The dreaded underway. Whether it's a full fledged deployment or a season of sporadic underways (to learn the difference, check out our acronym guide), I think we can all agree it's never easy when your partner goes out to sea. And I'd like to say it gets easier overtime, and perhaps it does. But it [...]
Story subitted by Stacie For many spouses, we dread the detailing process. If you’re new around here, the “detailing process” begins when a sailor receives his or her orders and ends when they report to duty. Orders are arranged and received from a detailer. The “slate” provides a snapshot of available jobs and duty stations, [...]
So, your sailor has orders to Pearl Harbor! You might be feeling excited about living in Hawaii, or nervous about being far away, or anxious about all the things that have to get done in order to get there. Or maybe you were like me, and you are feeling all those feelings at once! It [...]
Ok, how many of you have faced that love/hate relationship with refreshing your email inbox during deployment? I know I have! Even when I know that communication is down and the boat has gone “dark” for a mission, I still find myself refreshing my inbox...just to see if anything happened to come through from my [...]
Every command has a spouse of a sailor designated as the ombudsman. The ombudsman is a liaison between the command and the sailors’ families. He or she is an incredible resource in navigating all things Navy. Here are a few facts about ombudsmen: It is always good to save the ombudsman’s contact information just in [...]
A halfway box is a care package that you put together for your sailor prior to their departure on deployment. This box will be delivered to the boat (typically in coordination with your FRG) before the boat leaves. Your sailor will get to open it during halfway night festivities on the boat. This celebration marks the halfway point of deployment and gives sailors a chance to kick back and enjoy some small comforts from home.
While some states continue to reopen businesses and lift travel restrictions, many are experiencing a new in-flux of COVID-19 cases. Here in Washington state, face masks are required 24/7 in public. For the Navy, the latest guidelines restrict sailors, for the most part, to work and home. We've heard every command is slightly different with [...]
When my submariner first received orders to Pearl Harbor, I was filled with both excitement and trepidation. Excitement for the adventure, as Hawaii was one of five states I had never been to, and trepidation because of how far I would be from family. When we left Saratoga Springs, we didn’t know anyone in Hawaii. [...]
Ahh yes, the dreaded duty night. As I write to you now, I am sitting at home. Baby is sleeping upstairs and the husband has duty tonight. He actually just called me to tell me he thinks he may get off early tomorrow… he’s funny… It’s all too easy to feel sad, lonely or bitter [...]
