I am seriously looking into joining the navy.  I have talked with the recruiter and thus far I like what I have heard, other than the having to run one and a half miles in something like 14 mins--gotta quit the cigs and start running....

To those who have served or served in the Navy:  What are your thoughts on the matter?  Was it worth it?  

What should I be aware of?  

Thanks in advance.

Where can you find pleasure
Search the world for treasure
Learn science technology
Where can you begin to make your dreams all come true
On the land or on the sea
Where can you learn to fly
Play in sports or skin dive
Study oceanography
Sign up for the big band
Or sit in the grandstand
When your team and others meet

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

If you like adventure
Don't you wait to enter
The recruiting office fast
Don't you hesitate
There is no need to wait
They're signing up new seamen fast
Maybe you are too young
To join up today
But don't you worry 'bout a thing
For I'm sure there will be
Always a good navy
Protecting the land and sea

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the motherland
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy (in the navy)

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

Who me?

They want you, they want you
They want you as a new recruit

But, but, but I'm afraid of water.
Hey, hey look
Man, I get seasick even watchin' it on TV!

They want you, they want you in the navy

Oh my goodness.
What am I gonna do in a submarine?

They want you, they want you in the navy

Depends on what you want to do/get out of the experience.

How old are you? I ask because your age determines how fast you have to run the 1.5mile in. To be quite honest, you have to be seriously out of shape not to pass the physical readiness test.

Quoted: snip

I wondered who the first joker was going to be.

Quoted: Quoted: snip I wondered who the first joker was going to be.

Yeah, really.


I served with pride, and got out when I wanted to do something else. It's been ten years, and my office looks like a Navy recruiter's. You carry it with you forever.

That said, be prepared to scrub your fair share of toilets and dishes as you work your way up. If you are looking to be tactical, go look at the Marines. If you want to serve and learn a trade you can carry later, it's hard to beat the Navy.

Best of luck, and thanks for wanting to serve in the world's finest yacht club.

Haze Grey and Underway, Baby!

How old are you?

First go to college and get a degree, then if you want to go in, go in as a Zero. I did six years enlisted on Subs. I am where I am today because of the Navy's training but I also could have gone to school and recieved a degree. Would I do it again, 20/20 hindsight?
Make sure you really know what you are getting into, ask for a copy of the UCMJ and see all the BS they can drop on you.
I really enjoyed the first three years then a new department head came in and made the last three years hell.

So, I hear you like semen seamen?

Quoted: Quoted: snip I wondered who the first joker was going to be.

sorry, i couldnt resist

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: snip I wondered who the first joker was going to be. sorry, i couldnt resist

Couldn't resist adding exactly zero value to the conversation.

Something to think about. The USN is the nation's first line of defense. It is always deployed. If you don't like 6 month deployments or get sea sick then it is probably not for you.

If you like seeing different parts of the world, want to learn a trade, get money for college, all while doing a valuable job for the nation, then the Navy is an option.

Really, we need to know exactly what you want out of your service time.

As for going to college first, I don't agree. I went enlisted, did my fair share of the grunt work, went to college and was commissioned. I think both I and the Navy are better for it.

Give us an idea of what you want to do in the military...What specialty are you interested in?

I was in the Army, so I know very little about the Navy; but one thing I DO know is...

There isn't a damned thing wrong with joining the Navy (or any other branch of the service).

My Oldest Daughter just was sworn in...you can salute her in 3 years when she finishes Medical School....I am so proud of her, and her brother a WO2 in The USARMY

I went to college and got commissioned in the Navy Reserves..during college I was a grunt in the National Guard, there is nothing more rewarding than serving your country.   Go for it...military experience is always a plus in the civilain sector you can't go wrong.   Just make sure you have your education a major goal also.  
By the way 1.5 miles in 14 minutes should be easy if you are enlisting.....you need to get in shape, you need to do it under 12 minutes

i have a brother who is in the Navy and has been there for 19 yrs and is now a chief soon to retire, he has made his son swear to him that he will never join the navy. he has done 5 world tours and 3 wars and several drug ops. but he hates the navy. he did say he got his best peice of ass in tailand. he is unsure how many kids he has running around over there.

