Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm sure I'll have several questions as he gets closer to his ship date of 9/1. Thanks again!

Thanks so much Jim. I am sure he made a great decision. I am very proud of him and really hope it's a good fit for him. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Thanks for the welcome , Jim!

Our son has wanted to be an electrician since Jr. High. When it became apparent that the IBEW was not going to accept applications for 2021 he asked how he was going to get training and have job security. "Job security" from an 18yo?!

Then he discovered the SeaBees. When that was not likely to happen because there were no open positions for the CE ratings, he opted for AE/CF in the "regular" Navy. 

We are very proud of this young man. He is very excited and clearly walks prouder since enlisting. He ships out this November.

Go Navy!

Allan

Thank you for the add to this great resource. As of right now it's T-minus 3 1/2 days until I take him up to the hotel and then his flight out to RTC is on Thursday. So many emotions for sure, I appreciate the resources this site and the Facebook group offers. I hope to learn from all of you. My dad was 22 years active in the Navy on Heavy Cruisers and Submarines, but I was just born about 2 years before he retired. Im definitely excited for my son, although the reality is starting to hit him here leading up to it and he's definitely nervous because of the unknown aspect. I have full confidence in him; hopefully his RTC experience will help him gain some of that confidence for himself too. 

Thank you for the warm welcome Jim. Our son left for bootcamp early Sept of last year.  Is now in Goose Cr, SC.   Just wanting to Try to understand what he is going through.  Though no visits because of Covid, have sensed a big, positive change in him on our periodic phone chats.  Thanks for making this group.

Eliot

Thank you for welcoming me .. I have a lot to learn and I'm eager to do so.  

Thank you for the welcome message, Jim.

My son has his orders to A-School but he is in a THU in Ship 7 (still at RTC) waiting for travel.

He has his cell phone, but it is not working.  He can text but not talk.  (Texts are better than nothing! :)

I need to look around the site to see what all is here.

Thanks again,

Peter Timewell

Thank you for the add Jim, Definitely proud of him but I have to admit This is his first time away from how and he is struggling a little, which makes it a little rough on us. Hes strong though so Im sure he will do fine, Got our first letter from him Saturday, but damn post office put the stamp over the zip code so cant read the last 4 numbers, and of course no official letter ever arrived, but we will call the recruiter tomorrow to get it figured out. Once again Thanks for adding me There seems to be a wealth of information here.

I haven't been on this site since joining as my wife gets the support she needs from Navy Moms. Our son, Gregory, went thru 2 yrs of extensive training in the nuclear protocol. He was home on leave last week and has been assigned duty on the Eisenhower for eventual deployment sometime and somewhere. He plans to reenlist when the ship sails.

For the other dads here whose children are also sailing somewhere, have them create an email address when they get on board. That way there will be communication between you when they're allowed to do so. Cell phones are not allowed to be used. 

Thank you for adding me, a proud Navy Mom! For full disclosure, I joined Navy Moms San Diego too ;)) I don’t want to miss anything! Are there any SWCC parents on board? 

Hi Jim, thank you for writing.

I heard from Paul earlier, and he gave me a couple of links to look around the site with.

I'm still waiting to hear from my daughter, she arrived at RTC on December 2 and I received the 30 second phone call, but have not heard anything since. I've heard the "no news is good news" several times, but a Dad is always going to worry about his daughter.

Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

Marc

Thank you Jim.  I appreciate what you do to keep this site up.

Thank you for the welcome! As we venture into a new chapter for Logan we feel any resources such as this platform will be very useful. Just an FYI Logan has gone through MEPS and is to report to boot camp Feb 15th or March 1st. So proud and excited for him and the opportunity to be apart of the NAVY!

Thank you

Phol

Thank you sir. My son is an SNA stationed in Kingsville training to fly F/A-18s. He is on schedule to wing in April.

thank you Jim ... very much appreciate the work you put into the site ... 

Thanks for your comments .  If USPS is the only way to send mail,   how do I learn his address?

Mark Garratt 

Thank you for your message.  I am not sure if he signed the HIPPA but I will certainly find out.  I know that he does not plan on trying again and just wants home for good.  

Thank you guys. I couldn't be prouder of my son than I am now. I just got to speak to him for the first time since he started because his unit pulled a great inspection score and was rewarded with a phone call they thought they had lost. I can hear the struggle in his voice and I wish I could share it with him, but this is his time. I wish covid hadn't spoiled the graduation service, but we'll see him soon enough in A school after boot camp is behind him and he's working to be a nuke. Adversity breeds strength and I can already see that strength growing in him. So glad to be a part of this community that I never really expected to be.

Thanks Jim. 

Thanks for the welcome.  Thus us all new, but I am looking forward to finding out all I can.  My son is in boot camp now.  He has been assigned a division and ship.  If his ship is stationed at a particular port, should I assume that he will stationed there after A school? Just curious what the normal process is. He will be an AE.

Again, thanks for the welcome as we begin this journey.

Mike

That makes complete sense! Thanks for clearing that up!!!

Mike

Thank you. Looking forward to learning more about  the Navy and what my son is doing. 

Thank you for your efforts in this site and Facebook. 

Phil

asking a i dont know question if you are put in a div. like 905 is that a special div 

Jim, thank you so much for having me and for this great website.  There's a ton of helpful and supportive information here that I'm soaking in little by little. We're happy to support your work here in any way. Terry

Thanks Jim,

You have a lot going on here and on facebook. Thanks for all you're doing. I appreciate that there is a place to go to communicate.

