Can you hear me now?

[Sempermom66]

Marines: please enlighten me on the ritual of the "Phone Call Home"...

Here's the scenario:

My sons decided to leave for Boot without carrying a Contact list with phone numbers/addresses.

I told them before they left that it wasn't necessary for me to receive that scripted initial phone call...they let me know that it was required.

Now that I haven't received a phone call from either of them at the end of Day Two, I'm wondering if it's because they actually don't know my phone number, (Memorize a phone number--memorize your MOM's phone number?!!!) so they missed out on the chance to call.

Thank you...

[marinemama]

I didn't get a call for a couple days from either of my sons. Like you, they both left the same day for Boot Camp. They are like deer in headlights at the moment, but they should call. I think mine was at least 2 1/2 days in.

Good luck to both of them and welcome! Graduation is AMAZING!

[Petz]

they have your phone numbers on record.

if they say they can't remember it, they will get laughed at to their faces but they have all their paperwork right in front of them that the receiving DIs can get it... if it's not in there, they can contact the recruiter... you will get a phone call... it all depends on what took them so long to get there... they could have had a plane delay... and since I've never dealt with a situation like that... well I'm only adding to ideas of what's taking so long.

hope this helps a little. :)

[Sempermom66]

Thanks, Monica -- So nice to hear from a kindred...

[Sempermom66]

they have your phone numbers on record.

if they say they can't remember it, they will get laughed at to their faces but they have all their paperwork right in front of them that the receiving DIs can get it... if it's not in there, they can contact the recruiter... you will get a phone call... it all depends on what took them so long to get there... they could have had a plane delay... and since I've never dealt with a situation like that... well I'm only adding to ideas of what's taking so long.

hope this helps a little. :)
SSgt - I'm counting on the DIs to supply my boys with healthy doses of derision! Thank you for your response...C.

[Petz]

does it have to be healthy?

[Sempermom66]

does it have to be healthy?
"He must be independent and brave, and sure of himself and of the importance of his work, because if he isn't he will never survive the scorching blasts of derision that will probably greet his first efforts."
Robert E. Sherwood

[Chumley]

It's a little fuzzy for me now, but I don't remember getting a phone call home for quite a while....weeks I think. It's probably changed. We were required to send at least one letter home within the first few days.

I know you will naturally worry until you hear from them, but if there were a significant problem, you would be notified immediately. In this case, no news is (usually) good news.

They'll be a little busy for a while. :evilgrin: Stay positive!

PS - When the phone call does come and they sound scared as hell, homesick, regretful, tearful, hoarse, and VERY abrupt, this is normal. Listen close and you'll probably hear a voice in the background telling them they've exceeded their alloted time limit shortly after "Hello". It's all good - just smile 'cause it's all right on queue.

C

[Isrowei]

Chumly, I think she's referring to the initial phone call all recruits are required to make in receiving.

Ma'am, each recruit is required to contact someone.. that can be next of kin (mother, father,etc) or their recruiter. If they call their recruiter, that recruiter should contact you.

When did they leave your house? Likely it will be 1-2 days travel before they arrive on PI.

[Chumley]

Sorry for the misleading response!!

Good luck to your recruits Ladies!

C

[Sempermom66]

On Sunday (1/11) my sons reported to their recruiter in the afternoon to check into their hotel. My understanding was that they would fly out on Monday (Sacramento to San Diego).

It is possible that they called their recruiter, as I told them that I do not require assurance. I have been working for YEARS on expanding the space between where I end and my sons begin.

This is the year of CLARIFICATION (as CLOSURE is a myth).

I am not concerned in the least about the events or conditions at that will contribute to removing the waxy buildup I call "protracted adolescence." (I mean, come on--they're in Southern California, not Fallujah...).

I am not worried that they will skip meals, suffer from sore throats, razor/sun/rope burns, endure the irritation of the blisters that precede callouses or the tachycardia that comes with suddenly waking the exhausted body and brain from the anesthesia of REM sleep--a few hours before dawn, that dark socket of time they used to consider "night" but which is actually "day."

As to receiving the phone calls: I wasn't planning on TAKING their calls in the first place. Rather, I've been recording a voicemail message each morning:

"14 January 2009: Recruits...leave your message at the tone...OOORah!"

I'd like to be able to change that back to my regular message, as a few callers in the past three days have been confused about the content...last night my contractor wanted to inform me about the hole in the roof of our Michigan cottage and the two feet of snow that has invaded the attic space--but he just hung up when he heard the message thinking that he'd misdialed...

Thank you all for your contribution. And "Isrowei," congratulations on your new addition. Nothing makes a man a father like a daughter...

C.

[marinemama]

Good luck to your recruits Ladies!

C

Thanks Chumley, thankfully my Boot/MCT/MOS journey is complete. I am now gearing up for 2 deployments very very soon.

