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| Part IV Navy Basic Training | ||||||||||||||||||
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Like the Air Force, the Navy only has one location for boot camp: The Great Lakes Naval Training Center, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, halfway between Chicago and Milwaulkee. Unlike Air Force Basic Training, much of Navy Boot Camp is conducted indoors. Yep -- there's indoor marching and drill, the confidence course is indoors, and even weapons (Shotgun and pistol) are fired indoors. (This makes a lot of sense if you think about it -- much of Navy life and duty is spent inside a ship or submarine). The Recruit Training Command processes more than 54,000 recruits through Navy Boot Camp, per year.
As with Army and Air Force Basic Training, there are several things you should do in advance to prepare yourself for Navy Boot Camp. First and foremost is to get into some semblance of physical shape. I recommend you read and follow the U.S. Navy Personal Training Plan Booklet several weeks before you depart. You should also practice the rudiments of drill and ceremony, as well as memorize Navy rank and ratings.
As if that's not enough to study in advance, you should also learn the Navy Core Values. Navy Boot Camp is probably one of the most "classroom-intensive" of the four primary military services (including written tests!), so the more you can get out of the way in advance, the less you will be struggling with when the stress really hits the fan. Also, as with the Army and Air Force, your recruiter will give you a list of what you should or should not bring with you to boot camp. Unlike the Army and Air Force, the Navy won't store your excess civilian clothing until the end of boot camp. After your first uniform issue, you'll be given a choice of sending your civilian clothing home (at your expense) or donating them to charity. Therefore, as far as civilian clothing is concerned, you should pack very, very light. Again, as with the Army and Air Force Basic Training, if it ain't on the list, don't bring it. If its on the "Do Not Bring" list, then definitely don't bring it.
If you're a tobacco user, give it up. As with the other services, smoking, or the use of tobacco products is not allowed in boot camp. In fact, the Navy probably has the most restrictive tobacco policy in this sense. Smoking, or use of tobacco products is not allowed by anyone, either inside, outside, or within vehicles, on the Recruit Training Command Base (this includes visitors who may come to see you graduate). If you don't know how to swim, try to learn before you leave for boot camp. Soon after you arrive, you'll be screened for swimming skills, and those that can't swim will have to undergo special instruction in the Kiddy Pool (General Advice: when in boot camp, it's always better not to require "special instruction" in anything). Actually, remedial swimming instruction is not that bad. Each cycle, several recruits show up at boot camp who can't swim, so this portion of the training is kind of "just another course," in many aspects. However, I have heard cases of phone priviledges being denied until week #6 for folks who failed the swim qualification test. All military pay is done by "direct deposit." This means, in order to get paid, you must have a checking or savings account established at a financial institution. It's a *very* good idea to have an account with an ATM Card or Debit Card, so that you can access your money without writing a check. If you establish an account before you depart to Great Lakes, make sure you bring a deposit slip with you, so you can give the information (bank name, routing code, and account number) to the finance folks when you inprocess. If you don't have a bank account established before you depart, don't worry. You'll have an opportunity to open an account (you need to deposit $5.00 to open an account) at the Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) at Great Lakes. They have all the forms pre-filled out, and all you have to do is open the account, then give the form to the finance folks during inprocessing. You can also open an account with Armed Forces bank, but not both. |
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Additionally, your recruiter should have told you to memorize the