I served 8 yrs in the Navy and enjoyed it all. All branches have pro and cons it all depends on what you want for your future. 6 month deployments go faster than you think. Good luck with your choice. Don't sweat the running either. I was usually last in any formation run (someone has to be ) Lets us know what you want to do and what you'd like to learn.

Quoted: I am seriously looking into joining the navy.  I have talked with the recruiter and thus far I like what I have heard, other than the having to run one and a half miles in something like 14 mins--gotta quit the cigs and start running.... To those who have served or served in the Navy:  What are your thoughts on the matter?  Was it worth it?   What should I be aware of?   Thanks in advance.

I have a long answer and a short answer.  I'll give the short now, if you'd really like to hear the long, IM me and I'll tell you.

I was a nuke electronics technician, I went in straight out of high school, did 6 years total, and 4 years on the Enterprise.  Just about every day I was in SUCKED.  I was counting down the days left from 1154.  I DID NOT LIKE IT!!!

Would I do it again?  In a second.  No, in a millisecond.  The benefits after getting out made up for 6 years of suckage a thousand times over.  

Besides, after you get out, all the shitty memories get fuzzy and you still remember the good times.

Depending on your interests, you should check out all branches of the services. My son was being heavily recruited by the Navy for Nuke school because of his high ASVAB scores, but the USAF had the better program for him. He's been in for a year now and totally loves it. I also employ 3 active Navy personell part time. All three have said they would go USAF if they had it to do over again. From what they say, the USAF treats it's people much better.  

Not trying to start any inter-services rivals here, just reporting what I've been told by employees and son.

Quoted: Depending on your interests, you should check out all branches of the services. My son was being heavily recruited by the Navy for Nuke school because of his high ASVAB scores, but the USAF had the better program for him. He's been in for a year now and totally loves it. I also employ 3 active Navy personell part time. All three have said they would go USAF if they had it to do over again. From what they say, the USAF treats it's people much better.   Not trying to start any inter-services rivals here, just reporting what I've been told by employees and son.

What they didn't tell you is it is easier to make rank in the Navy than in the USAF.

There is Nothing wrong with the Navy, hell look at me I joined at 18


as far as I'm concerned, Aviation Ordnance is the best job

if you aint ordnance you aint shit!!!

Quoted: if you aint ordnance you aint shit!!!

So if you are ordnance you are shit?

Quoted: Quoted: if you aint ordnance you aint shit!!! So if you are ordnance you are shit?

no that's just what IYAOYAS is in dpmmms sig line..I dunno why I posted it I just have to say it every time I see it for some reason sorry

Quoted: Quoted: if you aint ordnance you aint shit!!! So if you are ordnance you are shit?

Orddies are The Shit!!!

Without Orddies, its just another unscheduled flight!!!

I spent 14yrs in the sub service.  Served with the best people money cannot buy.  It is you and the ocean.  Nature makes you really understand what an insignifcant piece of flotsam a ship is.  Would I do it again?  Yes.

My daughter is in the Air Force, and has a control freak for a boss.  She is in base readiness, very undermanned and lots of room for advancement, and you get responsibility fast!  No matter where you go you will have to deal with dirt bags.  Just less of them in submarines.  it just too dangerous for people to pull that kind of crap.

Go with the highest program ASVAB scores will let you.

You need to ask yourself some questions.  Do you want a bed/rack to sleep in at night?  Do you want hot chow every meal?  Can you deal with swimming home?  Can you deal with having your home a flaming wreck around you?  Can you deal with enemies throwing very big weapons at you with malice?  then the Navy will be a good experience.

Also no matter what service you join, 50% of the questions you get asked at a job interview are not asked.  Your service has already answered them.

Hey everyone! sing along to this strange exotic indian sounding music.  "yvan eht nioj - eno yreve - yvan eht nioj won"

repeat this mantra 1000 times in your head then go to sleep.
When you wake up in the morning act on any crazy impulses you might think of.

8 1/2 years as an HM. Specialized NEC after my first year. Yes, I'd do it again.

