Sarges Meet and Greet and Ground Transportation

[NHBBALL MOM]

 

Here is the latest from Sarge himself:

Hi everyone, this is Sarge.

I am writing this post to assist everyone who is coming to the P.I.R. You can pass this information to your loved one’s recruiter so they can help future parents and spouses and girlfriends/boyfriends.

Here are some pitfalls that people are running into when they arrive. I have enclosed here a checklist of things to do prior to arriving at Great Lakes for the graduation. Please take the time and read this post and pass on to others who join the group later on.

DISCLAIMER – John Spadaro, also known as “Sarge” is the author of this document. Any alterations of this document /post render it invalid. The author is not responsible for loss of funds, travel incidents, or any unfavorable consequences resulting from use of the information contained in this document. Information is deemed reliable from the sources it originated from. All captions, photos, Logos, Business Names and trademarks are property of the copyrighted holders. I am not employed by the United States Navy or the Sundance Saloon. I am not compensated in any way, by any venue, business, person, fictitious person, or corporation mentioned in this document. This is an informational document/post and is protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and other entities’ or governments. Use of this information is at your own risk.

TRAVEL CHECKLIST – RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Get transportation tickets, i.e. Bus, train, airline AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE and check the terms of travel insurance.

2. Schedule taxi pick up at airport or train station with me and my team once you have your itinerary. My phone number is [phone]. See airport rates at end of this post.

3. Download Navy Family Guide PDF – Click here -> http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/fam_guide.asp

4. Schedule dog or house sitters

5. Gather I.D.’s as indicated in Navy Family Guide. PLEASE make sure they are not EXPIRED *** If your I.D. is expired you will not be able to board aircraft or trains nor will you be able to access the base or rent a car **

6. Make sure prescription medications are enough for trip and in their original bottles.

7. Notify school for children who will be absent

8. Ask neighbors to hold mail or notify postal service.

9. Make a security sweep of the house. Insure that windows are locked, timers are set, garbage is put out, car and truck doors locked, water plants, lower heat or air conditioning.

10. Check airlines regarding baggage charges and weight limits.

11. Cell phone chargers, laptops, and cell phones. Note – fully charge all phones prior to leaving home.

12. Email forwarding for work if needed.

13. Don’t advertise on face book or other social media that you are traveling. Thieves can search anything on the internet and find out you are gone.

14. If you have a smart phone; download the INRIX free travel app. Great app to see traffic ahead of you. Don’t forget EZ-PASS or GPS.

15. Carry enough cash for taxi, train, or buses. The metra train does not accept credit or debit cards.

16. Rental Car Companies in this area do not accept out of state DEBIT cards. Check with your rental car company! BEST TO USE CREDIT CARD – NOT A DEBIT CARD. Some rental car companies accept Debit cards however they will put a hold on your funds and in some cases up to $400.00. As stated below, it could take 4-7 days to release your funds.

17. Charge your hotel room on a credit card not a DEBIT Card. The hotels in combination with your financial institution, can take up to SEVEN DAYS to make your funds available after you check out.

18. If staying at a hotel that has a pool, bring your own bathing suit. Bathing suits are hard to find in this area during winter months.

19. Bring your car seats if necessary.

20. If driving - know the Illinois rules. See this link - http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd...

21. Bring copies of auto insurance declaration page if renting a car or driving.

22. Print out GATE PASS if you are DRIVING. No gate pass needed if using a taxi. See link here to print GATE PASS -> http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/consent1.asp you will need password!!!

My Wife and I look forward to meeting you Thursday night before the P.I.R. Attached is information to make your trip more relaxing. My wife and I have been hosting the meet and greet for the last 2 years. We are not a commercial venue and do not own the Sundance Saloon. We rely solely on contributions from the families who attend our meet and greet to help us defray the cost of the food. We appreciate any donations you can render at the meet and greet. There is a donation box at the front of the buffet table.

Our meals consist of bread sticks from Olive Garden, pasta/sausage/meatballs- from Jeanette’s Italian Kitchen, delicious fried chicken from Popeye’s, and deserts from local food chains. My wife hand bakes the world’s most delicious brownies. Your donation will help us fund future meet and greets for the Navy Families. I thank you in advance for your contribution.

If you need taxi service from the airport, below are my rates: Please call me at 847-212-0246 or email me your flight information including date of arrival, number of passengers, Airline, flight number, and cell phone number(s), and hotel you are staying at.

