Hi Rebecca,
Please forgive me for not answering your nice note. I only just discovered it (I had not scrolled down far enough to see it!) There is so much to read on here and I get sidetracked very easily! My son currently lives in Eau Claire. We lived in Stevens Point. He started at UW Eau Claire, left for a year to work and decided to go back to UWSP for two years. Missed his friends all in Eau Claire so moved back there after signing up for the Navy. He has his first PT meeting with the Eau Claire recruiter tomorrow. He still sounds excited about going in. He will be spending about 4 weeks with me (flies in on this Wednesday) so we are very excited. He and I will go up to our family home in Maine while my husband stays here (someone has to work!) I intend to put some meat on his bones as I don't think he has been eating well since moving out of the dorms. I am also going to talk about having his wisdom teeth looked at and pulled before he goes in. I wish he lived closer to us. Hope you and your family had a lovely Labor Day Weekend.
Hi Rebecca,
I,too, have a son going into Nukes and leaving for boot camp on April 5, 2010. We keep telling him to continue to work on getting in shape because these next months will fly by quicker than he realizes. He will be 22 when he goes in, having tried college for the past three years. He wants the structure of the Navy and also needs something concrete to work (study) for. He says knowing there is a job waiting for him at the end of his studies is what he needs to succeed. We are very proud of him for making this decision and wanting to go into what they say is the most difficult field of study. When he first started talking with the recruiter, boot camp dates were in December and January. He lives in Wisconsin, we moved east last November. April will be a much nicer time to go to his graduation at Great Lakes! :) I am glad to have found a mom of a fellow Nuke and 4/05/10 boot camp classmate. Good luck to your son and your family. We live near Washington, DC, and see a great many service men and women every day. It is awe inspiring to know they are all joined voluntarily!
He will want to make sure that the physics class is math oriented and not conceptual (very little math, mostly theory). Ask any question that you want to ask. No one will complain, because this site was designed to be helpful and most of us are willing to pass along our experiences, which will make it easier on you...I did not have this site when I first began 'our' Navy career...I think it the site is great!
Yes, he will rank the rates in boot camp...and generally they will get their first choice. Approx 50-60% end up MM...25-30% EM, and the rest are ET...It is dependent on the Navy's need for a particular rate. It usually helps to research the rates ahead of time and pick the one you are more interested in (Type in Nuke MM, or EM or ET in google, you will get some helpful descriptions). MM schooling is generally 3 months shorter than the other two rates.
Congrats, Nukes are a special breed!
Is your son going MM, EM, or ET? Based on a discussion at our last dinner gathering of Navy mom's the discussion of the current Nuke mom's leads me to recommend the following course work...If there is a technical school in the area and he has no background in electronics, especially a class that gives your son a background in schematics. A strong mathematical physics class would be helpful also. How many high school math courses did he take?
Becky,
When I read your comments about your son, I thought I was reading my own words. Your son sounds exactly like mine. Marc leaves for bootcamp a week from today. I feel like I'm on a teeter-totter. One minute, I'm ready to push him out the door and the next, I'm almost in tears. Marc is going into the computer program. He lives and breathes computers, so I think it'll be a good fit. I'm hopeful that the Navy will bring structure and regiment to his life. It seems like everything I read and hear from others is how good the Navy is (or was) for their loved ones. I am cautiously optimistic. Let me know how you and your son are faring.
I am unsure as to what type of math classes to tell you to have him take. There is no way that you can personally contact an instructor to ask them either. I will ask my sons to see what they suggest, I know that they take physics for sure but there is so much "math" in the program I am unsure as to what else to advise. I will be talking to the boys this week and will aks them and let you know
Hannah was a decent student, had her ups and downs. Kinda blew off senior year. She's mildly dyslexic, which caused some extra bumps for her.
She had to bust her butt, doing many extra study hours every night, and weekends. It was hard, I'm sure she felt ready to quit many times, but perseverance is THE greatest attribute they need, I think. Determination to keep going, and not quit. She never cried, she said, but did take up smoking! Said many of them took it up, to deal with the stress. Especially not good for her, as she's had pneumonia...
I think he can definitely indicate to his recruiter he wants to leave earlier, but set the time frame. If he wants to take classes this fall, and won't be done til Dec, that's what he tells the recruiter. If I remember correctly, he's not scheduled to leave til next spring some time, correct?
