Navy Boot Camp Questions

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[KYmom]

Someone should be along shortly that can answer your questions

[nickhallnavy]

So thats the story below are some questions I have:

1) Ive been told from other forums and such that recruiters can increase your rank before Boot Camp, based on college credits, just because they want to, ect. Now I dont have any college credits, but do you think if I show back up at the recruiting office 2 months from when I first went to see him 100lbs lighter that he would increase my rank? Are there any other things I can do to increase my rank?

i haven't heard that. im pretty sure that they have rules about what can and cannot advance you. the best way is to finish your DEP PQS and pass the tests at boot camp, so you can get E-2

2) I want to be in the top of my class both physcial and academically. Ive never really cared about that type stuff but Im a new person I want to start my Navy career off on a great foot. Now Im already studying the BlueJacket Manual, any more advice that would help me? I just got it but Im goin to study it till I get on the bus in Illonise. Should I make flash cards? Any other tips for studying? Also If I can do 90 pushups 90 situps in 2 mins and run 1.5 mile in 10 min would that put me in the top of the class physcial wise?

it depends on your division. i had very physically inclined shipmates in my division who ran in about 8:30

3) Are there any rates that are more physcial than technological? Like I know about MA/SEAL/SWCC are there any others?

all ratings have a physical element in them. DC is a very physical rating as well

4) Is Boot Camp like in the movies where they yell 24/7 or can you actually ask the RDC questions and talk to them in respectful tone ofcourse like a normal human?

prepare to get yelled at constantly for the first couple weeks, then as your division learns the habits, then it will get easier. by the end of bootcamp, you will be joking around with your RDC's

5) Is there a time of the year to go when its less crowed with recruits than others like Im going in OCT will it be more or less crowded than other times?

all times at boot camp is busy

6) Do they really wake you up in the middle of the night to iron your stuff or were they joking when someone told me? Cant you iron before you go to sleep?

yes, they really do that

7) Can you get up early before other people and shower/shave and dress and be studying when everyone else is hustling to get ready?

you will be so tired, you won't want to wake up to iron, much less get up earlier than everyone else. when your RDC's come in in the morning, they will turn the lights on, and that is your cue to get your boots on and stand at the head of the bed

i hope this helps

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[nickhallnavy]

no, you can't get up early. when the lights come on, everyone jumps out of bed, puts their boots on, and stands at the foot of the bed. then the RDC will dismiss half of you to shower and shave and all that jazz. you don't have time to iron during the day, you are always busy. so each person has a half hour slot to iron at night, and you wake up the next person, etc.

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[nickhallnavy]

the blue jacked was last updated in the 90's if not before then. i graduated july 25, 08

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[nickhallnavy]

whoops, i meant 07. ha. boot camp wasn't hard. they start you from the bottom, and build you up.

[Yin.Yang]

whateever

[Retired Navy Chief]

Wow .... you have heard some interesting tales. Let's try to clear a few things up for you before you get yourself in a mess during bootcamp.


1) Advancement due to losing weight .... NO ... doesn't work that way. You are expected to get physically fit as a MINIMUM REQUIREMENT ... they are not going to pay you more and give you more responsibility just for doing something that we should be doing anyway. Get the college credits if possible ... that will benefit you AND the sailors that work with you.

2) Flash cards, group study ... whatever it takes to get you to learn and understand the rank, recognition etc ...

3) Top of your class in physical fitness .... do your best and see what everyone else brings to the picnic. You may do well ... but don't be surprised if there aren't a few that are in VERY good shape already and max out on everything.

4) Physical rates are SO (SEAL), SB (SWCC), Sea-Bees, and DC ... most of the others that I have seen only become physical when there is a need (like a corpsman attached to a marine unit). I have seen a few in-shape MA's ... but know of more who are only "round" as a shape. Anything past the minimum requirement is up to you.

5) Yelling at bootcamp ... you will be getting more than your share of getting screamed at. Something that I can forsee you being faced with is getting singled out for questioning the reason they do the things they do. I say that based on a couple of the comments that you have made here already. Not that this is a bad thing .... just listen to the reasoning that you get and take it to heart. You'll know what I am talking about when the time comes.

6) Crowded time of the year to attend Bootcamp .... ALL YEAR LONG !! The numbers are constant all year long. The best you can hope for is to go through it when the weather is decent. Winter is not pretty in Great Lakes.

7) Ironing and getting up when you want to .... uhhh ... sure, you can do whatever you want ... ONCE. But there are reasons why they keep the hours they do and maintain the strict schedule they do ... and this will become clear to you. I know that it may not sound like it should make any difference to someone who has not done it yet. Just know that much of the thought process behind it is to make sure that you are dead dog tired all the time. You will be trained to use your mind and body to perform in seriously adverse conditions because you will have to one day. Just go with it and learn.

When you speak to someone who has gone through bootcamp about what to expect and look for advice from them .... you are going to get their opinion. Everyones visit to bootcamp gives them a different perspective and while what they went through may differ slightly from your experience... you should respect that and take their "opinion" onboard. Bootcamp is not fun for the mostpart. Although there are going to be fun parts that you may enjoy.

I will address the underage drinking comments that you made in the thread that you presented it in ... for the benefit of others as well as yourself.

Now .... a quick question for you. You stated that you were considering joining the Navy ... but are not in DEP yet. So, how is it that you know the exact rate and date that you will go to bootcamp ??
I suspect that there has been some misunderstanding between what you were told and what you understood. The recruiter CAN NOT guarantee you any rate nor can they tell you the date that you will ship out to bootcamp. This is the job of the classifier at MEPS and that is only known AFTER you pass the ASVAB and physically qualify to join the Navy. I suggest you speak to the recruiter again to clear this up.

