We all share your pride, Paul!

Great picture. Prayers for him and all our MAs.

Great picture Paul! Thanks for posting it!

Tracey

Heading off to San Antonio in a few days for graduation, so excited to pin my son.  Also, really looking forward to having him home for a bit.

Colin, on the right, with friends after earning their Expeditionary Warfare Specialist pins, somewhere in the Middle East.

Congrats to Rich! A long journey ahead. Enjoy your time with your sailor.

Congrats to Colin...I remember when he was just getting started!

Merry Christmas from Colin, somewhere in the Middle East. Thanks to everyone for you service, and may there be peace in the new year.

Merry Christmas to you & yours!

Dale....refresh me! Tyler wasn't originally rated as an MA...correct?

No, he was AIRR to Aircrew to RSS (Rescue Swimmer School) to broken foot to roll back to going to MA. Now finally done. So I joined MA and updated the profile, after he completed MA, just to be safe this time.

Welcome to the Group, Josh!

Welcome Josh!

Thank you very much for the Welcome.  This page has been a huge help in getting ready for our Sailor to leave home.  When ever his mother has any questions about what he will be doing I have been able to find the answers here!

Pic of my daughter a few weeks ago. Mount Vesuvius in the back round.

Great photo Tracey, that is where my son is also.

Baby Shampoo! Yes you heard that right. Your son has a ways to go until he gets to MA school in San Antonio but the gas treatment they get in Boot Camp is a walk in the park compared to the OC Spray in MA school. They get sprayed in the face with OC Spray and then have to complete the course that includes the fighting and other tasks. They use baby shampoo to get the spray off afterwards. Otherwise it's on all day. If they go in alphabetical order, like our sailor who was at the end, then he gets to watch all the crying and quiting of those who go before him. He will be more in the middle if they do it that way. He will have to get angry, determined and if nothing else not want to do it again and get sprayed again. Other than that it should be fine as long as he is disciplined. I could give you more detail but that's the summary. Let me know if you have other questions.

Welcome Bill! My daughter, in the pic with the police car a few comments down, completed MA A school a year ago this month. I am not sure what your other sailors rate is, but it is likely that their A school was longer. MA A School lasts a short 8 weeks once they get started. My daughter was there for about 10 days waiting to class up. That seemed to be her most un favorite time actually because they have to be in uniform and cant leave the base until they are in the later phases of school. They have a lot of freedom on the base though with busses that will take them around to all the shopping and entertainment on the base itself...which is a lot of stuff. Lackland is a huge base! Once school starts though, it goes very quickly for them. My daughters class picked orders based on class rank in week 3, just a day of two after he OC Obstacle course that Dale was talking about. They do a decent amount of P.T. and have to march to and from class. The last couple weeks they spend a lot of time at the firing range and eat MRE's for lunch and dinner those days. It's an experience. Tell you son to not get wrapped up in all the teenage drama and such, which seems a lot like a freshman dorm in college, and to put his energy into doing well in class... to study hard and get the best possible scores on the tests that are given at least once a week, sometimes more. My daughter finished in the top 3 of her class for which the reward is a meritorious promotion to E4. It takes several months after they arrive at their first permanent duty station until they get the promotion, but she was an E1 when she entered the Navy. She was promoted to E4 within 9 months of her enlistment. They backdated her promotion to her A school graduation date for time in grade and she was then eligible to take the E5 exam in the next cycle. So we have a sailor that entered as an E1 in February 2016 and was testing for E5 in March of 2017, all because she was in the top 3 of her A school class. She did not get the E5 Advancement, but it was really cool that she had the opportunity!  

I would ditto what Tracey said. The being disciplined I mentioned was what Tracey mentioned in that the ones who treat it like college are going to have some beat downs because it will get them all in hot water. He is right on the phasing up. They hate waiting to class up but phasing up gives them some freedom. 

Ditto ditto. My son, Colin, said he just kept his head down and listened, did what he was told. Not that hard, he said, but he was amazed how many didn't do that. He also aced the PT and got first pick for assignments. PT is a big part of the ranking.

By the way, update on Colin. He just finished Raven school and will be part of the Air Security Team on the next deployment. He said it was the hardest two weeks of his life and one of his proudest moments to get the Raven patch.

Another ditto for what Tracey said, spot on.  My son kept his head down, stayed out of the drama, studied hard, also got first pick of where he was going.  He chose the same place Tracey's daughter did.  He graduated A School, distinguished, early last November, and will be ranking up to E4 tomorrow.

Congrats to your Sailors David and Rich! How is your son liking it there after being there for awhile now Rich?

He is really liking where he is at, mostly because of the ability to travel around Europe.

My son is MA in Bahrain. He just told me about a program called blue to green. Anybody have any input on this? Sorry, it's not MA related.

Looks like an Army program to go from Navy/Air Force to the army. It's not MA related it doesn't look. Here is a link. https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/current-and-prior-service/c...

No, it's not MA related. Thanks, I read that earlier. It is about transferring from Navy to Army. Was just wondering if any other Navy enlisted had tried it or thinking about trying it. My son is getting tired of his rate and wants to do something else. But he has only been in the Navy for about a year. It is frustrating to me that he will not put in the work to work up the ranks. He thinks he can just transfer. It is not that easy. I told him he needs to suck it up and pay his dues. That is what he signed up for. I don't know what else to tell him. I don't know if there is anyone else that experienced their son/or daughter going through this.

Thanks for your input David. I will have a talk with him.

