Hello everyone, my son may join as a reserve officer. He is not on a definite career path. He has his Bachelor of Arts. Can anyone help me understand what the Navy experience brings to the life of a young man? What are the challenges? Is it wise to join without a definitive career goal? I am confused because to join as an officer doesn't involve any specific career training. At least I think that it doesn't, so I just wonder what sort of role he could fulfill there. I actually am confused about all of it, but I won't try to play 20 questions here. Any feedback is very much appreciated.
Littleman, I've been watching this group since I joined N4M in July. Asked one question about tuition assistance for reservists, which a wonderful navy wife answered for me. But noticed some other questions since then have gone unanswered. Not sure this group has anyone (with much reservist knowledge) monitoring it.
I myself am a very new reservist mom. My son graduated boot camp just last Friday, now in Pcola waiting for his A school (IT) to start. So I'm not even on the reservist mom side yet, considering my sailor is technically active status right now.
I haven't been ignoring posts on the site & it is certainly still active. My daughter has been a Navy Reservist for over three years now! She recently got a promotion! She also took an Active Duty assignment, which will end after six months of service. This will enable her to get tuition assistance & other education benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. She'll go back to doing her drill weekends. It all goes into a routine. She is a Master at Arms & went to A school in San Antonio, TX, graduating in June 2011.
NavyMom, congrats to your Reservist daughter!!! Before we left my Reservist son last weekend after PIR, he talked about the possibility of doing a 6-month active duty stint . . . but not until after he graduates college. (He's already got one year of college under his belt, so only has 3 more to go.) That is definitely something to consider once he finishes A school and returns to college -- taking on an active duty assignment sooner to qualify for the greater education benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Here's a Reservists-only question: my son is waiting to class up for his IT A school down at Corry Station (Pensacola) right now. As a Reservist, he signed up for 6 years. He wants confirmation that they won't make him go on to C school (like they do for those who signed 6-year active duty contracts), that he'll only be required to complete A school. We both *think* we remember his recruiter saying that, but we're not 100% sure. Anyone with any knowledge regarding this?
jensue0 - your son should only have to do A school.
My stepson graduated from PCola in June and it took until just a couple of weeks ago for him to be 'gained' so it takes a while for all of the paperwork to go through. He doesnt do the weekend drills until he is gained so he was a bit frustrated with that. He is having a hard time finding work in his new field and we hope he finds something soon. He is even going to talk to the navy and see if he can get something with them - why he didn't go active reserves to begin with I have no idea. chalk it up to him thinking he will be able to get a job straight out of A school I guess. We know it will take time as do all things with the navy so fingers crossed he will either find a civilian job or a navy job and SOON.
Thx for the info, jeepgirl. And good luck to your son as he continues his job search!
I'm glad you told me that there may be a lengthy waiting period before my son starts drilling after he's done with A school. Thank goodness the timing should work out that he'll finish A school next March, but won't go back to college until next fall. (He's planning on his drill pay being his "spending money" every month while at school.)
Jensue0, Good Luck to your son. He can get GI Benefits for Select Reservists while in school. It is a monthly amount & takes a lot of paper work & time to get set up. Best source of info is www.gibill.va.gov.
My sailor had PIR this past Friday. He is now In a school In GL, he is an FC. He has some qualification to meet. The same as everyone, shadow other watches, inspection etc. he is on hold until the 24th of Nov. He found out that he will be gone longer than he thought. Apparently there are long hold times for his field, FC. Question , WHAT IS ATT? CAN YOU GET THE GI BILL AFTER A & C SCHOOL IF YOU ARE A RESERVIST AND HAVE NOT DONE ACTIVE DUTY. A little confused about someone's other comment. HOW LONG ARE HOLD TIMES?
littleman14, Your son can get the Montgomery GI Bill for Select Reservist, while being a Reservist in good standing. He does not have to be Active Duty to get this benefit or have done any Active Duty time. Boot Camp & training do not qualify as Active Duty time. There are three or four different Chapters of Educational Benefits under VA Educational Benefits. You have to choose the one that your son qualifies for that will pay the most benefits. There is also a chapter called REAP ( Reservist Education Assistance Program). Go to the website www.gibill.va.gov for information. You can also get phone numbers, so you can call the VA for assistance. I hope this helps.