Christina, Just curious, how old are your sons? Oh, and from the other thread...Happy late birthday.

[commdog7]

I remember my initial phone call. I got the answering machine and left scripted words after the beep. A few weeks later I found out that they never got the message.... maybe it was accidentally deleted or maybe I called the wrong number..... I think you can contact the recruiter who can but you in contact with your son to make sure he arrived safely.

[Sempermom66]

Thank you, Monica! My oldest son will be 23 and my youngest son will be 19 in April-- Their birthdays are one week shy of 5 years apart. (I also have a 21 year old son and a 17 year old daughter--the only one left at home. (She is planning to enlist this summer - Army.)

What are your sons doing, and what is the word on their deployment departure dates?

[Sempermom66]

I remember my initial phone call. I got the answering machine and left scripted words after the beep. A few weeks later I found out that they never got the message.... maybe it was accidentally deleted or maybe I called the wrong number..... I think you can contact the recruiter who can but you in contact with your son to make sure he arrived safely.
"Commdog" -- I cannot imagine your family accidentally deleting your message...How are you finding Havana?

[commdog7]

"Commdog" -- I cannot imagine your family accidentally deleting your message...How are you finding Havana?

I asked them in a letter if they got my message and they were confused, said there was nothing on the answering machine- I don't know what happened to it.

Havana is definately not the best place in the world to be stationed. The Cuban government goes out of their way to make our lives difficult. I guess they still have hard feelings about the whole Bay of Pigs thing..... they cannot stand the thought of Marines on their soil. They make it quite clear that we are not welcome here, but they are forced to tolerate it for hopes of lifting the embargo santion (which has pretty much destroyed their economy). Anyways, we are managing the best we can with what we have, thanks for asking.

[CBRN5711Tech]

When I got to San Diego, they didn't give me the opportunity to call home until that wednesday evening. When it was finally time to call home they put us in a room full of pay phones and had us stand in line. They gave me two minutes to make a phone call but I didn't have any change. So I spent two minutes trying with no success to make a collect call to a cell phone because my parents got rid of their land line. I spent the rest of the evening wishing I could thank my recruiters for giving me the heads up. I wasn't able to contact my parents until the next week and then it was only a prewritten letter my SDI gave us to send home. After forming was over we were given an hour a night to ourselves. In that hour we were able to write letters.

So it may be another week or so before you hear from them. But you can know they made it there safely or you would have already been contacted. During boot camp I was allowed a total of two ten minute phone calls. So don't expect many calls but do expect many letters.

[Sempermom66]

When I got to San Diego, they didn't give me the opportunity to call home until that wednesday evening. When it was finally time to call home they put us in a room full of pay phones and had us stand in line. They gave me two minutes to make a phone call but I didn't have any change. So I spent two minutes trying with no success to make a collect call to a cell phone because my parents got rid of their land line. I spent the rest of the evening wishing I could thank my recruiters for giving me the heads up. I wasn't able to contact my parents until the next week and then it was only a prewritten letter my SDI gave us to send home. After forming was over we were given an hour a night to ourselves. In that hour we were able to write letters.

So it may be another week or so before you hear from them. But you can know they made it there safely or you would have already been contacted. During boot camp I was allowed a total of two ten minute phone calls. So don't expect many calls but do expect many letters.
Hmmm, I got rid of my land line last year, and I'm willing to bet my guys didn't have any coins on them...thanks for the insight.

[marinemama]

Thank you, Monica! My oldest son will be 23 and my youngest son will be 19 in April-- Their birthdays are one week shy of 5 years apart. (I also have a 21 year old son and a 17 year old daughter--the only one left at home. (She is planning to enlist this summer - Army.)

What are your sons doing, and what is the word on their deployment departure dates?

My oldest is 22 and my youngest is 21...11 months apart! Yikes! My boys really enjoyed going together. They had the chance to be leaders and followers, and didn't ever get in each others way. It really helped them to bond, and pull each other up when they needed it, since they knew each other so well.

My oldest is an Engineer, he does surveying and blows stuff up. His PDS is in Yuma. He hasn't been told which country he is going to yet, but is doing all the training and prep work to go in Feb/Mar. My youngest is at Camp Lejeune with 2/8. He is a Radio Operator. He is set to leave in Feb and is in the middle of training. Can't give the dates...sorry...it is a safety thing for the Unit.

Well done to your daughter. I am surprised your sons haven't pulled her over yet :o)

[Box kicker 101]

I remember when we were suppose to make our phone call home i pick up the phone and just hung it back up. I didnt want to think about home even though it was mandatory to make that call. The Di asked if i got in touch and i said Yes Sir and that was it my pops was really disappointed when i told him the story but it helped out a little better then most kids that got to talk to there familys leaving them a little emotional. That was my view of it.

