I've got a standby ticket for southwest Ill as soon as I hear. I hope she calls me today.

her last day so far was week 4 day 5. I know I probably wont see her till late November at this point, but as they say Expect the worst and hope for the best, and life has a way of landing in between. I got a call from here a little while ago shes in phase 1 but shes in good spirts so im feeling better right now. still miss her though

Her name is SR Cerda. She is really determined to finish. I'm so proud of her. she was in div 392

FYI for those who have children heading to boot camp, my son Aaron (Ship 12, Div 016) arrived on September 24th. We received the box with his personal belongings on September 27th, and the form letter informing us of his assignment and address on September 30th. Very much like his friend Sean (Ship 9 Div 12) who arrived on September 5th.

Also, I found that because PIR dates may change, Southwest offers the best airfare deals because they allow you a credit of the purchase price of your airline tickets if you need to change the dates of travel. Refundable airline tickets are so expensive your better off buying non-refundable tickets and throwing them away if you can't use them, For example, non-refundable from Boston on most airlines was $180 round trip, whereas refundable was over $700. Southwest is $180, but like I said if I have to change the dates of travel they'll credit me the $180 to a new ticket.

posted by RTC Wednesday 2 Oct:

For all the guests who will be arriving to Recruit Training Command for this Friday's graduation, we ask everybody to arrive even earlier than normal due to the lack of manpower for check-ins and security. We know everybody is excited to see their loved one. Please be patient and understanding as we try to accommodate everyone!

I got another call from Alex today! It was good to hear from him He was down about not having a more prominent job (He is rear road guard) and not getting any "rewards" from the RDCs. I was able to encourage him by telling him that making sure no one gets ran over is a pretty important job. I also encouraged him that there are no small jobs only small people. Any job that needs to be done is an important one and that doing the job is an honorable thing. I also told him that instead of doing his stuff in order to get rewarded by the RDCs he should do his stuff so that he would be satisfied that he has done it the best he possibly could. He told me that I changed his perspective. It's good to be the Papa!

LOL Gary....I text'd my son yesterday that "it is part of my job to lecture you"...... like you said "It's good to be the Papa!"

Gary Ray. I'm old navy and old army. The rear guard is the best job when an army is retreating. They are the guys chosen to stay behind an open can of whoop___ on the advancing enemy to slow them down. It is a job for those of us who don't like retreating and who prefer the rest of the army lead so we can fight the way we fight best.

leave not lead

from RTC:

The furlough and government shutdown has not affected mail being delivered to recruits. For those who are worried because a package or letter sent a few weeks ago still has not arrived, please remember that there are thousands of recruits at RTC, all of whom receive mail. After it is picked up from the local post office, it must be sorted in the base mailroom and then delivered to the divisions. These extra steps, along with the fact that recruits receive a TON of mail, oftentimes prolongs the delivery time.

my daughter was sidelined with stress fractures in Boot Camp for more than 6 weeks...better to heal than be sent home!

She sounds determined....you gotta be too!!!  Have faith bro !

Division 952

Cody yes it is..

Jim, I am not a big user of FaceBook but would love to join the RTC Facebook. I typed in "RTC Navy" but could not find the FB page. My son shipped Wednesday 10/2. Can you pleease provide the search words for me to find the RTC page? Thank you.  

L Shaffer, I'm not Jim but it is U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command Just start typing it in the search bar at the top and it should pop up.

https://www.facebook.com/NavyRecruitTrainingCommand

Got our 1st form letter today. Charlotte is in Ship 14 Div 019!

 yes shes in ship 4 div 2341 too. Ill write her about your wife too. lol been so busy lately havnt got back to my computer much

It is best to learn not even to ask.  BS happens at any time.  When our daughter went through it, they'd been sleeping maybe an hour, and then were called to duty.  At some point the day after, she got a "I'm a Sailor!" call, and didn't want to talk more because they were having a pizza party.

from RTC:

Great news coming out of Recruit Training Command today. Although the government shutdown and furlough continues, all civilian workers have been ordered to return to work tomorrow! It will be great to have everybody back and have the command back at full strength. See you at work in the morning!!

Navy Outfitters is excited to announce our newest product brought to you by our newest vendor, Custom PIR Ribbons!
Show Support for your Sailor and their Division Shipmates by Wearing this Custom PIR Ribbon to Navy Graduation. Keeping with the Navy's Rich Traditions and History, the "Button" features the Navy's Official Seal and the "Ribbons" display the Official Colors, "Blue & Gold". These ribbons are permanently embossed with your Sailor’s Name, Division Number and a Navy Anchor, the perfect way to show your Navy Pride. These tributes make a fantastic keepsake to mark your special occasion. Even if your Sailor has already PIR'd, this ribbon is perfect for the scrapbook.
Check out these awesome Custom Ribbons @ NavyOutFitters.Com

Finally got that first phone call from my son yesterday. Although it was only a 5 minute phone call, it was great to hear his voice know that he is doing great. He's on SHP 02 DIV 902.

Prayers going out to her Cody.....utilizing resources like the Chaplain is an important lesson...my son recently drove across the island (Oahu) and spoke with the base Chaplain and Eric said it helped greatly. Our sailors are so strong they sometimes don't realize they need to ask for help.

Thanks Cody. I'm glad Gina and Siera are friends they can give each other some support while they are there. I Hope Siera finds some peace from the nightmares. I love Gina so much! thank you very much for passing on that message!

For those of you that may be attending PIR on November 1st, only 3 guests per sailor will be allowed. 13 divisions graduate that day. For more information, visit the RTC web site.

Has anyone heard anything about recruits being moved from one division to another? Specifically, the group that arrived on 2 Oct? We've been hearing from moms on Navyformoms.com that letters that have been received with ship assignments/addresses are potentially incorrect because they've had to move/re-assign recruits. We have not received the form letter yet, so we don't know one way or the other (we did get the KIB today though).

Has there been a problem with mail lately at the RTC. I haven't got mail from my fiance in a couple of days?

they can only write on Sunday afternoons so mail is typically a later in the week thing.....

Shes in ship 4 div 2341 I thought they could write everyday?

so she is in a recovery division?  and remember that civilian employees at RTC were furloughed and that may have affected mail....they just returned to work......