Hi Rebecca. My daughter DEP'd in April of her senior year and was scheduled to leave in Dec. But she told the recruiter if a spot became available sooner, she wanted it. We ended up with 3 weeks notice and she left in Aug. of '07. She was still 17! My baby girl! It was hard, but we got through it. She actually turned 18 a week into A School. She graduated from Prototype last month and is bopping about visiting family and friends until this Sunday, when she leaves for her permanent duty station in Washington state. It's still tough letting her go, saying goodbye, especially now that she's done with her training and moving across country (I'm in Michigan). But I'm so incredibly proud of her also. She's now a certified electrical operator of nuclear reactors (EM). How many 19 year olds can claim that?! One day, your son will have a similar title (depending on which rate he goes for).
My son was not a deper for long. Only about two months. Joining the navy was the best thing my child could have ever done. He actually came home last weekend and said how proud he was of himself. The program is very hard, my son goes to school from 600 till 1700 anda then he spends 4-6 hours in study hall. My son has had a difficult time with the math portion (everyone has), but the Nuke program only accepts the best and brightest. Be proud of him. Basic training was hard in the sense that my son had never been away from home, and the mental aspect was the most difficult. Be ready to encourage your son when he says he can't do it, HE CAN. My son is now setting goals for himself and has truly became a man.
Sorry about that, DEP is Delayed Entry Program. Paul is a EM. Once he got to boot camp (BC), he was asked to pick one of three paths:
Machinist's Mate- Mechanical operator on nuclear power plant. What I did. If you like chemistry, you can try for ELT once you get to school. I liked it alright.
Electrician's Mate- Electrical operator on power plant. You fix the electrical system and will be taught a lot of theory. You get to run the throttles (on the sub anyway) and the electrical plant as a whole while on watch.
Electronics Technician- They run the reactor plant itself. They shim the rods in and out and are responsible for not breaking the reactor. Tough stuff, long school. If you live near a plant, though, you will be hooked up when you are out.
Paul is in his second week. The school is tough. You will be studying non-stop. You don't have to be a super genius to pass, but you do need to apply yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Sally is correct. That is what my son did, DEP in Sept and left April 21 for Great Lakes. He took the time to learn everything he could about the Navy, did PT every day so he flew through BC, and LOVED it. He is now in SC, EM for the next 24 weeks Nuke program.
Hey, You hang in there..and there are alot of people here for support!!! Your feelings are soooo normal!! And you dont have to excuse them. We have been there and we are here to help. If ya ever need to bend an ear I am here. :) Hang in there..keep your eye on the prize..and when your son PIR it will all be worth it.!!
Hello Rebecca, I am unsure what GN is, but my son went straight from Boot camp in Great Lakes to Nuke school in Goose Creek,I cannot tell you what a change my son has had, His level of maturity is overwhelming. He is 19 has a savings account, 401K, and has goals.I also felt sadness at my son leaving the nest, but a wise woman(my mother) said a parent's job is to raise their children to move away. The greatest gift my son has received from his navy experience is that he is proud of himself.
We are so glad that you are here! This is a great place to meet others that know exactly how you feel!
We have something for everyone here groups from boot camp moms to overseas moms and moms that like to scrap book. We have meet and greets to events that the moms set up to meet each other and have dinner or an outing. There are groups to help you with each and every step of this wonderful adventure that our children have chosen called the US Navy.
Please tell us about your sailor and what they have chosen to do in the navy and ohh yeah we LOVE pictures of everyone !!
Please let me know if you have any questions I can help you with.
Hello and welcome to N4MS. We are glad you found us for support, encouragement and answers to your questions. Please thank your son/daughter for choosing to serve our country. My son is signed CTT-SN. He is attending A school at this time, then on to C school for his training. I am proud of his choosing to serve our country and miss him very much. He is the baby of 4 boys and the first to join the military. What is your son/daughter doing with the Navy? If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm glad you joined and look forward to hearing more about you & your Sailor.
Come join our group: Allstates Unity Navy4Moms/Dads/Family/Friends 2009
Hi Rebecca, welcome to Navy for Mom's:)) You will find a lot of answers, support and encouragement here. My daughter, Ashley (20), has been in the Navy for 2 years and is an IT3 & my son Tim (19) has been in since Feb 2008 stationed on the USS Nimitz. What will your son/daughter be doing with the Navy? If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm glad you joined and look forward to hearing more about you & your DEP recruit. Pat
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Please forgive me for not answering your nice note. I only just discovered it (I had not scrolled down far enough to see it!) There is so much to read on here and I get sidetracked very easily! My son currently lives in Eau Claire. We lived in Stevens Point. He started at UW Eau Claire, left for a year to work and decided to go back to UWSP for two years. Missed his friends all in Eau Claire so moved back there after signing up for the Navy. He has his first PT meeting with the Eau Claire recruiter tomorrow. He still sounds excited about going in. He will be spending about 4 weeks with me (flies in on this Wednesday) so we are very excited. He and I will go up to our family home in Maine while my husband stays here (someone has to work!) I intend to put some meat on his bones as I don't think he has been eating well since moving out of the dorms. I am also going to talk about having his wisdom teeth looked at and pulled before he goes in. I wish he lived closer to us. Hope you and your family had a lovely Labor Day Weekend.
