Gary Zaetz's Groups
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US Naval Sea Cadet Corps
17 members
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NROTC
2 members
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Navy Cryptology
139 members
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NAVY BOOT CAMP
1843 members
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Navy Terms and Definitio…
37 members
Gary Zaetz's Page
Profile Information
- Your Sailor's First Name (Please Do Not Post SEAL Names)
- April
- Describe A Little About Yourself (your IP address/location will be checked::
- My daughter April (shown in the photo) is a Seaman Apprentice in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps and hopes to become a US Naval Officer someday, either through the Naval Academy or through NROTC. Her ultimate goal is to become a Foreign Area Officer (FAO), using the language skills she is already developing in Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. As for myself, I've worked as a computer programmer for a large computer company for 30 years and have been very active in efforts to recover the remains of my World War II MIA uncle from his recently discovered crash site in the Indian Himalayas. I've attended many of the Family Update Meetings held around the country for relatives of MIAs by the USPACOM's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), and traveled to my uncle's crash site in 2008.
- What Brought You To This Site:
- my child is thinking of joining
- What Were Your Feelings When Your Sailor Joined The Navy:
- When my daughter told me that she wanted to become a Naval Officer, I felt extremely proud. Although I am not a veteran myself, my family has a distinguished military heritage: my uncle is a World War II MIA, his plane having disappeared over the Himalayas in 1944. My father was a Navy Seabee, having served on Kwajalein and the USS Hornet during World War II.
- What Is Your Relationship With Your Sailor
- Dad
- Please Share: How Did You Find Us?
- I did a google search for any organization that might help educate parents of sailors or future sailors.
MISSION STATEMENT:
NavyDads mission is to Provide Support, Encouragement, and Knowledge to Sailors and their Families throughout their Journey together in the United States Navy.
NavyDads can only succeed with your help. We receive no outside funding and every dollar you donate helps us cover operating costs and helps keep this site running.
KEY INFORMATION
Community Guidelines
How To Get Started
Boot Camp Group
Navy Enlisted Rates & Non-Commissioned Officers Rates
Navy Lingo & Slang
Navy Links
U.S. Navy Ships
Delayed Entry Program
Red Cross Services for Military Families
Google-Based NavyDads Search
Events
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• Event: Sarge's Meet & Greet
January 8, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm – Lakehurst Event Center
0 Comments 0 Likes -
• Event: Sarge's Meet & Greet
January 8, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm – Lakehurst Event Center
0 Comments 0 Likes -
• Event: Sarge's Meet & Greet
January 15, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm – Lakehurst Event Center
0 Comments 0 Likes -
• Event: Sarge's Meet & Greet
January 15, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm – Lakehurst Event Center
0 Comments 0 Likes -
• Event: Sarge's Meet & Greet
January 22, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm – Lakehurst Event Center
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Blog Posts
Question about communication....
Posted by Scott Shiley on June 21, 2024 at 8:44am 5 Comments 0 Likes
Phishing for Info
Posted by Michael J Conway on April 18, 2023 at 4:08pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
USPS MILITARYKIT - **FREE**
Posted by Joseph Hernandez on January 28, 2023 at 11:54am 1 Comment 1 Like
Before A School
Posted by Philip Steinert on January 2, 2023 at 2:10pm 2 Comments 0 Likes
My little sailor
Posted by william joseph wolfcale on December 3, 2022 at 4:08pm 2 Comments 2 Likes
my dad skII Wolfcale
Posted by william joseph wolfcale on December 3, 2022 at 4:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Off to A School
Posted by Michael J Conway on November 13, 2022 at 9:55pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Son leaves for San Diego
Posted by Jeff J Sperekas on June 25, 2022 at 7:33pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Requesting a re-assignment
Posted by Wesley Scott Phillips on January 5, 2022 at 11:37am 3 Comments 0 Likes
CHIEF PETTY OFFICER
Posted by John W Hensman on October 9, 2021 at 4:21pm 0 Comments 1 Like
Form letter
Posted by John D O'Rourke on September 16, 2021 at 5:58am 2 Comments 1 Like
Boot Camp
Posted by Mark F Durovka on March 22, 2021 at 8:46pm 2 Comments 2 Likes
RTC
Posted by Thomas ODonnell on January 10, 2021 at 3:00pm 7 Comments 0 Likes
Bittersweet Happiness
Posted by Jim Lisi on December 13, 2020 at 1:21pm 3 Comments 1 Like
Pride and Honor
Posted by Elliott Peigen on September 7, 2020 at 9:56am 2 Comments 0 Likes
Introducing Myself
Posted by John Lillyblad on March 18, 2020 at 4:38pm 5 Comments 0 Likes
Mail problems
Posted by Fernando Bolano on March 17, 2020 at 2:36pm 3 Comments 0 Likes
SHIP 06 DIV 100
Posted by Chris Koning on February 9, 2020 at 3:54pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Ship 10 Div 114
Posted by Mike Cunningham on February 3, 2020 at 2:15pm 1 Comment 0 Likes
Day ONE
Posted by Mike Cunningham on January 15, 2020 at 1:23pm 2 Comments 0 Likes
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Welcome aboard Gary.