SPECIAL Rates are as follows: PER CAB

A. Round trip to and from O’Hare, Including a free ride to PIR. $99.00

B. Round trip to and from Midway, including a free ride to PIR $159.00

C. Round trip to and from Milwaukee, including a free ride to PIR $169.00

RETURN TO YOUR HOTEL AFTER PIR (10:30AM - 12:00 Noon) is $3.00 Per person from the following Lake County hotels only (Navy Lodge, Sleep Inn Lake Bluff, Days Inn-North Chicago, Red Carpet Inn North Chicago, Marriott Hotels - Waukegan ONLY, Candle Wood Suites Waukegan, Holiday Inn Express Waukegan, Quality Inn Waukegan, Red roof Inn Waukegan, Great Lakes Motel North Chicago, Ramada Inn Waukegan, Super 8 Waukegan, America's Best Waukegan, Motel-6 Waukegan) minimum cost per cab is $9.00. All other hotels not listed above are “meter runs” Example (APPROXIMATE) – Gurnee -$20.00, Lincolnshire $29.00, Lake Forest/Mettaw $24.00 plus tolls.

Other AIRPORT Rates if no round trip is paid at time of arrival to your hotel. PER CAB

A. One way from O’Hare $54.00 (to Lake County Hotels)

B. Return to O’Hare $48.00 (from Lake County hotels)

C. One way from Midway $90.00 to Lake County Non rush hour -Before 2PM and after 7PM

D. Return to Midway (from Lake County) $85.00 - Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

E. One way from Milwaukee (to Lake County Hotels) $90.00

F. Return to Milwaukee (Lake County Hotels) $85.00

Sarge retired from the Army after 20 years of active service in 1991. He was stationed in Ft. Sheridan in 1981 which is the sister base to Great Lakes. He has lived in the area for over 30 years and disseminates a wealth of information about what to expect from our visit there and helping to make the planning easier.

He also owns several taxis and lives in Gurnee, IL. He seems to truly care for our Sailors and has dedicated a large part of his life to helping and caring for them, especially the ones who stay in Great Lakes for their A School.

Each evening before PIR, Sarge sponsors the Meet and Greet for Navy Moms and Navy Dads. Sarge has arranged to have the Sundance Saloon for just the meet and greet starting at 5:00 PM AND ENDING AT 10:00 PM.  FREE FOOD is served at 6:30 PM.  Now, we say FREE, but we all know that food does not come free. Sarge does ask for donations to defray the cost of the food. It’s an excellent spread of Italian food and fried chicken.

I also want to add here that Sarge does not make a dime on the meet and greet. If anything, he looses money. Please understand he is not in it for the money. He does it because he loves our sailors, their moms and dads and thinks that what he does is important to our Navy family. So please if you attend have a few bucks to toss into the kitty.

He is also very good at taking care of our sailors that are at Great Lakes for “A” school. Many times a sailor needs a ride to or from and is caught without any cash. Sarge doesn’t care because the sailors always make sure they pay him back.

ALSO FREE is transportation to and from the Meet and Greet from local area hotels. Transportation from areas other than the free ones is offered at significantly reduced rates.

If you take METRA into Chicago and decide to purchase the weekend pass for your sailor, more than likely you will not use it on Sunday. Give it to Sarge and he will pass them over to any sailor/s going to Chicago on Sunday. He literally stands at the gate and passes them out.

You can call Sarge ANYTIME at 847-212-0246 with any questions.

There is much more additional information that Sarge will give you so we highly recommend that you attend his Meet and Greet at the Sundance Saloon.  Children are welcome since this is a private event.

Please remember that you can call Sarge ANYTIME for any information you may need – including info on how you can save money on airfare and other goodies. Again, he can be reached anytime at [phone]. His email address is [e-mail]

LET’S NEVER FORGET THAT HE HAS SERVED OUR COUNTRY. It’s nice to help those who have helped us. …and he’s STILL helping us!  Almost forgot – his name is John Spadaro and hails from Brooklyn, NY.

Sundance Saloon 300-Lakehurst Road, Waukegan, IL [phone]

[NHBBALL MOM]

OK Ladies

This is my last post for baskets or bags for Raffle items for Sarge's Meet and Greet.

Calling on all Navy Moms Navy Dads, Grandparent's, Girl friends Boy friends, Husbands and Wives.. . Anyone that would like to put together a basket/bag filled with items from your home state to represent your home state or items you have crafted,baked or borrowed and forgot to return to the neighbor that moved. You can bring it to Sarges Meet and Greet and have it raffled off. With all the proceeds going to Sarge and his wife. They provide and purchase the food, nothing is donated. Lets Come together for our recruits and Pay it forward.  The basket can represent your home state. We can have many different baskets with many different things in them. Sports items, Challenge Coins. Soaps and Candles. Jewelry. Tools. Jams and Jellies

The possibilities are endless. Each raffle ticket will be 1 for $1.00 6 for $5.00 or 25 for $20.00 .

Really it is what ever you want to bring and there is a dollar store and a Walmart right across the street for people to buy baskets if flying in. You can use gift bags and even buckets. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you. Time to have some fun.

We currently have baskets representing the great states of

New Hampshire New Mexico Minnesota A Don’t Mess with Texas Washington And Wisconsin

[ProudMomInCO]

How do I RSVP for the Meet and Greet? Do I call Sarge or the Sundance?

[NHBBALL MOM]

proud momInco http://navyformoms.com/events/pir-03-07-14-sarge-s-meet-and-greet