from the Arizona Daily Star on Sunday:

Recruiting Web site for Navy helping to bring moms aboard
By Carol Ann Alaimo
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
If Mama's not happy, nobody's happy.
That old Southern truism about family life is being embraced by the U.S. military in efforts to attract recruits.
The Army was the first to target parents with recruiting ads. Now the Navy is a following suit with a Web-based campaign aimed specifically at mothers — an idea so innovative experts predict it will one day be copied by other branches of the military.
About a dozen Tucson moms are in on the ground floor of the new Navy effort, navyformoms.com — a sort of MySpace for military matriarchs.
The site was launched in response to research that showed mothers were more likely to believe other mothers than recruiters, a Navy official said.
In Tucson and around the country, moms are linking up on the interactive site for information and moral support before and after their offspring enlist. They post photos, empathize, compare notes — and sometimes brag — about their sons and daughters.
East Side resident Melissa Murray said the site helped ease the angst of sending her son off to boot camp.
"I felt like I was giving him away to people I didn't even know. I dropped him off and cried all the way home," said Murray, 54.
"No matter how old they get, they're still your babies. Nobody understands that like another mom."
Her son, Matthew Murray, is a 2001 graduate of Sahuaro High School. The 26-year-old left Monday for his first wartime deployment — a six-month stint on a guided missile destroyer in the Persian Gulf.
Initially, Melissa Murray said, she wasn't keen on the the idea.
"Being of the Vietnam generation, I never wanted my son to join the military because I saw how badly those veterans were treated when they came home. I was one of those people who said I'd send my son to Canada before I'd turn him over to the military," she said.
Chatting online with other Navy moms helped put her anxieties in perspective, she said.
For example, she said, the mothers often talk online of increased maturity they've noticed in children who enlist. And the moms constantly remind one another that America's military is well-trained to cope with danger — though in today's wars, most sailors don't face anywhere near the risks that soldiers or Marines do.
Joyce Slabaugh, 50, of the Northwest Side, stumbled upon the new Navy Web site shortly after her son enlisted. Bryan Slabaugh, 19, a 2007 graduate of Flowing Wells High School, is in training to become a gunner's mate.
"All of a sudden I'm seeing these conversations between mothers whose children are in boot camp or getting ready to go to boot camp. And it was like, 'Oh my God, these are people I can connect with,' " Joyce Slabaugh said.
"Whenever I had questions, I could ask other moms instead of feeling like you're up against some huge bureaucracy."
Recently, she arranged a weekend gathering in Tucson for about a dozen moms from different states who had all met online through the Navy site.
Lee Buchschacher a spokesman for Navy recruiting headquarters in Tennessee, said NavyforMoms was launched in February in response to research that showed moms with questions about enlistment put more stock in advice they received from other moms than in what recruiters said.
Within a few months, Buchschacher said, demand exploded through word of mouth. More than 5,000 mothers are registered users, and thousands more people are unregistered users. The Navy has hired a public-relations firm to run the site and monitor postings so officials can act quickly to counter misinformation, he said.
The Navy plans to launch a national TV advertising campaign this week to promote the Web site.
Recruiting expert David Slotwinski, a former chief of staff for the Army Recruiting Command, said the Navy's new tack is ingenious and unrivaled among the services.
A major benefit, he said, is that it creates transparency in the recruiting process.
Any promises recruiters make, for example, instantly can be cross-checked with other Navy families, which should discourage what's known in recruiting circles as "overselling" — promising more than the military can deliver.
Harnessing the energies of military moms has enormous potential, said Slotwinski, a retired Army colonel with a leadership-consulting firm in Olympia, Wash.
"What the Navy has done here is, they've built a huge recruiting network in the hinterlands of America simply by using the connectivity of the Internet.
"Those 5,000 mothers are going to tell 5,000 others, and they will go out and tell 5,000 more, and pretty soon you've got 25,000 moms out there spreading the Navy message. The Navy can't buy that kind of advertising.
"It's a great idea, and I believe it will be copied," Slotwinski said. "If I was still the chief of Army Recruiting Command, I would be asking, 'When are we going to do something like this, and how can we make it even better?'
"Actually, I'm surprised the Navy beat the Army to the go on this," he added.
The importance of reaching out to parents is more crucial now than in peacetime, Slotwinski said. Parents tend to become more involved with enlistment decisions when their offspring face the prospect of going to war, he said.
Recruiting expert David Segal agrees.
"In the past, parents were not much of an obstacle," said Segal, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, who has spent years studying military recruiting trends.
"Since the advent of the current wars, parents have been much more active in not letting recruiters through the front door or hanging up the phone when the recruiter calls," Segal said.
From a military standpoint, the NavyforMoms site is "a marvelous idea," he said.
That's true from a mom's standpoint, too, said Joan Brooks, 44, of Tucson's Northwest Side.
Her 19-year-old son, Bryan Siwick, a 2006 graduate of Flowing Wells High School, finished Navy boot camp in July and is training to become an air-and-sea rescuer.
"I have a lot of mixed feelings," Joan Brooks said of her son's decision to enlist in wartime. "It's one of those things that keeps you up at night sometimes."
To cope, she said she tries to focus on the positive — "the fact that I'm proud of him for serving his country" — and the kinship she has found with other Navy moms.
"I think the Web site is great," she said. "It's a support system that a lot of us need."

