Robert, Welcome Aboard!

My son is an ABE aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego, Ca. and my family and I couldn't be prouder of him. When he first enlisted I found NavyForMoms in searching for answers to my son's future. I just knew their had to be a site for dads like n4m's but I was wrong. So I started this site so us dads would also have a place to call home. I'm new at this and I hope this site will benefit fathers that come behind us. So jump right in share concerns, join groups, share info, and show off your Sailor. I'm so glad to find out their are so many proud Navy Dads just like myself. I hope this site benefits you and your family throughout your sons journey in the Navy. Thank Travis for his service for me and thanks again for joining us.

Sincerely, EG

Hi Robert,

My son, Chris is on Ship 14, Div 303 and I am familiar with the situation of not hearing from your son. I am not sure if you have seen the videos on Boot Camp but they keep the recruits very, very busy when they are there. I think Chris is in his 5th week and we have received about 4 letters. It isn't that he doesn't want to write - its just that they have so much going on. Also, the mail is much slower than normal mail because it has to go through the military system.

Try to be patient and keep writing to him. I think you will be getting some mail in the very near future.

George Robertson

Welcome to NavyDads Robert! I'm sure you'll find the site as fun and useful as I have. Explore and make some friends, add your comments to a discussion or two, read the postings in the various groups-- even start one or two. I have! If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...ask! I'm sure someone here will have the answer or can point you in the right direction to find out. I'm lucky enough to have two sailors- my son Eric just returned from a seven-month cruise on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and my daughter Kat returned last fall from a seven-month cruise on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). And Robert this is a great place to brag about your sailor as well! So join in and let us know how Travis is doing!

As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son is going through. Thanks to one of our members we have two excellent videos that you can access from the Video area on the NavyDads.com main page: New Bootcamp 1 of 2 and New Bootcamp 2 of 2. These videos will answer many of your questions and concerns and will give you a better understanding of how the United States Navy transforms our children into sailors!

Be sure to spend some time in the Bootcamp group- there are many questions and answers available to help you understand what your sailor is going through. And as PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable. And stop by the NavyDads offical store- Navyoutfitters.com. Show your support for NavyDads by wearing the latest in NavyDads attire. Best Regards- Paul

Robert- the first 3 weeks are the tough ones.....you're almost through with the bootcamp days when you stop to think about it. The old saying about "no news is good news" holds very true...your son is very busy right now, but there will be a change soon in the training schedule and you should get a letter or two over the next two weeks.....keep on wrtiting as PIR is getting closer and closer.

Hi Robert -
I think that this is probably the best way to do that - through Navy Dad's (or Navy Mom's ... you don't necessarily have to be a mom to get on that site). I am sure that Travis will write as soon as he can. My son, Chris seems to really like the Navy thus far and was "promoted" to Port Watch about 2 weeks ago. He is getting very little sleep so his time is even more precious (and he has even less time to write). We are the same though - every day I come home from work and ask if we have a letter from Chris. It is really hard during this period but we are getting close to his graduation (September 3), so I am really looking forward to that. My 16 year old som and I will be headed to Great Lakes for that!
Please let us know when you get your first letter - in the mean time, I will be thinking of you and Travis.
Best wishes,
George

Robert-- be sure to spend a lot of time reading the past posts in the PIR - Tips and Hints Group for ideas and suggestions. There is also a lot of discussion at various posts in the Bootcamp group, though not so much as the PIR group.

Also go through these posts in this discussion...in particular Larry's last post as you'll get an idea about leters and early bootcamp days for your son.

Hello Robert,
Sam is going to A-school for IT training after BC. His first letter made it seem like DIV 321 was having a lot of trouble working together, getting along or staying out of trouble. I think this is somewhat normal. His last communication stated that it is getting better in those regards, however, he did mention getting yelled at a LOT. Looking forward to seeing everyone.
Doug

Hi Larry,
So glad that you heard from Travis. It's so hard to go back to old-school communication in this age of texting and cell phones, especially when they are away for something like this.
Good Luck, hope to see you in Great Lakes.

Just wanted to say congrats on your sailor to be.... The next few wks will go by pretty fast... & PIR is an event you will never forget... My Sailor is now in the fleet... He's been in Japan 2 yrs & he's on his second ship... He loves it there & having a great time....