her by asking but believe it or not my daughter said there were actually recruits that did not know how to swim, so it made it harder on them.

 

As soon as she gets off the bus at Lakes (Great Lakes) she will be yelled at, screamed at, told what to do every second of the first week. This is the processing week. Most sailors told me as I spoke with them, this week was hell! They didn't sleep for the first 36 hours. They rush them off the bus, into the building and line them up against the wall and start their break down. The first thing will be to call you to let you know she made it and she's ok, she will also tell you that you won't hear from her for three weeks. This call will be very, very brief!  They will give up all their personal belongings and "BOX" them up as they are going through a line and given their "smurfs" (this is the name they are given because they are wearing the blue navy sweats. They are given all they need and so all personal effects to send home. My daughters recruiter did mention this but when the box actually came, it doesn't prepare you for opening it and seeing even the dirty underwear and socks she left home with. Be CAREFUL if she takes her cell phone, they are made to take the battery off it when placing it into the box, be careful not to lose it. I do know of two recruits/sailors who had their batteries missing out of their box, but it doesn't happen too much. She will get her hair cut and may I say not styled. lol They basically will go through physicals, dental check up, etc... But those first 36 hours were rough as they all told me because they were tired and sitting against the wall and falling asleep but being yelled at to wake up. As I say it may be rough at various times but its necessary to make the fine person you will see at PIR. They have to break them down in order to instill the values they need to be a fine Sailor and person. They are basically preparing them mentally to be stronger and more mature.

 

When your daughter gets over to her "ship" (barracks) she will be given her "rack" (bunk bed). That first week they will be taught how to mark their clothes, fold their clothing so that it fits into their rack, and various skills. I would strongly recommend you go to the home page here of N4M and watch the videos containing all this info. Let your daughter see it to so she has some concept of what she will be in for. I wish my daughter had that opportunity. In the end of her basic training she will be woken up on night to enter a twelve hour test called "BATTLESTATION" there is also a video on this too. Its an amazing all night test of various crisis that can happen when out on ship. The division she will be in will have to really show teamwork and work together to control each crisis and overcome it to keep the crew and ship safe and afloat. My advice is when your daughter goes through processing, they will "fit" her for sneakers and boots and shoes. PLEASE PLEASE tell her to speak up if she feels they are too small! My poor daughter was given a size to small and although she tried to tell the person who was fitting her, they didn't listen. She now wishes she would've been more assertive but she was so scared. She went through bc with all these items being too small and it hurt her feet everytime she was going through her tests. By the time battlestations came around, her boots had a small crease/split in its sole and when the test where the ship gets hit by a torpedo and they have to crawl down to the bottom of the ship and work as a team to get the bombs/torpedos out from the bottom of the ship and the cold sea water is rushing in, they form a line and get the ammo up and out of harms way. The water that is created to come into the ship is very cold, it seeped into the slit in her sole as well as some of her shipmates/division said the same. The cold water created some damage to her small toe, she now suffers from numbness. Just a few had the same thing. But..........their sailors after they pass that last test, they are to take their blue "RECRUIT" cap off and they are given their "NAVY" cap and they are officially a UNITED STATES SAILOR! And you MOM will get the phone call later in the day to hear those words!

 

Diana you had better get many boxes of tissues out, you will need them for happy and sad moments.  I hope I have helped. Please stay in touch so I can track Aubreys progress. She will do fine. Tell her to keep the eye on the prize. In the end its worth it. She will make new friends who may not replace her old friends from home but trust me, she will feel differently about some of them. Her true friends will be shown at this time also. My daughter actually found the true friends wrote her letters, wrote on her facebook page everyday telling her how much they missed her and the same ones befriended me on facebook to always ask me or to keep up on my posts of her progress which I would post for all our family and friends. She saw who just never did any of this and this was a true test of friendship. However Aubrey will build a strong bond with her fellow female division recruits. This friendship is invaluable, only they can understand what they went through to get where they need to go. They will share the ups and downs of bc and they will share a lot of laughs. After bc they may even be able to stay together to go through their schooling together whether it be at Lakes or anywhere else.

