Pass In Review - Tips, Hints, and Helps

Comment

Comment by Michael shampoo on May 11, 2010 at 5:45pm

Paul my friend i totally agree it was an incredible experience my family & myself were there last year this time & we stayed @ the Residence Inn also we loved it the only thing is i wish we had flown i drove 16 hrs straight from philadelphia :( :(..... The wife & daughter both were there to share the driving but as usual that didnt happen....LOL.... I cant say enough about the experience,it has been great for my 11 y/o she hasnt stop talking about it she now wants to enlist after college & follow her big brother she wants to be one of the ladies in the pretty hats & skirts as she says....lol the Navy did great job of maturing my son also he left home a immature boy & after graduation i greeted a man,That day i was the proudest man on earth,I definitely know you & I shared that feeling. Well as for my son he went on to A-school & then on to japan where he has been since last year & has become a proud member of the U.S.S George Washington "THE G DUB" as they call it for short....lol.. They shipped out today for points unknown.... I'm sorry i'm rambling as u can see I'm just so incredibly proud of my son i just cant say enough about him.... The P I R was one of the most unforgetable times of my life you said it at the start WOW!!!!!!! thats the only way to describe it...For those who plan on going in the future i suggest a nice camera & plan to get there early because as my friend paul expressed there are as many as 20 or more divisions graduating at once as with my son I met families who had to stay in Wis.because the hotel were booked so try to find out before hand about the graduating class & plan early....

Comment by Paul C on May 11, 2010 at 11:28am

Helpful info from someone who was there May 7, 2010

Wow, what a weekend!! We are on our way home from PIR and it was an incredible experience. I will try not to bore you with saying how proud I was and what a great job the Navy did of maturing my son, but I do want to point out a few things that might help other parents making the same trip in the future.
Lodging: I cannot say enough good stuff about the Residence Inn in Waukegan/Gurnee. It is right off the highway and very near several familiar restaurants as well as a Wal-Mart, a Starbucks, and a bowling Alley. There are a couple other hotels there in the area, but we stayed at the Residence Inn at the recommendation of someone on this site and it was great. After you make your reservation, call back later and ask for the manager and ask for a special rate for families of RTC grads. We paid 129 per night for a two bedroom suit with a kitchen and a fireplace. They also have complimentary breakfast every morning.
RTC/PIR: Someone here suggested taking a taxi/shuttle from the hotel. That was a great idea and I am glad we did it, but it might not have been necessary this time. There were a total of 9 Division graduating this week and our taxi driver said that sometimes there are as many as 20 or more. If it were a PIR with a lot more divisions graduating, I thing that the taxi would have been a better bet, but with only 9 divisions, the line was not long and there was plenty of parking for those that did drive. It would have been a little more convenient to have had our own vehicle there, but the taxi wasn’t bad and I can see where it would be a huge help if there were a bigger graduation.
Local Sights: Chicago was great, but it was very cold the day we were there. Navy Pier is a great place to go, but I can see where it would be much better in the summer. Parking is expensive, but I guess that is normal for a big city. $24 flat fee at Navy Pier and parking for a lunch at ESPN Zone ended up costing $23. There are several things around the local area of Waukegan including a State Park with several lakes, Six Flags, and a couple malls. It just depends on what you and your graduate want to see.
Getting there: I took the advice of flying into Milwaukee and driving from there rather than flying to Chicago and I am very glad we did. It was a much easier drive and a very easy airport to get in and out of. We left Monday morning and I can’t imagine what the traffic would have been like going into O’Hare on a Monday morning.
A few Extras: Keep your parking pass and ID close whenever you go to the RTC to pick up or drop off your Sailor. Have your sailor take you to the exchange that is off the RTC a little ways on Green Bay Dr. There is all kind of shirts and stuff to show your support.
We also went to church with our sailor at the chapel on the RTC and what a special time that was. It was a wonderful experience seeing well over 100 recruits there to worship God and seek His guidance on this tough journey and we were not the only ones that went with their recently graduated sailor. The pastor had an encouraging message for everyone especially the recruits struggling through RTC. It was truly one of the highlights of the trip and one of the most memorable church services I have been to.
That should do it for now. Contact me directly if you have any questions.