Hell yes I'd do it again.  FWIW - Go naval aviation - like Aviation electronics or similar - .  Get an aircrew designation and fly in a plane bigger than can land on a carrier - That's what I did and it worked great for me.  What ever you do, don't get a rating as a a Fireman or Seaman - you'll be stuck on a tin can forever.  Best to ask the recruiter what aviation rates are not filled up (in %), and choose the ones that interest you that are less manned - (better chance for advancement)

DO NOT GO AS UNDESIGNATED STRIKER - YOU"LL BE LEFT IN THE BOWELS OF SOME DDG FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!  - FIKE IS RIGHT!

X

Here's a previously posted topic on Life in the Navy in General _ (funny but true) that applies to the Shipborad Navy more than the Aviation side.

How to Simulate Life in the Navy

1. Buy a dumpster, paint it gray, and live in it for 6 months straight.

2. Run all of the piping and wires inside your house on the outside of the walls.

3. Pump 10 inches of nasty, crappy water into your basement, then pump it out, clean up, and paint the basement "deck gray".

4. Every couple of weeks, dress up in your best clothes and go the scummiest part of town, find the most run down, trashy bar you can, pay $10 per beer until you're hammered, then walk home in the freezing cold.

5. Perform a weekly disassembly and inspection of your lawnmower.

6. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays turn your water temperature up to 200 degrees, then on Tuesday and Thursday turn it down to 10 degrees. On Saturdays, and Sundays declare to your entire family that they used too much water during the week, so all showering is secured.

7. Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling.

8. Have your next door neighbor come over each day at 5am, and blow a whistle so loud that Helen Keller could hear it and shout "Reveille, Reveille, all hands heave out and trice up".

9. Have your mother-in-law write down everything she's going to do the following day, then have her make you stand in the back yard at 6am and read it to you.

10. Eat the raunchiest Mexican food you can find for three days straight, then lock yourself out of the bathroom for 12 hours, and hang a sign on the door that reads "Secured-contact OA division at X-3053".

11. Submit a request form to your father-in-law, asking if it's ok for you to leave your house before 3pm.

12. Invite 200 of your not-so-closest friends to come over, then board up all the windows and doors to your house for 6 months. After the 6 months is up, take down the boards, wave at your friends and family through the front window of your home...you can't leave until the next day; you have duty.

13. Shower with above-mentioned friends.

14. Make your family qualify to operate all the appliances in your home (i.e. Dishwasher operator, blender technician, etc.).

15. Walk around your car for 4 hours checking the tire pressure every 15 minutes.

16. Sit in your car and let it run for 4 hours before going anywhere. This is to ensure your engine is properly "lighted off".

17. Empty all the garbage bins in your house, and sweep your driveway 3 times a day, whether they need it or not. (Now sweepers, start your brooms, clean sweepdown fore and aft, empty all trash over the fantail)

18. Repaint your entire house once a month.

19. Cook all of your food blindfolded, groping for any spice and seasoning you can get your hands on.

20.Use eighteen scoops of budget coffee grounds per pot, and allow each pot to sit 5 hours before drinking.

21. Have your neighbor collect all your mail for a month, read your magazines, and randomly lose every 5th item.

22. Spend $20,000 on a satellite system for your TV, but only watch CNN and the Weather Channel.

23. Avoid watching TV with the exception of movies, which are played in the middle of the night. Have the family vote on which movie to watch and then show a different one.

24. Have your 5-year-old cousin give you a haircut with goat shears.

25. Sew back pockets to the front of your pants.

26. Spend 2 weeks in the red-light districts of Europe, and call it "world travel".

27. Attempt to spend 5 years working at McDonalds, and NOT get promoted.

28. Ensure that any promotions you do get are from stepping on the dead bodies of your co-workers.

29. Needle gun the aluminum siding on your house after your neighbors have gone to bed.

30. When your children are in bed, run into their room with a megaphone, and shout at the top of your lungs that your home is under attack, and order them to man their battle stations. ("General quarters, general quarters, all hands man your battle stations")

31. Make your family menu a week ahead of time and do so without checking the pantry and refrigerator.

32. Post a menu on the refrigerator door informing your family that you are having steak for dinner. Then make them wait in line for at least an hour, when they finally get to the kitchen, tell them that you are out of steak, but you have dried ham or hot dogs. Repeat daily until they don't pay attention to the menu any more and they just ask for hot dogs.

