"Just got the "I'm a sailor call", as my son got to put on his Navy ballcap this morning, Ship 12 Div 094. A bit longer call this time, which I am thankful for. We're already packed and ready to fly to Chicago in a…"
Charles Hopper's Page
Latest Activity
"David,
Thanks for asking. Ship 12, Division 094. PIR 3/16/12."
"Just got our first call other than "I'm here" from our son. He left for GL on 1-24-12, so it's been a while. Apparently, his division had been messing up a bit, so their previously scheduled calls had been…"
"23rd day since our boy left for RTC. Glad to report that today we received 5 letters from him. Apparently he had been writing since the 5 Feb, but wasn't able to mail them until this last Sunday. Says he is getting all our…"
"Rodney,
My son also left on 1/24/12, and is on Ship 12 but Div 094. We got the "I'm here" phone call about midnight that evening, his form letter on the 30th, and the boy-in-a-box on the 31st. I've written and…"
"Dan and Paige, thank you for your responses. Extremely helpful! I can only hope my son gets assigned to a C School in San Diego, as we live in Phoenix and love to vacation there anyway (plus I lived there for about 8 years in the…"
"Hello Everyone. My son is currently in his 3rd week at RTC, and I'm looking forward to attending PIR next month. As an IC, I know his initial A School is also in Great Lakes. But, apparently, he has a couple more years of…"
IC's - Interior Communications Electrician
This is a group for the parents and family of IC sailors to ask questions or share information with others.
"Phillip, thanks for the info about the number of Divisions graduating. My son reported on the 24th, and has sent us the letter saying PIR is on the 16th of March. Nice to know it's going to be crowded, and so I know to get to the…"
NavyDads Co-Admin, Tim left a comment for Charles Hopper"Welcome aboard Charles. I would like to take this time to point you in some of the right directions. For starters if you haven't had the time take a look at the right side of any page you click on. There you will find some useful information…"
NavyDads Co-Admin, Jim left a comment for Charles Hopper"Welcome aboard Charles! I'm so glad that you've joined us. I can't add very much to what’s already been said, but wanted to pop in here and say hello.
My son Stephen is an AWO2 and flies with VP-45 on the P-3 Orion Sub Hunter…"
NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin left a comment for Charles Hopper"Charles, be sure to check out our Groups. We have several Groups for PIR and Boot Camp, plus Groups for the different Rates like Navy Nukes, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Master at Arms and Special Ops. Check to see if your State or area has a Group…"
NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin left a comment for Charles Hopper"Charles, Welcome to NavyDads. My Grandson joined the Navy and went to Boot Camp in February, 2008. When I joined this site I knew nothing about the Military. It’s really helped me understand what to expect and has relieved some of my worries.…"
"Thank you, Paul, for the welcome. Most helpful! I'll go through all the links you provided.
I had a cousin in the Navy about 25 years ago, so have some familiarity, but plan to learn a lot more to support my son. It's…"
NavyDads Admin (Paul) left a comment for Charles Hopper"Welcome to NavyDads.com Charles! When my daughter enlisted in 2005 and left for RTC, I had virtually no knowledge of Navy life or how the Navy did things. By the time her PIR rolled around, I was starting to get the hang of things and understand…"
"My son left for GL on 1/24, and we got the "box" and a letter with his address and expected graduation date this last Monday. Thank you for all the information on this site. If I weren't 47 and fat, I'd love to be…"
Profile Information
- My Sailor's first name (Please do not post SEAL names)
- Charles Jr.
- What is or will be your sailor's rate (job classification) - ex. ABE, AM, GM, etc
- IC
- Describe a little about yourself:
- IT Executive, ex-Air Force Reservist, 3 kids, one joined the Navy, one to college in the fall, and the last one wants the Army.
- Prior Military Experience
- Proud Air Force Veteran
- What brought you to this site:
- My son is recently enlisted (before PIR)
- What were your feelings when your Sailor joined the Navy:
- Pride.
- What is your relationship with your sailor
- Dad
- Please share: how did you find us?
- Google Search
Comment Wall (5 comments)
- At 7:24pm on February 2, 2012, NavyDads Co-Admin, Tim said…
Welcome aboard Charles.
I would like to take this time to point you in some of the right directions. For starters if you haven't had the time take a look at the right side of any page you click on. There you will find some useful information for you. The links under the about this site will help you with how this site got started, navigation, PIR, About us, community guidelines and some links to some of the groups that beginners with a lot of questions will find very useful. There is also a link called Navy Enlisted Ratings, this link will take you to a brief description of the rates (jobs) in the Navy that you can find your sailors rate and find out some information about the rate that they are in.
First and foremost though we are all here for the same reason. We are curious about what our young sailors are getting into and for more information about the rate or job that they will be doing for the next 4-6 yrs of their lives. I know when I first got here I had lots of questions and there was not a lot of people on this site but they all were either going through the same thing or had been through it and had sailors out in the fleet. Now this site has grown to over 4000 members, Dads, Moms, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, sisters, brothers, girlfriends and boyfriends. Don't be afraid to ask questions of members in here because somewhere along the way we have all had the same questions and asked. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site with various years of experience in the NAVY either on their own account or through their Sailors.
Again welcome aboard and BRAVO ZULU to you and your son Charles on his enlistment and please thank him for me for making the choice to defend the freedoms that my family, this country and I have and enjoy.
