Welcome, Richard Joiner!

Profile Information

Your Sailor's First Name (Please Do Not Post SEAL Names): Brandon

What Is Or Will Be Your Sailor's Rating (Job Classification) - ex. ABE, AM, GM, etc: Nuke

Describe A Little About Yourself (your IP address/location will be checked::: 53 year old Captain in the East Point police department, East Point, GA (metro Atlanta). My son is my only child and being a single father, has been my inspiration and what has kept me going to take care of him and guide him for his life lessons. I was proud with him graduating college and his choice to join the Naval Nuclear program really has made me proud of him.

What Brought You To This Site:: My son is recently enlisted (before PIR), My Sailor is currently attending the Naval Academy

What Were Your Feelings When Your Sailor Joined The Navy:: I was at first surprised of his choice, for he was never a problem growing up, but he also liked making his own choices. To join and organization such as the Navy where he is structured in a way he is not completely familiar with is what has surprised me the most. I am extremely proud of him. My father was retired Army (E8) and my son looked up to his grandfather and sorely misses him since his passing in 2012.

What Is Your Relationship With Your Sailor: Dad

Please Share: How Did You Find Us?: I posted in a FaceBook group which is made up of current and past veterans and police a question about the Great Lakes base, and more about getting a local hotel for graduation. One of the people in the group directed me to this site.

Comment Wall (7 comments)

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At 8:58am on February 5, 2017, Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom said…: I see that Paul has already posted the Lodging Guide link to our PIR group for you. I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott when I went. Many like the Navy Lodge. Read through the thread for lots of great reviews. The base is about an hour's drive from Downtown Chicago. Look around the Waukegan/Gurnee area.....

At 7:18am on February 5, 2017, NavyDads CoAdmin Jim Gramza said…: Okay! Very well!

At 9:27pm on February 4, 2017, NavyDads CoAdmin Jim Gramza said…: Welcome aboard to NavyDads.com Richard! 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. What I found out was that he had made the most mature decision of his life! I found lots of answers to my questions right here on NavyDads.com.

My son Stephen was an AWO2 in the P-3 community. However, after 6 years of service, he was medically discharged in July of 2014. We are proud of our son and his service to our country.

Join us on Facebook as well!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/66599528175/

Once again, welcome to our site and I hope you enjoy your stay here. GO NAVY! HOOYAH!

Best Regards- Jim

At 9:26pm on February 4, 2017, NavyDads CoAdmin Jim Gramza said…: Richard, your son is at Annapolis?

At 8:35pm on February 4, 2017, NavyDads Admin (Paul) said…: http://navydads.ning.com/group/pirtipshintsandhelps/forum/topics/great-lakes-lodging-guide

At 10:12am on February 4, 2017, Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom said…: Richard...Welcome to Navy Dads! Thank you for your Public Service and wearing the Blue! It sounds like you have raised a fine young man with a good head on his shoulders. He will bring this to the Navy as his career unfolds. His future is bright and filled with opportunities. We all share your pride and wish him the best in his endeavors!

At 10:12am on February 4, 2017, NavyDads Admin (Paul) said…: Welcome to NavyDads.com Richard! 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, and is now attached to VAW-125 ("The Tigertails") and is stationed at Iwakuni, Japan. 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 Richard this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how your son Brandon 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.

Best Regards- Paul

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