The Long and Strange Trip of Airman DiMasocolo

Ahoy, fellow Navy Dads. I haven't been on for a bit, so I think tonight I am going to give to you and anyone else that wants it a run-down of where my daughter Julia has been in the past year in the Navy. So if you have any questions about what to expect, I hope this may answer them.

First of all, Boot Camp is mainly to build teamwork and a sense of being a shipmate. If your kid is a couch potato, they need to get into shape BEFORE going to boot camp or they will hold themselves and everybody back until they catch up- not a good place to be. And ditto on swimming- if your kid doesn't know how to swim, they need to learn BEFORE going to boot camp to avoid humiliation and embarrassment.

"A" School for Julia was at Pensacola, Florida. If your kid is going to "A" School after boot camp someplace other than Great Lakes, they will ship-out to school within 24/48 hours from graduating.

Julia is an Aviation Electrician Mate (AE), so after "A" school she got to go to a follow-on "C" School. Here's the diff: "A" School they are still treated pretty-much like Boot Camp and have many restrictions and rules they have to follow. "C" School is "in the fleet" so they will be with other sailors that have already been to "A" School and in the fleet for at least 6 months, so the classes are way more relaxed and she has many new freedoms.

She got her orders while in "A" School and got precisely where she wanted to go- Point Mugu, CA, where I taught her and her sisters and brother how to Body Surf and we still hang out at! But, this wasn't a fluke- she busted her behind to get it. Julia graduated at the top of her "A" School class- Class Honormen get to choose where they want to go. So you may want to keep that in mind when your kid is trying to make up their minds where they want to be stationed. A little extra self-effort goes a long way and is handsomely rewarded in the Navy, as Julia just found out.

She's finishing "C" School and will be back home for a couple weeks in July before she reports to her Squadron, AWS-113. They are gearing-up for a deployment on the USS Ronald Reagan. You know- the new flagship for the 7th Fleet that's stationed in Japan! Oh, yeah, that's the BEST part- when she deploys, she deploys to Japan!

So, for those keeping score, Julia went into the Navy wanting the following things:

1. An "A" School to learn something she can do for the Navy and for herself should she decide the Navy's not her cup of tea 4 years from now.

2. Get stationed on the West Coast (OK, I admit that I brianwashed her on this one because I have a personal preference to the Pacific vice Atlantic Fleets- Atlantic guys are too uptight!).

3. If given a preference, she wanted the 7th Fleet which is stationed in Japan over the 3rd Fleet which is stationed in Pearl Harbor.

How did she do?

1. "A" School AND a "C" School- CHECK!

2. Not only west coast, but the same beach where she practically grew-up! CHECK!

3. Her deploying carrier is the flagship for the 7th Fleet IN Japan. And, as anybody in the Navy can tell  you, Flaghsip duty is CHOICE! You get to visit just about any port in the Pacific because when the Admiral wants to visit another nation, he HAS to bring along his flagship to play "My boat's bigger than YOUR boat!" with the other Admirals! :)

So, it's all up to your kid. Julia is no different than any other kid out there- other than having a Dad that knows all the ropes. But it's UP TO HER to use those ropes or not. These are HER victoires, not mine.

And they can be your kid's too!!!