My grad and go experience
Wanted to share our grad and go experience for other boot camp moms going to have the same thing.
We spent about 1/2 hour to 45 min with Tyler after graduation. He was very worried about getting back to get on the bus. The bus was leaving at 1pm.
We had a ride to the O Hare airport lined up with another lady here (thanks Becky) BUT Tyler found out he was flying out of Midway. We had no other choice but to take a taxi ($100). At the airport we waited for the sailors to arrive and it was wonderful seeing them all get off the bus and figure out what to do next, no commanding officers come with them. When they were up checking in we went to another attendant and they gave all family members a pass to get through security, you just have to ask.They will not give it to you until the sailors arrive.
Not all families knew about this and so some visited outside and missed out on nice comfortable chairs and all the restaurants. Our son had a steak dinner. We had about three hours with him while at the airport. Someone from the USO came out and gave them a lecture/pep talk about A school. The USO has nice furniture, games, snacks etc. All for free for the sailors and their families. IF your sailor ever misses their plane they told em to go directly to the USO and someone there would help them out.
On the way back from the airport we took city transportation and it only cost us less than $8 to get home. IF I knew ahead of time which airport he was going to i would have reserved a shuttle as they are half the price of a taxi. As it was the $100 was worth it to spend that time with our sailor. We also gave him his cell phone and charger, camera and charger. He didn't want anything else as he didn't have extra room to carry anything. They have to carry a larger sealed envelope with all their personal papers in it and aren't allowed to put it down anywhere. We will mail the other things he wants when he gives us his address. He called frequently and we were in constant contact with him all weekend.
We spent about 1/2 hour to 45 min with Tyler after graduation. He was very worried about getting back to get on the bus. The bus was leaving at 1pm.
We had a ride to the O Hare airport lined up with another lady here (thanks Becky) BUT Tyler found out he was flying out of Midway. We had no other choice but to take a taxi ($100). At the airport we waited for the sailors to arrive and it was wonderful seeing them all get off the bus and figure out what to do next, no commanding officers come with them. When they were up checking in we went to another attendant and they gave all family members a pass to get through security, you just have to ask.They will not give it to you until the sailors arrive.
Not all families knew about this and so some visited outside and missed out on nice comfortable chairs and all the restaurants. Our son had a steak dinner. We had about three hours with him while at the airport. Someone from the USO came out and gave them a lecture/pep talk about A school. The USO has nice furniture, games, snacks etc. All for free for the sailors and their families. IF your sailor ever misses their plane they told em to go directly to the USO and someone there would help them out.
On the way back from the airport we took city transportation and it only cost us less than $8 to get home. IF I knew ahead of time which airport he was going to i would have reserved a shuttle as they are half the price of a taxi. As it was the $100 was worth it to spend that time with our sailor. We also gave him his cell phone and charger, camera and charger. He didn't want anything else as he didn't have extra room to carry anything. They have to carry a larger sealed envelope with all their personal papers in it and aren't allowed to put it down anywhere. We will mail the other things he wants when he gives us his address. He called frequently and we were in constant contact with him all weekend.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Laurie in WA (Tyler) on -
Wanted to add that there we a lot of taxi's waiting out by the main gate everyone was leaving through. They were just inside the gate.
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Permalink Reply by shantielane-gail's mom on -
Laurie, thank you so much for this information. My daughter is a grad n go this weekend (5/8) and I've been trying to find out information about how to get security passes. Sounds like if we just get to the airport ahead of the sailors, we shouldn't have any problem getting security passes. But it also sounds useful if you know what airline and flight number so you know where to go to wait, right?
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Permalink Reply by Shimmer in GA (Will's mom) on -
Oh, I thought we'd at least have one day. They really are grad and GO then.
I wasn't going to go to the airport, and grown son either (he is a flight attendant so he sees enough of airports!) but now I think we will go to the airport and the USO room. We all have military IDs, so we are used to them and they are GREAT. I wish every airport had a USO room!
Son Will is able to fly free, not just Space A, but because his brother put him on a list to fly free with Delta so presumably we will see him periodically. He has a VERY difficult school to attend and won't have a lot of free time for the next 2 years. -
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Permalink Reply by Tamatha - Caleb's Girl Div. 182 on -
This helped alot, thank you! My fiance, too, is a grad and go this weekend. It's bittersweet to see him, knowing another goodbye and absence is coming, how did you handle that? How did you keep from thinking about it?
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Permalink Reply by Shimmer in GA (Will's mom) on
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If I may speak, as a former (long time) Navy wife. No harshness intended, not at all! But get used to it, this is your new way of life.