Hi anyone have a sailor in P'cola in Aircrew and Reseerve's?? My son arrived Nov. 15. Just called tonight and told us he is in Phase 2 and still waiting to start school.
ANYONE who has a sailor in Pensacola. tell them to go to senic 90 cafe- It is off of senic hwy. Depending out what base they are on it could e about 15 min away. My mom works there they have good food. about 10.00 to eat. Also McGuires Irish pub is a classic local place. The owner owns a few but,this one is the original. They ca eat for about $15.00 I know it maybe little high but it is a place to go while in pensacola. ANY QUESTIONS ask ME. I grew up there!!! was there for 22 years before I got married. I am going to trust you will not use my name but, if you want to freak your son out tell them they better not go to SAMMY'S. it is an adult entertainment club that most sailors go to at least once when they get full liberty. There are some night clubs that they go to as well. they are no harm just sailors having fun. ( dance clubs)
My daughter is currently at RTC and I am really disgusted at all the falsehoods that her recruiter fed us concerning college assistance. Has anyone had success with obtaining financial aid for their reservist? And to think I steered her away from the National Guard....they get all sorts of funds!
Caroline she should be able to get some. With reserves they usually get a monthly check. It all depends on what school and other things how much they will get each month.
http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/mgib_sr.asp also on this page it tells the form she will have to fill out, and a little more information about it. When she gets to her reserve unit they will be able to help her with the paper work to get it started.
well got that first phone call and let's just say my heart is broken.... I was prepared for the upset voice on the other end of the phone but shocked at what I heard.... My daughter went in as a navy reservist and corpsman. Her recruiter told her as a reservist she would still get all the same things as if she enlisted- college assistance, health insurance and a medical certificate- and A school would be about 3 months so she could be home to return to school. I kept saying this was too good to be true but it's what he said. My daughter finds out there that there's no insurance, no assistance for college and A school is five months with a certificate as an EMT. Along with wanting the military experience. She was hoping for the things she was promised... Now she's deflated and feels like she was tricked into signing as a reservist. Anyone have suggestions or experienced in this? There's no way to express the heartache I feel knowing her dream has been crushed and knowing she feels she is there for nothing... I did try to build her up telling her that she doesn't need the insurance or tuition (never did but she wanted that independence) and that nursing was still an option and how wonderful it will be to come out with a military background... I said all the right mom things but I'm so sad and mad right now!!! Another week or so before I can see if she's ok and give her any additional advise... Please help if you have any thoughts... Heartbroken mom sitting here...
Tori'smom, I completely understand your disbelief, anger & frustration. My daughter, a Navy Reservist & a Master At Arms, was told during her third week of Boot Camp, that as a Reservist, she wouldn't get anything! As in your situation, my daughter was told that she would get up to 75% of the cost of a private college for education benefits. Also, not true. The key to the whole thing is to go active duty for at least six months. They'll get tuition, a monthly housing allowance & money for books. This comes under the Montgomery GI Bill Post 9/11. As a reservist, she can get a monthly benefit under the Montgomery GI Bill for Select Reservist. The best source of info, as discussed in previous comments is www.benefits.va.gov. It is quite complex & involves online applications/forms. Her college also has to be proactive for VA benefits. Good Luck.
Thank you! I appreciate your help. Was your daughter devisated when she heard? I don't know how to ease her disappointment.. She feels she's there for nothing. I guess I will resure her in a letter but feel so bad for her :(. Thank you again
I'm in the reserves, and basically your daughter will find that no one knows anything about the reserves if they are active duty. I did it for the same reason, and the benefits ARE there. I pay $50 a month for insurance, and we get approx $350 a month for college benefits, from what I understand. Corpsman school is about 18 weeks. That would have been in her contract, although sometimes that can change. I know what presentation she just sat through, and I doubt it is right. I had the same panic attack, myself at the time.
When she gets home from training, she will need to apply for insurance herself. She will need to do it using a cac reader. The reserves is great and everything she wanted from it. Active duty people just don't know.
