AECF - FCs and ETs

Connie- I would love it if my son had to do some cooking! Being the youngest and having 2 older sisters he never got a chance at home. 

So if they do cranking for 90 days and it's a 7 month deployment than he won't get a lot of time learning what he was trained for right? Do they all expect that when they leave?

those weeks will go by quickly Mary. If you get to the North shore there is an incredible catering truck called Opal's in Haleiwa - our favorite restaurant anywhere

Mary, should I ask my son to put me in touch with his ombudsman? Is that how I get updates? He never said anything about adding me to a list. Hmmm.

I had a wonderful surprise this morning when i looked on the Vinson's FB page. They had a "deck" party and I got to see a picture of my son! I was so excited- I did the "happy dance" for the first time since I heard him call and say "I'm a sailor"! Seeing a photo of him on his ship makes it more real to me. "There he is" I kept saying! 

Mary- how wonderful you get to go to Pearl Harbor and be with your son. I'm sure he's every bit as excited as you are!

Lori go to the Uss Carl Vinson friend page. Their will be a place that ask to join. You will tell them who your son is and they will verify. This may take a couple of days. Then you will get a message welcoming you to the page, These pages are closed only to family and friends of the sailors on those ships for OBSEC reasons.and are controlled by the Ozbudsman. Also "like" if you haven't yet the Vinson page (govt organization) They post pictures and let you know what is going on while they are deployed. 

Vickimed- I'm confused [sorry,old brain]- I am a friend on the Vinson FB so I can comment on it [ I did when I saw a photo of my son]. Is that what you're talking about? I don't see anywhere to let them know who my son is though. Are the 2 sites different? 

Hey Lori, Go to the top search bar. Type in USS CARL VINSON friends. Then search. A whole bunch of sites come up. Some are closed. You can ask to join . They will check your info out then get back with you. Before I began writing this I went to it to make sure it was similar to my son's ship. There are several for you to chose from. Chris's is a much smaller ship so not as much to chose. I also noticed a website...Vinsonombudsman.org for you to check out. Hope this helps. I do know how it feels when they are deployed and you look for any info and pictures that might be posted. 

Mary,proud mom o fnick--I have already talked to Lori.  She is great.  Thanks for giving me that info though.

Just a questions, what is cranking?  All of the guys have to do that when they get to their ship?

togo,
cranking is anything, and i mean anything, connected with the mess deck.  it can be set up and take down, clean up, serving, prep and cooking.  everyone goes thru it at least once.  my daughter hated it, she had clean up.

even dishes

Vickimed- i'm going to try that -thanks! I'll let you know what I find. I didn't even know such a thing existed. 

If cranking was making coffee or cooking steak my son wouldn't mind that at all!!!

cranking sounds like fun.  lol  How long do they have to do it, do they have to do it every deployment? I'm sure my son hates it too.

that sounds good that they keep them updated. Thanks for the information.  I know what you mean about them doing anything the Navy wants them to.  when he was waiting for C school he had to to something with the paint.  I think they were rubbing it off with a chain or something. 

jacqueline,

i have 2 daughters in the Navy.  one is getting out in june after 5 years and i have one in A school in GL.

I know what you mean, Connie~Matt's Mom~.  My son's calls and letters from boot camp showed so much maturity that I was afraid I wouldn't know him at PIR.  Well, he has grown a lot.  But the X-box kid is still there, I'm relieved to say.  I'd miss him if he were completely gone.  I'm not quite ready to give him up yet. :-)

duhhuh58   Ship10

I noticed your comment about your two daughters being in the navy.  You have one that is getting out after five years.  I have one that has been in almost a year and she is in A school in great lake studying to be an ET.  she should be finishing A school in another month.  Did your daughter that is getting out after five years enjoy her time.  Did you notice that she changed a lot?  Are you excited that she is finishing?

It is quiet on here. I may not comment much (feel I know so little - son just finished A school) I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and fellowship. You really helped me to not be discouraged as he was in school.  I know the Navy is the right choice for him. His confidence shows that!

Chrissy earned her ESWS pin today!

Congrats on the ESWS!  Excellent achievement.

Sorry to hear about the seabag.  I hope he had it labeled and tagged.

ari's mom,
as to whether she enjoyed it or not depends on what day (and sometimes what hour) you ask her.  now that she's been turned down for renlistment (which she has beens saying she didn't want to do) she depressed she can't reinlist.  change, none where i'm concerned.  she has learned how to support herself (don't know how long that will last after june) but she doesn't treat me or act any better around me then she did before she went in.

my other daughter is also in GL at A school studying to be a FC.  they probably know each other.

