What about it Navy guys, my 18 yr old is wanting to join.

[moparguy]

Well, my eldest is set to graduate HS this year. Came home last night and said he'd been talking to a recruiter and wanted to take his physical next week and sign up on a delayed entry program for the Navy (he's 18). He's been talking military for a while, so not a big suprise, but man this is getting serious. Despite my best efforts, he dosen't want to go to college.



So, if this happens, what should he be aware of, or be on the lookout for. Any suggestions on possible career paths. He's been reading and re-reading all of Tom Clancys books since he was 14, loves to read, has even read most (and re-read) of James Michener's books, caught him re-reading "Poland", and Texas reciently. He hates math, says he just can't get it.



He did say he'd like to be involved in intel in some way.



What do you guys think, any advise?



Thanks, RJR

 

[DHRA]

ASVAB

The most important thing in '89 when I joined was the ASVAB. His future in the Navy (as an enlisted) rests on that. Intelligence Specialist or a Cryptological Technician Operator would be good for intel. These are 6 year assignments as I remember.

If I had to do it all over, I would utilize the ROTC programs that are available and become a line officer. Go Navy!

 

[Pit Bull]

I can ID with your Son, I joined the Marine Corp. after my 1st year of college. My Dad had past away and one of my best friends had been killed in Nam. I joined the Marines for 2 years. As a grunt you get a better perspective of life (and growup faster). Got out, got a good job and went to night school to get my degree, and lived happily ever after. Moral of the story, have him join the Marines for the shortest enlistment possible, as an enlisted grunt in the Corp he will growup fast and be able to decide if the Military is the life he wants. If it is the life he wants the Marines are a great stepping stone for the CIA. Also you should be very proud of him for wanting to serve his country, I know I would be. Wish him the best.

Denny

 

[NETim]

NAVY

Since I was an Electronics Tech (twigit) in the USN from '75 to '81, I am somewhat biased in the career choices in the Navy. I worked on crypto and radio stuff. Worked in the "radio shack" (facon) on a Spruance destroyer. (DD972 USS Oldendorf).



It's worth his time to go the six year route, if that's still available. I spent the first 2. 5 years of my enlistment in school. The Navy has the best education program of any of the service branches IMHO.



The Nuclear program is a great leg up as well, but it's real tough.



Electronics Warfare tech might be a good option as well. They get to learn some electronics and get to do some "spy" stuff.



I ended up with a Top Secret clearance simply because of where I worked and what I worked with but I really didn't get to do any "spy" stuff which was probably OK because of the nonsense associated with it. Anytime I checked out one of the tech manuals on any of my crypto stuff, I had to page count each one before I turned it back in.

Lost the glamour real quick.



I guess it depends what the kid is looking for. If he wants to do spy stuff and wants a career in say , the CIA, then the Crypto Tech rating might be the way to go. However, if he wants to get a technical background, he should consider being an ET. That way you learn how to fix stuff!



If he's the athletic type, maybe he should consider trying to be a SEAL. Those guys are the elite and they get to do everything. Real warriors. And real spy stuff. Stuff Clancy writes about. But making the grade is REAL tough. Very high washout rate.



The main thing to know though is that going in THEY OWN YOU! It's their way or no way. You're in for the duration and you had better like it or at least be able to tolerate it 'cause there's no going back. At least with honor anyway.



I'm glad that I did my six. I hated a lot of it, but still I'm glad that I did it.



Tim

 

[The patriot]

Moparguy, the military has an excellent program for paying college.

My little brother joined the army for 2 years active, I think he went to the NG for 4 years after that. Left at E-6 I believe.

He actually got payed to go to college. Granted, you have to be a digger to take advantage of things to this extent, but it can be done.

Guy at work was in Air Force intel (Ft Meade) and actually watched the Russians move into Afghanistan!! He told me that he was approached for the NSA, but didnt feel comfortable carrying. He expressed regret on this decision.

Another guy I work with was a Master Chief in the Navy. (E-9). He said he'd do it all over again, and is only 42 yrs old now, retired.

