Our third Navy Boot Camp Graduation this year, in 2024! First one we attended was back in January. The second one was in August. And now the 3rd in the month of November! This time around, our hotel was a bit further away than the first 2 trips. And we were late getting to the RTC base, arriving at 7:45 AM, compared to the previous visits, when we arrived right at 6:30 AM. But luckily, we avoided a very long line of cars getting into the Gate! So, that helped big time. We drove right in and parked outside the parking garage, which was a plus!!! Pros of this Graduation: 1). Ceremony was outstanding! 2). Not much waiting 3). Parking was a breeze 4). Exiting wasn't that bad Cons: 1). Inconsiderate people sitting next to us or near us on the benches 2). Some people not knowing how to park, taking up parts of 2 spaces 3). NEX being totally crowded and swamped with loads of people right after graduation!!! read more

See all

Staff was very rude. A lot of yelling. No room service. They even cut my hair without asking.

Had a great visit to see my son graduate. Everyone was nice and helpful! If you are visiting for graduation here are some tips: Choose a hotel that offers a shuttle. Arrive early! There are so many families there also! You will be waiting quite a while for the graduation to begin so be prepared. Also carry some cash. They will be selling trinkets and photos is your sailor. Last but not least, enjoy! read more

See all

It was extremely nostalgic attending my son's Pass-in-review in the same ceremonial drill hall that my mom watched me graduate in over 25 years ago. With all of the chaos of the recruit graduation, all of the sailors/service members working the parking and security were very friendly, helpful, and professional. I am not only a proud Navy veteran, but I am also now a proud Navy mom!! Ship 4, DIVISION 350, Nov. 9, 2023! Wtg Grads!!! Welcome to the fleet, shipmates! I recommend arriving day BEFORE at a decent hour, getting your tickets at the NEX welcome center the day BEFORE graduation, and make sure you have your ID. I had a rental car, so if that applies to you, arrive at the gate AT 6:30, you will be waiting a while in line to get on base. Staying at a hotel with a shuttle is fine (which my mom did years ago), but it was really nice having the freedom of the rental, and they do have sailors assisting with directions and parking in the parking garage once on base. For the volume of vehicles, it ran pretty darn smoothly. You can bring snacks and something to drink which I recommend especially if you have children with you (I had my 10 year old son with me) or you can purchase concessions BEFORE 8:30. The doors do lock at 8:45, so don't rush to get in at the last minute, as seating fills up very early. Bring a cushion or something to sit on (even just a hoodie, sweatshirt or jacket you can fold up) because the bleachers are not comfortable waiting such a long period of time before the graduation starts at 9. And last but not least, bring your patience! It is a day of celebration for all the sailor recruits and their families that have worked so hard to get here, so be prepared and you will have a blast! read more

Recruit Training Command - Division 350 Nov. 9, 2023 - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

See all

I make... I keep, my promise... The remainder of my family and I returned to Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes to watch my middle child and son David "pass in review." Our return was just shy of one year. When my oldest son graduated and inspired my yelp review. Old Pros... Visiting less than a year later made this visit a breeze. We arrived at 0745. Made our way through the several security and check-in areas and, found seats in the upper deck. No waiting. No hassles. No problems. I wasn't crying... Somethings in my eye... The ceremony began as the last. On time! The bands played. The honor guard, with flags and rifles entertained the crowd. Then, the large doors opened to allow all the new sailors to enter the hall. As all the company's entered to be announced and to pass in review. The band played a simple march to keep the ranks and files in perfect step. The sights, the sounds and my own memories began a waive of emotions and my eyes told my story. Proud Dad... Proud Sailor... Proud American... The ceremony was great. And because I knew the sailors would get liberty call at its conclusion, I was ready. When the sailors were dismissed, I was already heading to see and hug my son who; only left home a weeks earlier as a boy now stands before me as a man. Godspeed to our military and wishing all my shipmates around the world, "fair winds and following seas." read more

Recruit Training Command - My sons somewhere in that sea of dress whites - Friday, June 2, 2017. - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

See all

Ship 07 DIV 372 passed BattleStations. Today we have 691 new Sailor's. We are grateful for this ones choice to serve. ArmyVet, Navy Dad. Great experience it was to watch our youngest and all the others take this oath and graduated. Hats of to all at the base who made this a great event. Polished to perfection! read more

