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Comment by Anna on July 29, 2014 at 9:17pm

Gatormom,

I had a son-in-law on a sub and there is little communication.  And his sub never went to a port.  While deployed the ombudsman would contact all the family members to tell them when a mid-deployment mail drop was going to be and any letters, boxes you wanted to send needed to be dropped off by a certain date and then all the mail would be dropped off to the sub.  Only occasional emails was the only thing we got.

Comment by Gatormom on July 29, 2014 at 8:53pm

Yikes, is that what happens on subs, no communication?? Our son graduates OCS end of Aug & will likely head to Charleston in January. I guess it's a yr of power school and then 3 yrs assigned to a sub. Is it typical that there is little contact while assigned to a sub? I was hoping it was some at sea, some in their assigned port, but really have no idea.

Comment by LindaB on July 29, 2014 at 1:30pm

Hi Rosemarie,
My son is in his second deployment. The first was on the Mesa Verde, an amphib. It lasted almost 11 months, and they did not make many port calls. That was rough.
This time he's on a destroyer, and they've had more port calls.
Both times, I paid a few dollars a month to activate a temporary number with a Norfolk area code on an old cell phone. The phone on the ship had a Norfolk area code, so when he had a chance to call from the ship phone, he could call free on the cell phone with that area code. We don't live in the Norfolk area, but Verizon was very cooperative when I explained what I was doing.
This time, my son has a limited international calling plan on his cell phone so he can us it when he's in port. He can text and call but doesn't send data - no emails or photos, etc.
He often calls when he's on shore patrol at a mall.
He emails fairly often, but there are times when he's either too busy or the Internet is down.
They did have a spell a while ago when they went into "River City" for a few days because of security, and no one let us know at the time. When I go several days without hearing from him, I just figure he's either busy or the Internet is down or they have gone "dark." I tell myself that if anything bad happens, the Navy will let me know.
I try to send an email every day whether I've heard from him or not.
He Skypes some with his girlfriend, but for some reason he seems to find it kind of cumbersome and doesn't use it a lot.
I send packages every couple of weeks. This time, the thing he wants most is coffee. I always throw in instant noodle meals, candy, jerky, pistachios, sunflower seeds, etc., and try to include a book or magazine or two, maybe a DVD.
We did meet him in Italy for a scheduled port call on the last deployment, and that was great, but I don't think anything like that is going to happen this time. Their schedule is subject to change according to what's going on in the world and in the Navy.

Comment by Rosemarie on July 29, 2014 at 12:18pm

Hi All,
My LO is being deployed shortly... First time. Of course, I am very nervous. Any tips for communication with him while on ship and at port?

Comment by Gatormom on July 24, 2014 at 6:08am

Thanks to all for some great ideas for graduation. My husband is quite the woodworker so an ensign box may be a great idea. GPS is also a really good one. Thanks!

Comment by M's mom on July 23, 2014 at 9:22am

ViperGirl:  It sounds like your son had a different experience in the Marines OCS vs. the Navy. The Navy OCS is 12 weeks, not 6, and all the candidates have already graduated from college.  The graduation ceremony from OCS  is also their commissioning, so it is a big deal.  There are other programs at Newport like ODS (Officer Development School) for professionals like doctors, lawyers, etc. which are not as long and not as intense as OCS which is for "line" officers.   

Comment by Kyle'sMom on July 22, 2014 at 11:33pm

Thank you Mom's for all your comments/input.  Looks like I have a lot of reading to do.  Before I know it he will be in Rhode Island.  Look forward to keeping in touch with you all.

Comment by M's mom on July 22, 2014 at 10:55pm

Anna,  Yes, the Newport Bridge is beautiful.  My son's First Salute ceremony was done on the waterfront, and the pictures have the bridge in the background.  My son said he could see the bridge out of his barracks window, and it was all lit up at night.  He took several pictures of it when he was allowed to have his camera.  I know all OCS grads remember seeing that bridge from the PT fields!  I'm sure your daughter cherishes the drawing of it.

Comment by M's mom on July 22, 2014 at 10:28pm

RE: OCS graduation gifts. We did get our son a large durable travel garment bag that we took to his graduation so he could put his uniforms in it to fly home.  He still uses it.  The gift he liked most was called an "Ensign box" or "Commissioning box" which looks like a woman's wooden jewelry box, which contains two layers of felt-lined little compartments in which to store all his full-sized medals (they usually only wear the ribbons) and his nametags, insignias, etc. while his uniforms are at the cleaners.  I had the lid engraved with his name, United States Navy, and his OCS class number and commissioning date. It was quite handsome in oak.  My son says he puts all his pins in it whenever he "strips" a uniform for the laundry.  I ordered it online but can't remember the site name.  Just Google "Ensign box" and see what pops up.                                 My son told us not to bother with a sword, because it would just hang on the wall collecting dust unless he used it for a military wedding, etc. but others may like to have a sword.

Comment by Anna on July 22, 2014 at 10:03pm

Gatormom,

Does your son already own a GPS?  If not, that would be useful as they travel!!!

One of the comments our daughter made regarding her time at OCS, was stealing a glance at the Newport Bridge while she was out on the field doing PT!!!  So my husband and I took many pictures of the bridge while we were there for her graduation, and my hubby drew her a picture of the bridge in the pre-dawn (the time when she would be out there) and had it framed.  She loved it!!!!!

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