Re-enlistment for my son

[tazwomen]

My son joined the navy at 17 and has 8 years in and has been trying to re-enlist for the last 5 months but keeps getting told not this month. He has one more look and if he doesn't get approved they are going to kick him out in July. My son is currently enrolled in college and is working on his bachelor degree to proceed into the officers program. My son wants to make a career of the Navy and they are looking to kick him out. They are still recruiting new people, I guess I just don't understand all the money they will spend to re-train new people instead of keeping the ones they have already trained. Is there something a mom can do in this case?? any advise?? 

 

 

[judy r]

Sorry there is nothing a mom can do at this point...You might suggest he try not to lock into a certain duty station and stay on his detailer about what is available for his rank and rate.  Sometimes being flexible about locations can open a whole different area for him.

[Angie]

Duty stations have nothing to do with being able to reenlist, also the detailer has no say in the program she is refereing to.

[Angie]

Great way to put it.  Not what people want to hear, but I like how you worded it.  Might borrow some of your wording when I explain this to my younger Sailors.

[Angie]

The program your son is talking about is called Perform to Serve (PTS).  This is a program where every Sailor with under 14 years in and who is E6 or below must ask the USN persmission to stay Navy.  The navy looks at evaluations, awards, PRT scores, nec's, paygrade, rate, ect... everything about the Sailor and compaires it to every other sailor in that same rate with the same number of years in.  To decide who will stay in or get out, this information is put into a system called Fleet ride, and it is all reviewed. 

 

There is nothing you as a mom can do to assist your sailor, and once the results come back there is no appeal process.  The answer is final.  There are many good Sailors being seperated from the USN under this program and many more will be seperated also.

 

You as a mom may thing he is the cat's meow but, if his evalutions aren't the highest they can be and his PRT scores aren't really good, and if his rate is overmanned there is a really good chance he will be going home. 

 

If he is in the Engineering rate, his chance is even higher as that community is overmanned.

[tazwomen]

Thank you all for your comments, yes he is an AT5 and he has put it out there for other positions but the only position in his rank they are taking (well the last few times) were for nuke subs. He has scored high on is PRT but he did have one lower eval which might the reason. I am sad because he really likes his job and the Navy. Thank you again, I just feel help less.

[Angie]

It is hard.  I really wish I could tell you there was a secret to getting him approved to reenlist, but there isn't.   Not to lesson what you are going though, I have many sailors in the same boat as your son, and it sucks.  They ask me "Chief, what can I do to be able to reenlsit" I explain that we can put in for other jobs if there are any open, but as you know already the higher they go in paygrade the less there is to move to.  Than I have to explain to them, that we need to start getting them ready in case the Navy comes back with an answer that they can't reenlist. 

 

Your son needs to ask to go to TAP class http://turbotap.org/register.tpp  The class helps the get the information he will need to help go back in the civilan world.  Above is a hyperlink to something that is on line, but all bases have a class that is taught there (or at a base near them).  I would recommend he go to the class NOW!  Not wait until he is told he has to go home, it is better to be ready.  I am truly sorry to be saying this to you.  Fingers are crossed he gets approved to reenlist, but reality is that he might not.

[tazwomen]

thank you Angie, and he has signed up for TAP and starts it real soon because he is also seeing the reality of it as well. It is just his mom who is not. I was let go from my job in October after 11 years with the company and have been struggling to find any kind of job and I just don't want my son to struggle as a mom even if they are on their own, I am constantly worrying about him, not sure if that ever goes away. But thank you again for your support.

[BunkerQB]

Angie, please clarify "Engineering" - I assume it's different demand for different specialties (maybe higher for Nuke). I understand from my son that Nuke officer for subs are still in high demand.

[PoliceWifeNavyMom]

I am a brand new Navy mom as of last Friday so I am not sure how much I can add, but I will share this. Yesterday, I went to the MEPS to pick-up my daughter. She passed everything, but they were unable to find her a job ANYWHERE. They had one, but when the job counselor called it was already gone. So she is waiting. While I was in the lobby waiting on her, I was talking to some of the people who were enlisting. Here is what I learned:

 

The gal I talked to was in the army, finished her tour and was enlisting in the Air Force. She told me if she could find a job in the civilian world she wouldn't be re-enlisting but she has 2 kids to feed and has to go back in. It was her only alternative to unemployment. 

 

The second guy I talked to had his masters degree in psychology. Again, he couldn't find a job and was desperate for work so his only options were starve or enlist. 

 

The third guy I talked too, was enlisting for the educational benefits and a job. He was in his early 20's and also said he was unable to find a job and funding for school had been cut. 

 

All but 2 of the kids sitting there (there were about 9) were told there were no jobs available. They had to go DEP and keep coming back. 

 

It seems a lot of people are enlisting just to have a job and a paycheck. Only one of the kids sitting there said he planned to make the Navy a career, my daughter also hopes to be career Navy.  The recruiter told us that in his 14 years of doing this, he has never seen as many people enlisting as right now. I wonder if these people who are looking to swap unemployment with enlisting are hurting the people who want to make this their career. 

[tazwomen]

Thank you TN Policewife, that is crazy and I guess I see their point, you have to do what ever it takes to make ends meet. I would think this would be hurting our kids who want to re-enlist, they can pay them less and it is sad that it all comes down to the budget. I just pray if he doesn't get to re-enlist, he will be able to find a job being that he is only 25 and will be fresh out of the Navy. Thank you for the information.