thanks for the info..

I am the proud dad of the newest seaman...BRAVO ZULU benjamin

Congratulations, Todd to you and your new sailor!

division...805

Hello All. I'm new to this site. My daughter Tori just left for boot camp this past Monday, 12-2-13. I just received her box yesterday. Now waiting for the form letter.

RTC has a Trivia contest on their FB page on Tuesdays...the winner gets to request a pic for a division...otherwise pics are random and rare.  And those trivia questions are very tough.....

they post pictures on the RTC facebook page if someone wins Trivia tuesday.

and the last non-PIR or Trivia Tuesday pic posted was from Captain's Cup on 5 November. And note those random photos are NOT ID'd by division....

Enjoy it Cody....hope NavyDads was able to help you deal with the wait and frustration!!!

Cody that's awesome and BZ to Siera!!

Cody, we all knew she would do it. Enjoy your time together.

For everyone that has upcoming PIR's I want to say one thing.......GO TO SARGE'S MEET AND GREET............

Sarge, I want to thank you and David for the best possible experience we could have possibly had at out sons graduation. the information you provided in the meet in greet was amazing....and not just the information the forum for all of us to get together and meet one another was a blessing. You and your team have outdone yourselves and the dinner was great. we were more than happy to donate to support future PIR meet and greets.

I have seen and heard lots of posts and discussions that Sarge is giving out all of this information and trying to scare people into using his Taxi service. Well to that I say you could not be further from the truth. Sarge and his team have absolutely the best rates to and from the Airports as a matter of fact while my family was in the cab we witnessed Sarge and Super Dave coordinate transportation for a lady that did not follow the advise and comments of these sites and tried to rent a car only to find out she could not. Even though she had not pre arranged transportation with Sarge it was all handled in a matter of minutes on the phone and she was taken care of......Please listen to me when I say that if you get into a random cab at the airport to Great lakes it could cost you HUNDREDS of dollars one way.... We used Sarge for all of our transportation the four days we were there and we NEVER waited more than 10 min when we just called on a whim and they were never late for any scheduled pickup. 

Traffic to the PIR was a nightmare and the line was almost a mile at the gate at 6:30 am......we were picked up at the hotel at 6:30 and we were walking thru the gate at the base in about 12 min. ( thank you Sarge)  PS it also snowed about 7 inches and being from South Carolina driving in that  not on my to do list.....

Sarge, Thank you for making our trip stress free and thank you for all you do for our sailors. those of us that have had the chance to meet you know that you are doing this for our sailors and families.

The Coates Family

Shaun,

I couldn't agree with you more about Sarge and his meet and greet. Flying in from Boston on Nov 21st for our son's PIR on Nov 22nd, we had prearranged travel with Sarge because of what we've read on this site. Let me say this; I have NEVER read anything bad about Sarge, and I wouldn't believe it if I did. While driving us from Midway to Great Lakes, Sarge asked us what we had planned for the weekend. When we told him what our plans were, he offered us advice; rent a car for the weekend. I was shocked to say the least, but he was upfront and told us that renting a car for the weekend would save us money. Here was a man who owns his own transportation company and he was telling me to rent a car for the weekend to save myself and my family some money? I knew right then and there that I could trust the man. At the end of the weekend Sarge was driving us back to the airport and he offered to take my sailor and some of his friends to his house for Thanksgiving. Come to find out, opening his house for the holidays is something he does every year. My sailor and his friends had a fantastic Thanksgiving due to the generosity of a man who has a heart of gold, and my wife and I were thankful for knowing that our sailor and his friends were with a family for Thanksgiving. Thank you Sarge for all that you do for our sailors and their families. God Bless and Happy Holidays!

division 059

Michael - he will go to FIT.  You can learn a little more about FIT at this link: http://www.navydads.com/forum/topics/recruit-special-programs-divis...

it is not unusual....the RDCs will do everything they can to help him make his time

Thanks Paul, 

I just feel bad for him. 

Roger that....it'll be up to you to help bolster his spirits right now when you speak......remind him it is only a 12'30" run and after that the pain goes away so dig deep!!!  Best words you can tell him is "you got this!".  Keep us posted!