See all

Visit date 1/4/19 -For all the new recruits graduating from Navy bootcamp. SIDE NOTE: rent a car if you did not drive to see your recruit graduate. I spent over $200.00 for Uber needing to go places and touring the town. The process was not as bad as they made it seemed on their website. If was fast . CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NEW RECRUITS .....HEY SAILORS . Inside is big and the set up is more like when going basketball game and it's normally REALLY packed. Chair cushioning would be great. The less things you bring in the better for the room. When you walking inmake sure you look for your recruits division so that you can sit across form them. read more

This base is the only Naval Bootcamp in the US. Apparently between 30K-40K potential candidates attempt this 8+ week activity. They start as recruits and after many grueling hours of discipline, training, classroom and marching (to name a few), they hopefully graduate to sailors. Once complete they move onto their designated disciplines either in Great Lakes or numerous other naval facilities throughout the country. The graduation ceremony was a moving and emotional experience. The family and friends gather in stands to watch the new and seasoned sailors and officers go through various drills. Bands play, choirs sing, guns are twirled, flags are waved and salutes galore. The ceremony ends with cheers, hugs, proud smiles and tears as you congratulate your sailor and they congratulate their shipmates. Wow! read more

Recruit Training Command - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

See all

beds are stiff as a board, showers are freezing cold, and the staff love to yell at you.

I just wanted a cool hat and shirt, how the hell did I end up here and how do I escape? read more

Recruit Training Command - Me - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

Bruh they almost kicked me out the summer camp cause I couldn't run, and only taught me 3 knots. They also legally changed my name to Recruit Guy and took my teeth. They served terrible food and never let me get cookies. Stated that I was the "worst group of people," which hurt my feeling and needed NCIS. read more

Our son is currently serving in the Navy, and deployed could not be here with us for Thanksgiving, my wife and I decided to host 3 sailors from Great Lakes, here at our house for Thanksgiving....best decision we ever made!!! It was an honor, and extreme pleasure to have them here. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank Great Lakes, and the US Navy for allowing us, and all families to do this for Sailors who could not be with their families for the holidays. We had 3 of the nicest, most well behaved Sailors, it was truly an honor to have them here read more

This place changed my life, for the better!! If you want a place to teach you that you CAN do hard things, and builds your confidence, this is it!! read more

After two months of sleepless nights worrying, my son finally completed and passed basic training with flying colors. He went in as a teenager and came out as a man with a mission in life. We had the great honor and opportunity to attend his graduation ceremony. It was definitely one of the most memorable and proudest moments of my life! RTC is the only boot camp training facility in the country for the United States Navy. Folks from all over venture out here to attend the graduation of their loved ones. Every week, recruits are born into sailors here. They constantly train hard and study as they make the transformation from civilian to military life. My son told me it's definitely a life changing experience to say the least. The Recruit Division Commanders here are world-class along with the rest of the RTC team. I want to thank all those who have served and those who are currently serving our country, most especially during this time of war. TG 01 -- DIV 002 HooYah!... read more

Recruit Training Command - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

See all

Before you come here as a recruit. Make sure you can pass the PFA. Don't waste everyone's time shipping here if you can't already pass it. Particularly the run. Look up the charts for your gender and age group and test yourself. We lost about 20 people in our division due to the first PFA. There won't be that much running time while you are here. So it's important to train for at least two months prior to shipping. If you do ship here without putting in the time to train, you'll spend more time at boot camp. There was one recruit that joined our division in the first week and went through boot camp with us and failed the final PFA and had to go through boot camp a third time. Imagine spending about 24 weeks here. My experience here was pretty positive. I learned a lot about leadership and the challenges that it entails. Initially, I didn't want a position and just wanted to go through it without being noticed. That went out the window the first week when we were being trained on how to fold and stow our uniforms. One of the RDCs learned my name that day. It is usually a bad thing when the RDCs learn your name. In my case it was a good thing. I was picked for a leadership position and had to assume the responsibilities of that position. The hardest part was getting your fellow recruits to work together. read more

So many many memories!!! Im so proud of you Jackie!!! Thanks for serving our country and for fighting for our freedom read more

Recruit Training Command - Boot Camps Near Me - Great Lakes, Illinois

Visit RTC Great Lakes! Most buildings have mini naval museums in side them and the dining hall is to die for! Also, there's no shortage of lost hopes and broken dreams. 10/10 would highly recommend. read more

