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Comment by Terry on July 12, 2011 at 7:11am

We are headed to Monterey for graduation a week from Thursday but so far have no details from my sailor.  I'm a little frustrated that we have none except the date and it is now 9 days away.  Anybody else going that has some information they can share?

Comment by Craig on July 12, 2011 at 12:04am

florida_girl -

Since I run two websites myself, I have to keep up on Navy stuff.  So you can find that post here:

http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/790108875/m/262009837...

Comment by florida_girl ship 3/div 235 on July 11, 2011 at 3:35pm

dee how fast can they phase up to phase 3?

Comment by Willsmom on July 11, 2011 at 2:38pm

Wow!  I can see that this site is going to be just as helpful and important to me as all of the other sites on N4Ms have been! 

thanks,, Craig for that info!  :)

Comment by florida_girl ship 3/div 235 on July 11, 2011 at 10:52am

Craig, where exactly did u find that info?

Comment by KC'smom on July 11, 2011 at 10:42am

oh by the way, I don't know why, but my brain does not understand metaphores. Never has. I don't speak in metaphores, nor do I understand them. Can someone tell me what "bees knees" means? It's in the comment under mine. hahahaaaa. My son was an English major in college before he joined - he would always explain everything to me.

Comment by KC'smom on July 11, 2011 at 10:40am

That info below me was great, but too many initials for me. And that's okay. As long as my son knows what he's doing. God, I wish he was going to Hawaii. I've always wanted to go and that would be the excuse. But, he is not taking an asian language. I

I have a question. My son was held up in boot camp with a fractured foot - he is supposed to be completing his last day of Physical Therapy today. Long story short, with such short notice he will be giving us for PIR I probably won't be able to take off of work to go to see him... so I was planning on Plan B- to fly out to Monterey the w/e after he arrives. Does anyone know if I will be allowed to see him on a Sat/Sun 1 week after arriving to DLI ???

Comment by Craig on July 11, 2011 at 10:26am

I was on another Navy website and found this about CTI's.  Thought I'd post it....

------------------

RATING UPDATES:
Right now, Arabic and Farsi are the bees knees with the Big Wigs, and you're more likely to end up in Georgia if you go to the DLI any time in the next year or so. Of course, the Navy does continue to create more linguists of all the Big 5, so you never know. Your DLAB scores are awesome, which almost certainly means Arabic, Farsi, or Chinese.

To emphasize what Squid said, we just had a Linguist's Call w/ the CHI/KOR detailers, who said that right now, all applications to convert to Arabic or Farsi/Pash/Dar/etc languages will be considered. It doesn't mean you can't get Chinese or Korean, but it implies a much lower demand at this time. This is actually a brand new development from just 1 year ago, when we couldn't get enough CHILINGs. And what you said about bonuses are true - at least for now.

Secondly, push-button E-4 is now delayed until after completion of ACLP at your first duty station. This means delays in pay, but it also means that (for the first time in years) all new CTIs will actually get a rated eval from the DLI. Oddly, since you're "auto" E-4 still, it's pretty much always an automatic MP. Another downside is there's no frocking ceremony at the DLI. Your paperwork goes through and you just put them on when you report to your division after training. It's a shame, but the Navy is caught in a vortex of doom between shrinking funds and expanding mission, so they have to save money somewhere and linguists are really expensive toys.

Also, for families: If you are an Asian linguist, your primary duty locations are NIOC HI's shore facility, DIRSUP Surface, DIRSUP Subs (both 100% in Pearl Harbor) and Misawa-based Air Crew. There are very few first-term assignments elsewhere. If you become an Asian linguist, you will have your family sent out there with you; it's not an issue for CTI's.

There is still a NIOC located at NIOC YOKO with a small DIRSUP component, but it's mostly surface CTRs and maybe a couple CTTs; no linguist billets. I'm fairly certain that overcrowding is the main reason we aren't stationed there - or anywhere else in Japan.

If you get a choice, the things to consider are:
Asian Languages:
- Hawaii is almost assured. Hawaii is not bad. COLA is super-high, and facilities are alright (base housing is usually nice, although a tad small). However, it's as remote as you can possibly be and still be on planet Earth. The local culture is annoying to some, and education is not so great (teachers are usually good, but the gov't and school board don't consider education a priority.)
Lots of people get island fever; especially spouses. My wife hates that I get to travel the world while she's stuck in HI. Road trips are limited to 30 miles. Oh, but did I mention you have the world's greatest beaches and lovely warm weather year-round? (avg high 85; avg low 68)

Middle Eastern: Usually Ft. Gordon, GA. Very low cost of living. It's 2 hours from the nearest big city (Atlanta), which means a boring locale, but great weekend trips (the beach is also about 2 hrs away). Augusta is beautiful and not a bad place to raise a family, especially if money is a concern. I'm biased to Atlanta, since I grew up there, but it's a pretty sweet place to be. Oh, and did I mention they have Chik-fil-A? There's no Chik-fil-A in Hawaii.

DIRSUP optempo for both locales is pretty heavy. The biggest difference is the ports you'll see. I've seen Japan, Guam, Singapore, Guambodia, Japan, and the Guammappines, all of which were very fun and beautiful. The Middle East is, by contrast... hot. Everyone I've met who deployed there mentions how bad everything smells.

Shore commands tend to stick nubs on the watchfloor, which others can probably lament about better than I can. However, CNO is also a recently up-and-coming job for several languages.

You will not likely be TAD (with the exception of annual language training) unless you are assigned to a DIRSUP billet. As I said, both Arabic and Chinese deploy a LOT. Don't expect to see much of your family for 2.5 years. Other languages, well it really depends on world events, but these two are pretty steady.

Overall, being a linguist is not a bad job. It's demanding, but if you don't go in with a big head or crazy Hollywood-inspired expectations, it really is very satisfying. Certainly better than, say, being a CS or an undesignated seaman (I've done both). Most importantly, it gets your foot in the Intel Door, which is where all that big $ is at.

In the long run, assuming you have a language choice, I recommend going with what is interesting. Both Chinese and Arabic are pretty obviously going to be a big deal for the next couple decades. If you hate Asia, have a fear of languages that look like hieroglyphics, and just don't like Chinese food, then don't choose an Asian language. If you're fascinated with Islamic architecture, the impending oil crisis, or the roots and causes of terrorism in the Middle East, there's an obvious choice. Ultimately, the language is an important and required aspect of your future career, but there is more to it than that. What will be important as a primary focus will be your role as an area expert (at least, that's been my limited experience). High ranking officers are always asking me for info on this or that subject, and whenever we pull into Japan, my team hangs out with me because I can read Japanese (it's similar enough to Chinese that I was easily able to learn). I've gotten many free beers that way.

 

Comment by Willsmom on July 9, 2011 at 8:33pm

my son is on his way to Monterrey, even as we speak.  Just wondering what, besides pulling duty, he will do during the 3 months he is waiting for his school to start?

Comment by florida_girl ship 3/div 235 on July 8, 2011 at 12:11pm

What is the clearance everyone ia talking about. How does it work?

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