Great Lakes A School Q&A

If you consider buying one at the NEX without tax a discount, then there's that.  Prices are a little lower, but the selection is limited.   Angie is correct, they can't use personal laptops for A school, they would be for personal use on liberty only.  

thank you, so the lap top is just for their personel use..

LOL, great minds....

Anyone heard of delays in A school training because of the govt. shutdown?  We were hearing lots of rumors from the sailors after PIR this weekend, but not sure where they came from!

Mariecb - I heard the same thing. My son told me he was on hold for two months, but that is just what he told us. Not sure if true or not. Would be nice to know for sure!

They'd be on hold anyway, but yes, there's delays.  Hey, they are getting paid, housed, fed and cared for, and kept busy.  And earning leave days!  In this economy, that's not bad.  

my son has been on hold for over 2 weeks now.  :(  this crap needs to end.  they are in the middle of learning their jobs, whats gonna happen when they start back up... are they have gonna forgotten everything they have learned?  will they refresh them?   this is just nuts.

angie, does that mean the kids are back in school?

sorry i say kids my son is 21... 

Hi to everyone! Ny daughter graduated friday! How wonder it was. So worth the 19 hour ride. Never will drive again. Sticking with planes!!! TO ALL WHO GRADUATED FRIDAY HOPE EVERYONES HOME SAFE!!! 

They aren't all back to school do due shutdown.  My bro as of last night wasn't back (and he was defiantly in the middle as he was 1 day away from testing when the Govt. Shut down).

He was supposed to go check in today to find out when he will start again.

There are so many schools in Glakes, plus ATT, that it isn't surprising some are on track and others are not.  

Consider this, I went to ET A school in Great Lakes 30 years ago, and we had similar delays and holds.  That one facet of the training pipeline has not changed a bit.  Hurry up and wait is something the Navy excels at, and even in the fleet, it is stand by to stand by.  

Anyway, when they get to the fleet, many of them will be cranking for weeks or months, assisting in the kitchen or laundry instead of working their technical field.  That is their job too, keeping the ship running in all ways.  So if they're on hold and raking leaves or cleaning at Great Lakes, that too is their job, because junior sailors do everything.  This is an aspect of the Navy which the recruiters don't quite explain, all hands multi-task.  

I do not shun hard laborious work that has to be done, but just so I know, are these type of jobs (painting, taking out trash, clean heads, lots of stuff) included in the sailor's job description, or at the least, discussed with recruits at any point in time before they sign up and choose the specific job that they expect to be trained on?  I have this pre-conceived idea of a high level of professionalism in the military ranks, part of a strict discipline that it is so well known for. Is this part of the training/discipline for doing the unexpected, following authority/orders?  Not at all criticizing, just wanted to define expectations.  thanks.

I'm not entirely sure what you are asking.  But yes, sailors are expected to follow lawful orders, even if it takes them outside their specific rate.  They will not be asked to do that which they are not trained for or have a clearance for, but yes, cleaning is part and parcel of a sailor's career.  They learn this in boot camp.

I believe the grunt work falls under "other tasks as assigned" or "needs of the Navy".  We had to send one of our technicians to work base security for six months in Japan.  I think perhaps it comes as less of a surprise to those who had a family member in any branch, or even to the sailors themselves, than to civilians who have no firsthand experiences with how self-contained the military machine can be.

With the Navy, it makes a lot of sense to have sailors trained to do multiple tasks.  Just as a ship cannot call firefighters at sea if there;s a fire aboard, and thus all sailors have some firefighting training, a ship cannot bring along enough janitors or kitchen helpers or hired security guards to fill all the daily chores to keep a ship clean, sanitary, in good working order and battle ready.  

I hated polishing brass and lumping supplies, but I did it, knowing every sailor has taken their turn doing the same mundane crap.  It isn't all glamour and danger and medals.  It is floor buffers and taking out the trash.  

Every employee, civilian or military should be prepared for "Other duties as assigned".  All the way up to and including executive levels, the mindest should be to pitch in and do whatever needs doing.  When I am hiring employees, I look for that history and willingness to do whatever is necessary to help our team and company succeed.  Recruiters shouldn't have to discuss this, it should be part of the work ethic we instill as parents.

You may begin as soon as she sends you an address.  Two words of caution.  Some of the ships do not allow food or require food to be in resealable containers.  Be sure to ask her.  Toss in some plastic tubs with lids, the disposable types.