The Navy/Goodwill volunteers from the galley were awesome. The RDC's were professional and beat us well for a good 2 months or so. Learned discipline, improved our physical ability, and strengthened our minds through the process. The peanut butter shots sucked though. Also don't smile too much or you'll be asked if you have tourettes by your RDC like I did! read more

Excited to see my daughter graduate but the base was so spread out you have to drive to go to the large exchange. Getting on base was swift and easy but if you are a military family, the base layout is confusing. read more

My son just graduated from boot camp on August 8. I was so impressed when our family came to the RTC for the ceremony, not only for the beauty and coordination of the ceremony, but for the way we were greeted and appreciated for coming by the Navy staff and troops. We found that staying close by in the Sleep Inn was perfect with a shuttle that not only took us to the ceremony, but also Juan provided us with orientation that the recruits cannot provide (even though the FAQ page for RTC is very thorough we got additional info about how to handle the 4-5 hours liberty the recruit gets on graduation day and I recommended Sleep Inn's handling of the new Navy families under a separate review for Sleep Inn) The facility is gorgeous to begin with. All those who helped funnel the thousands of attendees into the auditorium were extremely welcoming. The way they presented all the divisions and the entry into the deck with the backlit marching sailors took our breath away. I sent in a guy who did not have a really clear focus in his degree work thus far who mumbled and was less than confident, though a great guy. The person who graduated on Friday is now a uniformed, confident, cheerful, and happy person. He has expressed on several occasions that he well appreciates the sacrifices of the instructors and staff, who on occasion have to leave their families to be on duty for 18 of the 36 hours the recruits are kept awake and alert. He said his treatment here was firm and fair. When I see this young man hold doors for people, stow his sailor cap under his arm and stride strongly with our family, it is so wonderful. read more

I spent the best 6 months of my teenage life here from July 21,1987-December 25,1987. And that was the best move I ever made to do with my life right out of high school. And up until this very day I don't regret ever going into the US Navy. I ended up leaving Great Lakes after getting my orders to naval station 32nd street in San Diego. read more

My daughter has been at RTC for 3 weeks and she just reached out to me letting me know she has been in the hospital for a few days now due to a minor infection that spread throughout her body because she took too long to seek medical attention. She tells me bootcamp is fine and she is enjoying herself and looks forward to learning a lot from most of her RDCs. However, she let me know a couple of her RDCs took her medical concern for herself as faking it, or just being weak and trying to find a reason to get out for the moment. This was not the case, by the third day of her feeling ill she was vomiting and had very bad fever/chills. She says when she let her RDC know she needed medical attention he made a sly comment about her wanting to be sick so bad, but he could not deny her medical attention and he sent her to a place similar to a elementary school nurses office. Once she finally received medical attention they learned she had a fever of 103 and she was starting to get taken serious about her illness but only from the medical staff. She later reported to the doctors and they debated on admitting her to the hospital at that time but decided not to and let her know that if her fever came back or vomitting to go to the ER immediately. She was back in the care of her RDCs and an hour later she was vommitting. She let her head RDCs know what was going on and they showed concern and made arrangements for her to go. As she was was making her way to where she needed to be another RDC stopped her and her escort and asked where they were going and why. They let the Chief RDC know my daughter was heading to the ER and the RDC questioned my daughters illness in a mocking matter while another RDC laughed about it. All of the actions of the RDCs (minus the ones that showed concern) are the reason my daughter waited so long to report anything. We know there are people in the world that fake sick to get out of work/duty, but I do not believe any of the RDCs can medically assess any of their recruits as faking it. I believe the RDCs need better training on dealing with recruits that fall ill or show concern with their health. My daughters 3 day hospital stay could have been avoided had she received medical attention the first day. I know it is her responsibility to get help when she needs it but it is also the responsibilty of the RDCs to make sure our recruits are in good trusting hands as promised. read more

The most miserable 12 weeks of my life were spent at Great Mistakes! It was the absolute best decision I ever made. I went in Dec 1st 1982 at 18 years old. I was from the south and had never known cold like that. I was terrified and excited beyond any words. It was a start that shaped my entire life. I trained for the next year, spent the remainder of my enlistment at Bethesda Naval Medical Command. I met senators, congressmen and many high ranking sailors. It inspired me to educate myself. I graduated from college with a Bachelors of Science pre-med, went on to become a Registered Nurse and retired a Chief Petty Officer from the Naval Reserves in 2002 with exactly 20 years of service. read more