With the holidays fast approaching, I see more and more moms who are stressed about whether they can see their sailor or not. Entirely understandable! But I know that the recruits in boot camp are quite confused also, many of them are new to all of this Navy stuff too, and haven't got the hang of the lingo, the paperwork and the inevitable Hurry Up and Wait and No Matter What You Plan, the Navy Will Change it.
Leave is earned time off. Every sailor earns 2.5 days a month, which adds up to 30 da…
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Added by Anti M on October 27, 2009 at 8:21pm —
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Since that time of year is nearly here, I thought I'd bump this up.
One year in Great Lakes, there we were, stuck in the barracks. One of the guys had family in the area, his mom told him he could bring a few of us home. He and I were dating, his buddy was dating my roomie, and three of his friends were stuck at Glakes for the holiday. We all had liberty for the entire weekend so it was decide that we'd all go to his place for dinner.
The problem? The only car we had to carry the SEVEN of us w…
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Added by Anti M on October 23, 2009 at 10:30am —
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I am blogging about this because it is information every fiance or newly married Navy spouse needs to know. Anyone with first hand experience, please add comments, and correct me if I have incorrect information or have forgotten an important detail.
When a sailor gets orders overseas, and I include Hawaii in this, he will receive orders which are either "Accompanied" or "Unaccompanied". Basically, with or without dependents. In order for the dependents to move overseas at the Navy's expense, th…
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Added by Anti M on August 19, 2009 at 1:40pm —
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So, you are engaged to your sailor. There is a wedding in the future. How does the Navy handle all that?
First, let me say congratulations. Second, let me give you advice up front: be flexible, be patient and easy-going, and know there will be bumps in the road ahead. Navy wife is no simple task, and your wedding is not on the Navy's agenda. You have to fit it in when and where you can. That means you must always have a Plan B. No, the Navy will not guarantee your sailor can go home to get marr…
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Added by Anti M on July 19, 2009 at 10:37am —
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I live very near an Air Force base, right under certain flight paths. Today the breaking News flashed on the TV ... an F-16 went down last night on a training mission over Utah's West Desert. I do not know this man, not even his name yet, but I do know he was one of our heroes, and he has given his life. I am very weepy over this stranger, and my thoughts and my heart are full of grief for his family. Grief, and heartfelt thanks.
This is what the military can be, sacrifice. No one wants to thin…
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Added by Anti M on June 23, 2009 at 5:45pm —
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Hurricane season is here, who is ready? I don't mean to frighten people, but if you had to evacuate your home, could you get by on what you could grab in a few minutes? The sailors have it easy, they report to work or to their ship, but the families and dependents need to be prepared. This information also applies to areas which have typhoons and floods, and areas which may have events which cannot be predicted such as earthquakes or tornadoes. Even a gas line break could have you out of your ho…
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Added by Anti M on June 8, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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So you are a new Navy spouse and you're ready to make the move. The packers are coming! What to do? Since I have dealt with packouts ALL my life, I can give a few pointers, tell a few stories.
Your sailor spouse will have to arrange an appointment with housing for your packout. I've had places where they come out beforehand to look at your place and estimate how much stuff you have. Other places, they just have you fill out a form and guess at the volume of stuff. Different paygrades get differ…
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Added by Anti M on April 2, 2009 at 1:44pm —
15 Comments
I posted this in a thread on a forum, and have received several kind words about my post. I thought I would put it in a blog where it could be easily found. Thank you for the support!
I went to boot camp ages ago, but the basics of basic don't change.
1. Bring your sense of humor. Boot camp can be surreal and absurd, enjoy it. Imagine how you'd laugh if you saw what is happening to you in a movie.
2. Listen, listen, listen. One of the things you are learning to become a sailor is how t…
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Added by Anti M on February 24, 2009 at 8:40am —
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... I served. I've thought about my years in the Navy in the past, today is another time for reflection. There was family tradition, patriotism, and practical matters such as the Navy is a darn good career choice. There were always the concepts of freedom and liberty and democracy. But today, my reasons for serving, for supporting our troops and our veterans, today it all hit home. Today is history, today is a day for all Americans to be proud, today is the reason for us all to stand tall.
The…
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Added by Anti M on January 20, 2009 at 10:11am —
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Every mom has given us the gift of their child serving our great country. A gift of pride, of tears, of loneliness, of sacrifice, a gift we all share and cherish. The wives and husbands and children, the aunts and uncles and grandparents, the girlfriends and boyfriends and fiances, all too have given the gift of supporting their service member. A gift of the heart. I thank you all for that gift.
