muroa660
Private
i reject your reality and inject mine
Posts: 18
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Post by muroa660 on Oct 25, 2012 17:50:39 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I have been in the delayed entry program of the U.S. Navy since march 4th of this year. i got a 98th on the ASVAB (aka the test that you take at MEPS) and i got to go into the Nuclear field as a Electronics Technician and i volunteered for submarines. I'm just wondering is there anyone else in the Navy or has had other family in the Navy at any point in time whether it was at the present or in the past? tips, comments, questions, gripes or complaints about me becoming a Squid, lay them on me!
P.S. is this the correct forum to post this subject in? if it isn't please help me move it to the correct location.
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zodd
Sergeant
Lost Boy.
Posts: 243
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Post by zodd on Oct 25, 2012 20:46:39 GMT -5
#1- Congrats and good on ya' for joining up.
#2- What a random forum to fire off questions about joining the military? Lol.
#3- Not my specialty; however, I do know that Subs are a very distinct culture in the Navy. You are right to start doing research early. The military is often what you make of it. Utilize tuition assistance programs and take night classes when able AFTER you graduate your MOS school and have been in your unit for a few months (So you get a feel for the Op Tempo in your AO). Avoid demotivated individuals, and be prepared to be the boot who doesn't know *Watch your language!* until the next group rolls in a few months to a year later. We all have to earn our stripes.
<--Willing to chat and answer any and all questions that I can for you off-line via PM.
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Post by Maethius on Oct 26, 2012 10:10:34 GMT -5
Navy contractor here, one of my best friends was a submariner, dad worked carriers.
From the standpoint of career, going nuke-tech is a good idea. If you decide to stay career it will serve you well, and if you decide to retire at any point you will be expertly trained in a very specialized field. Further, an administration may cut $1trillion from military spending (yes, that is $1,000,000,000,000 ... and yes, I am being political about the current situation, as it has rocked my industry), but they will cut contractors like me first and the boats will be last.
From the standpoint of family, I would have to ask if you are a single guy or if you are in a relationship. Of all the military fields I can think of, subs is the hardest on families. You will have the least amount of communication with the outside world (hell, you will have limited communication on the boat at times!) However, if you are not claustrophobic and you have no ties ashore the social damage would be minimal.
From the standpoint of maturity, some people really are not cut out for military life, others find themselves drastically degraded by it, still others come out as vastly improved human beings. I work with an excellent crew (almost all retired as Chief or better) and all of them will attest that they are much better people because of the service.
You will have to deal with watching tv shows and movies about subs and trying not to cry at how unrealistic they are, however.
Congrats on your scores and your choices... we need more folks like you in our society.
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muroa660
Private
i reject your reality and inject mine
Posts: 18
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Post by muroa660 on Oct 26, 2012 22:41:23 GMT -5
Re: Zodd hey thanks for a great reply and good advice and also i LOVE your picture on your message box. Hey Cid! lol i can't get that song out of my head now! btw how do i PM someone... yes i know I'm really internet illiterate. and also is that little poem yours or someone elses?
Re: Maethius Wow it is an honor to talk to one of the greatest (IMO) customizers (are you a darth yet?) of all time! and even more surprising to find out that you also are working with the navy in a fashion. so to answer your questions i am not married ergo no kids i have not even ever had a girlfriend yet. and if anything i love enclosed spaces i hate expansive outdoors because that usually means SUNLIGHT and i burn in about 15 min flat, thanks to my eastern Ukraine heiritage i got from my dad and my moms side has aggressive red hair tendencies so i have always hated going outside. and i am thinking of a career just after 8 years i will get out go to school get a masters at least in nuclear physics and possibly go back in afterwards. not that simple of course but thats down the road.
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zodd
Sergeant
Lost Boy.
Posts: 243
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Post by zodd on Oct 27, 2012 11:29:53 GMT -5
....little envelope below everyone's avatar in their message box... o.0? You sure you scored that high on the EST/ASVAB? Next, use your time in the DEP to get to know the other Poolees and pick the Petty Officer's brains at your RSS to get a feel for their Navy experiences (good and bad) and advice on what steps to take as a junior enlisted Sailor to set you up for success in the future. Making friends with the other Poolees will help keep you motivated, and get you outdoors PT'ing more (since you went ahead and snitched on yourself there about not liking the outdoors much.) All of this can be accomplished by regular visits to the RSS and going to ALL pool functions and PT sessions that your particular RSS holds. ^Most of this was unsolicited advice, I know, but it is general advice that I have given many a poolee in my time. Advice which has proven itself worthy for them in the long run. Good luck. Just to rub it in: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgEaq9qAyc
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muroa660
Private
i reject your reality and inject mine
Posts: 18
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Post by muroa660 on Oct 27, 2012 16:57:23 GMT -5
well zodd i am working out with the puddle pirates aka coast guard to train for boot camp PT due to the unfortunate redeployment of my recruiter and being in Juneau has its advantages like having a surprising amount of navy and former navy personnel to talk to although none are former submariners. And it has disadvantages like when it is sunny after September it is usually freezing outside (Literally) and there being absolutely no other DEP future sailors in my city. most people try to join either the coast guard or the national guard. but i stay in contact with my nuclear coordinator down in seattle and my DEP guy up in anchorage.
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Post by Maethius on Oct 29, 2012 10:44:37 GMT -5
Muroa660- Thanks for the kind words! I don't know if I'm a complete Darth, but I think of myself more as a Frankendarther. It sounds like this would be a good time for you to jump in and test those waters. I was offered an opportunity to deploy to Saudi Arabia for a year as a civilian two years ago, and that was a tough decision. My wife was pregnant and I would have missed my son's first year, but it would also be a once in a lifetime experience and would have eliminated our debt in that one year. We decided if I would miss a year of his life, that would be the year to miss, but things fell through (we think that the Saudis were seeing too much democracy erupting around them, so they decided to staunch the flow of westerners until the political landscape cooled down). If the same opportunity came again, we would have to say no; it's more critical for my family to have a dad around than to be out of debt and dadless for a year. You are in an excellent position, and if I were in your shoes, I would take full advantage of it.
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