Did you just marry your favorite sailor? Maybe you've been married a while, and he's just joined up. Either way, welcome to the life of a Navy Wife (Fiondsee, Girl/Boyfriend, or Family Member)!
If your sailor to be is headed for boot camp,
check out some tips and stop by these sites:
Tips
1. If your potential recruit has yet to take the ASVAB, a study guide can really help. My husband scored close to perfect after spending several weeks with a study guide and some practice tests. Helping your recruit study is a great idea- quiz them, and remind them to get the study time in. The higher the score, the more jobs open to them.
2.Help your recruit study the Recruit Manual- everything from rules, oaths, and the Navy song are in that book they get from their recruiter. If you stop by www.usnavybootcamp.com they have more info like how to fold shirts and all kinds of goodies. The e-book we got was FULL of great information.
3. If they are asked at MEPS if they have any musical or singing experience, it could lead to the performance division. My husband was in performance division and it was awesome- at graduation he had a solo, and we got to see every second. They have a recruit band, and also a recruit choir.
4. When they leave, be prepared to have to say good bye when you drop them at the hotel/recruiter's office. They will go to MEPS the next morning, and head out from there. We were told that if I rented a room my husband could sleep that night with me, which was FALSE. I got sent home in tears. If you try to sneak and stay they can discharge them right then and there.
5.When they head out they might get a short phone call home- like 2 to 30 seconds. Mine was this: 'I love you, I miss you and the girls. Tell them i love them. Click.' I didn't even say anything but I love you and that was half way through the click. You will get a box: It will have everything they took with them that was not on the list of stuff they could have. So we got clothes, shoes, and a binder. He took a card with him to send back, to tell us he loved us, too.
6.You can send letters as soon as you get an address. Try not to add scents, stickers, treats, or lipstick. They can get a harder time from RDI or fellow recruits. I sent 1 letter a day, with pictures form the kids for him. We also sent good luck, best wishes cards from the kids school classes, in a big manilla envelope. He shared them with the other recruits in his division. If you send letters, cards, etc: Send them a SASE pre postage attached manilla envelope every other week or so so they can send the letters home to you, so you can save them.
7.For graduation: You have to walk a little ways so be prepared. Dress comfortable, but nice (not dressy dressy, but I wore a pair of jeans and a nice sweater to my brothers Navy Graduation during November , and a nice top and capris to my husband's during June. You may get a few hours if they are a grad and go, or a whole weekend. However- dh got to us at about 10 AM and we had to have him back by 7pm. He had to be in uniform at ALL times, no hand holding, no carrying the kids, etc.
Navy Recruits Info: Good information for recruits and their sicnoficant others http://navyrecruitso.bravehost.com/
US Navy Boot camp Guide (My personal favorite- GREAT Site, and you can buy an e-book for very little $, that has TONS of info including how to fold their clothes, and everything else! http://www.usnavybootcamp.com/
GREAT LAKES RTC : The website of the Recruit Training Command (Basic) Offers great information, Including likes to what they go thru week by week, and even MWR for goodies fr the guys for graduation, and Info on where to stay, hotels, etc. Very useful site! http://www.nsgreatlakes.navy.mil/basic.html
NROTC
https://www.nrotc.navy.mil
DEP Info Website
http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/Dep_guide/Dep_index.htm
MWR Great Lakes
http://www.mwrgl.com/
Chicago Tours
http://www.chicagotours.us/
I've built this site because I had some trouble finding everything that I needed.. lots of sites have a litle bit of everything, so I am trying to compile it here. Note: this is based on enlisted , and is from my own experiences. You may have to deal with something different if you are reserves or another branch...
Your're a Navy Wife now.. YOU CAN DO IT!
Things it's good to know:
~ Get a Power of Attorney BEFORE he goes in, or on deployment. You'll need it for rental agreememnts, bills, and many other things.
~If he is in Basic, it will take several weeks, but you will get a package in the mail. It has your DEERS paperwok: That will allow you to get your ID, and healthcare, and so on. You'll hav eto go to the nearest military base to get your ID.
RAPIDS: Base Locator (ID Cards, Etc)
http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/owa/home
When I got my ID I stopped off at the Tricare offcie on base (it was an Air Force reserve base), and set up everything for Tricare prime. The general rule of thumb that they told me was if you fill out the paperwork for prime (totally free) by the 15th you will be Tricare Prime on the 1st of the next month- i.e. Submitted on July 12, Prime is active Aug 1. Sign up on July 17, active Sept 1. http://www.tricare.mil/ For Active Duty you have the option of United Concordia Dental. You just fill outthe form that come sin the mail, send it in, and they will deduct it from his pays from then on out. Its less than $40 for a family, and worth it if you have one or two check ups in a year. http://www.tricaredentalprogram.com/tdptws/home.jsp
You couls see these on his/her LES (Leave Earnings Statement) which is the pay stub:
LES: https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx
Base Pay
BAH (based on where you and your child are till you join him)
BAS- his food (which they will bill him for. They giveth and then they taketh back LOL)
FSH- separation, after the first 30 days or so. Its 250 across the board.
SUB- Submarine pay
SEA- Sea Paty (counted as time at a sea going command, not shore duty)
SRB PAYMENT (Reinlistment Bonus)
Deductions:
FICA-SOC SECURITY
FICA-MEDICARE
SGLI (Life Insurance)
STATE TAXES
AFRH (Armed Forces Retirement Home)
SGLI FAM/SPOUSE (Family Life Insurance)
TSP (Retirement Savings)
MID-MONTH-PAY
Allotments
AFAF ALLOT
TRICARE DENTAL
US DEBT (If you have a NMCRS loan)
PRIVATZED HOUSING (Military Housing)
You will also a month and a half in. Your first pay may not come right away- be prepared.
Have some advice you'd like to share too? Just fill out this form, and send it on in, and I'll try to get it up ASAP!
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