This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.
FIRST TIME HERE?
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:
Choose your Username. For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either). Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username. While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!
Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!
Join groups! Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself! Start making friends that can last a lifetime.
Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak
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)
Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC
...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.
OPSEC - Navy Operations Security
Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind. In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships." OPSEC is everyone's responsibility.
DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.
DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."
Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:
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.
Format Downloads:
- Graduation Info
- PDF – 2.7 MB
- PNG – 2.3 MB
- JPG – 3.4 MB
- Printable PDF – 2.0 MB
Latest Activity
Navy Speak
Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms! (Hint: When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)
N4M Merchandise
Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.
Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.
Navy.com Para Familias
Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com
Badge
Fun things to do in IL during liberty?
I'm trying to plan my weekend with my Sailor in March and I'm assuming it's going to be freezing outside (especially compared to CA weather), but I'd still like to have fun while he's free. Anyone know any great places to go to or activities to do while we're there? I'd also like to save as much $$ as possible.
What would you rate this place? (1-5; 5 being THE BEST!) & why? What makes it great or not so great?
(My Sailor's school is in Great Lakes, so I'll have the weekend with him).
Views: 1725
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Eva on
-
Hey I don't know if this will help you but I listed some things to do near Great Lakes and downtown in my blog PIR on a budget. I also linked it to my PIR experience "PIR for dummies" as well. I so wish I had something like this the first few times I went out to Great Lakes. I ended up moving there so most of the info is up to date and accurate from our experience. Everything changes all the time though so what was for us, may be different for you. :)
http://evataylorthompson.blogspot.com/2014/11/navy-pir-boot-camp-gr...
-
Permalink Reply by Concernedad on
-
There is a small family owned pizza place not far from the base called Silo's Pizza. They will give your sailor a free appetizer, and pretty much everyone stopped by our table to thank our sailor for his service. I think they really appreciate that right out of Boot Camp.
Some other options to consider
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g36077-Great_Lakes_Illinois-Vaca...
-
Permalink Reply by Fur&FeathersDVM on
-
My husband is stationed at Great Lakes and there is a lot to do in this area!! March in Chicago can be warmish (relatively speaking) or very very cold (we had lots of snow still here last year).
Chicago is definitely within the liberty limits. There are lots of great things to do in the city depending on what you're interested in- museums, restaurants, navy pier, millenium park, tours, etc. There are many things in Chicago that are free for the military service member. The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science and Industry, and the Willis Tower are all free for the service member. Navy pier is nice, it has great views of the city- it's currently being renovated but most things are still open. There is a USO at navy pier and your sailor can pick up a coupon book to save money while there. You can get some great deals on Groupon for activities in Chicago from October through April as it's the slowest time for tourism, so definitely look around on Groupon for things you might be interested in!
Closer to Great Lakes- there are still things to do. The Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe is lovely if you like the outdoors. Admission is free but there is a parking charge- however, if someone in the car has a military ID, the parking charge is waived too. :)
You can either take the train or drive up to Kenosha in Wisconsin- it's a great town with lots of things to see and do as well.
The Metra train is a great option for getting around and you can get an all weekend pass (ride as much as you want both Saturday and Sunday) for $8- this is a recent price increase, within the last couple of weeks. It used to be $7 so you may see some things that still say it is $7.
There are lots of great restaurants in this area. Silo in Lake Bluff has fantastic deep dish, Chicago style pizza! We go there all the time (I love their mac and cheese deep deep dish pizza!) In Highwood (a town just a few train stops away from Great Lakes) there are two streets of restaurants that make up the Chicago north shore's "restaurant row" where you can get pretty much any type of food you want and it's all delicious! If you like Italian food- check out Alex's Washington Gardens in Highwood- they have the best Italian food I have ever eaten besides in Italy itself! The towns of Lake Bluff and Lake Forest both have cute little downtown areas that have a lot of great restaurants as well. Austin's and Jimmy's Charhouse in Libertyville (both are a straight shot down 137, the road the base is on) are both great and really affordable.
Without knowing exactly what you are interested in, it's hard to recommend more. But there are lots of things to do in the area ranging from Chicago up north to the base, just depending on what you're looking for- theater, museums, outdoors, etc. :)
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Navy for Moms Admin.
Powered by
