GM A SCHOOL PROGRESSION

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Permalink Reply by Gary T. on July 31, 2009 at 10:20am

Parents of GM's. The following information is meant to be informative but by no means are the times lines engraved in stone. My name is Gary T. and my son Nicholas joined the NAVY on 13/01/09. NAVY DAD'S has been a GOD send and great help for me and my family through out my sons Naval journey. People helping people by passing on information is a great help to all family's of our sailors during the transition from civilian to sailor. If it were not for Bill Sick (Brett) and Glen Hobbs (Dan) on GM A-school I would have been wallowing in a pool of unknowns.

Nicholas had his P.I.R. (graduation) on 13/03/09. He was immediately transferred to the A-school base and was housed on the Franklin. His first week-end out of basic was liberty spent at home in Peru, Illinois. The first training he received was I.N.D.O.C. (Basic Indoctrination Course) 5 business days 16-20/03/09. During this time period Nick began studying for his Phase 2 (Civilian Clothes and week-end liberty) and attended Naval Heritage classes. He took the phase two exam and was then transferred from the Franklin to the Enterprise on 30/03/09.

Nick then attended S.C.C. (Surface Common Core) 9-12 business days 31/09-16/04/09 and received his Phase 2. On 17/04/09 he was placed on day hold for A.T.T. school. During this wait he attended Alcohol and Drug abuse training for 4 days 20,21,22,23/04/09.

Nick attended A.T.T. (Apprentice Technical Training) 30-40 business days 27/04-26/05/09. He was placed on hold for A-school and moved to the Cole where he now resides. Both S.C.C. and A.T.T. schools were computer based learn at your own speed learning formats.

Nicks hold time between A.T.T. and A-school lasted 9 weeks or 45 business days from 26/05-28/07/09. On Wednesday 29/07/09 he finally began A-school 10-12 weeks. The journey continues. The progression of schools is the same for all GM sailors. The times for each computer based class may vary. Hold times will vary. Bill Sick and Glen Hobbes will attest to that. A school is now a instructor based training where all sailors learn at the same pace. I hope the above has and will help future GM family members to understand what our young sailors are going through to achieve the status of GM. I also look forward to learning more about the future progression of our sailors from both Bill and Glen whose sailors are nearing A-school graduation. What is next Fleet or C-school only time will tell. Gary T.

Permalink Reply by Devons Dad From CT (Rich) on September 1, 2009 at 4:11pm

Hello GM Group! My son is currently in boot camp with a grad date of 10/16/09. From there, he will be going to GM school. He wants to be a police officer when he gets out. Any recommendations?

Permalink Reply by dukes on March 29, 2010 at 7:45pm

Does anyone know the procedure for picking up a sailor from Great Lakes? We are going to Chicago this weekend to visit our son and he said we need to "sign him out" of the USS Enterprise before he can leave the base with us. He is awaiting GM A school. How do we do this?

Permalink Reply by Gary T. on April 1, 2010 at 9:17am

Dukes, in answer to your question. The procedure to follow is simple. Drive to the Great Lakes Visitor Center which is located at Gate 1. Gate 1 is located on Sheridan Road north of Buckley. If you have been there before no problem finding it. Once in the parking lot you will have to wait for your son to walk to the main gate. When he arrives you will then be allowed to walk back to the Enterprise with him and sign him out for the day or you can go into the visitor center and take a number and wait. When they call your number you can request a week-end pass which will allow you to drive on the base. Your sailor will be your sponsor and must be with you when you apply for your pass. He must be with you at all times while driving on base. You can then drive to the Enterprise enter onto the quarter deck and sign him out. (watch your speed, obey traffic and above all stop at all pedestrian cross walks when sailors are present).

When you return you can again drive onto the base. This is handy when you have things to carry back. If you follow the rules he must sign in from liberty then resign out to accompany you back to the gate. With time and points you may be able to do this differently. My son Nick is a GM who is finishing his C-School in San Diego. He will be heading to Hawaii in May. If you want more detailed info you can put me on your friends list and we can contact each other on E-Mail. Gary T.

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Townsend on January 13, 2014 at 6:07pm

My son has been in the Navy, 2 years, 4 months and served as a ceremonial Guard at Arlington after leaving Boot Camp.  My question is he is about to Graduate from A school in Chicago as a GM. Is there a formal graduation ceremony 2.21.14 for this position before he moves to ECS?