Undesignated...What's Up With That?

Hi, I'm here at the request of my granddaughter. When she first visited with the navy recruiter, she was told that she could go Mass Communications. This suited her fine because she has a degree in technical theater and could use her sound background. Then when she went to MEPS, she was told the MC rate was not available. Now she should have backed off but she let a Capt. convince her that aviation electronic technician (AT) was very similar.

After BC she did her basic electronics course at Great Lakes. She did well but hated it. She found out that she could not apply for OCS at this point in her career ... her recruiter had said she could. She could not change rates. Basically, she is stuck.

She has just gone to Pensacola and although she has not classed up, she totally hates the situation and the rate. They are having them do 6-mile runs which is destroying her knees. She said she had no problem with the PT at GL but this new routine is similar to the Marines. Her remark is that BC was preferable to where she is now.

Anyway, she has asked about going undesignated and is being told that is an immediate ticket to Iraq. Even this is not scaring her at this moment. Shoot she could be sent to Iraq after A school anyway. She feels she would like to get out into the fleet and see what the different rates do. She knows that it will be dirty work and that does not scare her. She just does not want to be AT. Oh, yes, they have now switched her to AO, which is ordinance so not even working with the circuit boards, which can be stretched to being similar to a sound board.

I am at a loss of how to advise her. I did tell her that she doesn't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Changing rates at this point may make something worse, even if she could do it. Personally, I think the idea of being undesignated is a good idea. She is a hard worker and bright.

Could you give me some feedback for her? Please.

FIrst of all welcome to Paige and Dori.
Dori can not believe that MC is similar to AT, except that MC should go in aviation, unless that changed. AO is basically loading amo in aircraft carriers. It is more hands on in a different way then AT. And both jobs are on ship, so she would get out to a fleet. I don't know why undes equals a ticket to Iraq. Unless they are talking about just out on deployment.
As far as I know once you are in a rate you are in for 2 years before you can change. The only way that I'm aware of going undes is going in that way or not being able to keep up with school, or behavior problems. I really wish I had something to tell you that would help. She just needs to ask questions of her career councilor. I hope things work out.

I don't know if I came across this way or not, but yes in a long run I do think it is best to go in rated. Especially now with jobs being overmanned now. I know these kids think 2 years is to long to be in a job they hate, but it really isn't.

Right now, I'm not sure where Victoria stands. I will pass along what you have said. I think there are a lot of things going on and at least she is doing some homework. I honestly think AT would be preferable to AO and do not understand why the switch. it has gone back and forth ever since she had her PIR.

Scuttlebut: At one point I heard that the sailors at P'cola were having problems with alcohol and drugs ... hearsay ... no basis to this at all. Victoria says they have really cracked down on the sailors. I don't understand all the ins and outs. I gather that they are having them work out with the Marines. When you add everything up, she is overwhelmed.

As I told her, I'm here for her to vent to. That's my job. Her job is to remember that this, too, will pass. What's her long run goal? She claims it is to go to grad school. Okay, then do what is necessary to get there. Believe me there are many job situations that are not a piece of cake. She needs to rise above it. This is the learning process.

I did did wonder why the hard PT for AT. But when you mentioned the trouble down there it makes sense. I remember hearing something about Pensacola and their problems a while back. But your right I can't figure out the switch.

I'm here Molly, wow 4 days to go. I remember the feeling.

Tara never said anyone treated her differently or looked down on her.
Tara's case is a little different (thats how it always is for Tara). :)

Why? I have no idea, but she was assigned to Camp Pendleton, the Marine base. There's a small Navy section thers, she was assigned to the amphibious assault craft unit working with the LCACs. When she first got there she worked as a gofer maintaining the hover crafts. There is no painting or chipping on those, but lots of oil. Then from asking around she thought she wanted to strike MA and get in the with the canine unit, so she wheedle her way into working with the security. But it was a desk job. She sat in on Captain masts which she thought was really interesting, but ultimately realized a desk job was not for her. When she heard that her LCAC group was going on deployment, she ask if she could go back there and go out with them. She had to get qualified in a few things in order to do that. So she did, and loved deployment.
Because she is part of the LCAC's, and not assigned to a ship, I can't say what her experience would have been like being undes on a deployed ship.