Our sailors give of the gift of liberty, of our rights as citizens, of freedom to speak and believe…
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Added by Anti M on December 9, 2008 at 12:03pm —
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This is in memory of my brother, who just passed away yesterday.
I had spent my first Christmas in the Navy in bootcamp. We did get to open cards and the chow hall served a nice feast. Pretty boring day. However, my next Christmas was in Great Lakes while I was still in A school. I was a petty officer third class by then; this is when the ET schools awarded the crow at ten weeks. I decide to fly home for Christmas. I knew my parents weren't there, Dad was still working in Saudi and Mom was with…
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Added by Anti M on December 5, 2008 at 11:01am —
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I've done two already, this is yet one more ...
I was in C school, down at Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia. Very strange being in the small Navy Det on an Army base! We were a tight bunch of sailors, even liked the sailors we didn't like. Which makes no sense, but you have to have been there to get that.
One of the gals, a good friend of mine in the same class, was a Georgia native. Her mom and dad had a farm between Augusta and Atlanta. This wasn't a big farm, something like twenty acres,…
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Added by Anti M on November 24, 2008 at 7:56pm —
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I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan at the Communications Station. Many of us in the ET shop were very good friends, along with some of the radiomen from tech control and even one of the young ensigns. Yes, she wasn't supposed to "fraternize" with us enlisted pukes, but hey, young men and women like to hang out with each other!
Most of the married sailors either had tiny Japanese apartments or were flying home for Turkey Day, so inviting us all was a problem. We all wanted to be together instead…
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Added by Anti M on November 21, 2008 at 11:33am —
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I sent off my first two Any Sailor packages today. I did use the flat rate AOP/FPO priority mail box. I packed mostly snacks and some teas and coffees in small sizes, and drink mixes. Hubby had picked up a load of Power Bars from the main plant in Boise; they gave him a ton of samples so I was able to send Power Bars too. I'm used to the green customs form, but the white one isn't so bad. I hope I can do a "girly" box next month; my "any sailor" has female sailors in his unit. I really hope I se…
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Added by Anti M on November 15, 2008 at 10:21pm —
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My cousin Bill is a doctor at Walter Reed, and now an Army Reservist. His father was a Navy hero, killed in WWII. Bill never met his dad. He's the smartest, nicest guy I know; I wish I could have half his brains and charm and dedication! He joined the Army Reserves in his fifties, inspired by the wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. They sacrificed so much, he felt he has to serve also.
Please take a moment to read his story:
http://www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/aug2002/pr081302a.html
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Added by Anti M on November 14, 2008 at 12:03pm —
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This is one of my sad memories from when I was a little girl.
My dad was with an air squadron, he would deploy with the carriers for six to eight months at a time. We were stationed in Norfolk, well, Oceana. This was way back in '63 or '64. The church held a Daddy-Daughter Dinner Dance. I was very excited, because I rarely got to spend time with my dad. I was only six or seven. We were all dressed up, and ate the supper, but he got called back to the squadron and had to leave twenty or thirty m…
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Added by Anti M on November 13, 2008 at 12:48pm —
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The Sea Calls
By M. Clayton
In the warmth of a golden afternoon,
A mother waits for the clatter
Of boys and their friends, soon.
Silent hours pass, no chatter,
Her young son has been called to the sea.
In the darkness of a night without sleep,
A bride reaches across the bed.
Fingers brush the empty sheet,
She misses the man she has wed;
Her husband has been called to the sea.
Playing and laughing, a child with her toys,
Pauses, listening for a car.
“Is Daddy here?” she cries with joy.
“No, lo…
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Added by Anti M on November 11, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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When I got out of the shower and headed into the bedroom this morning, the local news had the Army Band on. They were playing Anchors Aweigh. I burst into tears. Silly me.
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Added by Anti M on November 10, 2008 at 10:11am —
6 Comments
I got a call from my buddy Troy, they're finally back in port. He's going to take two weeks leave over Thanksgiving, so we'll get the chance to visit. He's an ET, directly inspired by hubby and myself ... since we were both ETs. He's even on hubby's old ship! He's a great guy, loves the Navy and plans on twenty years at least.
And the very same day Troy called, I got a letter from my nephew in bootcamp. He's learned some new knots, which is an in joke about camping for us. Poor kid is exhausted…
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Added by Anti M on November 7, 2008 at 12:20pm —
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