Jason, I think that the morale can be a bit tough in the MA rate. Especially in places like Bahrain, where it seems as though many of the sailors kind of get stuck in a rut just hanging out on base and doing a lot of drinking. Actually I think that this can happen anywhere, but I think cultural opportunities are limited in Bahrain to some degree and a lot of people just don't really like being there. He probably has less about a year left there right? Encourage him not to base a decision on his time at one command. He should research other commands that he may want to go to when his time is complete in Bahrain. My daughter is not really happy with her job as an MA either, but loves her time off. Being stationed in Italy, she does a lot of traveling and sightseeing. Your son will have a lot of choices for his next duty station. He may find it an entirely different experience at another command. I am sure he can talk to other MA's he works around who can give him some input on their favorite duty stations. MA's can pretty much go anywhere in the world that there is a base... so the sky is the limit really. But that can be hard so see when your unhappy and wanting a change. One thing I know from being a Navy veteran myself... is that things change...and generally it is your own individual attitude that sets the tone for how much you enjoy where you are or the job your doing.... but it can be difficult because there is always a lot of negativity from other sailors.

Thanks Tracey McCoy. Had a long talk with my son. Told him to stick in there and things will get better. He did just notify me that things are looking better. He has a more of a positive outlook. I explained to him that sometimes your on the bottom and have to work your way up in life. Stick to your goals and make things happen. The last week, after our talk, have been more positive. He has his papework in to try to get into the K-9 training and is waiting on if that will pan out. Also, due to him wanting to progress in his ranking to E-3 it looks like they may put him at papa echo (personnel escort). Things are getting better. I think he is getting over that hump. Should be home on leave in the first week of July. That will give him a chance to relax and regroup. Thanks for everyone's advice. Things are looking up.

Jason, glad to hear things are looking up. Sometimes they just want to "vent". Our sailor has found a lot to do that seems fun since he has been there. NSA Bahrain Facebook has a lot of activities and events on it, however, I know people have different interests. Our sailor was a baseball coach and swimming coach before he went in and he found out there are volunteer opportunities like that there also. Apparently volunteer work helps them too. It can help to do things outside a job.

Can anyone answer this question for me?
A dad on the Facebook page asked me this about his son getting told he was 1 of 6 in his class to be eligible for PRP. His orders are for Silverdale WA for SWFPAC. Do you know if that is PRP

Tim, PRP is a very selective program, as I understand it. My son was selected PRP King's Bay Ga. I believe SWFPAC is Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific. My son got SWFLANT. Google it for a more detailed explanation.

HOOYAH!

Tom may be able to provide more info......

So, SWFPAC may not necessarily be part of the rate of MA, but rather the type of base or facility he's assigned to. Probably the rate would be MA and specialize in security.

MA - Security Force Specialist
Patrolmen establish entry control points; conduct access control inspections; review, analyze, and plan security capabilities; conduct vulnerability assessments; conduct patrols; conduct vessel escorts; utilize weapons and equipment; complete applicable forms and reports; manage personnel; work with other agencies; plan operations; conduct preliminary investigations; collect and process evidence; plan and conduct assault operations; plan and tactically deploy security assets to defeat threat; manage and utilize military working dogs; respond to crimes; operate security vehicles and boats; conduct physical security operations; conduct law enforcement operations. 

I was messaged with the same question and had no clue about PRP.

from a couple of years ago:  https://www.reddit.com/r/navy/comments/2zauyq/prp_duty_anyone/

PRP is Personnel Reliability Program; it is additional screening to confirm suitability of personnel to work with nuclear weapons.

and read through this PDF:   https://fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/secnavinst/5510_35c.pdf

Hello,

My son is scheduled to graduate MA A school at Lackland AFB on 9 February.

Does anybody know what time the ceremony is? Is it on base? If so, where?

Thank you.

Sorry I won't be much help in this post, but I just wanted to say Congratulations to your son! I hope he enjoys his new adventure.

That said, I believe the graduation is in the morning and it is on base but I'm not sure where.

When we went about a year ago it was in the morning. Maybe a couple of hours for the ceremony. Then at the end someone gets to place the pin on them. The sailor picks. The place where the ceremony is held is on base. It is close to the Navy barracks. Here is what you have to do. The sailor lets the gates know who will be coming in for the ceremony. As is the case with all bases you will need IDs, insurance etc. even for a rental vehicle. The building is on the north west side off of W Military Dr and Luke Blvd. Some of the gates are open on limited hours. The gates that are open 24 hours and have the capability of a visitor center are the Luke Blvd gate and the Valley Hi Dr gate which is farther south. I think we went to the gate the night before to check in. Gates can take time getting through especially if there are any issues so get there early. It is a really nice ceremony and you get a question answer time before the sailors come in. We went to the Luke Blvd gate as it was closest, except there was construction so we had to drive around more to get to the building, another reason to get there early. Hope that helps.

Good info Dale.  Our son met us at the gate the evening before to get checked in, then we were able to drive on base to their barracks where he signed out and we took him to the Riverwalk for dinner and were able to drop him off inside the base after. MA graduation is a must, pinning the badge is awesome!  My wife and I both pinned it on him.  Pretty informal ceremony, could move around to take photos, and was able to stand up on the stage and film them swearing in.  After we were able to walk around and see where the training took place, and meet a lot of other MA's.  Congrats to your son.

Thank you!

Ya, Rich has some more good points. I echo his comments. I can't guarantee this but we went to Sea World and they let all 3 of us in free as he was military. That was nice. Map out your trips as I remember San Antonio highways to be confusing and insane. 

Just one more question -- I have a NYS driver license. Will this be sufficient to get me on base (in addition to my son putting my name at the gate(s)?

Thanks again.

Almost everyone is from out of state when they go to a base but I am pretty sure that's all I used because they need to see you are licensed if you are driving and everyone in the vehicle has to show ID, which was a license. You also have to show the pass which has the names on it. From what I remember.

Congrats, lots of fun stuff ahead.