Daughter in Navy Bootcamp?

Question

Hi, my daughter has been in bootcamp for about 2 weeks. We have only gotten one letter from her. I would like to know what she is going through. (Worried Mother, can ya tell? lol) Her recruiter said that they go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am. But we all know that some recruiters lie. Is she really able to sleep through the entire night? What does she do all day? Anyone that has recently gone through Navy bootcamp or anyone that knows anything at all, I would REALLY appreciate ANY and ALL info I can get. Oh one more thing. Does she need for us to send her money? I know they have that fake money to use at the PX place. But is $150 enough? What can she buy there? As u can tell I just want any info I can get. Thanks in advance for your answers

Answer 1

I am a female in the Navy! I went through bootcamp 3 years ago. First of all don't send her money, she dosen't need it! The exchange on base carries everything she needs while she is in bootcamp plus some. Lights out for my division was 10pm but getting other females in the compartment to shut their mouths for long enough to fall asleep was a problem. During the day she will take classes, do PT (physical training), eat 3 square meals (you only get 10 mins from when the last person sits down to eat). They are basiclly getting her mind set from civillian to millitary. I think the worst part of bootcamp was the gas chamber... I ain't gonna lie to you it sucks but i made not problems! Sunday is a day that they get to relax, go to church, write letters, prepare uniforms. Near the end of bootcamp she will be put to her final test... its called Battle Stations. The entire division will be taken from their compartment in the evening and be put through a series of tests. Each eveolution will make her put what she has learned to use. It goes all through he night, but in the morning when it is all over she will go through a ceremony... up until this point she has worn a ball cap that says RECRUIT in big yellow letters... during the ceremony she gets to remove that cap and replace it with one that says NAVY, which means she is now a United States Sailor. When I went through this ceremony it was, even up until now, the proudest day of my life. I had never accomplished something so big other then graduating high shcool, and 12 years of school was nothing compared to what I went through that very cold November night!!

I hope this answers some of your questions and helps calm your worries a bit.

Oh and by the way, morning revillie (sp) is at 0600 unless training for that day calls for otherwise.

And don't listen to Neo... he's a dip$h*t.

sureno1-- Great Lakes in is Illinois not Michighan

Answer 2

First off the others are right about money. She has no need for it. The fake money you refer to is actually real. She has a bank card and account that was set up for her on her first few days of training. They will continue paying her once a month while she is in training. The only things she needs are at the PX, for example toothpaste, deoderant, feminine products, etc. You can, however, send care packages with those items to help her save money. Good things to send in these packages would include: stamps, envelopes, hygiene needs, some snacks, and photos of loved ones to show support.

Now as to only receiving one letter in 2 weeks, that is normal; the mail system on base is really slow due to the volume of letters in and out. I would still suggest writing everyday if you can even if it is just to say hi. The letters will eventually get to her, and there is no better pick-me-up than receiving a letter from home. Believe me I know.

Now finally to the sleep question. She probably is sent to bed around 9 or 10 PM depending on what the instructors want to do. This does not meen she actually goes to bed, that is just the time for lights to go out. She might stay up and talk or finish uniform items or even write letters. The other thing she may have to do is what is refered to as fire watch, where for one hour at a time each recruit must stay up and ensure the saftey of the others while they sleep.

I hope this makes you feel better or at least enlightens you a bit.

--Husband of nosleep and a former Marine.

Answer 3

It's been awhile since I went Thur but not much has really changed. At the beginning recruits can only write letters on Sunday during the little bit of personal time they are given, take into account that this is also the time they have to shine their boots and iron their uniforms so sometimes other things take priority. She shouldn't need any money. All the items they are allowed to have for her time their are rather inexpensive so that $150 should go a long way. During the day generally their is physical training and general military training. GMT is basically naval customs, basic seamanship, and health.