My biggest fear for Tara going in undes was that she wouldn't know how to navigate (sorry for the pun) the system to strike for what she wanted. But she has proved me wrong. Tell your sailors to make the best of it, and just ask a lot of questions, and use the career counselor, Tara is always going to hers.

In fact there were some jobs that she thought she would like to strike for, she would ask those in that rate about the job and how they liked it, most times she changed her mind after finding out what it really entailed. So for Tara being undes has been a good thing. She is always changing her mind.
But then again she is a woman. :)

By the way today August 14 is her 2 year anniversary leaving for BC. Wow where as the time gone?

Molly, as I read your post I got goose bumps, I could even feel those darn tears of pride creeping up. The last few days are just a special time together. Sometimes I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but mention the day they walked out the front door and left for BC and it is just like it happened yesterday.
Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!!

Molly, Many hugs to you and prayers for Tucker! You have to be incredibly proud of what he has done to accomplish his goal. So many young men and women would have given up.

I know how you feel about Tucker leaving for BC. My oldest grandson, Bryce, unexpectly had his departure date for Marine BC moved up. He has been switched to aviation mechanics. I know he is excited about going but even so, I worry about BC for him. Don't we all worry about BC for our young ones. He will be leaving tomorrow and I have joined MarineParents for Recruits. I have found his class and begun to chat with the other people who will have their loved ones in Bryce's class. I even "met" one of his cousins there!

I do appreciate the feedback and I must say I am completely confused about what to advise Victoria. I will tell her the pros and cons as you have laid it out. One thing I thought I would tell her to consider. Think of every possible job she to which she could be assigned ... how would she feel about doing that day in and day out. Also, she has a long-term goal. What will she have to do to achieve it. Try to be informed.

Crackerjack, Tara sounds fantastic.

Molly ... P.S. Lots of us know Tucker is going in but I suspect very few know what he has accomplished to get to this poin!

Molly, SueS does know about MarineParents. I'm sure she will get involved there and make some more friends. Thanks for inviting me to tag along with you and Sue. I'll watch your page to see the group you join.

Good morning everyone. Welcome Patty. Sounds like Wesley is doing just great.
Glad you found us.We are here to help.

Molly, the second time around is just as hard, I bet even a third or fourth would be hard. Only thing is this time is you know a little more of what is going on.
I found even though it was the same experience for BC it brought out a whole different set of emotions tailored to Tara instead of Aaron.

Just hang around N4M, we are all here for you.

GO GET EM TUCKER !!!!!!

Patty, I heard a Navy Career Counselor comment that the dream sheet is just that ... a "dream" sheet. If it happens to match up with the Navy's desires, they will use it but otherwise ... guess what? The sailor goes where the Navy needs them. So we will pray that Wes's dream matches the Navy's needs.

Patty, when Victoria signed up, she didn't bother to find out where boot camp was. She "assumed" Jacksonville (she was in Florida). Her recruiter talked about going to Jax. She didn't understand that was MEPS. Imagine her shock when she realized it was in Chicago ... cold weather. She thought she had escaped cold weather when she left Maine. Hah!

Same here, thinking about you and Tucker this morning.

We are damn proud of Tucker as well! With an attitude like that, he can't go wrong.

My DIL got "the call" at 5:15 this morning from my grandson, the Marine recruit. She was fine until he said that she would get a letter in 2-3 weeks with the address and "love you, Mom!" That did it! I do hope she joins the Marine parents group. She has no idea how supportive these sites can be. I wish I had known about N4M when Victoria started BC!

She is still collecting information but I really think her mind is made up to go undesignated. She tells me that there is no way she will pass with all the math that is required. She can do it but she has a terrible block on it. She and I used to spend hours at the dining room table doing trig and chemistry. She used to say the reason her hair is so curly is because math/science makes her mind wild. I've told her that I support whatever she does but please do not make a rash decision she will regret.