 

My daughter has her bc girlfriends all over the country and its been great because as she sails and pulls into San Diego or wherever she had a friend stationed there to where she calls them up and they meet and do the town together. When any of them are on land they get onto their facebook pages and leave messages to each other. Their friendship/bond that they all have acquired through bootcamp will take them through the rest of their lives. They have already planned a reunion years from now. lol

 

Well forgive me once again as I rambled. If there is anything else I can tell you, please ask. The entire facility our there wear they train and excersise is indoors and state of the art, very impressive. WATCH the VIDEOS.

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

Oh gosh Janie, you have been a wealth of information. 3 days left on our end. I can't tell Aubrey anything else. She is getting overloaded. PT time will be easy for her. Sewing, folding, being tidy - well...........now there is her challenge. Can't say I haven't tried to pound some of that in to her.

 

I think we're ready. Wallet is stashed with stamps, a couple of bandaids/moleskin, pics, a love note, dr license, SScard, bank card/info and $25.  Travel bag ready. Stuff sorted and given away, trashed or stashed. No goodbyes here. Just See you later!!

 

Yes, the videos are great. I think I know more than she does now. LOL  Bittersweet times.......

 

Thanks again for being so open and sharing.

[Janie (Ship11~Div.59 Alumni)]

Just FYI, despite what you have heard, the new sailors CAN NOT take anything back to base with them after PIR. My daughter had to wear the bcg's (birth control glasses) and could not wait for her contacts. In fact right after graduation she just wanted to go back to our hotel room and put her contacts in. I had brought out her several months supply and she had to put it down her bra and sneak it back into her ship and put them in her rack hidden under clothing. In fact she stayed at Lakes for all her schooling and two weeks after PIR we had to ship out to her-clothing, her laptop, ipod, makeup, etc.  After PIR all the sailors want to do is go out to eat a really good meal and go back to your hotel room and take a nice LONG HOT shower ALONE and even going to the bathroom alone was a treat. Some even like to take naps, my daughter couldn't wait  to use my lap top. So look forward to these little things we take for granted are now big things to them.

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! There, that felt better :-/  3 days and counting......

[Janie (Ship11~Div.59 Alumni)]

WOW! Not long now. Although an emotional roller coaster for both of you, be strong and she'll be ok. The physical fitness will be her biggest challenge. Oh if I can, I would also like to give you another piece of advice. They did tell you to open a checking account for her so they can direct deposit her paychecks, well I would advise that you put your name on her account also. I did this with my daughter and although at first she did not understand why, I explained it and it came to light when the Navy did not pay her before memorial day weekend and she was short money in her account to pay for her cell phone bill. She called me at 1am while she was on a duty free weekend in Chicago (she was in A School at the time) worried about it. I was able to transfer money online into her checking from her savings. She then understood my motives. I told her that if she is out at sea, who is going to manage her accounts? So now in December when she goes out for six months to sea, I will manage her money and save $$$ so when she pulls into Norfolk Va. she can then buy a new car. This advice may be helpful.

[Lisa (Olivia Div 09-Ship 331)]

good advise about the checking account.  We did the same and used US Bank.  Select a national bank.  Aubrey will also have an account with Navy Federal.  Olivia graduates in 12 days!  Can't wait.

[Diana(PO3/IT3)]

WHAT a NIGHTMARE.......... My daughter calls me in a panic in the middle of my teaching day to tell me she has to be at MEPS TODAY!!! Shipping out TOMORROW! My stomach is in knots. She missed her ride down with the recruiter from this area so her dad took her. I'm packed, sloppily laid out lesson plans, and ready to dash down.

 

So much for our last family dinner tonight - her favorite meal.... She didn't even get to see her younger brother or grandfather who were going to spend time with her tomorrow morning at breakfast before I drove her down. :-(

 

It is what it is. I just hope I don't miss the swearing in and last big hug and kiss until PIR...............