A Sailors perspective of prototype from 2009. - Navy Dads2024-03-28T19:26:27Zhttps://navydads.com/forum/topics/a-sailors-perspective-of-proto-type-from-2009?groupUrl=nukes&commentId=2150375%3AComment%3A274430&groupId=2150375%3AGroup%3A4626&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI was an instructor at Power…tag:navydads.com,2017-03-29:2150375:Comment:4922662017-03-29T06:19:07.495ZScott Henryhttps://navydads.com/profile/ScottHenry
<p><br></br> I was an instructor at Power School from 2011-2014. I had many students like your son who were putting in long hours and were very frustrated with their situation, but they made the effort and crossed the finish line. Those were my favorite students to work with. If they were willing to put in the effort, I would do whatever I could as an instructor to help them. If that meant coming in for a few hours on a Saturday morning or staying until 2000 on a weeknight so be it. It was my job…</p>
<p><br/> I was an instructor at Power School from 2011-2014. I had many students like your son who were putting in long hours and were very frustrated with their situation, but they made the effort and crossed the finish line. Those were my favorite students to work with. If they were willing to put in the effort, I would do whatever I could as an instructor to help them. If that meant coming in for a few hours on a Saturday morning or staying until 2000 on a weeknight so be it. It was my job to help them succeed. The most gratifying part of my tour at Nuke School was watching those students walk across the stage at graduation. I almost felt like a proud parent. It's also been my experience that the students who struggle through Nuke School turn out to be the most competent operators in the Fleet.<br/> <cite>lsdemme2001 said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://navydads.ning.com/forum/topics/a-sailors-perspective-of-proto-type-from-2009?groupUrl=nukes&#2150375Comment274430"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>This is a great post. You sound exactly like my son. In fact you may have gone through the pipeline together because I think he finished prototype around the same time as you. He also was in Balston Spa for prototype and described things almost verbatim.</p>
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<p>For two years I worked very hard to keep my sons spirits up enough for him not to quit the nuke program. Your descriptions for every step of the way are exactly what my son went through, and because I was his "civilian sounding board" I feel like I went through a lot of it as well. One simply can not underestimate the amount of support that your son or daughter will need from you as their parent. It is as difficult and frustrating as this sailor describes. It also is as rewarding and attainable as he also describes. </p>
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<p>My son talked with me many many times about exactly what this sailor wrote. Only this sailor was able to articulate the process in a way that I now understand a lot better than I used to. My son mentioned how hard it was to get his qualifications because he had to get a senior member to "check him out". That was a very frustrating thing for him. He also had a very tough time in the classroom and had to do the highest allowable forced study time almost the entire way through power school. I really didn't know how close he came to dropping out because he kept that from me mostly. He would mention it and I would talk him down a bit. But in reality it was the instructors who would not let him give up. I found that out after he graduated from prototype. And I am very grateful to those senior instructors who saw something in my son that said he could and would make it, and didn't let him give up...because I know that he desperately wanted to quit. Without them he surely would have quit the program.</p>
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<p>I had no idea what his final boards were like until this posting. Thank you for posting what you did, because now I am even more proud of my sailor for being able to get through all of this.</p>
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<p>My son is on his second deployment on the Big "E". The first deployment he was one of the newbies and got a lot of bad shifts or assignments or whatever. This time around he feels much more like a part of the team and he is definitely not a newbie any longer. He is a fully qualified reactor operator (Nuclear Electronics Technician) and when he talks to me I feel great pride in NOT understanding most of the things that he does. He is definitely now a man. And he is definitely disciplined and aware of what he has accomplished and more importantly what he is capable of. </p>
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<p>I thank the Navy for turning my boy into a man. And I thank this sailor for posting a terrific narrative of the realities of the nuclear program, both for the sailors who go through it, and the families who's support is absolutely critical to these young people as they take on this monumental challenge.</p>
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<p>Thank you again for your posting. God Bless all of our sailors and their families as well as the entire United States Militarty. </p>
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</blockquote> bumptag:navydads.com,2015-01-21:2150375:Comment:4166042015-01-21T00:30:00.143ZB'sNukemom&dad⚓️MMhttps://navydads.com/profile/Bsnukemomanddad
