Joining the Navy reserves!!

[Erikkageib]

I am married to my husband who is currently Active in the AF and we have one child. Im looking at joining the Navy reserves, spoke with a recruiter today and everything seems great but...i want to know on a more personal level how it really is and what i would be getting myself into!!

 

Thanks

[Judy -Chris' Mom]

My son is a Reservist and loves it, but he is single with no children. Just so you know, he was "tagged" and deployed to Iraq 5 months after he finished A school. Between deployment training and deployment he was away for about a year. I just wondering how this would work with your child,especially since your husband is also in the military. They use the Reservist a lot for deployment. Just want you to go in with your eyes wide open. That being said,because my son was Activated for a year,he was able to save some money and the Navy is now paying some of his tuition for college. We just hope he is not deployed again before he finishes. Life as a Reservist kind of makes it hard to plan. Thank you for considering serving our nation,just make sure it fits into your family life too. Good luck with your decision. Let us know!

[Rebecca]

Hi! I'll be happy to share our experience with you. My daughter  in her mid 20's- single and not in a relationship- joined last fall and left for Great Lakes last December. She always had the military in the back of her mind so when she felt like she was at a crossroads in her job, where she was living and wanting to finish her college studies or go in another direction, she went in to talk to a recruiter. I have confidence in her and her ability to make good choices, so I knew when she told me she was seriously considering going in, she had done alot of research. You're doing the right thing by gathering all the info you can, because it is a commitment. She had a great recruiter who told her what to expect and we also went in to talk to him, even tho my daughter lives 2 states away. He was awesome and in hindsight, very truthful, open and upfront. My daughter has always been fit so boot camp didn't worry me, nor her safety. She doesn't regret her decision at all and really is thinking about going active duty when the time comes. Go in with your eyes wide open, knowing there will be time away from your family--it would be ideal if you have a tremondous amount of  family/friend support since you are a mom. She was in Great Lakes for a total of about 6 months in  the dead of winter, and was outside much of that time. You should know yourself or be able to get honest feedback from family and friends to know the level of strength that  boot camp physically and mentally takes. Also, eveyone's reasons for joining are personal, so in the end you and your family are best suited for that decision. Trust yourself and be open to what others may have to say about their experience too. It has been very positive for my daughter, she made alot of good friends in her time at Great Lakes and treasures the experience. Good Luck to you!    

[Erikkageib]

THank you both very much fr the input this is a huge decision i just need to be sure thats its the step i want to take! i really want to be in the mil. but dont know what i would do about deployments and such the recruiter told me that i wouldnt be deploying much...but you just never know. and he said that the two weeks out of the month that i have to go active somewhere my family could go with?! is that true?

[Rebecca]

 Well, you certainly need to be very comfortable with the fact that deployment is a possibility even if it is a remote one....Certainly listen to your recruiter, he is your source of info now. I would say that if you are feeling alot of anxiety over deployment, continue to soul  search within yourself. My daughter's weekends are spent very close to her home, so she drives in in the mornings and can come home in the evening, so perhaps that's what the recruiter was referring to also?---Generally speaking, some jobs are in more demand in the navy and that's why some reservists are deployed and some are not. That's how it was explained to me. My daughter's navy job isn't high demand--and she was told that if she were deployed, she would be at a shipyard on a ship. Now, that being said,  you also have to be realistic and realize there are no guarantees!  After all, it is a commitment to serve your country and as with many things in life, we have to do things we had rather not at times. Weigh all your options and trust yourself and be very sure you won't regret your decision, because you do have to consider your family and how it would impact them.   Hope this helps! 

[MidwestMom]

My son is a reservist, but not as far along as the other moms you have heard from.  He was promised money for college, but I think we've figured out that he's not going to get any unless he is activated.  With his rate, he was told to expect to be deployed twice during his 6 year commitment.  My son, like Judy's, is talking about going active once he finishes college.  He's waiting to class up for A school and we hope he's back before classes begin in January.  He has 2 more years of college to finish to get his degree. 

Deployment will definitely depend on your rating so choose carefully if you aren't interested in being activated/deployed! 

As for traveling with your family when you are doing your 2 weeks of active duty training--when my husband was in the reserves at the end of his 4 yr enlistment, we left sub-zero temps and traveled to sunny CA for 1 week of his 2 week active duty stint in January; however, it was at our expense.  The Navy paid his plane ticket, but we had to pay for the family tickets and all our hotel, etc.

Good luck making your decision!