I had no idea that I would even receive a "scripted call". When we were at the MEPS station, the lady at the desk kinda "whispered" that we would get a call saying that he arrived safely. The call came and happened so fast that I don't even know that I heard or understood all the words. You are right though, I would have loved to have that to listen to over and over!

Im so glad to hear that because I sent my son two letters before we got the address from him and I was so worried he wouldnt get them!!! Yes, I too wish I hadnt answered the call so I could have recorded it. However my son called me from the airport the night before and told me what to expect and said he wouldnt be able to say he loved me so my feelings wouldnt get hurt.

Viola, I'm glad you were able to get the address and start writing. Believe me, your son will be SO happy to hear his name at mail call! Be prepared for a long wait for that first letter FROM him, though - it took 12 loooong days before we got the "form letter" from our son with his "official address" at Parris Island. It was Christmas Eve when that arrived, and the next two days there was no mail. Two whole weeks to the day after he left, we received his first "real" letter to us! (And was it worth the wait? You betcha!

George - (that' s hubby's name!) - if you can't remember what your son said and would like to see a copy of that "script", there's a great site for recruit parents (recruitparents.com) with a link for "first phone call" on the left hand side of the main page under the "recruit training" section.

Thank you so much for your comment, since my first letter to you I did get his address from the recruiter on Friday the 14th, and I sent out the family pictures we took with his girl friend and his dog the Saturday before he left that way he had something to look at. I am glad to know I have someone I am going threw this with, this is so frantic, yet exciting at the same time, I am so proud of him. He is finally doing what he has set out to do in life, I know I have to as my husband loves to say "let your baby go", I know he's growing into a man, but to me he will be my son first and always. Thank you again.

VIOLA

The day my son left I was expecting a call and it arrived at 12:00 mid-night. He is only able to tell you his name, company, and platoon number but don't worry you can not write it down just listen because it is the last time you will hear it for 8 weeks. Basically they let you know that he has arrived, but he is reading it of a card it sounds like because once hes done the phone goes dead.

Hi, Viola - Like I said in my previous post, I know that I've read that if a recruit misdials a phone number, they aren't allowed to try it again. We're in NY, so our son is at Parris Island, and there, it's my understanding that the new recruits generally call within the first 24-48 hours of their arrival - but I'm not sure how San Diego operates. Maybe it's different there? My husband went through Parris Island in 1965, and at that time recruits weren't allowed to call home - they all had to sit down and write a letter to their parents letting them know they had arrived safely!

DO start sending letters to whatever address your son's recruiter gives you. We had an address (except for platoon #) before he left, so I started writing two days in - the letters got there even without the platoon number, and he was very happy to get them. It took a week and a half after he arrived at PI for the "official address" letter to arrive. If you don't hear from the recruiter by tomorrow afternoon, I would call and ask about the address and maybe even the phone call if you were told you would get one (calling the recruiter won't cause your son any problems).

I was told my son would call, too He Left at 2pm from Indianapolis, January 10th for San Diego and still has not called. How long was before yours called? It is now Wednesday 1:49am and I have still not heard from him.The recruiter said he would call me Friday with my son's address so I could start writing him, but I am going out of my mind from the fact that I have not heard from my son yet.

Viola

Ceclia, I hope by now you've GOTTEN that phone call - but it's my understanding that if a recruit misdials the number by mistake... too bad. They don't get a second chance.

Either way - write to whatever address your son's recruiter gave him/you. He will, in all probability, get your letters, even without a platoon number. If your son left on 1/3, his basic address SHOULD be -

RCT ______ (last name) )____________ (first & middle initial)
1st BN, Delta Co.
MCRD Parris Island, SC 22905

Just an FYI - another website that I have found VERY helpful is www.recruitparents.com. That's a good website to be able to get in touch with other parents from your son's company & platoon (when you find out what that is - which may take another week or more!).God bless! Happy New Year, and welcome to the Marine "family". :-)
~L~
proud mom of a USMC RCT!

My son left for Parris Island today - January 3rd, 2011 and it is 12:19am on Tuesday and I am still waiting for a phone call. Can someone please tell me how long it takes to get the first call? Thanks

I didn't even recognize my son's voice :( It sounded like a computer generated phone call lol :( i knew roughly when i would receive the call because his buddy just had come back so I knew when to basically receive the call. I felt terrible when I heard it because you couldn't say anything :(

Hi Linda, I had the same idea (letting the answering machine pick it up) but did just the opposite. I picked up the phone. Now, like you, I cannot reply. The call was fast. There was a lot of noise in the background. I could not understand what he was yelling.

Our son hasn't left yet, but that is such a good idea. I am so appreciative that you didn't keep it to yourself. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays! May God and St. Micheal's protection keep him safe and send him home swiftly. Thank you for raising such a selfless child, that would give it all for those who can't or won't. My heart & prayers goes out to all of our soldiers. They sacrifice on a daily basis, and those good acts do not go unnoticed. Be proud. Behind every Marine recruit is an even stronger-minded Marine Momma!

I too thought the short phone call would be at least more than me just saying hello and then the words read off a card. I think that everyone on the other end was laughing at what the expressions would be of us on the receiving end of the call. I took the phone away from my ear and looked at it and the expression on my husband's face and mine were unreal. I woke my daughter up it was at 10pm ish (she is almost 21) to let her know her brother was ok and called. I would have loved to play the message back to her as my description of it was not as good as the real thing. We had gotten from the recruiter most of the address too but then we received the formal letter stating when graduation was (feb.25th) and the address. We gave it to everyone so they could write. A few days later we received a letter from my son and it had a different PO box number. I called the recruiter and she said that the one he gave was the right one and that if any letters that were sent to the other address would eventually make their way to him. He is in week three now and in week 2 letter he was still uplifted and happy of his career decision.

LOL Linda-- so true. I thought about having the answering service pick up the msg also for posterity's sake but then I thought, nahh maybe she wants to hear me answer hello, albeit sleepily. In retrospect, she was probably too tired and full of adrenaline to even know who answered the phone--a live person or the answering machine!

Hope you get your son's platoon # soon--it does help with the mail-sorting.