33. When baking a cake, prop up one side of the pan while it is in the oven. Spread icing on real thick to level it off.

34. In the middle of January, place a podium at the end of your driveway. Have you family stand watches at the podium, rotating at 4-hour intervals.

35. Lock yourself and your family in your house for 6 weeks. Then tell them that at the end of the 6th week you're going to take them to Disneyland for "weekend liberty". When the end of the 6th week rolls around, inform them that Disneyland has been canceled due to the fact that they need to get ready for engineering-certification, and that it will be another week before they can leave the house.

36. In your grim, gray dumpster (refer to #1), with 200 of your not-so-closest friend (cite para. 12) regardless of gender, suffer through PMS!

37. Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the closet door with a curtain. Have you wife whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you go to sleep. She should then shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble "Sorry, wrong rack"

38. Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of your bathtub, move the shower head to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you shut off the water while you soap down.

39. When there is a thunderstorm in your area, find a wobbly rocking chair and rock as hard as you can until you become nauseous. have a supply of stale crackers in your shirt pocket.

40. Put lube oil in your humidifier and set it on high.

41. For ex-engineering types: leave the lawn mower running in your living room eight hours a day.

42. Have the paperboy give you a haircut.

43. Once a week, blow compressed air up your chimney, making sure the wind carries the soot onto your neighbors house. Ignore his complaints.

44. Every other month buy green or red marine primer and put it in a paint sprayer. Spray it over the roof of your house onto your neighbor's car. Ignore his complaints.

45. Lock wire the lug nuts on your car.

46. Buy a trash compactor, but use it only once a week. Store the garbage on the other side of your bathtub.

47. Get up every night around midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread.

48. Set your alarm clock to go off at random during the night, jump up and get dressed as fast as you can making sure you button up the top button on your shirt, stuff you pants into your socks. Run out into the
backyard and uncoil the garden hose.

49. Once a month, take every major appliance apart and put them back together again.

50. Install a fluorescent lamp under the coffee table and then get under it and read books.

51. Raise the thresholds and lower the top sills of your front and back doors so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass through one of them.

52. Every so often, throw the cat in the pool and shout "Man overboard, starboard side" Then run into the house and sweep all the pots and dishes off the counter. Yell at the wife and kids for not having the kitchen
"stowed for sea".

53. Put on the headphones from your stereo set, but don't plug them in. Hang a paper cup around your neck with string. Go stand in front of your stove. Say ... to no one in particular "Stove manned and ready" Stand there for three or four hours. And say again to no one in particular "stove secured". Roll up your headphones and paper cup and place them in a box.
______________________________________

<---Is leaning hard on 38 years and runs the mile and a half in under 10 minutes.  If 14 minutes scares you for 1.5 miles, you need help.  

Quoted: I am seriously looking into joining the navy.  I have talked with the recruiter and thus far I like what I have heard, other than the having to run one and a half miles in something like 14 mins--gotta quit the cigs and start running....

Dbltap.

I'm about 1 month away from one year in. All in all, it's not to bad.

The most important thing I can recommend is for you to do as much research as you can on the Navy in general and the specific rates. I would recommend an Aviation rate.

I have heard it is going away, but if the option comes up for you to go "undesignated", do youself a big favor and decline.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Lots of great advice here (and a bunch of non contributors).

I'm getting out at the end of the month.  I'll be SelRes (an 'active' reservist) soon after.   After four years by the bay, and another nine in avaiation heres a few thoughts:

If you like warm climets and water, then the Navy has more of these than about any service but the Marines (the marines also have deserts like 29 palms... the navy really doesn't other than Fallon & Lemore).

Aviation is a better life, whether you are enlisted or an officer.  

ETA:  
AVIATION gets bonuses
SUBS get bigger bonuses
Surface gets boned.

You get to see the half of the world you get sent to on your first tour for the most part (atlantic or Pacific).  If you want to see the other 'half' then do a second tour in the other hemisphere.    But that time off in those other locations is much less when you are ship borne than land based...  and you will be 'working' much more than the time you get off whatever your rate.

