General questions about recruit training

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on March 13, 2016 at 5:23am

Form letter typically 5-7 days after he arrives. As far as pay- read thru this and see it it answers your question: http://www.navydads.com/forum/topics/being-paid-while-in-boot-camp

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads CoAdmin Jim Gramza on March 13, 2016 at 7:14am

Bill, here is also a link to our Boot Camp group that has a lot of links that may also answer most of your questions:

http://www.navydads.com/group/bootcamp

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads CoAdmin Jim Gramza on March 13, 2016 at 7:16am

I know it's early, but you will also be wanting to check out the links in this group too:

http://www.navydads.com/group/pirtipshintsandhelps

Be sure to also check out the Family Guide that RTC publishes. 

Jim

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Permalink Reply by Bill Harper on March 25, 2016 at 8:21am

I am going to answer my own question here if there are still some concerned parents of SR men and women out there. We received our first letter from our son this past Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Along with his personal letter, my son sent the form letter we were told we would receive. So, a lot of fretting and frustration were pretty much for nothing. Any of you parents out there who are needlessly worrying about your recent recruits, rest easy, the Navy came through. It was great to hear our son is doing well and adjusting well to his new life as a Navy recruit. Though it seems that, for the moment, he is having a little difficulty making up a bunk the Navy way! But then, so did I back in Army basic back in 1965.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Harper on March 31, 2016 at 6:19pm

Ok. I have another question. My son started his basic on March 1st, 2016. I would like to know if the first week counts as part of the eight weeks total. His graduation date is April 29th. ???

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on March 31, 2016 at 6:28pm

Typically the first 4-10 days after the new recruits arrive at RTC are called Processing Days or P-Days. Around holidays and sometimes for unforeseen issues (flight delays, severe weather, etc.) P-days can last up to 14 days. Although recruits are assigned to a ship and division upon arrival, these assignments are not final and they do not move to their designated ship until P-days are over. Unplanned events may change that ship assignment. Your sailor's recruiter may give you an address a day or two after your recruit arrived at Great Lakes with a particular division that may not be final. This is why NavyDads always advises you to wait for your sailor's form letter with his or her correct address. That letter typically arrives 5-10 days after they have shipped to RTC.

There are occasions when a division may fill and a few unplaced recruits remain. Those "leftover" recruits will be placed as the first recruits for the following division. There are also times that a division is not quite filled with the normal 88 recruits and that division must wait for the next group arriving in Great Lakes to fill to division compliment. When a division is held waiting to fill the division with the next group of arriving recruits, they will placed in what is called a PUSH Division.
Because that division formed "late" it is composed of recruits arriving typically over two different weeks. Some of the recruits in that division will be at RTC for 7 1/2 weeks (8 Fridays) rather than the typical 8 1/2 weeks (9 Fridays) that most of the divisions in that TG (Training Group). To stay current with the projected PIR date for the TG, that division is "pushed" thru some accelerated training- hence the term PUSH division.
This may happen more often for those recruits arriving at the beginning of a week. Recruits who are unlucky enough to be held over may be placed in a TG for the following week. These recruits are at RTC 9 1/2 weeks (10 Fridays). That happens more frequently for recruits arriving at the end of the week. This happens more around holidays or when there is a week without a PIR. Weather or severe storms may result in extra recruits being shipped to RTC when others are delayed. This may also occur if a large number of recruits are shipped to RTC in the summer and early fall due to enlistments that happen during a high school student's senior year.

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