Thanks for the welcome!
Bruce

what did you change?

Very well written. Thank you.

Thanks for the Comment. I have spent most of my time on NSC. I know of n4m and heard about n4d. I hope I can learn more about what my Grandson is going through. Unfortuntly most of my comments will be very and no reference to my GS. He is in BUDs not and most of that is privite. Hope I can help some in generl terms.

Wht do you hear from the Evan on the cruise?

My mother in law is vice president of the local Blue Star Mothers, and she had indicated that there should be something out there on the internet for Dads. So, I had my wife check, and this is what we found. Thanks for your contribution that no doubt will help many. I will let my son know that he has a lot of support, and I hope that you can tell your son as well that we appreciate his service.

Hi EG,

Thank you for the great welcome message to NavyDads.com. I glad my daughter Kelly recommended this web site to me as it will keep us close during her new adventure. Her mom Peggy just enrolled at NavyMoms .com. Thank you for your support. ..Tom

Thank you for creating this wounderful site, I know it has made my dad happy. I hope I can be of some assistance to someone.

Thanks EG. My wife encouraged me to join the site, she is on Navymoms. This is a great idea, I must admit, I am not too swift on a computer but you have made this easy. If I can do this anyone can. I couldn't be more proud of Andrew's decision and can't wait to hear from him (a letter would do). I just hope he is as excited about the Navy now that he is in week 3 of BC as he was when he left. Thanks again, Dave

Glad to be here. I wasn't going to join, but after reading the Q&A and the tone of this site I decided it fit my personality a little better than the mom site. And I don't know how to explain it so as not to offend any moms that might read this!

Hello EG, you have done a good job setting up this site. I saw a commercial about navy moms on tv and I checked out the site. Later that night I just typed in NAVY dads and there you were so thank you.
Justin is on deployment now and as a parent you worry but as he said to me (Dad its my job , got some good marines with me) That is all I needed to hear. God knows Im proud of him and also all the other young men and women that is in the service. God bless them all !!! Thanks for your work again Sincerly Darwyn

Was'sup EG? Seems like things are growing nicely...sure would be nice to get some of the members we don't hear from involved again....

Am thinking about having some "I support NavyDads.com" tee-shirts made to wear around the area....a little publicity! Have a great day...and remember it's not only Holloween, but also Nevada Day (Oct. 31, 1864)! Paul

what I came up with was really very simple and to the point:

i am new to this site
my daughter katie left for boot monday
mom is still sad
this is a great resource
thank you all for the great info
corky
lake havasu city az

Paul, check it out man...Meagan got to "meet and greet" with a lot of "gold". Have added a few preliminary photos but check out her challenge coin and best of all. Admiral Rougheads personal medallion...way cool!!

sly little trick with the icon!! now I really don't have to hunt on my desktop for the navydads shortcut anymore!!

Hi Navy dads creator. Thanks for your reply and it was a big help. How is Evan now? So what job he should have wanted to take?

Say thank you to your son for serving this Country.

EG, thanks so much for the welcome, looking forward to learning for everyone here and sharing any information I think might be helpful.

EG,
Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll be in here off and on most every other day. I see the good that you are doing today, and trust me when I tell you that this will grow beyond your wildest imaginations.
Jim

Hi EG- hey I've been looking at the site main page and thinking (my lead people used to groan whenever I said "iIve been thinking...."). Was wondering about your thoughts about updating the look--- the gray on gray theme kinda looking a little dated....what are your thoughs about finding a good graphic for the sides...add something to the blank area with maybe a little non-distracting color...might have to move aways for the gray body one of these days as well, though I can't seem to find the suggestion. Also wondering about you're feel about fonts......I know that serif fonts were always considered a professional-look and the way to go, but I've seen a lot of stuff done in a sans serif theme and people have noted it's easier for the casual reader to scan...something about improving the ratio of non-print area to print area for a better balance.....

just some random thoughts for a evolutionary but minor design step. With the growth it just seems we're ready for some growth as well.....hey- and if there is anything I can do on my end that you need, let me know.

paul

it's a lot easier to do that what I feared..........still may have to play with the image as it still might be too intense and washes out some text...

