CTI

Also, our CTI2B was routed to United the Saturday morning after PIR along with all the others heading to DLI.  If you fly United, the O'Hare terminatl and USO, restaurants, etc. are all really close and short 10 minute walks at most- very easy to catch up there.  As for our CTI2B, they asked for their civies and work-out clothes about the 3rd week there and we shipped them in lots of individual boxes.  Remember, they won't have a car and it can be a serious hike getting the boxes from the Caffrey Rd mail room to their quarters, up stairs, etc. AND they have almost zero time to do so.  Ship things in lots of boxes no bigger than a copier paper box and only ship one or two a day.  Don't do big boxes or a hail Mary mega shipment.   The mail petty officers and mail hours aren't that supportive of your CTI2B- I hear they are YNs, PNs, or SKs not fellow CTI's so mail and box handling and care is not a priority at all.

As ejrwelch noted, you can get married before graduation if all is looking good.  That's a smart move beyond the direct financial benefits, it will ensure a much smoother "walk in the door" at the next duty station as far as being noted as a dependent, medical/dental access, and having a base registration for your car.  I do agree that if you all are strong enough to make it through DLI and get married at the end, it's a smart move to get things administratively squared-away before shipping out.

Important, especially for young couples, once your CTI2B is at O'Hare, he CANNOT leave the airport even if his flight isn't until late that night for example.  You cannot pick him up from Great Lakes and take him to the airport, either.  You can only meet at the airport. Most all of the CTI2Bs fly United, even as of January I've heard.   They won't know their flight/ticket info until the last few days and our CTI2B was able to call us the Sunday before PIR with that info.   We already had booked United based on what we had heard and fly United most anyhow.   Ping other CTI members here every so often to confirm that the DOD/USN didn't change transportation contracts, etc.  Check the other non-CTI groups, too to see what the latest word is on the airlines being used.

Wow, thanks everyone for your responses. Knew I could count on all of you for that! I should have prefaced my moving comment by adding that I have family in Monterey, have a job that is easily transferable throughout the country (RN - can take travel nurse assignments anywhere that pay for my housing), my SR is older (28), and we have been together several years with a percentage of that time long distance, and have been living together (just to put you at ease that, should we end up getting married, it would be for the right reasons, not just financial). I do appreciate all of your comments and will take them to heart. I knew he would be busy and I did not expect to live together in Monterey. I guess my thought process was that seeing him once a week or bi-weekly is better than not at all. However, I would not want to put extra stress on him if you think that's what me moving there would do. 

As for the flight questions.. They seem to be out of O'hare typically rather than Midway? 

Good morning Fuzzy,  I was not a CT but I deployed with CTI's on smaller combatants, subs, and also on two carriers.  CTIs do deploy but are never ship's company.  In other words, they are often assigned to go on an exercise or major deployment but are rarely part of the formal crew.  The downside of that it's almost impossible to go through all the classes required to get a surface or sub warfare pin.  I think I recall only one CTI or CTO get that and it was on a long, long seven month deployment.  The upside is that your CTI2B won't have to be in the shipyards or what have you after deployments.  They need CTI's to be on gear or deployed to keep those skills up.  If your CTI2B is in really good shape and has decent vision, aircrew is a great option- not a lot of billets but can have far more time to get an aviation warfare pin or stay deployed, getting out there and staying busy.  In any event, deployments depend on demand for a language in a particular theater or deployment area- that's no secret.  The recruiter may have been needing to fill a CTI shortage quota, but remind yourself and your CTI2B that if he didn't have the potential, they wouldn't have asked him to go CTI.  It's usually the other way around someone asking to be CTI so if your son was encouraged to go for it, that's a nice kudo to him and well done for you on raising a great young man.

Fyi- 'yard periods' are when a ship comes back from a major deployment and regardless of rate, even officer or enlisted, everyone works on the ship.  You might be a dental technician or a aerographer (weather man) or a mess cook- EVERYONE cleans the ship, chips, paints, stands watch, fire watches, and so forth.  Plus the ship has to come and go a lot to test engines and systems- it can be monotonous.  CTI's and CTO's HAVE to stay sharp and keep those skills up and need to either be back at their primary base (Ft. Gordon for example) doing language labs, staying immersed, or going to a listening station or deploying.  You can't take a month of to work on a ship and be a CTI.  Also the best way to stay active and deployed is to keep your language skills sharp.  That's where the action is.  Again, I was not a CTI but we have a CTI2B and I worked directly with them on almost every deployment and many were friends. I actually encouraged my CTI2B to go CTI over my vs my past (IS) and officer (1630) paths.   CTIs can go into the State Department, international trade, consulting firms, banking, international shipping firms, fashion (yes- fashion!) teach the language at a small college or university (without the need for a Ph.D. at a major university), travel, and so forth.  CTI is fantastic.

