DEP and a high pressure day at MEPS

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian E. Moore on January 30, 2014 at 6:41pm

@James B ....I feel your pain. My daughter is the same way. I tried to explain to her besides the money, it the difference of sleeping on a bed or in the dirt, between eating on china or out of a plastic bag. I even suggested that she waits a year and becomes a mustang. Told her when I was in the Marines, they got more respect then anyone because they were enlisted. She wants no part of being an officer. She'll be 26 and there is no convincing her. So all I can do is support her in her choice. She's an ET in prototype.

@ Jeremy, 1st, thank you for your service. I have to ask, If you hate your life and your job so much, why don't you get out? I'm sure that with 10.5 yrs experience as a Nuclear Operator (or MM or EM with a nuke rate), you can find a very nice job in the civilian world. Just hate to see people unhappy in what they do. Just don't understand why you would re-enlist if you hate that much.

Permalink Reply by jeremy mcelroy on January 30, 2014 at 8:03pm

I will be getting out in just under two years. Unfortunately like many other young teenagers who leave the house and now have a job making a good bit more than they ever have I fell into a trap of going overboard. Add multiple years of doing that, having family along the way and you get yourself into a case that takes three times as long to get out of. When you have a family you have to suck it up no matter how much you hate it and do what is best for them.

Fortunately I am now in a place where I will be fine getting out and won't be missing the chance this time. I would only have 7.5 years to do til I could retire when its time for ne to get out. Shows how bad it is when id rather get out than do that bit of time to get retirement =)

Permalink Reply by Chris B. on January 30, 2014 at 8:42pm

This:

"uhhhh yeah, here is a piece of advice. Even if she signs for another rate while in waiting to go nuke, do NOT let her leave for bootcamp if she does not have a signed contract to go into the nuclear power program. Once she leaves for bootcamp there are no guarantees to anything and she may then be stuck for 4 years doing something she doesn't want to do."

Permalink Reply by Eric Mount on January 31, 2014 at 9:27am

Jeremy had the same question I did. Why enlisted?

Permalink Reply by James B on January 31, 2014 at 5:07pm

Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officers

The Navy also offers opportunities for candidates to serve as commissioned officers within its nuclear propulsion field. Navy nuclear propulsion officer training is open to candidates pursuing a four-year or better college degree or those already possessing one. Navy nuclear propulsion officer training candidates must also have completed one academic year of college-level calculus and calculus-based physics. In addition to college educations, Navy nuclear propulsion officer candidates must be age 29 or younger and meet all physical and security clearance requirements.

So she has an English Lit degree. It convinced her to go enlisted and try later

Permalink Reply by jeremy mcelroy on January 31, 2014 at 5:46pm

Go enlisted and then become an officer is also a spiel the recruiters give to people going in. Little do they tell you few make it.

Permalink Reply by Jeff Mohler on February 6, 2014 at 6:24pm

A little insight from a former recruiter and as the father of a Depped Nuke. (Ships in August). A recruiter wants a qualified Nuke badly. As one poster stated, it is an important job to fill and there is recognition for those that do well recruiting Nukes. As far as being Depped in under a different program, that was and will probably always be common while waiting for a Nuke seat to open, for a NAPT test (also same deal for linguists with the DLAB) etc. The process for changing a program is through submission of a DAR or Dep Action Request.  The DAR is submitted up the NRD chain and for qualified NUKE to get a NUKE contract is usually always granted. In my son's case, he qualified unconditionally (didn't have to take NAPT) and had a NUKE contract waiting for the MEPS docs to get their heads out of their butts and clear him. Also, females don't generally have as many seats available to them so sometimes that is a waiting process. The recruiter, wanting to ensure that the applicant gets a shot at a seat will advise the applicant to take whatever job they can get when they DEP, then submitt a DAR immediately for a NUKE reclass. Hope I helped, if there are any questions I can answer, please feel free to fire away.

Permalink Reply by James B on March 6, 2014 at 7:44pm

Well she got a new "reserved" date of Oct 20th from the Nuke Program but it's only verbal at this point. She qualified from her ASVEB but they are still waiting on a waver to come back from Washington for credit issues (lost cable box in collage on credit report). So I'm feeling a bit better but still waiting to see the new contract.

Permalink Reply by James B on March 12, 2014 at 4:12pm

OK. So it did workout after all. She just signed a new "nuke" (NF 6YO) contract now. She has a Oct 20th ship date. Thanks all for your input and support. 

Permalink Reply by James B on October 21, 2014 at 10:25am

Well she is in boot camp today with all the correct paperwork that we can tell. Her journey begins...

Permalink Reply by B'sNukemom&dad⚓️MM on October 21, 2014 at 6:33pm

Alright James - let the fun begin!  Start writing those letters to her ;-)

Permalink Reply by DANIEL TENINTY on October 29, 2014 at 12:42pm

My son also scored 99 on the ASVAB, had a couple of years at University, and was initially assigned a rating of Motorman until his Security Clearance was approved.  So, from a sample of 2, this does not seem unusual.  The NAVY seems to value qualified NUKE applicants and 99s are not an every day, week, month occurrence. Given that, I would think that they would take every qualified NUKE candidate that they could get.  My son is currently in Goose Creek in "A" school.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page