V. Michael Roberson's Page

ship 2 address should be:

Proper mailing addresses for Recruits are:

SR LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, MI
SHIP XXX DIV XXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
GREAT LAKES IL 60088-XXXX

Ship 2
3600 Ohio Street
Great Lakes, IL
60088

i did get that phone call.it was a diffrent voice then what i herd before she got there lol.this morning i actuly received her box of stuff she had with her .cloths ,shoes and stuff.looking foreward to meeting some of the family at the graduation when ever that is.thanks for the warm welcome and friendship

Sorry for the delay! My family has had a busy spring with weddings graduations and the like.

Welcome to the NavyDads.com family, and the MA family. Coincidentally your recruit hits RDC on my and my wife's 25th anniversary!

My son is starting his second year of his deployment to NavSta Norfolk, so I hope to be a help to you with answers as the year unfolds. He just received an advancement to Petty Officer 3rd Class.

Bravo zulu to your daughter, and keep a stiff upper lip dad! I know I didn't! But we're all here for you!

Michael,

We have more in common than you realize. My daughter has a degree in Criminal Justice and wants to be a Police Officer but after graduation every position that she applied for she made it to the final step only to be beaten out by former military people.  She decided that if she was to get a job as a Police Officer that she had to join the military.  There was only one snag, she tested too high for MA and ended up AT.  She presently is in San Diego working on helicopters in a brand new squadron.

Anyway, let start by saying that you will have it much easier with your daughter going through BC during the summer.  It was very difficult for my wife and I not having any contact with our daughter over Christmas last year. Our daughter started BC on Dec 14th.  I'm not saying it won't be tough the first few weeks, but at least you won't have to go through Christmas without your daughter right after she leaves.  We were so depressed, we didn't even have a tree last year.  This year will be different as she gets to come home for 10 days over Christmas!  Oh, and she LOVES San Diego!  Luckily, her squadron is a brand new squadron that has been attached to the Carl Vinson but will not be deployed for at least two years so unless some drastic changes, she should ride out her first enlistment in San Diego!

As far as PIR goes, I'm not sure how far you are from Great Lakes so I can't really comment on the flying versus driving.  That is to each there own.  We live about 3 hours from Great Lakes so we drove.  We stayed at the Residence Inn in Waukegan, IL.  It was close, reasonably priced and very nice.  We used the shuttle to get to PIR.  We were there early and had a nice visit with some of the other parents while we waited for the ceremony to start!  I definitely recommend getting there as early as possible otherwise you will end up sitting in the upper level and I'm not sure if you would be able to pick your recruit out from up there.  If you get there early enough, you will be able to sit in an area designated by division directly across from where they will be sitting!  Needless to say, which ever way you decide to go between driving or flying, be sure to make your room reservations as early as possible!

Hello, well my son just finished up MA school and was able to pick San Diego. He said that you pick whats available. The Job for dogs is MWD and they only give your class orders for it if you volunteer, but not guarenteed to get it...The higher in class the first picks go to them of whats available.

Welcome aboard Michael.
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 daughter Lyndsay on her enlistment and please thank her 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

Greetings V. Michael! My son recently joined the Navy and I really had no idea or a clue on what he’s about to partake in besides what I’ve seen on tv and some stories told by friends and relatives. I am honored and very proud of his decision to serve our country.

I’ve perused recruiter literature from DEP and beyond but I felt that I needed more information to keep me from worrying too much. I also wanted to hear from real folks on what their experiences were like and what they've gone through. That's when I found this website while searching for answers.

I hope you too will find NavyDads.Com useful with lots of real shared information. Our family extends our warmest thanks to your daughter Lyndsay for her service.

Welcome aboard...