Of course my daughter was devastated. She wrote this news to me in a letter three weeks into boot camp! She begged me to get her out of there. How could I have done that? Your daughter will find that it will all work out in the end. My daughter has been a a Reservist for over three years & she is going to college full time with the majority of tuition paid for by the GI Bill. But, she had accepted an Active Duty position & did that for six months. That really helps in getting better benefits. Good luck. Your daughter will find her way around a complicated military way of life.
Hahaha gotta love that CAC reader! Seabee reserve wife. He has been in for 6 years and is an E-5. You don't do reserves thinking you get ALL the military benefits. But, I love our reserve benefits!
Health insurance. They don't enroll you automatically when you check into your command. you have to enroll online using your ID. You can get sgli, still, too.
This is great information that I am receiving from this site. My son is a reservist currently waiting for school to start in Pensacola for CTN. I was wondering about the benefits as well and my questions have been answered. We had a good recruiter and he knows that he has to be active for 6 months to get better benefits. But it is good to hear from reservists on here.
The cac reader is a device that goes into the USB port of your computer that allows you to military websites. They issue one once you check in, if you don't already have one. Sgli is life insurance. Once the reservist leaves active duty, they will be re-offered life insurance. They have to pay for it, like usual, but apparently boot camp isn't the last chance to sign up, like they tell you there.
Xfactormom- I just came from Corry, where your son is. It isn't uncommon for the CTN's to be waiting for months to class up. Just a heads up. The program is extremely difficult and they have a hard time finding qualified people to fill a class.
Miss conception, thank you so much for the info! I know he has to be deployed for a certain amount of time to receive post 9/11 GI bill benefits, but if he doesn't get deployed, what is the best he can hope for in assistance with college?
miss conception.... you have given hope and I have already sent a letter giving her some of this information in hopes that it will lighten her heart and ease the stress. She so wanted this and hate to think that she is out there thinking all of this is for nothing.
And Newmomofonly1girl- I am sure she was devastated and hate asking that question (bc I am sure she was). I was just hoping to get some insight of how you were able to handle her sadness. My daughter did the same thing with saying she wanted out and I just felt so trapped- as moms, we want to fix everything and ease their anxiety. So thank you so much for your imput, it helps. As does all the wonderful exchanges here.
Tori'smom, I started by doing research to find out the truth. I also found out about a State benefit. We live in New York State. NY has a Naval Militia & by joining that, my daughter wad able to get tuition paid for st a State college. So, she went to a State college got the tuition paid for & got a monthly allowance from the GO Bill for Select Reservists. So, look into State benefits that your home state may have. Ask questions. Go to federal & State websites. Good Luck. It'll all work out. Just keep reassuring her.
I'm not sure of the exact amount of college benefits, but it seems to be a couple to a few hundred dollars for 36 months.
By week three of bootcamp, things are just starting to get bad. By week 5 or 6 the RDC's lay off quite a bit and things get less intense emotionally, if I remember correctly, lol. By the time your reservist gets through a-school, everyone is going to be jealous that they didn't join the reserves, too.
thanks, I will definitely look into our state and see what is here for her as well. Our work as a mom is never done..LOL I will be researching and finding out as much as possible to keep her seeing the light... thank you again!! :)
and miss conception... I really appreciate the insight you are giving.. it will give me a lot to pass along to her to keep her moving forward. Thank you, thank you :)
Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help me. My son has classed up at Pensacola in CTN school. He is navy reserve. He is telling me that he is already stressed and that it is really hard. I try to encourage him and I know he will do his best but what is the procedure if he does not pass his A school as a reservist? I have tried to look and cannot find the info. I told him to ask someone but it is taking him a while. Thanks
I will tell you what they tell us in there. They say that if you don't pass your a-school as a reservist, they drop you out of they navy. He may hear that, if he asks. The truth is, they are trying to scale back the numbers of reservists, so he isn't entirely protected from that as a possibility. The other truth is, they have invested to date, no less than $200,000 in your son and his security clearances. They will likely re-rate him, rather than drop him, and I saw it happen, even with reservists there. All he can do is his best. Over half of his class could likely end up re-rated, which is an unusually high amount, but it won't likely be the end of his world if he is one of them. Just encourage him to do his best because if he doesn't make it, his work ethic will go a long way in opening up options for his next job selection, if it comes to that.