Speaking of curly hair, a yeoman at Pensacola told her she needed to stop perming her hair so her cover would fit right. She assured her that she did not perm it but the yeoman didn't believe her. Finally the yeoman grabbed her hat off to push her hair down. Then she realized how thick and curly Victoria's hair really is. She was amazed.

Great advice from the counselor. I know that made Tucker even prouder.

When Tara was signing up and then waffling back and forth her recruiter ask her where she would like be stationed. She said San Diego, she got Pendleton which is in 40 mins away, but it is close enough to home for her and me :)
Also my son's dream sheet came through, although he was not undes. He wanted Hawaii....check, he wanted attack sub....check. So his did come true, but I still think it is the needs of the Navy first and if it happens to work in their favor then you luck out.

I don't think they offer the other rates till around the 4 week of BC.
If you want us to write Tucker let us know.

Someone posted this on another Navy Board. I thought it was kinda appropriate for this group.



In another thread there's talk of Sailors disillusioned by the the fact that part of their job is to maintain the ships that they sail in. I'm sure if we could go back and capture the thoughts of the Sailors on USS Noahs Ark we'd hear similar complaints.

"Why do I have to do this crap? All I do is crap. Elephant crap, unicorn crap, dove crap. It's all crap!"

"I don't know why I need to scrape and varnish all these decks. I signed up to be a seaman, not a damm deck painter."

"Hey, I'm way too valuable for these menial tasks. I got a monster signing bonus because I'm so freakin smart. If I'd been born 2,500 years later, I'd have been a NUKE! Why do I have to wash down the sails every morning and night?"

And in todays Navy we have Seamen Timmy, Tammy, and Tommy with similar laments.

The business of Sailoring isn't all high tech, glamorous, and adventuresome. Ships are made of steel and aluminum, they sail on corrosive salt water, and we can't trade them in for new models every three years because the fenders are rusty or the paint is flaking. Corrosion needs to be chipped away, and the bare metal repainted. Living and working spaces need to be clean and healthy. There's no high-bonus Navy occupation for "Paint Technician" or for "Sanitary Tech" or "Scullery Operator".

Ships which aren't properly maintained soon decline into little more than expensive hazards to navigation, ineffective as warships, an embarrassment to their crew, and the laughing stock of the fleet.

So the jobs of scraping corrosion, repainting, and cleaning aren't some menial "punishment", but rather a vital task every bit as important as shooting missiles, running propulsion plants, launching aircraft, or standing bridge watches as helmsmen and navigators. Just not as exciting.

CrackerJack, you are so right! It is like in the civilian world, can you imagine what it would be like without the garbage man? Think of how important the flagman on a road construction site is. So long as a person has a honest, legal job, I respect him/her. I always smile and wave.

That is a great article Patty, it makes perfect sense to me.

Patty,

Whidbey Island is a great place to be. It is in the Pacific NW and not too cold .. it is also not too hot. Everyone I know that has been there loves it.

Molly, in general the confederate flag is considered inappropriate to be flown, even in the south. There are many who still fly it and personally I'm not sure it is not an "in your face" thing. Some may disagree with me but ...? Who knows.

Good morning girls, I am just catching up to yesterdays post, I don't have anything really to add except yes, we are defiantly are Navy sisters. I belong to other groups on N4M, as we all do but there are only about 2 that I feel a real connection with. And yes, this group one of them.
Thanks for you all being here and sharing your experiences.
Have a good weekend!

Many thanks for the video. It is great!

Molly, when Victoria was a junior in high school and going through some rough times, she told me that she became stronger in the broken parts. She meant that anytime she had to rise above adversity she was stronger because of it. She didn't ask to come from a home of divorce and she said it would have been easy to turn to drugs. Thankfully, she made wise choices. and didn't.

Wow, Brandy, your son has been through a lot. I love his determination and I wish him all the success in achieving his dream!

I hope Wes's orders are fantastic! This is great news.

Great news Patty, Tara is at Pendleton about 40 mins away from San Diego, she always goes down there with friends. She loves it there.
My good friends son is on the Reagan. They are out on deployment right now.
Wes will love it.