Whatever he does, good luck to him.

Eric

PS Dale Brown has some good books, mostly air force based. Different than Clancy though. More entertainment than based in fact, like Clancy is, but still good books!! Less technical I guess.

 

[Spaceace]

may be repetative but......

I did it. It was a major growing up period for me. . what little I did.



A. Get a high ASVAB score like mentioned.



B. Get a job skill which can be used outside after he gets out. Boilers are dinosoars, so are the avionic jobs. How many jet engine mechanics are out of work right now? He needs a skill that a civilian business needs. Missle tech is not high on the want ads list in my area. Electronics techs are. We still use diesel engines quite a bit. Get the drift???



C. Go in with the realization that 90% of the people he will meet are full of s**t. Don't follow the pack. Be a thinking man. Hind sight is 20/20.



D. You can't beat the benefits... hands down!



JMHO

 

[vinceharris]

go navy

I was in the navy from 78 to 86. i was (Engineman) and worked on tugs working with Fairbanks Morse diesel's 10 cylinders most of time in Portsmouth,VA shipyard. then went on

board a Spurance Class Destroyer (DD979 USS CONOLLY) IN

Norfolk,VA. just make sure he choose the right rating that he fells comfortable with i heard that west coast is real nice



Vince Harris

member GLTDR

 

[Jim Fulmer]

Mopar

If he is really serious about the Navy then take all they will give him, If he scores high enough on the asvab it will give him barganing chips, if a recuiter feels like he or she is not going to get the person they can offer more like school money(they have quotas they have to meet every month), tell him to signup for the GI bill and the college fund also that will give him 30g's or so to go to school on when he gets out, while he's in he can take classes for 25% cause tuition assistance pays for 75%. It's all about you and making the best of it and getting all you can while doing your job. The Navy is getting better at taking care of people since I have been in (Sept. 91') I did the boat thing then came to the hidden Navy in Ok. for a flying job. Tell him to bust his a$$ on the asvab then research then jobs and how they will be on the outside(Civialian world) why tak some B. S. career path that will do you no good in the outside. PM me if you have any questions.



Jim

 

[Diesel Freak]

ASVAB

I say go for it! It was the best decision of my life.



I spent six years in the navy as a Nuke Machinist Mate. I would recomend that your son do as well as he can on the ASVAB... . the higher the score the more doors that will open for him (I scored a 98)



I was going to recommend that he persue the Nuke Program, but since he "hates Math" he may want to look at other options. The Navy schools are the best out of the military!



I went to college for two years before I went in the Navy. My advice would be for your son to look at all of his options and not sign anything untill he is completely comfortable with the career path he has chosen. Once you "sign your life away" there is no looking back.



I can not stress enough that he choose a career that he can use when he gets out. I will say that any of the Nuke ratings (Machinist Mate, Electronics Technician, and Electricians Mate) will open the most doors once he rejoins civilian life... . base starting salary for an ex-nuke is between 50K and 65K, even more if he goes to work in a Civilian Nuclear plant and gets his NRC SRO license. Personally I stayed away from that and went into Semiconductors.



Geez, I sound like a recruiter... . tell your son to keep his mouth shut, keep his nose clean, do not blindly follow orders, and 99% of the people he will meat are completely full of crap!



I wish him well.

 

[Spaceace]

WOW DiselFreak!

The numbers went up since i served... 9% higher!

 

[LBTRS]

ASVAB (GO NAVY!)

moparguy,



I'm currently a United States Navy Recruiter in Lewiston Idaho. I've been in the Navy for 15 years and my real job in the Navy is as an Electronics Technician. The most important part of the process is getting a good score on the ASVAB and then taking a job that he wants to do, not what the Navy wants him to do. The job counselor that he will sit down with after taking the ASVAB and physical has a list of priority jobs that he is instructed to fill. He'll sell these first. Some of the priority jobs are good jobs, electronics, nuke, cryptology tech, etc. A lot on this list are not the best jobs to take. The more technical the job the more college credits he'll earn from his Navy training, which leaves him less time to spend in class finishing up his degree. I can honestly say that the Navy is the best branch of the armed forces for a young single guy who wants the best training available, wants to travel and see a lot of neat places in the world the whole time getting great job experience. Make sure he understands, the recruiter will tell him all the fun/positive things about life in the Navy but he needs to understand that all those benifits are going to come at the cost of hard work. In my opinion, the fun and benifits you gain far outweigh the hard work he'll put in. That is the reason I've chosen to stay around.



