I'm thinking of joining the Navy
- Thread starter Gaith
- Start date
I have an OCS packet I'm working on right now... DO NOT try and deal with the enlisted recruiters. They are pretty much told to get your enlisted first. Just say that you want to talk with an officer recruiter and that you have no interest in enlisting.
Don't go Navy OCS! They make you go through all kinds of crap before they make you a lieutenant and then you have to stay in service almost forever before you make captain. I think they're running some kind of scam. 
In the Army, Air Force, or Marines they make you a lieutenant from the start and then promote you to right to captain. It's soooo much better!
In the Army, Air Force, or Marines they make you a lieutenant from the start and then promote you to right to captain. It's soooo much better!
Yeah, that is kind of weird, actually. My major at college was History, too.Lots of fighting historians around here.
Don't go Navy OCS! They make you go through all kinds of crap before they make you a lieutenant and then you have to stay in service almost forever before you make captain. I think they're running some kind of scam.
In the Army, Air Force, or Marines they make you a lieutenant from the start and then promote you to right to captain. It's soooo much better!
Navy ranks aren't the same as Army/AF/Marines ranks. A Navy captain is equivalent to a colonel. A captain in the Army/AF/Marines is equivalent to a lieutenant in the Navy.
I almost joined the Air Force (did 2 years ROTC and commanded the color guard), but I decided that I didn't like being told what to do all the time. If you can handle taking orders, it's a stable life, but it isn't for everyone.
@ RJDiogenes: Funny!
@ gturner: re: the "recruiting" video: no, I don't like video games.
Again, thanks for all the positive thoughts and words, everyone. I appreciate them.
Not OCS. That's Newport, RI.
Nah, I'm not interested in ships without the national service angle.
Oh, a land post'd be fine; again, the service aspect is a big draw. Hm. Maybe I'll consider that... though I really do like the idea of the Navy a lot more, and am definitely not interested flying stuff.
@ gturner: re: the "recruiting" video: no, I don't like video games.
Again, thanks for all the positive thoughts and words, everyone. I appreciate them.
Don't go Navy OCS! They make you go through all kinds of crap before they make you a lieutenant and then you have to stay in service almost forever before you make captain. I think they're running some kind of scam.
In the Army, Air Force, or Marines they make you a lieutenant from the start and then promote you to right to captain. It's soooo much better!
Navy ranks aren't the same as Army/AF/Marines ranks. A Navy captain is equivalent to a colonel. A captain in the Army/AF/Marines is equivalent to a lieutenant in the Navy.
I know Navy ranks aren't the same, but you are otherwise mistaken or badly misinformed.
A Navy captain is almost (but not quite) equivalent to a Marine gunnery sergeant, an Air Force technical sergeant, or an Army staff sergeant. An admiral is a rank or two higher, but that's as far as anyone can get in the Navy, since they're really just taxi drivers for the Army and Marines. (In WW-II, Halsey and Nimitz's role was hauling Douglas MacArthur to all the islands leading to Japan).
That's why they call them "admirals," from the Arabic amir-ar-rahl, "chief of the transport".
Another obvious example is that a fleet admiral might get a ship named after him (probably won't), whereas the US capitol and an entire state is named after an Army general. When it comes to carriers (which haul airplanes around), we generally name them after army folks. Sure, CVN-68 is the Nimitz (Fleet Admiral, US Navy), but:
CVN-69 is the Dwight D. Eisenhower, (General of the Army, US Army)
CVN-71 is the Theodore Roosevelt (Colonel, US Army), nicknamed the Rough Rider after Teddy Roosevelt's Cavalry unit.
CVN-72 is the Abraham Lincoln, (Infantry captain, Illinois militia)
CVN-73 is the George Washington, (General of the Armies, US Army)
CVN-74 is the John Stennis, (probably drove a Taxi in college, no military service)
CVN-75 is the Harry Truman, (Colonel, US Army Reserve)
CVN-76 is the Ronald Reagan, (Captain, US Army Air Corps)
CVN-77 is the George H.W.Bush, (Lieutenant JG, US Navy, but father of an Air Force officer)
And what did Jimmy Carter get named after him? A submarine that was only used as a transport ship during the war against the Terminators.
Don't believe him! That picture is obviously CGI. For one thing, there's no rust on it.
And remember, Navy ships have their names stenciled across the back for the same reason that Navy personnel have their names written on the elastic band of their underwear - in case they forget who they are.