Hahahaha!, life outside of N4M's, surly you jest! hahah! I have been on the computer almost all day trying to make a homecoming slide show for a friend on N4M that I met at Tara's homecoming. We decided to exchange pictures. Well, I can't just do pictures, I need to do a slide show. We recently got a new computer with all different programs, so anything that would take me a half hour now takes me all day. Once I finish I feel I have to post it here just to show it off.

Also, I have been writing a letter to our poster boy Tucker. What a cutie!

Welcome to Sammie, I feel like deja vu backwards. My son went in a Nuke and my daughter went in Undesignated. Talk about being on the opposite ends of the Navy. It is really a different world between them. But it is all good.

Also, welcome to Wamom. Whatever makes them happy is the best thing for our Sailors.

I also have been occupied with Tara. She has not taken leave since deployment. I think that girl is better off on a ship then on land. SInce she got home.........the leave she was suppose to have was taken up by a class she needed to take, she has blown out her knee, again!, lost her muffler, and broken up with her boyfriend, again!. But the worst thing is.......I reported a while ago that she was rated BM while on deployment. When she got back to her command they said she is "not rated". She passed the test but somewhere she needs a .5 point. They have all been searching for that point but nothing has turned up. So she will be taken the BM teat again in Sept. I have no idea how something like this could happen. Everyone on deployment said she was now a BM. I get so upset when I think about it, but there is nothing anyone can do. She seems to be taking it better then me, so that's a good thing.

She was going to take leave after her class to come home, but then she had an MRI on her knee, so she is now waiting for her results and hopes to have surgery and then come home. Meanwhile everyone else is on leave, so she calls me every day and we talk and talk and talk about.......whatever. That is the best part for me. :)

After tears and frustration last week, things seem to have calmed down. She is back to doing what needs to be done. If nothing else the Navy is making her a stronger person. And somewhere along the line I feel all of this is in her favor. Stay tuned for the Tara Show!

And thanks for missing me, you ladies are the best.

Oh, and you are correct Julie and Molly, I was AWOL, but in my case it stands
for "Absent without a Life"!!! hahahahha

Molly thats funny you say Tara calls me nightly, it's more like lunch time, dinner time and then the good night call. She is really lonely since her head mate and a most of her detachment is gone till next week. Then it will be back to hmmm..... I wonder if Tara remembers me?? So this is a great time to get all that motherly advice in while I have her attention.

Yes Tara has gone on her 6 month before Aaron and he was in the Navy for 2 years before her. It didn't set well with him either. :)

EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Aaron is in Panama City Fla. now for Scuba School. So he can check for bombs and leaks under the his sub. EEEKKK! sounds dangerous to me. He thinks it is cool!!!


Yes sorry for your lose Julie.

Oh no Molly, he is a ET nuke on a sub. But the sub needs to have 4-5 divers for checking things out under the sub while in port. He volunteered.

Wamom, have a great time at the PIR, it is just a wonderful experience.

Molly, Aaron just finished up his first week at SCUBA school, so will see how it goes. He has 4 more to go. Then you can say "he's a Nuke that doubles as a diver". :)

I also sent a letter to Tucker today. I guess that means he will know who Crackerjackmom is. :)

Brandy, I suspect JP's telling you about the life insurance was a half-hearted joke. This is the first time he has had to face his own mortality and I think that is sobering for any young person. I know Victoria told us we were her beneficiaries. She kind of joked but I could also tell it bothered her some to deal with it.

Hope everyone is doing well. Had a great weekend visiting with grandsons!

Welcome Judy, You found the right place.
My story is a little different. My daughter went in Undesignated, the job she wanted, she didn't get the the score she needed. The choices of jobs she had didn't interest her. So went in Undes and thought she would strike for the job she wanted. Long story short, it was the best thing for her, she has changed her mind many times on what rate she would like. But in the mean time she has been on deployment and got to do all sorts of jobs. She actually likes what she has been doing. You can check back on my posts if you want specifics. But all in all It has been a good experience for Tara.

Bottom line is, I know your son feels really down, but he needs to know that it is only temporary. He will get to see a lot of different rates in action and get a taste of Navy life, he may find something even better suited for him when all is said and done.