You will almost certainly 'go to sea' if you do an entire tour.  If you cant' follow the rules your life will suck, you may go to mast (non judicial punishment), and your life will suck more.

Avoid E-3's if you don't want to live in Oklahoma.  Go P-3's (ETA: C-130's in the reserves as well) if you want to avoid ships.   Go subs if you don't want to see the sun, but be surrounded by really smart people.  If you can become an 'O' the life style and $ is much better out the door.

If you are enlisted: you'll start on the bottom and work your way up.  Seriously, you'll swab decks, clean the head, and spend your time doing PQS to get your quals.  

If you are an 'o':  you'll start on the bottom and work your way up... you'll stand watch more, make the wardroom's coffee in the morning, you'll get the divsion where they transfer all the trouble makers, do tons of paper wokr, and spend your time doing PQS to get your quals.  (if your a pilot, you'll atleast get to go fly to get your quals once you got your PQS done....)  ETA: PQS; Personal Qualification Standards... see https://pqs.cnet.navy.mil/

ETA:Once you got your quals and make a little rank, you'd start to move up the food chain, do less of the dirty jobs, and start some real work.   You have to prove yourself for quite some time in most commands.   Eventually (this could be 2-3 yrs after you make it to your first command) you'll be spending your time running something that is your responsibility, and signing other folks PQS.

At first the Navy will take more from you than it gives.  If you keep a good attitude, work, hard, and accept more responsibility, you'll get a lot more out of it than it takes.

The airforce may have a better life style (housing, supply support, and perdiem), but they usualy get less independance from their superiors, less responsibility given them, more restrictive regulations, and rewarded for using less initiative.  (the airforce pilots that come to my base to train student pilots at first can't fathom that our books tell a pilot what he can't do, while the air force's say that he can't do anything unless they specifically tell him that he can.)

Navy chicks are usually short and fat.   Airforce and Coast Guard chicks seem to be the hottest.   The Navy chicks who aren't short and fat are used to being the center of attention....  especially after being deployed for quite some time.   Best to find a non-navy chick that you can trust with paying the bills and not running up the credit card and sleeping with your best friend while you are gone 6 months at a time.

Do you have to swim to be in the navy?

The 3rd Class Swim test consists of a twelve foot tower jump, a fifty yard swim utilizing any survival stroke, American crawl (freestyle), Breaststroke, Sidestroke, or Elementary Backstroke. In addition, you must remain afloat in a prone (face down) position for five minutes, lifting head as needed to breath, and inflate shirt and trousers.

Are there any armed forces where you dont have to be able to swim?

I've wanted to join the navy for years. There's a tempting program that I'm likely going to enroll in. Basically you enlist now and the navy pays for your college tuition and student loans. Once you graduate, you go into OCS. Sounds exactly like what I want. I'm thinking I'd be good in intelligence or logistics.

On the other hand, I want to kick ass and take names with a gun in my hand. Decisions.

FTN = Free The Nukes


FTN =  Fuck The Navy

enjoy your stay on USS Civilian, your a fool to be getting off of this boat

Former PO'ed Electronics Technician, S8G power plant

Happy worker at a printing company

Sorry, i like my 8 hrs of sleep a night and 3-4 day long work weeks

Quoted: Are there any armed forces where you dont have to be able to swim?

just learn and dont worry about it

Lots of good advice!  

I'm Navy and here's a secret, I have the best job the Navy has to offer.  I'm Aircrew in a C130 squadron.  the Navy has 5 Herc squadrons.  You will have to go in as a TAR which is what the Navy calls a full time reservist.  Same as regular Navy but you work with reservists that drill on the monthly schedules.

I started out a young buck joined the Navy when I was 19, got out when my mom died while I was just out of bootcamp on my way to A school.  Came home and 10 years later decided to go bck as a reservist.  That was 3 years ago, been on active duty almost all that time, been around the world, seen and done more than most will in a lifetime.  I love it and doubt I will ever go back to my civilian life as I am gonna stay on the active side until I retire.  I fly a lot, am away from home often and love every second of it.  I'll never see a ship, not to say being on a ship would be bad but shore duty has it's good side comparitively.  

