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Loads of questions, don't know where to start.....
Hi all. My son is considering joining after H.S, thankfully he is only a jr. so we both have time to get answers and make a solid decision.
He is wanting to enlist as a corpsman. My concern is that somehow he would be shifted into something else or for some reason would be called in-eligeable and be hustled off to something entirely different. At what point is the plan all written in stone? Will he have his path set when he starts basic? I have known MANY people in the Army who were promised things and then none of it came to be and they were not able to pursue the job they originally were told they could.
The Navy, or any military branch, would not be my first choice for any of my boys, but I do know that my son would be a great sailor/soldier. Im not concerned about his ability or capability, Im mostly concerned about the transparency in the enlistment process and knowing what we are REALLY in for verses what a recruiter might say we are in for.
Anyone have experiences, good or bad, to share about their corpsmen? Deployments and the reality of danger they may be in or other deployments that are safer? Just in general I am curious about thoughts on all real experiences.
When they finish training and are on their first sea tour or whatever its called, is it really 36mos? Are they able to get leave during that time? Might sound like a dumb question but I am trying to get my mind around realities here, and 36 mos of not seeing my kid seems like I just might loose it.
I guess Ill start there.
Thanks
Jen
Views: 869
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by CryptoDad on
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Let me kick this off and bump your post to the top. Others will be sure to join in.
Its good that you are concerned about your son being shifted into something other than corpsman. Getting the exact Navy rating (job) that a potential Recruit wants has become increasingly harder and harder. The best you can do is get off to an early start. The Recruiter can't do anything official with your son until he's within a year of HS graduation and 17, but it wouldn't hurt to pay him/her a visit. Nothing is written in stone until your son signs a contract (and if he's only 17 you sign too) for a specific rating and a boot camp ship date. Rarely is anything changed in boot camp and that would require a new contract or a chance to bail out.
This site is a great place for filtering recruiter bs and reality. If anything sound fishy please run it by this experienced group.
If you want to target your questions directly at corpsman moms look here: http://navyformoms.com/group/corpsmenmoms . Navy corpsmen may volunteer to serve with the Marines as combat medics, so there is possibility of danger. Other than that there are just the usual hazards of shipboard life, the greatest of which is boredom ;)
36 months of sea duty is not 36 months at sea. Most ships spend as much time at their home port as they do on far flung deployments. Your sailor will earn 30 days of leave (vacation) a year, so you will see him.
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Permalink Reply by BlessedMomof3 on
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Thanks so much.
He is 17 but a jr, so we still do have some good time. He always hated that I enrolled him in Kindergarten late and now I AM SO GLAD!!! LOL.
I know his hear tis set on Corpsman so I guess our next step will be a discussion with a recruiter. He has strong grades and will also have an EMT certification by the time he would go to basic. We shall see.
Thanks again for the input.
Jen
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Permalink Reply by Anti M on
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Many corpsmen do not go to sea at all, they spend their time in clinics or hospitals. It depends on what specialty he gets as an HM. But Cryptodad is right, if your son signs an HM contract, he will have HM.
One thing to do while prepping for the Navy is to find out what would disqualify him up front or would require waivers (asthma, anti-depressives, ADHA medications, and so on). No piercing or tattooing anything, and avoid trouble, even unpaid parking tickets.
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what is HM?
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Permalink Reply by lemonelephant on
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HM is Hospital Corpsman. The Rating Information Card for HM can be found at https://www.cool.navy.mil/usn/enlisted/rating_info_cards/hm.pdf; it indicates 19 weeks, but "A" School is 14 weeks after classing up.
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Only people who want to be reservists should sign up for that. It is increasingly difficult to move over to active duty.
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If he is graduating boot camp on Dec 5, there are no hoops. Serving in the Reserves are a done deal.
The Navy does have a program to move Sailors from Reserve to Active duty (see http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=69401) but they only want Reservists for specific ratings and rates that are grossly undermanned on the Active side at the time that a Reservist is up for renewing his/her contract. Its more about the needs of the Navy than the wishes of the Sailors.
What rating will your Recruit be going to A school for?
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Permalink Reply by Army_Vet_Navy_Spouse on
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From my experience in the Army, a lot of Corpsman are attached to Marine Combat units. When we trained with the Marines, there were always Corpsman with them. It seems that Corpsman are one of those rates that can be absolutely anywhere, doing seemingly anything. His recruiter can't guarantee him what he'll be specifically doing, but he can guarantee him a job if he meets the qualifications. As to promises, unless it's in his contract, it's absolutely meaningless. The only way to make sure a promise is "Set in stone" is to make sure it's in the contract.
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Permalink Reply by pamesue on
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One thing to be sure and have checked before he goes for MEPS is a color blindness test. If he has a color deficiency that will limit the jobs he will be able to do by about 85-90%. My son wanted to be Military police and due to his color deficiency is now a Logistics Specialist.
All these years of eye exams and not one Dr. ever told me he has a color deficiency. It is extremely mild but so far the Navy has not waived. He has been at BC for one week yesterday. .
hope this helps a little
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Permalink Reply by Kim on
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I am a navy mom of a navy recruiter. Things change all the time. The best resource is your recruiting office. They will talk to family.
My son tells me that it is getting tougher to enlist for a certain job (it is called rate). Your recruiter will have the most up to date information on that. Your son might want to take the ASVAB to see what he qualifies for. It can be re-taken. A good recruiter will not push. They are hiring for the navy and they have to turn down many. Less are leaving the navy and more are applying.
Recruiters are now held to high standards. Lying to recruits is not something that they want to be caught doing. They won't last.
Ask lots of questions. Make sure that you and your son know exactly how things are going to work. You can ask someone else in the office too. They will all talk to you. They want your son to be sure because they are responsible that their recruits make it through boot camp.
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