Knives said:
hey all i was thinking about joinin the US navy.. i hear you can do alot of travel while your on ship and stuff i was wondering if there is anyone who has served or is still serving in the navy that could let me know what it was like or just give me you opinoins on the subject
-Knives
I joined the USN between my junior and senior years of high school and went on active duty after graduating, three days before my 18th birthday. I served three years on active duty, stationed aboard a guided missile cruiser, USS Reeves (CG-24), homeported in Yokosuka. This was 1983-1986, so we still had the bases in the Phillipines. I visited the Phillipines more times than I can remember. Also went to Korea a few times, Hawaii once, Hong Kong twice, Australia once, Diego Garcia once (which was more than enough, thanks), Thailand once, and did an Indian Ocean cruise which included a stint patrolling the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf while Iran and Iraq were fighting.
I won't tell you that it was easy, but it was the most rewarding period of my life and I have never regretted it. I quite enjoyed a lot of it. As with anything else in life, it is what you make of it. You get out of it what you put into it.
As has been pointed out, the Navy is unique in that you have no idea where you're going or how long you'll be gone. This is fine for an adventurous single person, but it can play hell on married life. You won't find a married sailor who will disagree with the common statement that the hardest job in the Navy is "Navy wife".
Rotation between ship and shore billets varies according to the job you choose to do. Some Navy jobs can be done both afloat and ashore, and they have a much more even rotation, say three years on ship and three years on shore, for example. Some jobs are pretty much unique to shipboard operations and the rotation is much more imbalanced. I was an Operations Specialist and the rotation for that was five years on ship and three years on shore. The shore rotation for jobs like that involve either doing training for people in your job who are bound for ships or in doing some make-work jobs not directly related to your actual professional skill.
A very key part to your potential satisfaction with Navy life lies in the sort of job you choose to do while in the Navy. Despite the commonality of all being Navy jobs, your actual work life and working environment will vary quite widely depending on what you choose to do. It is essential that you look into
all the various ratings and try to choose one which you think best fits
you personally. I very much enjoyed being an Operations Specialist and think I was a pretty good one, though I may not have been much of a sailor overall. In the Navy you have your "military" duties and your "professional" duties. You do them concurrently, but they are distinct areas all the same.
One common pitfall that you
absolutely must look out for is to not let a recruiter talk you into going into the Navy
without a guaranteed "A" school. Having your "A" school guaranteed to you assures you that you will be able to enter the job field of your choice. They may try to tell you that going in without one lets you look around and see all the different jobs
after you get in and then choose the one you like. I knew several people who fell for this and every single one of them felt like he had been royally shafted. And for good reason....they
had been royally shafted. Going in like that dooms you to being placed in deck division and an almost 100% chance of not being allowed to strike for any rating other than Bosun's Mate. I respect the BM's, but the fact that they pretty much have to trick people in order to fill the ranks of BM should give you some indication that it is the sh*t end of the stick when it comes to Navy jobs.
Go talk to a recruiter, make several visits, get the literature and
read it carefully. They should have films in the office relating to all of the various jobs available. The films show what the people do and have interviews with several people who actually do the jobs. They discuss what they do and what aspects of the jobs appeal to them personally. Take all the time you want to look at them, and watch them over again if you want. Narrow them down until you find one that you think would best fit you.
In the end, though, if you think none of them fit you or that you can't make a whole-hearted commitment to it, then don't join. Remember, you sign a contract and take an oath to serve. Be serious about both of them. And above all......
READ THE CONTRACT BEFORE SIGNING. If you have reservations about it, then get on the bus and go back home.