Just ask around and get info before you dive in.  Nothing sux more than hating your job but when you love what you do, nothing is as fulfilling.  I love flying.  I love our uniforms and traditions.  And for me that counts for a lot in life.  

ut know that deployments cycles are getting longer and more frequent duet to downsizing and increasing readiness with less pesonel.  If you are married, it gets tougher.  The women are usually ugly too!  But one thing is for sure you will get as much out of the Navy as you put in.  

well, I am surprised at the number of submarine guys posting in this thread. I couldnt imagine being back in the navy, and NOT being a sub sailor. The work is hard, but I worked with guys I would consider brothers.
I knew EVERYONE on my ship, no one on a carrier could claim the same. The rules/regs are a bit more relaxed in the sub community, but ALOT more is expected of you. I worked in Machinery division, and the dozen of us did what takes close to 100 people to do on a carrier.

Yes, alot of it sucked, and people bitch alot, but I would do it again.

21 years in Submarines, just retired(at age 38) after 21 years, 3 years ago. Had been around the world by age 22, not a bad life.

Quoted: well, I am surprised at the number of submarine guys posting in this thread. I couldnt imagine being back in the navy, and NOT being a sub sailor. The work is hard, but I worked with guys I would consider brothers. I knew EVERYONE on my ship, no one on a carrier could claim the same. The rules/regs are a bit more relaxed in the sub community, but ALOT more is expected of you. I worked in Machinery division, and the dozen of us did what takes close to 100 people to do on a carrier. Yes, alot of it sucked, and people bitch alot, but I would do it again.

id gladly switch spots with you right now

Jeez, he asked then ran away.

I think you squids scared him off.

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.  I did 6+ years as a DS (Data Systems Tech).  The training, experience, friendships will last you a lifetime, and can benefit you greatly.  To some extent, I was able to  get my 1st, 2nd and 6th jobs out of the Navy because I was in the Navy or was a veteran.  Some folks value military experience.  

Having a wife and kid(s) sucks hard when you are on a six month deployment.  That is one of the main reasons I got out.  I wanted to be able to have a family, and couldn't figure out how to do that and stay in.  I have no idea how career Navy people can have a successful marriage, family and career.  My hat is off to them.  

I've seen a volcano erupting.  I've seen the Med and the IO so calm that they were smooth as glass like a lake at sunrise or sunset.  I've ridden out a Hurricane on a ship.  I've seen a submarine do an emergency surface.  Those are some of the cool things I've seen and done.  Like somebody else pointed out, I've forgotten about a lot of the negative things.  

It's not just a job, because you can't quit.

DON'T GO as an UNDESIGNATED RATING, Get an "A" School.  

After I enlisted my recruiter explained that Navy is actually an acronym: Never Again Volunteer Yourself.  Those are words to live by.  

Holy Crap!!! This is SO true.  I haven't laughed this hard in years.  I have tears running down my face.  The following will give you a good idea of what shipboard life is really like.  