My son is in nuke school, which is known to be really hard, too. I tell him that, no matter what, I am proud of him. I tell him never to let the pressure of this school to make him feel like he has no good options or hopeless In life if he fails. Fortunately, he is doing well at the moment, but I know the pressure can feel like it's never going to get better. These schools expect an unnatural amount of information to be absorbed and tested on in a daily basis, but that's not how most people retain information. Your son is obviously very mart or he wouldn't be there. He will just need encouragement that no matter what, it's not going to be the end for him, and if he does well, he is going to have a really cool job.
Thank you so much Miss Conception. You are so right because that is what I have been doing. Right now he is stressed because he went in right out of high school and his class consists of college graduates. He is a little intimidated that is all. He can and will only do his best. I really appreciate the answer because I did not know who else to ask. This site is awesome
My son also started after high school and left the day before his 18th B-Day. That said he will be graduating March 10. Very excited for his graduation and getting to see him. He will be sent to New London.....not sure for how long. But since it is closer to us, it doesn't matter. Just happy that he will be there!
Miss Conception and xfactormom - That is exactly what my son was told all through the time he was in IT school. "we'll drop you". He was so stressed out! Well, he just couldn't do it...he studied, made a BILLION flash cards and the pace was just incredible for him. They put him and many other in a remedial program to help and it was still just not his cup o' tea. One of the Instructors was so great. He told them not to consider themselves failures and encouraged them.
Bottom line... he failed out BUT was allowed to rerate. He got six different ratings to choose from (only two when went to MEPS and none were ones he actually wanted at the time, but he choose IT). He ended up a Seabee Builder. He wanted Seabee's from the get go! :-)
I so agree with Miss Conception. Encourage him to just keep his work ethic up, smile, don't complain or make excuses and do his best. Attitude can make all the difference.
My Hubby was an AF SFS Reservist (E-7) and that is always what he told his troops. :-)
Miss Conception - Would that be Tricare? If so do you like the coverage? My son needs medical insurance and I would love to hear from a Reservist that has Tricare.
On the SGLI (life Insurance), it is a good idea for reservists to get this. Spouses may have coverage as well. Hubby got this for both of us :-)
Awe! I'm glad I can help! I was soooo frustrated and still am at how in the dark reservists are left all the time. I have to count to ten almost every time I walk in to do drill just to deal with the new things I was supposed to telepathically know. Lol.
The health insurance is tricare reserve select. You can look online for the coverage. I'm happy with it for the price. It can be hard to find participating doctors. I'm an independent primary health care provider myself so I never go to the doctor, but I did want something for emergency. It's only $50 for me and $200 for a family.
When they get back from training, it is possible no one will tell them what to do for their suddenly dropped insurance, or even that they are no longer insured. They will want to print an enrollment form while they have access to a cac reader and printer at the same time. They will have to mail the form. They can get retroactive coverage, if they ask for it. There is a deadline to enroll in order for coverage to start the following month, I think the 15th of each month. I can't remember.
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW and Miss Conception you are both so right and on point! He will be given another opportunity and he has been encouraged. Sometimes he listens to the wrong people and not the right ones. He has good leaders and when I come to this site to get info, he listens to what I tell him. So thank you very much for all that you do. I hope you realize just how many people you help.
As far as "I hope you realize just how many people you help"....I am just now starting to realize it.
And what I also realizing... is that there is much more that I can do than I have been.
I try to be positive when on here. Encouraging. Folks are struggling enough. But if I truly believe my own words, "this site was designed for much more than just BC and PIR...that it is meant to help for the lifetime of your Sailors career" then I need to be contributing in that way as well. There has to be a balance. Sometimes the negative needs to be talked about and exposed in order to help others and possibly bring change. It may not BUT we do have a "voice to speak".
Because quite frankly...the negative can be very damaging.
Miss Conception (thank you for your responses btw)said something that I have watched my husband go through for 29+ years and am now watching our son go through:
"I was soooo frustrated and still am at how in the dark reservists are left all the time. I have to count to ten almost every time I walk in to do drill just to deal with the new things I was supposed to telepathically know. Lol."
