Stephanie Brawner's Page

in answer to your question: actual times and schedules cannot be openly discussed as that would be an OPSEC violation

Stephanie, I just got through visiting my daughter in Great Lakes.  We hit a couple of snags along the way but it all worked out.  It was about a week when I got "the box"  She left on the 17 of June and I opened it took her cell phone out and that was it.  It sits in my closet where I see it every day.  Sometimes I am still weepy.  But my weepy sadness has started to turn into a incredible feeling of pride.  I would be glad to share my girl / mom stuff with you if you want to friend me.

Welcome aboard Stephanie.
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 son 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

Stephanie, 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 Stephanie! 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 sailor's progress via status updates, discussion forums, blogs and photos...

A Warm "Thank You" from our family to your son for his service!

Welcome Aboard... :)

Welcome to NavyDads.com Stephanie! 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 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 Stephanie 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 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 currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son 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