If he can score above a 50 on the ASVAB he'll be eligible for the Navy College Fund (NCF) which is now $50,000 to use for college when he gets out. I just put two high school seniors in yesterday and they both got $50,000 NCF for taking jobs leaving in September 2002.



The best thing a parent can do is go with him while he talks to the job counselor. This will not only make the job counselor present some of the better jobs but also you'll be able to explain which jobs are going to be more useful to him later in life. The counselors are very good at talking kids into jobs that won't really benifit them after they leave the military. Never forget, he's not comited until he signs his contract and takes the oath of enlistment. He can walk away from the process at any time if they are not taking care of him.



Worst case senario he goes in for 4 years and hates his job. He'll have gained some work experience, traveled the world, got some college out of the way, maybe saved some money and most importantly have grown up and been taught good decission making skills. The whole time Dad can rest easy knowing his son is doing something positive with his life and not just a kid failing out of college, smoking dope and wasting money on a education that the majority of college kids will never finish.



If you or your son would like to talk just email me and I'll give you my 800 number and I'd be happy to tell you how things work behind the scenes. He can't go wrong joining the United States Navy (just keep him away from the Army).



To the person that said "90% of the people he will meet are full of s**t" couldn't be more wrong. The majority of the people are hard working patriotic professionals with a very demanding job to do. Of course you'll run into the occasional "loser" but the trick is to steer clear of these people and be part of the crowd that is moving up.



I wish your son good luck.



AT1(AW) Ray Trautman

Recruiter In Charge

NRS Lewiston Idaho

 

[Diesel Freak]

Re: ASVAB (GO NAVY!)

Originally posted by Ray Trautman

The more technical the job the more college credits he'll earn from his Navy training, which leaves him less time to spend in class finishing up his degree

This depends on the School, and the Degrees offered.

The degrees offered by ODU, NY Regents, and Thomas Edison that give you credit got Naval Nuclear experience will not get you very far.



The reputable Engineering schools WSU, OSU, UW etc. will not give credit for Navy schools.



I have done ALL the research

 

[LSMITH]

I spent 4 years in the Navy. I also scored a 98 on the asvab so the jobs available to me when I joined were everything the navy has. If he scored under 60 have him retake the asvab, the jobs available to the kids with the lower scores are not worth having a lot of the time. There is a mind boggling amount of technical training available in the Navy, just pick a job that will get him the training. NEVER, and I mean NEVER go in "undesignated"!!!!! The recruiters or counselors at the MEPS station will tell him that he can pick any school he wants when he is done with boot camp. WRONG!!!!!! He will spend 4 years chipping paint. Also tell him to bust his butt in his "A" school (primary job training). The kids that do the best get the secondary ( "C" ) schools. The C school goes into your job more, and gives you a specialty on a system or a piece of equipment. Take every single school offered. It is possible to spend nearly half your enlistment in schools. The job I would probably take if I were to do it again is a Firecontrolman (FC). The latest radar system is theirs and the training they get makes them quite valuable on the outside. Spy1B radar guys were getting jobs for $65K and up when I got out.

I spent 20 months in schools and the rest on a ship (USS Gettysburg CG-64) out of Mayport Fla. I have been to Europe, Africa, middle east, and Carribean. It was a great decision for me to go in. I got good solid job skills, and a period of time to grow up without worry about money, food, shelter, etc. I would do it over again in a second. The last piece of advise I would give your son is to stay single while he is in. Get out and get married and start a family then. The families of sailors have the toughest job of all. Stay single, work hard, and have fun.