<p>bump</p>
<p>bump</p> Having just had my sailor go…tag:navydads.com,2013-03-06:2150375:Comment:3222452013-03-06T15:03:14.882ZKTRhttps://navydads.com/profile/KTR
<p>Having just had my sailor go through power school, all I can say is this is so dead bang on. Thanks for posting and getting me ready. And I still freaked when he hit rock bottom.</p>
<p>Having just had my sailor go through power school, all I can say is this is so dead bang on. Thanks for posting and getting me ready. And I still freaked when he hit rock bottom.</p> http://www.navyformoms.com/f…tag:navydads.com,2012-07-02:2150375:Comment:2745662012-07-02T18:48:23.946ZZazzwshttps://navydads.com/profile/Zazzws
<p><a title=" " target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474918133?profile=original"><img title=" " class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474918133?profile=original" width="562"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/the-dl-on-the-nuclear-power" target="_blank">http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/the-dl-on-the-nuclear-power</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><a title=" " target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474918133?profile=original"><img title=" " class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2474918133?profile=original" width="562"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/the-dl-on-the-nuclear-power" target="_blank">http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/the-dl-on-the-nuclear-power</a></p>
<p></p> This is a great post. You so…tag:navydads.com,2012-07-02:2150375:Comment:2744302012-07-02T02:36:28.827Zlsdemme2001https://navydads.com/profile/lsdemme2001
<p>This is a great post. You sound exactly like my son. In fact you may have gone through the pipeline together because I think he finished prototype around the same time as you. He also was in Balston Spa for prototype and described things almost verbatim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For two years I worked very hard to keep my sons spirits up enough for him not to quit the nuke program. Your descriptions for every step of the way are exactly what my son went through, and because I was his "civilian…</p>
<p>This is a great post. You sound exactly like my son. In fact you may have gone through the pipeline together because I think he finished prototype around the same time as you. He also was in Balston Spa for prototype and described things almost verbatim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For two years I worked very hard to keep my sons spirits up enough for him not to quit the nuke program. Your descriptions for every step of the way are exactly what my son went through, and because I was his "civilian sounding board" I feel like I went through a lot of it as well. One simply can not underestimate the amount of support that your son or daughter will need from you as their parent. It is as difficult and frustrating as this sailor describes. It also is as rewarding and attainable as he also describes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>My son talked with me many many times about exactly what this sailor wrote. Only this sailor was able to articulate the process in a way that I now understand a lot better than I used to. My son mentioned how hard it was to get his qualifications because he had to get a senior member to "check him out". That was a very frustrating thing for him. He also had a very tough time in the classroom and had to do the highest allowable forced study time almost the entire way through power school. I really didn't know how close he came to dropping out because he kept that from me mostly. He would mention it and I would talk him down a bit. But in reality it was the instructors who would not let him give up. I found that out after he graduated from prototype. And I am very grateful to those senior instructors who saw something in my son that said he could and would make it, and didn't let him give up...because I know that he desperately wanted to quit. Without them he surely would have quit the program.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I had no idea what his final boards were like until this posting. Thank you for posting what you did, because now I am even more proud of my sailor for being able to get through all of this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My son is on his second deployment on the Big "E". The first deployment he was one of the newbies and got a lot of bad shifts or assignments or whatever. This time around he feels much more like a part of the team and he is definitely not a newbie any longer. He is a fully qualified reactor operator (Nuclear Electronics Technician) and when he talks to me I feel great pride in NOT understanding most of the things that he does. He is definitely now a man. And he is definitely disciplined and aware of what he has accomplished and more importantly what he is capable of. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I thank the Navy for turning my boy into a man. And I thank this sailor for posting a terrific narrative of the realities of the nuclear program, both for the sailors who go through it, and the families who's support is absolutely critical to these young people as they take on this monumental challenge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you again for your posting. God Bless all of our sailors and their families as well as the entire United States Militarty. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>