Navy Nukes

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Comment by Zazzws on December 21, 2011 at 1:50pm

"The term Never Again Volunteer Yourself was his reply."

Don't worry Bill. With his attitude, he will be back home before long.

Bob

Comment by Bill on December 21, 2011 at 7:00am

Thanks guys.  I served, got out as a GSE2.  Spent Christmas away from home many times.  He is just very sad that with all the other classes getting 2 weeks and them being told suck it up so they can stand 12 hour 3 section watch on the school building full of locked doors.  He reports the entire class is incensed about this 5 days of leave with 2 full months of hurry up and wait.  Whoever is responsible for one class getting the shaft and letting the others go is making a long term mistake regarding retention and a short term kill on their morale.  I counseled him to keep his chin up and roll with it.  The term Never Again Volunteer Yourself was his reply.

I was hoping he'd make it out to the fleet and do a REFTRA or OPPE before feeling this.

Comment by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on December 21, 2011 at 4:32am

well Bill...welcome to the Navy.   Nice to get Christmas off, but a whole lotta sailors are in a much worse situation....remember getting a cal from my son from Dubai on Christmas...at least he didn't have sand in his boots nor does your sailor.  Come to think of it, I haven't had either of my sailors home for Christmas since before '05.......

Comment by Bill on December 21, 2011 at 3:38am

Well, leave it to the Navy....my son, high grades through A school, has been turned bitter already.  Grad dec 9th, no leave.  Get shafted standing 12 on 24 offs until the 27th, no Christmas for you.  Oh, you can have 5 days of leave but hurry back Jan 1st, after missing Christmas, we need to to hurry up and wait. 

He was stoked, but exposure to "Rickovers Navy" has him ready to request a re rate or out to the fleet as MM3 conventional.

Geez, and the Navy wonders why people walk out on $90k re up bonuses?

Comment by Jim Harris on December 20, 2011 at 2:53pm

The 2 week holiday break from classes is common through out the navy school system. I think most commands allow for max liberty and leave at this time of the year. It was the same 36 years ago when I went to my class A and C schools. We finished A school mid November, our C schools were 2 to 4 months long. Instead of starting classes that would require taking a break mid class they waited until after the New Year to start new classes. We went to a couple of 2 week mini schools and did lots of field day until our holiday leave started.

Comment by William in Nashua on December 14, 2011 at 3:39pm

Re: Christmas leave.

My son is in Power School now and he is coming home for leave between Dec. 21 and Jan 2.  He has to be back on the 3rd.  So, they do get Christmas leave from nuclear power school at least.

He was on T-track for 9 weeks.

Comment by Debra on December 13, 2011 at 1:43am

My son graduates from basic this week and will be heading off to nuke shcool on Saturday, December 17.  I live in Japan and will not be able to attend, but I am still a doting mom and I want to send him a Christmas gift.  Since he isn't actually there yet (GC), he hasn't set up his own mailing address.  Any ideas about how I send a package?  Is there some sort of general delivery address?  Will the school hold it even though it will arrive without his own PO box number on it?  It would take a week, even sent express mail and If I wait any longer to send it, he won't have any gifts on Christmas day.  This will be the first Christmas of my life without a kid at home  :(  or any other family, so this means alot to me.  Thanks for your advice!

Comment by KS Dad on December 10, 2011 at 7:37am

In regards the downtime between schools; some of my son's downtime was spent running a power washer with a painting crew that painted houses for elderly and poor residents of Charleston, SC. My son complained about this but it kept them out of trouble and kept them humble. Thank you to the Chiefs that organized this work detail.

He also spent a few days as the driver for a Master Chief that was doing some type of inspections.

Most of his buddies took a basic college history or English class during their T Track wait. In the end my son thought the power washer and chauffeuring jobs were preferable.

Photo of one of my son's friends doing volunteer work.

Comment by Ric Pallson on December 10, 2011 at 12:43am

It's been 3 years since my daughter graduated power school, but it seems the random delays, the needs of the NAVY, the prototype reactors being out of service for a while, the  test scores -- whatever -- most SRs only get  couple minutes at BC to decide their career -- sometimes  a day or two -- .

Sounds real familiar .

Actually all a recruit has to do is work real hard thru BC, A-school, Power School, proto  --

AND then -- when they are assigned to the fleet,  they not only have to learn how to make a  REAL ship work, and "qualify this that the other" --

Then the CO calls a few O1 to 04 and the O6 and 2 chiefs and a few leads and some unlucky POs on the carpet all at once and requests

"Make it better"

That's where it hits the fan.

That's what your recruit will have to do.

It doesn't get easier after school -- oh no.

--------

And welcome to CVN 72 -- where my MMN2 is on her second deployment and -- as far as I can tell -- REALLY RESPECTS her CO, XO, and most of the senior NCO's.

She seems to think they have a damn fine crew -- I expect she's right.

Abe is a good ship and welcome aboard.

P

Like Ben Gunn said in "Treasure Island"  where's the cheese?

Comment by proud dad Nuke sailor on December 9, 2011 at 11:34pm

I have been watching the schools, I have seen were they delay certain schools depending on the reactors having the classes filled. My son checked in at Goose creek and for the first six weeks did noting, he just had to check in every day. The bottom line is the needs of the navy, My experience as training officer for my unit the Navy will have so many billets become available and look for ways to fill them. The more diverse your learning style the faster you will advance.

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