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My grandaughter is presently completing her A school training. She has been given verbal orders for the Theodore Roosevelt which is in Newport News for ROCH. I have heard that ROCH will be completed some time in February of 2013. Can anyone confirm this?

Hello Everyone -
I have not logged in for a while. My sailor has finished training and is now an EM3 on the USS Enterprise. Mom and Dad and the rest of the family are very proud!

Big E left Norfolk in March and is currently in the Persian Gulf. This is my sailor's (Alex) first deployment and he is pretty excited about being a part of a famous ship's last deployment. I have a question for the seasoned Dads on this site. When Alex first left port we could email, Facebook even talk to him pretty easily. Over time (it has now been 4 months or so) the contact has been less and less frequent to the point that it is just a quick email every couple of weeks or so. Is that part of the "weaning" process the Navy uses to get the crew focused? Even his girl friend has called us to inquire.

As always, thanks for the input!

ASVAB information can be found by clicking on this link:  http://www.military.com/ASVAB/0,,ASVAB_MOS.html

Joe

Just in case you may be wondering what's next for your post-PIR NSW-son, see this link for three USN videos about BUDs-prep.

http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-naval-special-warfare-prep-school.aspx

Hooyah!

Right out of high school, it's almost been a year since my son has served in the United States Navy, 10 months to be exact. Our whole family miss him dearly and yes I still open the door to his room every now and then only to find it empty...

To date we try to keep in constant communication through whatever means possible. May it be him checking my posts on NavyDads.Com, occassional text and phone call, or other popular social networking sites and Skype if we're lucky.

I am so proud of him and I can't say that enough. I can hardly imagine what his daily routine must be like but I always take comfort in knowing that the good Lord will look out for his safety and the rest of his crew. I constantly pray that he is always in good hands.

After Pensacola A-School, we were excited to find out that his homeport would be in San Diego, CA which is just a drive away for us or a short flight. He's currently in Avondale, Lousiana aboard the USS Anchorage for pre-commissioning detail. He graduated from bootcamp on November 2011 as an E2.

Under his new command, he's excited to tell me that he has been nominated for the Blue Jacket of the Quarter award (BJOQ) and is getting an "EP" (early promotion). He's also turned in his packet for STA-21 (Seaman to Admiral Program) in hopes of becoming an officer in the future.

All I could say was Son, I love you and BZ! At that moment in time, there were no other words for me to express and describe how I felt, but only to cherish a silent joy that I will forever treasure...

I just want to say God Bless to your Sons, Daughters, Husbands and Wives who are serving!

I have recently started a new project that is sending care packages to deployed units.  If you have a Sailor that is deployed and would like to add their name to the list to receive care packages, please email me, or contact me through here to get me their names and addresses...These packages will be for the units as a whole and filled with lots of goodies and support...:)

Ok, Just booked my hotel for my sons graduation on August 24th. Staying at the Homewood suites. Now I have to get airfare. Really looking forward to seeing him. 

Just got letter with address, my son is in Ship 11 Div 262. does anyone else have kids in same?

Ok all. Everyone can stand down.LOL. We got the letter from my son today. The wife is very happy. He is in ship 2 division 941. he says all is well. He even says he likes boot camp. Very suspicious.LOL. He will be graduating August 24. 

Thanks jeff for that information, my son left 2 days before your son did and we have not got any information. the only info we have is that he is in division 941. I see that the Aug.17 graduation includes up to division 940. i am assuming 941 will will be on the 24th. My wife is freaking out now because we did not receive anything in the mail. 

Attention all Navy Dads:  Click this link and then sign up for daily updates that come directly to your email address--this is a great resource for all sorts of Navy-related information:  http://www.navy.mil/
Joe

Tom had a question about when his son would be graduating from boot camp.  The link, below, might be useful for other parents with the same question:

http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/upcoming_grads.asp

Lots of good information there. . . .

Joe

My son left for boot camp on June 26th. Does anyone know when the graduation date is. I can't seem to get the exact date. My son called late at night to give us the OK but I don't expect to hear from him again for a couple of week

I was extremely proud to witness my Granddaughter being sworn into the US Navy on Wednesday, June 27^th!

We received the “arrived safe and sound” call.  Now I need to wait until I get an address for her so that we can communicate.  I have already started my letter writing so as soon as I get her address, she will be getting mail.

Needless to say, I am anxious about her being able to handle the Boot Camp requirements.  I’m sure she will succeed, but as a Grandfather, you never stop worrying!!

