Anybody with kids going into the Navy?

[Shawnee]

As I have mentioned before, our only daughter has decided to go into the Navy, and we know precious next to nothing about the armed forces...

She goes to book camp in Illinois for 8 weeks, then off to Pensacola, Fla for A. School for 16 weeks; she has chose Air Traffic Control for her specialty. Unfortunately, chosing this area means she has to enlist for an extra year - so we're talking about 5 years...

I was wondering what sort of training they give in boot camp now in the Navy; do they cover self-defense?

Anything anybody could offer would be deeply appreciated!

[Outlooker]

There is a Navy Message Board for Parents at:

www.navy.com/messageboard/index.jspa

This site might help you gather answers, however I'll give what information I know.

Yes, she will go to Great Lakes, up in Illinois, for her basic training for a period of roughly 8 weeks. During those 8 weeks, she may wonder many times why she joined. She may not like how she is treated, she may miss home, or she might simply miss being a civilian. However, if she makes it through the 8 weeks, she'll find things lighten up drastically.

During basic, she will be trained in all sorts of "Important things", such as folding her underwear into 6" squares and how to make hospital corners on beds. lol They will focus on military class room training and physical training. That means running, and that was the part I hated the most. The Navy also will throw her a party, it's called a "GI Party", and when her Instructors tell her about it.. they may say the same tired jokes I was told. lol A GI party is cleaning detail, basically. She and the others in her group will clean and wax the floors, dust, clean the bathrooms until they are spotless, etc. Actually I thought those parties were fun.. we were allowed to break out the radio and blast the music while we cleaned. Some of the guys danced and sang.. but the instructor kept an eye on us to make sure we were doing as we were supposed to do. They just didn't say a whole lot.

Also, if she doesn't make it the first time, they may "Recycle" her and start her over.. which will extende her basic training to a longer amount of time. If she is fit and able to run, and if she adapts well enough, then odds are she'll breeze through basic with out a problem. I couldn't run worth a tinker's dam, Shawnee... in fact if I ran 500', then you knew someone was chasing me. lol However in the military I was taught to run for over a mile and a half non-stop. I still hated running, but at least I could do that much. lol

Then she'll go to "A" School, which is like the Air Force's Tech School. They may allow her to come home for a week, or week-end, between Basic and A School, but most likely they will ship her right to Pensacola. A School, for her, is scheduled for 16 weeks.. but she may find out that she can graduate early, if she picks up on the lessons faster... and if she is slower, she'll be there longer. Most likely she will get leave after A School, maybe she'll get up to a month, if she wants it. I'd hope for 2 weeks because if she got a month then that might be a sign of her going overseas... or maybe even to Hawaii or Alaska.

During her Training Period, and most likely basic, she'll get to fill out her "Dream Sheet". The Navy might call it something else, but it's a form which asks her for her preferences. She'll have the option of Stateside and Overseas places and bases. When the Navy assigns a person to their permanent duty station, they do try to give the person one of their choices. The military knows that they put these kids through quite a transistion and now it's time to give them a good opinion of the Military... if they can. Sometimes the selections chosen by the people are filled up and the result is sending the person to a place they don't want to go. The Navy also ought to explain to these kids about how to choose bases and places. I know I was told that over a 20 year period we had to have one short tour and one long tour of duty overseas. The instructor told me if I had no desire to go to the orient, then make Korea my first choice and get it over with... then change my dream sheet after I get my short tour of duty and take the places I really didn't want to go to out of the list. Your Daughter might want the orient, for one reason or another. Hey, let the US Government pay for her trip. lol

The chances are good that they will assign her to a stateside base first, it will probably be better for Air Traffic Controllers to learn the US Ways of handling things first... however the military thinks in strange ways. lol

The extra year may be no big thing, from what I see.. the first enlistment is still 6 years and broken down into 4 years of active duty and 2 years reserve. If she has to have an extra year.. that may mean 5 years of active duty and 1 year reserve. However the Navy can keep her active for all 6 years if they want. This active duty time includes her time in Basic and A School. Officers, I think, join up for 8 year contracts.. but officers are a funny lot too. They have different rules to go by when it comes to joining the military.

ATC's make good money in the civilian world, so for her to learn this wouldn't be something foolish. Now, on the other hand, Air Traffic Contollers have a rough life... they say it's one of the most stressful jobs one can have. Well I would imagine so... they are responsible for the safety of those planes and the people on them. I'd probably get stressed too in a job like that.

What sort of training goes on in Boot Camp. Well you get taught all sorts of "Important Things", like folding your underwear and undershirts into 6" squares (think I am kidding? LOL). Also they teach you how to store your clothes and gear. In the navy this is very important because there isn't alot of extra rooms on ships. They also do physical training. You have to be able to run a certain distance with in a certain amount of time. You do calestenics (spelling?), and you get to do fascinating jobs like laundry or kitchen detail. Also they will clean the barracks, clean up around their living areas and march. There is lots of marching going on in the military. Also, they will have classroom training about many different things. Then they will be taught the fundamentals of security. They will perform dorm guard duties, basically. Then they will get study time and free time. That is basically it, where basic training is concened. It's really not all that hard or dangerous... it's just time consuming and stressful... then again so is college... the only difference is that you do not have drill instructors screaming at your face in College... well not usually.

[Shawnee]

Thanks for the link; big big help there!

Yeah she was in cross country and track most of her life; she has endurance and enjoys it so that will be a breeze for her.

She IS pretty lazy, making a bed 'correctly' and all the things they want done their way will be a hardship for her, but such is life. NO ONE is making her do this and we tried to be as honest and objective to her about the service as we could. I truly prefer her to stay stateside; I'm sure she'll do exactly what she wants in that department. Going to Korea; I dunno...such a flashpoint and the instability worries me. Japan wouldn't be too bad. There is a gal from the burg near here that is there. She said she won't be home for 3 years - she loves it there. She is working w/ dolphins, her dream job come true...

Thanks for all the info and the link!

[Outlooker]

That seemed to be an interesting message board.

Well she won't be no more, at least til she gets into the real Navy. lol They'll not only demand she makes her bed and keeps her stuff neat... they'll demand it done in a certain way.

I'll have to look to see where the Navy has bases overseas, but she might have to perform sea duty and direct traffic on a carrier or something. Korea was always a "flashpoint", at least since the Korean War... but many went there and loved it. They said it was no more dangerous than Germany. I don't know, I never made it to the Orient or Pacific.

I hear Japan is a great place to go. They say that the people are nice and it's not all that different from home. I don't know who's home they were talking about, but I am sure it's different than my home. lol

You're welcome