[OT] I'm Going To Enlist In The Navy

[krunchyfrogg]

Thank you, AT, and God Bless.

 

[Cougar]

I love hearing all this talk about port and starboard watches and nukes and all that, being a sub vet myself, albiet fast attack.

For all of you considering joining the Navy, let me caution you. Unless you are an officer or on a submarine, you HAVE to live on the ship. Also some commands have what is called cinderella liberty in certain ports, where ALL e-3 and below have to be aboard the ship before midnight, regardless of your age. I got into quite a bit of arguements with "management" about that when I was overseas.

 

[Cartolis]

Gah, just saw your post about the eyesight.

First off, let me say "that sucks!"
then let me say that you can still go in if you want too.

there was a guy in my boot camp company that was nearly blind.
without his glasses he couldnt see more than 50 feet.

anyone who had to work a bit to get in will recogonize this quote.

"where there is a will there is a waiver!" might want to go back and talk to them again. If that dosent work write your congressman/women. there are ways around this if you really want to serve.

and since this cannot be stressed enough, if you get to meps and are ready to pick a job DO NOT allow them to rush you, or presure you into another job. If they say we cant give you that then walk. they will either cave or give you a lift home.

Its your life, dont take no for an answer (on either situation)

good luck,
Cartolis

 

[Cougar]

I was someone who was rushed and picked a job that I didn't really want (and hated with every fiber of my being). I was in welding school and decided to be a welder in the Navy. I scored a 96 on my ASVAB and when I talked to the detailer (who are every bit as bad as recruiters when it comes down to it, in my experience) he told me there were no openings for welders right then unless I went Nuke, which I didn't want to do. I told him I would wait and he told me there was about a 180 day wait for welders right then and I would have to do all the processing again. I had been at MEPS all day and was tired and nervous. I didn't want to wait and come back. So I asked him what else was open. They fixed my up with Electronics Technician Submarines, which was a old job with a new specialty and highly in demand.

One thing I must say about recruiters. I have known a few on the boat who were back from recruitment duty. They aren't bad people, just pressured into bringing in lots of people. Honestly, if anyone could have explained to me how bad my experience was in the Navy, I wouldn't have gone. But you can't know until you get there. My only advice is get everything in writing before you take the oath. If it seems bad, walk away, just like buying a car. You can ALWAYS come back.

Funny story about eyesight; I knew a guy in boot camp in AWESOME physical shape who wanted to go out for SEALs. He passed the physical test, then he got his eyes checked. At MEPS before you go in they don't check you for color blindness, but they sure do in Great Lakes. He was told he couldn't be a SEAL because he couldn't see some shades of green important for the night vision equipment. He hadn't chosen any job and didn't even want to be IN the Navy if it wasn't for the SEALs. So he was stuck in the Navy for three years after all that.

 

[UniversalMonster]

Good luck! I suggest Naval security group, linguist. You can get a flying billet from there and be extra cool.

I was in the Army. We didn't get to do some of the cool missions like our navy counterparts, but thats one I would have liked.

 

[Psion]

I love hearing all this talk about port and starboard watches and nukes and all that, being a sub vet myself, albiet fast attack.

Well, if you miss the "good old days", try these helpful hints.

Subject: How to simulate shipboard life. Suggestions for the ex-sailor who misses the "good old days"

1.Sleep on the shelf in your closet.

2.Replace the closet door with a curtain.

3.Six hours after you go to sleep, have your wife whip open the curtain, shine a flashlight in your eyes, and mumble "Sorry, wrong rack".

4.Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of your bathtub and move the shower head down to chest level.

5.When you take showers, make sure you shut off the water while soaping.

6.Every time there's a thunderstorm, go sit in a wobbly rocking chair and rock as hard as you can until you're nauseous.

7.Put lube oil in your humidifier instead of water and set it to "High".

8.Don't watch TV except movies in the middle of the night. Also, have your family vote on which movie to watch, then show a different one.

9.(Mandatory for ex-engineering types) Leave lawnmower running in your living room 24 hours a day for proper noise level.

10.Have the paperboy give you a haircut.

11.Once a week blow compressed air up through your chimney, making sure the wind carries the soot across and onto your neighbor's house. Laugh at him when he curses you.

12.Buy a trash compactor and only use it once a week. Store up garbage in the other side of your bathtub.

13.Wake up every night at midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread, if anything. (Optional: Canned ravioli or cold soup).

14.Make up your family menu a week ahead of time without looking in your food cabinets or refrigerator.

15.Set your alarm clock to go off at random times during the night. When it goes off, jump out of bed and get dressed as fast as you can, then run out into your yard and break out the garden hose.

16.Once a month take every major appliance completely apart and then put them back together.

17.Use 18 scoops of coffee per pot and allow it to sit for 5 or 6 hours before drinking.

18.Invite at least 85 people you don't really like to come and visit for a couple of months.

19.Have a fluorescent lamp installed on the bottom of your coffee table and lie under it to read books.

20.Raise the thresholds and lower the top sills on your front and back doors so that you either trip over the threshold or hit your head on the sill every time you pass through one of them.

21.Lockwire the lugnuts on your car.

22.When making cakes, prop up one side of the pan while it is baking. Then spread icing really thick on one side to level off the top.

23.Every so often, throw your cat into the swimming pool, shout "Man overboard, ship recovery!", run into the kitchen and sweep all the pots/pans/dishes off of the counter onto the floor, then yell at your wife for not having the place "stowed for sea".

24.Put on the headphones from your stereo (don't plug them in). Go and stand in front of your stove. Say (to nobody in particular) "Stove manned and ready". Stand there for 3 or 4 hours. Say (once again to nobody in particular) "Stove secured".
Roll up the headphone cord and put them away.

 

[Cedric]

Psion...that was a riot. I wasn't even on subs, I was just an instructor at prototype before getting out.

But still...that list is hilarious.

Cedric

 

[MarauderX]

um, can I vote? then, don't do it. too many drawbacks to it all, and my one friend who did regrets the time it took from everything else. He said it was a big trade off, and was very hard to admit that he regretted it in the first place, but now he is 'stuck'.

 

[Chauzu]

Uh... how bad is your vision? Why can't you wear glasses? What sort of eyesight must you have to get in the military?

The reason I ask is because I have bad vision when looking at things far away. Not way blurry, but just enough so that I can't read writing and that sort of detail. My close vision is fine. What's up?

 

[Mean Eyed Cat]

Oh Psion - that brings back sooo many memories!

I have to say I had one of the worst jobs in the Navy - Boatswain's Mate.

25. Paint every inch of your house grey.

26. Mop your kitchen floors about 10 times a day.

But I can't say it was all that bad - it helped pay for my undergrad. degree