Answer 4

He is pretty correct on the times as that is normal times for a recruit. If she is not assigned a night watch ( guard duty ) she can sleep through the night. She should spend about 80% of her time in a class being taught everything from personal hygiene to navy history.The other 20% will be spent doing something physical...regardless if she wants to. There trips to the exchange are scheduled and can only be bought with her little recruit credit card. What ever she don't spend is suppose to be refunded back. That actually is allot as allot was issued to her the first 24 hours.

Answer 5

She is just fine. In boot camp she won't get very much free time so she won't be able to write letters or call. It's really not THAT bad. I went to Navy Boot Camp in December of 1997 in the freezing cold, then went back to work at the medical clinic for 2 weeks this past summer. I know she's probably not loving life right now, but it's really not tooo tooo hard. I was expecting the worse and it wasn't that bad. And yes she is getting plenty of time to sleep. 10-6 in the morning sounds about right. And no she does not need any money.
Try not to worry soo much. She's probably a little home sick, but after 2 weeks I was already used to the daily routine. So Im gussing she is fine.

Answer 6

First of all, she's in Basic, not bootcamp. Basic is no longer about breaking you down to build you back up, it's more focused on training learning discipline through example instead of pushups. She is probably in bed by around 10:00 every night, but I would also agree that she's probably up by about 04:30. Everything she needs will either be issued or alotted to her, so don't send money, or anything else really other than pictures and letters. But then again, I went through Army basic back in the day, when we actually had something worth referring to as bootcamp, so i may be totally wrong. ;) Hoooah!

Answer 7

Boot camp keeps them moving from early to late, you are lucky to have gotten a letter at all. They are fed and sheltered and wear uniforms so there is next to nothing to spend $$ on. It is weeks of physical and mental training and testing . . . this is a prep for the war machine, not art school.
They cannot physically attack or hit you, but they run you pretty much non stop otherwise.
Wake up hits at 0600 and everyone scrambles for their 15 minutes to clean up, put their sleeping area in order and make it to chow hall. By the time the lights click out at 2200, most of them fall into bed. Why would a recruiter need to waste time lying about minutia ?
What they do is make vague responses when asked questions like "can I fly planes".
If she was healthy enough to pass the entrance physical and not the femmy whiny type, she should be OK.
She can call if things go south or she needs out.

Answer 8

I understand you are concerned but she's fine. She doesn't need money. Just send her a letter every few days if you are a letter writer. I doubt she gets to sleep through the night, if Navy training is anything like Army, I don't know. They are teaching her how to operate in combat and keeping her extremely busy and stressed so she has some sense of her abilities when it really matters. No need to worry, she did a great thing for herself and her country by joining the military.

Answer 9

My best advice for you is to join the email group, NavyMoms Online. A great mixture of new and veteran moms. There are links to what boot entails week by week, what, and what not to send, encouragement, and even how to prepare for PIR day.

One more piece of advice, just write her letters, enclose pictures of family, and keep telling her you love her. She is going through the hardest thing she has ever done, but she's not alone. Just the simple act of asking strangers how you can help her, shows you are with her.

Not hearing from your daughter is hell, I know. It's been just over a year since PIR, and I still refer to that 8 weeks as being in an emotional train wreck. The lack of letters and phone calls are not her fault. It sounds harsh, but that's how Sailors are made. They are being trained to work and live for each other. It has to be that way for all of them to survive.

Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Those are the words your daughter, your Sailor, will live by for the rest of her life. You too, will have those words etched on your soul.

If I can be of any service to you, please email at any time. You are not alone in your worries or fears. I wish you peace of mind, and peace in your heart.

Answer 10

mI agree with Richard G. She must be in Great Lakes, Michigan (also known as Great Mistakes). She does not need money, everything is provided to her (all the necessities). Female Hygiene products are also available. But don't worry, she is ding alot of studying (Naval history), and alot of exercising, this includes running. All I can tell you is to always correspond with her through mail (it is a good feeling to get mail at mail call). In about 6-8 weeks, your daughter will be graduating and headed to a school. I a sure she will make a great "Sailor". Anchors away!! If you need to talk more about this, please feel free to hit me up.