Buddy system for male/female siblings
My son and daughter are both planning to go to MEPS late this summer. They're working together, with their older brother advising/supervising (he is a Navy veteran) to increase her fitness and for him to lose weight, and want to do the buddy system so they can support each other during boot camp and possibly A-school. They are considering different schools - he wants to do something computer related, and she wants to be an Engineering Aide. For both of them, their backup preference is nuke, like their dad was.
Some sites I saw said buddy system sets (up to four individuals) MUST be same-sex, but thee sites added that this is because divisions are single-gender only.
When my son went through boot camp six years ago, several divisions per class were co-ed, which I figured would work for a sibling-pair buddy system entry.
Has this changed? Are they back to female-only and male-only divisions, like it was when I went to boot camp in the 1980s?
lemonelephant
There are all male divisions and integrated (male/female) divisions. There are no all female divisions at this time. That has become impractical. When a recruit is in an integrated division, the brother division for the division is also integrated and the males form the two divisions share a compartment and the females from the two divisions share a compartment across the hall.
Everything I have seen indicates that those entering the Navy in the Buddy System must be all male or all female. The reason for that is not the reason often stated, "Because recruit divisions are all-male and all-female, buddy groups must be all- male or all-female." The reason is that recruits cannot interact with members of the opposite sex during BC except those interactions directly related to training. Even husbands and wives who are at BC at the same time are not permitted to speak with each other other or to write to each other. Recruits can talk to each other while at Chapel on Sundays, but that is it. In the Buddy System, the recruits study together and support each other and that is not possible for a male/female pair.
BTW, it's good to see you back on.
Jun 5, 2016
Something they might consider if it is still available is brother duty stations where both are assigned to the same base. My 2 sons did that and we got to visit both at same time sometimes and when they married years later one spouse was always on shore and the other on sea so spouses always had one they could call on. Just a thought. It is very nice to see you again
Jun 6, 2016