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All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018.
Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)
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Events
**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed. Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.
**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.
**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:
In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:
**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED. Vaccinations still required.
**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.
RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021
Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.
Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.
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My Son is leaving September 13th ...
He will be leaving for Bootcamp just 3 days before his 18th birthday. He's not left yet & I miss him already! It breaks my heart to let him go, but I know this is what he wants to do & I support him 100% Anyone already been through this part & any advice would be great. He's my 2nd oldest out of 7 & I just can't imagine him not being here.
Views: 456
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by myboysmom(Ship09/Div078) on
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Hi Lynette,
I know exactly how you feel. My son has been in the Navy now for almost 1 1/2 years. He is will be 20 next month. He was 17 when he joined the Navy in May 2010 (his dad had to sign for him) and he turned 18 that July. He was in the DEP program for 7 months and left on Dec. 14, 2010. That was my first Christmas without him. Last July he turned 19 and it was the first time since his birth that I wasn't with him on his birthday. I was heartbroken!!! But, I made it through. Like I said he will turn 20 next month and I won't be with him on his birthday but I will be with him 11 days later on vacation with him and the rest of my family. YAY! It will feel horrible during bootcamp. I felt like there had been a death in the family when he left. If it hadn't been for the ladies on N4M and my family I don't think I would have made it. The ladies you will meet here are wonderful and you will make some great friends. Once he gets to BC and you get the letter with his PIR date make sure that you find the page sent up for that PIR date and get to know those families. Their child will graduate with your son and you will have a lot in common. You will get to meet them at the Meet and Greet the night before PIR. If you can go to Chicago and see him graduate please do so it is something you will NEVER forget and it means a lot to the graduate. Good luck! Friend me and I would be glad to talk to you anytime you need to vent or ask questions.
Good luck to you and your son!
P.S. you will feel very lost when he is gone but remember you have other children there that need you too. Please don't leave them out. Use them to keep you busy and keep your mind off of the unknown with your SR. (seaman recruit) I had to really focus on my youngest son b/c he really missed his brother being that I only had the 2 boys. He was more lost than I was so we spent lots of time together doing things to keep ourselves busy.The reason I say that is b/c I had a friend who felt so lost she went into a deep depression and all but forgot about her other 2 children at home that needed her too!!!
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Permalink Reply by SR.LaskiesMom (Ship 12 DIV 372) on
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Thank you! I appreciate any & all advice & it feels good to just get it out and talk with people who have been there, done that. As for my other kids, I could never abandon them in anyway! I have been a mom for half my life & my children are the only thing that keep me going at times! My son Ryan is in the DEP Pool with about 30 other kids. Everytime I read over his contract I see that 8 years & I think "MY God, I'm gonna miss out on so much" when the reality is I know that's not the case, with todays technology.
I can only imagine how Moms use to feel, I mean yes I'd rather have my kid with me then talking to him through a computer, but at least we have that, they didn't!
Again Thank you! ... and how do you add people as friends o n here??
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Permalink Reply by Navy2011Mom on
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Hi Lynette,
I'm with you on this one. My oldest son joined the Navy last October and ended up in boot camp for 5 months due to injuries. He's at A-School now and loves everything about the Navy and his schooling. My younger son (I only have the two boys) has also joined the Navy. He's 17 now, but will be 18 in Nov., and will be leaving next February. While it really is hard some days, you know that the kids are where they want to be, so it makes it better -- not necessarily easier, but better. Once they are out of boot camp, you have the ability to talk with them quite often, so that also makes it better for us moms. Hang in there... You're definitely not alone!
Hugs!
-Janet
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Thank you Janet, I know Bootcamp is gonna be the hardest part of it all. I know this is what he wants to do, & I love & respect his decision (Obviously) it's just very hard for me to think about him leaving, so instead of worrying & letting him see me breakdown, we are all trying to fill the days left with good times! :)
Like I said it just feels good to talk to people who have been through it & people who are going through the same thing! I appreciate y'all taking your time to help me through this.
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Permalink Reply by Craig on
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Lynette - I'm a guy, so what got me over my son leaving was having "plenty of sex!" ~ha j/k
Seriously, focus on the positive things. You will soon realize that for 18 years or so you have been the "referee" in your sons life. You were the rule setter and the penalty enforcer. But as your son life changes, so will yours. You will now become the "cheerleader" for him. You will watch and cheer as he works his way through the advancement system, the qualification standards, and simple things like just folding his towels correctly. You will stand and scream at the PIR as his division enters, and you will cheer as his ship enters San Diego or Norfolk after a deployment. I have decided it is far more important for me to be a cheerleader than a referee. Don't waste your time on the sadness, focus your feelings on the positive things that will help your son.
May I suggest you not bring your sadness into the letters you write. He will have a lot more stuff on his mind than to worry about the sadness you're feeling. Keep him focus. Praise him. Keep him motovated. Yes, your 1st letter you will get will say "What have I done, I want out of here"... this is normal, alot of kids say that. But they will soon realize that the quickest way out of boot camp is just to complete it. By the time the 6th week comes along, then you'll get letters like "This isn't bad, we actually had a great time today". Just keep him motovated, keep him focused, and tell him how proud you are of him. You gave the Navy your son, and in 8 short weeks they will return a mature and capable man. He will have the foundation to be a leader, and he will have ability and knowledge to be a successful person in life.
