Ginger's Page

Ginger,

I saw your question to Paul, but he's not on right now. 800 Divisions are for SEALS and Special Ops. He would have had to sign a contract for that and have a very high ASVAB score. Otherwise, he goes into a normal division. The Division numbers go in sequence as they fill.

There are occasions when a division may fill and a few unplaced recruits remain. Those "leftover" recruits will be placed as the first recruits for the following division. There are also times that a division is not quite filled with the normal 88 recruits and that division must wait for the next group arriving in Great Lakes to fill to division compliment. When a division is held waiting to fill the division with the next group of arriving recruits, they will placed in what is called a PUSH Division.
Because that division formed "late" it is composed of recruits arriving typically over two different weeks. Some of the recruits in that division will be at RTC for 7 1/2 weeks (8 Fridays) rather than the typical 8 1/2 weeks (9 Fridays) that most of the divisions in that TG (Training Group). To stay current with the projected PIR date for the TG, that division is "pushed" thru some accelerated training- hence the term PUSH division.
This may happen more often for those recruits arriving at the beginning of a week. Recruits who are unlucky enough to be held over may be placed in a TG for the following week. These recruits are at RTC 9 1/2 weeks (10 Fridays). That happens more frequently for recruits arriving at the end of the week. This happens more around holidays or when there is a week without a PIR. Weather or severe storms may result in extra recruits being shipped to RTC when others are delayed. This may also occur if a large number of recruits are shipped to RTC in the summer and early fall due to enlistments that happen during a high school student's senior year.

A division starts with 88 recruits who live and train together. It's important to note the division number as it is part of the mailing address for your sailor. Recruits graduate (PIR) as divisions and you will use that number to help find your sailor at PIR. There are three sequences of divisions number at RTC: 800-series divisions are the divisions for the special warfare candidates, and include SEAL candidates, SWCC, and several other classifications. 900-series divisions are the performance divisions, and includes three types: the Band/Bluejacket Choir/Drill team, otherwise known as "Triple Threat" (the musicians, singers, and drill team), the "Sticks" (those who carry the state flags), and the Ship Staff/Honor Guard. All other divisions numerically start at 001 at the beginning of the fiscal year and are numerically consecutive until the next fiscal year starts. Thus division 001 is placed in TG 01. Division 801 is the first 800 Division and Division 901 is the first 900 division and they continue with consecutive numbers as well until the next fiscal year as do the lower number divisions.
Each division, except the 800-series and 900-series divisions (unless there are 2 of them in a TG), train with a "Brother Division". Brother Divisions are two consecutive divisions beginning with an odd number (001-002 or 231-232 for example).

When a group of new Recruits arrives at the RTC, they go through a simple sorting provess - those with a Musician (MU) rating and those with music or flag/drill experience are assigned to a 900 division (if those are needed) and those going into Special Ops are sent to the 800 division. There are usually only 25 or fewer 800 divisions a year, so not every TG will have one, but some TG's have one or two 800 divisions. The remaining recruits are generally assigned randomly, mostly as they arrive, to additional divisions. Generally a TG has 10 or fewer divisions currently. Seldom are more than four divisions filled on a particular day. In that case, recruits with similar ratings will end up in the same TG, but not necessarily in the same division. Once one division is full, they start filling another, so divisions often end up with groups of recruits from only a few areas. The Recruits' ratings do not influence which division they will be placed in except for those placed in an 800- or a 900-series division. Females are placed in integrated divisions, containing both males and females, or in an all female division. Males are placed in either an integrated or all male division depending on the sort as they arrive. 800-series divisions are all male most of the year, but can also be integrated divisions at times when there are female candidates for AIRR and/or EOD.

Welcome to NavyDads.com Ginger ! 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 USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), was attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 (HSM-37) in Hawaii, was attached to VAW-125, and just transfered to VRC-40 ("Rawhides"). My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist(MC3). If NavyDads.com were around in those early days, it would have made my first days 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. Click How To Get Started for a guide on getting going in your NavyDads.com experience! 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 Ginger this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how your son 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 Key Information. 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 Jaret 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 and as PIR nears be sure to spend time in the PIR group for hints and helps!

Best Regards- Paul

Hi Ginger.....Welcome to Navy Dads! We have all felt the anxiety that you are presently feeling! The best solution is to learn as much as you can about what Jaret will be doing. Join our Boot camp group and share the videos with your Son. You can see exactly what RTC is all about. You will have lots of questions in the coming weeks....We will help get you through Basic and onto PIR!!!The reward is well worth the journey! I wish Jaret the best of luck!