Comment

Comment by love4Leo25 on May 6, 2022 at 6:28pm

My sailor had his BESS today Yay!!!!

Comment by drc2873 on October 12, 2021 at 12:14pm

Good day all! Just dropping to say Hello!  My son just had his PIR on 10/08/21 and is in THU at Great Lakes anywhere from 2 weeks to 45 days before heading to Groton A School.. He is ITS Sub.  Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Comment by Catherine on August 26, 2021 at 2:11pm

BUYING AIRLINE TICKETS FOR LEAVE

From what my son tells me, he may be allowed some leave time later this year when their boat returns but specific dates won't be known until they return, so less than a month before leave is granted.  If he wants to fly home for leave he would be flying round trip across the country, so airplane tickets are pricey!  They are even more expensive if you can't book flight far in advance - plus seats are limited.  So, are sailors just out of luck in cases where leave is granted and dates are known late in the game and they have to book flights only 2-4 weeks ahead of time?  Also, in case tickets are purchased but then leave is cancelled for some reason, do your sailors always purchase "refundable" tickets, which are more expensive than regular tickets? Thanks, for any insight/advice.

Comment by Catskill Mountain Gere on June 9, 2021 at 11:52pm

Dear Yari, keeping you & your son in my prayers. Wish I had some awesome advise to help you. The comments that Wears LargeHats made really nailed it.                                        My son was deployed to Bangore Washington and it made such a big difference. While his ship is dry docked and the work days are long he is doing well,  likes the job, his roommate and the ship's crew.                                                     So just keep supporting him & be patience. Sometimes our children need to do things the hard way, to accomplish what they set out to & become who they will be. As a parent it can be agonizing. Hang in there. Catskill

Comment by Catskill Mountain Gere on May 24, 2021 at 11:27pm

Yari, My son too was having a hard time questioning whether he was in the right place. His father passed away a few weeks after he got to Groton CT. This hit him very hard. He was able to get help through the medical building on the base, which put him in contact with a psychiatrist contracted by the gov. This helped him work out his doughts. He is now on the west coast & loving it. Hope this helped, Catskill

Comment by WearsLargeHats on May 24, 2021 at 2:46pm

Yari, he can always talk to the Chaplain in confidence. 

I would counsel patience and endurance. A-school isn't like being out in the fleet. He is going through and adjustment. Too, times are weird and stressful for everybody right now.

"Is not for me right now" isn't exactly a productive way of thinking in the service. It can be difficult for young men to introspect, but perhaps he could think about what, specifically, he is having trouble with, and what could be done about it. 

Some of being a sailor kind of sucks. A lot about being a submariner really sucks. Some submariners of my acquaintance would say "embrace the suck!"

After training he will join a crew and, typically, will stay with them for 3 years. They are tight-knit such that everyone knows everyone. It is a very special and, in many ways, elite community.

Comment by Catskill Mountain Gere on March 19, 2021 at 11:23pm

You're welcome Navyboymom00, Just hang in there & he'll be in Ct. before you know it & it will be warmer weather too!

Comment by Navyboymom00 on March 19, 2021 at 7:37pm

Thank you Catskills Mountain Gere and Sunflowerlynn for your insight. I appreciate your help and sharing your experience with me. It gives me something to look forward to. Maybe I will get to visit him sooner than later. Hopefully he won’t be stuck at GL for too long. 

Comment by Catskill Mountain Gere on March 18, 2021 at 12:13am

Hi Navyboymom00, As you may have noticed had a bunch of questions as my son was finishing up BC too.

My oldest son and youngest son both joined the Navy. My oldest was shipped out of Great Lakes within 48 hrs. Due to COVID my youngest son had a long wait (5+- weeks) at Great Lakes  before heading to sub school in Groton Ct. Please tell your son to hang in there if this happens. Once he gets to Groton it will be better. Sadly COVID is still slowing things down.

As SunflowerLynn mentioned he may have to wait he may have to wait again till they class up. While my son was waiting his group was painting the barracks. Now he has interior house painting skills to add to his resume! The best thing is we could talk on the phone nightly,. Once he earned Liberty we could visit but, with covid we could not enter the base, he had to come out.  

My son just graduated from sub school in Groton Ct. Sadly as with the BC pass in review there was no in person graduation. We saw a few pictures on FB. In 2 days he has Leave, I can't wait, we have him for a whole week!!! Next he will be shipped across the the US to the west coast to start his Navy career as a MMA. After all the waiting & training he is so excited, I am so proud of him ... he ranked 3rd in his MM school!

Comment by SunflowerLynn on March 16, 2021 at 10:27pm

Hi Navyboymom00. My son graduated BC a couple years ago, so I'm going to share info I remember from then.

As far as how long before he transfers to Groton, I think that he will probably go to Groton right after graduation (mine flew out the next morning). He may have to wait for a few weeks until they put together a complete Sub School class, but I think that wait will happen in Groton. 

Once he is in Groton, he will probably be allowed visitors, subject to the whims of the command, of course. Once he gets there, he'll be able to have his phone, make calls, etc., so he'll be able to give you more info once he's arrived. I was able to attend my son's Sub School graduation, too. It obviously wasn't as spectacular as the BC graduation (Pass In Review/PIR), but it was still a really nice, more intimate ceremony.

Hope this helps!

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 725
• Next ›
• Page