I want you to watch this video by Ollie North. Play it a couple times. Its not enjoyable, it is riveting! Talk about making a kid self sufficient! Woo-hoo, I love the last part because it deals with a Navy medical corpsman. Man, I l love it when recruits become sailors.... It makes my day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJfeD-I39CQ
You hang in there girl, you can do this...
GO NAVY!
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"Plenty of sex" ... Whoo Hooo!!! I think my husband is on your band wagon... There's the sense of humor that us moms know and love!!!! Craig, I really do wish you would reconsider your leaving the San Antonio Corpsman group -- it REALLY needs that manly sense of humor and it's not the same without you there posting the things we need and want to hear with the the perspective you bring!!!! Please don't let a couple of women that can't laugh ruin it for the rest of us. WE NEED YOU!!!!! I know I don't post there often, but I "lurk" daily -- kind of that Peeping Tom thing -- and I know the ladies there really do miss your posts!
Have a good day!!
-Janet
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Craig, thanks! that first line actually made me laugh as I'm sitting here in tears (cause no one else is up yet, I choose my breakdown times wisely!) Good now though. :)
Funny you say these things about being the referee, rule setter, etc I was just thinking about all that last night, and of course start to think things like have I done enough? Will he be ok??? Then a peaceful feeling came over me & a voice said It'll be okay, this is his life & he is doing what he wants & will be a better man for it! I know that's true but at the same time it's difficult to think about.
As far as me being his cheerleader, ALWAYS have been & will be! Ryan was in JROTC for 4 years & wrestled through middle school & High school... I remember the first time I saw a kid on top of him, I wanted to run in and pull that kid off of him & throw him down, but I sat right there next to the mat & kept cheering him on, he ended up winning & that moment I realized He's got this ... That's kinda how I'm feeling now, like at first I wanted to rip his recruiters head off, but now I'm okay with him, still I wish I could be there @BC with him tellin him, "You got this" ... I would never let him know how much I'm hurting, or try to bring him down in anyway. But I will write him , probably everyday to let him know how much I love him & how proud I am every moment that he is my son!
The video you posted, I'll probably watch later, a lil scared cause That's exactly what he's goin in for "Hospital Corpsman."
Thank you for your thoughts, time & advice, I appreciate all of you! :)
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Lynette... My other son is currently in San Antonio for A-School to be a Hospital Corpsman too. He ABSOLUTELY loves everything about where he is and the classes he's taking, the rooms at METC, etc., so please know that this really can be a great experience for them. Once they're out of boot camp you have the opportunity to talk, text, email, etc. so it becomes easier. Of course, not having them at home is hard, but we all knew they would grow up sometime and move out. Remember, boot camp is only about 8 weeks (normally), so you'll be visiting him to attend PIR probably sometime in November. Only a couple of months -- you can do that, right? While at boot camp, my son wanted to know EVERYTHING that was happening at home -- even down to what we had for dinner each night -- LOL! It's the little things that seem to mean the most and he will be missing you just as much (if not more) than you'll be missing him. I know that you can do this...
Wishing you the best!!!
HUGS!!
-Janet
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btw: Please have your son come over to NavyDEP.com. I can pump him up with all sorts of good information about boot camp. You might actually want to read this too...
http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433
You might want to join this group too:
http://www.navyformoms.com/group/leavinforbootcampinseptember
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Thanks, I will have him check it out.
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Permalink Reply by SherBear Nuke Mom (ET) on
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Lynette, my son leaves Sept 13th and as it gets closer (and it is starting to FLY by) I find myself having anxiety and miss him already also :( I am nothing but positive and supportive when we talk about him leaving, but I am concerned about my mental state when he leaves. LOL
Does your son leave on Sept 13th also?
The current conversation is whether we will drive up to Columbus and spend the night and then to MEPS to see him officially sworn in and then off to the airport....I don't want to overwhelm him or myself. I am not sure I can hold it together that long. I do not want to put that on him in a negative way. I thought when he signed up back in November that since we had so much time to get used to the idea of him leaving that it would somehow make it easier. It's not.
BTW, we currently reside in Cincinnati Ohio but we are originally from Michigan and all of my family is still there. So we have more in common :)
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Sherri, I'm right there with ya. and Yes, he's ship date is 9/13/2012
I plan on going to see him swear in before he gets on the bus (I think it's a bus) & plan on taking some valuim or xanax before hand cause I don't wanna break down in front of him either, would hate for him to have that stuck in his head throughout bootcamp. I think I can manage to hold it together long enough to make it to the car before breaking down & crying like a baby, I hope! But I'd rather go & see him go then sit at home wishing I was there.
It's going to be a very hard day for sure, but in that moment when he is swearing in, is gonna be the MOST Important, rewarding, emotional proud moment in his life & I can't miss that! .. I've missed out on too much already as everyday that passes is a day closer to him leaving.
Staying positive is important & as long as you/we try & fill the days left with good times & good memories, we've done a pretty damn good job!
I've lived in MI my whole life (even though I was born in Seattle WA) Where in MI did you live before? We are in Warren.
Thanks for chatting, you're not alone & neither am I & it's good to talk with people that can relate. :)
~Lynette
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