[Sempermom66]

I remember when we were suppose to make our phone call home i pick up the phone and just hung it back up. I didnt want to think about home even though it was mandatory to make that call. The Di asked if i got in touch and i said Yes Sir and that was it my pops was really disappointed when i told him the story but it helped out a little better then most kids that got to talk to there familys leaving them a little emotional. That was my view of it.
Hmm, somehow this scenario makes sense--especially if the only means to calling is a pay phone.

Thank you for letting me know this...C.

[yellowwing]

I keep checking this discussion waiting for news of The Call. Perhaps today.

[Sempermom66]

I keep checking this discussion waiting for news of The Call. Perhaps today.
At this point, I've shifted my attention to intervals of measured consideration of the bedraggled condition of those two guys who call me M**...this is particularly amusing between 4 and 5 am...

Right now, they're experiencing gorgeous weather...I'm hoping for a change in the next week or two to provide a gray and wintry setting for the sense of despair I expect will set in when they start realizing the metamorphosis of TIME from an abstraction to a gargantuan obstacle.

Setting is so important to the movie, isn't it?

As is the rule with brothers, these two are infinitely different in every aspect. My daughter and I have been musing how each of them will respond through this period of "deconstruction."

Meanwhile, I've moved on to collecting an assortment of literature I'll be sending for them that they can read and share with their woebegone peer group. In lieu of reporting that the 18 year old cat still has a heartbeat, I figure that they are a great audience for quality reading material (everything from snippets of Kafka or Vonnegut to Dilbert and Haikus) that I can cut and paste into my "letters from home."

BUT, if I see that San Diego area code on my phone display, I'll check in with an update...

[yellowwing]

Dilbert wrote Haikus?


Squadbay sweating harsh,
Courage outperforming muscles,
There's my brother's grin.

[Sempermom66]

Dilbert wrote Haikus?


Squadbay sweating harsh,
Courage outperforming muscles,
There's my brother's grin.
Excellent Haiku!

Of course, there are many IT haikus on the internet--their general purpose is to capture the stench of cube-angst and the attenuated soul-raping of MS Windows on contemporary society.

I like a more grounded moment's experience:
dead cat. . .
open-mouthed
to the pouring rain

Anyway, I'm thinking of sending an envelope full of them, like Chinese fortunes...

[Sempermom66]

2 weeks of silence from my recruits, and yesterday the first letter (from the elder) arrived!

In elegant brevity, he wrote that everything is going well:

"...met our 'real' DIs yesterday. Picture three starved wolves set loose in a warehouse full of 80 chickens. Follow up later...SDI just said 2 more minutes."

"P.S. Chris [His brother] is 10 feet away doing the same. :)"

"PPS. April 10th is I stay on track."

Week 2 begins tomorrow--and the first letters make their way to San Diego. I've been stockpiling stories and accounts from this website and Sunday comics for weeks--to include in each envelope.

Now that I can engage in the dialogue, I feel like I'm breathing again...

Semper...

C.

[A-1 dirt]

Phone call home? Got to make one after graduating boot camp 1966. DSL

[yellowwing]

It's good to hear the news, Christina!

[Petz]

you should get a subscription to Marine Corps Times so you can get up to speed on all the Marine Corps info... you know, to shock and awe your boys with your intel.

[ScottsMom]

Marines: please enlighten me on the ritual of the "Phone Call Home"...

Here's the scenario:

My sons decided to leave for Boot without carrying a Contact list with phone numbers/addresses.

I told them before they left that it wasn't necessary for me to receive that scripted initial phone call...they let me know that it was required.

Now that I haven't received a phone call from either of them at the end of Day Two, I'm wondering if it's because they actually don't know my phone number, (Memorize a phone number--memorize your MOM's phone number?!!!) so they missed out on the chance to call.

Thank you...

My son left on a Sunday afternoon to head to MEPS, I got "the" call Monday night (actually early Tuesday morning) somwhere between 2-3AM.

[Petz]

I find it hard to believe they are using pay phones for you all to call home... it's become mandatory for the Corps to allow recruits to call home to let parents know they made it safely there.

phone calls are free... Lest the command get a call from GI Joe liberman wondering why little bobby hasn't called mommy to let him know he made it to the island/SD....

that is the reason for enforcing the phone calls.

[Sempermom66]

I find it hard to believe they are using pay phones for you all to call home... it's become mandatory for the Corps to allow recruits to call home to let parents know they made it safely there.

phone calls are free... Lest the command get a call from GI Joe liberman wondering why little bobby hasn't called mommy to let him know he made it to the island/SD....

that is the reason for enforcing the phone calls.
Perhaps it's a rumor...could be that by the end of this thread, parents will be thinking that recruits are responsible for training their own carrier pigeons to send word home...

[Petz]

THAT, I believe.