My son has just joined the Navy!!!

DungeonMaster

[DungeonMaster]

My 18 year old home schooled son has just joined the Navy! He is torn between being a Corpsman or a Nuke tech.

My wife and I have so many emotions going through our heads but the biggest one is pride. Of our eight children this particular one is the most shy and quiet and we have wondered for a long time what will be his calling. The Navy suddenly seems to be a perfect fit. He doesn't mind being alone and reading all day and isn't currently occupied with chasing girls.

[thinkthenpost]

He will have a rate by the time he gets to NPS, as above either ET, EM, or MM. He has to got to “A” school prior to NPS so he’ll never go to the fleet as an undesignated striker assuming he passes “A” school.

[Vinnie]

Congrats.
My grandson just joined. Delayed entry until December, then off to Great Lakes boot camp.

[DungeonMaster]

Where do you live? It isn’t FReeper Rockin Right two cubicles down is it??

Cedar Rapids, Ia and it isn't FReeper Rockin Right.

[EDINVA]

Congratulations!!!!!

I understand fully your pride, as one of ours joined the Army last Fall. You won’t believe your own son after a few months.

[Axeslinger]

It depends. If you rock out before you complete A school, you will go to the fleet as an unrated E-3. Once in the fleet you can choose to "strike" for any rate within your department. Basically study and try to get some OJT and then when you finally get promoted to E-4, you will have a rating. This is basically true of any rating in the Navy...if you fail A school this is what will happen. It just so happens that Nuc Fld A school is harder than most.

If you rock out during NPS or Prototype, like I did, you will already have a rating. Upon completion of A school, I was an E-4 Electrician's Mate. When I failed NPS, I was sent to the fleet on a non-Nuke ship and served the remainder of my enlistment there as an electrician.

[DungeonMaster]

I understand fully your pride, as one of ours joined the Army last Fall. You won’t believe your own son after a few months.

I imagine it was that way for my parent too but it seems that it is going to be even more of a change for our son. He's always been shy and I now understand why they both beat you down and build you up in basic. They want you to have respect for the service and all that it stands for, but they teach you to yell because they also want you to have a voice in the service and in the world. Having a quiet son caused me to figure this out.

[DungeonMaster]

Is A school for a nuke physics or basic electronics or both or neither?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Based on the little you told us, he sounds tempermentally more suited to being a nuclear tech than a corpsman. However, if he wants to develop people skills corpsman might be a good calling.

Keep in mind that Marine medics are Navy corpsmen and he could wind up on the frontlines. Corpsmen have always been prime targets for uncivilized savages like Islamists and Japs because killing them has a demoralizing effect on their comrades. The position often calls for taking the kind of risks that normally only a second leiutenant would undertake.

[DungeonMaster]

Keep in mind that Marine medics are Navy corpsmen and he could wind up on the frontlines. Corpsmen have always been prime targets for uncivilized savages like Islamists and Japs because killing them has a demoralizing effect on their comrades. The position often calls for taking the kind of risks that normally only a second leiutenant would undertake.

That just sucks!

[thinkthenpost]

“A” school is for the rate, Machinist Mate, Electrician's Mate, Electronics Technician, originally back in the 80’s everyone went to the same “A” school. During the 90’s when I went through non-nuke ET “A” school there were separate Nuke and regular “A” schools. I have no idea how things are now, I believe boot camp in Orlando is gone, but I do not know about Nuke “A” and Nuke Power both of which were also in Orlando, any Freepers on more recent vintage have any idea where new recruits go?

[Snow Eagle]

WooHoo!!! Congrats to your son and good luck in whatever career path he chooses.

[Ravenstar]

It is all in Goose Creek South Carolina now. That is near Charleston South Carolina. Nuke School is now self contained I believe, at least everyone that my son associated with in 2003 was doing the Nuke Schools. When they get to Prototype (OJT) they are encouraged to live off base and get an apartment with two or three other servicemen.

Ravenstar

[Ravenstar]

Oh, Basic is in Michigan now.

Ravenstar

[EDINVA]

the military serves all kinds of purposes ... it will give your son a voice and calmed down my bombastic kid ! Ya just never know. Wait till you go to the graduation ... your buttons will pop with pride. Keep us apprised.

[dirtymac]

My son , Andrew MacPhee, was supposed to go in on August 7 but has just been changed to August 20. When does your boy go in? just after boot camp, he will be going to South Carolina for school.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

It does suck. Just remember these are the people the Democrats want to sit down with and talk. I'm not trying to scare you or your son, just take the facts into account when chosing a field. .

I worked with a guy who got a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Columbia. He started off with a six year term as a Navy nuclear tech, in submarines. Great guy, really knew his stuff.

[trimom]

This means your son has become one of the members of the military we pray for daily. God bless him and protect him.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

"When they go out on the boat, it can be a long time before you hear from them."

My daughter is aboard the Lincoln. I hear from her every day by email. They can also call, even when at sea, via satellite if they have a calling card.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

That's true. A good recruiter now mentors the people they sign up teaching them a little about military etiquette, military knowledge and starts a physical training program ~ at least that was how my daughters' recruiter worked with them.

[My hearts in London - Everett]

"The paranoid part of me sees a pool of people that the Navy can do with what they will. Is this paranoid? Do they get a good second choice?"

My daughters joined the Navy going on three years ago. In C schools, if you fail, you now choose another rate to go into within a very short time ~ a few weeks I think, depending on what's open. Used to be that if you failed out of C school you were sent to the fleet to do sh!t work for a year and then you could put in for a new rate.