Second, she may end up changing rooms more than once.  She has to be able to carry all her things, and cannot leave stuff out.  Don't send a lot of extras and knick-knacky things.  

Excellent reply, Proudmom.  

I have enjoyed this thread regarding duties... i loved how you both put it Anit M & Proudmom... I believe the same way you do & thats how i was brought up & still am to this day.... Im glad he has to do these things, it will make for a better man/husband on the home front (i pray).  My previous posts about their jobs & schooling being interrupted was more of..  what if they have forgotten what they have learned since this is their "official job" so to speak,  KWIM?    my dad is a WWII vet & i know about hurry up & wait lol....   have an awesome day :)

I know Anti M had said that 30 years ago there were delays. I just want to add that there were delays, still, before the shut down. My husband waited 3 weeks for BECC to start (in July of this year) and another 2 weeks for strand school to start. All of which we were actually pleasantly surprised by because we know people who've been waiting months to start strand or over a month to start BECC. We look at this time as "free" time that we are pretty much assured he's stateside and not deployed. So, hey! We'll take it! lol The BECC classes have always been a little full, but that gave my husband time to get settled into his ship, learn how things work under that specific command, make a few friends, and take a little break from learning the hard stuff. They are constantly learning in the Navy, whether they realize it, or not. They are still practicing how to live their Navy lives in military barring. LauriB- I'm sure it's frustrating working that hard and being told to hold on, but that's extra time to study. None of the instructors want to see anyone fail, I am sure they'll help students get up to speed and review. I'm not sure if there will be any changes to this, but generally, if students fail a test, they are given one chance to retake it, if they fail again they are set back and wait for another spot in that class to open and start over. So, hard work and patience are key. This way, maybe your sailor will be there still for exodus and will get to come home for Christmas/new years. They're not promised this once they get to the fleet. Gotta find the silver lining. :)

Angie- Do you happen to know if the people who give/write the PCS orders are back? That would be AMAZING! lol

ProudMom and AntiM, thank you for your explanations.  As prefaced in my question, I wanted to understand and know what the expectations are in the service.  Thus, I don't think it is an issue of whether one is willing to do "unglamorous" jobs or not, or being judgemental that one was brought up with a good work ethic or not.  The question is, as one other thread puts it, as a civilian, I wanted to know what the expectations are, whether discussed during recruitment or not, whether written or not.  I, too, am managing and hiring and promoting people, and it is always good to set them up upfront with rules and expectations so that they know how to successfully meet those expectations, and contribute to the goals/objectives to be achieved.  It also prevents subjectivity or discrimination, because the rules/expectations to succeed are consistently set and communicated from the get go, and thus, performance are consistently/objectively measured against the achievement of those goals/objectives.  Thanks again.

I don't think the recruiters emphasize the grunt work, and even if they mention it, an excited potential recruit might not hear it.  Also, given the wide variety of "lesser" tasks, it would be near impossible to list them specifically in a contract.  Hence the phrase, "as assigned".

Truly understandable, Anti M - even in the corporate worl, we have such thing as "other duties that may be assigned".  Thanks for the info -- it's always the "fear of the unknown":-p

There is a NFCU location there on the base.

Even as a civilian, I would think that duties as taking out garbage, cleaning, and painting could be more intuitive than anything.  When the garbage can is full, you take it out.  When the walls need painting, you request for paint and paint it.  However, it seems to me that responsibilities and accountabilities go by rank or level.  I would not expect a freshman sailor to make decisions on military strategies and tactics.  Again, my question is not a question of work ethics or the absence of it.  The fact that these men and women chose to join the armed forces does not only speak well of their work ethics -- it goes well to their recognition of their duty to serve and protect this country and its citizens.  My question is on job expectations, accountabilities, responsibilities.  One would probably easily get brownie points for taking out garbage everyday.  Would that be the basis for earning ranks or stars?

The budget impasse surely created consequences far more reaching than the federal budget.  Just look at how the stock performance and job market went all jittery.  I surely hope it does not create permanent adverse consequences to the just recently improving economy.

BTW, does the NFCU allow the recruits to open an account before their boot camp, and can this be done online?

Thanks, all.

I do believe NFCU will let them open accounts as DEPPERs.  

https://www.navyfederal.org/about/eligibility-checklist.php

Hmmm. Taking out the trash daily won't earn you stripes, but will improve your evaluation marks, which improve your chances for advancement.  Potentially. Initiative is valued.  

Kaylas mom, thats a wonderful idea !  as long as they are allowed to have them within/on their ship, i think they would LOVE IT !...   you are inspiring me to send one to my son as well.  

