Things to Do in the Last Month Before Your Future Sailor Leaves for the RTC

[Craig]

This is some awesome info from lemonelephant over at NavyForMoms. This lady knows her stuff....
Have your parents join NavyForMoms. It got a lot of info from a parents point of view. Here is one post
from BunkerQB that all parents should read: http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/top...or-moms-newbie
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Posted by lemonelephant over at NavyForMoms:

As you prepare for your future Sailor to leave, breathe and take one day at a time.

Your future Sailor may want to join http://www.navydep.com to learn the ins and outs from the DEP point of view.
Craig runs that and will steer you to some good links on there.

Here are some things you need to do in the last month before your future Sailor leaves:

1. Assist your future Sailor in getting his/her slim black wallet ready. (Buy one in the men's department, even for the gals.)
a. Driver’s license and/or DEP photo ID.
b. SS card
c. a small amount of cash ($10-$25) Your future Sailor will be given a voucher for meals, but it's nice to have a little bit of
pocket money.
d. stamps-- Don't send stationery as it takes up room and may be sent back anyway and besides they get stationery,
including envelopes, to use at the RTC. I typically only suggest sending preaddressed stamped envelopes if the recruit
has relatives in another country since postage is higher and the recruit may not know or have the correct postage or if
your recruit requests that you send some after a few weeks due to running out of the RTC stationery.
e. a few Band-Aids and a couple of strips of moleskin (make sure s/he knows how to use it to prevent/treat blisters; they
can get these from medical, but it is good to have them early)
f. Decide if s/he is going to use NFCU (I suggest that s/he does.) or his/her own financial institution. S/He will need to have
form 1199A completed at his/her bank (the bank has the form) if s/he will use that and put the form in his/her wallet
and/or take a blank check. Recruits/Sailors are paid a day earlier if they use NFCU than if they do not.
g. a list of addresses and phone numbers of those s/he will contact during BC—include the info of people s/he may need
to contact for security clearance as well as friends and relatives. S/He would be able to keep a small address book, but
the list in the wallet is better and less likely to accidentally get sent back.
h. Activated calling card or calling card numbers. You can get calling cards (actually a phone number and PIN) at
http://callsforrecruits.org/. Ronny and Anna provide those through that website if you email them at
CallsforRecruits@gmail.com and ask for them. They will email you around 12, but will send more if you need them. Each
PIN that is provided is a onetime use number.
If you choose to purchase a calling card instead, be sure to activate it and write down the info on the back of the card
before putting it in the wallet so you can add more minutes if needed.
i. small photo/s
j. Slip a short encouraging note into his/her wallet from you and/or other loved ones so s/he will be able read it in the
days/weeks before s/he will receive mail. (Also encourage him/her to write a note to you either before leaving or on the
way to BC and slip it in a pocket or shoe for you to read before you get mail from him/her.)

2. S/He will be able to keep a small Bible if s/he wants to take one or s/he can get one at the RTC. S/He will also be able to
keep a small religious medal if s/he wants (it must be silver in color and smaller than his/her dog tags). Anything s/he takes
that s/he is able to keep must be able to fit in his/her "valuable sock" (a tube sock that s/he will carry) during P-Days.
Everything else will be sent home.

3. Help you future Sailor decide what s/he will wear to MEPS and if s/he will take a change of clothes or not. S/He must have
clean underwear (boxers for the guys and full-coverage underwear and sports bra for the gals) and socks at MEPS. Also
discuss his/her options of sending the clothes back in the box, trashing them, or donating them.
My son took a change of underwear that he changed at the hotel and threw the others away there. He shaved with a
disposable razor and used the hotel toiletries. He also wore his least favorite clothes and trashed them at the RTC
rather than sending his clothes home, so all I got in "The Box" was his cell phone and a set of keys he accidentally left in his
pocket. If you are going to MEPS to see him/her sworn in, s/he can take a backpack with his/her toiletries and a
change of clothes for the hotel room and give it to you when s/he sees you.
4. You need to determine if you are going to MEPS and the airport and find out from the Recruiter when you should be there
if you are.

5. Talk with your future Sailor about how you want to handle any bad news. My Sailor told me. he only wanted to be notified
if his father, sister, or I were to die. He asked that news of any other deaths or hospitalizations, even grandparents and
close friends, be kept from him until after PIR. Fortunately, we did not have to face that.

6. Decide if you need a power of attorney. There are 2 types, a general Power of Attorney and a Medical Power of Attorney.
You may need these if he has bills that you will need to take care of or if he were to be hurt while at the RTC.

7. For those of you with exes, speak with your Future Sailor about who he should send "The Box" and the Form Letter to.
The SR decides who those are mailed to, not anyone at the RTC. Some have sent the box to one parent and the Form
Letter to the other, while others send both to one parent. It is good to know ahead of time how this is going to be handled
because the Form Letter will indicate the address, PIR date, and password to get the vehicle pass if you plan to drive onto
the RTC. If both parents are going to PIR, then the one receiving the Form Letter will need to share the information in that
letter with the other, but everything except the password can be found on this site somewhere as well as at
http://bootcamp.navy.mil/ (especially http://bootcamp.navy.mil/pdfs/FamilyGuide_v05JUN12.pdf),
https://www.facebook.com/NavyRecruitTrainingCommand, and/or http://www.mwrgl.com/special_services/itt/itt.htm. If you
think there may be a problem, encourage your Future Sailor to write the password in the first letter to the other parent
along with the PIR date. You can print off more than one vehicle pass using the password.

8. Help him/her determine the names of up to 4 people who s/he will be listing on the Access List. Those not on the Access List
will have to wait in the Visitors Center to see if there is room before being let in. Remember that Active Duty Military
service members and Retired Military service members with current Military ID as well as children aged 12 and under do
not need to be listed on the Access List to attend. (See page 2 of the Family Guide to help you decide.)

9. Call and put his/her cell phone on military hold while s/he is at BC beginning the day after you expect him/her to arrive or a
day later than that in case s/he arrives in the wee hours of the morning. Set it up so that you can call the day before PIR
and remove the Hold so that s/he will be able to use his/her phone on Liberty and once s/he gets to "A" School.

10. Have him/her help you decide what to do about the things in his/her room.
Relax and enjoy the time you have together. On the day s/he leaves, DO have him/her take his/her cell phone because s/he
can call/text you along the way and will be able to make that last call to you from it. Let him/her know to call once s/he
gets to Chicago before getting to the RTC so you will have a little more time to talk because the next call will be a scripted
15-30 second call and there will be not time for chitchat.
See http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/pdfs/Re..._Checklist.pdf, http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/what_to_bring.asp
and http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/pdfs/What_Not_to_Bring.pdf.
I hope that helps.

Make sure to join the group for the month that your future Sailor leaves to connect with others with loved ones who may be
leaving the same day/week and may have PIR with your Future Sailor. Each of the following is a clickable link.
DEP-Leavin' for Boot Camp in January (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...tcampinjanuary)
DEP-Leavin' for Boot Camp in February (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...campinfebruary)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in March (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...ootcampinmarch)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in April (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...ootcampinapril)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in May (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/leavinforbootcampinmay)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in June (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...bootcampinjune)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in July (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...bootcampinjuly)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in August (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...otcampinaugust)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in September (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...ampinseptember)
DEP Leavin' for bootcamp in October (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...tcampinoctober) or October Boot Camp Family (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/octoberbootcamp)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in November (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...campinnovember)
DEP-Leavin for bootcamp in December (http://www.navyformoms.com/group/lea...campindecember)

[sweetmtn]

Those ar NOT clickable links...I cant figure out how to fix them for you unless they are on navyformoms...