NOVA- it's normal---get used to lack of comms

My SR reports to boot on 8/22.  I've heard about the letter that they send to inform parents of their address and division as well as PIR information.  Her mother and I are divorced.  In those situations, do they send the information to each parent? 

Randy,  I am in the same boat.  There is only one letter sent, and it is addressed by your SR.  I believe that they decide where to send it.  In my case, it came to my house and I shared it with his mother.

From RTC: 

Friends and Family of RTC,

Recently RTC changed security protocols in order to ensure the safety and security of our Sailors, recruits, and visitors. In doing so we have implemented a new security form for use in screening all guests who will be attending the ceremony.

To help eliminate any questions about filling out the form and where to return the form, we first encourage everyone to visit our website and review the graduation page or look for answers on our FAQ pages. It is important to remember that these forms MUST be filled out and returned to your recruit in the time indicated on the form and on our website. Again, these forms need to be returned to YOUR RECRUIT. Do not return these forms to Public Affairs, Events, Security, Admin, or any other department at RTC.

DONNY- you can learn a little about FIT here: http://www.navydads.com/forum/topics/recruit-special-programs-divis...

DONNY- just saw this: http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102723

My first twin son leaves for boot camp today.  Swears in tomorrow. Any other Dads have kids shipping out?

Congrats Terry, My first twin son graduated boot camp in Sept. My other twin son in currently in boot camp. graduates 12/1/17. Beyond PROUD of both of them.

Just left MEPS Lansing and our sailor is on his way to North Chicago!

Paul, I will not lie when I tell you that when my son left, I bawled like a baby. It was that moment when I realized that he is never going to live with us again. But it's as if he became a man over night. 

Paul- you'll see that though the days may seem to drag by, the weeks will pass really fast! Before you know it you'll be sitting at PIR waiting for the roll-up door to open !

Friends and family of Recruit Training Command, please be advised that as of the first graduation ceremony of 2018 (January 5), we will be adjusting our Recruit Family Welcome Center hours of operation. Our new hours will be Thursday [10:00 AM to 7:30 PM] and Friday [5:30 AM to 8:30 AM]. Please make note, we will no longer open on Wednesday for normal ticketing hours. Thank you.

Paul- if you want to get into PIR you will NEED to visit there- read this link- https://navydads.ning.com/page/important-rtc-pir-changes

only source I'm aware of : www.NavyDEP.com

@ Paul. Don't worry about the ship / company challenge coins now because, after the PIR, when you pick up pictures at the Exchange (NEX), they will have every coin, picture, frame and other items available for purchase.  If you can't wait that long and your staying at or near the Navy Lodge.  Coins will be available for purchase the evening before PIR in the lobby area, sometime around 1-3 pm.  You'll have one other shot before PIR in the hall before the ceremony too.  Hope that helps.

Congrats Edward! Your son is just starting this crazy journey. It will be a wild and wonderful ride for him and you as well. I hope you are going to PIR because it is a great experience for all! Is your son headed to A school after boot camp? If so, what rate is he going to be? I have a daughter that has been in the Navy for just over 3 years. She is an MA and has been stationed in Italy since getting out of A school. My son has been in the Navy since last December and is still in Great Lakes for FC school.

My son is set to graduate Friday, October 11th and will be attending A school at Great Lakes. Would someone be able to tell me if A school starts the day after graduation, or do graduates have the day off?

Congrats Bob,  my son stay at Great Lakes for A school.  Because they are staying they are whisked away right after the ceremony to move ships and will be released later in the day around 3 pm. Then you will be able to pick  him up then and spend time on Saturday and Sunday.  He does have to be back each day and checked out each morning.

Prepare to be flexible though as your sailor may have watch during the weekend.....

My son graduates boot camp August 30th. A school is in Mississippi. How much time will we have with him on Friday after graduation.

He'll have to be back at base Friday evening....guessing by 8:00 but you  can meet at the airport and get a security pass to wait with him at the gate

@ Glenn. I’ve had two boys go through RTC Great Lakes in the recent past. On both occasions, when the announcement “ Now Hear This. liberty call, liberty call” is made at the conclusion of the PIR ceremony, . your sailor is free to leave. The time to be back on base and and barracks  will be known by your sailor. That time varied with both of my boys. 

Thank you for your response. We were out there 3 years ago for my daughters graduating. I could not remember how long we had with her. We did go to airport on Saturday morning to see her off. The whole experience was great. 

I can not recall what time the PIR finished but I do remember one of my boys had to back around 7 pm and the other one had to be back before 8 pm. They both had time to showers and nap at the Navy Lodge with us before we went shopping at the exchange and both had time to have dinner with us before heading back to their ships. 

Effective Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, Naval Station Great Lakes will shift to the winter uniform of dress blues. The first Pass-in-Review graduation in dress blues will be Oct. 11, 2019.

On his way. My son is on his way to Great Lakes for Bootcamp. He is the third generation to go to Great Lakes. His Grandfather was a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam. I, an Aviation Machinist and Aircrewman who retired. I see Bootcamp has changed in the last thirty-four years.