Navy dads Co-admin Tim
- At 6:38pm on February 2, 2012, NavyDads Co-Admin, Jim said…
Welcome aboard Charles! I'm so glad that you've joined us. I can't add very much to what’s already been said, but wanted to pop in here and say hello.
My son Stephen is an AWO2 and flies with VP-45 on the P-3 Orion Sub Hunter and is stationed in Jacksonville, FL. He has just returned from his first deployment. Be sure to join the groups that have to do with what Charles Jr. is doing with the Navy. I would also urge you to check out our FAQ tab at the top of the page. If you have questions as a new parent of a sailor, or just want to keep up with others who are “veteran” dads, you can find what you're looking for here. See you around the fleet!
Jim
- At 5:31pm on February 2, 2012, NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin said…
Charles, be sure to check out our Groups. We have several Groups for PIR and Boot Camp, plus Groups for the different Rates like Navy Nukes, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Master at Arms and Special Ops. Check to see if your State or area has a Group already formed to locate others in your area. There are general interest Groups like: Care Packages,
A School for Dads, NASCAR for NavyDads and the book of acronyms and ranks. We’ve also added a Spanish language Group.Also check us out on Facebook just search for Navy Dads.
If you have problems or questions about the Groups, discussions or navigating our site please let me know. I’ll be happy to help or find someone with more knowledgeable about your issue.
Again Welcome to NavyDads.
- At 5:31pm on February 2, 2012, NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin said…
Charles, Welcome to NavyDads. My Grandson joined the Navy and went to Boot Camp in February, 2008. When I joined this site I knew nothing about the Military. It’s really helped me understand what to expect and has relieved some of my worries. Please go to the Groups Page and check out all the various offerings. Join in to learn more about what your Guy or Gal will be learning and doing. We are a big family here and you can find answers to most any question or concern regarding what’s in store for your recruit. You will find members that are new to the Navy along with those who have Loved Ones who’ve made the Navy a career. We like to hear about your recruit; the good times, the concerns, and we welcome questions. I think you will find our members are a big family and everyone wants to help others understand what to expect and hear about the progress of your recruit.
Please feel free to ask questions.
I would also like to Thank You for your Service.
Again Welcome and keep us updated on your recruit.
HooYah US Navy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- At 2:23pm on February 2, 2012, NavyDads Admin (Paul) said…
Welcome to NavyDads.com Charles! When my daughter enlisted in 2005 and left for RTC, I had virtually no knowledge of Navy life or how the Navy did things. By the time her PIR rolled around, I was starting to get the hang of things and understand some of the language and abbreviations, but still felt like a fish out of water when dealing with most topics concerning the US Navy. When my son enlisted and left for Great Lakes in 2007, I got serious about trying to learn as much as possible about the Navy. Now, several years into my journey, I’m blessed to say I have two sailors in the family - my son Eric (AM2) was on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and recently reported to Helicopter Squadron Light-37 (HSL-37) in Hawaii after re-enlisting earlier this year. My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist and is currently using her GI benefits to go to school. If NavyDads.com were around in those days, it would have made my journey as a Navy parent much easier!
I'm sure you'll find NavyDads.com as useful, educational and informative as I have over the past few years. I hope you take the time to explore the site and make some new friends. Read the discussions and add your comments. Browse through the postings in the various groups or start a new one. If you have any comments, questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...be sure to post them! In my experience someone here can answer your questions or concerns or can point you in the direction to find out. And Charles this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how Charles Jr. is doing! Please remember that we talk about the Navy here and we must keep the security and safety of our sailors and the fleet in mind. On the right or starboard side of every NavyDads page is an area we call About This Site. Please take a minute and read through the Operations Security (OPSEC) link for some guidelines as to what we should not talk about in a public forum like NavyDads.com.
As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son is going through. In the Navy Bootcamp group is a discussion called A MUST READ for all New Navy Parents. Read through this post as it will do a lot to give you some understanding about what your sailor is learning and why. And be sure to check out the videos available in the Bootcamp Group as well.
As PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable.
Play the following video for a brief introduction to NavyDads.com. We've made some cosmetic changes to the site since this video was made, but navigation remains the same.
Best Regards- Paul
Welcome To Navy Dads
NavyDads Sponsors
About This Site
Community Guidelines
How To Get Started
Boot Camp Group
Navy Enlisted Ratings
Navy Enlisted Rates & Non-Commissioned Officers Rates
Navy Lingo & Slang
Navy Links
U.S. Navy Ships
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Badge
Notes
Must See Video
Check out the Bravo Zulu! USS Bainbridge blog and watch the must see video about the Bainbridge.
Created by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin Apr 20, 2009 at 11:45am. Last updated by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin Apr 20, 2009.
Chat on Navy Dads
The chat feature on Navy Dads has changed a little. To enter into the chat room click on were it says Navy Dads (44 members online) then type your post in the box and hit enter to make the post show up. When you are done click the the arrow by the person icon and the chat box will be hidden again. The chat feature can also be found on the main page. Just scroll down till you see it. The chat will also make a two note sound when someone posts a comment so you know when the chat is active.…
ContinueCreated by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin Mar 6, 2009 at 7:19pm. Last updated by NavyDads Co-Admin, Jim Aug 26, 2011.
Navydads.com Sailors video
Everyone go check out the new video of our Sailors. It is my fourth video. So they will get better. Just keep adding those photos. Continue
Created by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin Sep 27, 2008 at 10:12pm. Last updated by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin Jan 26, 2009.
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