Her words ring true. Many, many times it is only that ...frustrating. But I have seen my husband, a very strong man be subject to toxic leadership. There is a lot of talk about young troops but he is an example of it happening to someone "in the middle". I am talking abusive here...but you knock him down and he gets right back up. There are wounds but he keeps going. He serves...took care of the troops below him in spite of it. He was told he was "too soft" and his response is: "Don't mistake kindness for weakness." One example of his perceived "softness" was allowing personnel to rest in the shade in a spot in the middle of their work area. They could easily be on the go again in either direction on a moments notice. Why did he allow this? Because it was frickin' 115 degrees out and the Humvees had no air conditioning. So what's better, a troop doing something that will help keep them going or one that ends up in the hospital for heatstroke all because "it looks bad"."
Reservists are in the dark and yet have to fulfill and keep the same standards as Active duty WHILE holding down a regular job as well. I am not even going to go into all of it in this post. But I am seriously considering blogging about it. Not to vent or complain but to do something constructive with the frustration and well...just down right anger I feel at the mistreatment that goes on.
Some of the deep stuff is not mine to tell...yet. But the frustrating admin stuff that they are supposed to telepathically or "osmotically" know...yeah, that needs to be talked about.
Quite frankly I get more results from my searches online than I have from the "powers that be" that are supposed to know what they are doing.
Most of the time they:
a) Don't know what to do for the reservist
b) Don't care-it doesn't affect them so it's not there problem.
c) Both of the above.
Being a reservist on a reserve base can make a big difference...but being a reservist attached to an active duty base is 10 x's worse. Hell, when my husband had pay issues while deployed I went to the base and they couldn't help, the secretary assigned to his team didn't even know what I was talking about. I had to figure it out on my own and convince her to get me to someone else to fix it.
It's hard for the reservist and hard for the families as well. You do not have other families to connect with.
Reservists are looked down upon, made fun of... "weekend warrior" is a common phrase...yet statistically a very large portion of service members deployed are reservists (or at least it was in 2011 when hubby was deployed). I always forget the exact percentage.
Thank you for speaking up, both the good and the negative! My son just finished ATT school and is starting A school as a reservist and there's so many things already that we don't fully understand and seem to be getting mixed messages about. And he's not even back home yet. So keep posting and blogging so that we can learn from each other. I've made notes about some of the things you've mentioned over the last few weeks. So thank you!
klg96
hello, new to the group my son will be heading to GL 8/4/2014
Jul 25, 2014
phyllis
Hello everyone, my son may join as a reserve officer. He is not on a definite career path. He has his Bachelor of Arts. Can anyone help me understand what the Navy experience brings to the life of a young man? What are the challenges? Is it wise to join without a definitive career goal? I am confused because to join as an officer doesn't involve any specific career training. At least I think that it doesn't, so I just wonder what sort of role he could fulfill there. I actually am confused about all of it, but I won't try to play 20 questions here. Any feedback is very much appreciated.
Aug 17, 2014
littleman14
I see the last post was aug, 17th is this site still active?
Sep 22, 2014
jensue0
Littleman, I've been watching this group since I joined N4M in July. Asked one question about tuition assistance for reservists, which a wonderful navy wife answered for me. But noticed some other questions since then have gone unanswered. Not sure this group has anyone (with much reservist knowledge) monitoring it.
I myself am a very new reservist mom. My son graduated boot camp just last Friday, now in Pcola waiting for his A school (IT) to start. So I'm not even on the reservist mom side yet, considering my sailor is technically active status right now.
How about you and your sailor?
Sep 22, 2014
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Sep 23, 2014
jensue0
NavyMom, congrats to your Reservist daughter!!! Before we left my Reservist son last weekend after PIR, he talked about the possibility of doing a 6-month active duty stint . . . but not until after he graduates college. (He's already got one year of college under his belt, so only has 3 more to go.) That is definitely something to consider once he finishes A school and returns to college -- taking on an active duty assignment sooner to qualify for the greater education benefits of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Sep 25, 2014
jensue0
Here's a Reservists-only question: my son is waiting to class up for his IT A school down at Corry Station (Pensacola) right now. As a Reservist, he signed up for 6 years. He wants confirmation that they won't make him go on to C school (like they do for those who signed 6-year active duty contracts), that he'll only be required to complete A school. We both *think* we remember his recruiter saying that, but we're not 100% sure. Anyone with any knowledge regarding this?
