Navy Dads

I have done quite a bit of lurking on here, and reading some of your experiences with your new sailors.  Tomorrow, my son will be heading out from the recruiters for an overnight stay, awaiting his final MEPS visit and shipping out on 7 April.  It is suddenly very real, that my son is getting ready to set out on a great adventure, and become part of the greatest military force in the world.  I have silently dealt with the prospect of him going away, by kicking the can down the road.  Tomorrow, the road ends, and I have to face up to the fact that my boy is leaving, to become a man.  Not sure how to express the feelings, from sadness at his leaving, to great respect and love for what he is doing, to pride in his choice to become a sailor.  The list goes on, but I am confident that all you dads have been there and done that.  I will be there for his swearing in on Tuesday morning, and I will be there for the proudest moment in his life, PIR at GL.  Also not sure how his mother and I will feel the first weeks of his not being here.  I know that as time goes on, it will get easier.  He is our first born, and of course the first to leave the nest.  I am immensely proud of him, he is a very intelligent boy, and I anticipate him becoming quite a responsible and competent sailor.  Thank you all for the encouragement you have given through your posts here.  I look forward to participating and sharing his accomplishments as time goes on.  By the way, we already have two other sons expressing interest in the Navy now, though one is only 15 and the other is 12.

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Welcome Jim! You and your wife are in for a very emotional couple of months....the "RollerCoaster" of emotions will run from tears to elation. I promise you that the reward is worth the journey! Use this site as a resource of information and support. You are becoming part of the Navy Family. Post any and all questions that may come up.....as you noted, there are many Dads who have been there and will offer your family the wealth of their experiences! Congrats to your SR and best of luck as he begins his journey!

 

James,

I know the exact feelings you are having about your son. My son left on March 24. I took him myself and even stayed in the same hotel he did. We were together the next day until he got on the bus. I miss him very much and like you I am very proud of his decision to join the Navy and follow through. He was in the DEP for almost 9 months and I know that made it even harder on him with leaving all of his friends and basically starting a new life. He was able to call me on Saturday which was a surprise for both of us. He sounded good but I could detect in his voice that he was home sick though we didn't mention it to each other. The conversation wasn't long but I told him how proud I was of him and let him know he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. I received his form letter in the mail letting us know that he graduates 22May15. I have already written two letters to him giving encouragement and praise. Good luck to your son and all who are going through this journey.

James,

You are correct that it is a roller coaster of emotions. My Sailor left for boot camp on December 4th, 2014 and the next few weeks were the hardest! He is our only child, which made it even harder (no siblings to keep our minds occupied). But, let me reassure you that today was easier than yesterday and tomorrow will be easier than today. Blink twice and you are making preparations for his PIR, twice more and you will be there eagerly awaiting the announcement of "Liberty call, Liberty call", so you can hug your Sailor! It gets REALLY easier when the get to A-school and you can phone and skype them!!! For your younger two children, may I suggest that you all look up the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (www.seacadets.org). Sea Cadets enjoy (endure) some of the same experiences as Navy enlisted sailors, from coursework, modified boot camp, advanced trainings, etc. Also, if they achieve an E-3 rank in the Sea Cadets, they typically rank up to E-3 upon graduation from Navy boot camp. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions about it.

Patrick Abercrombie

My son arrived Great Lakes 4/7. Got the phone call. Witnessed the Swearing In ceremony. I've never been more proud of my son and HIS decision. That said, in my opinion there is no way that you can prepare for this. I went through Navy Boot Camp 35 years ago and there is absolutely no comparison to watching your own child walk to the airport bus. Well, I guess we are all now the "Fleet behind the Fleet". Great website, thank you.

Hey James enjoyed reading your story  about your son.our son shipped out on April 9th  after awaking at 4 am to go to meps swearing in glad we got to be there for that. A long wait at the airport from delayed flight from storms in Illinois he finally arrived in Chicago at 10.30 that evening said he was going to eat then he called at 2:30 am to say he made it , i felt so bad for him. Then came the seperation anxiety my wife and i cried for days. At one time i even felt that we sent him to a torture camp but i knew that was the devil playing  with my mind.  we realize that joining the Navy is a good thing for him and that the opportunities  for him in life to learn teamwork and responsibilities  is what's  best for him we are proud of him and will miss him while he is gone, but the ability to see the world and make great friends are endless so our family will continue to pray for your son and family and we ask the same together we are proud Navy parents ! I have to say though  the feeling of pride and joy that we experienced  of  our son joining is like no other that we ever felt ,because we always want the opritunties  for our children to be greater than what ours was ! Navy proud see ya at PIR ! 

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