Summer Shadowing?

[Jake's Mom]

My son is in the NROTC program at Penn State. He "finally" received the 2 year scholarship and is thrilled beyond belief. (So am I!)  As we all know, sometimes it is difficult to get much information out of our sons. And if we push too hard, it can hinder the relationship since they feel they are able to handle all that comes their way. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the two year scholarship and the trip that will occur next summer. My son tells me that he will "shadow" someone in the Navy in the field that the Navy decides is his track. (Not always the first choice). Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the friendship!

Jill

[Jake's Mom]

Wow, this is exactly the information I was seeking. I am glad I found the Navy for Moms forum. I do not want to ask my son too many questions. He is planning his future with the Navy and I want him to handle the process, I just wigs I had more insights into all of the options, the processes and the protocol.

Thanks again for providing such rich detail.

Jill

[lasersailor]

The way USNA worked in my day (the 70's), around Christmas of senior (1/C) year, there was Service Selection Night. Mids were called in order of the ranking (combination of GPA, peer ranking, and unit commander input) where the Mid selects Surface Warfare, Aviation, Subs, for those with some kind of disability (health problem, color blind, etc.) Supply Corp and for the real intense mids - Marine Corps or possibly Special Warfare. If you were going Nuc Power, you already had your interview with the Nuc Power God (Admiral Rickover in my day) in Wash., DC so your options were only Nuc Ship or Nuc Sub. There are only so many slots for the various warfare specialites so those near the end (class had over 900 mids that year), may not get what they want. I was told then that the ROTC 1/C got their opportunities after USNA.

I expect this year will be a real difficult one due to the budget cuts, drawdown, and sequester. As the military scrambles to meet the politicians' demands to figure out how to meet the expectations with declining resources, certain communities (squadrons, ships, bases, etc.) will be impacted so maybe less pilots will be needed or less Supply types and the military manpower commands have to figure what stays and what gets cut. By law we are suppose to have 11 aircraft carriers, but in actuality we only have 9. USS Gerald Ford is number 10 but it won't be ready to get underway operationally for at least 2 years. So maybe we don't need as many carrier aircraft until USS Ford is closer to operational status. Maybe Congress and the President will determine world events require more ships and/or troops. Also, almost 200 officers, many being flag officers, have been fired during the present administration so that adds into the "re-organization" of the military.  http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/102913-677116-197-military...  In other words, trying to predict what the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps will be next summer is a real guessing game. 

 

[kmaidaho]

Yes!  I second this!  There are so many great stories out there that you might miss if you don't ask.  My DS is busy and focused on school, always has a million things on his mind.  I think he LIKES sharing about his experience, but 'forgets' to mention stuff because he is just juggling so much.  I ask open ended questions like "Who is the most interesting person in the unit?", "What do the 4C's think of the upperclassmen?", "What is it like to wear your uniform on campus on Thursdays?", etc. That usually gets him started and then he has so much to say!  Sometimes everyday things will remind him of a funny story too.  He was watching his little brother play Super Mario and that reminded him of one mid leading PT one morning and encouraging everyone to jump up and grab the coins.  He said the whole battalion was making the "noises" that Mario makes.."Ah HA!  EEE HEE!" It made me laugh out loud to envision what this must have looked like to the casual observer!  Anyway, I ask lots of questions because we have no military background and I honestly have no idea how it all works.  It's good for both of us.

[lasersailor]

Thanks for the link. The major change in the last 40 years is the Air Force doing some of the flight training.

Even though USS Ford has been christened, it will not be operationally ready for years. The following is from a Nov. 7, 2013 article:

The 77,000-ton, next-generation carrier is slated for 27 months of assessments before it's commissioned for service in 2016, service officials said.  "This is going to the most challenging and integrated test program the Navy has ever faced," said Rear Adm. Tom Moore, Program Executive Officer, Carriers.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/11/07/first-ford-class-carr...

When it is commissioned for service, it will need to get the quals done then pass the ORE before it can deploy. At the present schedule, it won't be ready for combat for over 3 years.