Admission to the Navy

[over protected mom]

My son has done all the paperwork, passed all the tests and they say now its a waiting game.

How long have some of your family waited before they were sworn in and ready for boot camp?

My son did all this in March and the recruiter keeps telling him to wait, he will hear soon.

He said he has been accepted but hasn't been sworn in yet.     He is getting inpatient, is there a certain time limit - days, months, ?????

[ChrisAmo]

Often it depends on what job he's going to do. If they have an opening he could be called early, but as Hoppi says, be prepared to wait probably months. Once he gets to bootcamp he'll move right along but then there'll be long waits to class up at A school. The Navy teaches them patience.

[Arwen]

It sounds to me like he is waiting for a job opening. They can't sign him up until there is an opening for a school, even if it is an "undesignated' position (like undeclared in college - they choose a school/job within 2 years). Sometimes it takes multiple trips to MEPS to find a school/job opening. In your son's case, it sounds like the recruiter has an ear to the ground for openings. Right now there aren't a lot, and which ones are available depends on his scores. The schools that your son is eligible for may be ones that are totally closed up, with very few (if any) openings.

I think he has 2 years from the time he passes his ASVAB and physical to find a job. He will have a drug test every time he goes to MEPS and other minor stuff, but like the recruiter said, it's now a waiting game. There was one guy who went to MEPS with my son, he had made 5 trips to MEPS. He didn't get a job that day, but he did get one on his 6th trip, and he had a 95 (extremely high score!) on his ASVAB.

One day your son will get a phone call to get to the recruiter station right away because there are jobs open at MEPS. His recruiter will take him to MEPS and they'll try to get one of those jobs. The faster this happens the better, because getting a job is competitive, first come, first serve.

Once he gets a spot in a school, he has to wait for the school to begin. If he wants to leave earlier he can put in a chit (request), there is a chance he could wait as little as a few weeks, or as long as a year to actually leave for boot camp. He will train while waiting to go, each recruiting station has a group of Deppers (Delayed Entry Program members) waiting to leave, recruiters are supposed to train them regular, usually at a local park or school. He will be given a list of things to learn, and what fitness level he needs to meet. Many Deppers spend their time waiting getting these things done. Sometimes they really need the time.

They don't actually get paid until they leave for boot camp.

Right now it's harder to get into the Navy than college. Everyone wants in (due to no civilian jobs available), and the Navy already has more sailors than it needs.

[minecoyote(SHIP 4 DIV 814)HSM 74]

My son wemt to MEPS 6/1/09 for his physical and preliminary paperwork..He went to sign and leave for boot camp on 5/3/10..it was almost a full yr. Depending on what his job is going to be and the need of the Navy it all it is hard to say when he would leave.. You will find that with the Navy there is alot of Hurry up and wait.. In the end it will be all good.. Tell your son to start working on his PT and learning the book.. It will help him alot in the long run.. Good luck, Linda mom of Jarrod, AIRR

[KLMkathy]

It sounds to me like they are waiting for the job he wants to open up. When that happens they will call him back and then he can sign up and have a date for BC. As Lady Hamilton said until he signs a contract you;re still in the talking stage. When my son first went to MEPS he took the ASVAB, did well, 95, but was told he needed to lose some weight. For a couple of months he worked out, lost weight, kept in touch with his recruiter, and then went back to MEPS. He wanted CTI and took the DLAB, did well, 123, but that was full so he signed up for CTR. He is happy with this and goes to BC in October. The most important thing you can do right now is have him keep in touch with his recruiter. Also have him ask the recruiter what jobs are available now. I wanted to ask you what job he is interested in?

[KLMkathy]

Joe'smom, that is great that you have finally reached the BC stage. Wow, what a long wait. I now feel very fortunate that we only have to wait 5 months. My friend's son also left 3 days ago for BC. I keep telling her to sign up here but she hasn't yet. When she finally does she will kick herself for waiting so long. I wish your son good luck in BC.