Quoted: Here's a previously posted topic on Life in the Navy in General _ (funny but true) that applies to the Shipborad Navy more than the Aviation side. How to Simulate Life in the Navy 1. Buy a dumpster, paint it gray, and live in it for 6 months straight. 2. Run all of the piping and wires inside your house on the outside of the walls. 3. Pump 10 inches of nasty, crappy water into your basement, then pump it out, clean up, and paint the basement "deck gray". 4. Every couple of weeks, dress up in your best clothes and go the scummiest part of town, find the most run down, trashy bar you can, pay $10 per beer until you're hammered, then walk home in the freezing cold. 5. Perform a weekly disassembly and inspection of your lawnmower. 6. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays turn your water temperature up to 200 degrees, then on Tuesday and Thursday turn it down to 10 degrees. On Saturdays, and Sundays declare to your entire family that they used too much water during the week, so all showering is secured. 7. Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling. 8. Have your next door neighbor come over each day at 5am, and blow a whistle so loud that Helen Keller could hear it and shout "Reveille, Reveille, all hands heave out and trice up". 9. Have your mother-in-law write down everything she's going to do the following day, then have her make you stand in the back yard at 6am and read it to you. 10. Eat the raunchiest Mexican food you can find for three days straight, then lock yourself out of the bathroom for 12 hours, and hang a sign on the door that reads "Secured-contact OA division at X-3053". 11. Submit a request form to your father-in-law, asking if it's ok for you to leave your house before 3pm. 12. Invite 200 of your not-so-closest friends to come over, then board up all the windows and doors to your house for 6 months. After the 6 months is up, take down the boards, wave at your friends and family through the front window of your home...you can't leave until the next day; you have duty. 13. Shower with above-mentioned friends. 14. Make your family qualify to operate all the appliances in your home (i.e. Dishwasher operator, blender technician, etc.). 15. Walk around your car for 4 hours checking the tire pressure every 15 minutes. 16. Sit in your car and let it run for 4 hours before going anywhere. This is to ensure your engine is properly "lighted off". 17. Empty all the garbage bins in your house, and sweep your driveway 3 times a day, whether they need it or not. (Now sweepers, start your brooms, clean sweepdown fore and aft, empty all trash over the fantail) 18. Repaint your entire house once a month. 19. Cook all of your food blindfolded, groping for any spice and seasoning you can get your hands on. 20.Use eighteen scoops of budget coffee grounds per pot, and allow each pot to sit 5 hours before drinking. 21. Have your neighbor collect all your mail for a month, read your magazines, and randomly lose every 5th item. 22. Spend $20,000 on a satellite system for your TV, but only watch CNN and the Weather Channel. 23. Avoid watching TV with the exception of movies, which are played in the middle of the night. Have the family vote on which movie to watch and then show a different one. 24. Have your 5-year-old cousin give you a haircut with goat shears. 25. Sew back pockets to the front of your pants. 26. Spend 2 weeks in the red-light districts of Europe, and call it "world travel". 27. Attempt to spend 5 years working at McDonalds, and NOT get promoted. 28. Ensure that any promotions you do get are from stepping on the dead bodies of your co-workers. 29. Needle gun the aluminum siding on your house after your neighbors have gone to bed. 30. When your children are in bed, run into their room with a megaphone, and shout at the top of your lungs that your home is under attack, and order them to man their battle stations. ("General quarters, general quarters, all hands man your battle stations") 31. Make your family menu a week ahead of time and do so without checking the pantry and refrigerator. 32. Post a menu on the refrigerator door informing your family that you are having steak for dinner. Then make them wait in line for at least an hour, when they finally get to the kitchen, tell them that you are out of steak, but you have dried ham or hot dogs. Repeat daily until they don't pay attention to the menu any more and they just ask for hot dogs. 33. When baking a cake, prop up one side of the pan while it is in the oven. Spread icing on real thick to level it off. 34. In the middle of January, place a podium at the end of your driveway. Have you family stand watches at the podium, rotating at 4-hour intervals. 35. Lock yourself and your family in your house for 6 weeks. Then tell them that at the end of the 6th week you're going to take them to Disneyland for "weekend liberty". When the end of the 6th week rolls around, inform them that Disneyland has been canceled due to the fact that they need to get ready for engineering-certification, and that it will be another week before they can leave the house. 36. In your grim, gray dumpster (refer to #1), with 200 of your not-so-closest friend (cite para. 12) regardless of gender, suffer through PMS! 37. Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the closet door with a curtain. Have you wife whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you go to sleep. She should then shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble "Sorry, wrong rack" 38. Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of your bathtub, move the shower head to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you shut off the water while you soap down. 39. When there is a thunderstorm in your area, find a wobbly rocking chair and rock as hard as you can until you become nauseous. have a supply of stale crackers in your shirt pocket. 40. Put lube oil in your humidifier and set it on high. 41. For ex-engineering types: leave the lawn mower running in your living room eight hours a day. 42. Have the paperboy give you a haircut. 43. Once a week, blow compressed air up your chimney, making sure the wind carries the soot onto your neighbors house. Ignore his complaints. 44. Every other month buy green or red marine primer and put it in a paint sprayer. Spray it over the roof of your house onto your neighbor's car. Ignore his complaints. 45. Lock wire the lug nuts on your car. 46. Buy a trash compactor, but use it only once a week. Store the garbage on the other side of your bathtub. 47. Get up every night around midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread. 48. Set your alarm clock to go off at random during the night, jump up and get dressed as fast as you can making sure you button up the top button on your shirt, stuff you pants into your socks. Run out into the backyard and uncoil the garden hose. 49. Once a month, take every major appliance apart and put them back together again. 50. Install a fluorescent lamp under the coffee table and then get under it and read books. 51. Raise the thresholds and lower the top sills of your front and back doors so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass through one of them. 52. Every so often, throw the cat in the pool and shout "Man overboard, starboard side" Then run into the house and sweep all the pots and dishes off the counter. Yell at the wife and kids for not having the kitchen "stowed for sea". 53. Put on the headphones from your stereo set, but don't plug them in. Hang a paper cup around your neck with string. Go stand in front of your stove. Say ... to no one in particular "Stove manned and ready" Stand there for three or four hours. And say again to no one in particular "stove secured". Roll up your headphones and paper cup and place them in a box. ______________________________________

