Robert S.'s Comments

Robert,
Just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a wish that all is well with you and your family. We did get a call from Eric yesterday and were able to converse for nearly a half hour. He said that the food is pretty good and they haven't been doing much but standing around a lot and being bored. I can't remember ever being bored in bootcamp. Other than that, he said that it's been fun. He said that it's kind of like "deer camp"...LOL!!! He said that he's going to try to call again today if he is able too. Please take care and again, Merry Christmas.
Bob

Hey, that's great for you guys!!! I'm so glad that you were able to hear from him. I'm also glad to know that the food is good and that the division is good. My parents just received a letter from Eric, so they are happy too. I really feel for those kids...right now the temp is 4 above zero with a wind chill of -7. We're supposed to get an other 8 inches of snow between today and tomorrow. That makes for great driving after my wife gets off from work today. It's a 6 hour drive up to our cabin and it's rather isolated. No cell coverage nor internet. We can see Canada across the river from where our cabin is. Very nice, but very rustic. Wow, I'd forgotten that the Falcons had started out that poorly, that's a great turn-around! I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so up there everyone roots for the Packers, we tease these Lower Peninsula people about the pitiful Lions. It's been a great year for that;) If you get any more info from Rob, please let us know, we'll do the same for you.

Bob

You are correct, you'll probably get your graduation packet on Monday or Tuesday. As I'd mentioned, there was no letter or anything personal about it, it was just a form letter. I'm hoping that today was a more kick backed day for them and that they had a bit of time to write. I remember when I was in Bootcamp, as the weeks passed, we had more time to write home. The first 3-4 weeks were a complete blur. I agree with you too in the fact that sometimes no news is good news. I certainly hope that the boys are staying warm, a few minutes ago, I checked the temp outside and it was 3 above zero and the wind is blowing steady out of the NW at around 30-40mph. Dadgummed cold!!! I wrote Eric a letter today to let him know that there are only 39 days left until PIR, I hope that he gets it before Christmas. I'm hoping that he gets some time to call on Christmas day, he'll have to call us at our cottage, we are heading up there after his mom gets off of work on the 23rd. It's a 6 hour drive up there and it's going to be chilly. Our cell phones don't work up there because it's out in the boonies and the cell coverage is horrible. I'm going to run, have a great evening and we'll keep our fingers crossed for you that you get a letter or two tomorrow.

Bob

Hey, we just wanted to share that today we'd received Eric's graduation packet. There was no letter or notes from him, just PIR information, a parking pass, and a flyer about MWR(Morale, Welfare and Recreation). As I'd mentioned, we are only about 3 hours away from Great Lakes so I'm sure that the mail gets here rather quickly. You too should be receiving yours soon.

Thank you very much for being willing to share info when your son gets a letter to you. Any news of any kind is greatly appreciated. Can you believe it, we've got another huge snowstorm coming! They seem to lining up and just blasting through on us. I'm sure that boys are starting to hate the weather:) A good friend of mine is the TE coach at UGA. Dave's been there for quite a while now and the last time that I talked to him, he said that he absolutely loves it there. Yeah, Eric is a true football fan, more into college than NFL, but any football is better than none. Yes, I still do coach and look to probably die on the sidelines. The school that I coach at and that Eric played for has quite a rich tradition in athletics. We've got quite a few players who are playing at the next levels and we seem to reload each year. With Eric going to bootcamp, I've never feared his ability to excel in the physical nor mental part of Navy, however his study habits scare me a bit. He's never been one to excel in the classroom. Maybe the Navy will spark that in him, at least I pray that it does:)

Not a problem, I'm glad that I could share. If you hear anything, please let us know. Yes, I'm sure that your son will have a lot to share about our wonderful weather. It's nigh approaching the first day of winter and I'm already getting sick of the white crap:) This storm that we'd had last night left nearly a foot of snow on the ground, but it has warmed up to 27 degrees...woohoo! I meant to ask if you were a Tech fan or a Bulldog fan. One of Eric's classmates, who plays for Michigan State will be playing against the Bulldogs in the bowl game. I have coached football for 20 years, a few of those at the collegiate level, this will be Eric's first year without being able to watch all of the bowl games. That may be rougher on him than being away for Christmas:)

Hey Robert, that is great that our sons are in the same Division. My wife has found 3 other moms who have sons in Divisin 080, besides our 2. They actually have a PIR group for 1/30/08. We live about 3 hours from Great Lakes, just across Lake Michigan from there. That may be the reason that we just received our first letter. The letter was very, very short. Eric mentioned that they had just finished their Class III swim Quals and that things are going well. He said that it seems to be a very good division and the guys are starting to gel as time progresses. He said that they've had enough marching in the snow and cold. He did mention that their time is rather limited and that he'd write again as soon he had time. We received it on Wednesday so we assume that he wrote it on Sunday and mailed it out on Monday. You should be getting yours very soon. My wife has been stalking the mailman almost everyday, looking for mail from Eric. I told her to relax and that the mail from bootcamp may be far and few between. We will keep our fingers crossed for you. Right now we are getting drilled by a real nice snowstorm so I'm sure that the boys are enjoying themselves over there:)

Robert you're welcome. I know about the looking in the window. I did that when I found navyformoms when my son was in boot camp. I would just watch the post until the day came where I knew a lot of the answers to the moms questions in my sons divisions group. I had to join and share the info I knew. In turn it has greatly helped me out in understanding where and what my son would be doing in the Navy. So I started one for the dads. A lot of us dads are very involved in our childrens lives also. Robert will be fine in the Navy. It is not a bad start in life for our kids. Please don't just look in the window. Share info that you have and others don't. The boot camp group is the place to be while he's going through it. I have found that everyone's child gives different info on letters home. When you share that info together it is a big help. My son is 7 months in and it is still a whirlwind around my house. It is a big adjustment but this site can help. Always remember their is no such thing as a stupid question on this site. Looking forward to hearing about Roberts progress.
Keep in touch, EG

Welcome to NavyDads Robert! I'm sure you'll find the site as fun and useful as I have. Explore and make some friends, add your comments to a discussion or two, read the postings in the various groups-- even start one or two. I have! If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...ask! I'm sure someone here will have the answer or can point you in the right direction to find out. I'm lucky enough to have two sailors- my son Eric is almost half-way through a seven-month cruise on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and my daughter Kat just returned from her seven-month cruise on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). And Robert this is a great place to brag about your sailor as well! So join in and let us know how your sailor is doing!

As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son or daughter is going through. Thanks to one of our members we have two excellent videos that you access can from the NavyDads.com main page: New Bootcamp 1 of 2 and New Bootcamp 2 of 2. These videos will answer many of your questions and concerns and will give you a better understanding of how the United States Navy transforms our children into sailors!

Be sure to spend some time in the Bootcamp group- there are many questions and answers available to help you understand what your sailor is going through. And 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 sailors PIR more enjoyable. Best Regards- Paul