Need advices on joining the Navy

[Anonymous]

Hello! I am a 17 year old from a family where no one has ever been in any of the US military...But I wanted to give it a try, thinking about the Navy...so I was wondering if anyone can give me some advices and answer some questions of mine... 1)Since I am only close to starting my senior year in high school, would it better if I join the DEP or wait till a few months before I want to get in to the Navy? What does the DEP offer? 2)When going down to MEPS, do I have to make a decision on that day? Will there be anyone there to describe or explain a job title, its requirements, and the duties of the job? 3)I've heard that bootcamp is tough, but not impossible...what exactly is it? is there a certain standards of pushups, situps, or even swim skills that I have to meet in order to graduate from basic training? 4)What is an "A" school? is that the equivalent of what I have been reading as "AIT?" 5)If I join the Navy, does that guarantee me lots of opportunities to travel around? How does it work? does it depend on the job that you chose?

If any one is willing to help me out, please e-mail me asap @ OwayzLost2@aol.com, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you all for your time! Amy

OwayzLost2@aol.com

[Anonymous]

Hi Amy,

Go ahead and look at all of the services and make sure you are joining the branch that you really want. I am partial to the Navy mind you, but a friend of mine took me to an Air Force recruiter even though I was totally locked onto the Navy in my mind. I advise this because I got to see what every other branch had to offer and then I knew in my heart that I made the right choice and didnt' jump into anything. DEP when I joined is just the delayed entry program. It just means that you have signed up and you are just waiting to go. I know that when I signed up I wasn't slotted to go until May and I had joined in October (I ended up changing my rate and leaving December 22!). In DEP we just got together once or so a month and they went over Navy related things that you would need to know in boot camp. I think I learned the phonethic alphabet or something crazy like that since I only got to go to one before I left. If you do join and you are not slated to go for a few months you probably will be required to check in with your recruiter once a week or whatever since they will want to keep up with your body weight, your interest and preparing you if anything changes.

When you go to MEPS - Don't feel pressured to pick something that day. I did and I almost got stuck with something that I didn't want because I thought that that was it. Luckily for me my recruiter was able to help me get my rate changed. You can always go back. Don't commit yourself to something you don't want. You choose your rate you choose your fate! Remember that while you are at MEPS. Don't let someone talk you into something that you don't 100% want you can always think it over!

Boot camp is not a cake walk but it is not impossible either. I would recommend getting yourself in shape while you are waiting to go. Sit ups, pushups and running are the major things. We didn't swim all that much but we did a bit, enough to qualify. I think I had to tread water for twenty minutes or something like that. A lot of boot camp is schooling (learning Navy terms, history, first aid, etc.), PT and some mind games.

"A" school is where you learn your rate. Some range from a few weeks to two years to complete. "A" school comes after boot camp and while the atmosphere is more relaxed it will still feel a tad like boot camp because you will have curfews and lots of marching.

Nothing in the Navy is ever 100% guarenteed but you will usually get to travel a lot. I have been in over 6 years and I have seen many different countries. I think the middle east has been the best experience yet, it was diffrent then anything then I had imagined.

The Navy will be only what you make of it. E-mail me if you would like to ask me any other questions. Good Luck!

Navy? What does the DEP offer?


: 2)When going down to MEPS, do I have to make a decision on that day? Will
: there be anyone there to describe or explain a job title, its
: requirements, and the duties of the job? 3)I've heard that bootcamp is
: tough, but not impossible...what exactly is it? is there a certain
: standards of pushups, situps, or even swim skills that I have to meet in
: order to graduate from basic training? 4)What is an "A" school?
: is that the equivalent of what I have been reading as "AIT?"
: 5)If I join the Navy, does that guarantee me lots of opportunities to
: travel around? How does it work? does it depend on the job that you chose?
:
: If any one is willing to help me out, please e-mail me asap @
: OwayzLost2@aol.com, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you all for your time!
: Amy


jenneypenney@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

Hello Amy, I am in the Navy right now, actually still in boot camp at Great Lakes and getting ready to do battlestations tomorrow night so i can leave on 10AUG99 with my division. You are probely wondering how i got to use a computer. Well, i have on base liberty right now and you can do basically what ever you want and eat what you want. I found boot camp to be a piece of cake. the only thing that i had trouble with was PT. In my opinion it depends on what your RDC will let you get away with. Our RDC's bascially let us do whatever. I think it is a joke because we haven't changed at all and we leave here in a few days. If you do decide to give it a try, don't make the same mistake i did. Come here prepared for the PT. Be able to do more than the minimum amount and be able to run the 1.5 mile run in at least 11 minutes. if you can do this then you will be just fine. After the first few weeks, not including your p-days, it will get easier. after your 5th week, it will just fly by. I recommend getting into the DEP program before leaving because then your recruiter will schedule DEP meetings once a month that you have to go to and it will help prepare you fro what is a head. Here is my recruiter's email so you can chat with him. Everything he has told me to expect here has happened. It is DRE1011083@AOL.COM. Be sure to mention my name so he knows how you got a hold of him. He will be more than happy to help you. Good luck to you and I hope to see you in the fleet!

SR POTIRALA, TAMI S.



gousanavy@juno.com

[Anonymous]

Hello! Thank you both (Jennie and Tami) for replying me!

Tami...I couldn't e-mail you...so I am just gonna post my appreciation on the web....I haven't had a chance to get a hold of your recruiter, but I am sure I will someday... I wish you the very best luck in your battle stations...and if you can....can you e-mail me and tell me afterwards, your feelings and thoughts and how the battlestations are like? If I ever get into the Navy, I really hope that we can still KIT...so I can learn more and get more advices from you! =) Thank you again!

OwayzLost2@aol.com

[Anonymous]

: Hello! I am a 17 year old from a family where no one has ever been in any of
: the US military...But I wanted to give it a try, thinking about the
: Navy...so I was wondering if anyone can give me some advices and answer
: some questions of mine... 1)Since I am only close to starting my senior
: year in high school, would it better if I join the DEP or wait till a few
: months before I want to get in to the Navy? What does the DEP offer?
: 2)When going down to MEPS, do I have to make a decision on that day? Will
: there be anyone there to describe or explain a job title, its
: requirements, and the duties of the job? 3)I've heard that bootcamp is
: tough, but not impossible...what exactly is it? is there a certain
: standards of pushups, situps, or even swim skills that I have to meet in
: order to graduate from basic training? 4)What is an "A" school?
: is that the equivalent of what I have been reading as "AIT?"
: 5)If I join the Navy, does that guarantee me lots of opportunities to
: travel around? How does it work? does it depend on the job that you chose?
:
: If any one is willing to help me out, please e-mail me asap @
: OwayzLost2@aol.com, I'd really appreciate it! Thank you all for your time!
: Amy


you are very welcome. try emailing me at the above address( Juno placed my account on hold while i was gone and i copuldn't get any mail) so we can talk more. Let me tell you first hand about battlestations, oh by the way i did pass it and i graduated on time with my division, it will kick your butt. you are up all night with little or no sleep at all running up and down the base doing different events that simulate a real battle situation. the events weren't that hard it was the run that hurt me the most. i have had trouble with the run the whole time in boot camp and even those who didn't had trouble that night. also, if you stop running at all during battlestations, you fail. it was hard but i was so proud to get that Navy ballcap in the morning after it was all over. you can do anything that you set your mind to. right now i am on two weeks leave and afterwards i will be going to Norfolk to be staioned on the Enterprise. If you should have any other questions, please feel free to email me. Good luck to you!!

tamip69@yahoo.com