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 6000 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 daughter April on her enlistment and please thank her for me for making the choice to defend the freedoms that my family, this country and I have and enjoy.
Navy dads Admin Tim
Gary, I am glad you found and joined NavyDads and hope we can help with any questions or concerns you might have. If you have problems navigating the site or finding answers to your concerns or question let me know and I will help anyway I can. I think you will find our members very helpful.
Please keep us informed as to how you Sailor is doing.
Gary, Welcome to NavyDads. My Grandson joined the Navy and went to Boot Camp in February, 2008. He Graduated and received his Trident in Oct. 2009 and is now with his Team. When I joined this site I knew nothing about the Military. It’s really helped me understand what to expect and has relieved some of my worries.
Be sure to check out our Groups. We have several Groups for PIR and Boot Camp, plus Groups for the different Rates like Navy Nukes, Master at Arms and Special Ops. Also Group for different Ships and Bases. Check to see if your State or area has a Group already formed to locate others in your area. There are general interest Groups like: Care Packages,
A School for Dads, NASCAR for NavyDads and the book of acronyms and ranks. We’ve also added a Spanish language Group.
Also check us out on Facebook just search for Navy Dads.
We are a big family here and you can find answers to most any question or concern regarding what’s in store for your recruit. You will find members that are new to the Navy along with those who have Loved Ones who’ve made the Navy a career. We like to hear about your recruit; the good times, the concerns, and we welcome questions. I think you will find our members are a big family and everyone wants to help others understand what to expect and hear about the progress of your recruit.
Please feel free to ask questions.
Again Welcome and keep us updated on your recruit.
HooYah US Navy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greetings Gary! When my son joined the Navy I really had no idea nor a clue on what he’s about to partake in besides what I’ve seen on tv and some stories I've heard from friends and relatives who have served in the military.
However, I'm so honored and very proud of his decision to serve our great country.
From the start, I’ve perused Navy and recruiter information online and beyond but I felt that I needed more peace of mind to help keep me from worrying too much. I also wanted to hear from real people who've been around the block and others to share knowledge and experience throughout this entire journey.
That's when I found this website while searching for answers...
We're all in this together and I hope you too will find NavyDads.Com useful with lots of real shared information.
Don't forget to check out our Groups section and join a group that shares your interest. Please keep us posted on your daughter's progress via status updates, discussion forums, blogs and photos...
A Warm "Thank You" from our family to the members of your family who have served!
Welcome Aboard and GO NAVY! :)
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 of him. I created NavyDads 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.
NavyDads provides the best community for learning about Navy life for everyone but particularly the 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
Welcome to NavyDads.com Gary! 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 things 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) and recently reported to Helicopter Squadron Light-37 (HSL-37) in Hawaii after re-enlisting last year. My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist. She is using her GI benefits to go to school. 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! Take the time to explore the site and make some new friends. Read the discussions and comments. Browse through the postings in the various groups or start a new one. If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what she 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 Gary this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how your daughter 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 About This Site. 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 soon to be at Great Lakes or Annapolis you'll have many questions about what April 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.
As PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable.
Play the following video for a brief introduction to NavyDads.com. We've made some cosmetic changes to the site since this video was made, but navigation remains the same.
Best Regards- Paul