Mark Harris's Page

Greetings Mark! When my son joined the Navy I really had no idea or a clue on what he’s about to partake in besides what I’ve seen on tv and some stories told by relatives and friends. He graduated boot camp on November 18, 2011 at US Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. I am honored and very proud of his decision to serve our country.

From the start I’ve perused recruiter literature from DEP and beyond but I felt that I needed more information to help keep me from worrying too much. I also wanted to hear from real folks on what their experiences were like and what they've gone through. That's when I found this website while searching for answers.

When you get a chance, explore the Groups section and you’ll most certainly find one that matches your interest. Join those groups and from there you can share and discuss information amongst your peers.

I hope you find NavyDads.Com useful and fun with lots of real shared information. Our family extends our warmest thanks to your daughter Kelli for her service.

Welcome aboard...

Welcome aboard Mark! 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 will follow what Kelli is doing with the Navy. 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                                                                                                   

Welcome to NavyDads.com Mark! 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 just 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 she 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 Mark this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how Kelli 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 daughter 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 aboard Mark.
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 4-6yrs 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 daughter Kelli on her enlistment and please thank her 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

Mark, 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. 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.

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.