New to this site & the military

[Spouse]

Hi, everyone!

My husband is currently in boot camp, he's half way thru it.  woo! hoo!  I am so confused about everything.  Everyone on here appears to be using acronyms in their posts and comments, I have no idea what these acronyms mean..  I have no idea what I'm doing or what I should be preparing myself for. 

At this time, I know the date for his boot camp graduation, but I haven't made travel plans yet.  I'm pretty sure my husband will go to "A" school the day after graduation (I'm guessing). 

I'm just lost and a bit overwhelmed. I don't know where to start.  I work hard during the day, come home sad, missing my man...can't get motivated to plan ahead in this unknown territory.

Comments & advice appreciated.

Thank you.

 

 

[Cnm4ever9]

Hi;) okay well first of all do you know where he will go to a school at? Because if its anywhere else then Great Lakes chances are he will fly out the next day. Which means Friday he would get to spend time with you right after graduation until the curfew which I think is 10? Not sure. But anyways is there any questions you have? I can try to answer them?

[beachmom76]

Hi Spouse! Welcome to the wonderful world of being a military spouse.  I promise you things will begin to make sense soon, so don't despair.  For an overview of programs and services as well as a list of Navy terms and acronyms, check out the Navy's New Spouse Orientation online class.  This is an on-demand course, so you can look at it at anytime.

http://learning.zeiders.refineddata.com/course/view.php?id=4502

 

I know the folks on this board will give you lots of guidance as your family adapts to being in the military.  Best of luck to you!

[UrabissWife]

hey girl. youre half way there !!! only a little longer to go and it will fly I promise.  the main acronyms for basic are PIR -pass in review aka graduation  PT - physical training  PRT- physical readiness test RDC -recruit division commander SIQ- sick in quarters BS - battle stations that's all I can remember off the top of my head from when my husband was in basic. If there are any others that you see a lot and want to know just let me know :)

if his school is somewhere other than IL he will fly out the next morning. my husband was lucky and actually got a whole extra day  with me which is really rare.. we were blessed with more time. I just changed my flights and hotel reservations which I was there :) they are really good about military personal and understanding situations.  I would get your travel stuff booked ASAP b/c the hotels fill up fast. when I went to my husband PIR I went a lone and I used sarge's taxi . he was amazing and very helpful. I can give you his information if you would like. he helped my husband and I around so much . and my husband left this parka in a cab and sarge drove all the way back to our hotel free of charge. he is a vet and does a meet and greet for families attending PIR.  If you can think of any specific questions you have fill free to ask. I can answer them to the best of my knowledge. and I know these lovely ladies will be more than willing to help also :)

[Spouse]

@Cnm4ever9 - all I got to say is WHAT?  Curfew?  You kidding me?  2 months apart and they impose a curfew on him...oh geeze!. His recruiter told us months ago he would go to A school in Penssacola, FL, not sure if thats changed or not. Should I try to obtain a spouse military ID before he finishes boot camp?

 

@beachmom76 thank you for the link to the on demand course.  I'll check that out soon.

 

@UrabissWife - thank you for those acronyms..they pulled my husbands wisdom teeth, so he spent a few days SIQ...haha. 

I have not scheduled my travel to boot camp graduation as of yet, because my husband failed his swim test.  Last time I talked to him a week and a half ago, he informed me to hold off on making any travel plans to ensure he would pass the swim training. I'll be traveling alone to graduation, please forward sarge's taxi info.

Anyone recommend an airport to fly into ( I see I have 3 options) and a hotel for boot camp graduation?

Thank you everyone!!

 

 

[Angie]

He is now in the military, everything is earned and can be taken away.  Sorry you will not get to spend a night with him for some time.  As far  as what the recruiter tells you, take it with a grain of salt, they don't know everything nor do they keep up to date on everything that goes on with the "A" Schools.  What job is your husband going for? 

Regarding the ID card, he should send you paper work so you can get one, are you near a military base?  The ID card is also your insurance card, so yes you should have one.

Recommend you start looking into getting a hobby or something for yourself as you will be home alone a lot while he is in the military. 

[Spouse]

I'm not real sure what job my husband is going for.  I believe he will be in a program that allows him to rotate jobs until he finds one he likes....? Does that sound right?  I let him make all the decisions about joining the military - I didn't want him to resent me later, so I stayed out of it. :)

Indeed, I need to find a hobby. Thank you, Angie for your support.

[Anti M]

Spouse, you will get the hang of this.

They want him to pass the swim test, they've already invested a lot in him.  

Do get your military ID as soon as you get the form/information.  You can do it at any military location.  Use the RAPIDS locator to find the one nearest you (google it, it should pop right up).  That ID card will make your life much easier when dealing with anything on base, and doubles as your medical insurance card.  

Yep, curfew.  And he will have one when he gets to A school.  He will earn more freedoms and privileges as his time at P-cola progresses, but his time is no longer his own.    To make it more fun, if someone else screws up, they can "secure liberty" for all the student sailors.  Doesn't happen often, so don't worry about that, just know he's not only individually accountable, but also accountable as part of a group/ship/division.   It is a new mindset.  

There's much more, but you're probably a bit overwhelmed for now, yeah?

[Spouse]

Yes, I'm a bit overwhelmed. I hope he's aware of the curfews and such, not sure he knew about all this before he left for BC.  I have an appointment next Friday to get my ID card....so excited. :) Thank you, Antii M!

[Anti M]

He probably did not.  You will know more than he does at this stage!  Just wait until he figures out duty days and watch standing.

Here is the Great Lakes A school liberty policy.  P-cola follows it also, but there may be minor variations.  In case you go visit, or something.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/training-support-center-tsc-great-la...

[UrabissWife]

here is the link to his FB https://www.facebook.com/taxisarge/about?ref=ts   you can try and message him but I suggest going to the "about" link and call him. that is what he told me to do :)

I wouldn't worry about his swim test. there were a lot of people how failed in my husbands division (which surprised me lol) but he said they took them out every day to do swimming lessons and then they would take a final swim test. 

my husband went to a school in P cola too! they go through phases on liberty. by phase 3 he will get weekends off unless he has watch. my husband was able to spend the weekends with me. . what is his rate?

I flew into ohare air port, it is the closest to the training center, but still was like a good 45minute drive to my hotel.

[Spouse]

Hey, ladies!  This site is awesome!  Thank you so much for everything!

I received a letter from my husband today, he passed his swim test. woo hoo!  BC graduation on July 19th.

Anyone recommend a hotel?  Has anyone used the MWR travel desk to make travel arrangements?

Also,  I have an appointment next Friday to get my military ID card.  I just realized I received the completed 1172 form 3 weeks ago...yikes. Does this mean I'm enrolled in the military health insurance?...hhhmmm? 

UrabissWife - I have no ideal what his rate is.  LOL  what is a rate?  Like E1, E2, E3, etc?  I sent a friend request to  Sarge, thanks for sharing his FB page. 

 

[Anti M]

You are enrolled in tricare.  Call them and ask for a handbook. Their user site is pretty simple to figure out, and they are usually quite helpful.

Rate is going to be his job.  Do you know what job he signed up for?

His job will have a couple letters for the acronym.  For example, AT is aviation technician.  E-1 and so on would be his paygrade.  They get combined to make his title.   It is confusing until you see the basic pattern.  

When you're ready to learn it, I can explain the basics.