Smiddy

Thank you all for having me.

I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to become a member of your group and I the kind words that put me at ease.  I also wanted to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.   

Thanks Jim!

Thank you so much for such a warm welcome! I absolutely understand the pride you feel for your son. We have no prior military background before our son enlisted as well. And we agree that it was a life-altering, amazing decision that he made. We are so proud. Thank you for accepting me into your group. 

Thank you for your son's service. My son graduates from boot camp on April 1, 2022; the wife and I are excited and proud of him.

Thank you for allowing me to join. I have read so much in just the last 24 hours, and it answered a lot of my questions just reading on this site. 

Go Nav!!!!

Thank you for the warm welcome Jim

Thank you I appreciate that Jim when my son enlisted I was happy cuz there was nothing out here for him in our region northeastern Pennsylvania and he has great knowledge of computers he did his first four years on the USS Lake Erie and he was on the ship when they shut down the satellite enter in space he said it was the best bullet he ever shot LOL I hope to have a good experience on this site can you definitely have started off right for me

Yes that was something wasn't it and they were spot right on they hit that right on the nail head he said the Seas could be 15 ft high and that ship doesn't move but when that missile comes out of the ship the whole thing vibrates violently Like An Earthquake

Thanks Jim, Funny story... my son received a letter last week from his 8th Grade self addressed to his graduating Senior self. In it he challenges himself to follow through with his commitment to joining the Navy. Pretty special to see that at 14 years old he was already focused on the Navy and serving our country.

Military service skipped our generation, but my wife and I are so proud of him.

Best - Bob

Thanks Jim! My family isn't from a military background besides my grandfather's and an uncle. So basically going in blind. He left for boot camp June 16th. Have found alot of useful information on the site so far. 

@Jim, Happy Father's Day as well!

Thank you Jim, looking forward to learning from your website, I’m not a veteran, but real proud of my son as he begins his Naval service.

"Welcome aboard to NavyDads.com Chris! When my son first enlisted, I was a little scared and worried for him. Not coming from a military family at all, I had no idea what to expect"

Thank you for approving my membership to NavyDads.

My daughter is in active duty and somewhere in the South China Sea( as what you said, no idea what to expect and always no info what the mission and always I am  the last to know)

"I was a little scared and worried for him."-- that a little bit underrated--- I am always scared, worried, sleepless nites and anxiety.

Oh well, I guess I have to get use to it!!

Thanks and have a good day-Chris

Thanks for the warm welcome Jim.  My son just started OCS school in Newport this week.  We are trying to figure out what his class number he is in so we can write him a few letters while he is in OCS.

Pat

Thank you for the add! My son just left on Tue morning for RTC and there's some adjustment taking place in my life with the hole he's left. Super proud of him but miss him dearly. I was Navy from 1995-2001 and although I didn't "force his hand" towards the Navy, I'm really glad he chose that route; will make it easier to understand and swap sea stories!

Thanks Jim! I'm on the FB group. Connor leaves on Monday for RTC. Excited to see where it takes him. Go Navy (except when they play Army lol)

My son is in his first week of OCS and his class will run into X-Mass and New Year so it is possible for his 13 weeks to be 15. Don't know what his class number is yet.

Thanks Jim glad you have this board 

Thank you Jim, for considering my request to join. My Grandson is very excited to start the OCS training and will fly out tomorrow 01/19/2023 Class 09-23. 

Thank you very much Jim.

Receiving  letters from our son has given us pride for all the young men and women that have sacrificed and dedicated their livelihood to serve and defend. 

Thank you for the warm welcome, Jim.  Looking forward to connecting with those who understand what we will be going through as our son embarks on his Navy journey starting with OCS and who can help answer questions we have or provide advice. We are very proud of our son for taking this big step, but both he and we approach this major change and step into the unknown with some trepidation! 

Thanks for the warm welcome. My son has his PIR next Thursday November 9. Looking forward to seeing him and see the man he is becoming! Can't wait for this new journey to begin. 

thanks for the welcome message, Jim. That is what I am hoping to get out of this site...answers to questions, advice, and support. My son hasn't been in boot camp a week yet and the post on When is PIR and What is Their Mailing Address has already helped. I know now that I have to wait for his first form letter with Ship/Div assignment and address.

I am excited and nervous, but certainly proud of him for taking on this responsibility. It is the start of an incredible journey for him!

Thank you Jim!  I appreciate the time and effort you and the team put into keeping military parents informed.  My husband spent 10 years in the Navy.  I retired after 26 years with the AF, and am still an AF civilian employee.  So we both know that your work here to keep families informed goes a long way!

Hello and thank you for the welcome. 

This site has already been a huge help for me. I have been using its content to clarify many of the gaps in my knowledge while writing about my family's experience with RTC, PIR, and the early days of our daughter's service. I am adding this page as a resource for my readers, and acknowledgement to my book (I hope this is ok).

My book is almost finished. I am only working on some final information and resources. When I get closer to wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, I would be honored if you and any other admins would be willing to accept free copies of the book and provide any feedback or insight before publication. While I have my daughter and several other resources helping me to ensure accuracy, the more eyes on it the better.

Also, what are the policies on me adding this site and the facebook in the book, on my webpage, and in my facebook pages?

Thanks again for welcoming me. Furthermore, thank you for creating and maintaining such a wonderful resource for parents. This is an amazing site, and I am glad to be a part of it.

Regards,

Ruel Knudson