Navy wife: toughest job in the Navy.
It's how you view it. You have to suck it up and be strong for your sailor too. View it as your part of the job.
You can manage it or you can fail. Your sailor will suffer (and you will too) if you fail.
Hang on, we're here for you.
I'm sorry if this sounds cold, it's not, it's just something you have to learn. It's different than being a Navy mom. We miss our kids, but it's more of a natural flow to have our kids grow and move away, a husband, it's not. -
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Permalink Reply by Laurie in WA (Tyler) on
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Bring their cell phones to the airport and they will be able to be in constant contact with you at airports and when they get to school. (that is until they begin classes). Son is going to Nuke school and he called today and told me he starts next week. At A school he is sharing a room with one other sailor who is on week 17 of school.
As far as getting the security pass, you can NOT get it until your sailor gets to the airport. We did not know his flight number just the airline he was flying from. We just waited inside the door for their bus to arrive. You can't miss a group of sailors loaded down with all their bags. When they go to check in (the airline basically told them what to do) then you will tell the airline that you are the family of a sailor in the group and they will check your ID and give you a pass.
If you are with your sailor you can go in to the USO with them. We did not go in to the USO as he wanted to have a steak dinner.
If you can find other mom's from your division whose kids are also grad and go do......I wish i would have found one other mom whose sailor was going out of Midway as it could be either airport. Yes there are whole lines of taxis waiting to take people places but if you don't have to pay the high prices it would have been better.
I also highly recommend the Metra train for getting back to Waukegan. If you sit in the top decker you have a great view.
Also we stayed till Sunday and toured Chicago all day Saturday, that would be a good thing to do also as i thought what the heck I am probably not going to go to Chicago again. Plus his fiance' was constantly in contact with him throughout the day as he had leave for the weekend at his A school.
The Ramada at Waukegan also has a meet and greet with free drinks and snacks. There were about 25 other folks in their when we went. Then we also went to the one at Flannigans later.
Bring binoculars!!!! It is extremely hard to find your sailor in their group. My son also gave us his graduation pictures at the airport, so right away you have his sailor pic. He also ordered a video of the graduation and is having it sent to our home.
It was extremely hard to take pics at the graduation as you had to turn off your flash or the pics would have been too dark. Save you pics for taking of them after graduation, although you are only supposed to take pics indoors and I realized later that my couple were taken outside as we never went in a building.
You can also buy Navy items at the store on base. We were in such a hurry that i didn't, but did by a Navy mom shirt at the Ramada.
I am happy to answer any ?'s -
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Permalink Reply by Pam - Grant's proud Mom on -
Laurie, our son is grad and go. Would you have time before the graduation begins to go to the NEX?
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Permalink Reply by Laurie in WA (Tyler) on
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I don't know the answer to this. They basically herded everyone to the graduation facility and the NEX was available after the graduation. If you have a rental car you should have time to shop the NEX before you head to the airport. The buses that take the grads to the airport leave at 1pm. The grads want to make sure they make that bus and are nervous and so ours left us way before that time.
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Permalink Reply by Pam - Grant's proud Mom on
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Okay, thanks, we may have time to go to the NEX after the graduation. We will be driving up. I really appreciate you putting all this information on here. When I found out our son was grad and go, I was devastated. I thought I would have all weekend with him. At least, I know others who have been through it and I have your advice. Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Donna(Joe's Mom) on -
Hi Laurie!
Thanks for keeping in touch and for the information! I hope you had a wondeful time with your son. Joe will leave for Goosecreek on the 15th. Hopefully they can connect sometime down there. So, we are driving out. Would you still recommend the Metra train? I'm good with directions and my sister has a GPS in her car, but driving in Chicago is probably crazy. When do they find out what airline they are flying out of. I am sending you of friend request. I have a million questions!! Thanks.
Donna -
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Permalink Reply by Laurie in WA (Tyler) on
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for going to and from the airport use your car
i heard from others that parking in chicago was expensive, like 27 dollars or something
if you have the time after he leaves, the metra train was fun, but it is 1 hour and 50 min ride from waukegan, we sat on the upper level for the views and enjoyed it. -
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Permalink Reply by Lynda on -
How soon do you find out if they are grad and go? My son leaves for boot camp on May 19, and we would like to see PIR and have a weekend to spend with him, but are wondering if it would be worth it for only a few minutes of visiting at the airport. We would be flying from Seattle, so the cost is a factor.
He will be a Nuke, so we are wondering if it would be better to go visit him at Goose Creek? -
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