Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
Member # 1203
posted
quote:Originally posted by Sean: The only thing I can really contribute to this topic is something I learned in Life Skills this semester.
When they interview you for any position, or even when the recruiter talks to you, if he asks you why you want to join up, don't give the whole " I want to serve my country" bull crap ( even if that is your intention). They prefer people who are joining the service to better themselves, or jump start a career/ get money for college, etc. So, go with those reasons if the question is asked. If you do decide to go, good luck man. It's been a pleasure being your sidekick.
( This would actually be an appropriate time for Pensive to chime in)
sorry i took so long in chiming in (Com2FuckingX, the chem-light bandit nuke strikes at 2am, asshole leadershit, broken gear, broken planes, nobody died... oh wait. was i supposed to say something modivational? let me read the 3 pages 1st before i mutter...) Would been faster in replies but most of the time, we couldn't get online during the times most advantagiuos of me... and no, i'm not getting up at 4am to surf. go eat a dick [current favorite retort in the shop, atm)...
Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
Member # 1203
posted
ok...
1st. you could carry a m-16. during my TAD time on Ike, i was required to qualify on several arms for the types of watchs i stand (9mm, m16a2 or fully automatic AR-15 and the m500 shottie). so yeah, you can carry those weapons, if your duty requires it. Seabees normally qual on those weapons, as do Fleet Marine Force corpsman, anyone in the SPECOPS community, as well as general law enforcement rolls. difference, to me, is how often you actually get to shot and how takes care of the firearms (you or the GM that issues the weapon?)
since 2002, and the start of IA, lots of sailors in both the active and reserve, also trained on the 9mm or m16 (m4 if availible).
lots of chances to carry. and once you get the chance to carry those arms serveral times, the pain you feel and bitter words, come easy.
nobody should ever like to carry those heavy fucking guns, unless that's your whole job (Ahem. Infantry). thats generally why i'll never bad mouth any type of grunt, marine or army. nuff said.
2nd. what do you want to do in the Navy? serve on small ships? work around the huge cities at sea? fly navy? ASW is still a skill we practice with P-3's and per dium is still per dium. subs require a mentality few possess. they couldn't pay me enough to work around nuclear power that badly...
oh and go watch the Carrier-at-sea-09534 what ever on PBS. you know the show that describes life at sea? that a carrier is like a city?
It is.... only that the city described? It's the Bronx...
i'll think about more, latter. really need to play a couple hours of DDO, then i'll explain what i do as a AS...
Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
Member # 1203
posted
now that i've sat on my ass and played DDO a few hours...
i realize that i cant think of anything else say on the subject. pretty much everyone nailed it... (recruiters lie. ALWAYS fucking remember that.) decide what you want to do first and foremost. don't just go with what your asvab scores are. you can always retake (i believe. i'll look that up tommorrow b4 i depart the area on leave) it. and dont assume your going be a BM3 after 4 years, i mean, dont assume you will be allowed to reenlist in the same rating, you joined and trained for.
Perform to Serve. PTS is a term i started hearing about back in '03. I never personally payed any attention to it (was a junior 1st at the time and virtually nothing about that stuff affected me and my duties didn't include mentoring to that depth of personal) but kept hearing more and more about it. the link babbles the sanitized version but in how it works from your own prospective view is this. Say that your a AT3, a airdale tron. lets say there are 1000 AT3's in the navy (the actual population of the AT rate is probably in the 10-20k range of personel, both squadron and I-level). now what if the navy only wants 900 AT3 next FY, thru various reasons/determinations (drawdown, loss of actua billets, decoms, etc). Now, with a population of 1k and a population cap of .9k, your rate is overmanned. that does a lot fo things. one, is that advancement stagnates. too many AT3's means, less ATAN's getting advanced, regardless of if they passed the test and thier score meets or excede's the cut off. How does the navy deal with this, with the goal of keeping thier troop levels high with skilled peps? change jobs.
we already said that AT3 was over manned. now what if the rate of BM for 3rds isnt? or 2nd class for that matter. teh navy suggests your change rates (or get out).
that's it.
oh... and if your a dirtbag with shitty evals, PTS pretty much makes sure you get kicked out at the end of your enlistment.
i think. it's pretty complicated and generally a hassle if your junior. less and issue if your a dinosaur like me...
and changing rate is pretty common and not really the best idea they came up with, specially when rate conversions have occured as high as E-6. changoing rate (especially if it's also communty, aviation to surface, seebee to aviation, submarine to anything else NOT sub or nuke, etc).
but they dont have anything else better, to my knowledge (and then intent on what the program is supposed to do, is there. how it serves the navy's needs as a whole... just not to the beinfite to the indivudial).
or to put my words in simplisity:
Choice yer rate, choice yer fate. you might find that some jobs allow you to sit on your ass while somejobs can litterally break your back. both individualls get the same pay but hardly do the same effort fairly. i seen a lot of Airdales do plenty of game time when they dont have work, as opposed to my rate where we could have work everyday (PM's, down gear, stupid shit, etc)
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Good luck Dan!)![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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