Sep 25, 2014
jeepgirl
My stepson graduated from PCola in June and it took until just a couple of weeks ago for him to be 'gained' so it takes a while for all of the paperwork to go through. He doesnt do the weekend drills until he is gained so he was a bit frustrated with that. He is having a hard time finding work in his new field and we hope he finds something soon. He is even going to talk to the navy and see if he can get something with them - why he didn't go active reserves to begin with I have no idea. chalk it up to him thinking he will be able to get a job straight out of A school I guess. We know it will take time as do all things with the navy so fingers crossed he will either find a civilian job or a navy job and SOON.
Sep 25, 2014
jensue0
Thx for the info, jeepgirl. And good luck to your son as he continues his job search!
I'm glad you told me that there may be a lengthy waiting period before my son starts drilling after he's done with A school. Thank goodness the timing should work out that he'll finish A school next March, but won't go back to college until next fall. (He's planning on his drill pay being his "spending money" every month while at school.)
Sep 25, 2014
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Sep 26, 2014
littleman14
Nov 17, 2014
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Nov 18, 2014
Honey33
Dec 3, 2014
littleman14
ANYONE who has a sailor in Pensacola. tell them to go to senic 90 cafe- It is off of senic hwy. Depending out what base they are on it could e about 15 min away. My mom works there they have good food. about 10.00 to eat. Also McGuires Irish pub is a classic local place. The owner owns a few but,this one is the original. They ca eat for about $15.00 I know it maybe little high but it is a place to go while in pensacola. ANY QUESTIONS ask ME. I grew up there!!! was there for 22 years before I got married. I am going to trust you will not use my name but, if you want to freak your son out tell them they better not go to SAMMY'S. it is an adult entertainment club that most sailors go to at least once when they get full liberty. There are some night clubs that they go to as well. they are no harm just sailors having fun. ( dance clubs)
Dec 3, 2014
littleman14
Navy moms 1girl. THANK YOU
Dec 3, 2014
Caroline
Feb 9, 2015
Navy AC
Feb 9, 2015
Navy AC
Feb 9, 2015
Navy AC
Feb 9, 2015
tori'smom
Feb 15, 2015
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Feb 15, 2015
tori'smom
Feb 15, 2015
Miss Conception
When she gets home from training, she will need to apply for insurance herself. She will need to do it using a cac reader. The reserves is great and everything she wanted from it. Active duty people just don't know.
Feb 15, 2015
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Feb 15, 2015
emilton
Feb 15, 2015
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW
Miss Conception - Is that for health insurance or the SGLI?
Feb 15, 2015
Miss Conception
Feb 16, 2015
Mitch's_mom
Feb 16, 2015
xfactormom
This is great information that I am receiving from this site. My son is a reservist currently waiting for school to start in Pensacola for CTN. I was wondering about the benefits as well and my questions have been answered. We had a good recruiter and he knows that he has to be active for 6 months to get better benefits. But it is good to hear from reservists on here.
Feb 16, 2015
Miss Conception
Xfactormom- I just came from Corry, where your son is. It isn't uncommon for the CTN's to be waiting for months to class up. Just a heads up. The program is extremely difficult and they have a hard time finding qualified people to fill a class.
Feb 16, 2015
Miss Conception
Feb 16, 2015
Mitch's_mom
Feb 16, 2015
tori'smom
miss conception.... you have given hope and I have already sent a letter giving her some of this information in hopes that it will lighten her heart and ease the stress. She so wanted this and hate to think that she is out there thinking all of this is for nothing.
And Newmomofonly1girl- I am sure she was devastated and hate asking that question (bc I am sure she was). I was just hoping to get some insight of how you were able to handle her sadness. My daughter did the same thing with saying she wanted out and I just felt so trapped- as moms, we want to fix everything and ease their anxiety. So thank you so much for your imput, it helps. As does all the wonderful exchanges here.
