Comments

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  John Alexander January 31, 2015 at 9:46pm

  Yes sir this is my oldest daughter so all of this is new to me. I bet he will be able to use somebody's phone when he gets there. One thing though is they fly my daughter from Chicago Ohare to Dallas where she had a layover and then to Jackson Mississippi and was bused into Meridian. So it might take a while for him to get there! Anyway I can help I am honored to. Thank you for your families service to this country!
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  John Alexander January 31, 2015 at 9:21pm

  We met her at the airport in Chicago and gave her phone to her before she left so she could call or text whenever she had time. There was no restrictions on phone use after your class day. My daughter's class started right away I know some have to wait a little to class up. I think after the first week of being there she already had weekend liberty to where she could come and go freely. Just had to be back at a certain time on sunday. We werent able to go visit her there but once they get that weekend liberty I dont see why you couldnt visit.
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  John Alexander January 31, 2015 at 6:40pm

  Once our daughter got to Meridian we heard from her mainly on the weekends. They keep them pretty busy still during the week. Its only eight weeks to get all of the tests done so they do alot of work and studying. Like I say my daughter was a little tired during the week so we occasionally got a text here and there. She had a hard time with the first test but did good on the others. I think there is like six of them. Hope that was what you was asking. My daughter loves being in the Navy now and the job she has. She is with the NCIS in Quantico Va.
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  E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin December 12, 2014 at 4:58pm

  Mike, Welcome Aboard!

  My son served as an ABE aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego, Ca. and my family and I couldn't have been prouder. I created NavyDads.Com when he was in boot camp in hopes that this site would better inform new Navy Dads and Navy Families that followed behind me. I designed, built, and launched NavyDads.Com June 18, 2008, two days before his Navy graduation. I then launched NavyOutfitters.Com, our sites "Official Store" in 09'. All proceeds from the store go directly to helping fund what we do here at NavyDads.Com and to ensure our future growth for many years to come.

  NavyDads provides the best community for learning about Navy life for everyone but particularly us parents. We are a place for sharing experiences with others that have gone through and are going through the same thing as you. We give you real-time information from others going through it, the sense that you're not alone, and the opportunity to help another along.

  So jump right in, share concerns, join groups, share info, and show off your Sailor. I hope this site benefits you and your family throughout your Sailors journey in the United States Navy and I thank them for their service. I wish them the best in their travels and I'm glad you've found us.

  Sincerely,
  Elmo Moore
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  NavyDads Admin, Tim December 8, 2014 at 8:14pm

  Welcome aboard Mike,

  I would like to take this time to point you in some of the right directions. For starters if you haven't had the time take a look at the right side of any page you click on. There you will find some useful information for you. The links under the about this site will help you with how this site got started, navigation, P.I.R., About us, community guidelines and some links to some of the groups that beginners with a lot of questions will find very useful. There is also a link called Navy Enlisted Ratings, this link will take you to a brief description of the rates (jobs) in the Navy that you can find your sailors rate and find out some information about the rate that they are in.

  First and foremost though we are all here for the same reason. We are curious about what our young sailors are getting into and for more information about the rate or job that they will be doing for the next 4-6 yrs. of their lives. I know when I first got here I had lots of questions and there was not a lot of people on this site but they all were either going through the same thing or had been through it and had sailors out in the fleet. Now this site has grown to over 9000 members, Dads, Moms, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, sisters, brothers, girlfriends and boyfriends. Don't be afraid to ask questions of members in here because somewhere along the way we have all had the same questions and asked. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site with various years of experience in the NAVY either on their own account or through their Sailors.

  Again welcome aboard and BRAVO ZULU to you and your son Zach on his enlistment and please thank him for me for making the choice to defend the freedoms that my family, this country and I have and enjoy.

  Navy dads Admin Tim
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  NavyDads Admin (Paul) December 4, 2014 at 12:38pm

  Welcome to NavyDads.com Mike! When my daughter enlisted in 2005 and left for RTC, I had virtually no knowledge of Navy life or how the Navy did things. By the time her PIR rolled around, I was starting to get the hang of things and understand some of the language and abbreviations, but still felt like a fish out of water when dealing with most topics concerning the US Navy. When my son enlisted and left for Great Lakes in 2007, I got serious about trying to learn as much as possible about the Navy. Now, several years into my journey, I’m blessed to say I have two sailors in the family - my son Eric (AM2) was on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), was attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 (HSM-37) in Hawaii and is now joining VAW-125, the "World Famous" Tigertails in Norfolk. My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist(MC3). If NavyDads.com were around in those early days, it would have made my first days as a Navy parent much easier!

  I'm sure you'll find NavyDads.com as useful, educational and informative as I have over the past few years. Click How To Get Started for a guide on getting going in your NavyDads.com experience! I hope you take the time to explore the site and make some new friends. Read the discussions and add your comments. Browse through the postings in the various groups or start a new one. If you have any comments, questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...be sure to post them! In my experience someone here can answer your questions or concerns or can point you in the direction to find out. And Mike this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how your son is doing! Please remember that we talk about the Navy here and we must keep the security and safety of our sailors and the fleet in mind. On the right or starboard side of every NavyDads page is an area we call Key Information. Please take a minute and read through the Operations Security (OPSEC) link for some guidelines as to what we should not talk about in a public forum like NavyDads.com.

  As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what Zach is going through. In the Navy Bootcamp group is a discussion called A MUST READ for all New Navy Parents. Read through this post as it will do a lot to give you some understanding about what your sailor is learning and why. And be sure to check out the videos available in the Bootcamp Group as well and as PIR nears be sure to spend time in the PIR group for hints and helps!

  Best Regards- Paul