Gary T.'s Page

Hey Gary,

Just wanted to pop in and say hello... it's been awhile.  How's Nick doing these days?  I hope he's enjoying his time in Pearl.  Has he been on any deployments yet?  Billy's ship returned from a 7-month deployment at the end of October.  They made port stops in Hawaii (2 times), Guam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore (2 times), and Japan.  They participated in some of the CARAT (Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training) exercises.  And spent some time in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden chasing after pirates.  This being his first deployment, it was a great experience for him.

I was out in San Diego last week to attend his frocking ceremony.  He made Second Class from this last testing cycle.  He is planning to re-enlist as soon as all the necessary paperwork is processed.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday!  Will Nick make it home for the holiday?  Have you planned any trips to Hawaii?  I will be back out to San Diego for the New Years weekend to celebrate with Billy and another sailor's family from AZ.

Best Wishes to you and your entire family!!

Gary - He bought a nice 07 Mustang GT and loves it. Unfortunately 30 days after he bought it he had a lesson in driving around a corner on gravel in a rear-wheel drive car. He lost the back and and skidded into a pole - did some real damage to one side. He's heartbroken - but one-experience smarter I guess. Thankfully no one was injured. He's in process of getting the repair estimate now. Refresh my memory - is your son assigned to a ship at Pearl?

Hi Gary,
Great to hear from you and get an update on Nick. Glad to hear he is enjoying his new duty station in Pearl Harbor. What type of ship is the USS Lake Erie? I agree with the friendship issue. Sounds like he and the other sailor have finally made that connection. It's good to have some buddies around!! Billy is doing great. He stays very busy! No time for girlfriends, he says (Whew!!). He volunteered to be a member of the VBSS team for the Howard and will attend training for it before the end of the year. There is a VBSS school in S.D., but it is full, so he and some other sailors are penciled in to attend the school in Pearl Harbor in November. He's been training for a position on the SARS team as well. He's also taking martial arts classes. So, with all that and his IC job in the Navy, the young man doesn't have much time to think about girls, lol. He's moving into his first apartment at the Pacific Beacon this Friday, so he's really excited. With any luck, he will find time during the next month or two to make a trip home to visit with mom. Either way, I'm planning to make a trip to S.D. to see him over the Labor Day weekend.

Thank you for staying in touch! I hope you have a great Father's Day on Sunday!!

Take Care,
Paige

Hey Gary,
I'm sorry for taking so long to get a message back to you. My only excuse is that I've been working really long hours and my time on-line is very limited these days. I'm thrilled to hear that Nick is doing so well in C-School. 100% GPA... can't ask for anything better than that. Billy had alot of open book test in some of his classes also. His ship is a destroyer. They have gone underway several times since Billy reported for duty. He's getting a taste of sea life just alittle at a time. He's stays very busy on his ship and is responsible for maintaining and repairing several different kinds of equipment. He volunteered to be one of the Search and Rescue Swimmers (SARS) for his ship and will attend a 4-6 week training for it some time in April. He has put on weight since bootcamp. It has been intentually...he's been working out regularly and drinking all those special protein drinks.

I hope Nick continues to enjoy his time in San Diego! I hope all is well with you and the rest of your family. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Hey Gary,
I haven't messaged you in awhile. It's been difficult these days finding the time to log-on. Is Nick still waiting for C-School? I hope he's able to spend the holidays with you. Billy was just home for a few days and had to leave yesterday, so we celebrated early this year. He had his first taste of being on the ship at sea. Just before he came home they went underway for about 3 days. He said he only got sick once the first day and then was fine for the rest of the trip.

Have a Merry Christmas!!

Gary, thanks for the update on Nick. I had been thinking lately that I needed to get a message sent off to you with an update on Billy. So, thanks for the nudge : )
Glad to hear that Nick is expecting his orders anytime now. I hope he gets the assignment he's looking for. I'll be anxious to find out where he's headed. Billy finishes his final C-School today and will only need to report on Monday to get his certificate. His ship (USS Howard) has not returned from deployment yet. So, rather than be on hold, he has elected to take some leave time and come to AZ and spend some time with dad and some time with me. I believe he has to be back in S.D. by the 13th. He's very excited about reporting to his ship. He has been in contact with his LPO's on the ship and has requested that they consider allowing him to volunteer for the VBSS team. It involves participating in an 8 week training/school and meeting other physical qualifications. Billy thinks since the ship will be in port for awhile once it returns, it will be a good opportunity for him to get this accomplished. I'll keep you updated on his plans with all that.
I have been doing fine... though life has been stressful lately. Because of this struggling economy, the company I work for is having difficult financial times. So, I have been busy recently trying to line up new employment options...sending out resumes and going for job interviews. I have a couple of strong prospects that I am pursuing now. In the meantime, my wonderful boss is keeping me working for now until I have something new lined up. Anyway, I'm uncertain about how often I will have opportunites to post on the site, so please be patient with me if I do not respond to your messages right away. I will do my best to keep up with everything.
I'll be waiting to hear about when & where Nick is going to be shipped out. Best of luck to him!!
Take Care My Friend!!

Thank you very much. I noticed the GM group and will check that out. This site and people like you have been very helpful in getting through this initial separation. I left for the Navy in 1985 and had no idea what affect it had on my parents. I thought they were just being over dramatic. Now I know!

Gary, so glad to hear that Nick was finally able to get started with GM A-School. I bet he is real excited about that!! I'm anxious to find out where he will go for his duty station. I wonder if GM's have C-Schools.
Billy's doing good. Just started C-School #3 on Monday, so 2 down and 2 to go.
I'm hosting a Navy moms & dads get together on Aug. 22nd. Any chance you will be passing thru AZ around that time? I'm sure that's probably not feasible for you, but I wanted to mention it anyway. You would certainly win the prize for having traveled the furthest distance, LOL.
Have a good week, my friend!

Hey Gary,
Just stopping by for my monthly report on Nick, lol. How's he doing? Any ideas yet on where he will be sent? Hope you're still fitting in as many weekend visits with Nick as you can. Billy was home for the 4th of July weekend and he brought a sailor buddy he's known since bootcamp home with him. We all had a fun weekend!! Billy's on his way home again at this very moment. Should be here before nightfall. I do worry about him having to drive across the hot summer desert to make his way home. I'm just afraid he will breakdown. Think positive, right? He'll be pretty busy this trip. He'll be working at the Navy Recruiter's office for the rest of this week and then heads to his dad's place on Monday.
I hope everything is going good for Nick. Take care and drop me a line or two when you have time.