Information needed for a mom!

[Cheryl]

My son and I went to see a Navy Recruiter on Saturday, is it important to see more than one recruiter? I have heard where it is better, this way they can get a better "deal"? I'm confused and want to do what's right for my son.

Thanks!!
PS. I love this site.
Cheryl

[Robin]

Good Afternoon Cheryl, I understand your confusion, when our son came to us stating he wanted to go into the military, his dad sat down with him and contact each military branch. They came out to our house and answered his questions as well as ours. They were very professional. Our son decided to go with the Navy. My advise to you is to gather as much info as you can and make sure your son and you ask as many questions as possible before deciding.

[Becky]

Hi ((((Cheryl)))) Don't worry too much. Whatever recruiter you go through they tell future sailors all kinds of great things. When my son, Lee, went to boot camp he found out his recruiter was the only one who told him the complete truth regarding what to expect. A lot of people he got to know said their experiences weren't what they were told they would be. Never fear, your sailor will be treated well, they eat well, and they get a lot of physical training and schooling. My son's in his 13th year with the Navy, the new recruits definitel can make it through boot camp with a much better respect for the Navy and what they can learn.
I definitely recommend you go to his boot camp graduation, your heart will soar & swell with pride, so will your eyes. ;-) Take care, hang in there, Becky from Montana

[Melody]

My son met with a Navy Recruiter last Friday, actually there were 4 of them. The thing is they were from another state. They were terrific in answering Chris' questions. If he signed with them he would have to move to that state, become a resident. So we are now looking for a Recruiter in our state. We live right on the border of MO. So my question is should we let the other Recruiter know that Chris spoke to some one else?

[Sally]

My son was approached by the recruiter in a shopping mall. He was asked "what are you soing with the rest of your life?" My son joined that evening and came home and told his father and me. He was 19 at the time. The most important chaoice will be after his MEPS test. That will give him a choiceof where he will have a choice of jobs. My son choice to be a firecontrolman (missle systems). He is now become an officer through a Navy program and loves the Navy. He is now married and a father. i cannot say enough about the Navy.

[Danyail Kienzle]

There is no reason to see another recruiter.....i am on my moms profile this is her daughter i dep'd into the navy a couple of months ago just waiting to go to BC and my recruiter has done everything for me the key point is i just had to ask and once he knew i was really serious he open everything up to me and it has been the best two months of my life and i owe it to my recuiter!

[William Barron]

As a prior service member, I would recommend that he see more than one recruiter....Alot of recruiters have a quota to fill and they will recommend putting him into whatever billet they need to fill. My recommendation is once your son has taken the ASVAB test (which is very important and lets recruiters know what applicants are most qualified in), know what the scores mean in each catagory so when your son talks with a recruiter, he can not only tell him what your son is interested in, but can tell the recruiter that his scores are high in certain areas and thats what he would like to go into. And just because you talk to one recruiter does not mean you are locked in to joining right then. He is not in until he signs the dotted line and raises his hand....Careful of pushy recruiters; I would turn away from them in a heart beat! Remember, your son is the one who has to feel like he is doing something important, but if he feels like he has to because the recruiter said, he would only regret military life....My father spent 21 yrs in Army and one thing he told me when I went in is "The service is what you make of it. If you go in with a positive attitude, willing to learn as much as you can - like a sponge soaking up water - then you will go places and continue with a positive attitude. But, if you go in with a bad attitude, you will get out (maybe forced out) with a bad attitude". I took this and had a wonder 13 yr tenure. I only let my emotions get to me and quit the Navy too early...Hope this helps....

[Chris A.]

My son's recruiter was fantastic, but my son built up a relationship with him over a period of several months. He went into the recruiting center every few weeks with more questions so by the time he was ready to sign they had become good friends. Consequently the recruiter really went to bat for him over a medical issue and helped get it resolved favorably. He was terrific. When my son came home on leave at Xmas, one of the first things he did was visit his recruiter. If you get a good one, hang onto him/her, they can make all the difference in the world.

[Shannon]

Here is the deal. You can talk to and join with any recruiter you choose UNLESS your son or daughter is still in High School. High Schools are assigned to each station and then within the station a specific recruiter will be assigned to that school. The structure of recruiting is like this Recruiter, RinC (Recruiter in Charge), Zone Supervisor, Chief Recruiter. Some recruiting stations only have one recruiter so they will by default be the RinC. The Zone Sup is usually in charge of 5 or so stations. The Chief Recruiter has 5 or so Zone Sups and that makes up a District. Some Districts cover several states and have 2-3 MEPS. If they are out of High School, they can join with any recruiter they want. If you don't like the way one talks to you or their attitude, by all means find one you like. You have so much information available through the internet that you can find out anything you want. It's doesn't matter what recruiter he goes to, the Navy is the same for everyone and the qualifications will be the same. What matters is if your son requires a little extra work, for instance he has a medical condition that requires a waiver, is the recruiter willing to do the extra work to get him in or will he just turn him away. Good Luck.