Feb 16, 2015
NavyMomofOnly1Girl Ship 9 DIV126
Tori'smom, I started by doing research to find out the truth. I also found out about a State benefit. We live in New York State. NY has a Naval Militia & by joining that, my daughter wad able to get tuition paid for st a State college. So, she went to a State college got the tuition paid for & got a monthly allowance from the GO Bill for Select Reservists. So, look into State benefits that your home state may have. Ask questions. Go to federal & State websites. Good Luck. It'll all work out. Just keep reassuring her.
Feb 16, 2015
Miss Conception
By week three of bootcamp, things are just starting to get bad. By week 5 or 6 the RDC's lay off quite a bit and things get less intense emotionally, if I remember correctly, lol. By the time your reservist gets through a-school, everyone is going to be jealous that they didn't join the reserves, too.
Feb 16, 2015
tori'smom
thanks, I will definitely look into our state and see what is here for her as well. Our work as a mom is never done..LOL I will be researching and finding out as much as possible to keep her seeing the light... thank you again!! :)
Feb 17, 2015
tori'smom
and miss conception... I really appreciate the insight you are giving.. it will give me a lot to pass along to her to keep her moving forward. Thank you, thank you :)
Feb 17, 2015
xfactormom
Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help me. My son has classed up at Pensacola in CTN school. He is navy reserve. He is telling me that he is already stressed and that it is really hard. I try to encourage him and I know he will do his best but what is the procedure if he does not pass his A school as a reservist? I have tried to look and cannot find the info. I told him to ask someone but it is taking him a while. Thanks
Feb 21, 2015
Miss Conception
My son is in nuke school, which is known to be really hard, too. I tell him that, no matter what, I am proud of him. I tell him never to let the pressure of this school to make him feel like he has no good options or hopeless In life if he fails. Fortunately, he is doing well at the moment, but I know the pressure can feel like it's never going to get better. These schools expect an unnatural amount of information to be absorbed and tested on in a daily basis, but that's not how most people retain information. Your son is obviously very mart or he wouldn't be there. He will just need encouragement that no matter what, it's not going to be the end for him, and if he does well, he is going to have a really cool job.
Feb 21, 2015
xfactormom
Thank you so much Miss Conception. You are so right because that is what I have been doing. Right now he is stressed because he went in right out of high school and his class consists of college graduates. He is a little intimidated that is all. He can and will only do his best. I really appreciate the answer because I did not know who else to ask. This site is awesome
Feb 21, 2015
Honey33
Feb 22, 2015
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW
Miss Conception and xfactormom - That is exactly what my son was told all through the time he was in IT school. "we'll drop you". He was so stressed out! Well, he just couldn't do it...he studied, made a BILLION flash cards and the pace was just incredible for him. They put him and many other in a remedial program to help and it was still just not his cup o' tea. One of the Instructors was so great. He told them not to consider themselves failures and encouraged them.
Bottom line... he failed out BUT was allowed to rerate. He got six different ratings to choose from (only two when went to MEPS and none were ones he actually wanted at the time, but he choose IT). He ended up a Seabee Builder. He wanted Seabee's from the get go! :-)
I so agree with Miss Conception. Encourage him to just keep his work ethic up, smile, don't complain or make excuses and do his best. Attitude can make all the difference.
My Hubby was an AF SFS Reservist (E-7) and that is always what he told his troops. :-)
Feb 25, 2015
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW
I'm sorry, I know this is an older topic...
Miss Conception - Would that be Tricare? If so do you like the coverage? My son needs medical insurance and I would love to hear from a Reservist that has Tricare.
On the SGLI (life Insurance), it is a good idea for reservists to get this. Spouses may have coverage as well. Hubby got this for both of us :-)
Feb 25, 2015
tori'smom
Miss Conception- You have been a life save for these sailors (and MOMS! LOL) thank you for all your great information!
Feb 26, 2015
Miss Conception
The health insurance is tricare reserve select. You can look online for the coverage. I'm happy with it for the price. It can be hard to find participating doctors. I'm an independent primary health care provider myself so I never go to the doctor, but I did want something for emergency. It's only $50 for me and $200 for a family.
