Any current/former Navy guys here?
 

The reason I ask is because I JUST got back home from MEPS and my girlfriend's house being up since 0400. Wanted Seabee but MP and Aviation Mech were the 2nd and 3rd choice and I picked up Aviation. Ship date for that is September 19th, 4 months from now.

Good Job picking aviation......... you can have a career after the Military in that with airlines. Seabees are basically contruction right?

Was Seabee and MP (Master-at-Arms I'm assuming) booked up? Normally those 2 rates and Corpsman are what the recruiters push. I think you were smart to pick the Air Dale side. As SS said, there will be more opportunities for you once you get out. I would personally look for something with helicopters. In south Louisiana where oilfield is big, so are helicopters! You would probably have a job waiting for you before you seperate. Good Luck!

Did four years from 99-03 as an Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) on F/A-18s (VFA-105), now I work for Bristow Helicopters, so as someone stated the helicopters business here is very good, just make sure you get your A&P licence while you're enlisted.

I thought you were going USMC?

I have a buddy that I graduated with who enlisted in 95', did his 4 years in the Navy working on Helicopters, Came out of H.S. and started working for P.H.I. Now he owns his own company in Taiwan servicing Helicopters. He is doing really well for himself.

Seabee and MP were all booked up. They wanted to give me Ordinance Loader on F-18s and such but I said no thanks. The ship date for that was June 12... then they tried to give me a submarine job...not a chance in hell.

I did three years on a minesweeper, Iron men in wooden ships. Right ...

Haha. Roughly 130 days until I leave for boot camp. The great thing about this...is I got free Hooters last night for me and the other guys who DEPped in with me and our recruiters too.

Aviation is good, I was an Ordnance loader on F/A-18 forward deployed, very good and fun job! Went to Guam finished college station at Naval Mag, then got to go to OCS, flew for a while got out and spent total of 10 years Went in as E-1 finished as O-3E loved every day of it till I got married and had some kids.

yes..aircraft mech is the best job in the Navy, you work hard and long hours sometimes but I wouldn't have wanted to do ANYTHING else!had a blast!...20 yrs retired Navy Aircraft Mech/NDI inspector here, now inspect air force 707's and KC-10's as a civilian contractor :) started out as a AMS(aircraft mechanic,structural) then they changed the name to just "AM".

just my opinion but..seabee's suck..if you want to build things and drive construction equip you dont need to go into the military to do it...MP is worthless unless you want to be a security guard when you get out...again..you dont need to go into military for that......aviation ordnance? not many civilian helo's or planes have bombs attached to them...worthless unless your in the military...

galveston...i spent a few weeks at Autec on andros island in 99...went down there to test a new mine sweeping sonar for our MH-53 helicopters....cool lil place..lots of beer drinking and some good fishing!!

iron man...if ya have any specific AM questions send me a PM..

While talking to my cousin who is a Crew Chief of a C-130 or a C-5 can't remember, he steered me to the general direction of Aircrewman which in a nutshell is the same thing he's doing. He's done it for 7 years now and just re-upped. My brother said I don't want to do it but I'm the one doing this and not him although he was on a sub. Hell I might like it if I can pick up something I like doing and might stay in for 20+

That was a very smart decision turning down AO....there is no future in the really real world for BB stackers....This was my mos in USMC....one of my biggest regrets of my life. Get the AP lic and your set....

Don't forget if you dont like your current MOS but want to stay in, you could do a lateral move to another MOS when your contract is up. They will often offer lat moves as an incentive for re-enlistment.
Some advice...
1. Take the GI bill, its about $100 amonth out of your paycheck for a year, but ends up being worth something like $40k or more when you use it, depending on the school you use it at.
2. Take advantage of Tuition Assistance when you are on active duty. They will pay a portion or maybe even all of your tuition to go to college. Most bases have colleges come on base to teach night classes. These are 4 year accredited colleges.
3. Keep your nose clean. You will be drug tested....alot.

This^^^, get everything you can out of this, you deserve it.

Don't get caught up with some scandalous girl either, all of them start looking good after a couple weeks.

Think you picked the right MOS, too many people go into the armed forces and pick an MOS that is completely useless in the private sector. Not too many jobs open for an M1 tank weapons system mechanic in the real world, aviation is probably the best choice. Good luck, and stay away from scandalous girls at boot camp, nothing but trouble!

I can see it now...

All B.S. aside, Best of luck to ya!

Hahahahaahahahaha!

Good luck ironman

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Thats freakin sweet!

X 10000000000000 That is how I went to school. Knoc Sam paid my whole way then some. Good Luck.

Done it for 20 years, can do it for 20,000 years never touched them never will.

I understand alot of what I can do and how I can move and I know what I'll be getting into. I was in Marine DEP for about 11 months before I got the boot from it and my brother was a First Class on the Pennsylvania SSBN-735 so I got some back up if they try and BS me.

Well, I was in a Dept of the Navy, the Marine Corps. I was Aviation and worked on
AV8A Harriers. If you can get into electronics or what they call avionics you can do well on the outside. You can't just walk out the door and start working on commercial aircraft though, you will need to get an A&P license and that is not that easy.

Best of luck to you. There will be many, many times that you wished you had not joined, but when you look back on it after you get out you will never regret the experiences. I hope you get to travel the world a little, every man should spend a month or two in the Phillipines and sample those little pleasures!!

Watching Full Metal Jacket..... IronMan, dont be a.Private Pile!!! Start getting in shape now, and make sure you know your right from your left......and BY ALL MEANS!!!! LEAVE THE JELLY DOUGHNUT IN THE MESS!!!!

It all boils down to what you put into it, I was an AO and very proud of it, I also went to Captains Mast, not a good thing, but recovered well (made PO2 in 4 years) and still got a commission, but had to prove myself. I am now a safety manager only from the dedication to safety from ordnance practices instilled in me while I was having fun and the most important part, what I learned as a Navy person and the friendship as an AO taught me many things, mostly how to be a leader. Leadership is hard to find, but just mentioning military on a resume speaks words as far as todays generation whatever.
Just to make mention, a good safety manager = very good compensation!
Education - Tuition assitance- BS degree MGI Bill = Master Degree all paid for and not out of my pocket!!!!!

Being sucessful in the Navy or any service comes down to what you want to make of it. I was in the Army in a time they wanted to get rid of people and then next thing you know we had a war. I changed my MOS 3 times from combat engineer basically land mine sweeper, to recon where changed from fighting in woods to urban warfare alot of street survival skills, and ended up in non combat engineering unit similar to seebee's (carpenters, plumbers, electricians, heavy equipment operators). Ended up learning construction CPM's, cannot draw using cad understand it, seen jobs go from stakeout to gps layout also equipment having gps on them, and learned how to mange large site-work jobs. When I got out didn't have trouble finding a job. Uncle sam paid for my B.A. and Masters.

Just take the good with the bad and its what you want to make of it. After 1st 4 years or 6 years you can decide if you want to make a career of it. Good luck.

Yes, we had someone like private pile in full metal jacket in AIT for Heavy Construction Equipment. 1st day on the crawler tractor/dozer it was funny. Imagine a line full of dozers ready to go straight with instructions in cab with each student. Then imagine everyone going straight trying to do V-ditches and then private pile in a dozer coming right infront of everyone. Funny now, but you just had to be there to see the instructor freak out.

Been the daughter of an MP (ARMY) for the last 20 years!