YVAN ETH NIOJ

Well, I signed up for Delayed Enlistement for the Nuclear Propulsion program when I was in my senior year of high school, then picked up a NROTC scholarship to my first choice school and that was the end of that. Studied Electrical Engineering for free for 4 years and got commissioned and designated for Student Naval Aviator. I've been in about 2 1/3 years now, all in the Naval Aviation training pipelines, so I don't have much experience with the "real" (read as: Fleet) Navy. But, that being said, I love it. The Navy pays me to learn to fly combat jets.... no one else but the military can give you that career path. My instructors are professionals, skilled and care about their jobs. My peers are all type A "go-getters". Couldn't ask for a better work/learning environment.

Unfortunately I don't have much exposure to the enlisted ranks because well, in the pilot training, you're just not around them at all. If the Officer route isn't for you, then I would certainly considering the Nuclear program or the Aircrew program. Both seem to be the better lives in the Navy. Nuke program will set you up for life, without a doubt.

I'm retired Navy (Surface - Active and Reserve) My son is in the Air Force.

ANY SERVICE HAVE A GUARANTEED JOB

Travel is great, separation sucks. You can't get up and walk away for awhile after work whern you are at sea.  You can't watch tropical sunrises and sunsets from Ft. Jackson.

Like it or not, the Navy spends a lot of time deployed, and if you are on a small combatant going to fun places, it can be the greatest thing in the world.  If you are a low level worker bee on a carrier buried in the bowels of the ship and the only liberty you get is with 10,000 other sailors in the Battle Group at the same time.  Well you get the idea.

If you want a technical education, most of the services are similar.  And frankly deploying is going to be the lot in life in any these days. A tech is a tech is a tech.  But when you are on a 540 by 54 foot ship.

But  there is a certain amount of job and personal satisfaction being the helmsman during unreps, working unrep rigs, being a coxswain on a rescue mission that no other job can compare to.

If you don't mind going to sea and being aat sea, it can be the greatest thing.  If you don't like travel, don't do it.

In anycase in almost all the services, you start at the bottom of the totem pole and work your way up.  

I've been to Tahiti, Rarotonga, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, Guadalcanal, Nauru, Fiji, Western Samoa, Philipines, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and I had a hell of a lot of great times.  18 months totaled out of 24 months away when I first got married, 11 months recalled overseas for the first gulf war.  2 to 6 weeks overseas a year most of the 15 years I was in the Reserves.

I enjoyed the travel, hated the separations.

Quoted: <---Is leaning hard on 38 years and runs the mile and a half in under 10 minutes.  If 14 minutes scares you for 1.5 miles, you need help.   Quoted: I am seriously looking into joining the navy.  I have talked with the recruiter and thus far I like what I have heard, other than the having to run one and a half miles in something like 14 mins--gotta quit the cigs and start running....

30 years old and if I push it I can hit 10:30. You mush have long legs.

Marine myself, I would not deny that the Navy has some excellent opportunities for any young ambitious person seeking to serve his or her country.

My son wanted to enlist and I recommended the Navy, now on his 4th year in and loving every minute of it. A good choice.

Awesome Comparison Xanadu!

It's not just a job; it's an indenture...