SOMEONE IN SAN DIEGO FILMED THE HOMECOMING OF THE USS ANTIETAM CG 54 AFTER DOING WESTPAC TOUR ON JULY 2ND 2009. THE YOUTUBE LINK IS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL-Ys9a3wNYOR YOU CAN GO TO YOUTUBE AND TYPE IN ANTIETAM HOMECOMING AND IT WILL BE THE FIRST VIDEORead more…
We got a couple of letters today from Karen. She has passed all of her fitness requirements, all of her inspections, and the gas chamber. She beat her run requirement by 30 seconds, and she got a perfect score on her final personal inspection. All that's left now is Battle Stations, and that started about 10 minutes ago (8:30 on Wednesday night)! I can't believe 8 weeks has gone by so fast, especially when it seemed like the first 4 weeks went so slow!Karen is just loving the Navy. She sounds absolutely exuberant in her letters! It's really gratifying to know she's so happy with her decision to join. All that's left now is the call tomorrow afternoon saying, "I'm a sailor!"Here's a link to a great article on Battle Stations:http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4288185.html
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On 7/31, Divisions 260 through 267 and Div 937 all PIR. The news Liz is getting from Navy for Moms is that Divisions 260 & 261 had Battle Stations last night and finished today. Nobody is really certain, but it's more evidence that the higher Division numbers will do BS next week - Tuesday is the best guess so far.
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From everything we've been able to gather, Karen's final test - Battle Stations - will be next week, maybe starting on Monday or Tuesday. Some of the other divisions that PIR on 7/31 with Karen are starting their BS tonight. We're hoping for that "I am now a Sailor" phone call maybe Tuesday or Wednesday of next week! We also learned that she'll be shipping out to Pensacola the week of 8/3, so that means we'll be able to spend the weekend after PIR with her.
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We got 2 letters today, and Karen said that by the time we're reading them, they'll probably be doing fire fighting training and the Confidence (gas) Chamber. It sounds like it will be next week for Battle Stations, then right afterward is graduation, which is call Pass in Review (PIR)! We're on pins and needles waiting for that phone call after BS! (Passing BS is when they officially become Sailors, after being Sailor Recruit for the last seven weeks. It's a huge deal for the recruits.)Karen loves her Division (about 80 recruits). She talked about how proud they are now when they're marching down the street. They carry seven flags now, and Karen carries the Ship flag, which is what they call the barracks they're staying in. They are no longer the newbies, and she said they're the big dogs now when they march. She earned a ribbon for weapons, and she and another recruit got to be Boatswain's Mate of the Watch, and as such got to stand at the top of the ship and direct their division during Marlinspike exercise. The Marlinspike is a full-size simulated ship, and during the exercise, the division works together to "dock" it by throwing the lines across, etc. She said she now feels like she can do anything in the world with no fear. Her sense of pride and confidence are really coming through in her letters, and it's evident that she has really adjusted to military life and likes it. She said she's really excited about her Navy career. I'm so proud of her that I tear up just reading her letters - I'll probably be a basket case during PIR!Along with writing, please keep PRAYING for the health of the recruits. Karen was sick and spent an afternoon SIQ but was able to bounce back and catch up. Other moms and dads have reported similar stories of recruits being sick.
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Well, Kevin has been gone almost 2 months now and is still somewhere on the open sea. I don't even think he knows exactly where he is. Since leaving Australia, the phone calls have stopped and the emails aren't as frequent and are shorter in length. He said he had been assigned to a "Tiger Team" and they were fixing various things on the ship that required attention. Seems strange for an IT to be doing this, but the big advantage is he is gaining first hand knowledge of the entire ship. He said he can find his way around most anywhere now and is getting more accustomed to life on a ship. In his last email, which was short but full of excitement, he said he had gotten a Challenge Coin from an Admiral. He didn't go into detail as to when or why, but he was very excited about it. All I can say is fo far so good!
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It was "AWESOME". Need I say anymore. The staff at the base were friendly and very helpful. Other than the hour wait to get into the base (traffic) when we could not complain. And this was at 6:00 in the morning.When they give liberty call, we caught up with Kyle. He broke the news to us, he had to leave for A school in just a few hours.I remember reading where some parents met them at the airport. So we made the mad dash back by our room, changed and drove down to O'Hara airport.We waited with him until his flight left. As we waited, his flight was delayed for 2 hours. We were able to make phone calls to the rest of the family.My wife could not believe how much he has changed in a lot of ways. But occasionally, we could still see our old Kyle.Even his girlfriend noticed a lot differences in his mannerism. And yes, he did open the doors for his mom and Heather.Heather, about fell out when he did.Kyle called us after he got into Dulles airport. Since there flight was delayed here, they missed the connecting flight to Virginia Beach.He said he would call us today, when he was able to do so.