 

[LBTRS]

not good in math

Not everyone is going to be able to score a top ASVAB score so your advice about retaking if he gets below a 60 doesn't make much sense. That’s like telling someone... if you figure you gas mileage and it's not 25mpg then refigure it until it is. If he's not good in math then he's probably not going to get in the 60-90 range. You have to be decent in basic math (fractions, long division, percentages, etc. ) with a bit of algebra experience to get much higher than the 50's. Of course, the better you do the more jobs you'll be qualified for but 50 is the sweet spot. Above 50 you're considered to be in the upper mental group and you start qualifying for the technical jobs. Jobs like nuke, advanced electronics (FC, ET) and the advanced technical field start around the 65-75 range. Of course these are by no means hard numbers as the AFQT score is not what's used to determine what jobs you qualify for, they use line scores for that. It's a good rule of thumb though.



Like I said before, even if you don't qualify for the best job in the Navy if a person works hard and makes the best out of every situation you'll go far and have a very rewarding time in the Navy. You'll grow up and have experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. I know many Boatswains mates (Deck Hands) and Mess Management Specialists (Cooks) that have had very positive experiences in the Navy and wouldn't trade their time in the Navy for anything. Not everyone is a Rocket Scientist.

 

[Spaceace]

Ray Ray Ray I LOVE the USN

C'mon those 90% ARE full of stuff.



Admit it. How many people say they are or knew someone famous. Always knew someone who has a more powerful truck or a bigger gun... took 50 more bullets. . and lived... . knows a girl who has the morals of a LITTER of alleycats... get the picture yet?



The same thing happens on these boards EVERY day. The numbers and occurances are less.



In no way was I implying that those people are bad. Just don't fall for their BS. The reality is, I liked the Navy more than any job to date. I would still be there if the less than honest placement person had not said on reup I HAD to do 5 more sea duty years after just completing 5 of 6 years at sea... underway.



Oh yeah,... don't take a billet on an AOE class unless you like being underway or tied up anywhere but your home port.

 

[LBTRS]

I get ya

Spaceace,



You can't be a sailor unless you can tell a good story. I thought you were referring to something else I hear every day. It's a common misconception that when you join the military you're going to be surrounded by incompetent idiots and you'll be the lone "normal" person around. I thought this when I joined but quickly discovered when I had to start competing with them for jobs, promotions, etc. that there are a lot of very bright/sharp people in the Navy. In my job (recruiter) I have to address this issue daily with parents and prospective applicants. Thought that's what you were getting at.



Sorry

 

[Diesel Freak]

disregard

 

[Diesel Freak]

Re: I get ya

Originally posted by Ray Trautman

Spaceace,



You can't be a sailor unless you can tell a good story.

There was this one time in Hong Kong... . oops, this is a family oriented forum. Maby some other time.

 

[LBTRS]

Easy for some

The ASVAB is a joke for some people but very difficult for others. You'd not believe how many people don't pass (31 is passing) or barely pass. I disqualify several every month because they can't get the minimum 31 needed to qualify for the Navy. Off they go to the Army office.



Another thing that is common when you talk to anyone who's prior military (around here at least)... ... . everyone has scored a 90 something on the ASVAB. What they fail to realize is that I have their scores on my computer and when I look them up they were a long ways from a 90. Guess that goes back to Spaceace's "90% are full of it". He may be on to something.

 

[RonaldLarson]

Navy!!!!!!!

Korean "conflict" here, Navy for sure. The most rewarding and awakening time in my life. We learn many things in the Navy. We learn responsibility, because in the Navy, you ARE responsible for the successful completion of your assigned duties. First Class petty officers and Chief petty officers run the ships of the Navy!

We learn respect, because respect displaces self indulgance. We learn that we all depend on the performance of each other.

We learn tradition, and tradition is the rock upon which patriotism and pride are built.

We also get the best technical training in the military. If you think I am frustrated by being too old to re-enlist and join this current war, you are absolutely correct!

Ron