[DeniseInFla]

What is the DLAB? My son is in Aircrew going for AW and is in P'cola right now waiting for Candidate school to start. He decided to join in Feb 09', after five trips to MEPS he finally got AIrcrew then it was an 11 month wait to ship out. So glad he decided when he did, on About.com they already are posting that if you've decided today to join the military you may be out of luck. I can believe it!

[KLMkathy]

Jos'smom, my son signed up on May 7, 2010. When he signed there were no CTI jobs available. You are right. He did have a choice though of the other CT jobs. He chose CTR because that is the only one they could kind of tell him what it was about. I have a feeling they tend to push certain jobs they need. Haha. I have heard that CTI's go to school in CA and it is real nice there. I have also heard that this school has the highest drop out rate. Very hard, of course you would expect that with the languages they learn there. I am glad that your son got the job he wanted. My son is glad now that he chose the CTR job and I am hoping they don't call him back to change to CTI if they need him. It happens. I will be sure to tell my friend your son's ship and division numbers. She will surely sign up immediately. If she knew how helpful and informative this place was she would have signed up already. Go navy. Kathy

[Anti M]

Data analysis? The secretive nature of the rate makes finding details quite difficult.

[KLMkathy]

Hi joe'smom, I laugh because my son doesn't even know what he will do. It is all very vague but it involves collection of information. This will be one side of my son's life that I will know absolutely nothing about. Our conversations will consist of the weather,food, and maybe any girlfriends. Probably not about girlfriends either since he is already pretty secretive about that too. HaHa. Anyway, he is very happy about the job and is looking forward to BC. I look forward to hearing about your son's journey. Every time there is a PIR I am so happy for all the mothers and hope one day I can look forward to my son's PIR. As my son always says "if it is meant to be it will be".

[KLMkathy]

His ship date is October 25th. I guess we will miss Thanksgiving and probably Christmas with him this year but PIR would be somewhere around Christmas. So you got the "box" today. Are you doing OK? My son went to San Antonio for a couple of days to visit college friends who were graduating this year. While he was gone I realized that nobody laughs like he does. He reads reviews of movies and stuff on his favorite internet sites and he sits in the den with the family and will be laughing all the time. We never know why but ask sometimes. I was thinking that his laugh maybe what I will miss the most when he leaves. He is such a wonderful young man. Of course I would say that. I am his mother. Haha.

[DeniseInFla]

AW is Air warfare systems operator. I think they sit behind the pilot on the helo and work a computer. They also play "steward" to anyone traveling with them and from what I understand from my retired navy brother, they also operate the machinery that refules planes in midair, amoungst other things!

[KLMkathy]

Hi Joe'smom, It sounds like your son and mine could be brothers. HaHa. I also have 3 kids but all boys. Brandon is the youngest at 25 and his brothers are 27 and 29. Our oldest is still at home,disabled, and going to college and our middle is finishing his second year in law school in Houston. Brandon is my little philosopher who graduated from college two years ago. He wanted to get his masters but was having a hard time finding a good paying job so he could save money for school. He did work different jobs while looking. He was living in Houston with a college friend. Last fall he moved back home (Corpus Christi) and still looking for a job and one day in October he says to me"Mom, I am thinking of joining the navy". He had already seen a recruiter a couple of times and even knew what he was interested in as far as a job goes. I was so shocked I could not even talk. When I could speak I said if that is what you want to do then do it. I just want you to do what makes you happy as always. He had already done all the research and could answer most of my questions. I knew then he was now a man. I told him my concerns and he understands. He now feels the navy is a calling and he needs to do it. He is really funny sometimes because being a philosopher graduate he is always quoting phrases to me like "if it is meant to be it will happen" or C.S. Lewis "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but by it I see everything else." There is so much I am going to miss when he leaves. I also know about the friends. He still sees his kindergarten friends if you can believe that. Then he went to college and he still sees them two years after graduating himself. I am sure it will be the same in the navy. My husband and I are in the medical community but that farm of yours sounds real good to me. Both of my grandparents had farms and I really miss that life. I feel like I just wrote a book. HaHa. Talk to you later. Kathy