Honestly - he really likes it. There are the downsides that anyone might imagine. There are upsides, though. Submariners are an incredibly tight group of men. Everyone on board knows everyone else's name. Everyone on board has regular contact with the officers and the captain. With only 130 or so men (on a fast attack sub) the "bench" isn't deep, so each person has more operational responsibility than they might have opportunity for on a surface ship.

There is, I believe, more opportunity for advancement - and excellent performance is more readily noticed. Combine that with the fact that anyone with less than excellent performance is helped to find another role in the Navy.... and you end up with a pretty highly motivated and skilled group. In most large groups of people there seem always to be some minority who are negative, slackers, etc... even in the military unfortunately. With a very small group of sailors whose lives very literally depend on each other every moment moral tends to be pretty high.

I can't remember if I posted it here or not, but I had the opportunity to go on a Tiger Cruise on Paul's boat. I was completely blown away. The closest thing I think I could compare it to are firefighters. As much as cops are highly trained, disciplined etc - they don't live.. eat and sleep together like firefighters do. And, firefighters usually do little alone... always as a finely tuned team.

Long answer - hope that helps! For what it's worth, if I could rewind my life - I'd love to be a submariner.

my phone is messed up, but I am fine. I think it might be the shuttle they just sent up. lol I really don't know, but I guess I will have to get another phone in the morning.... Love ya, goodnight!!

Good Morning, my phone is still not working, I have to go get another battery....

That is to funny, that Trey, surprised Dad didn't shoot anyway... Of course Mike is hunting with Michael, that way Dad has to keep Ross... lol Yes I am getting ready to go to phone store, but think all I need is a battery... But yes, thank you I will put it on your bill!!! Oh have you heard from Evan yet? I have not. I will call you when I get phone working again.

Hey Mr. E.G.! I was looking at all the groups that have started. It's awesome! If I reach out to a new bc mom, I always mention that there's a site for the Dad's too. Did you know there was a Navy Parents site? Have a great weekend.

It's a good video EG--- I was putting on my work shoes this AM at 04:00 watching......and thinking...I gotta get a life!! Keep making those things!!!

Thanks for your comments and for starting this site. We have a band of brothers and sisters and it is always great to see that we have a special bond that ties us together. I have made it a point to support the local Navy Recruiters in our community - they are doing a super job. Stop by and let them know you care and see what you can do to help them. Also, let the NRD CO AND MCPO know how the local recruiters are doing and that you are there to support them. I know they appreciate knowing who's out there. Also, recently had an opportunity to attend RTC graduation and I was impressed by the transformation of rag-tag recruites that report to recruit training and what ultimately comes out of the pipeline. We have the finest,best trained and best looking sailors in the world. We live in an increasing dangerous world and those that come after us to serve will do a super job of defending the Nation.

Good Morning,
I got an email from Andrew yesterday about the results of the E-4 exam. He passed, but was not advanced. The Navy calls this PNA (clever huh?). They most likely ran out of E-4 slots (Navy term billets) by the time they got to him. So he is eligible for the promotion but they have no place to put him.

Thank you for creating this. It is a great place to share news and exchange thoughts and ideas about our and our kids experiences

ok EG...repeat after me very slowly....VA---CA---TION. For someone supposed to be on the beach and getting away from it all I see internet activity................enjoying yourself I hope!! All is well in NavyDads land

Hope this link to Holiday greetings works !! CLICK IT

Thank you for having me onto this very imformative sight. This is all new for me and his mom, John not being here with us. But slowly, we are adjusting. he is our only son, and we were all close. But he worked hard in H. school, NJROTC, and got his AA deg. he has 30 cred. left for his BA in criminal justice, and intends in time, to finish it up in the navy.

Cora-Brooklyn'smom said that you were all enjoying the warmth of Pensacola. Hope you all are having a good time, and a happy Thanksgiving weekend. Have fun with the sailors. I don't think that my son can leave base, he just arrived there on Wednesday. Thanks for your support and help.

Forgot to mention the group thing...think I did that by accidient the other night and forgot to change it back....that is your choice, but seems to make sense this way!

Glad your holiday is going well and that you are getting the chance to meet-up with some of the sailors down there. Very quiet around here....put a beast on the bbq and gorged myself since there wan't anyone else around......ah- the single life.