Just be there for him and let him vent, and then encourage him to stay positive. ANd in the mean time you stay around with us we are an infectious bunch of happy optimistic mom's. :)

Welcome Joyce, thanks for being here.

Yes Judy, I hate to admit it but my daughter has accelerated in the talks like a sailor department. Actually her more then my son. At least in front of me. :)

Tara got one last year, she has a small horseshoe with a vine entwined around it around her hip. She is a horse lover and rider. Aaron has none and he has no interest in them (But I never say never). It's my daughter who is the wild one.

My brother was becoming a tattoo artist years ago, so I let him practice on me, and I have a very small one. I would like to add a little something to it, and Tara wants to add something to hers so she wants us to go together.

I really don't want Tara to get anymore. One is good for my little girl.
So maybe I will go with her to keep her in line if she goes.

Hope everyone is having a good Labor Day weekend.
Right her is my excitement this weekend.

Great news Sheila, it is always wonderful to get that e-mail from the deep blue.

Sad news to report, remember how I mentioned Aaron going to Fla for SCUBA school? Well is back in Hawaii. Last Friday he and some guys were swimming after class, just for practice and he got kicked in the ear and he tore the membrane. It will take 4-6 weeks to heal. So there is no way he can dive till it heals. The next class is in Oct but I don't think the chief will let him go back then, because they will be getting ready to leave on their big deployment real soon. So he will have to wait till they get back. Which in a Mom's eyes, it will be better due to the fact the it should be well healed by then. I think Oct would have been to close.

He is so bummed he wanted this so bad. After all the practice and work outs only to have this fluke happen. But it does sound like he will be able to go back at some point. I hope he can, he really enjoyed the first week of class that he got to attended and was looking forward to physical part that was coming up.
So I am bummed right along with him this weekend. :(

Hang in their Molly, I didn't get a letter from Tara right away either. You never know what extra stuff he may have been assigned. Tara was assigned as "ship staff" she never had time, so what did she was write letters under her blankets in the dark when she could. So when I did get them I could hardly understand it. :)
This week you may get two.

Patty, that's great,was it written about me? My laptop just sits on my kitchen table, (it has taken the place of my kids) it's to easy to just check on things every 5 mins., but then like it says, I find that "absorbing site". LOL!

Thanks for everyones good wishes and thoughts for Aaron.

Here is an idea. For both my kids I sent them questionnaires. It was full of things I wanted to know, this way they just filled in the answers and mailed it back to me. It saved them time and then I got answers to my inquiring mind.
But of course Molly that assumed they had stamps! LOL! Only kidding. Might as well send a self addressed stamped envelope too! :)

CJ, what a bummer about Aaron's mishap. Prayers for complete healing and that he can return to scuba school someday.

Molly, Me thinks you are second guessing yourself into a tizzy! Seriously, I know that it is hard not to get letters and alas some are worse writers than others. I hope that you hear from Tucker soon.

Gorgeous day here today!

Sounds like we are all celebrating Labor day in the right way. We have been cleaning the garage and attic this weekend. Lot's of kid memories up there.
I really just rearrange the boxes, I need all those Barbies, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and of course all Tara's horse stuff.
As long as it looks like less stuff and neat my husband thinks I really cleaned.

Way to go, Joyce. Now you made Miss Molly feel good!

Welcome, Navy Boatswainsmate! You'll have to give us a nickname. It is really great to have you join us and to be willing to give us your perspective.

Molly! It's great that you heard from Tucker. It sounds like he is doing well ... and all that worry. When's PIR? Countdown must be approaching halfway now.

Wow, miss a day miss a lot. Molly I told you you would get 2 letters.
What a great letter from Trucker. Sounds like things a are going along just fine for him. Two in dress blues is the best. You will defiantly walk with a "swagger" at PIR. I didn't know I could swagger as much as I did that weekend walking around with my two sailors.

Welcome BM to group, great to have you here.

Happy Monday all, where is everyone? Hope all are doing good.
Not much new to report on my end.
Welcome Felecia.