After PIR – Liberty; Sailors Departures from RTC

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

From the Family Guide by RTC: (Italics and Bold mine)

DEPARTING RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND AFTER PASS-IN-REVIEW

Sailors transferring to Great Lakes “A” School:

If your new Sailor is attending “A” school in Great Lakes please note they will need to check into their new command before they can go on liberty. The Great Lakes “A” schools are not located onboard Recruit Training Command. The check-in process may take up to 5 hours. Please ensure your Sailor has your phone number so they can contact you once they have completed the check-in process.

Sailors transferring to “A” School Outside of Great Lakes:

If your new Sailor is attending “A” School outside of Great Lakes, generally they will depart RTC the day after graduation. Travel arrangements are made by RTC; therefore, Sailors are required to travel on their government orders. If your Sailor is flying out of state they must travel to the airport using government transportation, you may not escort them to the airport; however, you may meet them at the airport.

Your Sailor will receive guidance from their Recruit Division Commander regarding their liberty period on the day of graduation. Your Sailor may be required to check out with their RDC prior to commencing liberty. Please ensure you return to RTC with adequate time for your Sailor to reach his barracks prior to expiration of liberty.

RTC does not have your Recruits liberty or travel schedule, so you will need to stay in contact with them. Only your Recruit and their supervisor know their specific liberty schedule.

A few extra details and possibilities:

Sailors transferring to Great Lakes “A” School

This means Sailors who will be attending “A” school at Great Lakes Naval Station most likely at TSC – Training Support Center. They transfer from RTC Friday, after Graduation, to move over to their new barracks. This can take from 3-5 hours. I do not know how much time they get directly after graduation to spend with you before they have to go move their things and get settled and briefed. I am sure it is not very long though. Make sure they have a working calling card to call you when they are done. When they are done they may spend the rest of PIR day with you. They will be given a time to report back to their barracks. Then they should get Saturday and Sunday to spend with you. Times and such will be given to you by your Sailor. This could change daily! Sailors transferring to “A” School Outside of Great Lakes

This means those Sailors who will be attending “A” school somewhere other than Great Lakes. They usually get to leave right after PIR and spend the rest of the day with you. This is subject to change. The time they report back to RTC on Friday …is subject to change! (Are we seeing a pattern here?) It is usually 8-9 PM. They then get ready (or already are)…TRY to get some sleep and then muster up and board the buses to go to their airports around 1-3 AM Saturday Morning (this can vary). Their flight could be ANYTIME on Saturday…the Navy only makes ONE trip for all Sailors. There are three airports. Midway, (Milwaukee-don't hear much about them departing from here), O’Hare. You won’t know which one probably until PIR day. It is possible to find out before PIR though. If there are flight availability issues then they will “depart” RTC another day…these Sailors will be “on hold” on RTC and may have extra liberty (yippee!)

Here is what happened to me:

My Sailor PIR’d on a THURSDAY (Memorial Day weekend – If there is a Federal Holiday PIR is one day earlier and on Thanksgiving week it is on Wednesday),and was supposed to depart FRIDAY AM. He was attending “A” school AWAY from Great Lakes. While I was flying to PIR on TUESDAY he called and left a detailed message that everything had changed and he would now not leave until Sunday around 1-2 AM! “Subject to change.” His report time every night was different. His Pick up time in the AM each day was different. He had watch on Friday from 4-6 PM and none on Saturday.

So, what I was advised to do was book to stay the extra days (Stay through until Sunday or even Monday AM) if I could…even though up until the day I left he was still supposed to leave the morning after PIR. IF he got the extra days then…YAY…if not then I had decided that I would just sight see and or rest!

I am so glad I did because it ALL changed! I would not have got to spend time with him if I had gone home Friday and he would have been stuck on base. I just decided that IF he did leave Friday (normally Saturday…remember we had a Thursday PIR) that I would take a vacation!

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

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[Maltobella (HM - San Antonio)]

Hello, all! I saw a post saying someone was told her SR doesn't have to report to Fort Sam til September 23rd. My son received the same orders. I can't find the post but I have questions about how that works. Does he have to leave for Texas immediately or does he stay at GL til say the day before he has to report to Fort Sam? His PIR is stil 9.14.12 I guess. Does anyone know how that works?? Does he come home for a few days (since we live close)? Or can he do what he wants til curfew? We'd all love to get to spend some time with him before he goes to Fort Sam but are wondering how it works. Thanks for any advice/info!!

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

I will do the best I can!

If he is "on hold" at RTC he will go to Ship 5's THU - Temporary Hold Unit. This is from the RTC Website Ship 5 THU Sailors. (Ship 5 also houses those recruits waiting to be seperated from the Navy...so I thought I would just paste the info in rather than sending you to the website :-(. Just in case you read about Ship 5...don't want you confused. They are housed on separate floors.):

THU Sailors are Sailors who have graduated from Recruit Training Command and are awaiting follow-on orders to their A school. The reasons  for placing a graduated Sailor on hold can vary from clearance issues to the need for special physicals. Sometimes it is as simple as waiting for a class to fill up.

These Sailors, however, are not just waiting around. THU Sailors follow a daily schedule. Many THU Sailors maintain work assignments while awaiting their follow-on orders, to include: manning the Ship, acting as escorts for recruits transiting to medical or legal appointments, or performing office duties at locations throughout the base.

THU Sailors are housed in separate compartments from separating recruits, with males on the lower deck and females on the upper deck.

THU Sailors also enjoy more liberty time, and are permitted to leave the base for recreation or visiting with family members. They may call home in their freetime.

I believe he will be able to have his cell phone and use it after a certain time each day. It is possible for him to have Liberty that weekend as well. If you are within 50 miles he may come home. But it has to be 50 or under...no more. Yes, they will get in trouble for the smallest infraction of this :-( He will most likely only be able to do this on Saturday and Sunday as during the week he will have "duties" during the day. He will be given an indepth briefing about Liberty.

Here is the Rules on Liberty from RTC Website that apply to PIR weekend. I am sure they stand and there may be more for those "on hold".

RULES ON LIBERTY

Liberty is ‘time off’ from the daily routine. Graduating Sailors will be granted liberty to go off-base during the day with their families. Graduating Sailors may not smoke, drive, or consume alcoholic beverages while on liberty. Graduating Sailors must stay within a 50-mile radius of RTC. Graduating Sailors must remain in their complete uniform while on liberty. If they are engaging in physical activity or swimming, they must be in authorized Navy issued workout gear. Recruits reporting to A School at Training Support Center Great Lakes will detach from RTC on Friday. All other recruits will depart on Saturday. To get the most accurate information please contact your recruit. Families may not enter the base after graduation and will need to meet graduating Sailors for liberty at the main RTC gate. Graduating Sailors departing RTC for follow-on training the same day as graduation or in a duty status will be granted limited on-base liberty. Graduating Sailors receive an in-depth liberty briefing prior to their graduation day.

Last Modified 11/30/2011

 

...and from the Family Guide:

When you take your Recruit out on liberty, we know you

will want to spend as much time with them as possible.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:



Your Recruit should be given ample time to walk to

their ship before the expiration of liberty.



Recruits may not travel more than 50 miles from base

during liberty, meaning no further than downtown

Chicago.



Recruits may not use alcohol or tobacco products, nor

drive a vehicle.



Recruits must remain in uniform at all times.



Recruits may not bring civilian items (clothes, mobile

phone, MP3 player, etc.) or food back to RTC.

 

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

To add to this...I do not know if they are allowed to leave the Base during the week days (they will have duties everyday)...or even the weekends following PIR. That is something you will have to ask your recruit if they do end up on hold at RTC.