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I got the first letter from my son. He wrote it on his first sunday and I got it on thursday. He said he spent the first week in processing, and he is now in PT. He is having a hard time keeping up because he is small but he is keeping up so far.I sent him a return letter the same day because I work right next to a post office, and I included a phone card. I hope they will let him keep it. The post office lady knows me so she said she would send it out express and he would get the letter in 2 days. I hope that does not get him in any kind of trouble. You never know. Every instructor is different.He said that his graduation date is Sept 3rd. I can't wait. I am going to go buy a camcorder and record the whole thing. I am so proud of him.~Anthony
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How many of you are going to NORFOLK then to MAYPORT cruise to NORFOLK .If you are as excited as I you can hardly wait.We as parents,spouses girl friends and everyone else who has anyone returning to the U.S.A. should be overwhelmed with joy and PRIDE . Welcome them home with tears of JOY and LOVE, they are my and your HEROS.
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We received a three letters on Wednesday 7/8, and Karen says she's doing fine. She likes it more every day and has adjusted to the routine: marching, training, standing watch, etc. She did say it was exhausting. She loves getting mail; she mentions it in every letter. Thanks to all who have written, because it really helps her. She wanted us to thank everyone, because although she doesn't have time to write back to everybody, the letters mean a lot to her.They didn't do anything special on the 4th of July, but they did get apple pie with lunch, which she enjoyed very much! She was also been issued the rest of her uniforms, which made her happy. She specifically mentioned how much she liked her wool pea coat. From everything I've read on the internet, the last few weeks are very busy with hands-on training. Some recruits find that they don't have as much time to write, so we're prepared for a possible drop-off in letters. Otherwise, everything seems to be going according to plan, and we're looking forward to July 31!
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We have been waiting word from Kyle if he passed "Battle Stations".We learned late yesterday afternoon that he did indeed pass, by way of "facebook and girlfriend".Here we have been waiting on that important phone call. And who does he call, his girlfriend.You talk about a let-down. To top it off, my wife was reading her facebook page, she saw where Heather had posted Kyle's passing on it! My wife had to call Heather, to find out all the details.All in all, we are still very excited about him passing.We are leaving Georgia on Wednesday for the drive up to Illinois.We are wondering how much Kyle has changed since leaving our small town, back in May.WE ARE VERY PROUD OF OUR "SAILOR"Mike
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When my Daughter Lynette came home on leave she visited the nursing home I work at, there she met Ivis Clay, a 21 year Navy vet, they became fast friends, she came in often to visit with Ivis, they chatted about Navy life, swapped a few stories, and of course he gave her advice. Sadly Ivis passed away about a month after this photo was taken. Lynette, Myself, and our family would like to respectivly thank Ivis for his 21 years of Navy service, rest in peace my friend.
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Hello all. My son Daniel is an IT on the Vella Gulf cruiser, stationed in Norfolk Virginia. He is an awesome, funny young man and i love him very much. He is very inteligent and i can't wait to see what the Navy has in store for him.
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Okay, all you dads. I have a question that only you, as males, can answer. I have this 20 yr old, who will be 21 at the end of the month, acting like his knee will just take care of itself without any help.My question to you is: What is in the male brain, at that age, that makes you think that way? He can do some knee strengthening exercises that will help him running, and hiking, and eventually repelling down a rope from a helicopter. He can do these exercises, in his room, after working at the BAS and it wouldn't take him that long.Any help into the psyque of a young man would be greatly appreciated.
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Our son Kyle is graduating from boot camp on July 17th. He is not scheduled to leave for "A" school until the 25th of July. In his last letter, he has requested that we bring his cell phone with us for him to have.He is being assigned to ship 5 until he leaves for "A" school.I read that as long as they are assigned to RTC, they are not allowed cell phones. Is this still true for Ship 5 rules?When can he receive his cell phone after he goes to "A" school?Does anyone know? I do not want to leave the phone for him and get him in trouble.Mike
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Hello all,Even though I haven't posted since I joined this site, I still check in every few days to see what is going on. I have learned a lot of information from this site.It has been very helpful and comforting to know that I am not the only parent who has concerns.we are scheduled to leave for the Great Lakes on the 15th of July for PIR on the 17th.We are looking forward to seeing Kyle. In the last letter we received, he said he had gotten his Navy whites. He said they were awesome.Every letter we have gotten, Kyle is always very up beat about the school and what he is learning.He said his A school may be moved closer to home (rumor mill) but is not for sure.We will post again before we leave and upon returning from RTC.Mike
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