Thank you too for your support and for your new CTI's service.  He will be safe- safer than all the stats for 18-25 year old civilians, regardless of gender that die on our highways. In Texas alone, over 3,800 people died on Texas highways in 2015 ALONE and most were young.    Our kids/loved ones in the service have a staggeringly, massively low rate of injury or fatalities.  They are more responsible, have safety literally beat into their heads non-stop.   It's just when a service member does get hurt, it gets more press.   So, even if forward deployed, or even in a combat zone, our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are so well trained, so well supported, have vastly superior assets and firepower and technology, that they will be safe and sound.   Your prayers need to be for your neighbors and their kids- they are the ones that have horribly high rates of injury and death.  When it comes down to it and our kids, the only ones who really need to worry about injury and death are in fact our enemies- not being all gung ho or Toby Keith here- it's another statistic.  When ISIS or Taliban for example engage US forces, it goes, very, very, very badly for the enemy.  In almost any engagement.  Part of that is thankful due to YOUR CTI who will be out there monitoring the bad guys to keep the people on the ground and in the air safe.  Bless you and all the other CTIs and families here- you'll never know just how much the matter and how many lives and assets they protect proactively due to their skills.  Protect their confidentiality and practice good opsec- promise me that. 

Wow, DNavyFamily, well said!  I normally just "lurk" and learn, but had to thank you for the posts!  Bravo Zulu!

My sailor is not in Ft. Meade... but I live right next to it??

He should be frocked E-4 for graduation.  Then he's eligible to take the E-5 test the next time around.  Once he makes E-5, he has to be E-5 for two years before he can take the E-6 test. I am not sure what you mean by "could make things interesting" if he's not E-4, but if you're talking about living off base and such, married sailors do not follow those same rules.  My husband and lived together when he was an E-3.  He didn't have the same liberty restrictions, etc., as the single sailors.

Unaccompanied just means the Navy isn't going to pay for your PCS travel.  They can't keep you from going.  Just know it would be on your dime, not the Navy's.  And I wouldn't worry about any of that right now.  You're a long ways off from that.  Depending on what language he has, he's got a long road ahead and school.  Things are constantly changing based on the needs of the Navy.  So even if they're discouraging accompanied PCSs now doesn't mean it will be the same way a year to two years from now when he'll actually be making the move to his first duty station.

USNwifeIL they began the phasing up process the second they get there. =) it goes by fast, he will have liberties in no time, just so long as hes always on time, and where hes suppose to be at all times.

Hi everyone. I mailed a package to my sailor at DLI. USPS tracking says package was delivered 4/14/16. The mail room tells him that they do not have the package. I contacted the post office on base, who said they scanned the package and sent it to the individual mail room. Mail room says to contact USPS but I can't get ahold of an actual person, just recordings. I sent an email to USPS customer service. Any other ideas on what I can do? I have read on here that the mail room is not the best there, which is why I waited to reach out. I was hoping there was just a backup of packages and it would show up.

Hello friends- our CTI2B is struggling and in the 8th week.  Brutal pace and lots of psychological stress. Hearing lots of things that if they don't get rolled back or reassigned to Spanish for example, they are getting put out into the fleet undesignated.  Anyone hearing the same?  You'd figure with someone super bright with strong effort but just missing that ability factor by millionths of an inch, a completed ETNAC and a SBI package already underway, that they'd be routed to another rate that could use their ability.  Any good scuttlebutt on that? Our CTI2B is not a quitter by nature- you'll have to kick him out- he won't quit.  I know things change over the years, with budgets, etc. so have anyone heard if they redo the contract, drop them back down to a 4 year enlistment since they aren't a CTI, etc.  A lot have quit and our CTI2B maxes-out on effort but is struggling to hit that level needed to pass the DLPT. Thank you.

DNavyFamily- my son has told me the only ones who had to go off to fleet or 'chip paint' are the ones who were kicked out for behavioral reasons ( underage drinking, DUI ). Otherwise the others who didn't pass through the program were given descent jobs-  a media specialist, military police, medic etc. 

Ok my two cents from graduating a year ish ago.... its needs of the navy.... Females have an easier time of getting another rate if they get dropped. Males unfortunately have to deal with the fact there are typically less spots for them. Several of my friends were dropped for males it was about half and half if they got a good rate or went undes.... if he is making an effort they will hopefully roll him back... or rerate him. It really does come down to navy numbers though. I struggled hard for the first 12 weeks and then was one of the best in my class at the end! I wish your son luck!

Thank you KC'smom and elliluvs- both encouraging.  I know these are challenging times in one of the toughest schools in the Navy.   I appreciate the time you took today.

Thank you AKR :)  I did read somewhere that moms are packing their sailors a suitcase.  This wasn't a recent comment, but said they can have 3 bags on the plane and that we could pack a suitcase with their civilian clothing so they don't have to go purchase some.  Also wondering at what point we can visit them in Monterey after they've arrived? I have read that many don't start their language for weeks and wondering if we can visit before they begin?  Our son is still in GL and expressed he wished he would have a short leave so he can come back home for a visit.  He is feeling pretty homesick right now.