When they get back from training, it is possible no one will tell them what to do for their suddenly dropped insurance, or even that they are no longer insured. They will want to print an enrollment form while they have access to a cac reader and printer at the same time. They will have to mail the form. They can get retroactive coverage, if they ask for it. There is a deadline to enroll in order for coverage to start the following month, I think the 15th of each month. I can't remember.
Feb 26, 2015
Miss Conception
Feb 26, 2015
xfactormom
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW and Miss Conception you are both so right and on point! He will be given another opportunity and he has been encouraged. Sometimes he listens to the wrong people and not the right ones. He has good leaders and when I come to this site to get info, he listens to what I tell him. So thank you very much for all that you do. I hope you realize just how many people you help.
Feb 28, 2015
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW
xfactormom - You are welcome and thank you for your kind words :-)
I wish the best for your son! I am glad that he has good leaders.
Apr 11, 2015
FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW
Warning! Long post...
As far as "I hope you realize just how many people you help"....I am just now starting to realize it.
And what I also realizing... is that there is much more that I can do than I have been.
I try to be positive when on here. Encouraging. Folks are struggling enough. But if I truly believe my own words, "this site was designed for much more than just BC and PIR...that it is meant to help for the lifetime of your Sailors career" then I need to be contributing in that way as well. There has to be a balance. Sometimes the negative needs to be talked about and exposed in order to help others and possibly bring change. It may not BUT we do have a "voice to speak".
Because quite frankly...the negative can be very damaging.
Miss Conception (thank you for your responses btw)said something that I have watched my husband go through for 29+ years and am now watching our son go through:
"I was soooo frustrated and still am at how in the dark reservists are left all the time. I have to count to ten almost every time I walk in to do drill just to deal with the new things I was supposed to telepathically know. Lol."
Her words ring true. Many, many times it is only that ...frustrating. But I have seen my husband, a very strong man be subject to toxic leadership. There is a lot of talk about young troops but he is an example of it happening to someone "in the middle". I am talking abusive here...but you knock him down and he gets right back up. There are wounds but he keeps going. He serves...took care of the troops below him in spite of it. He was told he was "too soft" and his response is: "Don't mistake kindness for weakness." One example of his perceived "softness" was allowing personnel to rest in the shade in a spot in the middle of their work area. They could easily be on the go again in either direction on a moments notice. Why did he allow this? Because it was frickin' 115 degrees out and the Humvees had no air conditioning. So what's better, a troop doing something that will help keep them going or one that ends up in the hospital for heatstroke all because "it looks bad"."
Reservists are in the dark and yet have to fulfill and keep the same standards as Active duty WHILE holding down a regular job as well. I am not even going to go into all of it in this post. But I am seriously considering blogging about it. Not to vent or complain but to do something constructive with the frustration and well...just down right anger I feel at the mistreatment that goes on.
Some of the deep stuff is not mine to tell...yet. But the frustrating admin stuff that they are supposed to telepathically or "osmotically" know...yeah, that needs to be talked about.
Quite frankly I get more results from my searches online than I have from the "powers that be" that are supposed to know what they are doing.
Most of the time they:
a) Don't know what to do for the reservist
b) Don't care-it doesn't affect them so it's not there problem.
c) Both of the above.
Being a reservist on a reserve base can make a big difference...but being a reservist attached to an active duty base is 10 x's worse. Hell, when my husband had pay issues while deployed I went to the base and they couldn't help, the secretary assigned to his team didn't even know what I was talking about. I had to figure it out on my own and convince her to get me to someone else to fix it.
It's hard for the reservist and hard for the families as well. You do not have other families to connect with.
Reservists are looked down upon, made fun of... "weekend warrior" is a common phrase...yet statistically a very large portion of service members deployed are reservists (or at least it was in 2011 when hubby was deployed). I always forget the exact percentage.
Apr 11, 2015
maryjo
Thank you for speaking up, both the good and the negative! My son just finished ATT school and is starting A school as a reservist and there's so many things already that we don't fully understand and seem to be getting mixed messages about. And he's not even back home yet. So keep posting and blogging so that we can learn from each other. I've made notes about some of the things you've mentioned over the last few weeks. So thank you!
Apr 14, 2015