Post As: that is all he can do.....notify recruiter ASAP

We did also just kept telling how proud we were of her. And kept telling her a lot of positive things that she will be doing. Tell her to keep her head up listen to what they say and do not talk. Also write her as much as possible .Me being prior military letters mean so much. They will read and reread them over and over. Just keep the letters coming to her.

I do not believe so....the cutlass is ceremonial and think that only commissioned officers can possess one

so he's got awhile until he's an E-7

There is a difference between an E-7 and a Chief. Any Chief will let that be known.

Paul mentioned Officers having cutlasses. Not so, Officers wear sabers. This is mostly used for ceremonial purposes. You can see the difference of saber and cutlass in the warfare devices worn today. You will see the cutlasses on the silver devices and sabers on the gold devices. Gold devices that are worn by officers and enlisted have neither sabers nor cutlasses.

Thanks Jim. I know the RCPO carries the cutlass and I've seen that in today's graduation. I was just curious because another parent suggested this that the RCPO receives a ceremonial one after PIR or can get one to commemorate their position. Not part of the uniform but more decoration. I just wasn't sure if that was a true statement. It's not a big deal, just curious.  

I stand corrected.....thanks!!!!

We just had an hour long phone call from our son he is in division 805. with pir 1/17/14 I put him on speaker so everyone could talk to him, he sounds really good and said he is done with everything but Battle Stations. He ordered his first pizza since boot camp and…

Division 083

My son left to boot camp on 1/7/14. Just received his box of clothes today. My wife and I just stood there and sighed. It's tough trying to be supportive for her when I am just as emotional but may do a better job of hiding it. I can't wait to hear from him just for a little reassurance that he is ok. I look forward to his letter home so we can send the letters we've been writing daily. This website has been extremely helpful in giving me insight to this new experience for my wife and I.

you'll get the form letter with address very soon.....write and write more!!!!  Stay away from "we miss you so much" stuff which can aggravate homesickness......lots of "you've got this" and positive stuff!!!!

Jesse, I know exactly what you mean. My son left Dec 6th.  We received the box and I scrambled through it hoping the letter was in there, I didn't realize it came later (about a week). The first letter we received was a form letter but still nice to get it. We started writing immediately. The second letter we received was brief and we could tell the struggles he's going through in his writing. We were fortunate to receive a call about two weeks after he left, he was only given 30 seconds that day. I'm not sure if that is normal but again, he sounded drained. (which is to be expected)  Since then we've received one additional letter which was only a page long, brief and to the point. He recanted what he told us on the phone. I figure not getting too personal is his way of coping. Now we are waiting for PIR in February to see him, even if it's going to be brief before he ships to A school. But after that he will get his phone back and I'm hoping our commuincation can get back to something of a regular basis until he becomes ship bound. One more thing...I've learned that boot camp isn't just for him, it's for us too. We need to learn to let go and let them grow, as hard as it is. This is preparing us for when they are on a ship or sub and communication is limited or non existent. Good Luck, this site is amazing for information, very helpful!

We've always said that bootcamp is as much for parents as it is for our sailors....there is much to learn as you prepare for your sailor to move along to A-school and then into the fleet.  We're here to help!!!

Don, 800 DIV are Navy Special Warfare. 900 DIV are performing divisions - band/music, choir and drill team.

Received a call yesterday. That made my day! He soured very tired and a bit sad from missing everyone, but he is doing just fine. Told me his PIR date is March 7. We can't wait, so proud my boy!

We keep on saying Eric that Boot Camp is as much for parents as for the sailors to learn and to master the skills necessary to cope with Navy life.

Bud, you are not the first to say that!!!!!!!  PIR will make it worthwhile for sure!!!!

DIVISION 914

I have a question, If a sailor fails a test and then takes the retest and fails that one. When do they call to tell you they are in another DIV and their new PIR date. I am hoping to GOD that I don't get that phone call, But I am stressing over waiting to find out if I get that call. Please give me some help.

The RDCs will do everything in their power to help SRs pass. Only your SR can tell you otherwise. Always remember and assume that no news is good news... Hang in there!

DIVISION 092

Another Snowy Day at RTC:

The graduation on Friday will occur on schedule. Besides a few stragglers, all other recruits are inside training.