Welcome to NavyDads.com Jim! When my daughter enlisted in 2005 and left for RTC, I had virtually no knowledge of Navy life or how the Navy did things. By the time her PIR rolled around, I was starting to get the hang of things and understand some of the language and abbreviations, but still felt like a fish out of water when dealing with most topics concerning the US Navy. When my son enlisted and left for Great Lakes in 2007, I got serious about trying to learn as much as possible about the Navy. Now, several years into my journey, I’m blessed to say I have two sailors in the family - my son Eric (AM2) was on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and recently reported to Helicopter Squadron Light-37 (HSL-37) in Hawaii after re-enlisting last year. My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist and is currently using her GI benefits to go to school. If NavyDads.com were around in those early days, it would have made my journey as a Navy parent much easier!

I'm sure you'll find NavyDads.com as useful, educational and informative as I have over the past few years. I hope you take the time to explore the site and make some new friends. Read the discussions and add your comments. Browse through the postings in the various groups or start a new one. If you have any comments, questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...be sure to post them! In my experience someone here can answer your questions or concerns or can point you in the direction to find out. And Jim this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how Axel is doing! Please remember that we talk about the Navy here and we must keep the security and safety of our sailors and the fleet in mind. On the right or starboard side of every NavyDads page is an area we call About This Site. Please take a minute and read through the Operations Security (OPSEC) link for some guidelines as to what we should not talk about in a public forum like NavyDads.com.

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. In the Navy Bootcamp group is a discussion called A MUST READ for all New Navy Parents. Read through this post as it will do a lot to give you some understanding about what your sailor is learning and why. And be sure to check out the videos available in the Bootcamp Group as well.

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.

Play the following video for a brief introduction to NavyDads.com. We've made some cosmetic changes to the site since this video was made, but navigation remains the same.

Best Regards- Paul

Jim, Welcome to NavyDads. My Grandson joined the Navy and went to Boot Camp in February, 2008. When I joined this site I knew nothing about the Military. It’s really helped me understand what to expect and has relieved some of my worries.

Be sure to check out our Groups. We have several Groups for PIR and Boot Camp, plus Groups for the different Rates like Navy Nukes, Master at Arms and Special Ops. Also Group for different Ships and Bases. Check to see if your State or area has a Group already formed to locate others in your area. There are general interest Groups like: Care Packages,
A School for Dads, NASCAR for NavyDads and the book of acronyms and ranks. We’ve also added a Spanish language Group.

Also check us out on Facebook just search for Navy Dads.

We are a big family here and you can find answers to most any question or concern regarding what’s in store for your recruit. You will find members that are new to the Navy along with those who have Loved Ones who’ve made the Navy a career. We like to hear about your recruit; the good times, the concerns, and we welcome questions. I think you will find our members are a big family and everyone wants to help others understand what to expect and hear about the progress of your recruit.

Please feel free to ask questions.

I would also like to Thank You for your Service.

Again Welcome and keep us updated on your recruit.

HooYah US Navy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim, thank you for the Friends Request. I am glad you found and joined NavyDads and hope we can help with any questions or concerns you might have. If you have problems navigating the site or finding answers to your concerns or question let me know and I will help anyway I can. I think you will find our members very helpful.

Please keep us informed as to how you Sailor is doing.

Welcome aboard Jim.
I would like to take this time to point you in some of the right directions. For starters if you haven't had the time take a look at the right side of any page you click on. There you will find some useful information for you. The links under the about this site will help you with how this site got started, navigation, PIR, About us, community guidelines and some links to some of the groups that beginners with a lot of questions will find very useful. There is also a link called Navy Enlisted Ratings, this link will take you to a brief description of the rates (jobs) in the Navy that you can find your sailors rate and find out some information about the rate that they are in.
First and foremost though we are all here for the same reason. We are curious about what our young sailors are getting into and for more information about the rate or job that they will be doing for the next 4-6 yrs of their lives. I know when I first got here I had lots of questions and there was not a lot of people on this site but they all were either going through the same thing or had been through it and had sailors out in the fleet. Now this site has grown to over 4000 members, Dads, Moms, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, sisters, brothers, girlfriends and boyfriends. Don't be afraid to ask questions of members in here because somewhere along the way we have all had the same questions and asked. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site with various years of experience in the NAVY either on their own account or through their Sailors.
Again welcome aboard and BRAVO ZULU to you and your son Axel on his enlistment and please thank him for me for making the choice to defend the freedoms that my family, this country and I have and enjoy.
Navy dads Co-admin Tim

from the intro to our Toger Cruise group:

Some of us are lucky and have either been on a Tiger/Family Day Cruise, are in the planning stages for one, or are hoping to sail with their sailor when they return from deployment. Share your hints and experiences here--- but remember that posting port dates and many details about upcoming events can pose a security risk....so use your good judgment about what you post here!

Jim,

I'll give you the short version of what a Tiger Cruise is and a link to our Tiger Cruise Group for more info.

When your Sailor is deployed overseas, at the end of their deployment the Navy offers their family the opportunity to experience a Tiger Cruise with them. Meaning, you get the chance to ride the ship back with your child when the ship is finally headed back to it's homeport. You will eat and sleep amongst the Sailor's during the length of the Tiger Cruise.

Example: My son was aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. When the Reagan would finish up it's deployment, it would make it's final port in Pearl Harbor. Parents and family members had the chance to fly to Pearl Harbor to catch the Tiger Cruise home, meaning they would ride the ship back with their Sailor for 7 days until it reached it's homeport in San Diego, Ca. It gives parents the opportunity to get a glimpse of what Navy life is like for their Sailor while deployed.

Jim, click this link EN-Engineman it will take you to Navy Enlisted Ratings page and that Rate.

Jim, the shirts should ship tomorrow morning.

faith bro....the eight weeks at RTC goes by much faster than you think it will

Just you wait. It's hard to describe how proud a feeling when that door opens and your son/daughter marches in! I'll never forget that moment. 

check on page 3 of the Lodging Guide for a chart with prices: http://www.navydads.com/group/pirtipshintsandhelps/forum/topics/gre...