Comment

Comment by Pat L. in IL on November 13, 2008 at 10:18pm

John, Thank you for all the information and support. Best of luck in your duty station. Don't be a stranger!!! Pat

Comment by Anti M on November 13, 2008 at 12:17pm

I am really hoping my nephew will get to be an ET. I know the Navy is big on tradition and his aunt and uncle were ETs! Although I am probably just dreaming, heh?

Comment by Anti M on November 12, 2008 at 7:48pm

The Navy uses the term "UA" or Unauthorized Absence. Yes, I always hedged my travel time. The Navy doesn't care if it isn't your fault or not. AWOL is used by the Army and Air Force.

Comment by Anti M on November 12, 2008 at 5:43pm

Wow about the instant E-5! That's new. I know they struggle to retain the nukes, but had no idea of the new program. I'd reenlist for that too. Oh yeah, and that bonus.

Comment by Anti M on November 11, 2008 at 11:31pm

http://www.military.com/recruiting/bonus-center/news/navy-increases-bonuses-for-nuke-sailors

Navy Increases Bonuses for Nuke Sailors
Stars and Stripes

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy is increasing re-enlistment bonuses for sailors qualified to serve on nuclear vessels, said Cmdr. Jeff Manning, nuclear community enlisted manager.

Of the 15,000 sailors with nuclear ratings, about 4,800 sailors are eligible for increased Selective Reenlistment Bonuses, which are based on rates and years of service, Navy officials said.

The Navy hopes to retain 989 sailors through the bonus, which is offered to sailors with up to 10 years of service, Manning said.

Manning said the following sailors with nuclear ratings will see an increase in re-enlistment bonuses:

* Electronic technicians, submarines and surface ships.
* Machinist’s mates, submarines and surface ships.
* Engineering lab technicians, submarines.

The bonus is calculated using an award multiple, which is multiplied by additional months of service and base pay and divided by 12 to come up with a dollar amount, Manning said.

For example, the award multiple for electronic technicians on submarines has been raised from 8.5 to 9, meaning the re-enlistment bonus for a four-year contract has increased from $59,600 to $63,000, he said.

Award multiples for the nuclear ratings can be viewed in NAVADMIN 155/06, available at www.npc.navy.mil.

An additional 680 sailors with more than 10 years of experience are eligible for the Enlisted Supervisor Retention Program, which targets sailors at E-6 (Petty Officer 1st Class) and above with skills deemed critical, Manning said.

Started in 2004, the Enlisted Supervisor Retention Program was expanded in May to include sailors with between 16 and 20 years of experience. Because the Navy is closer to its retention goals for those sailors, their re-enlistment bonuses are much less than bonuses for sailors with between 10 and 16 years of experience.

Right now, the Navy is about 110 sailors shy of its goal of retaining 368 sailors in certain ratings, Manning said.

Short-handed in one rate in particular, the Navy is increasing re-enlistment bonuses for machinist’s mates on nuclear-powered surface ships from an average of $86,700 to $99,000, Manning said.

So far, the Navy is about one-third of the way toward its goal of retaining 73 sailors in the machinist’s mates, surface ships ratings for this fiscal year, Manning said.

Manning said the Navy missed its target of retaining 268 sailors through the program last fiscal year but he declined to say by how much.

For more information on which rates are covered under the bonus program, see NAVADMIN 159/06 at www.npc.navy.mil/channels.

Comment by Anti M on November 11, 2008 at 11:24pm

Ah, reenlistment does NOT bump you to E-5 ... yes, there is the STAR program, but are nukes eligible? I never knew an ET who did it that way. Ever. Mainly because ETs are smart, nuke or not, and can pass the exams with ease. E-5 = PO2 = ET2. Advancement to E-5 is done by taking the exam and having good evals, plus a number of other things which count toward "points". And if there are too many nuke ETs (yeah, right) the bonus amount varies. Enlisting in a combat zone prevents taxation of the bonus, at around 28%. Nukes usually get a good reenlistment bonus.

The main two reasons ETs do not advance: overmanning of the rate or messing up on their performance evals.

Oh yeah, this all applies to the other nuke rates too ... had to remember which group I was in! Sorry!

Here is a link to the promotion chart:

http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/allhands/nlnavypromotion-1.htm

And an explanation of STAR:

Selective training and reenlistment (STAR)

Education and advancement in your present rating may be more important to you than a guaranteed duty assignment. In that case you can hitch up to a STAR, the Navy's selective training and reenlistment program. For a four-to-six-year reenlistment, the STAR program guarantees:

* Assignment to an appropriate "A" or "C" school, or "C" school package (different schools training students for a specific skill);
* Automatic advancement to petty officer 2nd class (PO2) upon completion of a class "C" school, or "C" school package, listed on the effective Career School Listing on the date of reenlistment if otherwise eligible;
* Selective reenlistment bonus, if eligible.

To qualify for STAR you must:

* Be in a critical NEC or any rating in career reenlistment objective (CREO) groups 1 or 2;
* Be a first-term PO2, PO3 or designated striker;
* Have at least 21 months but not more than six years continuous active naval service and not more than eight years active service for other service veterans;
* Meet the minimum test score requirements for the class "A" school;
* Be recommended by your commanding officer for career designation and meet considerably higher than minimum standards for reenlistment;
* Have no record of conviction by court-martial or non-judicial punishment during the 18 months preceding date of application; and
* Not have derived any benefits from the Selective Conversion and Reenlistment (SCORE) program and have completed obligated service for other programs.

Comment by Pat L. in IL on November 10, 2008 at 10:18pm

Lynn, Congratulations on your new Petty Officer. My son,Jeff, passed his comps on Oct. 17. He told me he was walking on base and someone passed him and said, "Good morning, Petty Officer." Jeff thought to himself, is there a Petty Officer behind me checking out my creases? Wait a minute....THAT'S ME!!! I just thought that was so funny!!! Pat

Comment by Anti M on November 10, 2008 at 5:57pm

Yeah, my nephew is smart too ... but remarkably grounded for a 20 year old. Still, he's a bit flaky around the edges some days.

Hey, I dated nukes before I got married. That was interesting, LOL.

Comment by Kaye S. on November 10, 2008 at 3:23pm

Back to the "scary smart" train... My father was a mechanical engineer for NASA, my husband is a mechanical engineer for Rolls-Royce jet engines, and now my son is a MM Nuke on a sub.

Ladies, I could tell you "quirky man" stories for days! These are the kind of men who can split atoms, but can't work a window shade... Some one needs to start a support group for "Women Who Live With Engineers!"

Comment by Anti M on November 9, 2008 at 7:17pm

Golden Corral, an all you can eat buffet, is offering a free meals to vets and active duty, Nov 17, 5-9 PM. The one near us has yet to ask hubby or myself for ID, but it may be required at other locations. Yes, incredibly crowded, but fun.

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