Reflecting on PIR 5/31/13 Things I learned

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bill Black on June 3, 2013 at 3:47pm

Sean, this is absolutely great information! Thank you for taking the time to share it. My son's PIR is 28 June so it is getting closer! I had one other question. What time did your sailor need to be back on base Friday evening after PIR? I plan to make a reservation at Bertucci's but want to ensure we allow plenty of time. Thanks again!

Permalink Reply by Sean Brown on June 3, 2013 at 6:27pm

Charles, There are 3 groups, all with different liberty rules. Grad & Go, GL A school, and THU. My son is THU (temporary hold). He needs a medical form signed off for something he had been cleared for, before moving on to Pensacola. You could be THU for a variety of reasons, usually paperwork that is not completed by PIR, so they stay at GL for a time before shipping out. THU has to be at muster at 21:00. I believe grad/go is 22:00, and GL A school is also 22:00. A good thing about THU and GL A school is you get the whole weekend with them, however, you won't get them until 14: to 15:00 on Fri. We made Sat night reservations that afternoon with no trouble, just to make sure we didn't wait for a table. Grad & Go's will be dismissed immediately after PIR, (10:30), muster at 22:00 (i could be wrong about this, sailor will know), and bussed to the airport sometime after midnight. Their departure times will vary, so you may get a long airport visit with them.

Permalink Reply by Bill Black on June 3, 2013 at 7:14pm

Thanks Sean! My son told us that he was scheduled to leave for Pensacola on Saturday so he would be in the Grad & Go group....barring any turn of events between now and then! I will probably try to get reservations around 18:00 on Friday evening. Again, thank you for this very helpful information! Good luck to your sailor in A school!! God bless him and all our military personnel!

Permalink Reply by Sean Brown on June 3, 2013 at 9:00pm

Whats he doing in Pensacola? Mine is rescue swimmer, waiting for aircrew school. We are hearing its 3 mos. waiting to class up for aircrew. The good side is the weather is great and they are chasing girls on the beach during liberty! Needless to say, my son is trying to get there ASAP.

Permalink Reply by Bob C on July 19, 2013 at 11:32am

Good advice, Sean, those seats did get hard. My wife brought her sweater and was very comfortable, while other women were over at the booth buying blankets to wrap up in. Bring binoculars is mentioned in another post, will come in handy to try to pick out your sailor in a sea of white.

 

We did a boat tour 9AM Sat morning in Chicago and had a great lunch at Lou Malnati's Pizza on N. Rush. Excellent place and people. We were heading out of the city about 2PM, just as the rush into the city was building. Your sailor will want to stretch out, relax and get some peace and quiet, and sitting around a hotel room watching a movie with you may be the best way to do it.

You haven't seen them for eight weeks and it may be a while before you see them again, so enjoy your time with them.