What will new arrival nukes need?

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Permalink Reply by James D Houser on April 27, 2017 at 4:42pm

I am sure that you will get more responses but our son arrived at Goose Creek on 2/4/17 and he took nothing with him additional from bootcamp besides his phone, wallet and ring.  After two weeks he ordered some clothes from Amazon so the first weekend he was able to wear street clothes he had them.  They earn their privileges and the other guys will be better to answer this than me.  Don't worry about sheets and other sundry items they have all they need to start with.  After Jonathan had been there a month we sent him "things" of course we did send him food before that :)  Our son didn't want to loose a privilege he knew he was going to have to earn it.  One final comment they don't have a lot of space and everything they have has to fit in their space!  I hope that helps.

Permalink Reply by 1tsmwmr83h05r on April 28, 2017 at 6:06am

I'll pretty much second what James said. We gave our son his phone and laptop at the airport after PIR. They can't use their laptops for studying, so that's just a personal want item. As James said, they are given sheets, towels, etc. According to the Navy Mom's site, some of them WANT nicer sheets, pillows etc. but it's not necessary. Our son said not to send him anything, that if he needed/wanted something he would buy it himself. Most of them will want either a computer or gaming console, either their own, shipped from home or a new one.
The Navy will give them a list of things they need for school, like notebooks, calculators, etc. but these are all very specific and can be purchased at the NEX (when my son was leaving, he said someone at the command filed a complaint that these should be considered work items and therefore provided by the Navy, so I don't know if they still have to buy these or not.)
In the dorms, everything has to be locked up in their armoire when they are out, so that means everything has to fit. There are restrictions on things like coffeemakers (no timers or automatic settings allowed, etc.) so it's best to wait until they figure out what they want. The NEX is within walking distance of the dorms and they will figure out quickly how to share a ride/taxi/uber to get to the Walmart, Best Buy, etc. until they phase up.

Permalink Reply by Andy Leisk on June 13, 2017 at 5:39pm

Just a quick note to follow up on what Jim C. said in April. Our son arrived at NNPTC over the Memorial Day weekend 2017, along with about 140 others who all graduated Great Lakes at the same time. It sounds like it was almost overwhelming for the Indoc staff at Goose Creek to handle this many at one time. Anyway, in a phone call last night he basically told us all of the things that James and Jim C have said above. About the only addition is that the complaint about the "work items" needed to be provided by the Navy seems to have been resolved. We were told that the only thing which our son had to buy was a new calculator for about $30 at the NEX. Everything else has been provided.
He also said that he has purchased a new Laptop PC at the NEX because he could get it there without having to pay either shipping or any sales tax.
Room space is somewhat smaller than he had when he attended college in Minnesota, the built in desk that the college had is not present, but since they study at the Rickover building that is not a problem.
It has only been a few weeks but his initial impression of NNPTC is good. He is very happy that one of the chiefs told his group that they will not be standing watches while in A-school. The chief said that they are here to study and learn, and that the navy is paying them to learn their new jobs, and standing barracks watches at Goose Creek is not conducive to a good learning environment.

Permalink Reply by Scott Henry on June 13, 2017 at 8:19pm

They will only stand watches when they are on T-track (the period between the time they graduate A-School and when they start Power School). Otherwise they are in class and fully engaged in learning the material.
Andy Leisk said:

Just a quick note to follow up on what Jim C. said in April. Our son arrived at NNPTC over the Memorial Day weekend 2017, along with about 140 others who all graduated Great Lakes at the same time. It sounds like it was almost overwhelming for the Indoc staff at Goose Creek to handle this many at one time. Anyway, in a phone call last night he basically told us all of the things that James and Jim C have said above. About the only addition is that the complaint about the "work items" needed to be provided by the Navy seems to have been resolved. We were told that the only thing which our son had to buy was a new calculator for about $30 at the NEX. Everything else has been provided.
He also said that he has purchased a new Laptop PC at the NEX because he could get it there without having to pay either shipping or any sales tax.
Room space is somewhat smaller than he had when he attended college in Minnesota, the built in desk that the college had is not present, but since they study at the Rickover building that is not a problem.
It has only been a few weeks but his initial impression of NNPTC is good. He is very happy that one of the chiefs told his group that they will not be standing watches while in A-school. The chief said that they are here to study and learn, and that the navy is paying them to learn their new jobs, and standing barracks watches at Goose Creek is not conducive to a good learning environment.

Permalink Reply by Nolan Johnson on September 20, 2017 at 11:58am

My son reported to NNPTC after his PIR on 2017 Memorial Day weekend as well. After three months in "A" School, I'll share that the only additional items he's requested have been his backpacking ultralight mess kit, so he can have some late-night snacks.  

After 60 days, and on his birthday, he still hadn't asked for any clothes, so I just made an executive decision and shipped him a couple changes of civvies, a pair of slippers and his favorite loafer shoes. He says he's glad to have them, but thirty days later, he still hasn't found cause to wear them.

For his birthday, he could have asked for most anything. What he asked for was some photos of his hometown (we live near the ocean in the Pacific Northwest; summer in SC was a surprise for him). So we used one of those online photobook services and made him a hardbound collection of scenery, landmarks, local forest and beach shots, cultural events, his favorite hangout spots, and other images that make his hometown "weird". 

He's got his phone, but no other personal electronics (by his own request). He's still on my family plan, so I know that his cell usage is almost nil.

My boy isn't exactly THAT much of a minimalist, but he's engaged himself fully in what he's doing, so his extra stuff is just a distracition. And, the Navy clearly covers the must-haves for the creature comforts. I'm getting the sense from our personal experience that everything else is "personal comfort", which means that the extra things will be as unique and as specific as the individual.