Little known fact: You can become a Navy captain without ever taking even a basic course in map reading, (apparently they still use charts
) which is why this exchange is all too common on US submarines:Captain: (sweating) "What does the chart say?"
Navigator: "It says the moon enters Capricorn and Mars is in the 9th house, and that we may feel intense pressure and stressful situations could reach a peak. If you can remember to breathe and keep cool you'll do fine once this transit has passed."
Captain: "Very well. Planesman, make our depth 250. We don't want to be going deep until the charts say we're clear of hazards."
Here's the Navy in action...
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL-OtsN9VdM[/yt]
and USAF in action..
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMfrixJyWc[/yt]
and more USAF action..
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TuhEqQeHNc[/yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMfrixJyWc
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL-OtsN9VdM[/yt]
and USAF in action..
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMfrixJyWc[/yt]
and more USAF action..
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TuhEqQeHNc[/yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bMfrixJyWc
Geez, why all the Navy hate all of a sudden? 
Geez, why all the Navy hate all of a sudden?
Inter-service rivalry is a fact of life...
and a matter of fun..
Well, the title pretty much says it all. I'm 24, a year out of college (a darn good one, one of Newsweek's "New Ivies"), albeit with a non-technical (History) degree, and the idea of a few years' national service sounds pretty good. I won't lie; if I'd been offered a cushy civilian job up until a week or two ago, I might never have thought of this, but now that I have thought of it, I'll still look into it even if a job offer comes through.
I'd go for the Navy partly because I grew up on the Pacific, and am most comfortable on or near sea, but mostly because I don't have the fighting instinct/drive for the Army or Marines; I'm just not an aggressive guy. (That said, I of course appreciate that any service's Basic Training can be tough at best, and am not afraid of boot camp itself.) I understand that through the Individual Augmentee program, Sailors can be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and in such a situation I'd saddle up and do my best, but I'd prefer to serve in a non-combat rating if possible.
I haven't contacted a recruiter yet, but I'll give them a call tomorrow. I assume that I'd most rather do OCS (Officer Candidate School); it'd take some advance physical training, but I think I could do it.
So, I'd just like to ask if anyone has any tips or advice on how to proceed, especially in terms of recent books describing Navy life. I'm reading One Bullet Away, the memoir of a Marine Recon's tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, which has great info on their OCS, and would love to know of any comparable Navy books. Wikipedia links to a description of OCS from a decade ago, but while there seems to be some solid info there, I'd like to find all the best current info I can. Also, if anyone has any useful observations on how the Great Recession has affected competition for OCS spots, ratings and such, I'd love to hear that too.
Thanks!
Go check this site out.
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/forum.php
It has both info on Navy and Marine OCS, I know the site is geared towards aviation but it was started by a Surface Warfare Officer back in the late 90s. Sign up if you want to ask a question but use the search function before asking. You can get lots of good info just take the time to read first. If you want more info feel free to send me a PM.
Besides, it's the Navy. They make it easy.Inter-service rivalry is a fact of life...Geez, why all the Navy hate all of a sudden?
and a matter of fun..
Angela 0077
Captain
My auntie joined the Air force when she was 17 yrs old and she really enjoyed the travel and learnig experiece.
Also a freind of mine joined the Australian Army and she said it was really great she was in the kitchen cooking alll the meals for the men and women.
She also said that you have a assortment of jobs you cant take
You dont have to go off with a gun and fight
Also a freind of mine joined the Australian Army and she said it was really great she was in the kitchen cooking alll the meals for the men and women.
She also said that you have a assortment of jobs you cant take
You dont have to go off with a gun and fight
I've been in the Army Reserve for four and a half years now. Military service can be a great experience. For one thing, I got to travel all around the country and even to South Korea. I also came from a very white suburban environment, and the Army allowed me to meet and become friends with people from all backgrounds I likely would never have run across otherwise.
It has also a great way to help pay for schooling, which would have been much harder otherwise.
That said, just make sure what you are getting into, and make sure anything a recruiter promises you is in writing.
At this point I'm looking forward to getting out in another year and a half. I still enjoy it somewhat, but I'm thinking this is the time to move on to other things.
It has also a great way to help pay for schooling, which would have been much harder otherwise.
That said, just make sure what you are getting into, and make sure anything a recruiter promises you is in writing.
At this point I'm looking forward to getting out in another year and a half. I still enjoy it somewhat, but I'm thinking this is the time to move on to other things.
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