I have a copy of Boot Camp Day By day and I want to be able to use to to track her progress.  Just to be sure, today is June 29^th two days after her swearing in, does this mean she is on P-2, or P-3?  Once I have this information, I think I’ll be able to follow her progress.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

One PROUD Grandfather!

As of 12:12 p.m. Dylan was on a bus from MEPS Indianapolis to Chicago. The waiting begins...

I sat here and just re-read all my posts about my Tiger Cruise experience and realized I still had not completed the promised follow-up.  It is not that I haven't tried....at least a dozen times I've sat down to write this, but words eluded me.  I'm not sure why.  But I'm gonna try again- so please bear with me!!

Much has happened over the past few years and much has changed.  Kat is no longer in the Navy- her enlistment was up in '10 and she lives outside Seattle in Marysville and is attending the Seattle Institute of Art and Design and shooting for a piece of paper in web development.  She is in a good spot in her life and enjoys her life there tremendously.....she lives with her boyfriend (a great guy by the way) is really close to his family (Hi Julie!!!) and has a quirky pooch to round out her life (Gemma).  Life is good for her and she will admit that the Navy was good for her as well.

Eric x'fered to Hawaii last year after re-enlisting and is attached to HSL-37 at Kaneohe Bay at MCBH and does "O" level maintenance on the SH-60 choppers.  He also got married last year!!

My Tiger experience was pretty amazing...and it reinforced the role of the Navy in the world today.....well at least up to the past half year or so.  Government mandated reductions in manpower and costs may drastically alter the Navy as I saw it.....talk is underway about reducing the carrier fleet and things like eliminating PCS x'fers and the like.   Let us hope that these changes do not reduce the defense nature of our Navy and that they don't imperil us. Enough of that....

Would I do another cruise if possible....in a shot!  I'd be packed by this afternoon!  That may never come to pass...Eric is talking about getting out at the end of this enlistment...we'll see.  Being married changes many things and we'll see where his priories lie.

The experience was pretty transformational for me....until then I had extensively seen and studied the Navy via books, TV, movies, the 'net, etc..  But until you walk the flight deck of a carrier at sea and see the crews performing their duties, it really does not hit home.  Since that time NavyDads has grown tremendously and many have gone on Tiger Cruises....I glean from their posts that they too, had the time of the lives!  For those that have the opportunity to go....DO IT!!!  I cannot emphasize that enough!  Not only do you get to see your sailor(s) in their working environment, but you come away with such a greater appreciation of the sacrifices that our sons and daughters make to serve their country.  It altered my view of many things...now, when I watch things like the USS Iowa moving under the Golden Gate last month, it brings a tear to my eye...that rich history and tradition that our Navy has built it's foundation on. 

I reiterate....for those that have the opportunity to go....DO IT--- it will be time of your life and an experience that you'll carry for the remainder of your life!!!!

     I didn't recieve a card from Trevor this year instead I got a box with an Under Armour navy hat in it and a note binder that he had hand written a note to me. In this note Trevor thanked me for all of the things that I had taught him growing up. Like being respectful to others, always holding the door for a lady or an elderly person and always being the last in the family line so that you know the kids are always acting the way they should and are protected from harms way.

     Trevor also wrote these kind words to me and I had to share them with someone so here it goes. "When it came to me enlisting in the Navy , you seemed to be the only person that didn't have a ton of questions. You just understood why I'd made the choice and supported me . It means a lot to me how actively involved you are on NAVYDADS and seeing a new pic of you in something that says Navy on it or posting something Military related on Facebook. I hear all the time how to some peoples parents, the navy is just another job. but when it comes to you, You've taken on this Lifestyle to the best that you can without being here in the thick of it. Thank you for making me into the man that I am today."  

     Talk about making a tough old dad break down and cry. I always hoped that I had guided my boys towards doing the right thing and supported both of them 100% in whatever they chose to do in life. This just goes to show that I must have had some influence over him.

    "Non Sibi, Sed Patriae"  Not for self, but for country.

My son left for boot camp 6/4. We received "the box" shortly after he left and ltr from him 2 days ago. We have not received the "form letter", which from what we understand should have come shortly after the box. Is this a problem? His PIR is 7/27 and we are planning on attending. Do we need info from the form letter to attend PIR?

Thankful for any info. 

Is it ok to post my son's ship address on facebook. Have friends on facebook I would like to give it to.