Think Kat had a great time...went to a relative of her boyfriend and she said had a really good time. She puts out Monday for a two-week underway. Eric is really sick and having a tough time with medical finding out what is wrong....lungs and severe coughing. He didn't feel like eating Thanksgiving and don't think had anything that day. Hope he is getting that worked out...haven't heard anything for a couple of days now.

Enjoy the rest of your time at the beach....when you headed back to the real world?

Thank you Sir, it is my pleasure to give back to my shipmates. I hope all of us can learn new things together.

TCW

I made some quick links and threw them on the main page- with all the people we're getting now figured it was easier for a newbie to find someone that way if they had a question or comment about the site.

man...guess you can say "growth spurt".............

OK...I'm jealous.....was looking at Cora's photos and may have to start planning next years vacation (if I ever take one of those) now and fly to Florida............as a long term desert rat, I'd forgotten what sand and water look like....where'd you guys hide all the cactus?

Hello, thanks for the warm welcome. I live about 40 miles south of Hattiesburg or about 60 miles north of New Orleans, in Poplarville. My brother and I are coming up to Jackson this weekend to watch the high school football playoffs. Our team did not make it but we love to watch the high schools play, and while we are there we are going to try to find a good place to eat some barbecue. LOL. My son just went into boot camp he has been there for about a week and a half. I got his clothes and his mailing address Tuesday. I cannot wait to hear from him.

Thanks for the response. His Dentist wouldn't waive the bill if it was $5.00. I am working with my wife to see if a family member can pay them off and then we will pay them. Thanks for your help and I will keep you posted. Thanks again. Luis

E.G. Love the banner for Christmas. How's Evan? Haven't heard from Cindy.....or is this Cindy?! Hope you're all doing okay. I wish I was there instead of here...it's getting cold.

Glad to hear he's doing good...I'll wait for Cindy's call to hear more details! Griswold's house...hmmm wanna come to my house? There's nothing up yet, but will be before Morgan comes home. I would be thrilled beyond belief if Morgan met Evan. Ummm, why would Evan corrupt Morgan? I'm surprised you haven't told me I was trying to corrupt your wife by talking her into getting a Navy Mom tat! Don't you think we should?! I hope we can meet you and Cindy in San Diego sometime. We'll be there in May for Morgan's graduation. Tell that wife of yours I'll look forward to hearing from her but won't hold my breath since you live such a crazy life. It's a good thing she's younger than I am to keep up with it!

EG - Loving the Festive Banner!!! :) Awesome job, now if only my house looked that good for the holiday lol. I have a one foot tall Singing Christmas Tree this year. The Spirit hasn't hit me yet, hope it does because my girls deserve the Christmasy surroundings even if Mom isn't in the mood! Are you getting excited about Evan being home in a few weeks! Gosh that isn't too far away :). I am so excited you all will get to spend time with your son as you made possible for me! Wes actually said he may be able to see us for 3 days during the Christmas break, he will know more in a few days. Today he will be touching down on the base called Oceana in Virginia (Virginia Beach). I am nervous because he also said they aren't going to give him C-school, due to the bad economy I am guessing :(. Keep me updated on Evan and you all :). God Bless, Michele

Hi EG, thanks for the post on Airdales about Evan's cruise and return. On the return from my 2nd cruise to the Med, my dad and uncle met the ship in Bermuda and we enjoyed 3 days together as she sailed into Norfolk. At the pier they played the song "We're coming to America" and it brought tears to my eyes! Luke is almost graduated and is excited about orders to San Diego. Hopefully he'll get home for Christmas. Blessings, Kevin

thank you for the warm welcome. I am glad I can be on here to help.
The navy can be hard to "navigate" so any questions you might have I will be happy to answer. oh and GO NAVY BEAT army

Thank you EG

Thanks, EG, for the fast "welcome"!!! Do you know if there is any way to transfer my pics from (COPY, that is!) navyformoms to here, for all to see? Thanks!

Thank you for the welcome!

Thank You for your welcome--I am an RN--and I do worry about my son's emotional stability. My only son--and I have babied him..I know..lol But when he has trouble with his girl friend and if she would break up with him-I am afraid that will be too much for him to handle--since he his in the Navy and limited from her. Does the Navy provide my son with mild anti-depressant if he needs it--or thinking about hurting him self. My son has never said anything like that...But MOM ALWAYS THINKS ABOUT THE WHAT IFS!!! lol I don't know how the Navy handles this stuff...lol My son says he is fine and passing his A-School and grad. 1-09. But I worry about him---because he was never the person to talk about himself--and doesn't tell me his feelings that much. Is there someone around him--that would pick up on something--if something is wrong in his life???? Sorry for all these questions Thanks for listening to me.....Debby