This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.
FIRST TIME HERE?
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:
Choose your Username. For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either). Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username. While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!
Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!
Join groups! Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself! Start making friends that can last a lifetime.
Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak
All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018.
Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)
Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC
...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.
OPSEC - Navy Operations Security
Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind. In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships." OPSEC is everyone's responsibility.
DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.
DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."
Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:
Events
**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed. Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.
**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.
**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:
In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:
**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED. Vaccinations still required.
**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.
RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021
Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.
Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.
Format Downloads:
- Graduation Info
- PDF – 2.7 MB
- PNG – 2.3 MB
- JPG – 3.4 MB
- Printable PDF – 2.0 MB
Latest Activity
Navy Speak
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Navy.com Para Familias
Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com
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What is the best cell phone option for a deployed sailor?
My son will be completing basic training soon and then going to A school before becoming assigned to a ship. I believe he can have a cell phone during A school and I send him his current cell phone following graduation. (for now his phone is on my plan.)
My question is for the future.... as he will want a NEW CELL phone, and his own cell phone plan. I want to help him get it set up in his best interest. Since he will be deployed on a ship I'm not sure how that works. Are cell phones allowed? How does a sailor keep in touch with family and friends when deployed?
If they ARE allowed how do our sailors avoid high roaming charges, etc on their cell phones? Is there an international plan that is recommended? Should they get pre paid cell phones? Or I phones, or droids with a global phone ready plan? Do they have access to computers to pay bills online? I'm not sure how that works either. I would really appreciate some recommendations. Is there a military rate phone wireless phone service plan? We currently use Verizon.
I know on pleasure cruise ships using cell phones is extremely expensive. We only could use phones in ports. Does anyone who has a sailor in the family have advice on this? I want to be able to communicate with him and for him to have a phone to use when in port- but I don't want him being surprised by high phone bills, etc. How do we communicate with our sailors when they are on a ship? Do they get email? Mail? Text messages on their phones? With ships being deployed up to 6 months- I'm not sure how mail works either.
Thanks for any information you can share on this!
Views: 22767
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Comment by Anti M on March 14, 2011 at 2:05pm
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Some sailors who turned on their phones while away from the US, even to just listen to music, found they were slammed with a $2000+ phone bill. Do NOT use the cell phone at sea or in foreign ports. Use an international calling card as suggested. Some ships have satellite phones the sailors can pay to use now and then.
They can use their laptops on board to watch movies and play games. They can find wifi hotspots while in port. This is when skype is useful. Theft is rampant on some ship[s, so he should lock up his things.
If he is stationed overseas, such as a ship in Japan, his phone will not work. Period. He will have to purchase a new one, and a new plan.
I STRONGLY recommend all new sailors do NOT rush into a new phone and plan until they know where they will be stationed. Just use the old one, no matter how tempting that shiny new toy is.
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Another thing with the government email they must use, it is monitored and read for security purposes. No attachments such as sparkly GIFs or photos coming in or out.. The ship will shut off email access during a crisis in order to control communications. This is part of the reason why they are not allowed to have personal phones in use while not in port. (I know of some who call when near shore, but they aren't supposed to be doing that).
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Comment by AJVNavyMom on March 14, 2011 at 3:45pm
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We gave our son an i-phone for his PIR graduation and kept him on our plan. He pays for his internet ($30/mo) and the extra $10 to have him on my plan. It's A LOT cheaper than him having his own plan. We use Verizon. Your son can have a phone in A school. He will be able to text, email, and call when he can. As far as the ship, unless you have a specific international plan, just have him use the ships email when he can to stay in touch as well as getting him calling cards. The cell phone will be astronomical! Good luck and thank your son for us!
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