My son just started ATT school on Tues & he just had PIR on 1/13. I am grateful he did not have to be on hold but a week. I expect that after ATT & A school there will be a big hold before C school. Is there another website that the newer moms use? During BC our group was very talkative & I'm kinda of having withdrawl from all my N4M friends. Or do I just need to chat more often??? Thanks!!

BTW-I had no idea what cranking was or that they even had to do it. When my son finally gets to that stage I hope he has to cook. He did a ok job at cleaning up but never really learned how to cook. Always thought he would use a mocrowave & use paper good. lol!

Hey, gmansmom!  I did getyour e-mail.  Thank you!  I'm so glad that they've started ATT school.  I never heard him complain but I think that being on hold too long right out of RTC would be demoralizing.  Is your son ET of FC?  Mine is FC.  Why did he make this career choice?  Because he "wanted to shoot the big guns".  Sheesh!  I suppose it's a step up from killing zombies but sometimes I worry.  Does he know that he is not in the middle of an X-box game? 

Just wanted to clear something up since I seen this several times. When they do the cranking in the galley they don't really cook. They assist the cook, peel potatoes, that sort of thing.

Cranking can also be laundry, or serving in the officer's mess.

FCs have a solid background in electronics, so anything in that field.  Not quite as versatile as an ET, but still very employable.  When they separate, the go through a program called TAPS, which helps them transition to civilian life, including appropriate fields of employment.

Well, my daughter likes to cook, but she doesn't like the cranking casue she said it isn't really cooking. But maybe each ship is different depending on the cook's needs. When she comes home she takes over my kirchen and cooks, I get booted out, and she does the whole meal.

Hi Katiebee, welcome, you will find all of the info you need here and more support that you could ever expect!

Any thoughts from all the experience regarding autos?  My son will graduate A school in April, and then C school I'm hoping (sorta depends on Iran huh?) Anyway, he is not married and I am wondering what sort of storage or secure parking is available when he gets to his ship?  Do they "need" a vehicle?  He isn't  the kind to have to have it just because he can. He actually prefers not to drive!  Any thoughts n this topic?

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well and welcome to our newest members.  My travel schedule has me on overload lately so i don't get a chance to stop in as often.

Chris, our son went in the opposite direction with his car.  He sold his Jeep when he went to bootcamp knowing he would be in school(s) for the next two years.  He lived on base for both A and C school (Dahlgren) and always connected with someone that had a car if he wanted to do something on the weekends but otherwise he just felt like he could do without his car.  He is now stationed in Hawaii and one of the first things he did was buy another Jeep.  He has become an islander :-)

togo, I have been told the same thing by a number of folks too.

1)  Nuke  2)  Aegis FC

I will say my hubby was a non Aegis FC for many years and had no trouble converting his Navy experiences into a nice civilian career.

Good morning all,

Chriss, I agree with BR, depends on where they go for C school. Chrissy was in Dalhgren, a small bse about an hour from the city, and not any public transportation like Great Lakes, so she got  a car. Car is now in storage.

Luv, Yes she likes so cal, we are in northern California, she asked for San Deigo but of course she gets Norfolk, VI. Last summer she drove her car all the way across the country and back.

Hi everyone! Dang...I've got so much to catch up on here. Haven't been able to check in for a few weeks.

Welcome Katibee! Glad you're here to share the experience and learning adventure with us.

Vickyrun..Congrats on Chrissy making Shellback and her ESWS pin!

togo...I'm not an expert, but wanted to throw in my two cents regarding the Nuke / FC / ET conversation.

I agree with BR549...anything in AECF is great whether they turn out to be ET or FC.    I believe Nukes are the top rate/job that a recruit can be offered. And the number two slot is the AECF field.   A recruit is does not know whether they will be an ET or FC until a few weeks into bootcamp. So they are not recruited  to be Aegis FC.  Aegis is one of many weapon systems that the FC can end up specializing in. But again, those choices/assignments come later while in C school I believe...maybe some get to know in A school.

I know we are all very proud of our ETs and FCs and we should be. They have to be very intelligent to be able to be accepted into the AECF.  However, Nukes  and ETs and FCs are just three of the many many rates/jobs the Navy has to offer.  I think whatever rate/job a sailor has... he/she is doing their part in making our Navy the best in the world.