Heads up, noticed on the RTC Facebook page they mentioned the addresses on the form letter for Divisions 804, 805 and 806 was the wrong address to send letters.  They have the correct addresses on their FB page.  Basically, the form letters had the wrong ship number.  In my son's case, it said Ship 4, Div 805 when it was actually Ship 14, Div 805.  This would be the groups scheduled to graduate Feb 7.  In my case, I had also sent in the PIR guest list to that incorrect address, so I resent tonight "just to be safe".  They say the incorrect addressed mail will be rerouted, but it could take a while.

Recruit Training Command Grads Eligible for Nine College Credits

Effective immediately, the U.S. Navy is suspending all Recruit Training Command (RTC), in Great Lakes, IL, and Officer Training Command (OTC), in Newport RI, formal, large-scale graduation ceremonies until further notice as part of its proactive approach to protect our mission and limit the potential spread of COVID 19.

Recruits, Officer Candidates and students will continue to graduate, but the transition from Recruit or Officer Candidate to Sailor will be marked by small, internal events which cannot be live-streamed.

From Recruit Training Command - 14 August 2020

Beginning August 21, U.S. Navy Recruits will spend 14-days in a restriction of movement (ROM) status at Fort McCoy, a U.S. Army training center in western Wisconsin, before being transported to Recruit Training Command (RTC) in Great Lakes, Illinois, to begin training.

In July, RTC increased shipping to over 1,200 recruits per week. To accommodate the increased volume of recruits, ROM is taking place at multiple Gurnee, Illinois, area hotels. Moving ROM to Fort McCoy ensures long-term safety and security of recruits, consolidating support staff in one location, and ensures RTC’s perpetual effort to be good stewards of government funds while continuing to execute the essential task of training the Navy’s newest Sailors. RTC continues to protect the welfare of its recruits and staff and continues to work with medical experts to ensure it can train while responding to and preventing transmission of the coronavirus.

BTW- the rumor (from pretty reliable sources) is that PIR ceremonies are postponed for the next year.....

Anyone know how many ROM periods a recruit might have?. My son just finished his initial and someone in his group tested positive and he has to be moved and go through another 14 days. If after that he tests positive is it another and another when does it end?

Our son just arrived in Wisconsin for 2 weeks of ROM. We got the 10 second call and he said he might get to call again in 4 weeks. Does anyone know if they still due the all night in processing like the traditional first night of Bootcamp at RTC? Just curious.

Hello everyone,

There is a lot of conflicting information out here, from recruiters telling us one thing, to sites like this one telling us another, so I'm sorry if this seems to be a repeat of others or myself, but this is my daughter I'm talking about.

There should be an obvious NOTE on these pages describing what the NEW conditions are during COVID. The Group discussions talk about many things, what people have experienced, and this site's pages are still describing what happens (or will happen) pre-COVID.

I just saw there can be multiple ROM periods before training even begins, setting the recruit back 14 days at a time. Is there a general location / site that has the latest information as it is happening now at RTC? And that's another thing, I just read on this site there are multiple ROM sites, something once again, I was never told about.

Thank you for reading my ranting, but like I said, this is my daughter I'm trying to find out about during a world wide pandemic.

Marc

good luck- things are in a constant state of flux with Covid - don't think anyone knows exactly what is going on on any specific day......

you can read about what happened but as far as what they are doing today please remember it is the US Military and there are security concerns communicating between the Navy and civilian word

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/16/navy-got-head-start-...

Marc I feel your pain. I get that it is your daughter.  I understand that you want to protect her and that, at least in your eyes, answers should be easy to come by. I get that.

My son had PIR three years ago. I went through my first Christmas with him in boot camp and no communication.  All we could do was pray, trust and wait. And that was long before COVID reared it's ugly head.

Learn the saying "no news is good news" because you are going to live it. My Sailor is a nuke on a submarine.  EVERY in his life is classified.  The lack of information is commonplace. 

You have to learn not to focus on the unknown Marc or it will drive you insane.  Celebrate those few phone calls and continue writing letters with positive support.  It doesn't necessarily get any easier it just becomes a little more normal. 

That's what your Navy Dads are here for. Reach out to us. We have been there and are here to support  YOU  while our Sailors and ones like them support and mentor your daughter. 

God Bless your family! 

Paul.smith.fd@gmail.com 

Paul 

Makes for some interesting reading.....Fort McCoy :
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/11/06/is-fort-mccoy-t...

RE Covid - On Jan 9 our son called us from RTC saying that him and other 7 recruits were being placed in a 14-day isolation because they were in contact (next bunker) with a recruit, who was tested positive when he went to see a doctor for a sore throat. He then called us again on 22nd advising that he is being released from isolation the next day and provided new ship/division info. So, now instead of mid-Feb, his PIR will be in early March.

I found this site that goes into the daily routine of the RTC recruits. I like to follow along each day to get a glimpse into what our son is likely doing. http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=433

Eric- did you look at this?
https://navydads.com/forum/topics/navy-bootcamp-weekly-training

and realize that schedule is NOT cast in stone and is flexible according to various needs......

Yep, looked on here first but wanted a little more details. It is funny how different the Navy boot camp is from my Army experience almost 30 years ago!