Wow, that would almost sound funny, but yet we know we are instilling discipline one way or another:-)

Attribute the term"freshman sailor" to a newbie like me.  new recruit, maybe?

Oh, I thought that increasing the debt ceiling was one of the things that DC folks in Congress were arguing about.  Good luck on your MBA, I had to do an MPA and a PM concentration -- it was worth it.

AntiM - Thanks for the info on the NFCU -- I will try to do that before my son's boot camp.

You guys are just so wonderful with all your ideas and comments -- I don't feel so alone going thru this journey with my son by myself -- thanks, all!

The term I prefer is "junior sailor".  It conveys newness and a lower paygrade (E-3 and below).  Recruits are only in boot camp, so if they have graduated, it is not used much.  Yes, SR (seaman recruit, E-1) is a paygrade, but after boot camp, unless they're being addressed officially, they'll get called by their last name or "Sailor".  At least, I did that.  Because "seaman recruit" and "seaman apprentice" is simply too much of a mouthful when you;re in a hurry.  

Angie is right, some sailors never seem to mature.  I had to get on some of my guys for being slackers.  The good ones do get better evals, some recognition such as a CAP advancement (meritorious promotion).  As for the Bravo Zulu incentives, well, they exist in the fleet, but not in such a structured way.  A lot depends on the command.  One of mine gave out special liberty very freely, whenever anyone earned a letter of commendation, it meant a day off.  Other commands, not so much.

Sea story!  I was in ET A school, and I got the top grade on a test in in one of the sections.  I needed a note to take to the barracks to get a duty day off.  The chief was a smart ass and wrote the note on a piece of toilet paper.  Yeah, maybe I should have been insulted, but no, I knew he'd back it up.  

Now watch, things will have changed completely.....  Angie, am I way off on BZs and special liberty?  Or does it still vary widely?

Hey, I hope they do exist, I'll keep my fingers crossed! And my husband is addressed as Fireman (insert last name), as he is a rate that is considered an engineer and is not a Petty Officer, yet. This allows them to add their specialty, or rate into their names a little. Once they've hit petty officer, they call them by their rate with the number of their petty officer class. So an E6 who's an HT would be referred to as HT1 with no name. At least that's how it's been for the student's at Great Lakes. I got to attend my husband's graduation today and met multiple HT1's. lol I have, also, heard the Junior Sailor name from higher ranking officers or in the news.

Here's a link with the names on it http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ranks/rates/rates2.html

Kaylas#1 supporter- my son just started too. He is OS. What is your Sailor's rate? This past weekend we drove him around the base so he would know where the gym, Nex, Mcdonalds is. Never did find the chow hall.

Lily- lol I promise there is. There's one within walking distance on the student side and one off base. It's near the front of base about a block or two from the post office. I've found stuff on base that my husband didn't know existed, as well, though. lol Personally, I would call Navy Federal and let them know what's going on and ask them to cancel the original and send a new one or just ask them to hold it there so he can pick it up. The student side isn't nearly as big as it seems in the beginning, so he'll be able to find the bank eventually. lol If he was standing at the door of the NEX, looking out, he could walk straight for about 4 or 5 blocks and eventually see it.

Lily- you are talking about Great Lakes, right?

If they're still using the old chow hall, and I wouldn't see why not, it is over by the 22nd street gate, on Paul Jones St. between Evans and Cluverius.  I can see all the old buildings still standing on google maps, but the trick is, I don't know what they're all called these days because I'm not sure if the purpose of the buildings has changed.  My old barracks is still in use, and it was run down when I was there, ha.  (corner of Evans and Paul Jones)  Across the street from what was (is???) ET A school.  The chow hall is in the middle of that block.

Is A school located close to where boot camp is

If the A school is in Great Lakes, then yes, it is "across the street".  Basically , there are two "sides" there, one for boot camp (RTC) and the base where the A schools are located (TSC).  One huge base, but really, they function as two.

Plus, there are other A schools all over the country.  Which rating (job) are you asking about?

Hey Moms, just joined this group, my sailor had PIR last week and is already bored waiting on school to start.  Any word on that yet? He's EM.  He's also waiting for his coat to be delivered :) getting cold there already! We're from NC.

Hi jw'smom!  We're from NC too.  My son has been up there since March - PIR in May.  Hope your son doesn't have too long of a hold.  My son has said it has gotten cold and there was suppose to be a chance of snow this weekend.