Comment by Ronard Giddings on April 28, 2010 at 1:38pm

My son's PIR was last Friday 4/23. What a great experience!
I was impressed by how much coordination and effort the personnel @ RTC put into making this as easy as possible for the recruits guests @ graduation. You can help them help you as well.
First off, make sure you've followed the directions regarding printing out a Gate Pass and fill it out with your Recruits Name, Division, & Ship. Be prepared to show this to the Guards along with your ID and Vehicle Registration or rental agreement. Just keep it on your dash, after that. KEEP THE PASS. When entering the gate later in your vehicle your Sailor will also need to show his/her ID. You can get through the gate to the NEX/Base Chapel parking lot to pick up & drop off your Sailor. It will save him/her a lot of walking and you won't be turned around at the gate because you don't have it. (The Guards greatly appreciated those that still had the pass over the weekend).
By the way, you turnRt off Buckley Rd (IL 137) through the Indiana Street Gate into Recuit Training Command. The day of graduation they set up lots of signs and have plenty of personnel to help get you through the gate, to the parking lot and through security. You can't get in before 6:30 AM, but you need to be through all the checks and in the hall by 8:45 (they close the doors!) There will be lines and you'll end up in one or waiting somewhere...just be patient with the process. Again the Base personnel do a great job.
At security, they check your ID & name against the guest list, stamp your hand and send you to the graduation hall.
In the hall seating (for most guests) is not reserved. They do have personnel on the floor with signs with graduating division numbers, showing the approximate location your Sailor's division will end up on deck.
There are two levels of seating, the floor and balcony. Both have difficulties. On the floor you end up with visitors with handicaps and VIPs in front of you and, at that level, unless your Recruit is among Division Staff it's hard to pick them out in formation. In the balcony, you have some difficulty seeing though the railing and your not allowed to stand in or leave the bleachers (to approach the railing) for a clearer view or pictures. It was easier to locate our Sailor in formation from there. We found a small pair of binoculars useful. A 10 x zoom (or better) on your (digital) camera is highly recommended!
Your Sailor could end up with a short period of duty over the weekend, during which they'll have to be back at their ship. But unless s/he is a Grad n' Go, you'll get to spend the weekend (during the day) with him/her. Liberty expires most evenings @ either 8 or 9 PM, and they have to be on base back @ his/her ship.
We stayed @ Homewood Suites, Lincolnshire. They give a discount on the room if you tell them you're there for RTC graduation. They had a packet of information, including directions to the base, a local grocery as well as a list of restaurants and local attractions. They also have (M0n-Thur only) a welcome reception that included salad, bread, 2 pasta dishes, beverages (incl some wine). The menu varies. It was welcome after a days travels. It's 11 miles from the base, but we found our Sailor was appreciative to get away from there. We appreciated that some local establishments discounted food for our Sailor in uniform!
I hope this will be helpful to those of you that have a son or daughter graduating soon. Enjoy the experience as your Sailor take his/her place in the world's greatest Navy!

Comment by Ronard Giddings on April 20, 2010 at 2:06pm

Anyone else visiting the site have a sailor graduating this week? Mine son does on 4/23. Div 810

Comment by Chris H. on April 19, 2010 at 4:35pm

Oops! That is the Ramada Inn. Easy to find, and the N4M folks (along with that hotel) did a bang-up job.

Comment by Chris H. on April 19, 2010 at 4:33pm

We, too, stayed at the Residence Inn in Waukegan/Gurnee and were very pleased on the Thursday night arrival to find not the usual coffee/snacks but a meat loaf/mashed potato/salad and desserts "welcome" in the main office. Pretty cool after flying all day. And (I know it is over, but for others going to PIR) please do take advantage of the Meet 'n Greet at the Radison (I think). It isn't that far, and though I didn't count, there must have been 200 or more people there. We had a great time!

Comment by Todd J on April 3, 2010 at 5:17am

The Residence Inn, Waukegan has been such a great experience. It was a terrific place to relax with our sailor. It is so close to base and such a terrific place. We received a welcome packet upon arrival with directions to and from RTC, attractions, places to eat etc. I learned about RI here, and want to keep their name out there so others can enjoy their stay as much as we have.

After going out to late lunch, he just wanted to stay "home" with us and we were able to get some take out and sit like a family for dinner in our room just before returning our saior to the base. I can recommend Yan's Chinese/Asian. They had our food to us in less than 20 minutes and it was quite enjoyable.

Comment by Todd J on April 3, 2010 at 5:01am

Now that Boot camp is finished and PIR is a very fond and proud memory, I need to thank the good friends here at Navy Dad's for the fellowship, advice and sharing of experience. I hope can pay it forward to others the way you have helped me.

Comment by jim earl on March 24, 2010 at 6:17pm

hello all, my son, Casey also scheduled for PIR 4/0. he is in ship 13 div 152. what little we have heard makes it sound like all going well. my wife and our oldest son will be attending and staying at the residence inn also and hope to meet as many folks as we can.

Comment by Todd J on March 23, 2010 at 1:25pm

Sorry to hear your son's Div is not doing well- glad that he is though! According to our son, 143 talks a bit much for his liking but thay are passing everything and have multiple flags. Keep your fingers crossed, we understand if they flag one more, they may be allowed to march w/o their RDCs. We are told this is quite an achievement.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 85
• 86
• 87
• 88
• 89
• …
• 113
• Next ›
• Page