PISTOL

[nickhallnavy]

LOL I was wondering why you were online at 8pm if your libertiy was this weekend but I wasnt going to aruge lol.

Do you really have to shower NAKED infront of others?



wow, are you really worried about that? well yes. you will. you will be showering with everyone in your division. so it's not the time to be shy. and yes, you will have to shower.

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[nickhallnavy]

DC is Damage controlman

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[Retired Navy Chief]

Yes ... every diver is a rescue diver.

You will shower with everyone else, shave with everyone else, sleep in an open bay barracks with everyone else. Unless things have changed ... you will even take a crap with the next guy standing in line in front of you waiting for his turn ... we had no privacy.

And, if your attitude gets everyone else in trouble, you may get your butt stomped in front of everyone else.... funny thing is, that NOONE will have seen a thing. Go figger :angel:.

PISTOL

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[Retired Navy Chief]

They perform salvage duties like freeing grounded ships, clearing ship channels, etc ... and when a diver gets in trouble underwater, they take care of them. Decompression chambers etc ...

Watch the movie "Men of Honor" and that will give you some idea. Real story ... kind of hollywooded up to make it interesting. It might also show you the caliber of sailor that you should strive to become.

PISTOL

[Yin.Yang]

whatever

[Lynette]

Pistol........you are soooo funny and soooo right!.....not only on the privacy issue but everything else......we LOVE having you here!!!!

[sweetmtn]

Me thinks that Ying Yang didnt like what he heard here and vacated the premises!

[Retired Navy Chief]

Hopefully, he will get his collective "stuff" in one sock and make something of himself in the Navy. If not .... it's gonna be a hard lesson to learn.

Cheers,
PISTOL

[nickhallnavy]

he sure is going to have a hard time!

[carilynns3]

Sheesh, hope he doesn't go with my son!

[cousinIT]

This kid does not belong in my Navy.

[NavyMomx2]

Wow, think I'm glad I missed this one altogether. Whew!

[femmefatalexxx]

oh man i just found myself traumatized lol so yea i too am joining the navy i have 4 months left before i get shipped out and i wanted to thank you guys for all of your advice and for trying to make it easier for us NOOBS. I will be shipped out to Great Lakes Nov 24. does that mean i gotta shovel snow? lol jk i wouldnt mind it. anything i need to do in order to become a sailor i will do. I just have a question i have 30 college credits and they dont want to use them towards my rank because i have a highschool diploma that is not acredited and they made me get a GED. Is there any Possible way that i can still go in as a E-3 . And one more thing i enrolled in the master at arms program. I know that its pretty physical and im not all there in 100 percent shape but can someone give me any advice on how much i will have to run in that program so i can train harder, or what specifics part are more difficult. My cousin a US marine told me to learn how to get people on locks , to learn how to wire weapons and to run till i cant run anymore. Any other particular advice.

Thanks
Isaidy Pinto

[Retired Navy Chief]

Congratulations on your decision !!!

Since your college credits had to be used for meeting the entry requirements for education .... the best way for you to advance before going to bootcamp is to refer your friends to the Navy. I am not sure what the amount of people who would need to join is anymore ... but it really isn't as hard as it sounds.

Talk to your recruiter about the referral program and what they will do to help you achieve your goal.

Good luck and please keep up the good work.

PISTOL

[cousinIT]

they do have a snow watch...i know we did. i never had to shovel snow, but i know some people in my div did. congrats on joining! good luck to you

[femmefatalexxx]

thank you very much hun ;]

[RightHereWaiting]

Congratulations on your decision !!!

Since your college credits had to be used for meeting the entry requirements for education .... the best way for you to advance before going to bootcamp is to refer your friends to the Navy. I am not sure what the amount of people who would need to join is anymore ... but it really isn't as hard as it sounds.

Talk to your recruiter about the referral program and what they will do to help you achieve your goal.

Good luck and please keep up the good work.

PISTOL

It's two. Your first two enlisting will get you to E-2 and another two people on top of that will get you E-3. It's incredibly hard finding people who are willing,though. Such a pain. Where's the patriotism folks?! ;p

Good luck on everything though!!!

[Retired Navy Chief]

The key to finding people to refer to the recruiter is not to talk to them about joining the Navy or the military ....

Just talk to them about YOUR plans for your life in the Navy, the goals that you have set for yourself and how you will be able to accomplish them in the Navy .... the places that you would like to see, the job training that you will be getting (plus the job outlook after your navy ride is over).

when ever people that you know get sick or hurt ... you can always comment about how grateful you are that your medical and dental needs will be 100% covered. Have you seen how much it costs to have a baby these days ??? (My kids cost me $5.00 a piece plus the gas it took to race to the hospital !! hahaha).

Bottom line is ... enthusiasm is contagious. If you are excited about what you are doing and don't try to push it on them ... they may very well get excited enough about it to look into it themselves.

Don't hesitate to invite one or two friends to a DEP meeting. If you talk to the recruiters at the office and let them know that you have guests, they will act accordingly and let your friends find out about the Navy without the high-pressure tactics that some of the other services do (cough, cough army, cough, cough):evil:

Good luck to you,
PISTOL

[RightHereWaiting]

Good tactics!! I've been scheming over this for the past week or so. I'm thankful that I still have a semester of college beforehand! So many people going to a community college, getting their general classes out of the way, but still not knowing what to do with their lives! I'm practically set up for success!! Now if only I can be a good salesman.

[Retired Navy Chief]

Community colleges are full of young people who could use some college money .... have your recruiter fully explain the in's and outs of using the G.I. BILL and Navy Tuition Assistance. There are plenty of students there with you who would like to hear the information without the pressure of talking to the recruiter.

Cheers,
PISTOL