I,too, have a son going into Nukes and leaving for boot camp on April 5, 2010. We keep telling him to continue to work on getting in shape because these next months will fly by quicker than he realizes. He will be 22 when he goes in, having tried college for the past three years. He wants the structure of the Navy and also needs something concrete to work (study) for. He says knowing there is a job waiting for him at the end of his studies is what he needs to succeed. We are very proud of him for making this decision and wanting to go into what they say is the most difficult field of study. When he first started talking with the recruiter, boot camp dates were in December and January. He lives in Wisconsin, we moved east last November. April will be a much nicer time to go to his graduation at Great Lakes! :) I am glad to have found a mom of a fellow Nuke and 4/05/10 boot camp classmate. Good luck to your son and your family. We live near Washington, DC, and see a great many service men and women every day. It is awe inspiring to know they are all joined voluntarily!
Is your son going MM, EM, or ET? Based on a discussion at our last dinner gathering of Navy mom's the discussion of the current Nuke mom's leads me to recommend the following course work...If there is a technical school in the area and he has no background in electronics, especially a class that gives your son a background in schematics. A strong mathematical physics class would be helpful also. How many high school math courses did he take?
When I read your comments about your son, I thought I was reading my own words. Your son sounds exactly like mine. Marc leaves for bootcamp a week from today. I feel like I'm on a teeter-totter. One minute, I'm ready to push him out the door and the next, I'm almost in tears. Marc is going into the computer program. He lives and breathes computers, so I think it'll be a good fit. I'm hopeful that the Navy will bring structure and regiment to his life. It seems like everything I read and hear from others is how good the Navy is (or was) for their loved ones. I am cautiously optimistic. Let me know how you and your son are faring.
God BLess
She had to bust her butt, doing many extra study hours every night, and weekends. It was hard, I'm sure she felt ready to quit many times, but perseverance is THE greatest attribute they need, I think. Determination to keep going, and not quit. She never cried, she said, but did take up smoking! Said many of them took it up, to deal with the stress. Especially not good for her, as she's had pneumonia...
I think he can definitely indicate to his recruiter he wants to leave earlier, but set the time frame. If he wants to take classes this fall, and won't be done til Dec, that's what he tells the recruiter. If I remember correctly, he's not scheduled to leave til next spring some time, correct?
Sorry about that, DEP is Delayed Entry Program. Paul is a EM. Once he got to boot camp (BC), he was asked to pick one of three paths:
Machinist's Mate- Mechanical operator on nuclear power plant. What I did. If you like chemistry, you can try for ELT once you get to school. I liked it alright.
Electrician's Mate- Electrical operator on power plant. You fix the electrical system and will be taught a lot of theory. You get to run the throttles (on the sub anyway) and the electrical plant as a whole while on watch.
Electronics Technician- They run the reactor plant itself. They shim the rods in and out and are responsible for not breaking the reactor. Tough stuff, long school. If you live near a plant, though, you will be hooked up when you are out.
Paul is in his second week. The school is tough. You will be studying non-stop. You don't have to be a super genius to pass, but you do need to apply yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help.
I hope this helps.
Sally is correct. That is what my son did, DEP in Sept and left April 21 for Great Lakes. He took the time to learn everything he could about the Navy, did PT every day so he flew through BC, and LOVED it. He is now in SC, EM for the next 24 weeks Nuke program.
We are so glad that you are here! This is a great place to meet others that know exactly how you feel!
We have something for everyone here groups from boot camp moms to overseas moms and moms that like to scrap book. We have meet and greets to events that the moms set up to meet each other and have dinner or an outing. There are groups to help you with each and every step of this wonderful adventure that our children have chosen called the US Navy.
Please tell us about your sailor and what they have chosen to do in the navy and ohh yeah we LOVE pictures of everyone !!
Please let me know if you have any questions I can help you with.
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