Random bits of advice, as I think of it

[Arwen]

It's a team effort

 

One thing no one ever thinks to pass on to the new recruits -please pass this one on to yours.

Boot camp isn't about creating a perfect sailor. It's about building teams, and molding team players. The Navy is a force made up of specialists, each speciality has an important role but cannot make a difference without many, many other specialists doing jobs that complement that task.

When a recruit as difficulty in boot camp, the RDC will come down hard on, not the recruit, but his/her rackmate, and his/her division.

This isn't to punish the recruit who is having problems, but to try to get it though the heads of the other recruits that each individual recruit results mean nothing. It is the effort of the group that counts.

So when that "perfect" recruit gets his/her bed perfect, and his/her rackmate is still struggling with hospital corners, or something just isn't quite right with his/her folding job, they should NOT sit back and snicker. Unless they have been specifically instructed to not help another, they should help their rackmate, their divisionmate, their shipmate by either showing them how to do it, or simply pitching in to assist.

Because in the end, that's what the RDCs want to see - a recruit who, once s/he has done his/her job right, turns to help another get it right.

Someday, learning that habit may just save the ship, and save their lives.

 

SWIM TEST - Learn before you go!

 

Do not wait let your recruits wait until they get to boot camp to learn to swim. Some recruiters have been telling their recruits that if they don't know how to swim, the Navy will teach them in boot camp. This is true, to a point. What they do NOT tell recruits is that there are NO lessons before the test. If they so not pass the test the first time, the get remedial lessons. Then if they are not able to pass the test within a very short time frame (it used to be a week, I'm not sure now), they are removed from their division and put in a holding division. If they take too long, they can be separated from the Navy. It is NOT a rare occurrence.

Also, that swim training takes place during study time and during the recruits' rare and precious leisure time. Around 10 percent fail the swim test the first time around, the Navy has no interest in slowing the progress of the other 90 percent to wait for those 10 percent. So that means lower grades on tests, and no time to write letters home.

 

From About.com

Everyone who enters the Navy must pass a Navy Third Class Swim Test The initial test is conducted in basic training (boot camp) for enlisted personnel, and as part of officer accession training (OCS, Academy, ROTC) for commissioned officers. Navy personnel in certain ratings (jobs) must be able to pass the requirements for a second class swim test. Swim test qualification is in accordance with CNET P1552/16 Navy Swimming and Water Survival Instructor/Swim Tester's Manual.

Third-Class Swim Test - A third class swim test is a test to determine if a person can stay afloat and survive without the use of a personal Floatation Device (PFD) in open water long enough to be rescued in a man-overboard situation. The 3rd class swimmer qualification is the minimum entry-level requirement for all U.S. Navy Personnel.

The third class swim test consists of TWO modules. Module one is composed of three separate events, a deep water jump, a 50-yard swim (using any stroke), and a 5-minute prone float. Swimmers who successfully pass module one may continue on to module two. Module two consists of shirt and trouser or coverall inflation.