As far as the best rate for converting to a good job in civilian life...I think a lot also depends on how much the sailor has enjoyed the rate/job they had in the Navy. I think it helps for a recruit to have a little idea of what they think they would enjoy doing. Kind of like if they were going to college and deciding what they want to major in. Just like in the private sector, it's no fun to be in a job you hate...even if the pay is good. People are most successful when they are doing what they love. So sometimes, even if a recruit qualifies for Nuke, or AECF...if those rates/jobs aren't something they would like to do, then they are better off signing up for something they would enjoy or really want do.

Regardless, I don't think our ETs or FCs will have anything to worry about! Anyway, that's my two cents. I don't know if this made any sense or not !  God Bless all our troops...Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.

Thanks for listening to me ramble! That's what happens when I stay away too long! lol.

ProudGMBarb, makes perfect sense. I agree totally, couldn't have said it better myself. Very good advice for any young person, miltary or civilian job, pick something you enjoy doing. 

Hi    My son left this week for camp.  I am waiting on my first letter to arrive.  WOW!!!!!    I miss him already.  But very proud of the decision he has made.  I know he will do great things.

The one thing about being an ET wqas I had no idea if I'd like it or not.  My math and science were sketchy (Navy brat, too many schools as a child/teen).  But the Navy trains from the ground up or the atom up in our case, and I took to the instruction style very well.  I did like being an ET.  My dad was shocked, he thought all I could do was be a yeoman.  HAH!  I showed him!

But I didn't end up in electronics as a civilian, I was in Japan and the job offers were few and far between. I ended up subbing in the high school on base and was a happy dependent wife.  You just never know where the road leads you, so enjoy the trip as you go.

Yes Camille, I agree computers are great. When my Dad was in Vietnam 40 years ago I never got to talk to him, only snail mail, now kids can Skpe with thier parents, Awesome!

Come on C school orders. He is patiently waiting and considering working on a foreign language while he waits, so son is good. Me - impatient!  But he had no holds and may enjoy a break from school

Wow, all it tool was me being impatient lol! Son got C-school orders for Fort Gordon. So excited....now I have more to learn - what is SAT com or was it fatcom - did not want to make him repeat himself too many times but I could not hear

I went to C school at Fort Gordon... in 1980!   

It is satcom, satellite communications.   I went for secure voice, but satcom is the newest communications system.  Very nice set of orders.  I even got to go to college at night there, earned my associates degree.  We couldn't study outside of school hours (it was all classified) so I was allowed to take classes.  I don't think they allow that now, but he should check it out.

Odi...congrats on your son's C school orders! Very cool indeed! Will he be able to come home before starting?

Odi...check it out:

Center for Information Dominance (CENINFODOM) Learning Site, Fort Gordon Detachment is a tenant command of the Center for Information Dominance, Corry Station located in Pensacola, Fla. CENINFODOM provides Navy enlisted personnel with the skills and knowledge required to operate and maintain all components of the Defense Satellite Communications Systems, Cryptologic systems, and Apprentice Cryptologic Linguist Programs.

This link lists the ET courses under the "courses" tab:

https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ceninfodom/ftgordon/

Odi, Congrats on the C school orders, sounds very interesting, hope your sailor likes it.

Chrissy is on her way home, sort of, gonna take about two months to get home. I thougth Navy ships were faster then that. Lol

Thanks all. We are so pleased - but just hearing the excitement in his voice - talk about motivation!  He just was home 3 weeks over break so needs to save up his time. 

odi, when did your son graduate A school?  is he ET or FC?

Last spring I posted on this site because my son was a DEPPER, had a contract for ACEF and had never applied himself in school. I was worried.  You all told me he'd do fine. You told me that he would grow up in the Navy.  You told me he would learn how to study and not just ace the test and squeak by as he had all the way through High School.  YOU WERE RIGHT!!!  Either that or he's been abducted by aliens and replaced by a robot.  He called earlier this week (he's doing ATT classes) and he was perturbed with himself because he hadn't done as well onhis last quiz as he wanted to and his grade had dropped....  From 93% to just over 90%!!! {Who are you and what have you done with my son???}  What's more he's really excitied about what he's doing and he has a thirst for achievement I thought was reserved for beating the next level on his X-box game.  I will never doubt anyone on the ACEF group again.  Thank you all!!!

Duhhuh - son graduated  A school last month. He is ET